Apocalypse: I Can Upgrade Everything

Chapter 108: Are You Crazy? Targeting Chen Ye?

“Yezi, you are absolutely ruthless! Xu Lina clearly has a thing for you. You can’t possibly be that blind, right?”

The pink-haired girl teased, a playful glint in her eyes.

Chen Ye curled his lip in a sneer. “Do you take me for a fool? You think she’s being nice to me? She’s just eyeing my resources! I’m not narcissistic enough to believe that every woman I meet instantly falls in love with me.”

On this point, Chen Ye remained brutally clear-headed.

Previously, Zhou Lan had shown him some goodwill, but even that was only because he had Awakened as a Sequence Beyonder.

In this world, romance was a luxury. Compared to staying alive, it was worthless.

“You… no wonder you don’t have a girlfriend!” The pink-haired girl huffed, annoyed by his pragmatism.

“Romance?” Chen Ye scoffed. “Even a dog wouldn’t bother with that crap!”

The pink-haired girl choked on her words, her face flushing red. Her hand instinctively drifted to the sword hilt at her waist.

She didn’t know why, but Chen Ye’s cynical attitude made her want to punch him.

Seeing that she was on the verge of losing her temper, Chen Ye wisely chose to retreat.

Right now, if they actually fought, he wasn’t entirely sure he could beat her.

As for Xu Lina…

The woman watched Chen Ye’s retreating figure with despair, tasting the bitterness of failure for the first time.

Was she heartbroken? Not really.

Chen Ye was right. She didn’t love him; she just wanted his resources. It was supposed to be a transaction—affection for protection. Everyone just took what they needed.

But for the first time in her life, Xu Lina felt a deep sense of defeat.

In the old world, she had never lost. Her charm had been absolute.

“Sister Lina… I still have some water. Here, drink this!”

A plastic mineral water bottle appeared in front of her.

There was only a shallow layer of clear liquid at the bottom, barely enough for a single mouthful.

The one offering the bottle was the college student, Little Fu.

Little Fu had watched the entire scene of Xu Lina’s rejection. This sip of water was his entire remaining ration for the day. He had planned to save it for when he absolutely couldn’t endure the thirst anymore.

But seeing the disappointment in Xu Lina’s eyes, his resolve crumbled.

Xu Lina’s gaze locked onto the water instantly.

She snatched the bottle without hesitation. She didn’t ask if Little Fu was thirsty. She didn’t care about his condition. She twisted the cap off and tilted her head back.

The clear liquid flowed into her parched mouth, sending a wave of relief through her body and soul.

Little Fu swallowed dryly, his throat clicking. He watched with eager, helpless longing as his precious water disappeared into someone else’s stomach.

Xu Lina drained every last drop.

Only then did she hand the empty bottle back to him.

“Little Fu, thank you. You’re a good person!”

Little Fu took the bottle, a foolish smile spreading across his face.

“Little Fu! Didn’t you say you’d save that water for me?”

A voice dripping with resentment cut through the moment.

Standing nearby was a woman about Little Fu’s age. Like him, she was a college student and a former “slave” of the camel team. Her name was Li Juan.

With the convoy strictly rationing water, no one had enough. Li Juan had long ago set her sights on the kind-hearted, naive Little Fu.

Every time water was distributed, Little Fu would squeeze out a portion of his share to give to her.

But this time, he had given it to Xu Lina.

By the time Li Juan noticed, the bottle was already empty.

Little Fu, pinned by Li Juan’s accusing glare, stammered, his face flushing with embarrassment.

Xu Lina merely glanced at Li Juan, offered a dismissive smirk, and strode away on her long legs.

“Little Fu, I never thought you were this kind of person,” Li Juan spat, her voice trembling with entitlement. “You… you’ve disappointed me so much!”

“You…” Little Fu was speechless.

Li Juan turned and stormed off without looking back.

However, her anger didn’t solve her thirst. She had already finished her ration for the day. The next distribution wasn’t until tomorrow morning.

Her eyes darted around the camp like a starving rat, landing on a lonely figure sitting apart from the group.

“Xue Nan? Is that you, Xue Nan?”

She put on a bright mask. “Xue Nan, hello! I’m a huge fan. When you used to livestream, I even tipped you!”

Back in the camel team, Li Juan would never have deigned to approach Xue Nan.

Even now, she looked down on the former mega-influencer. Everyone knew what had happened in the camel team. He was damaged goods.

But she knew something else: Xue Nan had half a bottle of mineral water.

A full half bottle.

Xue Nan had been isolated by the rest of the convoy. If she approached him now, played to his vanity… surely he would share?

That water was a gift from Chen Ye. Xue Nan had been hoarding it like a dragon with gold. He only wet his lips when the thirst became unbearable.

“Get lost!”

Before Li Juan could finish her rehearsed speech, Xue Nan looked up.

His eyes were sinister, filled with a cold, predatory danger.

Li Juan shrieked internally. Terrified out of her wits, she scrambled away in a panic.

The current Xue Nan had fundamentally changed. The pampered influencer was dead. In his place sat a ruthless survivor.

The water crisis was escalating.

Even the Sequence Beyonders didn’t dare to waste a drop.

The convoy began to bleed members. Some survivors, unable to keep up due to dehydration, simply collapsed into the sand.

When a companion fainted, the surrounding survivors merely looked on with numb eyes. There was no energy left for pity.

In just a few days, over 10 people had fallen behind and been left to die.

Even the camels were suffering. Having not eaten properly for days, they began to fail. Some went on strike, lying in the sand hollows and refusing to move. Others collapsed and never rose again.

Uncle Abao had no solution. He could only order the dead camels butchered and the meat dried for storage.

Chen Ye looked at his own dwindling supply of mineral water, anxiety gnawing at him.

Were they really going to die of thirst in this forsaken desert?

Captain Chu Che still had no news about a water source.

“Boss, we’re out of water too!”

Second Brother shook his empty bottle upside down. He licked his cracked lips, a flash of ferocity crossing his eyes.

The Boss glanced toward Chen Ye’s vehicle. The expression on his face wasn’t the fierce mask of a bandit anymore; it was one of deep, bitter distress.

“Fourth Brother, do you have any left?”

A thin, gaunt young man shrank back. “Big Brother, Second Brother… I—I’m out too. I finished the last drop this morning.”

“Those damn Beyonders,” Second Brother hissed, staring hatefully at the lead vehicles. “They have so much water. Why don’t they share a little with us?”

These three were the survivors from Lu City. Third Brother had been killed by Chen Ye earlier. Only the Boss, Second Brother, and Fourth Brother remained.

And now, they were dry.

“Boss, I’m dying of thirst here. How about we rob those Beyonders?”

Second Brother was the most like the brainless Third Brother. They had been close.

The Boss was old and crafty. Second Brother was brainless and fierce. Third Brother had been arrogant and domineering. Fourth Brother was timid and lustful.

Now, the brainless one was proposing suicide.

Fourth Brother’s face drained of color. “Second Brother, are you crazy? They are Sequence Beyonders! Even if we all attacked together, we wouldn’t last a second!”

The Boss’s face darkened instantly. “Second Brother, if you want to die, don’t drag me down with you.”

Second Brother looked around desperately. “Boss, if there was any other way, do you think I’d suggest this?”

“I know it’s stupid. But what choice do we have?”

“The other survivors are dry too. Even if we rob them, we won’t get anything, and it’ll just attract that old bastard Abao’s attention.”

“Rather than die of thirst… we might as well take a big risk.”

“Second Brother! You…” Fourth Brother shook with terror.

The Boss, however, fell silent. He was thinking.

“Second Brother,” the Boss said slowly. “Who do you want to target?”

“Boss… I want to hit Chen Ye!”

“Are you insane?!”

The Boss’s face turned green with shock. “Have you forgotten how Third Brother died?”

Hearing that Second Brother actually wanted to make a move on Chen Ye, the Boss felt a chill run through his bones.

Third Brother’s death had left a massive psychological shadow on him.

And now Second Brother wanted to court death by targeting the reaper himself?

He was completely mad.