Super Delivery Rider

Chen Fan was speechless.

"Cut the crap and tell me!"

Yan Kuan came to his senses and hurriedly said, "Besides Lao Mo, Old Zhao, and Sister Liang, there's another transcendent in the convoy. He's a delivery rider who always rides an electric scooter at the very front, leading the way.

"Lao Mo used to keep a tight leash on him and never let him interact with the main group, afraid someone might lure him away. He also dealt almost exclusively with Lao Mo. Lao Mo supplied his provisions and everything else, too.

"I haven't had much contact with him either. I just know he exists. But I guess he probably isn't good at fighting, because I heard he never enters supply points to scavenge."

Chen Fan was delighted to hear that, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been afraid that either Lao Mo or Old Zhao, whom he had killed, had been the convoy's guide.

If so, he would have been at a complete loss.

No matter how strong his transcendent ability was, he was only first tier. Faced with the ubiquitous fog and the endless stream of bizarre phenomena and monsters within it, all he could do at his current stage was avoid them for the time being.

"Where is he now?"

"When we stop to rest, he should be only one or two kilometers from the convoy. When we're moving, he might be five or six kilometers away. Sometimes he goes as far as ten."

"Go call him over. Also, organize the collection of supplies. Every survivor still has to contribute a share; I don't intend to change that rule. Pay special attention to getting more gasoline. This big guy of ours is going to drink a lot of it from now on."

As he spoke, Chen Fan patted the bus.

Yan Kuan nodded. "Understood."

Not long after Yan Kuan left, Sun Hong began bringing over the supplies Chen Fan had gathered in town.

As for the SUV, Chen Fan had Sun Hong siphon its gasoline into the bus, then left it there.

Whoever wanted it could take it.

A little while after Sun Hong finished, a delivery rider in a uniform and helmet appeared in front of the bus, riding a Black Knight delivery scooter.

The sight left Chen Fan momentarily dazed.

If it weren't for the apocalypse, he might have thought the food he'd ordered had arrived.

The rider parked beside the bus, took off his helmet and held it in his arms, then climbed aboard somewhat stiffly.

Seeing Chen Fan sitting inside, he put on a flattering smile and greeted him.

"Hello, boss!"

When Yan Kuan had gone to fetch him, he had already told him that the new boss had taken out the old ones.

Who wouldn't be nervous around someone that ruthless?

Nervous was putting it politely. To put it bluntly, he was following his heart.

"Sit!"

Chen Fan pointed to the seat beside him.

The delivery rider smiled and nodded, perching on the edge of the seat.

"From now on, we're the only two transcendents in the convoy. The convoy rests on our shoulders, and we have a long, hard road ahead."

Chen Fan looked at the rider and spoke earnestly.

The rider hastily smiled and waved his hand. "Not at all, brother. All I know how to do is deliver food. At most, I know which way to go. The convoy should still follow your orders. I'll just do whatever you tell me."

Chen Fan smiled and pointed at him. "I can tell at a glance you understand the bigger picture. What's your name?"

"Qian Lei."

Chen Fan nodded and held out a hand. A small black banner floated above his palm.

Qian Lei jumped.

Chen Fan waved his hand. "Don't be nervous. This is my transcendent ability, [Immortal Master of the Artifact Dao]. It lets me refine objects into immortal artifacts. I'm not bragging, but my ability is powerful enough to protect our convoy."

Qian Lei looked at the little black banner in Chen Fan's hand, where shadowy souls could faintly be seen churning, and swallowed.

It certainly looked sinister. The former captain's ability couldn't compare.

That was what Qian Lei really thought, but he didn't dare say it. Outwardly, he only nodded.

Seeing that Qian Lei had been sufficiently awed, Chen Fan put away the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and smiled. "Tell me about your transcendent ability."

Qian Lei didn't hesitate. Chen Fan had already shown his sincerity first, so what else was there to say?

"My transcendent ability is [Super Delivery Rider]. After awakening it, I don't need to use any energy to ride any two-wheeled motor vehicle. Also, I have a Super Delivery Rider's intuition, which gives me a certain sense of which way to go next."

Chen Fan found it novel. He hadn't expected there to be all kinds of transcendent abilities.

He asked curiously, "What kind of sense?"

Qian Lei scratched his head. "Usually, if there's danger on the road ahead, I feel anxious, like when a delivery is about to be late.

"If I have to choose a direction, the safer road gives me a feeling that I can make the delivery faster."

Chen Fan nodded. In a way, Qian Lei's ability was genuinely good.

No wonder Lao Mo had treasured him so much.

"Anything else? About your ability."

Qian Lei said, "Other than that, there's just one ability that isn't much. Three times a day, at mealtimes, a group-order meal always respawns in the delivery box behind me."

Chen Fan's mouth fell slightly open, and he nearly failed to process it.

That wasn't much?

He could feed himself without having to worry about anyone else.

No wonder the kid never risked his life scavenging for supplies.

As long as Lao Mo provided him with survival supplies like a tent, he could survive quite easily.

Only now did Chen Fan realize there was a transcendent ability that could obtain food so easily in the apocalypse.

Then what had he been struggling so hard for food and repeatedly risking his life for supplies all this way for?

It had to be said that, in a sense, Qian Lei's transcendent ability was a composite ability.

Except that it lacked combat power.

But as far as surviving the apocalypse went, it was almost maxed out.

His vehicle consumed nothing, and he didn't lack food.

Even Chen Fan, with his own badass transcendent ability, wanted to tell him how badass that was.

At that moment, Chen Fan remembered something else and asked, "What about the cost? All transcendent abilities have a cost, right?"

Chen Fan didn't really understand the matter of costs either, so this was also a bit of probing.

Qian Lei didn't notice that Chen Fan hadn't mentioned his own cost. He just scratched his head and said, "My cost is smile action. Whenever I use my transcendent ability, I have to keep smiling."

As he spoke, Qian Lei rubbed his face helplessly. "I've been smiling so long my face has almost gone stiff."

There was such a bizarre cost?

Both Qian Lei's transcendent ability and its cost were pretty...

How should he put it...

Subtle...

At that thought, Chen Fan patted Qian Lei on the shoulder again and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Impressive. We'll be counting on you to guide the convoy from now on. I'm different from Lao Mo; I won't keep such a tight leash on you. You can lead the way when we're traveling, but when we're not, there's no need to stay so far away. You can come back to the convoy and rest."

Qian Lei scratched his head and smiled. "Thanks, Brother Chen, but I still prefer being on my own."

Chen Fan opened his mouth, at a loss for words.

Come to think of it, if he had awakened that transcendent ability, he would have stayed far away from the main group too.

He could feed himself without worrying about anyone else, so why concern himself with everyone else?

If he really spent much time with the group, who knew how many people would covet his group-order meals?

Qian Lei seemed to remember something then and said, "Brother Chen, besides me, Brother Zhao actually had some ability to determine the direction too. The green snake created by his transcendent ability, [Snake Hand], had some ability to sense danger.

"If there was danger nearby, his green snake would become restless. So the convoy didn't rely entirely on me before..."

Chen Fan hadn't expected that gloomy man's Snake Hand to be able to sense danger too.

It seemed he really couldn't underestimate any transcendent ability.

"Got it. I'll pay more attention on my end too. You can go now."

After having Qian Lei continue as the guide, Chen Fan stayed alone in the bus and began considering whether to refine a new artifact.

What Qian Lei had said before leaving did make sense.

His ability to lead the way wasn't that comprehensive.

The group needed another ability to detect danger.

In the apocalypse, no one would complain about being too safe.

So he was considering whether to spend origin artifact materials to refine an artifact that could foresee fortune and misfortune.

It was just that Chen Fan had always believed strength came first.

He felt it was more important to use resources to strengthen his combat power.

In his view, support abilities were somewhat wasteful.

To put it bluntly, he was a little afraid of not having enough combat power.

Even so, intelligence was just as important before he became strong enough.

He understood that too.

But refining an artifact also required compatibility.

Judging by what the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and the Endless Black Coffin had been before they were refined,

the artifact's original form determined its properties once refinement succeeded.

Looking over the items he had on hand, Chen Fan couldn't think of anything that would gain the ability to foresee fortune and misfortune when refined.

It seemed this wouldn't be easy...

Chen Fan frowned and kept thinking.

Just then, he suddenly noticed something.

"Wait, I can do that too?"