11: Chapter 11 The Blowing Surprise Attack

Before Zhou Che could think of a safer way, Zhang Xiuqi's voice came crackling out of the walkie-talkie, his tone artificially warm:

"Let's meet up after all! We still have plenty of dried fish left from that day, which is perfect to trade for other supplies. Let's see if we can get some gasoline or medicine."

Luo Xi spoke up immediately after, her voice cold and crisp: "I agree. Trading supplies will also save us the time of taking a detour."

Captain Wu Jue had already intended to meet them. Seeing that Zhang Xiuqi and Luo Xi both agreed, he made the final call: "Then we meet. Everyone slow down, maintain formation, and don't show any weakness!"

With Captain Wu Jue, Zhang Xiuqi, and Luo Xi all voting in favor, Zhou Che had no say in the matter even if he had other ideas.

He could only curl his lips and lean against the headboard, waiting to see what the other convoy was made of.

Zhou Che leaned against the car window, clutching the strange object Lin Wan had given him, his eyes fixed on the path ahead.

After The Convoy had been driving for barely ten minutes, dust kicked up in the distance like chaotic scribbles, and the silhouette of another convoy appeared before them. It was about the same size as their Dawn Convoy, but the lead car was missing two layers of sheet metal, looking like it had been through hell and back.

The walkie-talkie instantly went silent, with only the static buzzing in their ears. Captain Wu Jue got out of the car holding a baton, his cap pulled low, his gaze icy as he squinted at the other side.

A rugged man stepped out from the opposite side, his buzz cut standing up like steel needles. The moment he spoke, he reeked of stale tobacco: "You must be The Convoy leader?"

Captain Wu Jue nodded. "It's not often we run into anyone. Why don't The Convoys gather to chat, trade some goods, and exchange information?"

The middle-aged man stared at Captain Wu Jue for a long moment, then scanned their cars parked by the roadside before finally nodding slowly. "Fine. We'll stop here for a day to trade supplies."

The look they exchanged was sharp as hidden daggers. Having finished speaking, they both turned and headed back to their respective convoys.

As soon as Captain Wu Jue hopped back into his car, he bellowed, "Listen up, everyone! We're resting here for the day and trading supplies with them."

Just as he finished speaking, Zhang Xiuqi hurried over, clutching a pack of compressed biscuits. "Awesome! I'll go see if they have any spare gasoline. My car's tank is almost empty."

"We didn't manage to collect much fuel from that gas station last time."

Luo Xi didn't say a word, merely following behind with a cloth bag.

As they walked toward the opposing convoy, Zhou Che followed them.

He didn't ask Lin Wan to come along. In case the other side had Transcendents who could perceive whether someone had awakened, Lin Wan would be exposed.

Although he didn't particularly care whether Lin Wan was exposed, it was always better to keep some strength hidden.

Upon arriving at the other side,

five people were gathered. The middle-aged man from earlier was at the head. Seeing them approach, he raised his chin first. "I'm Lao Zhou, of the Pathfinder Sequence. I handle some miscellaneous affairs."

A man next to him, thin as a bamboo pole, leaned in. He kept rubbing his hands together, his voice as quiet as a mosquito's buzz: "I-I'm of the Water Manipulator Sequence."

Next was a muscular brute. His fists cracked as he clenched them, his eyes wide as saucers. "Boxer Sequence. I don't know much else, but I can hold my own in a fight!"

The man on the far edge looked gloomy, the corners of his mouth permanently turned down. "Demon User Sequence."

Finally, there was a mild-looking middle-aged man. He clutched a syringe in his hand, his eyes narrowing into slits as he smiled. "Physician Sequence. Healing the wounded and rescuing the dying."

Zhou Che scanned the group and couldn't help but admire them—this lineup was truly comprehensive. They had tanks, damage dealers, and healers. Especially that Physician Sequence; he had heard Captain Wu Jue mention before that they could produce Awakening Injections, making them highly sought after.

In contrast, their Dawn Convoy only had Captain Wu Jue as a Guide, Zhang Xiuqi of the Rune Sequence, and only Luo Xi who could fight. Since he was hiding his dual Sequences, they were clearly at a disadvantage.

However, the people opposite weren't too unreasonable. Lao Zhou merely sized Zhou Che up a few times without asking much, then tossed two fuel canisters to Zhang Xiuqi. "Here are the supplies you wanted."

Zhang Xiuqi took the fuel canisters, muttering under his breath, "All that fish of mine for just two canisters of fuel!"

Zhou Che stood to the side, his eyes never leaving the syringe in the physician's hand.

He didn't care about the Awakening Injection at all, since he could awaken people himself, but he was truly envious of the physician's abilities.

If he could plunder this guy's Sequence, he would be able to heal himself in the future, giving him an extra trump card.

As he was thinking, Luo Xi suddenly tugged at Zhou Che's sleeve and handed him the cloth bag. "Trade for some medicine. They have trauma ointment over there."

"And that Physician Sequence has a lot of specialized medicine."

Zhou Che took the bag and traded with the skinny kid opposite for two tubes of ointment, still calculating in his head:

*Today's trip wasn't in vain. At least I've sized up the opponent. That Physician Sequence is really tempting. I wonder if we can pull off a raid on them.*

But Zhou Che was only thinking out loud. Captain Wu Jue and the others would never agree, because on the surface, their strength was still slightly inferior.

When Captain Wu Jue, Zhang Xiuqi, and the rest heard there was a Physician Sequence, their eyes locked onto him, completely transfixed.

Awakening Injections were hard currency in the apocalypse, allowing someone to directly awaken as a Transcendent. Who wouldn't want that?

The group immediately crowded around, offering various supplies in hopes of trading for a few Awakening Injections.

But the physician looked troubled, waving his hands and repeatedly saying it was impossible.

He had only just entered Sequence 1; his realm was far from sufficient, and he simply lacked the ability to refine Awakening Injections.

Their high hopes instantly dashed, Captain Wu Jue and the others looked incredibly disappointed and could only let it go.

In the end, they casually traded for some trauma medicine and miscellaneous supplies, then dispersed and returned to their respective convoys without further chat.

On the other side, the Transcendents of the opposing convoy didn't return to their vehicles at all.

They found a hidden corner and quietly held a small secret meeting, of which Zhou Che's side didn't hear even a whisper.

The middle-aged leader's face was grim as his eyes swept over the others, and he spoke in a low voice.

"When we traded supplies just now, you all saw how loaded that other convoy was, didn't you? Piles of dried fish, abundant resources... Aren't you tempted?"

The others exchanged glances, their expressions instantly changing. Greed washed over their faces as they swallowed hard, like hungry wolves staring at fat meat.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man smiled sinisterly.

"We've got their convoy's strength figured out completely. Only that Halberdier Sequence, Luo Xi, can fight. The remaining Guide, Rune, and Mechanic are none of them combat Sequences. If we launch a direct raid, they definitely won't be able to react in time. Once we slaughter those Transcendents, all their supplies will be ours!"

As soon as he said this, the others nodded immediately in agreement, their eyes filled with ruthlessness.

The middle-aged man didn't waste any time and assigned tasks on the spot.

"Nongshui'er, you go pin down their Guide, Captain Wu Jue. The Pugilist and I will team up to deal with Luo Xi. Demon User, you go finish off that Mechanic, Zhou Che. Physician, you go poison Zhang Xiuqi of the Rune Sequence!"

No one had any objections, except for the physician, whose face tensed as anxiety gripped his heart.

He only knew how to treat illnesses and heal wounds; he was not skilled in poisoning or fighting to begin with, and had no confidence in taking down Zhang Xiuqi. His emotions fluctuated visibly.

The middle-aged man saw through his concerns at a glance and said coldly, "Don't panic. Once we resolve our targets, we'll come over to help you immediately. It's a sure thing."

Hearing this, the physician's worries dissipated. He said no more, silently agreeing to this vicious raid.