Song Shiya

After eating a packet of flatbread and two packs of compressed biscuits, then drinking the water left in Qin Shuwen's cup, Shen Ye finally felt somewhat full.

Even with his physical fitness enhanced by his sequence ability, a whole night of cycling left him weary and drowsy.

But Shen Ye did not rush to rest. Instead, he took out his phone.

He had used it sparingly over the past few days, but when he turned it on, the battery still showed less than twenty percent.

Most of the apps on his phone had stopped working on the second day of the apocalypse. Only a news app developed by a major company could still barely run.

Shen Ye tapped the news app. The loading icon spun for a long while before it finally opened.

A moment later, several trending headlines caught his eye:

[Yanjing has fallen. Humanity's end is truly here!]

[Tier five anomaly spotted in Chang'an. All convoys, keep your distance.]

[The Southern Military Region has fallen. Huaxia has no defensive lines left.]

[Conventional weapons cannot kill them. Only Sequence Awakened can fight anomalies!]

[Warning! Every convoy must have at least one Guide Sequence member!]

Shen Ye was just about to open the trending story about the Guide Sequence when the entire page went white and a message popped up: "Unable to connect to the network."

He tried several other apps, but none would open.

Still, he was not particularly disappointed.

Had this happened in his original world, the network would probably have collapsed completely on the very first day.

"What happened just now, big brother?"

As Song Lei returned to the vehicle, the young woman in the passenger seat immediately asked.

Her name was Song Shiya, and she was Song Lei's younger sister. Before the apocalypse, she had been a doctor.

Unlike Song Lei, Song Shiya was beautiful. Her long, dark brown curls were soft and full, with wispy bangs resting lightly against her forehead and framing her gentle features.

Her round, almond-shaped eyes were bright and lively, with a faint pink flush beneath them and a watery sheen. A slight smile always lingered at the corners of her lips.

Her pale pink striped shirt and blue jeans gave her a sweet, girlish air that did not quite match her demeanor.

Song Lei glanced at his sister, unscrewed his water cup, and took a sip before calmly recounting what had happened.

Song Shiya was still thinking it over when Song Lei spoke again, his tone turning grave. "Just like you suspected, there's more to this Shen Ye than meets the eye."

"Old Mrs. Zhao's grandson looked like he weighed close to two hundred jin. That kid not only sent him flying with one kick, he even smashed him into the railing hard enough to bend it. Someone with his build shouldn't be able to generate that kind of explosive force."

His sister was not just beautiful. She was exceptionally sharp, too.

That was why Song Lei did whatever she told him.

After observing everyone over the past few days, Song Shiya had gotten a clear read on the people in the convoy. The one who drew her attention most was Shen Ye.

The reason was simple.

Surviving this many days in the apocalypse with nothing but a bicycle was unusual in itself.

Song Shiya had also noticed that whenever Shen Ye caught up with the convoy, he clearly still had energy to spare. His condition was the complete opposite of his companion Qin Shuwen's.

After a long moment, Song Shiya touched her chin and said quietly, "I suspect Shen Ye might be a Sequence Awakened, too."

The air inside the cab suddenly froze.

Song Lei's pupils contracted, shock filling his face.

A sense of danger welled up in him.

As a Sequence Awakened himself, he knew all too well what such supernatural power meant.

If his sister was right, Shen Ye was a ticking time bomb in the convoy.

Had he revealed his identity from the start, his strength as a Sequence Awakened would certainly have earned him higher status and better treatment in the Rock Carriage Team.

The frightening part was this.

He had chosen to hide it.

What exactly was he plotting?

That uncertainty made Song Lei feel threatened.

Yes, Song Lei was human, too.

He had a sense of responsibility, but after struggling at the bottom for so long and finally gaining power and respect, it was hard for his mindset not to change.

Seeing her brother's tension, Song Shiya smiled faintly. "Big brother, this is only a guess. Even if he really is a Sequence Awakened, he might not be a match for you, a tier nine Beastman Sequence member."

Song Lei was about to reply when someone knocked on the vehicle door.

Through the window, he saw Steward Huang standing outside with a smile.

"What is it now, Huang?" Song Lei rolled down the window.

"Captain Song, it's nothing too serious, really."

Steward Huang rubbed his hands together. "You see, we've been on the road for several days now, and quite a few people have gone a day or two without food or water. They keep coming to me with their troubles, saying they can't survive anymore. If this goes on, I'm afraid they'll start bothering you."

Because of the anomalies, the convoy barely dared approach any towns.

Even when they needed supplies, they only dared replenish their fuel at roadside gas stations.

But despite resupplying during daylight, the Rock Carriage Team had still lost quite a few people over the past few days.

Those anomalies merely could not move in sunlight. Dark places were still their domain.

"Huang, searching for supplies isn't their idea. It's yours, isn't it?" Song Lei smiled.

In the entire Rock Carriage Team, Song Lei naturally had the most supplies, followed by Steward Huang.

Anyone who wanted to join the Rock Carriage Team and receive its protection had to hand over supplies.

Put plainly, it was a protection fee.

Before the apocalypse, Huang had been a warehouse manager at a food-processing factory.

Aside from being a womanizer, he had another little vice: he loved getting things for free. Every day before leaving work, he would swipe some food from the warehouse and stuff it into the trunk of his BMW.

When the apocalypse came, that habit had actually helped him stockpile quite a bit of food in his car, and the position of convoy steward had fallen to him as a result.

Had Song Lei not kept seeing women get out of Steward Huang's car during their rest stops these past few days, he would never have imagined that Huang could squander so much food so quickly.

Cold sweat beaded on Steward Huang's forehead.

He knew very well that while Song Lei was easy to talk to, he hated being lied to more than anything.

He was about to explain when Song Lei spoke again. "Those people really are hungry and thirsty, but they're more afraid of the anomalies than they are desperate for food and water. So even if they starve to death, they wouldn't dare ask me to search for supplies."

Song Lei had not worked out that reasoning himself. Song Shiya had explained it to him.

Still, Huang's suggestion did tempt him. He had plenty of supplies left in his vehicle, but his water was nearly gone.

People could get by with less food. They could not go without water.

With his lie mercilessly exposed, Steward Huang simply came clean. "All right, the food in my car really is running out. If I don't replenish it soon, I'm afraid I'll end up just like them."

At that moment, Song Shiya, who had been watching from the passenger seat, finally spoke, her voice calm and measured:

"In that case, Steward Huang, you don't seem to be afraid of the anomalies?"

Steward Huang stiffened at her voice and instinctively looked toward the seat beside Song Lei.

A moment later, Song Shiya's fresh, innocent face came into view.

That one glance left him transfixed.

He had never expected the burly, rough-looking Song Lei to have such a beautiful sister.

It was not that Steward Huang had never seen Song Shiya before. She had simply always worn a mask, keeping her face hidden.

But he quickly came back to his senses and did not dare let his gaze linger on Song Shiya's face.

Before the apocalypse, he had been comfortably middle-class and had seen plenty of beautiful women, but none had been as lovely as Song Shiya.

Even so, he could not entertain any depraved thoughts. He knew very well that Song Lei valued his sister's life more than his own.

Soon, he put on an even more ingratiating smile and used his right hand to take a bronze disk from his pocket. Fine spiral patterns were engraved around its face, and the bone-white bead set in its center emanated an eerie aura.