A human city

Of course, Fan Shang knew nothing of Tang Qingyu and Tang Qingxue's wariness toward him.

If he had known, he would certainly have felt wronged.

Because he had only looked their way because they seemed familiar.

They were also his classmates, so he had taken a couple of extra glances.

As for whether he had any intentions toward them...

Fan Shang felt he wasn't that desperate.

After all, after a week on the road, even the most beautiful woman's panties would stink sour. He wouldn't go anywhere near that.

Besides, Fan Shang didn't think he had that much water to spare.

With that, Fan Shang opened the car door.

A rush of icy air hit him in the face.

Following the chill to its source, he saw a ball of ice sitting in the handbrake slot.

That was where the cold air came from.

Fan Shang had to admit that Lin Xue's sequence ability was incredibly practical.

In this fairly hot weather, few survivors dared turn on their air conditioning, yet her Ice Mage Sequence made her a walking air conditioner.

She never lacked water, either.

Honestly, Fan Shang was getting a little jealous.

With that thought, Fan Shang pulled a packet of instant noodles from his bag.

Then he looked toward the passenger seat, where Little Black was sound asleep, the command seal on the cat's forehead flickering in and out of view.

[Symbiotic creature: Heterochromatic Black Cat]

[Time until assimilation complete: 00:5:59]

"Looks like it's almost done!"

After saying that, Fan Shang got out of the car with his treasured portable gas stove.

He, too, began cooking instant noodles.

Boil the water, add the noodles, then the pickled mustard greens.

Only when the distinctive aroma of aged pickled mustard green noodles wafted up did Fan Shang begin eating.

He had to admit, this meal was downright extravagant.

It was only possible because Li Qiang and the other three had risked their lives to deliver supplies to him. Otherwise, with the supplies he'd had in his car when he returned to the convoy...

Fan Shang didn't think he could have afforded to eat instant noodles.

Once he finished the meal, his somewhat hungry belly was filled.

He carefully put away the portable stove.

Just then, a thin figure came looking for him.

"So, Captain Liu, what did you call us over for?"

By now, Fan Shang and his car had reached the front of the convoy. Leaning against his car door, he asked the question.

Zhou Ping was inspecting Fan Shang's car.

As he looked it over, he kept muttering things like, "Brother Fan Shang, this car's badass! It's actually a Wuling!" Even Liu Tie's eyelids twitched as he listened.

After resisting the urge to smack Zhou Ping several times, he composed himself and spoke.

"It's nothing particularly urgent. I just sent someone to call you over to give you a heads-up."

"Our convoy should pass a supply point around two this afternoon. If..."

"Fan Shang, if you want to gather supplies, you can get ready ahead of time."

As he spoke, Liu Tie turned his gaze toward Zhou Ping and Lin Xue.

"The same goes for you two."

With that, Liu Tie turned and returned to his vehicle.

His movements seemed a little hurried.

Fan Shang found that somewhat strange.

But what puzzled Fan Shang even more was how Liu Tie knew they would encounter a supply point soon.

After entering the Weird World, Fan Shang had discovered something.

Not only did the weather in this world change unpredictably from time to time, but even Blue Star's original terrain had undergone changes.

One concrete example was a city originally twenty kilometers from Orange City. After entering the Weird World, the distance had actually been cut in half.

For instance, a town that hadn't originally been on their route had somehow moved between two neighboring towns.

There was no pattern, no way to predict it.

That was the reality of the Weird World.

Fan Shang even wondered whether they were still on Blue Star at all.

After all, this endlessly stretching highway had never existed on Blue Star, either.

So how did Captain Liu Tie know where their next supply point was?

Unable to figure it out, Fan Shang decided to practice the fine virtue of asking when he didn't understand, and immediately questioned Zhou Ping beside him.

"Zhou Ping, do you know how Captain Liu knows the location of our next supply point?"

"If I remember correctly, the old maps of Blue Star should all be useless now, right?"

"Huh?" Hearing his question, Zhou Ping scratched his head. "Well, I'm not really sure. I've never asked Brother Tie, but I guess it has something to do with his sequence or his past."

"Brother Tie used to belong to a big convoy. Maybe it's one of their methods?"

Zhou Ping's vague answer left Fan Shang somewhat speechless, but he didn't say anything more.

The answers to these questions would reveal themselves when the time came, anyway.

As he thought that, the convoy set off again.

Even on the highway, they couldn't stay in one place too long. That was an ironclad rule for surviving in the Weird World.

And so, as the SUV at the head of the convoy slowly pulled forward...

The other vehicles slowly followed.

Moving along the highway, the convoy of over seventy people crawled across the endless road like a black line.

After nearly five hours of driving, the convoy could finally make out the scene up ahead.

It was a towering city, no different in the midday sunlight from cities in the real world, on Blue Star.

Its buildings reached into the clouds, just as tall and imposing.

But unlike those cities, its high-rises were somewhat dilapidated. The glass-covered office buildings were riddled with holes, and Fan Shang could even see eerie green vegetation through them.

Yet this silent city, this typical post-apocalyptic city that had endured a catastrophe...

As Fan Shang gazed at it from afar, an indescribable sense of mortal danger throbbed in his heart.

It was a deeply unsettling feeling, as though some unspeakable monster lurked within the city.

He wasn't the only one...

"Th-this is a city, but why do I have such a bad feeling...?"

"Idiot, of course you do! Fuck, just looking at those office buildings makes my heart tremble..."

"An anomaly! There's definitely an anomaly! There are definitely anomalies in that city! We can't go in, absolutely not!"

Indeed, he wasn't alone. The ordinary people in the convoy sensed that same indescribable terror.

But that was only natural. A city that should have been bustling with noise was now utterly silent, and that alone was frightening enough.

As the convoy approached, the fearful protests grew louder and louder. Just as they were about to lose their nerve and go persuade Liu Tie not to get any closer...

The convoy stopped at just the right moment.

At the sight, not only the others in the convoy but Fan Shang, too, breathed a sigh of relief.

If they had gone any closer, even he would have had to consider leaving the convoy and taking another route.

Three people got out of their vehicles and gathered in one spot.

Seeing that, Fan Shang got out as well.

And as he gradually drew closer...

The mist ahead on the highway slowly dispersed.

A sign bearing a town's name came into view.

Jinghuai Town.