The Anomalous Object Motorcycle That Appeared in the Village

Chapter 43

After filling up the tank, Lin Yi stood beside the vehicle and lit a cigarette. Holding an umbrella, he quietly watched nearby Grass Slope Village.

He did not know why.

He kept feeling that something inside Grass Slope Village was watching them.

Liu Chuan had said there was no trace of an Aberration here. Even about five kilometers behind them, there was only one Aberration's presence.

The fact that he could sense an Aberration's presence meant there was nothing wrong with Liu Chuan's ability.

There were no illusions or anything of the sort affecting them here, either.

If everything else was fine, then the problem had to lie with Grass Slope Village before them.

Just then, Ji Qingcang walked over as well, staring toward Grass Slope Village for a long time with a grave expression.

"You felt it too?"

"Something's watching us, but I don't know what it is."

Lin Yi exhaled a cloud of smoke, then turned and fetched a can of Red Bull from the vehicle. He cracked it open, tilted his head back, and gulped it down.

"People!"

Ji Qingcang lowered his voice. "I can smell people. There are living people inside Grass Slope Village, and quite a few of them!"

Living people?!

Lin Yi's pupils abruptly contracted, and he fixed his gaze on the dark silhouettes inside Grass Slope Village.

Could those silhouettes all be living people?

No, that wasn't right.

Even at night, with so many headlights from the convoy shining over there, it should have been impossible not to make out what lay ahead. Grass Slope Village wasn't far away, either. How could they only see dark silhouettes?

The most terrifying thing was that those silhouettes stood completely motionless.

It was as though the Monkey King had cast a freezing spell on them.

"Should we go over?" Ji Qingcang asked.

"Let's not."

Lin Yi shook his head. "You said yourself that there are plenty of living people in there. If those silhouettes are living people, then something is clearly wrong with the whole village. We'd probably get into trouble if we went over."

He had to consider his own safety.

Anyone who rushed in to explore a creepy village was either an idiot or someone confident in their own strength.

Lin Yi willingly gave up on the idea. He had no intention of being a fucking moron.

The convoy still had adequate supplies. There was no need whatsoever to risk exploring a creepy place like Grass Slope Village.

"All right. Then let's act like nothing happened."

Ji Qingcang nodded and headed back to his own vehicle.

After finishing his cigarette, Lin Yi casually tossed the butt aside and turned his gaze away from Grass Slope Village.

Just as the convoy was about to set off again, something unexpected happened.

It was not danger, but the roar of a motorcycle coming from inside Grass Slope Village.

Then everyone saw a streak of light slice through the night, bursting straight out of Grass Slope Village amid a thunderous roar.

Before the eyes of everyone in the convoy, a motorcycle wreathed in a milky-white glow shot out and sped toward them.

Before anyone could react, the motorcycle abruptly turned, executing a beautiful drift.

Its rear tire traced a perfect arc across the ground, trailing milky-white light.

At the same time, the rider steadied the handlebars and sped past the convoy.

Watching that streak of light recede into the distance, Liu Chuan could not help clicking his tongue. "There are still lone wolves around these days? Riding a motorcycle, too. Isn't he worried about getting soaked?"

"That motorcycle is an Anomalous Object!"

Lin Yi stared at the retreating light, his eyes gleaming. "And the rider's clothes, helmet, and everything else are all Anomalous Objects. That guy alone is richer than our entire convoy."

He'd gotten too fixated. Why did he have to focus on enhancing large objects?

His habitual way of thinking had trapped him in a loop.

[Enhancement] could give objects the properties of Anomalous Objects, and it could also turn people into Sequence Transcendents.

But after enhancing his body and weapon, Lin Yi's thinking had remained focused on ways to increase his strength, such as whether to enhance a vehicle or keep enhancing his weapon.

Yet the rider just now had shown Lin Yi another way to use enhancement.

Equipment!

Equipment did not have to mean enhancing the Soul-Devouring Saw.

Clothes, gloves, shoes, and other things he could use-small items like these would not attract attention if they became anomalous, and could even prove tremendously useful at a critical moment.

Besides, he could find weapons that were easy to carry, such as brass knuckles, daggers, and triangular spikes.

The Soul-Devouring Saw was too bulky, and its means of attack were far too limited.

Enhancing it further could bring plenty of benefits. It might even undergo another qualitative transformation.

But his other equipment needed to keep up as well. The more trump cards he had, the better his chances of survival.

The apocalypse had only just begun. Who knew what kinds of monsters and fiends would show up later?

That was why Lin Yi had to put staying alive first.

"Lin, how could you tell they were Anomalous Objects?" Liu Chuan asked, puzzled.

Lin Yi glanced at him, then climbed straight into the vehicle. "With my eyes. The rain bounced off them when it fell. Didn't you notice?"

Liu Chuan's eyes widened, while the others all furrowed their brows.

The rain had bounced off?

Was he kidding? That rider had only flashed past for an instant. They hadn't even gotten a clear look at him, yet Lin Yi had seen the rain bouncing off?

Ji Qingcang seemed to think of something and hurriedly asked, "You... you advanced?"

Advanced!

This was the first time Wang Meng, Shen Qingqing, and Shen Chuchu had heard of it.

But judging by Ji Qingcang's and Liu Chuan's reactions, advancing was clearly no small matter.

Lin Yi nodded. "I advanced back at the service station. I probably killed too many people, and [Data] classified it as criminal activity, so I advanced just like that."

"Your Sequence pathway starts with [Criminal]. From what I know, you should have been Sequence Nine [Criminal]. Now that you've advanced to Sequence Eight, you should still be on the [Criminal] pathway, right?"

Ji Qingcang stared at Lin Yi eagerly, as though he desperately wanted to confirm whether the method he had mentioned earlier actually worked.

Lin Yi did not hide anything. After all, he now felt he could wipe out Ji Qingcang and the others. That was the feeling Sequence Eight gave him.

"Sequence Eight of the [Criminal] pathway is [Fallen Death Row Inmate]. I gained another supernatural ability, and my body grew much stronger too."

Lin Yi grinned and chuckled. "I feel like even if all of you teamed up, you still couldn't kill me now..."

Beside them, Wang Meng and the two sisters exchanged bewildered looks.

Something was wrong!

The three of them had only just joined, and it seemed they were being left out.

Shen Qingqing was the first to lose patience. She quickly asked, "What pathway? What's Sequence Eight? And what does advancing mean?"

You said we'd share information once we joined the convoy. Are you treating the three of us like outsiders?

Liu Chuan smiled. "Let's get moving first. I'll explain everything when we stop to rest at the next place. Now that our convoy has someone at Sequence Eight, the road ahead will be much easier..."

Explanatory notes, unrelated to the main story's plot

Sequence pathway: [Criminal]

Note: A Sequence pathway without branches, primarily focused on improving physical attributes. Additional abilities become available after Sequence Seven.

Sequence Nine [Criminal], Sequence Eight [Fallen Death Row Inmate]