After a round of scavenging...
Fan Shang found a bag of new and old clothes, a case of bottled water, and a can of gasoline in the two cars belonging to Li Qiang and his companions-roughly twenty pounds of supplies.
There had actually been more.
But...
Looking at the biscuits and bread on the ground, covered in cigarette ash and shoe prints, Fan Shang simply couldn't bring himself to pick them up.
"What a waste. What a damn waste."
Honestly, Fan Shang had no idea what those four had been thinking, treating potentially lifesaving supplies like that.
Now leaving them felt wasteful, but picking them up to avoid wasting them carried the risk of getting sick.
After thinking it over, however, Fan Shang finally shook his head.
In the past, he might have taken them, but he could afford to pass them up now.
With the scavenging finished, Fan Shang took one last look at the two vehicles whose fuel tanks he had emptied.
Then he headed toward his own car.
Fan Shang wasn't worried about other survivors rummaging through his car. He couldn't imagine anyone being reckless enough to risk a Sequence Transcendent's wrath just to search it.
Few people who had survived this long were idiots.
And just as Fan Shang had expected, no one had touched his car. Meanwhile, the clothes had been stripped from the four corpses on the ground.
Presumably, Fatty Cheng had taken them when he doubled back.
After stowing the supplies, Fan Shang wasted no more time. He changed his clothes, checked on Little Black, and headed toward the front of the convoy.
"Oh, Brother Fan Shang's here! Come on, over here!"
As Fan Shang reached the front of the convoy, Zhou Ping, who had been drinking beer, immediately put down his ladle and waved him over.
"Perfect timing. Come try my cooking."
Fan Shang walked over as invited and spotted Liu Tie and Lin Xue sitting beside the pot.
Both smiled at him as he approached.
Then someone handed him a bowl.
A ladleful of dark porridge was gently scooped into it. Liu Tie's and Lin Xue's bowls were filled with the same black porridge.
Even the normally serious Liu Tie clapped his hands and hurriedly accepted his bowl.
He looked eager to dig in.
A strange look flickered across Fan Shang's face at the sight.
Perhaps noticing his expression, Liu Tie chuckled before speaking.
"Wondering what this stuff is? I don't really know either, but I can tell you for sure, Brother Fan Shang-it's good stuff."
"This is that brat Zhou Ping's Sequence ability."
"Ability?"
Fan Shang sounded puzzled.
"That's right, his ability. Normally, he won't make a pot even when I ask him to. Today, he's finally willing to share!"
Liu Tie shot Zhou Ping a glare, and Zhou Ping glared right back.
For a moment, the two stared each other down.
But perhaps remembering that he was eating at Zhou Ping's expense, Liu Tie sheepishly looked away.
Fan Shang merely nodded. Rather than drinking immediately, he asked a question.
"So... Captain Liu, you asked me over because..."
"Hey, there's no rush to discuss that. Let's eat while we talk, Brother Fan Shang. Zhou Ping isn't usually this generous. Of course, I'm not deliberately keeping you in suspense or anything.
Trust me. Zhou Ping might not be all that reliable normally, but his cooking is good stuff. You could also call it... a convoy perk."
At that, Fan Shang couldn't help looking down at the pitch-black porridge bubbling in his bowl.
It was thick and viscous, with bits of meat occasionally floating to the surface. Fan Shang couldn't tell what kind of meat it was. There were even unidentified petals streaked with blood and scraps of partially burned paper mixed in. The entire bowl gave off a strange, indescribable fragrance.
Fan Shang couldn't tell what the porridge was made from.
But he had a nagging feeling that the ingredients weren't anything good.
He was reluctant to taste it, partly because he was also worried there might be something wrong with it.
So when all four raised their bowls to eat, Fan Shang deliberately waited for the others to take a mouthful before drinking his own.
One might ask: what if Liu Tie and the other two were working together to set him up?
Fan Shang naturally wasn't that reckless. Since he dared to drink it, he had something to rely on. The half-dying state granted by his Underworld Soldier Sequence was his greatest weapon against situations like this.
With a heart rate half that of an ordinary person, he was less susceptible to such things.
If anything proved wrong, Fan Shang would spring into action immediately.
And as Fan Shang swallowed his first mouthful...
The awful taste he had expected never came.
Instead, an indescribable savory fragrance and a novel sensation spread across his tongue.
Fan Shang had never experienced anything so wonderful in any food before.
And that wasn't even the most important part.
What mattered most was...
As that mouthful of porridge went down...
Fan Shang felt his formerly scrawny body filling with vitality.
Even his strength increased considerably.
[Ding. Host detected consuming Rune Meat Porridge. Constitution +0.5] [Current constitution: 20.5]
Fan Shang: "?"
A question mark instantly popped into Fan Shang's mind as he read the notification.
But before he could speak, a booming voice came from beside him.
"Ha! This porridge packs some strength!"
It was Liu Tie.
Perhaps noticing Fan Shang's puzzled gaze, he glanced over before speaking.
"Brother Fan Shang, you felt it too, right?"
"Uh..."
After a brief silence, Fan Shang's lips moved, and he finally spoke.
"Captain Liu, you mean the changes after drinking this porridge."
It was a statement, not a question.
Liu Tie immediately burst into hearty laughter.
"Haha, exactly!"
"But you don't need to call me Captain Liu, Brother Fan Shang. All that 'Captain Liu' business makes us sound like strangers. Call me Liu Tie, or... I'm a few years older than you, so Brother Tie works too."
"And it's just like you said. That's the porridge's effect. You felt your body change too, didn't you?"
Without waiting for Fan Shang to answer, Liu Tie continued.
"Your constitution improved. Well? That's Zhou Ping's Sequence ability, and it's also a perk of being in our convoy. Pretty nice, huh?"
Fan Shang fell silent for a moment.
Then he looked at Zhou Ping and nodded.
"It really is impressive."
He meant it.
After all, Fan Shang now needed 1,000 survival points to raise his constitution by one point, yet a single bowl of Zhou Ping's porridge had increased it by 0.5.
That was equivalent to 500 survival points.
Fan Shang could only improve his constitution because he had a system, yet Zhou Ping could accomplish it with nothing more than a bowl of porridge. Just what was...
As Fan Shang pondered this, Liu Tie patted him on the shoulder.
"Well? Curious about what Sequence Zhou Ping has, Brother Fan Shang? One that can actually increase your strength?"
"Is that something you can share? Also, Captain Liu Tie, just call me by my name."
Fan Shang was a little surprised.
Liu Tie waved a hand at his words.
"Hey, why wouldn't we? We're all in the same convoy anyway. The whole point of getting together this time was to get acquainted. After all, we're making a life together in this godforsaken place."
That was true, and Fan Shang wholeheartedly agreed.
It was one of the reasons convoys formed in the first place. Humans were social creatures, after all. Only a minority could endure loneliness, especially in a world with danger lurking everywhere.
People would go mad if they never saw another human being.
So barring special circumstances, most survivors chose to join a convoy. That was also why a convoy was sometimes less a convoy than a group of people living together and sharing the risks.
"All right, Fan Shang, let me introduce everyone. First, Zhou Ping's Sequence is..."
"Brother Tie, Brother Tie, let me do it myself."
Zhou Ping hurriedly cut in, then put down his bowl and looked at Fan Shang.
"Brother Fan Shang, things were a little unusual earlier, so introductions weren't convenient. Let's get properly acquainted this time."
"I'm Zhou Ping. I used to run a restaurant. Grade D chef sequence. You've already seen my ability. It's not a particularly powerful Sequence, just a support type. I can make special food to help improve your strength."
"Come find me if you need any help. I'll be counting on you to look out for me from now on."
Zhou Ping smiled.
Liu Tie immediately slapped Zhou Ping on the shoulder and cursed with a laugh.
"Hey, you little punk."
"What do you mean, not particularly powerful? Putting on an act for your Brother Tie, huh? An ability that can boost a Sequence User's strength-I never saw anything like that even in the big convoy I used to be in! And now you're playing humble with me?!"
Fan Shang smiled too.
"He's right. You're being modest, Brother Ping. Any convoy would value an ability like that."
It was the truth. Fan Shang genuinely thought so.
Before this, he had never imagined that merely drinking a bowl of porridge could increase his strength.
An ability like this deserved protection, even if it belonged to a support Sequence.
Zhou Ping was about to say something else when a cool voice sounded from beside him.
"My turn, then. Fan Shang, let's get acquainted again. I'm Lin Xue. I used to be a teacher. Grade C ice mage sequence. My ability condenses the moisture in the air into ice, which can do some damage to those horrors."
After speaking, Lin Xue set down her bowl and held out her hand to Fan Shang.
Fan Shang froze for a moment.
Then he looked up at Lin Xue, only to find her face completely expressionless.
Seeing that, Fan Shang thought nothing more of it and reached out to shake her hand.
A chill touched his palm. When he let go, an ice sphere remained in his hand.
"This is my ability. It won't melt for three days. The weather's been hot lately, so keeping it in your car will make things more comfortable."
Fan Shang glanced at Lin Xue again, but her face remained expressionless.
She looked every bit the polished professional.
"This..."
Fan Shang paused, just about to speak.
But Zhou Ping spoke up first.
"Brother Fan Shang, relax. No need to feel awkward. We all got one of those. But if you want another next time, you'll have to trade supplies with Lin Xue. Half a packet of instant noodles each."
As Fan Shang looked over, Zhou Ping waved the ice sphere he was holding against his chest.
Only then did Fan Shang nod, saying nothing more.
If he could trade supplies for it, that was fine.
Then Fan Shang looked at Liu Tie.
"Since everyone else has introduced themselves, it's my turn."
"You already know my name, so I won't dwell on that. I'll just introduce my Sequence."
"Grade C farmer sequence. My ability gives me a good bit of strength and lets me work the land in this godforsaken place."
As he finished, a smile spread across Liu Tie's scarred face.
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