"Hello."
The familiar voice reached Huang Nana, and she stiffened as she built a fire to cook instant noodles.
Without even turning around, a terrifying face appeared in her mind.
"Young man, need something?"
The man with the Jeep looked at Lin Yi, looking noticeably more weathered than before.
Lin Yi ignored the two of them and instead walked straight toward Xiao Chusheng, who sat nearby.
Xiao Chusheng looked at Lin Yi in bewilderment, searching through the memories in his mind.
Did I know him? But I have no memory of him.
"Xiao Chusheng" was puzzled, but after devouring the original owner of the body, he could obtain that person's memories.
Having devoured people along the way, he had already merged many people's memories and could blend perfectly into human society.
He stood up with a smile and nodded to Lin Yi. "Hello."
"Huh?"
Xiao Chusheng's smile actually made Lin Yi pause.
Hadn't he just made an enemy of me a few days ago? How had he changed so quickly?
Lin Yi glanced at Huang Nana, whose back was turned to him, and understood.
Huang Nana had probably told the others about his good deeds.
Xiao Chusheng already understood how kind he was.
Forcing kindness on others was prohibited in the camp, so he could only take out five packets of instant noodles. "Buddy, I feel like we hit it off. Here, have some supplies."
"Oh, oh, thanks."
Xiao Chusheng accepted the instant noodles, looking bewildered.
The humans whose memories I'd read weren't like this, were they?
Confusion appeared on Xiao Chusheng's face.
"Remember to come to me next time you need anything."
Lin Yi waved and turned toward his SUV.
He came and went in a hurry, leaving the others looking bewildered.
Huang Nana kept her back to Lin Yi the whole time.
Only after Lin Yi had gone far away did a trace of coldness flash through her eyes.
"Lin Yi, your days are numbered..."
Lin Yi returned to the convoy.
Many people were resting in their vehicles.
Lin Yi leaned back in the driver's seat, with Xiao Chusheng's Contribution before his eyes.
"Strange. Five packets of instant noodles only gave me 5 Contribution?"
Lin Yi frowned.
Based on what he had figured out over the past few days,
offering help guaranteed at least one point.
So all five packets had only triggered the minimum?
Impossible. Food was definitely very important help in the apocalypse.
Lin Yi simply couldn't figure it out, no matter how he tried.
Unless Xiao Chusheng didn't eat instant noodles.
"I'll try something else next time." That was the only explanation Lin Yi could give himself.
After all, there were so many people online who didn't eat cilantro...
The convoy rested for an entire day.
Judging by Elder Qi's actions, he didn't intend to move at night either.
In the darkness, clusters of flames swayed in the wind, and the smells of various foods spread through the camp.
Lin Yi was cooking instant noodles when someone sat down beside him as though they were old friends.
Da Sha was still staring blankly at the firewood.
Lin Yi looked at the newcomer. "Bai Xiaoyu, need something?"
"No, I just think you're a strange person."
Bai Xiaoyu settled beside Lin Yi, her eyes full of scrutiny.
"You're mistaken." Lin Yi rolled his eyes.
"You... why do you always share your things with other people?" Bai Xiaoyu blinked her big eyes.
"Because I'm kind."
"Then why do you steal back the things you give away?" Bai Xiaoyu showed her white canine teeth, her eyes full of curiosity.
Lin Yi: ...
Lin Yi said, "Do you have nothing better to do?"
"Exactly! This stupid apocalypse. Phones and computers don't work anymore. It's so boring." Bai Xiaoyu pouted, clearly full of dissatisfaction with the apocalypse.
"Ugh."
Lin Yi sighed, feeling annoyed for the first time.
"Could you go find Elder Qi and the others?"
Lin Yi bluntly told her to leave.
But Bai Xiaoyu stuck out her little tongue. "A crotchety old man, a gay guy, and a blind man. Boring as hell."
Lin Yi: ...
Li Yong was gay?
It seemed I'd just heard one hell of a secret...
"Hehe." Lin Yi bared both rows of teeth. "Actually, I'm mentally ill."
Bai Xiaoyu: ...
Bai Xiaoyu's eyes widened in surprise before an expression of confirmation crossed her face.
"A blind man, an old geezer, a gay guy, a big idiot, and a mental patient. How about we call our convoy the Alliance of the Old, Weak, Sick, and Disabled? No, that sounds awful. How about the Disabled Alliance?"
Lin Yi: ...
Goddammit. He dished up two bowls of instant noodles, handed one to Da Sha, and strode away carrying the other.
"Hmph."
Seeing this, Bai Xiaoyu huffed in displeasure and strode back to her vehicle on her long legs.
"Hey, buddy, eaten yet?"
Lin Yi returned to the Jeep and plopped down in front of Xiao Chusheng as though they were old friends.
For some reason, the sight of this guy made the veins in Xiao Chusheng's forehead throb.
"Y-yes, I have."
Xiao Chusheng forced an awkward smile.
"Oh."
Lin Yi rummaged in his pocket, then pulled out a pile of jewelry. "Buddy, let's be friends."
"Oh..."
Xiao Chusheng accepted the jewelry with an awkward smile.
He couldn't understand why humans liked these things, but he had to pretend to be like them.
If he hadn't needed to change skins periodically and couldn't cause major chaos in the convoy, he would have slaughtered this guy.
"Eat and drink well, okay?"
Lin Yi waved and wandered off again with his instant noodles.
Xiao Chusheng watched Lin Yi's retreating back, a cold glint flashing in his eyes and a chill curling at the corners of his mouth.
But soon, that coldness faded.
To kill Lin Yi, he would have to approach the modified vehicles, making it far too easy to be detected.
He kept feeling that the fool could see through him and always deliberately avoided wherever the man was.
Just then, Huang Nana moved closer and whispered in his ear, "Do you want to kill him too?"
"Hmm?" Xiao Chusheng looked up.
"I have a way." A cold gleam flashed in Huang Nana's eyes.
"Let's hear it." Xiao Chusheng grew interested too.
Watching Lin Yi's retreating back, Huang Nana smiled. "Next time we search for supplies..."
"Bzzzt, bzzzt, bzzzt. A supernatural entity is approaching our position!"
"One minute. You have one minute!"
"We will depart in one minute!"
Lin Yi was slurping his instant noodles.
Suddenly, the loudspeaker began blaring through the convoy.
The survivors, who had been busy with their own affairs, rushed toward their vehicles like frightened mice.
Lin Yi gulped down the noodle broth, grabbed Da Sha, who was staring blankly at the loudspeaker in front of the fire, and rushed back to the SUV.
Vroom, vroom, vroom.
The roar of engines erupted into the night.
With the apocalypse heavy truck clearing the way, they sped down the road faster than usual.
With Elder Qi leading, the vehicles behind followed close.
They raced onward without stopping for a moment.
"Holy shit, look! What's that?"
Li Yong's startled cry came over the radio.
The convoy had now reached the vicinity of a village.
Lin Yi looked up and immediately shuddered.
What had he seen?
A towering willow stood in the mountain forest behind the village.
Though it was far away, its top remained out of sight, as if most of it were embedded in the clouds and mist!
Emerald willow strands hung down through the clouds and mist, giving off a faint fluorescent glow.
They made the entire night sky look breathtakingly beautiful.
The willow branches swayed in the wind as though alive...
No, they really were alive!
As the view gradually cleared, figures could be seen hanging from those willow strands.
Their faces wore smiles, as though they were experiencing utter bliss.
What was even stranger was this.
As the convoy approached,
those smiling faces began turning to follow it.
As far as the eye could see, they were packed together!
A single glance covered everyone in goosebumps!
"What... is that thing..."
Even Lin Yi's voice stuttered.
No one spoke.
No one knew what that thing was.
Everyone chose silence.
Only a few days into the apocalypse, such a terrifying existence had already appeared.
Did humanity really have the ability to resist?
The convoy remained very quiet along the way.
They raced through the entire night, yet still didn't stop the following day.
"Elder Qi, aren't we resting?"
Li Yong voiced his question.
"A supernatural entity is too close to us!"
Elder Qi's grave voice rang out. "The sun is out during the day, so the entity can't move. We have to shake him off while it's daylight."
After Elder Qi spoke, no one had any more questions. Only the roar of the convoy traveling down the road remained.
The convoy kept driving until nightfall, still without stopping.
The atmosphere in the convoy was poor.
Two of the survivors' vehicles following behind had already fallen out of the convoy.
There was only one reason: they had run out of fuel.
Everyone understood what it meant to leave the convoy.
Dark clouds hung over everyone's heads.
Just then, Li Yong's slightly trembling voice came through. "Elder Qi, my vehicle is out of gas too..."
Before you continue