Watching the farce unfold over there, Chen Mo couldn't help letting out a derisive laugh.
He knew Lin Lu was an utterly calm, rational leader.
To Lin Lu, Big Niu's reckless attempt to swindle supplies from the supernatural horrors had been sheer stupidity. It had even nearly gotten the entire convoy killed.
But Lin Lu would never truly punish a Transcendent over a few ordinary people who didn't matter.
The reason was simple: the convoy needed Big Niu's strength.
Lin Lu's anger might have been real, but this little "performance" was just a show for the ordinary people.
It was an improvised act to uphold his authority as leader and enforce the group's rules.
In Chen Mo's eyes, it was a cold but practical way of "seeing the bigger picture in the apocalypse."
Looking away, Chen Mo pushed open his door and wandered casually around to the truck bed. He quietly pulled some weeds over the supplies inside, hiding them from view.
In this man-eat-man apocalypse, keeping your wealth out of sight was a rule of survival.
Sometimes, people were more frightening than the supernatural horrors.
Just as he dusted off his hands and prepared to return to the cab, he suddenly felt someone watching him from nearby.
The moment Chen Mo turned his head, his gaze met someone else's head-on.
It was Brother Dao!
Aside from the Transcendents, he was the most powerful figure in the convoy.
Brother Dao was leaning against the Hummer's door, leisurely wiping the Mountain-Cleaving Blade in his hand with a strip of cloth.
When Chen Mo turned toward him, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of tobacco-stained yellow teeth.
His gaze swept over Chen Mo's dump truck before he gave a slight nod.
Chen Mo calmly looked away. Of course he knew what that nod meant...
At the same time, another venomous stare came from the side.
Zhang Nan watched Chen Mo while tugging at the arm of the man beside her.
But the man merely glanced up, then lowered his head and went back to sorting through the things he had brought back.
Chen Mo knew who it was without even looking. People like that posed almost no threat to him.
He wasn't some bleeding heart who had to save people he had nothing to do with.
Saving them was a kindness, not an obligation.
A few minutes later, Xiao Liu, Lin Lu's trusted subordinate, began calling through a megaphone.
"Attention, everyone! Rest here!"
"We're camping here tonight! Don't wander too far!"
"Fuck, I'm exhausted. Finally, a chance to rest."
"I nearly died in that village, but at least I managed to bring a few things out."
"What'd you bring, brother? Let me have a look."
"Piss off!"
Night soon fell, and a few ragged tents went up in the convoy's camp.
Most people had no tents, though, and could only stay in their vehicles or lie down where they were.
Several campfires were lit in the darkness, driving some of it away.
Chen Mo sat beside his dump truck, with a small campfire in front of him and a few of the less heavily sprouted potatoes buried beneath it.
Their aroma gradually spread, drawing plenty of eyes.
Quite a few people swallowed, their gazes filled with jealousy, greed, or envy.
After all, not everyone had entered the village and found supplies. Sometimes, robbing other humans was far easier than facing the supernatural horrors.
Sensing the ill-intentioned stares around him, Chen Mo casually raised the Mountain-Cleaving Blade in his hand.
At the sight of the blade gleaming coldly in the firelight, many of those covetous gazes disappeared.
Yes, a Mountain-Cleaving Blade...
When they made camp that afternoon, Chen Mo had taken half the rice from his truck and a dozen fist-sized potatoes to Brother Dao as "protection money," picking up this weapon in the bargain.
Brother Dao was a bastard, but he did keep his word, more or less. After accepting the supplies, he had tossed Chen Mo this chipped Mountain-Cleaving Blade.
Chen Mo knew Brother Dao was wary of Lin Lu's rules. He didn't want things to turn ugly over a few supplies with a "tough nut" who had brought a vehicle and supplies out of the village all on his own.
On top of that, Brother Dao wanted to establish his authority within the convoy and make sure everyone knew his "rules."
So a newcomer who "knew his place" could save him a lot of trouble.
But only a handful of people knew that Big Niu had gone to see Brother Dao that afternoon and slapped his cheek menacingly.
"Knife, keep your dogs in line."
"I'm in a bad mood today, and so is the boss. Follow the rules."
"Don't make too much trouble for the boss. Got it?"
That was the real reason Brother Dao had been willing to make a "fair trade" and keep his word.
A few minutes later, Chen Mo finished his last potato in a few bites. Feeling the fullness in his belly, he couldn't help letting out a long breath.
"It's good to be alive."
"You've done pretty well for yourself, kid."
Just then, another voice came from across the campfire.
Yes, it was Old Yang. He hadn't died; he had caught up.
Old Yang was bent over, tinkering with his bicycle and muttering as he chewed on a roasted potato.
"You even got yourself a vehicle and traded for a blade. Shame that thing's useless against the supernatural horrors."
"Still, it should be enough to deal with ordinary people."
Chen Mo didn't reply. He turned and took five or six potatoes from the three-wheeled truck's bed, wrapped them in newspaper, and casually tossed them over.
"Take them. Don't turn me down."
"We're still friends."
With that, Chen Mo didn't linger. He carried the rest of his supplies into the cab and shut the door behind him.
Click.
The sound of the door locking rang out.
Old Yang looked toward Chen Mo's vehicle. His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.
The newspaper wrapped around the potatoes on the ground was the very sheet he had used to wrap the biscuits earlier.
He knew what that meant.
The kindness still mattered, but the supplies had been repaid.
"All right. We're still friends."
Old Yang muttered the words, then bent down to pick up the newspaper bundle.
Back in the cab, Chen Mo made sure the door was locked, draped a worn blanket over himself, and closed his eyes to rest.
With somewhere to shelter from the wind, the nerves that had been stretched taut all day finally relaxed a little.
The night deepened.
Apart from the crackling of the campfires, the only sounds in camp were the calls of unknown insects.
Perhaps because there was no longer any human activity, even the stars overhead seemed much brighter.
Some time later, a low voice called out from the darkness not far from the dump truck.
"Dahai, get up. Chen Mo's asleep. Let's go take his stuff."
Feeling someone shaking his arm, Li Dahai rubbed his eyes and spoke groggily.
"What is it?"
Zhang Nan looked at the useless man in front of her and gritted her teeth.
"Dahai, stop sleeping! Get up and avenge me!"
"He got a vehicle from the village."
"I saw it with my own eyes. There are loads of potatoes and rice in the back!"
"Baby, stop making a fuss. Go to sleep."
"I'll get revenge for you next time, okay? I'm really tired today."
Dahai sounded a little impatient, but he still tried to soothe her.
"Are you even a man? He bullied your woman, and you don't even dare stand up for me!"
Seeing that Dahai had no intention of avenging her, Zhang Nan's voice immediately turned shrill as she loudly vented her dissatisfaction.
"If you won't go, don't ever touch me again!"
Smack!
Before she had even finished speaking, a sharp sound rang out in the darkness.
Dahai grabbed Zhang Nan by the hair and raised his hand again.
"What kind of slut are you? My woman? You think I don't know how many people you've slept with?"
"Chen Mo's carrying a blade! You want me to make an enemy for no fucking reason?"
"I'm warning you. If you dare cause me trouble, you'll be the first one I kill!"
A series of slaps followed, mingled with the woman's screams...
Meanwhile, in a tent on the other side of camp.
A voluptuous woman listened to the commotion in the distance and gave Brother Dao a reproachful look, her voice full of envy.
"Honestly, look at him!"
"Oh, come on, the air's bad today. You know what I'm capable of, don't you?"
Before you continue