117: Chapter 117 The Rules of Extreme Speed

The marks on the Devourer of Calamity and the Vengeful Spirits had already faded significantly.

They had indeed headed east, at least several dozen miles away from here.

The battle site was indeed safe now.

When he walked to the other side of the pit, Zhou Che stopped in his tracks.

It wasn't because he saw anything; it was because the book of rules in his arms vibrated.

It was a very light vibration, like the book was hiccuping, exactly the same reaction as when it devoured the "Purification" rule at Hongfan Plaza last time.

Zhou Che perked up, pulled away from Lin Wan's support, and walked forward a few steps on his own.

He crouched down and opened the book of rules.

The pages turned automatically to a blank one.

Ink emerged on the page; it wasn't written by him, but by the book itself.

Two characters, with fierce strokes, each one carrying a sense of forward momentum and aggression, as if they wanted to tear through the paper.

Speed.

Zhou Che stared at these two characters for several seconds, unable to figure out where this rule had come from.

Neither of those two creatures had abilities related to "Speed."

Could it be that during the fight, the Wraith Black Mist tore open a certain rule within the Devourer of Calamity's domain?

"Whatever," Zhou Che said, closing the book of rules and patting the cover.

"It's a freebie; might as well take it."

He closed his eyes and touched those two characters with his mind.

A stream of information flowed into his mind, crisp and direct, without any unnecessary chatter.

Speed: Activate this rule to significantly increase the movement speed and attack speed of a designated target.

Consumes Sequence Power, does not consume Sequence level.

Zhou Che opened his eyes and finally smiled.

It doesn't consume Sequence level! Another rule that doesn't consume Sequence level!

Purification suppresses filthy anomalies, and Speed increases speed.

"Mr. Zhou, what are you smiling at?" Ruan Xiaoxiao leaned over.

"I'm happy."

Zhou Che stuffed the book of rules into his arms and tried to stand up straight.

But before he could straighten his back, his vision went black.

Lin Wan caught him, preventing him from falling headfirst into the pit.

"Even if you're happy, you need to sit down."

Lin Wan helped him sit down on a piece of rubble nearby.

After sitting down, Zhou Che panted for a long while. Once he had recovered, he looked at the surrounding environment.

The pit was two hundred meters wide, completely barren; not to mention anomalies, even the insects were all dead.

Plus the lingering auras of the two super monsters nearby.

No anomalies would dare approach within dozens of miles.

This place was actually safer than the previous camp.

"We're not leaving," Zhou Che said.

"We'll rest here for a few days.

Send people to move the tents off the vehicles and set them up by the edge of the pit, but keep them far enough away so no one rolls into it while sleeping.

Light more bonfires and keep them burning bright. Anomalies might not dare to come here, but it's still cold."

Captain Liu Ruyan went to make the arrangements.

The survivors moved quickly, carrying the tents and bonfire racks off the vehicles.

They began setting up the camp on a flat area a hundred meters from the pit.

Several bonfires were lit simultaneously, illuminating the surroundings.

When the firelight hit the glass-like ground near the pit, it reflected dark green spots of light.

Tents were pitched one after another, supplies were unloaded from the vehicles and stacked in piles, and the camp slowly took shape.

Zhou Che sat by the bonfire, holding the vat of compressed biscuit paste that Lin Wan had forced upon him, sipping it slowly.

His face was still pale, and the blood scab on his lips hadn't fallen off yet, but his eyes were much brighter than before.

Vitality could be nurtured slowly, and Sequence Power could be recovered gradually.

But two rules that didn't consume levels, plus many wraith cold crystals—counting it all up, this deal was worth it.

He finished the biscuit paste, set the empty vat aside, and warmed his hands by the bonfire.

The firelight danced on his face, casting long shadows from his cheekbones.

He stared at the flickering flames, his mind occupied by another matter.

From the moment he hard-countered the Rule-based Supernatural Entity in Linshui County to being driven out of his own territory by the Devourer of Calamity.

He had been taking a beating the whole time.

Getting beaten wasn't scary; what was scary was getting beaten without making any progress.

Was the number of Transcendents in The Convoy enough now? Was the Sequence strength enough?

Not enough. Far from it.

"Lin Wan."

Zhou Che pulled his fingers back from the edge of the bonfire.

"Where is the information on The Convoy I asked you to compile earlier?"

Lin Wan pulled a notebook from her bosom.

The notebook was the kind with a kraft paper cover from before the apocalypse.

The edges were frayed, but the handwriting inside was neat, with every page densely filled.

Every line contained a name; Lin Wan had been organizing this list for a long time, just waiting for Zhou Che to ask for it.

"These are all loyal, reliable people who have contributed to The Convoy; I will read them to you."

Lin Wan opened the notebook and read them out one by one.

After reading each name, she followed it with detailed information.

How long they had been at the camp, what missions they had been on, and what their specialties were.

What their personality was like, whether they formed cliques, and whether their attitude toward The Convoy was one of gratitude or just coasting.

Zhou Che nodded after hearing it all.

"Call them all over."

Not long after, everyone on the list arrived and lined up in two rows before the bonfire.

Some of these people had just returned from scavenging supplies in Linshui County.

Some had stayed behind to guard the camp, and some were veterans who had been with The Convoy for a long time.

There were also newcomers who had arrived less than a month ago but had shown outstanding performance.

They stood before the bonfire, the firelight illuminating everyone's faces in a reddish glow.

Some were rubbing their hands, some were licking their lips, and some were so nervous that their Adam's apples were bobbing up and down.

They didn't know why they had been called over.

But seeing Lin Wan standing next to Zhou Che with the notebook, they could probably guess a little bit.

Zhou Che stood up from the rock; his legs were still a bit weak, but he didn't let Lin Wan support him.

He leaned on the blood moon scepter and walked in front of these people, looking at them one by one.

"From today on, you are no longer ordinary survivors."

Zhou Che patted each person on the shoulder in turn; actually, this step could have been omitted.

But Zhou Che felt it was better to include it.

"Today, you are all going to become Transcendents."

The dozen or so people standing before the bonfire all changed.

A moment ago, they were just a group of ordinary people standing by the bonfire, hunching their necks and rubbing their hands.

Now, their backs were straight, and their resolute expressions spoke of their loyalty to The Convoy and to Zhou Che.

Zhou Che sat back down on the rock, nearly losing his balance, but Lin Wan caught him with quick reflexes.

He took a few deep breaths, jabbed the blood moon scepter into the ground, and spoke in a hoarse voice that drowned out the crackling of the bonfire.

"You listen to me carefully.

The power of a Transcendent means the responsibility of a Transcendent.

Whoever uses this power to misbehave, I won't need to lift a finger; Instructor Luo's halberd will go have a chat with you."

Luo Xi stood on the periphery of the crowd; hearing her name, she tapped her halberd gently against the ground.

The dozen or so people shouted in unison: "Thank you, Mr. Zhou!"

Zhou Che waved his hand, dismissing them, and leaned against the blood moon scepter, catching his breath.

Lin Wan handed him a flask of hot water; he took it and gulped down several mouthfuls before recovering a bit.

"There is one more thing."

Zhou Che handed the flask back to Lin Wan.

"Send out the notice: convene an emergency council of all Transcendents tonight.

The old Transcendents, the newly awakened ones, including you, Captain Liu Ruyan, Luo Xi, Ruan Xiaoxiao, Wang Laowu, and Shen Fei—everyone must attend.

The Convoy is going to undergo a major reform."