Chapter 96: Symbiosis Sequence

The pile of bones in front of Iron Lion was growing at an alarming rate. If Chen Ye didn’t start eating soon, there wouldn’t be a scrap left.

“Aren’t you afraid of choking to death?” Chen Ye muttered.

Chu Che chimed in from the side, “Slow down, Iron Lion. No one’s fighting you for it. There’s plenty left.”

The giant was eating too fast. They didn’t even know if the meat was poisonous yet. At this rate, if it was safe, Iron Lion would have devoured the entire camel before they got a single bite.

Iron Lion turned his massive head and grinned, grease smearing his chin. “Captain, you got the name wrong again. I’m Mad Lion! Once I finish this meal, that kid will be back soon, and I’ll hand the wheel back to him.”

“Wait, you guys don’t like meat?”

“If you’re not eating, hand it over!”

Without waiting for permission, he reached over and swiped the meat right off Chen Ye and Chu Che’s plates, adding it to his own mountain of food.

Chen Ye and Chu Che exchanged a glance. Neither said a word.

30 minutes passed.

Iron Lion was still happily gorging himself. No foaming at the mouth, no convulsions, no turning purple.

Only then did Chen Ye and Chu Che pick up their skewers.

By now, a literal hill of bones had accumulated in front of Mad Lion, yet he showed no signs of slowing down.

His appetite was terrifying. Two survivors had been assigned solely to grill meat for him, and they could barely keep up. Sometimes, he didn’t even care if it was fully cooked; he’d toss raw, bloody chunks into his maw, chew a few times, and spit out the polished bones.

His proficiency was enviable.

“You can’t compare yourself to a Titan Sequence,” Chu Che said, finally taking a bite. “Eat. It should be fine.”

Only then did the two “Old Sixes”—the sly foxes of the group—begin their meal.

An adult camel weighed around 500 kilograms. This one, enhanced by a Breeder Sequence, was massive—easily 700 kilograms of meat.

Every edible part was salvaged. In this era of starvation, waste was a sin.

Tonight, almost every survivor in the convoy got to eat meat. The voices that had previously opposed slaughtering the transport animals had fallen silent, their mouths full of roast camel. Even Ding Dong, the new Sequence Beyonder, ate her fill.

Chen Ye took a bite. A unique flavor exploded on his tongue.

It wasn’t gamey at all. In fact, it had a subtle, sweet aftertaste.

Chen Ye didn’t know if this was what regular camel tasted like, or if the “Breeder’s” secret pills had altered the flavor. Regardless, it was delicious.

He finally understood why the class was called “Breeder” and not “Beast Tamer.”

They ate until their bellies were perfectly round, sprawling out on the sand dunes in a food coma.

Surrounded by the smoke of the fires and the smell of roasting meat, for a moment, the apocalypse didn’t seem so bad.

Captain Chu produced a delicate tea set and began to brew a pot.

With a new member joining the core team, he decided to break out the good stuff as a welcome gift.

Sun Qianqian’s eyes lit up. “Captain Chu, you’re being generous today?”

Chu Che glared at her. “You brat, haven’t you drunk enough of my tea already?”

“Hehe… Ding Dong, let me tell you, Captain Chu’s tea isn’t for just anyone. We’re all benefiting from your presence today.”

Chen Ye smiled and scooted closer. Getting a cup of Chu Che’s tea was becoming increasingly rare. The man usually locked himself in his tent to enjoy it in secret.

After a heavy meal of meat, holding a steaming cup of fragrant tea was pure bliss. Just the aroma was enough to put one’s heart at ease.

Before the end of the world, this would have been a mundane after-dinner ritual. But here, in the middle of a desert wasteland, it was a luxury beyond price.

Only Mad Lion ignored the tea, still tearing into the meat with singular focus.

“Ahhh…”

“Fragrant.”

“Good tea.”

The three of them sipped slowly, savoring every drop.

“By the way, Ye-zi,” Chu Che said, setting down his cup. “I saw Old Man Zhang fall behind with you earlier. You came back alone. Where is he?”

During the escape, Chu Che had sensed a sudden spike of Anomaly energy from the rear. It had appeared out of nowhere—a presence he had never detected before. He had been waiting for the right moment to ask.

Ding Dong looked confused, so Sun Qianqian whispered an explanation of the situation. Her expression turned serious.

“Didn’t you guys also think there was something off about that old man?” Chen Ye asked, deflecting the question back at them.

Chu Che remained silent, but Sun Qianqian nodded. “Only a fool wouldn’t see it. He was driving a flimsy mobility scooter, yet he survived while so many others died. It didn’t add up.”

“We thought you stayed back to test him,” she added, her voice dropping to a guilty whisper. “We didn’t expect you to… actually do nothing for so long.”

Chen Ye choked on his breath.

So everyone had known. They all saw it, but no one said a word. they were just waiting for him—the fool—to poke the bear and see what happened.

Survivors, Chen Ye thought bitterly. Not a single stupid one among them.

“You guys…” Chen Ye pointed a shaking finger at them. “Not a single good thing among you!”

“You have the nerve to say that to us?” Sun Qianqian retorted, unconvinced.

“Captain Chu,” Chen Ye said, turning his fire on the leader. “I have to ask—how did you not know there was an Anomaly hiding in your own convoy?”

“That old man was an Anomaly?”

The three of them froze.

“The Hunchback Thrall from Longevity Village…”

Chen Ye recounted the events of the chase.

Silence fell over the group.

Chu Che and Sun Qianqian, who had survived Longevity Village, knew exactly how dangerous the Hunchback Thrall was. To think it had been riding in their convoy, sleeping next to them…

Chu Che took a slow sip of tea. “The Hunchback Thrall… might not actually be an Anomaly.”

“What do you mean?”

“From what I know… this sounds like a Symbiosis Sequence.”

Another new Sequence?

“Symbiosis?” Sun Qianqian tilted her head. “Like… living with an Anomaly?”

“You all know about Sequence Serums, right?” Chu Che asked.

“Captain, stop beating around the bush,” Chen Ye interrupted. “Spit it out.”

“Using a Sequence Serum allows you to Awaken as a Sequence Beyonder. But it’s not a 100% success rate.”

“Some people can’t withstand the energy and die instantly. Others are corrupted and turn into Anomalies.”

“But there’s a third group. They survive, but they fail to Awaken. Their bodies are modified by the energy, making them different from ordinary humans, but they have no active powers.”

“Desperate for strength, these people often choose to bond with an Anomaly. They let it live inside them, sharing its power.”

“We call them the Symbiosis Sequence.”

“They are the most mysterious and unpredictable class of Beyonders.”

The group held their breath, digesting the information.

Chen Ye thought back to the grotesque head bursting from the old man’s spine. Symbiosis. That fits.

“Of course, they don’t just bond with Anomalies,” Chu Che continued. “Some choose to bond with Artifacts.”

“These Beyonders generally have two states: Human State and Anomaly State.”

“In their Human State, unless you observe them very carefully or they voluntarily reveal their aura, they look exactly like ordinary people.”

“That,” Chu Che finished, “is likely why I never detected him.”