Refining Again

"...That [Boxer], and that [Lightning Whip] or whatever-isn't it obvious just from their names that those supernatural abilities are trash? Anyway, I don't agree with abandoning our original plan to join some crappy alliance of theirs."

Yang Fan said a lot in one breath. When he finished, his face was full of displeasure.

The blond-haired Han Tai frowned. "So you really were up to no good just now, looking for a chance to attack them. I'm warning you, our team isn't as strong as you say, and they aren't nearly as bad as you make them out to be.

I absolutely won't allow you to attack them! Otherwise, don't blame me for getting rough.

And why am I putting the counter-killing plan on hold? Because we have no way of knowing how strong the next weird creature we encounter will be.

My supernatural ability can only tell which direction is safe and which is dangerous. If we follow our plan and always pick the dangerous direction, what happens if we run into another second-tier mantis monster like last time? What if it's not just second-tier, but third-tier or fourth-tier?

That mantis monster nearly wiped us out last time. If we hadn't been lucky enough to run into another group passing through and join forces with them, we'd have died that day.

How many more times do you think we'll have luck like that?

Besides, why are you only picking out their weaker members to talk about? They have four whole people whose information Little You can't see at all. Don't you know what that means? It means all four of them could very well be second-tier. How can you call them weak?

If they're weak, what does that make the five of us first-tiers?

No matter what you say, I've made up my mind. The entire convoy is struggling to survive. This isn't just about the few of us; the safety of the whole convoy rests on our shoulders. I can't put the whole convoy at risk."

Seeing the atmosphere grow increasingly tense, Qin Renliang, who had a Desert Eagle tucked at his waist, tried to calm them down. "All right, how about we put this aside for now? There's no need to rush a decision. You both have a point, but Old Han is the captain, after all. Yang Fan, you should give him some face."

On the other side, Zhu Hongshan, who had sunglasses perched on his head, frowned. "Old Han may be the captain, but everyone on the team should have the right to speak, shouldn't they? Brother Yang was just giving his opinion. Is the captain supposed to have the final say on everything?"

Qin Renliang sighed. "That's not what I meant. I'm trying to stop the fight. Ah Shan, you...sigh..."

At some point, You Xiaoya, sitting among them, had swapped the toothpick in her mouth for a lollipop.

Her eyes darted back and forth as she looked from side to side, sucking on her lollipop without saying a word.

Yang Fan gripped the saber at his side, stood up, and faced Han Tai.

His expression was a little cold. "You say you can't put the whole convoy at risk, but you're just afraid of dying. Four second-tier supernatural ability users? Do you really think that's possible? We've been actively hunting weird monsters, and even we couldn't advance that fast.

I think it's just some kind of supernatural ability that blocks detection.

Just look at those two freakish captains.

One has a vine tied around his waist with two gourds hanging from it. Before the apocalypse, he was either a drunk or a rich second-generation heir who played with collectibles.

The other one wears a full set of ancient robes. It's the apocalypse and he's still showing off like that. You'd think he was filming a show. He was probably some obscure actor before. What's he got besides decent looks?

How strong could a team led by people like that be?"

Sitting there, You Xiaoya suddenly cut in. "Hey, I think that guy's taste is weird too, but I firmly defend the freedom to dress however you want. Why are you making a personal attack on his appearance?

He's clean, and so are his clothes. He's way better than a slob like you, okay?"

Yang Fan glared at You Xiaoya in anger. "I'm not going to stoop to arguing with a little girl. Captain, I'll be frank. If you insist on joining the Dawn Alliance, I'll have to leave and carry on with my 'counter-killing' plan."

Zhu Hongshan chimed in at just the right moment. "Wherever Brother Yang goes, I go."

Han Tai's face darkened.

Yang Fan gave Zhu Hongshan an approving look, then continued, "From beginning to end, Ah Shan and I joined later and never truly became part of your three-person circle. Just because of our hairstyles, the two of us have always been excluded from the team's core.

Since you want to have the final say on everything in the team, sorry, but I won't stay in a team like that."

You Xiaoya said unhappily, "We told you to dye your hair when you joined, and we said it several times. You were the ones who didn't want to, okay?"

Furious, Yang Fan shot back, "Who'd want your weird hairstyles? Can't you be a little more normal and pick an ordinary way to identify the team?"

You Xiaoya pursed her lips and muttered, "Tch, you wouldn't do it yourselves, and now you blame us..."

Han Tai's expression was cold as he spoke. "Now that things have come to this, there's no point continuing. I can see it now: neither of you ever truly committed to the team. In that case, let's go our separate ways.

You can carry on with your 'counter-killing' plan. I'll lead the team into the Dawn Alliance. Let's see who lives longer in this apocalypse."

Yang Fan snorted coldly. "I'll take the people who joined with me. And we're not just going to see who lives longer-we'll also see who's stronger in the future!"

Han Tai spat out two words. "Suit yourself!"

Before leaving, Yang Fan gave Han Tai a long look.

"You'll regret this, Old Han."

[Refined the severed limbs of a second-tier mantis monster. Obtained 100 points of Origin Material]

[Refined the 'Scarecrow Eye' dropped by a first-tier scarecrow weird creature. Obtained 100 points of Origin Material]

[Refined the 'Weird Infant Clay Figure' dropped by a first-tier weird infant. Obtained 100 Origin Material]

Inside the RV, Chen Fan refined the three weird monster materials he had traded for, one after another.

He obtained a total of 300 points of Origin Material.

310 points remained.

Then he took out several items, preparing to refine a magic artifact he had been planning for a long time.

When he first awakened his supernatural ability, he had thought about refining a perception-type magic artifact.

At the time, he thought there were no perception-type supernatural ability users in the convoy and wanted to solve the problem himself.

But later, he learned that the convoy also had Qian Lei, the [Super Delivery Rider].

He hadn't had many ideas at the time, either, and didn't know what to use as the base for the artifact, so he had kept putting it off.

Recently, he had been struck by occasional flashes of inspiration and finally had some ideas.

He took out the Nightmare Battle Cloud, then the bead containing a flicker of fire that he had traded for from Zheng Alin.

Right after that, he took a makeup mirror with a red plastic frame out of his Storage Bag.

After thinking it over, he also took out a large television that someone had handed over when supplies were being collected.

He placed the television, makeup mirror, fire bead, and Nightmare Battle Cloud side by side on the RV floor.

Looking at the items, Chen Fan thought to himself.

I hope this works...

These were the items Chen Fan thought could serve as bases for abilities involving perception and foresight.

The Nightmare Battle Cloud was connected to dreams, and dreams might have some slight connection to foresight.

The mirror and television were how he envisioned displaying what was perceived.

Images perceived or foreseen could be played on the mirror or television.

As for the fire-attribute bead, Chen Fan thought it was needed to balance the yin and yang with the Nightmare Battle Cloud.

That would keep the finished artifact from being too extreme in one direction.

"Refine!"

Chen Fan hesitated no longer and immediately began refining.

The Artifact Refining Furnace flew out of his body and took in all four items on the floor.

The lid on top of the furnace then began to bounce slightly, as though intense heat were rising inside.

[Consumed 200 points of Origin Material to refine the low-grade magic artifact Nightmare Battle Cloud a second time]

[Low-grade magic artifact Nightmare Battle Cloud refined into low-grade magic artifact Yin-Yang Twin Mirrors]

110 points remained.

The Artifact Refining Furnace shook violently.

An ancient-looking, double-sided mirror was spat out of it.