Chapter 21
Anomalous objects!
These things were exceptionally rare.
Back when Liu Chuan was with the Safe Passage Convoy, he had heard about anomalous objects from members of the Seed Convoy.
Every anomalous object had something extraordinary about it. Even an ordinary person who obtained one might be able to stand up to an anomaly.
Of course, that was provided the anomalous object belonged to the weapon category.
As it happened, their Survival Rules Convoy already had one anomalous object.
The Soul-Devouring Saw in Lin Yi's hands was an anomalous object.
This was only the second anomalous object they had encountered, which said everything about how rare they were.
Liu Chuan fell silent for a moment, then asked with some suspicion, "Captain Zhou, why don't you use it yourselves?"
"You're joking, Captain Liu, aren't you? How am I supposed to use it when I've got no hair?"
Zhou Haitao explained casually, "Other people in the convoy have used it, but as far as I'm concerned, trading this thing for supplies is the best deal."
If he couldn't use it, then nobody else should get to use it either.
Trading it for supplies was the better choice.
Liu Chuan glanced at Zhou Haitao's bald head, then frowned and asked, "What do you want in exchange?"
"Rice, instant food, gasoline..."
As Zhou Haitao spoke, his gaze settled on the women in the Survival Rules Convoy. His meaning was clear enough.
Liu Chuan would never use people as bargaining chips. He shook his head. "Gasoline is out of the question. We do have instant food, though. How much do you want?"
"I'm sure you know how rare anomalous objects are, Captain Liu, so I won't beat around the bush."
Zhou Haitao smiled. "Fifty cases of instant noodles are a must. As for anything else, just throw in a little of whatever you like."
Fifty cases of instant noodles?
Why didn't he just rob them!
The Survival Rules Convoy might be able to scrape together fifty cases of instant noodles, but there was no way they would trade fifty cases for a megaphone.
Besides, they would have to pool their supplies to get that many.
Liu Chuan and the other two certainly couldn't produce that much on their own.
"What about rice?"
Before Liu Chuan could refuse, Lin Yi spoke first. "How much would you want if we paid in rice?"
"Twenty pounds!"
Zhou Haitao sized up the white-haired, sickly-looking man who made him feel threatened.
Was twenty pounds a lot?
Not at all!
To Lin Yi, it seemed like a very good deal.
He had rice in his pickup truck. If cooking hadn't been such a hassle, he would have taken it out long ago.
His rice came in sealed ten-pound bags, all still within their shelf life.
As for the quantity, there was no need to elaborate. An entire layer covered the bottom of the pickup's bed, all scavenged by Lin Yi earlier.
It was all about being prepared, just in case.
"What if it's still within its shelf life?" Lin Yi asked.
"You're kidding, brother, right? The apocalypse only started a month ago. All the supplies people have collected are still within their shelf life. The price isn't going to change."
Zhou Haitao was now certain that this white-haired, sickly-looking man had rice, probably quite a lot of it.
He had encountered several other convoys before, but forget rice-they couldn't even spare instant food.
With so many people in the Survival Rules Convoy, they were bound to have plenty of supplies.
That was why he had brought out the anomalous object to trade.
He didn't dare entertain the idea of robbing them during the deal.
He had at least that much self-awareness. If he wanted to pull something like that, he needed the strength to back it up.
Without strength, he would be the one getting swallowed whole.
"Deal!"
Lin Yi turned to Liu Chuan. "Captain Liu, I'll get the rice. The megaphone is yours."
With that, he went over to his pickup, pulled back a corner of the oilcloth, and rummaged underneath for two bags of rice.
Once the trade was complete, Zhou Haitao laughed. "You're a straight shooter, brother. This anomalous object is yours."
The Amplifying Megaphone went into Liu Chuan's hands. After all, he had thick hair and could easily afford to expend some.
[Item: Amplifying Megaphone] [Quality: anomalous object] [Number: 8655] [Property: amplifies projected volume fivefold, but each use causes one hair to fall out.] [Description: a mutated item created under the influence of the world's phantom image. Pick it up and show off your singing voice at full volume!]
This was the first anomalous object Liu Chuan had ever obtained, and its value was obvious.
Liu Chuan now held the Amplifying Megaphone with the utmost care.
Zhou Haitao looked at Liu Chuan and the others. "Captain Liu, I wonder if some of your convoy members would be willing to join us? There's strength in numbers, right? Our Beast Convoy really has too few people."
Everyone understood that there was strength in numbers.
But...
More people also meant a stronger attraction for the anomalies out in the wilderness.
Lin Yi and the others knew perfectly well that a Rain Man had been following them. There was no telling when it might close in.
"Well... people are free to come and go in our convoy. If they want to leave with you, I won't stop them."
Liu Chuan frowned and pushed up his glasses. "But can you lead them and keep them alive, Captain Zhou?"
"Of course!"
Zhou Haitao thumped his chest and smiled. "I started out alone with one vehicle, and now I've built a little convoy of five. I'd say that proves I've got some ability."
At that, the corners of Lin Yi's mouth lifted slightly, and he glanced back at the women from the Women's Mutual Aid Association.
These women were nothing but trouble.
Rather than keep them around to stir things up in the convoy, he might as well let them get lost.
"Hey, the Beast Convoy is recruiting. Anyone who wants to leave should give it some thought."
Lin Yi turned back and smiled. "Their captain is a Sequence Transcendent too. If you don't want to travel with us, you can join their convoy. Captain Zhou says he can keep you alive!"
Lin Yi certainly didn't believe that himself.
Even he couldn't guarantee that he would survive unscathed. What made Zhou Haitao think he could guarantee anyone else's survival?
Had this guy never encountered a level-two anomaly?
Still, Lin Yi's words tempted quite a few people.
After all, some people had died in Guangming Town when they followed Lin Yi and the others there.
They hadn't even been willing to wait a little longer for those who hadn't come out. In these people's eyes, the Survival Rules Convoy hadn't treated them as human beings at all.
Since that was the case, they might as well switch convoys. They were fleeing either way, so what difference did it make whom they followed?
"I want to leave!"
"I'm leaving too. I don't want to spend another damn second in this lousy convoy."
"The Beast Convoy, right? Just the name sounds powerful. They'll definitely be able to protect us. Sisters, let's join the Beast Convoy!"
"Exactly. A bunch of people who can't even protect women-what use are you? Just look at the Beast Convoy. The difference is obvious."
"..."
Once someone took the lead, more and more people stepped forward.
The Survival Rules Convoy still had over eight hundred people, but more than five hundred now stepped forward to leave. Even some people outside were already itching to go.
At the sight of this, Zhou Haitao couldn't help grinning.
Good, good, good. The more, the better. I love having lots of people around. Otherwise, my Sequence really would be useless...
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