“Xiaoxiao, did you manage to find out what Chen Ye talked about with Captain Chu and Nana?”

Zhou Lan was feeling a twinge of regret now. If she had known things would spiral like this, she never would have approached Chen Ye. First, she gave away their precious gasoline, then she let Xiaoxiao take it back. She blamed herself for being dizzy-headed in the moment, unable to part with such a critical resource.

But regret was useless now. They had thoroughly offended the Chen siblings.

What truly panicked Zhou Lan, however, was seeing Chen Ye secure a replacement barrel of gasoline and a high-quality Heavy Machete with just a few sentences. Information was currency, and clearly, Chen Ye was rich.

She had sent Zhou Xiaoxiao to spy earlier, desperate to know what secret Chen Ye had traded.

“Sis, Uncle Abao, that old fox, claimed he didn’t know anything,” Zhou Xiaoxiao complained as he drove, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. “And to think he said he was your fan last time. Hmph! Fake fan.”

Li Jie drove the bus. Uncle Abao drove Chu Che’s modified off-roader. Both Chu Che and Nana traveled in groups of three—tight-knit, exclusive circles. Xiaoxiao had tried to pry information from Abao but came back empty-handed.

“Sis, I know what you’re worried about,” Xiaoxiao said, glancing at her. “You think because we offended Chen Ye, we won’t survive in this convoy.”

Zhou Lan remained silent, staring out the window at the desolate landscape.

Xiaoxiao chuckled, his tone deliberately light. “What’s there to be afraid of? We’ve survived this long on our own. Every supply run is a narrow escape from death. That’s why we live better than the others. That gasoline was hard-earned; why should we just hand it to him? We don’t need anyone’s protection. We rely on ourselves.”

He looked proud as he said it.

“You!” Zhou Lan sighed, reaching out to tap his forehead affectionately. But despite his bravado, the unease in her heart wouldn’t settle.

Chen Ye poured the gasoline he’d obtained from Chu Che into the tank of his motorized tricycle. With a sputtering cough and a steady hum, the engine roared to life.

The convoy moved faster today, perhaps trying to make up for the two hours spent trading in the morning.

From his position further up the line, Chen Ye watched Chu Che. The Pathfinder frequently stopped his vehicle, stepped out, and grabbed a handful of soil to taste. After a moment of grim contemplation, he would point out a new, safe direction.

So that is the Pathfinder Sequence, Chen Ye mused. He had never seen this ritual when he was stuck at the back of the line.

It wasn’t until late afternoon that Chu Che signaled for the convoy to rest.

Chen Ye unpacked his cooking gear from the tricycle’s cargo bed. It had been days since he’d eaten rice, and the craving was intense. Today, supplies were abundant across the camp; survivors who had dared to enter Apricot Blossom Town had come out with something to show for it.

A blood-red moon hung low on the horizon, watching them. But with bellies full for once, the camp’s atmosphere was less suffocating than usual.

Just as Chen Ye finished his meal, Uncle Abao approached. “Iron Lion is awake.”

When Chen Ye saw the legendary Titan Sequence Beyonder, he was genuinely shocked. The last time he had seen the giant, his arm had been sheared off at the shoulder. Today, a new limb was visibly regenerating, a fleshy stump extending from the wound.

Is this also a Sequence ability?

Nana and Chu Che seemed unfazed.

Iron Lion spotted Chen Ye and offered a weak smile. “So it’s you. If not for your arrow that day, I’d be dead.”

“If not for you blocking that Scissor Lady, I’d be dead too,” Chen Ye replied honestly. Without Iron Lion acting as a meat shield, the convoy would have been slaughtered.

“Iron Lion, Flesh Titan Sequence,” the giant boomed, surprisingly energetic for a man missing a limb. “This is our basic ability: Flesh Regeneration. Hahaha… pretty impressive, right?” He waved his stump proudly. “I heard you’re a Mechanic Sequence. Great! Finally, we won’t have to abandon our vehicles every time they break down!”

The man was clearly a chatterbox.

Chu Che had already informed Iron Lion about the Black Dog Blood. Following the convoy’s strict code of fairness, Iron Lion knew this information came with a price.

“What do you want?” the giant asked.

“That high-capacity power bank of yours,” Chen Ye said. “The one that holds two kilowatt-hours.”

“Done. I’ll have Old Li bring it to you.”

Just like that, Chen Ye secured the power source. He was one step closer to converting his tricycle into a true hybrid vehicle.

The following days were monotonous yet tense. The convoy moved erratically—sometimes east, sometimes west, sometimes doubling back to where they started. When survivors complained, Chu Che simply told them they were free to leave. The complaints stopped.

The convoy moved like a madman, lacking any discernible pattern. Only the Sequence Beyonders looked grim. According to Chu Che, several powerful Anomalies were tracking them. At one point, they were less than three kilometers away. Without the Pathfinder’s guidance, they would all be dead.

During every rest break, Chen Ye worked. Using his new Heavy Machete, he chopped branches and bamboo, fashioning crude crossbow bolts. He then coated each shaft with the Black Dog Blood he had acquired. His quiver now held over a hundred bolts.

The two black dogs in the convoy looked listless, likely due to frequent bloodletting, but they were kept fed and alive—a renewable resource.

“Tomorrow, we reach Longevity Village,” Chu Che announced during the evening meeting. “Supplies are running low. We need to scavenge.”

The survivors’ faces showed a mix of terror and hunger. Without resupply, the convoy would starve or riot.

Chen Ye lit a cigarette, calculating. In the apocalypse, big cities were death traps, “Forbidden Zones for the Living.” But small villages like Longevity Village offered a chance.

He touched the quiver at his side. He had ammo. He had a weapon. And he needed 3,000 Slaughter Points to awaken a true Sequence.

Suddenly, a terrified scream tore through the camp.

“Ahhh! There’s… there’s an Anomaly!”