Lin Yi quickly scanned his surroundings.
He soon spotted a chubby young man in floral shorts hiding in an alley, waving at him.
The chubby young man was about 165 centimeters tall, with cotton stuffed in his ears as well.
Behind him stood a girl about 168 centimeters tall.
The girl had waist-length hair, wore earmuffs, and was dressed in white sportswear.
A blue-green longsword was strapped to her back.
She stood with her arms folded, her expression icy.
"Humans?"
Lin Yi looked them over, then quickly walked over with Da Sha and Clown.
"Shh."
The chubby young man gestured for silence and quickly led the three of them across a street.
They arrived in front of a shop.
The girl stretched out a snow-white hand and placed it against the ice sealing the entrance.
Without any further movement, a large hole appeared right in the middle of the ice.
The chubby young man darted in first.
Lin Yi and the other two followed close behind.
The girl entered last. As she went inside, she turned and touched the ice, and it actually returned to its original state!
A Sequence Transcendence user with ice powers?
Lin Yi understood.
The chubby young man warily checked their surroundings before quickly closing the curtains. He studied Lin Yi curiously. "You reacted pretty fast."
"Unlike that group earlier. They lost over a dozen people before they caught on."
His words caught Lin Yi off guard. "That group you mentioned-was there an old man, a blind man, and a mental patient?"
"Huh? You know them?" The chubby young man sounded curious.
"I was in the same convoy."
"Uh, that really sucks." The chubby young man spread his hands.
Then he smiled and extended a pudgy hand. "Li Jie. Sequence Iron Wall."
After that, he pointed at the girl. "That young lady is Lu Hanxue. Sequence Ice Emperor."
"I'm an ordinary person," Lin Yi introduced himself without a blush or a flutter of his heart. Then he pointed at Clown and Da Sha. "Sequence Clown. Da Sha, Sequence Warrior."
He had completely made up Da Sha's sequence, since he had no idea what it was either.
There were all sorts of bizarre sequences anyway. No one would know he had made it up.
The look on the chubby Li Jie's face as he regarded Lin Yi said, Like hell I believe you.
An ordinary person wearing so little would have frozen to death.
But he did not press the matter. "We got separated from our convoy too. Unlike you, though, we've already spent three days in Ice and Snow City."
"Three days?" Lin Yi asked in surprise. "Have you found a way out, then?"
"We have a few leads, but not many." Li Jie scratched his buzz cut.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, uh..." The chubby young man spent a while putting his thoughts into words, then pointed through a gap in the curtains at the huge head at the highest point. "From what we've observed over the past three days, that huge head flashes every time Ice and Snow City intercepts survivors."
"I figure, if we take that thing out, Ice and Snow City will lose its ability to move."
Lin Yi looked up at the huge head atop the tallest building, his expression souring. "You're kidding, right?"
"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do..."
Li Jie spread his hands. "After all, with this eerie apocalypse upon us, we have to figure everything out bit by bit. I don't know everything. I can only make guesses based on experience."
Lin Yi knew Li Jie had a point. After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "Are there many eerie creatures in Ice and Snow City?"
Li Jie glanced at the sky. "You'll find out soon."
"Come on. We can see farther from the second floor."
The five of them followed the stairs up to the shop's second floor.
The second floor seemed to have been the shopkeeper's living quarters. There were even a few sweaters hanging nearby.
Having spent the whole day freezing, Lin Yi and the other two claimed them without hesitation.
The sky was growing dark.
Gusts of chilling wind began sweeping through the streets.
The snowflakes filling the sky were blown every which way.
Crack, crack, crack.
Something sounded as though it was breaking apart.
Lin Yi turned to look. The shop was not far from the gates of Ice and Snow City, so he could see what was happening there at a glance.
Cracks appeared across the snowmen.
Then figures stepped out of them one after another and began wandering aimlessly through Ice and Snow City.
Lin Yi even spotted a few familiar survivors' faces among them.
But this was only the beginning.
Clouds of black mist began gathering in the streets.
In the blink of an eye, the streets had become a domain of rampaging monsters.
At some point, Li Jie had taken out a clock, which ticked away.
Li Jie pointed at the clock. "An Anomaly that conceals our presence."
"Oh? Aren't you afraid I'll steal it?" Lin Yi was curious instead. Were there still fools this openhanded in the apocalypse?
Li Jie chuckled at that and pointed at Lu Hanxue beside them. "If you can beat her, I'll give it to you."
"Uh..."
Lin Yi glanced at Lu Hanxue, who stood by the window holding her sword. He really did feel an inexplicable pressure coming from her.
For the chubby young man to be so bold, the person backing him clearly had to be something special.
"So, do you have any ideas for dealing with that huge head?" Lin Yi plopped down on the bed.
Lu Hanxue's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Seeing this, Li Jie immediately recoiled a step in fright. "Bro, bro, the young lady needs to sleep in that bed tonight..."
"Then let her." Lin Yi got up nonchalantly.
"The young lady is a clean freak..." Li Jie said meekly.
"Uh... so what?" Lin Yi asked the classic question.
"Ahem." Li Jie quietly pulled Lin Yi aside and whispered, "The young lady was already a bit of a clean freak, and his power's price is also an obsession with cleanliness. So, stack one obsession on top of another... if you make it out of Ice and Snow City alive, kid, you'd better pray for yourself..."
Lin Yi: ???
What does that mean? I just sat on the bed, and now she's going to cut me down?
"Ahem, um, miss, would you believe me if I said I didn't do it on purpose?" Lin Yi was feeling a little guilty too.
"Oh."
Lu Hanxue's response was indifferent.
Li Jie gave Lin Yi a look that said he was on his own, then sensibly backed away two steps to stand with Clown and Da Sha.
At some point, Clown and Da Sha had flattened themselves against the wall, not even daring to breathe loudly...
Lin Yi was speechless at the sight.
One of you is an idiot and the other's a lunatic. What are you two scared of...?
Lin Yi glanced at Lu Hanxue, then decided he could not be bothered with that woman's damned obsession with cleanliness.
The world is huge. Once we leave Ice and Snow City, we'll go our separate ways. Want to see me again? Try your next life.
"So, Li Jie, how are we going to deal with that huge head?"
Li Jie looked a little embarrassed at the question. "You'd better ask the young lady."
"Kill. Kill our way up."
Lu Hanxue's voice was as cool as ever.
Lin Yi: ...
What kind of wild talk is that?
Does that even count as a plan?
He wrestled with himself for a moment, but could not help asking, "Anything else?"
"Kill," Lu Hanxue said flatly.
Lin Yi: ...
He silently gave her a thumbs-up.
A busty airhead isn't scary. A busty airhead who's also a powerful fighter is.
"Fine, then we'll kill!"
Lin Yi looked ready to risk his life to keep her company.
She seems so confident. She should be strong, then.
I'll pick up the scraps behind her.
At that, Lu Hanxue studied Lin Yi seriously for the first time. "You. Not bad."
After their brief exchange, Lin Yi headed downstairs with Da Sha, Clown, and Li Jie.
After the two men left, Lu Hanxue held one hand over the bed.
In an instant, a block of ice appeared, covering the bed.
She leaned backward and lay down on the enormous block of ice.
"Heh, looks like the young lady let you off." Li Jie chuckled as soon as he reached the lower floor.
"How so?" Lin Yi was puzzled.
"She said you were not bad!" Li Jie gave Lin Yi a thumbs-up too.
Lin Yi: ...
Have there been more lunatics around since the apocalypse started...?
Before you continue