A deal with Red Hare-who was a donkey

That absurd name.

Paired with that sleazy donkey face.

Made for a rather ridiculous sight.

A second-tier variant.

A specter with fully developed intelligence.

One that could block Lin Lu's perception.

Was sitting right beside him in baggy pink shorts.

Chen Mo's back was already soaked with cold sweat.

His body pressed tightly against the cold seat.

It wasn't that Chen Mo wasn't afraid. On the contrary, he was scared to death.

But at that moment, greed overwhelmed his fear of specters.

Sequences. Transcendents.

Those words seemed to possess a magical power, echoing in Chen Mo's ears.

This was an opportunity.

A chance to crawl out of the mud and rise straight to the top!

"So... what exactly do you want from me?"

Chen Mo forced his tongue to work again.

And asked the most crucial question.

He was an ordinary man whom the convoy could abandon at any moment, like a tail to be shed.

What could this donkey possibly want from him?

His knack for staying alive?

Or his skill at roasting potatoes?

"Heh heh, kid, so your brain hasn't turned to mush from fear."

The donkey, otherwise known as Red Hare.

Tossed the half-eaten potato into his mouth and crunched away.

"To tell you the truth, your daddy here..."

"Ahem, your pal Hare here is in some serious trouble."

An almost human look of misery actually appeared on Red Hare's donkey face.

"Some damned beast has been hunting me."

"A bear. A stupid bear that just smuggled itself over from the 'Resonant Realm.'"

"A sequence three invasive species. All it thinks about is eating and killing. I can't shake it off. It's a real pain in the ass."

"The same one you've seen."

The Spectral Bear!

Chen Mo's pupils abruptly contracted.

Wasn't the third-tier specter trailing the convoy that very Spectral Bear?

So this donkey was being hunted by that bear too!

"You humans have a natural attraction for specters."

"Like a lighthouse in the dark. We can smell you from miles away."

"But to other specters, we 'variants'..."

"We're fucking miracle food, the ultimate nutritional supplement!"

Red Hare waved a hoof, his face full of disgust.

"That stupid bear caught my scent."

"And it hasn't stopped chasing me."

"I want to slip into your convoy and borrow that blindfolded boss's perception ability."

"Have him cover up my aura so I can get a few peaceful days."

So that was it.

This donkey had come seeking refuge.

Once Chen Mo figured that out, he felt a little more at ease.

"So you want me to... take you in?"

Chen Mo's voice steadied.

"You're a quick learner."

Red Hare bared his large front teeth and nodded approvingly.

"Help me get into the convoy and give me three square meals a day. That's all."

"In return, I'll teach you how to become a Transcendent."

"Well? That's one hell of a bargain, isn't it?"

Red Hare's harsh, quacking voice was full of temptation.

Become a Transcendent.

Those words were like a spark dropped into boiling oil, setting off an explosion in Chen Mo's heart.

Yet not a trace of emotion crossed his face. Instead, he grew even colder.

"Not interested."

"You want me to betray humanity?"

Chen Mo rejected him outright.

"Huh?"

Red Hare's donkey face instantly fell.

The little wooden ladder in his hoof dropped to the floor with a clack.

A wave of killing intent instantly filled the entire vehicle.

A black, eerie aura emanated from the donkey.

"Kid, don't spit in my face when I'm doing you a favor."

"Believe it or not, I could chew up you and this vehicle right now."

Chen Mo didn't back down.

He turned to meet those murderous donkey eyes.

"You won't."

"You need me. You need a clean identity to get into the convoy."

"If you kill me, you'll have to find someone else."

"What if that person's an idiot and immediately rats you out?"

"What will you do then? Let that stupid bear chase you all over the world again?"

"Let me guess who you're afraid of."

"Big Niu, or that little girl holding the doll?"

Chen Mo's words struck the donkey's weak spot.

In the entire convoy, the only person this second-tier specter might fear.

Was probably Xiao Ya, whose true strength was impossible to gauge.

The last time the doll in Xiao Ya's arms had stared at him.

Chen Mo had realized that the little girl.

Was definitely a more terrifying being than the other Transcendents.

In fact, according to Old Yang and Chen Mo's guesses,

Xiao Ya might even have surpassed sequence one.

Dead silence fell inside the vehicle.

Only the crackling of the campfire outside could be heard.

Making the atmosphere all the more frightening.

Red Hare's donkey eyes bored into Chen Mo.

The killing intent in them grew stronger and stronger.

He really wanted to eat this brat who didn't know his place.

Chen Mo simply stared at the donkey.

Without saying a word.

But he knew this was his only chance.

Chen Mo was gambling that the donkey truly needed his help, that there was something in the convoy the donkey feared.

If he lost, he would merely die a little sooner.

An unknown amount of time passed.

Then that suffocating killing intent slowly receded.

"Heh heh... heh heh heh..."

Red Hare suddenly laughed.

His laugh was even sleazier than before.

And brimming with ill intent.

"You're an interesting kid."

"Even more of a beast than your pal Hare."

"Fine. You've got guts."

"Tell me. What do you want?"

The upper hand was his again.

Chen Mo slowly let out a breath.

"I want to lay down three ground rules."

"First, without my permission, you can't hurt anyone in the convoy."

"If anyone in the convoy dies, the Transcendents are bound to get suspicious."

"I won't be able to protect you."

"Easy enough. Your pal Hare has no interest in you two-legged sheep."

Red Hare waved a hoof dismissively.

"Second, if my life is in danger."

"You must step in and save me once. Just once."

Red Hare narrowed his donkey eyes to slits.

And looked Chen Mo up and down.

"Kid, you're pushing your luck so hard it's practically hitting me in the face."

Chen Mo cut him off.

"This is a transaction."

"Don't worry. I won't make you protect me in a situation where death is certain."

Red Hare fell silent for a moment.

The expression on his donkey face kept shifting.

As though he were weighing the pros and cons.

"...Fine."

"Once it is."

"Your pal Hare keeps his word!"

"Third."

Chen Mo enunciated every word.

"Right here. Right now. Immediately."

"Help me become a Transcendent. I don't want empty promises."

He was sick of pinning his hopes on other people.

Only power he held in his own hands.

Was truly real!

"You!"

Red Hare abruptly sat bolt upright, his donkey face filled with anger.

"You really don't take me seriously at all, do you!"

"I've already eaten every last scrap of the Hairy Savage's corpse."

"Where am I supposed to get the materials for your advancement now?"

"That's your problem."

Chen Mo refused to budge.

He turned and stared hard at Red Hare's donkey face.

"You..."

Red Hare ground his back teeth in fury.

Even the gold chain around his neck shook violently.

"You're ruthless. I'll give you that."

"Next time. The next time you go scavenging for supplies."

Red Hare spoke irritably.

Chen Mo finally relaxed.

He felt as though every last ounce of strength had drained from his body.

He had succeeded.

"Oh, right, that hand..."

Chen Mo remembered the Hairy Savage's severed finger he had hidden away.

"Keep that thing. It's not even enough to fill a gap between my teeth."

"You can't use it as awakening material, either."

"That Hairy Savage was practically half a Variant. Its energy was too violent."

Red Hare glanced at it, seemingly completely uninterested.

"But it would make pretty decent material for an eerie item."

"Take it to that scrap repair guy in your convoy later."

Just then.

"Someone's coming."

Red Hare suddenly spoke, every expression on the donkey's face vanishing in an instant.

Its face went blank and dull.

The baggy pink plaid shorts on its body.

The gold chain around its neck.

And the little wooden ladders on its hooves.

All vanished into thin air.

At almost the same moment.

The eerie creature that had just been trading in Chen Mo's vehicle.

Turned into a perfectly ordinary.

Somewhat scrawny black-and-white donkey.

And instantly appeared in the clearing beside the dump truck.

Red Hare's telepathic voice sounded in his ears.

"Kid, remember, I'm a fine steed you just picked up on the outskirts of the convoy."

Chen Mo tensed inwardly and immediately composed himself.

Heavy footsteps sounded outside the cab door.

"Chen Mo."

It was Big Niu.

He pulled the door open and poked his head inside.

He first glanced at Chen Mo, then looked curiously at the donkey outside.

"Huh? Why is there a donkey beside your truck?"

Chen Mo's heart lurched, and he gave a slightly awkward smile.

"Brother Niu, this is... this is a horse I picked up nearby."

"It looks skinny, but I'll keep it around for food if I run out."

He could only grit his teeth and make something up.

"A horse?"

Big Niu scratched his bald head.

He leaned closer for a careful look.

"Those ears, that face... it looks like a donkey no matter how you look at it."

Chen Mo was on the verge of breaking into a cold sweat.

He could sense that the donkey disguised as an ordinary farm animal.

Had gone stiff for a moment.

Just as Big Niu was about to say something else.

A cold, deep voice came from behind him.

"That is clearly a donkey."