6: Chapter 6: His head is like a watermelon

Before the words even left his lips, a crimson light from his Sequence instantly flared around him. He clenched his fist and, without a shred of hesitation, smashed it directly into the man's head!

Bang—with a dull thud, the man's head burst like a rotten watermelon on the spot, splattering red and white everywhere—a gruesome sight.

Zhou Che shook the filth off his hand and swept his gaze over the remaining few, his tone ice-cold and bone-chilling: "Who else wants fish? Feel free to step forward, I'll satisfy all of you."

The rest were scared out of their wits, scrambling away on their hands and knees, fleeing in all directions instantly, terrified that being a step too slow would lead to the same fate.

Zhou Che turned and patted Lin Wan on the shoulder, his tone indifferent: "Don't waste time with this bunch of losers, push the fish back."

In the distance, Captain Wu Jue, Luo Xi, and Zhang Xiuqi had taken in the entire scene.

The three exchanged glances, expressions of confusion appearing on their faces, their eyes fixed squarely on Zhou Che.

"Something's not right," Zhang Xiuqi curled his lip, muttering first, "Didn't this kid explicitly say before that he awakened the Mechanic Sequence?"

Luo Xi gripped her halberd, brows furrowed, and said coldly: "The mechanical repair ability he displayed earlier is indeed in line with the Mechanic Sequence."

Captain Wu Jue's expression was grave as he stared at Zhou Che's figure, his tone filled with bewilderment: "But that crimson power from just now, that ferocious strength that exploded a head with one punch, has absolutely nothing to do with the Mechanic Sequence. It's completely different!"

"Could it be that this kid is still hiding an ace up his sleeve?"

The few Transcendents muttered to themselves, their gazes toward Zhou Che now holding a bit more scrutiny and wariness.

Zhou Che took Lin Wan and pushed the cart of fish back to the side of the wuling hongguang.

Looking at the vehicle in front of him, he couldn't help but curse.

This wasn't just some battle-damaged version; it was practically a pile of junk!

The car body was riddled with dents, the sheet metal caved in and cracked, and the previous glass was shattered into shards. There wasn't even a place to shield from the wind and rain, which was frustrating to look at.

He pondered that he needed to find some glass and sheet metal to completely repair the car.

He happened to have extra fish on hand, so he could just take it to trade with the survivors; he was sure to get what he needed.

Once the car was repaired, traveling and hiding in the future would be convenient. He certainly didn't want to be exposed to the elements in this shitty grassland.

With that thought, Zhou Che took a few pieces of fresh fish and traded them with the survivors for enough glass and sheet metal.

He spent the entire afternoon working on the car.

He fully channeled the power of his Mechanic Sequence, his fingertips glowing faintly as he applied them to the damaged car body. The dented sheet metal slowly restored itself, and the broken parts were firmly welded together.

After replacing the new glass, he used his Sequence power to reinforce it repeatedly, making the glass sturdy and durable. Forget hail; even if it were struck by lightning again, it wouldn't shatter so easily.

On the outer layer of the car body, he welded an extra layer of sheet metal, forcefully converting the wuling hongguang into an apocalyptic armored model.

Lin Wan, standing to the side, was quite the homemaker and didn't stay idle.

She took the excess fish that couldn't be eaten, cleaned them one by one, and spread them out on the grass to dry, making dried fish for long-term storage to avoid waste from spoilage.

After a busy afternoon, Zhou Che finally finished completely repairing his beloved car.

Looking at the brand-new, sturdy, and durable wuling hongguang, he couldn't feel more relieved; he finally had a stable place to stay.

During this time, Captain Wu Jue, Luo Xi, and the other Transcendents also came by for a stroll.

Their vehicles had all suffered varying degrees of damage while passing through the canyon—some with engine failures, others with damaged bodies—and they had long wanted to ask Zhou Che, the Mechanic, for help with repairs.

But seeing him entirely focused on repairing his own car, with no opportunity to intervene, the group discussed it and decided to wait until tomorrow when Zhou Che was free to come and ask for his help.

Zhou Che circled the repaired wuling hongguang twice, more satisfied the more he looked at it, the smile on his lips never fading.

How could this car still look like the piece of junk it was before?

The body was welded with sheet metal, the glass was all reinforced with his Sequence, and it was airtight. The privacy was top-notch; from now on, whatever he did inside the car, outsiders wouldn't be able to peek through even a crack. It was just perfect.

He turned his head to look at Lin Wan, who was squatting by the car drying the fish, his mind clear.

He remembered how this morning she had misunderstood what he wanted to do and was in such a rush to take off her clothes.

If he wanted Lin Wan to be his assistant completely and work with peace of mind, he had to first make her one of his own.

Otherwise, she would always be an outsider, and he couldn't feel safe bestowing Sequence power upon her—he couldn't have her taking Transcendent power and going out to cause him trouble.

Furthermore, after working his ass off repairing the car all afternoon, Zhou Che had also figured out the ins and outs of his Sequence.

Even with the Mechanic Sequence power fully activated, the Mechanic Sequence had only increased by a tiny bit.

He inwardly cursed, thinking this was bad. It was so difficult to level up just after awakening the Sequence; if every Sequence was this slow, when would he ever truly become strong?

He had to find living people to help him grind!

Let others cultivate Sequence power and then feed it back to him; that was the only way to level up quickly!

On the other side, Lin Wan neatly stacked the dried fish by the car. The surrounding survivors didn't even dare to get close, let alone harbor any covetous thoughts.

Having seen the ruthlessness with which Zhou Che exploded a man's head that morning, everyone knew that Lin Wan was Zhou Che's person.

They had seen that scene clearly; the way that head exploded like a rotten watermelon made their scalps tingle just thinking about it.

Passersby looked at Lin Wan with nothing but wariness, not daring to act out of line in the slightest, terrified that offending Lin Wan would annoy Zhou Che and lead to the same fate.

Lin Wan tied a rag around her waist as an apron and set up a small pot outside the car.

This woman was truly capable; she cleaned the fish thoroughly, removed the fishy smell, and seasoned it well. The fish soup she stewed was milky white and clear, and the pan-fried fish was fragrant and savory, without a hint of fishiness.

One had to admit, a woman who is both good-looking and can cook in the apocalypse is truly ridiculously scarce.

Before the apocalypse, how could Zhou Che have ever enjoyed such a blessing?

Before the end of the world, Zhou Che hadn't even held a woman's hand; he was just a lonely bachelor.

The survivors in the camp smelled the fragrance and gathered around, holding bowls and squatting to the side, eating until their mouths were glistening with grease.

Of course, today was also their first proper full meal since crossing the canyon. The long-lost feeling of being full brought long-lost smiles to everyone's faces.

Captain Wu Jue wiped his mouth and announced in a deep voice: "We will stay here for two days to rest and resupply."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place instantly went quiet, followed by an outbreak of suppressed cheers.

No more fleeing through the night, no more living in fear of being chased by anomalies—these two days of stability were a massive blessing for everyone.

Zhou Che leaned against the car and also breathed a sigh of relief.

These past few days of stopping and going, either hiding from anomalies or rushing through canyons, had left him so tired his back felt like it was about to break. He could finally take a breather; it felt good.

The tense string in his heart also loosened slightly.

Lin Wan was busy outside, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the brand-new wuling hongguang—the sheet metal was welded sturdily, the glass was airtight, without even a single crack.

She was instantly certain in her heart that her decision to resolutely defect to Zhou Che had truly been the right choice!