Chapter 97: The Lovesick Lighter

“Captain, what exactly did you do before the collapse? How do you know all this?”

Chen Ye finally voiced the question that had been gnawing at him. Everyone had the same 24 hours in a day, but Captain Chu Che seemed to possess knowledge far beyond his years. He was like a walking encyclopedia of the apocalypse.

At Chen Ye’s question, even the pink-haired Sun Qianqian and the silent Ding Dong turned to listen, their curiosity piqued.

“Yeah, Captain,” Sun Qianqian chimed in. “Spill it. Were you part of some secret organization researching Sequence Beyonders before the world ended?”

“Don’t overthink it,” Chu Che replied dismissively. “You’ll know when it’s time for you to know. Knowing now wouldn’t do you any good.”

He lifted his teacup to obscure his eyes, trying to look profound, only to realize the cup was already empty.

“Tch.”

Sun Qianqian snorted in disdain.

Since their last heart-to-heart, the pink-haired girl had laid off the heavy drinking. Instead, she had developed an almost fanatical obsession with cultivation. Seeing her prepare to stand up and leave, Chen Ye quickly interjected.

“Qianqian, that Flying Sword technique you used to kill the Demon Sequence earlier… why haven’t I seen you use it before?”

Hearing this, the girl paused mid-rise and sat back down. She tilted her chin up, exposing the sharp line of her jaw, and smirked proudly. “The Flying Sword Art? I just mastered it recently. It’s my ultimate move. Pretty badass, right?”

She flipped her hair. “Our path is called the Sword Immortal Sequence for a reason. You didn’t think it was just a fancy name, did you?”

She was practically glowing with smugness. For some reason, Sun Qianqian loved showing off in front of Chen Ye—especially when it made him look aggrieved.

And Chen Ye did feel a bit aggrieved.

In this team of four—no, five—he was starting to feel like the weak link.

Iron Lion had already advanced to Sequence 2. Although Chen Ye hadn’t seen him fight in that state yet, the sheer pressure coming off the man was enough to tell him he was a monster.

Sun Qianqian was a prodigy who comprehended the Flying Sword Art after just a few days of practice.

As for Chu Che? The guy was mysterious as hell. His combat strength was questionable, but the secrets he held were likely more dangerous than a weapon. Or maybe he could fight, and Chen Ye just hadn’t seen it yet.

Then there was the newcomer, Ding Dong. One look at her told him she wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

Chen Ye felt a renewed urgency. He needed to master the cultivation method he had just deduced. More importantly, he needed to upgrade his Doomsday Pickup into a true Artifact.

“You mean… you only mastered the Flying Sword Art in the last few days?” Chu Che asked, his tone betraying a rare hint of shock.

“Yep! You guys know me. If I knew how to use it before, do you think I would have held back?”

“That is… heaven-defying talent,” Chu Che murmured, staring at her. His mind drifted to the strange Demon Fruit she had eaten. He made a mental note to ask her about it properly when they had the chance.

“Alright, you guys chat. I’m going to cultivate!”

With a swish of her pink ponytail, she strode off like the protagonist of an inspirational drama.

“Wait a second! We just swallowed up that slaver convoy. It’s time to divide the loot!” Chen Ye shouted. He turned his head. “Iron Lion—no, Mad Lion! Stop stuffing your face and get over here!”

Only then did Chen Ye realize that Iron Lion had never stopped eating. Throughout their entire conversation, the man had been silently devouring meat. A literal mountain of clean-picked bones was piled up next to where he sat. The two survivors tasked with roasting meat for him had already rotated shifts twice due to exhaustion.

Hearing Chu Che call his name, the hulking man stood up slowly, wiping grease from his mouth with a look of unsatisfied longing.

This particular “black-on-black” scheme—robbing the robbers—had yielded their richest haul yet. Every vehicle was packed to the brim. Chen Ye’s Doomsday Pickup was visibly listing to one side from the weight.

Uncle Abao directed several survivors to unload the supplies. Under the flickering light of the bonfire and tactical flashlights, a massive pile of goods spread out across the sand dune.

Zhou Xiaoxiao watched from the sidelines, drawn by the commotion. She had seen this scene play out several times since joining the convoy. With her sister gone, the supplies meant for two were now all hers, but she felt no joy in it. Looking at the mountain of resources, her desire to Awaken as a Sequence Beyonder burned hotter than ever.

Xu Lina stood in the crowd as well. Her beautiful eyes flickered with a strange, calculating light, darting between Chen Ye and the supplies.

After everything she had survived, Xu Lina understood the new rules of the world: To live well, you either became a Sequence Beyonder, or you owned one.

She knew her chances of Awakening were slim. Her best bet was Chen Ye.

However, the past few days had taught her that Chen Ye was a tough nut to crack. He was far more troublesome than the naive young men she was used to manipulating. On the surface, he was easygoing, cracking jokes and smiling. But inside? He was ice-cold and ruthless.

But Xu Lina didn’t give up. In fact, she felt a thrill of excitement.

The harder the man, the greater the reward when she finally conquered him. Years ago, everyone thought a powerful figure had simply taken a fancy to her, allowing her to rise to the top in a single step. They didn’t know she was the one who had hunted him.

That was a secret she kept to herself.

The supplies formed a small hill on the sand.

Among the loot, a specific pile placed on a plastic sheet caught everyone’s eye. It was a collection of ox bones—special materials Chen Ye had earmarked for his truck.

Chu Che picked up a bone, turning it over in his hands. He frowned, unable to discern its properties, then knocked two bones together. They rang out with a sharp, metallic clink.

Next to the bones sat a metal lighter.

A lighter?

As a smoker, Chen Ye’s eyes naturally gravitated toward it. He had collected quite a few lighters from Apricot Blossom Town and Longevity Village—cheap plastic ones you could find by the hundreds in any convenience store.

But this one was different.

Chen Ye picked it up. The metal was cold to the touch, sending a peculiar sensation crawling up his arm.

Suddenly, lines of information bloomed in his mind.

[Artifact: The Lovesick Lighter] [Number: 05172] [Ability: Pyrokinesis] [Condition: You must say ‘I love you’ to this metal lighter one hundred times a day. If you fail, the lighter is highly likely to go on strike.]

This is… an Artifact?

The description was simple, almost brutally efficient. But the condition? That was perverse. What kind of sane person confesses their love to a lighter a hundred times a day?

Chen Ye noticed a line of tiny text engraved on the bottom of the casing: “For you, I would sacrifice everything! Even my life.”

A wave of unhinged, obsessive energy radiated from the object.

“Is that the Artifact? Let me see!”

The weight vanished from Chen Ye’s palm as Sun Qianqian snatched the lighter away. Her eyes glazed over for a moment as she received the information directly into her brain.

Artifacts had a unique quirk. When they were ownerless, any Beyonder who touched them would instinctively understand their basic functions. To a normal human, however, they would appear as nothing more than mundane objects.

Once an Artifact recognized a master, other Beyonders would no longer receive the information prompt upon contact.

Chu Che had once compared Artifacts to pets. They didn’t require blood rituals or complex binding spells. It was about familiarity and resonance.

“It’s like raising a dog,” Chu Che had explained. “A loyal guard dog will tear an attacker’s throat out for its master. A Golden Retriever will wag its tail and follow whoever holds the leash. And a Husky? A Husky is gone the moment you let go.”

Each Artifact had its own temper.

Currently, Chen Ye’s only Artifact was the Blood Resentment Machete, and since he had forged it himself, he had never experienced the “taming” process.

“Mr. Chen, Miss Sun… I know how to use that thing.”

A voice, cool but tinged with a desperate need to please, drifted over from the side.

They turned to see Xue Nan standing there. He was covered in dust, his face gaunt and weary.