Was becoming a Professional a bottleneck?

"Brother Zhao, what is it?"

Luo Fan rolled down his window and looked at Zhao Chunfeng, who was lurking beside his car, as he asked in confusion.

Zhao Chunfeng looked awfully shifty right now.

"Luo Fan, want to step aside for a chat?" Zhao Chunfeng asked him.

Luo Fan nodded and followed Zhao Chunfeng off to one side.

"Brother Zhao, is there something other people can't know about?" Luo Fan asked.

"Two things."

Zhao Chunfeng said, "First, I overtaxed my power to kill that black bear. For a while, my Divination probably won't be as accurate as before."

Luo Fan: "..."

Luo Fan's expression changed slightly at Zhao Chunfeng's words.

The main reason the Hope Convoy had rarely encountered Fierce Beasts and Weird along the way was Zhao Chunfeng's Divination ability.

And now his Divination was less accurate?

Didn't that mean the Hope Convoy would be just like any ordinary survivor squad from now on, vulnerable to attacks from Weird and Fierce Beasts?

"Brother Zhao, how long will it take for your ability to recover?" Luo Fan asked seriously.

"Two days, probably." Zhao Chunfeng gave him an estimate.

"That's all right. It's only two days. We probably won't be that unlucky." Luo Fan nodded slightly.

"Brother Zhao, why are you telling me about this alone?" Luo Fan then asked in confusion.

"We can't let the ordinary survivors know, or it could cause panic."

"Besides, Dagang is straightforward. Telling him wouldn't do much good."

"He's not like you, full of schemes and as cunning as a fox. So stay alert over the next two days," Zhao Chunfeng explained.

That explanation did make Luo Fan nod slightly.

But only after nodding did Luo Fan catch on. "Wait a minute, Brother Zhao. Are you praising me or insulting me?"

"Praising you, of course," Zhao Chunfeng said seriously.

"Are you sure 'full of schemes' and 'cunning' are compliments?" Luo Fan asked with an odd expression.

Do Zhao Chunfeng and I have different ideas about what a compliment means?

"Come on, Luo Fan. It's the apocalypse. Your treachery and cunning are exactly the qualities our Hope Convoy needs to survive," Zhao Chunfeng added.

"All right, all right, enough of that. What's the second thing?" Luo Fan asked, dropping the subject of his character.

"The second thing is, I need you to deal with someone," Zhao Chunfeng continued.

Luo Fan: "???"

Luo Fan said nothing, merely giving Zhao Chunfeng a questioning look.

Deal with someone? Who? Had someone in the convoy offended him?

"As far as I know, when our squad met the Luo Family Town Squad earlier, Luo Dahai got some information from our people. That was why he still dared to set his sights on us even after seeing the Fierce Beast Meat."

"We're better off getting rid of someone who undermines our unity as soon as possible," Zhao Chunfeng explained.

"You're the convoy's leader. If you dealt with them for that reason, who could object?" Luo Fan asked in confusion.

Exactly. Since he had a legitimate reason, why didn't he do it himself? Why have me do it?

"You may need to stay alert over the next few days, so you need to establish some authority. That way, everyone will listen to you at critical moments," Zhao Chunfeng explained.

All right, that did make sense. Luo Fan nodded.

After asking who had leaked the information, the two went their separate ways.

Brother Zhao really is a bit strange.

Back in his car, Luo Fan lay down with his eyes closed, resting as he muttered inwardly.

As the leader of the Hope Convoy, Zhao Chunfeng should, by rights, have been making sure his own authority was absolute.

Yet he was actually willing to let Luo Fan establish his own authority?

Wasn't he afraid that Luo Fan would threaten his position once he grew stronger?

Wherever there were people, there were factions and struggles. Even the apocalypse was no exception.

Countless thoughts ran through Luo Fan's mind. Knowing that Zhao Chunfeng's Divination might be of little use for the next two days, he felt the burden on his shoulders grow much heavier. Even while resting in the car, he no longer dared sleep soundly.

And so, the convoy rested and then set off again, constantly changing locations. As evening fell, the convoy reached a secluded patch of grass and stopped to rest.

Whooo.

Just as the convoy stopped, a loud sound suddenly rang out.

Everyone in the convoy looked toward the sound.

A few hundred meters away lay a railway track, and a green train was traveling along it. Even from a distance, they could see people inside its carriages.

"A train? People are actually escaping by train?" Luo Fan was dumbfounded as he watched the moving train pass by and swiftly recede into the distance.

The Hope Convoy's survivors also broke into discussion, envy showing in their eyes as they watched the train disappear.

To avoid Fierce Beasts and Weird, everyone kept moving, constantly changing their location.

But how could traveling on foot compare to riding a train?

"There's nothing strange about it. As far as I know, there are even survivors flying through the sky."

"But no matter what form of transport you use, there's always the danger of encountering Weird at night."

"There's one and only one way to improve your ability to survive: keep raising your Sequence level," Zhao Chunfeng said, noticing Luo Fan's amazement.

"Brother Zhao, you really seem to know a lot." Hearing Zhao Chunfeng's words, Luo Fan felt genuine admiration.

"I awakened my Sequence earlier than you, after all. Isn't it only natural that I know a bit more?" Zhao Chunfeng rolled his eyes.

"Brother Zhao, may I ask how long ago you awakened your Sequence?" Luo Fan asked curiously as the topic came up.

"I was probably among the first to awaken a Sequence. I awakened right when the apocalypse began," Zhao Chunfeng explained.

"Huh? Then you still haven't broken through Level 10 and become a Professional, Brother Zhao?" Luo Fan asked in surprise.

Since he was among the first to awaken a Sequence, and quite a few Professionals had already appeared, shouldn't Brother Zhao have become one too?

"You don't understand. Once your Sequence level reaches Level 10, becoming a Professional isn't just a matter of increasing your power."

"Simply put, there's a bottleneck between Level 10 and becoming a Professional."

"Out of a hundred Sequence Users, probably only ten or so have any hope of becoming Professional Sequence Users."

"You'll understand when you reach Level 10," Zhao Chunfeng said, shaking his head.

Luo Fan nodded silently at those words, committing them all to memory.

Indeed, among all the awakened people he had met, including Zhao Chunfeng and the others, as well as the Luo father and son, not a single one had become a Professional Sequence User.

Buzzz...

Just as Luo Fan and Zhao Chunfeng were resting and chatting, an invisible pulse suddenly spread from Luo Fan's body.

Luo Fan sensed it, and delight appeared on his face.

I leveled up again?

Assassination Sequence, Lv3.