People Who All Wanted to Leave, but None Could...

Chapter 7

On the highway.

Lin Yi spotted the sedan catching up behind him in his rearview mirror and immediately recognized it as Liu Chuan's car.

There were no real rules left anymore, and certainly no one obeyed traffic laws.

So Lin Yi simply stopped his car right on the highway.

Liu Chuan caught up and stopped too. He rolled down his window and smiled. "Lin, I want to come with you."

"Hm?"

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow, looking at Liu Chuan in surprise.

"Captain Xu doesn't want you anymore? You're of the [Watcher] sequence, with the best perception abilities around. Why come to me?"

Liu Chuan knew Lin Yi didn't trust him, so he decided to be frank.

"Lin, to tell you the truth, I'm not someone who enjoys taking risks. If the apocalypse hadn't left me with nowhere to turn, I wouldn't be running myself ragged like this."

"Captain Xu is a good person. You've probably noticed that yourself. There are some things she can't say to you outright, since everyone's wary of everyone else."

"But this is the apocalypse. Good people are doomed to get nothing good in return."

"If I want to survive, I have to choose between relying on someone strong and following a good person. I think you understand what I mean."

Hearing that, Lin Yi pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, then tossed the pack to Liu Chuan.

He had to admit that Liu Chuan was indeed smart.

Xu Xiaohan might say everyone had to gather their own resources, but ultimately, she couldn't bring herself to be ruthless.

That was understandable.

The apocalypse had only begun a month ago. There were plenty of bleeding hearts like her. They would learn after getting burned a few times.

Lin Yi leaned against his car and looked toward Zhenning County.

From here, the hazy outline of that Corpse Tree was becoming clearer.

Liu Chuan walked over with a cigarette between his lips and sighed. "They'll probably have a hard time getting out once they go in."

"Is Da Mei's sequence really [Direction]?"

Lin Yi suddenly asked.

After all, he had only joined the convoy yesterday and knew little about the Safe Passage Convoy. He needed to get things straight now.

As far as he was concerned, there was something seriously wrong with that woman called Da Mei.

"I'm not too sure either. Da Mei was already with Captain Xu when I joined."

Liu Chuan slowly explained beside him, "Although I joined them, I've never seen Da Mei use a supernatural ability. According to her, the [Direction] was determined long ago. All we have to do is follow it."

Even Liu Chuan had never seen it?

Then did that mean Xu Xiaohan was the only person in the entire Safe Passage Convoy who had seen this supposed [Direction]?

No!

The [Direction] Xu Xiaohan had described was far too powerful, practically a cheat.

Lin Yi also had a mystic-type sequence, but his [Enhancement] manifested as raw power. Its effects couldn't have been more obvious.

The [Direction] sequence was essentially a cheat.

If it really could point them in a direction that avoided danger...

Then taking the highway was clearly the safe choice. Why did Da Mei insist on going to Zhenning County?

"Let's go. We'll wait on the other side of Zhenning County!"

Lin Yi finished his cigarette in a few drags and dropped the butt, then got into his car and drove off.

Liu Chuan followed close behind.

The two drove one behind the other, heading straight for the highway entrance on the other side of Zhenning County.

As soon as they arrived, Lin Yi and Liu Chuan were stunned by the situation at the highway entrance.

Countless vehicles had come out of Zhenning County, but problems with the vehicles at the front had brought the entire road leading onto the highway to a standstill.

As far as the eye could see, countless vehicles were stuck in traffic, packed densely all around.

Both sides of the highway were jammed, and some people had abandoned their vehicles altogether, standing near the entrance and desperately calling for help.

Seeing Lin Yi's and Liu Chuan's cars approach, dozens of people rushed straight toward them.

Lin Yi immediately stopped, grabbed his chainsaw, and got out.

The savage Soul-Devouring Saw gave a deep, muffled growl in his hands, like a roaring beast.

The people rushing toward him no longer dared come closer. That oddly shaped chainsaw looked anything but ordinary.

"Liu Chuan, go ask what's happening."

Lin Yi stood on the roof of his car, chainsaw in hand, looking ready to kill anyone who approached.

It scared many of them into keeping their distance.

Liu Chuan got out and walked over to ask the people from Zhenning County what had happened.

After questioning them for quite a while and getting a clear picture, he turned and walked back to Lin Yi.

"Lin, they're all from Zhenning County. They've been trapped here for half a month. None of the passing vehicles are willing to give them a ride. Some even hit people and drive off."

Liu Chuan sighed. "That Corpse Tree has taken over Zhenning County. Almost all the survivors have gathered here by the highway."

"Why don't they move the cars at the front?"

Lin Yi stared toward the entrance.

He saw seven or eight cars blocking the way. Some people were even sitting on car roofs, arguing with others.

"They clear one batch, then the same thing happens again. They can't clear them anymore."

Liu Chuan stepped forward and explained, "Some people are so used to cutting in that they squeeze into every gap. The moment the cars at the front move, cars from behind force their way in, causing another jam."

Everyone wanted to escape first. Everyone wanted to leave sooner. And then...

None of them could leave.

On top of that, there was no one who could step up and direct them.

Now that the apocalypse had come, the restraints people carried in their hearts had naturally fallen away.

Under these circumstances, no one would listen unless someone had absolute power.

Lin Yi glanced at the distant Corpse Tree, then frowned deeply. "With so many people gathered here, haven't they attracted any supernatural horrors?"

"A few ghostly shadows came before, but none dared come close."

Liu Chuan gave a faint smile. "I'm guessing the Corpse Tree's level is very high, so some of the lower-level horrors don't dare approach."

The people who had escaped from Zhenning County were actually rather lucky.

Now the Corpse Tree had become something that protected them instead.

But the food these people had brought out with them wouldn't last much longer.

If they went back, the Corpse Tree would set its sights on them.

If they didn't, they would have to find some way to fill their stomachs.

These people had no options left.

"Let's spend the night here. With the Corpse Tree nearby, at least this place is a little safer."

Holding the chainsaw in both hands, Lin Yi swept a hostile gaze over some of the people from Zhenning County, his eyes full of warning.

Before the apocalypse, he could abide by the law.

But now that the apocalypse had come, he answered only to himself!

If someone really was foolish enough to come looking for death, he wouldn't mind crossing that line. Some people were going to die sooner or later anyway.

"We can't stay here too long!"

Liu Chuan pointed at the dark clouds spreading toward them from behind and said gravely, "There's going to be heavy rain. Once it rains, the Rain Man will appear. Things will probably get even more dangerous then..."