21: Chapter 21 Navigation Convoy

He immediately asked who should be selected to be promoted to a Transcendent.

Hearing this, Lin Wan actually already had a few reliable and hardworking candidates in mind, but she frowned slightly, feeling that granting a Sequence directly was too rash.

No one would know how to cherish power obtained so easily, nor would they be wholeheartedly loyal to Zhou Che.

She pondered for a moment before earnestly offering a suggestion:

"Mr. Zhou, it is inappropriate to simply select people to awaken. Our Convoy must first establish rules and build a proper power structure, then set a threshold for ordinary people to become a Transcendent."

"Only those who work hard, make contributions, and are sufficiently loyal to you will be qualified to obtain the power of a Sequence.

In this way, all survivors will work their hardest for you, The Convoy will be thoroughly stabilized, and no one will dare to cause any trouble."

Zhou Che carefully pondered Lin Wan's words and secretly nodded to himself.

If more and more Transcendents were recruited without proper rules to manage them, it would sooner or later descend into chaos, ultimately harming the entire Convoy.

Moreover, giving ordinary people Transcendent power for nothing without them paying any price meant they would definitely not know how to cherish it, nor would they be wholeheartedly loyal; it would provide no benefit to The Convoy whatsoever.

However, he found himself in a dilemma. Before the apocalypse, he had just been an ordinary corporate slave with little education, and he couldn't think of a reasonable framework for managing power; he was clueless about the ins and outs of managing people.

He felt he had to find a sharp-minded strategist who understood schemes to help him sort this out.

Zhou Che immediately looked at Lin Wan and spoke bluntly:

"In our Convoy, is there anyone with a sharp mind who can act as a strategist and offer advice?"

Hearing this, Lin Wan lowered her head and recalled the ordinary survivors in The Convoy one by one.

A sudden flash of inspiration hit her, and she thought of someone:

"There really is! There is a PhD in history in The Convoy who is always clutching his history books, taking them everywhere he goes."

"Since he managed to get a PhD, he must have real substance. He must have thoroughly understood the many power frameworks and management systems throughout history. Perhaps he could figure out a set of rules suitable for our Convoy that we could use directly!"

Zhou Che's eyes lit up instantly, and he made a decision on the spot:

"Good! The next time The Convoy stops to rest, bring this person to me immediately and have him lead the effort to build The Convoy's power framework."

The Dawn Convoy continued to migrate steadily through the air, but before long, the wind outside became increasingly biting, and the cold seeped into the vehicles through the cracks.

Zhou Che's brow furrowed, his mind filled with confusion.

It was clearly the height of summer in May or June; logically, it should have been stiflingly hot, not this cold.

After thinking it over, there was only one possibility: after the arrival of the anomalies, not only did various evil entities emerge, but the global weather and climate had also undergone a complete mutation.

He scanned the survivors in The Convoy; they were all wearing tattered, thin clothing, without a single decent thick garment among them.

If the temperature continued to drop, they would likely freeze to death before the anomalies even had a chance to act.

Zhou Che immediately made up his mind and said in a deep voice:

"It seems that at the next stop, we must find a supply point and thoroughly scavenge a batch of warm, thick clothing. Otherwise, if the weather gets any colder, The Convoy will suffer needless casualties."

For the next two days, The Convoy continued to speed through the air above The Desert.

Yellow sand filled the sky; as far as the eye could see, there was only a sea of withered yellow sand, with not a single green plant or road sign in sight.

Yet, after driving for two days, the surrounding scenery hadn't changed in the slightest. The Desert seemed endless, with no exit in sight no matter how they traveled.

Zhou Che felt both frustrated and helpless; The Convoy's supplies, such as gasoline and dry rations, were on the verge of running out.

If they remained trapped in this godforsaken place and couldn't get out, they would eventually have to abandon their vehicles and travel on foot. Walking in this desolate, uninhabited desert was no different than walking to their deaths!

Logically, even the largest desert should have been crossed in two days, but this place was wicked; they simply couldn't find a way out.

Zhou Che repeatedly activated the Pathfinder Sequence, scanning the surroundings thoroughly.

There wasn't a trace of any anomalous aura, yet he couldn't find any path to break through; he was completely at a loss.

The vehicles belonging to the few Transcendents still had a little fuel left, barely enough to last for a while.

But the ordinary survivors' vehicles were in a miserable state. If it weren't for the fact that floating vehicles were more fuel-efficient than ordinary ones, their fuel would have already bottomed out, leaving them with no choice but to wait for their turn to feed the sand on foot.

Just as everyone was at a loss, Captain Liu Ruyan suddenly spoke up, saying she had sensed the presence of another Convoy.

It turned out that they weren't the only ones; other Convoys were also trapped in this eerie, desolate desert.

Zhou Che immediately signaled to Captain Liu Ruyan, having her lead the team to approach and rendezvous with them to see if the other party had figured out the secrets of The Desert.

Before long, the two Convoys successfully met.

The people in the other Convoy had originally been filled with sorrow and exhaustion, but when they looked up, they were all stunned on the spot.

Someone cursed on the spot: "Holy crap! What the hell kind of Convoy is this? They're all flying vehicles!"

Looking at the Dawn Convoy's uniform vehicles hovering in the air, everyone on the other side had expressions of pure amazement; their eyes were filled with undisguised envy and awe, and their gaze toward The Convoy became a bit clearer.

A moment later, the Guide of the other Convoy hurriedly climbed out of his ordinary off-road vehicle and walked quickly toward them, adopting a very humble posture.

Seeing this, Zhou Che immediately signaled for Captain Liu Ruyan to disembark and make contact with the other party to inquire about the situation.

Watching Captain Liu Ruyan step down from the floating vehicle, the Guide didn't have a shred of contempt; his heart was filled with awe.

A Convoy that could manage to have all its members in flying vehicles must have unfathomable strength; how could he dare to be the slightest bit negligent?

The ordinary survivors and Transcendents from the other side also gathered around, staring at the flying vehicles in the air with astonishment, whispering to each other, unable to figure out how these vehicles were actually flying.

The man walking toward them was a middle-aged man with a face weathered by the sand and a haggard expression; it was Chen Fei, the captain of the Voyage Convoy.

He hurried up to Captain Liu Ruyan, proactively extending both hands with a smile, trying to shake hands and strike up a friendly relationship; his posture was extremely humble.

But Captain Liu Ruyan just stood there, her expression cold and indifferent, with no intention of reaching out to reciprocate; she just watched him quietly.

Behind her was the Dawn Convoy, with every member in a floating vehicle. She had plenty of confidence and no need to play nice with such a down-and-out Convoy.

Chen Fei's hand froze in mid-air, and his face flushed red. He could only withdraw his hand sheepishly, scratching his head with an awkward smile.

He quickly composed himself and introduced himself: "My name is Chen Fei, the captain of the Voyage Convoy."

"Captain Liu Ruyan, captain of the Dawn Convoy."

Captain Liu Ruyan's tone was flat, neither humble nor arrogant; this was something Zhou Che had tacitly approved of earlier, so she was naturally composed.

Chen Fei couldn't help but glance behind her, looking at the row of vehicles hovering in the air. His eyes were filled with envy and curiosity, and he couldn't resist asking:

"Captain Liu, how exactly... do your vehicles fly?"

Captain Liu Ruyan simply shut her mouth and said nothing, looking away with a cold expression.

This was The Convoy's core secret, relying entirely on the wraith cold crystal for support; how could she possibly reveal it to an outsider?

Chen Fei hit a wall, coughed awkwardly twice, and quickly changed the subject, his tone deepening:

"It was abrupt of me. Judging by your situation, you're also trapped in this godforsaken Desert, aren't you? How long have you been stuck?"

"Two days," Captain Liu Ruyan said flatly, then asked in turn, "What about you?"

At the mention of this, the smile on Chen Fei's face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of sorrow, and his spirits seemed to collapse by more than half.