Apocalypse: I Can Upgrade Everything

Chapter 133: Preparations

Chen Ye’s brazen act of stripping the cult’s vehicles for parts was, inevitably, reported to Wu Jianshan.

Wu Jianshan stood by the fourth-floor window, watching the dismantling process on the playground below with an expressionless face. He saw Chu Che exchange a few words with Chen Ye before walking away.

“Bishop,” the Vice Bishop complained, his face flushed with indignation. “That Chen Ye relies on his relationship with you to act like a bandit! He’s tearing our utility vehicle apart. It’s beyond excessive.”

“If he wanted upgrades, he could have just asked. We have mechanics! But this…”

The Vice Bishop was particularly aggrieved because the vehicle Chen Ye was currently butchering belonged to him. But he didn’t dare confront a Sequence Beyonder directly, so he came to whine to the boss.

Wu Jianshan raised a hand, cutting off the tirade. There was no anger in his voice, only a cold pragmatism.

“If he wants to dismantle it, let him.”

“As long as he doesn’t cross the line, do not conflict with them. Is that clear?”

“Yes…”

The Vice Bishop bowed, swallowing his resentment. Wu Jianshan’s authority in the Death God Church was absolute; questioning him was heresy.

“By the way, Bishop,” the Vice Bishop added, hesitating. “They plan to go out scavenging tomorrow. I suspect they intend to leave. What should we do?”

Leave?

Wu Jianshan snorted internally.

With the current situation? The entire Anomaly population of Rong City has been drawn here like moths to a flame.

Forget about them leaving. Even I probably can’t leave.

“Let them go,” Wu Jianshan said, turning back to the window. “If they want to scavenge, let them. We can use them to test the waters outside.”

Wu Jianshan wasn’t a Pathfinder. He could sense vague danger through his connection to the Death God, but he lacked Chu Che’s high-definition radar. Let the rats run the maze first.

“How are our Supplies holding up?”

“Enough for another month.”

“One month… that’s enough. As long as we wait for…” Wu Jianshan stopped himself mid-sentence, realizing he was saying too much. “You may go.”

The Vice Bishop bowed and retreated from the office.

Out in the hallway, he glanced down at the playground where Chen Ye was happily ripping out a transmission. He let out a disgruntled snort, his face twitching with phantom pain for his ruined SUV.

Outside, the snow was nearly 50 centimeters deep.

Such heavy snowfall was rare even before the apocalypse. Driving in this was suicide without the right gear.

Chen Ye’s Doomsday Pickup had all-terrain tires, but against this depth, they were insufficient.

So, he improvised.

He stripped four studded snow tires from the Church’s vehicles and slapped them onto his pickup.

As for his old all-terrain tires? He didn’t return them. Instead, he hung them on the sides of the truck bed like reactive armor.

The weight was immense, warping the sheet metal of the bed, but Chen Ye didn’t care. He planned to upgrade the truck bed with the System later anyway.

In the whiteout conditions of the wasteland, a flat tire was a death sentence. Carrying four spares wasn’t paranoia; it was basic survival.

He wanted four more studded tires, but the Church was tapped out. He had taken the last set.

He also had his assistant, Xue Nan, strip metal anti-skid chains from another vehicle.

“Mr. Chen,” Xue Nan asked, panting as he lugged a heavy chain. “Your truck looks… well, worse than the others. Why not just swap vehicles entirely?”

Chen Ye smirked.

The boy didn’t know. This wasn’t just a car. It was an Artifact. A growing, evolving entity. Swapping it for a mundane SUV would be like trading a tank for a tricycle.

But to the naked eye, it just looked like a beat-up pickup truck covered in stolen parts.

“Just keep working,” Chen Ye said.

Meanwhile, Chu Che’s team was also prepping. Their modified off-road vehicle was already optimized, so Uncle A Bao just ordered a few minor tune-ups.

Night fell, and the Blood Moon rose.

The Anomalies woke up.

Through his enhanced right eye, Chen Ye could see them—countless, indescribable eyes floating in the darkness beyond the school walls. They watched with a hungry, eerie patience.

Drip… hiss…

The sound of acidic saliva hitting the snow drifted on the wind.

Whatever monstrosities owned those eyes, they didn’t dare step onto the school grounds yet. The Death God’s aura still held them at bay.

Beside Chen Ye, Xue Nan was shivering violently. His face was pale, terror warring with the freezing cold.

Chen Ye ignored him and focused on his truck.

He wanted to lift the chassis. The deep snow was a risk for high-centering. But the engineering required was too complex for a field mod, and asking the System to do a full suspension lift would cost a fortune in Slaughter Points.

He couldn’t afford it.

“Mr. Chen,” a timid voice interrupted him.

It was Little Wang, the convoy assistant. He held out a walkie-talkie.

“Uncle A Bao got these from the Church. He said… he said they need to be returned after the mission. So please…”

Chen Ye snatched the radio. “Returned? Get lost.”

“But—”

“I said get lost.”

Chen Ye waved him away.

Return it? Is he joking?

Once it’s in my hand, it’s mine. If the Church wants it back, they can come ask me for it. I didn’t borrow it; Uncle A Bao did. Let them chase him.

Uncle A Bao probably never expected Chen Ye to be this fundamentally shameless.

Just then, a System notification chimed.

[Upgrade Complete: Death God’s Blood Tears (Purified)]

Chen Ye’s expression didn’t change. He immediately opened the vehicle customization menu.

[Task: Adapt stolen seats to chassis.] [Cost: 50 Slaughter Points.]

Cheap. He confirmed it instantly. The wobbling, rope-tied seats fused seamlessly with the truck’s frame.

Next: [Upgrade Truck Bed: Add Spare Tire Mounts + Reinforce Load Bearing.]

This drained the last of his Slaughter Points.

After a quick dinner, Chen Ye headed to the roof to cultivate.

To his surprise, someone was already there.

A snow-covered figure sat in the lotus position, motionless as a statue. The snow had piled up on their shoulders and head, leaving only a small air hole for breathing.

It was Ding Dong.

She had merged with the winter night.

Chen Ye didn’t disturb her. He found a spot far away, sat down, and downed the vial of Purified Blood Tears.

He activated the [Blood Moon Breathing Technique].

Hours passed. The energy surged through him, refining his body and expanding his core.

But it was weaker than yesterday.

Resistance, Chen Ye noted. My body is adapting to the drug. A few more doses, and it’ll be useless.

By then, I should be Sequence 2.

He opened his eyes. Ding Dong was gone.

He descended back to the classroom.

Iron Lion was asleep on the floor, snoring like a diesel engine. His massive frame didn’t fit on the beds, so he had made a nest of mattresses. The blanket had been kicked off hours ago, exposing him to the freezing air, but the Titan Sequence Beyonder didn’t seem to care.

Chu Che was missing again.

Chen Ye climbed into his bed. Just as he settled in, the door creaked open, and Chu Che slipped inside, looking mysterious.

They locked eyes.

“What have you been doing these past few nights?” Chen Ye asked.

“What have you been doing these past few nights?” Chu Che asked simultaneously.

They paused, blinking.

A mutual look of understanding passed between them. Two schemers, two secrets.

“Forget it,” Chen Ye said, rolling over. “Sleep early. Big day tomorrow.”

“Forget it,” Chu Che echoed. “Sleep early. Big day tomorrow.”

Again, in perfect unison.