A Service Area Shrouded in Suspicion

"We've been here for two days!"

Hearing Jiang He's question, Yin Su, the girl with long, wavy hair, rushed to answer.

Someone with a perfect figure, formidable strength, and a kind heart was standing right in front of her.

The girl didn't need to think twice. She immediately decided to pursue her happiness boldly.

"Did you encounter any danger or anything unusual during that time?"

Faced with the woman's burning gaze, Jiang He acted as though he hadn't noticed and continued questioning her.

"No! Living here is just like being back before the apocalypse. It's so comfortable!"

Apparently afraid Jiang He wouldn't believe her, Yin Su pulled a good amount of supplies from her backpack as she spoke.

"Look, there's still plenty of food here that hasn't been collected. Enough to feed us for days."

Hearing Yin Su's slightly excited answer, Jiang He didn't doubt that she was telling the truth.

Because even now, the Shy Watch hadn't reacted at all!

Yet the more this was the case, the heavier Jiang He's mood became...

After the apocalypse began, even a small village would attract a large number of Eldritch Horrors.

How could there not be a single Weird at night in such a massive service area, with both leisure and entertainment facilities!

He turned to look once more at the humiliated young man.

Jiang He knew him too.

His name was Liu Qiang, and he had bossed Jiang He around plenty in his previous life.

But in this life, Liu Qiang's fate seemed to have changed considerably...

As Jiang He saw it, Liu Qiang's emotions had clearly spiraled completely out of control, so why had he shown no signs of mutating even now?

Did he get his emotions back under control, or does it have something to do with what's strange about this service area?

Jiang He silently pondered the question, growing a little wary.

"Brother He! Is that a sculpture tied to your vehicle? Why did you pick a cockroach?"

Seeing that Jiang He had ignored her for so long, Yin Su made conversation and took the opportunity to ask the question on her mind.

The four girls had noticed the half of the insect queen as soon as they got out of the car. At the time, they had assumed Jiang He was a pervert who liked carrying half a cockroach around on his back.

Now that their impression of him had changed, they could no longer contain their curiosity.

At her question, the other three girls pricked up their ears, evidently very interested in the answer as well.

"This is one of the monsters you saw while you were fleeing!"

Jiang He wanted some peace and quiet, so he didn't hide anything.

Sure enough, the girls' faces turned deathly pale the moment they heard him.

They trembled slightly as they looked at the insect queen's corpse, unable to stop themselves from edging closer to Jiang He, as though that was the only way they could feel safe!

Seeing their reactions, Jiang He shook his head with a laugh. He called Caicai over from where she sat nearby and handed her a piece of bread and a bottle of mineral water.

Seeing how cute the little girl was, Yin Su and the others came over to talk to her.

The atmosphere soon grew lively again.

Perhaps Jiang He was too accustomed to being a loner, but at the sight of this heartwarming scene, he found himself reluctant to leave it behind...

Heh, I've gotten sentimental since I was reborn...

Shaking the unrealistic thoughts from his head, Jiang He quickly composed himself.

Then he stood up and headed for the service area's parking lot.

He was currently at the main entrance to the service area, still some distance from the parking lot.

Jiang He observed his surroundings as he walked.

But the more he saw, the more oppressed he felt!

In this enormous service area, not only were there no corpses or bones, but even the flowers, grass, and trees were intact.

The ground was exceptionally clean too, without a trace of blood.

It was completely different from what Jiang He had imagined!

It really did seem like a paradise untouched by the outside world...

With a heavy heart, Jiang He finally reached the parking lot.

His gaze swept over the vehicles parked there.

Eventually, he stopped in front of a van.

Jiang He reached out and felt around the van's front left tire. Sure enough, he found a car key on it!

He used the key to unlock the door.

Vroom, vroom, vroom!

As the engine started, a burst of hot exhaust immediately billowed from the tailpipe.

The van went over the speed bump and headed for the service area's main entrance.

Both the coach and the RV were being upgraded, so Jiang He needed a vehicle to rest in.

Lying on the grass outside was nowhere near as comfortable as enjoying the air conditioning inside a vehicle...

With the burly man's corpse serving as a warning, no one else bothered the Rampage Group, giving them a chance to catch their breath.

Before long, it was noon.

Since there were some supplies in the service area, no one had to go hungry.

"This damn weather should be coming to an end!"

Jiang He was sitting in the van now, but even with the air conditioning on, he still couldn't stand the scorching sunlight.

To make sure he could get a good nap, he had no choice but to drive the van into the shade of a building to escape the heat.

"If my rebirth hasn't affected that event, then the fog should be coming soon!"

Slowly reclining his seat, Jiang He recalled the timeline of the apocalypse.

On September 3, 2037, a week from now, Blue Star's climate would undergo a drastic change, causing a thick fog to cover most of the world.

This was the first major calamity after the apocalypse!

The fog would not only obscure visibility and hinder the survivors' escape, but also accelerate the evolution of Eldritch Horrors and Mutant Beasts.

The fog directly or indirectly caused the number of survivors to plummet by 30%.

But danger also meant opportunity!

With Eldritch Horrors and Mutant Beasts more active in the fog, survivors would be far more likely to encounter these monsters head-on.

Although most of those survivors would die, there were bound to be a few lucky ones who managed to kill monsters with things they found!

As a result, the number of Superpower Sequences would also increase...

At that thought, Jiang He glanced at the Shy Watch on his wrist.

This thing would be extremely useful in the fog!

After all, things that could sense danger in advance were hard to come by!

That was also why Jiang He had been so excited when he first got it...

"I have to seize this opportunity and find more Sequence Crystals!"

He had the system, so he didn't have to worry about failing to fuse with Sequence Crystals. As long as he had enough system points, he could keep fusing with them!

Thinking of the isolated Eldritch Horrors in the fog and the mysterious crystal he had heard about in his previous life, Jiang He gradually grew restless...

Wait!

Sniff, sniff!

As though he had suddenly smelled something, Jiang He quickly sniffed twice.

"What's that smell?"

Sensing something was wrong, he sprang up from his seat.

He looked around and saw that no one was approaching, and there wasn't a single plant around the van...

The fragrance in his nose was peculiar, with both the rich scent of tobacco and the delicate sweetness of taro.

"There's nothing here, so where is that smell coming from?"

Realizing something was wrong with the fragrance, Jiang He immediately covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve. Then he circulated the superpower within his body, directing it toward his brain.

He had to make sure he kept a clear head...

Jiang He opened the door and got out. After circling the van, he immediately noticed something strange.

The fragrance could only be smelled in the shade!

Light-sensitive!

The word instantly sprang to Jiang He's mind!

"Could it be a Weird?"

He murmured the question, sounding very uncertain.