Chapter 31
What the hell?
There was another Aberration around this service area?
Liu Chuan immediately scanned the surroundings with his perception, but found no trace of an Aberration's presence.
There wasn't an Aberration within five kilometers.
That couldn't be right.
Since Wang Xufei was also of the [Watcher] Sequence, how could he fail to detect an Aberration's presence?
Could he be bluffing them?
Liu Chuan fell silent.
He tried to figure out what Wang Xufei was really getting at.
But Wang Xufei noticed his doubts and explained with a faint smile, "There's no need to doubt me. That Aberration is right around the service area. It just can't be detected. If you're willing to send someone out in a car to try it, you'll see."
Send someone to try it?
And face an Aberration that couldn't even be detected?
He was up to no good.
Lin Yi grinned and chuckled. "I'm afraid of dying, so count me out."
"I have a wife and kid to look after. I don't want to go either."
Ji Qingcang chuckled along with him.
Liu Chuan stared at the two of them for a moment, then scowled. "I'm the captain. I have to lead the way, so I definitely can't be the one to test it."
The three exchanged glances, then turned toward Wang Xufei in unspoken agreement.
Realizing these three actually wanted someone from the Hope Convoy to try it, Wang Xufei's expression darkened.
Was there not a single decent person in the Survival Rules Convoy?
"Our people have already tried!"
Wang Xufei said gravely, "There's no way out, and things happen at night, too. We still haven't figured out where that Aberration is."
They had been trapped here for three days.
They had only meant to take a short break, but once they set off, they found themselves circling outside the service area. No matter which way they went, they always ended up back here.
That had terrified everyone. Even their captain, Wang Xufei, hadn't detected an Aberration's presence.
Over these three days, people in the convoy had kept vanishing inexplicably at night.
Even when everyone stayed awake and watched one another, people still went missing.
In just three days, the Hope Convoy had already lost more than ten people.
They had planned to wait here for the Queen Convoy, only for the Survival Rules Convoy to arrive instead.
Now they were all trapped here.
Liu Chuan glanced back at Lin Yi and Ji Qingcang. The two promptly draped their arms over his shoulders and forcibly steered him toward the Land Rover.
"What do you think?"
"If we're leaving, let's all leave together and give it a try."
"From what he said, it doesn't sound dangerous. That Aberration only comes out at night. Could this be another illusion formation or something?"
"No. I've had the Soul-Devouring Saw on me the whole time. There aren't any illusions."
After a brief discussion, the three decided to try driving out first.
If things really were as Wang Xufei had described, that meant there was an Aberration around the service area that none of them understood, and it definitely wasn't anything simple.
But if they managed to get out, that would mean something was wrong with Wang Xufei's story.
"Get in!"
Liu Chuan shouted to the convoy through his megaphone, then glanced at the Hope Convoy before driving straight out.
Standing by the entrance, Wang Xufei watched enviously as Liu Chuan got into the lead vehicle.
"That thing he's holding is an Anomalous Object, right? We're both captains, so why is the gap so huge?"
Wang Xufei turned to the three behind him and smiled. "How about you help me get an Anomalous Object? That lousy speaker of mine is nearly out of power. Every time I use it, all I get is static."
"Heh... figure it out yourself."
The sword-wielding girl among the twins sneered.
The girl beside her, who carried a saber, replied gently, "Qingqing! Don't make things difficult for the captain. He's working hard, too. Captain, please don't take it the wrong way. Qingqing doesn't mean any harm."
"Hah. Useless is useless."
The sword-wielding girl curled her lip. "Their captain has a gourd at his waist, too. That's probably another Anomalous Object."
"No wonder he used to lead a group of over a thousand. He's got two Anomalous Objects all to himself."
Even the burly Wang Meng couldn't help feeling envious. "The chainsaw that white-haired guy is carrying is an Anomalous Object, too. Their convoy is seriously strong."
The others might not know just how strong they were, but Wang Meng knew better than anyone.
Because he had noticed the Survival Rules Convoy's vehicles.
Those all belonged to the Queen Convoy!
When he had led his people away, he had caught a glimpse of the convoy parked beside the white fog and remembered those vehicles.
Now the Queen Convoy's vehicles had appeared, but the Survival Rules Convoy was in control of them.
That meant something had happened to the Queen Convoy.
"That white-haired guy is dangerous. When they come back, we'd better tell everyone not to approach them casually."
Wang Xufei sighed and scratched his head. "I want an Anomalous Object, too. Why can't I find even one?"
At the head of the Survival Rules Convoy, Liu Chuan used the Passive Gourd to survey their surroundings while keeping an eye on their direction of travel.
The convoy had driven straight out without any problems.
But before they had gone very far, the service area appeared ahead of them, along with the Hope Convoy members standing in the open.
There was nothing wrong with the Passive Gourd's bird's-eye view. They really had been traveling in a straight line.
So how had they turned back?
That made no sense!
Even a ghost loop would have required them to change direction, but they hadn't made a single turn.
The vehicles stopped at the service area again. Liu Chuan got out with a dark expression and went straight over to Lin Yi, his eyes fixed on the Soul-Devouring Saw inside Lin Yi's vehicle.
Lin Yi's expression was no better than Liu Chuan's.
He had been holding the Soul-Devouring Saw the entire time, but what had that accomplished?
They had still come back.
They had driven straight out and straight back in. This was far more absurd than a ghost loop.
"Captain Liu, you should find somewhere to rest first. Get yourselves refreshed. Nighttime will probably be the most dangerous."
Wang Xufei was quite happy to see Liu Chuan and the others return. With more people around, at least they had company.
Liu Chuan ignored Wang Xufei and sank into a rare silence, saying nothing for a long time.
He had led them here, and what had come of it?
He had led everyone into a dead end.
Ji Qingcang walked over and patted his shoulder with a smile. "Don't lose heart. There are so many Aberrations out there. You can't possibly sense every one of them. It's normal for something unexpected to happen. We just need to find a way to deal with it."
"There's nothing else we can do right now. Trying again would probably just waste time. Let's get the rain shelters set up first."
Lin Yi glanced at the people inside the service station and frowned. "Keep your distance from that bunch for now. We'll just look after ourselves. Tell everyone to be careful tonight..."
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