“You want the Human-Faced Scorpion’s Face Skin?”

Chen Ye was surprised when Nana—no, Sun Qianqian—confessed that she wanted the gruesome item.

Just yesterday, when they had found the flayed face, she had recoiled in horror, refusing to even look at it.

Yet before the sun had even risen, the woman had changed her tune entirely.

Now, she was looking at Chen Ye with wide, pleading eyes, her tone dripping with coquettish charm.

“Mhm. That Human-Faced Scorpion is a treasure. I want it!”

“Brother, help me out, won’t you?”

Chen Ye was seven or eight years older than the eighteen-year-old Qianqian, so the title of “Brother” wasn’t technically wrong. But the sweetness in her voice was almost diabetic.

“But yesterday, you…”

“Yesterday was yesterday. Today is today.”

She sat up, crossing her legs. “We killed the Scorpion and got two drops. The Carapace is one, and the Face Skin is the other.”

“Let’s ignore the Carapace for a second. The Face Skin… it’s not simple.”

“How can you tell?” Chen Ye interrupted, genuinely curious.

He had a System that could appraise items.

But this pink-haired girl didn’t. How did she know its value? Did she have secret methods he wasn’t aware of?

“Are you stupid?” She poked his chest. “Just looking at that skin makes your heart race and your stomach churn. But the Carapace? It’s just a shell. No reaction.”

“Any Artifact material that triggers a visceral discomfort in a Beyonder is almost guaranteed to be top-tier!”

“It’s a golden rule for judging value. It’s not 100% accurate, but for the Face Skin? It definitely applies.”

Chen Ye blinked. He hadn’t expected the young girl to be so knowledgeable.

He thought back to the Skin-Peeler Ghost’s Scalp stashed in his inventory. When he first saw it, he had felt that same wave of nausea.

Her method seemed sound.

“According to convoy rules, we split the loot four ways,” Qianqian continued, leaning closer. “Brother, give me your share. You’re a Mechanic Sequence. If you talk to the Captain and that big idiot Iron Lion, they’ll agree.”

“And then… help me upgrade my sword!”

With a fluid motion, the pink-haired girl pulled a longsword from beneath the bedding.

“How did you know I could upgra—”

Chen Ye stopped halfway, realizing he had asked a stupid question.

“Hehe… do you think I’m an idiot?” She grinned like a little fox. “Your car changes every single day. We figured out a long time ago that you probably aren’t just a standard Mechanic.”

“But everyone has secrets nowadays. You think you’re the only one?”

“Hehe…”

Her expression was sly, her eyes curving into crescents. She stroked the blade of her sword lovingly.

“Every Sword Immortal Sequence needs a Lifebound Sword. This was originally an antique my grandfather collected.”

“Since I Awakened, it hasn’t left my side. Its serial number is currently in the 3000s.”

“Brother, I know you have a way to upgrade Artifacts. Just help me, please?”

She grabbed his arm, shaking it gently, her voice sickeningly sweet.

Chen Ye didn’t melt.

He didn’t soften his heart just because a pretty girl was begging, nor did he let their intimate encounter from the night before loosen his professional persona.

Instead, his gaze grew cold and calculating.

“What will you give me in exchange?”

Sun Qianqian froze. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

I just slept with you, and you’re still calculating like a merchant?

“Business is business,” Chen Ye said flatly. “I also want that Face Skin.”

“How about this: I’ll trade my share of the Carapace for your share of the Face Skin. I take the Skin, you take the Shell.”

“I can help you craft an Artifact, but my fee is very high.”

“And sure, I can negotiate with Chu Che and Iron Lion for you. But… again, what are you offering me?”

Chen Ye’s attitude was purely transactional. A ruthless pragmatist to the bone.

“Chen Ye! You bastard!”

“Get out! Get out, get out!”

The negotiation ended with Chen Ye being physically kicked out of the modified off-road vehicle.

The horizon was just beginning to lighten with the pale “fish-belly white” of dawn. The desert air was still biting cold, but as a Sequence Beyonder, Chen Ye barely felt the chill.

He shrugged, adjusting his jacket, preparing to walk away.

Suddenly, the car door flew open again.

A pretty, pink-haired face popped out, glaring at him with disdain.

“Scumbag! Remember this: I was the one who played you!”

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

Chen Ye stood there, stunned. A sudden, unfamiliar sense of humiliation washed over him.

He walked back to his own battered pickup truck and lay down in the exposed truck bed. The canopy had been shredded by the sandstorm and blown halfway to nowhere.

Staring up at the fading stars, he shook off the encounter and focused on business.

He needed to upgrade.

He had three potential paths.

Option 1: Upgrade the Blood Resentment Machete.

He still had the Skin-Peeler Ghost’s Scalp.

But the fusion required 30,000 Slaughter Points.

He had the points, but spending them all would leave him bankrupt. If an emergency struck, the System would be useless. It was too risky.

Option 2: The Potion Capsule.

Ever since Chu Che mentioned them, Chen Ye had been obsessed with the idea.

According to the Captain, Potion Capsules could fully unlock a human’s potential, enhancing a Beyonder’s strength far beyond normal limits—even more precious than Sequence Serums.

Sun Qianqian had achieved a similar effect by eating the “Demon Fruit” made of her family, but Chen Ye wasn’t about to replicate that horror show.

“System, how much to exchange for one Potion Capsule?”

[Potion Capsule: A pre-apocalypse miracle drug created by pooling human wisdom. Capable of massively unlocking human Potential. Extraordinary value.] [Exchange Price: 50,000 Slaughter Points.]

Fifty thousand?

Chen Ye immediately scrapped that idea. He wasn’t even close.

Option 3: Upgrade the Vehicle.

This was the most practical choice.

The pickup’s canopy could wait, but the power system was critical.

His 60-liter fuel reserve was running on fumes. Unlike Chu Che and the others, who had raided a gas station before he joined, Chen Ye was resource-poor. He still owed Chu Che 15 liters of gas.

Without a renewable energy source, his Doomsday Pickup would be a brick in two days.

He spent the next hour haggling with the System.

Finally, they settled on a plan.

[Upgrade: Solar Charging Array] [Cost: 15,000 Slaughter Points] [Time: 48 Hours]

Once upgraded, the new panels could fully charge the vehicle’s 10kWh battery with just 20 hours of ideal sunlight.

Under perfect conditions, 10kWh could push the lightweight ‘Chili Fish Head’ Mini EV about 100 kilometers.

But the Doomsday Pickup was heavier. Much heavier.

If he could get 70 kilometers out of a full charge, he’d be thanking the gods.

70km was enough. The convoy’s daily travel varied; sometimes they pushed 100km, sometimes they barely moved. At least he wouldn’t be completely dependent on gasoline.

When Chen Ye confirmed the transaction, his finger trembled.

He watched his balance plummet. 30,000 points… gone in a blink. He was left with a little over 10,000.

It felt like getting his monthly paycheck and immediately handing half of it to the landlord.

It didn’t feel good at all.

An hourglass appeared above the pickup truck.

[47:60:59]

Staring at his remaining balance, Chen Ye felt a lingering dissatisfaction.

He had spent a fortune, yet his personal combat power hadn’t increased by a single point. No new Artifacts. No physical upgrades. Just a solar panel.

He thought about the Potion Capsule again.

If he couldn’t afford the points, was there another way?

In wuxia novels, didn’t martial artists have “internal energy cultivation methods”?

Was there a manual or technique he could learn to boost his strength without spending a fortune?