65: Chapter 65 Patrol Team Selection

He casually selected Wang Zhiming to accompany him; one would attend the meeting, while the other remained on standby.

He then followed Captain Ma Shangwu straight to the Human Alliance's meeting venue.

At this moment, the long tables in the Alliance venue were already neatly arranged.

The captains and leaders of all the major convoys had arrived, and the atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

Everyone's face was grave and heavy with worry; no one was laughing, joking, or making small talk. The entire room was filled with a tense, low-pressure atmosphere.

Zhou Che did not like to show off, nor could he be bothered to curry favor or fight for a seat with this group of people.

He took Wang Zhiming to an empty seat in the corner and sat down, keeping a low profile.

Once everyone was seated, Captain Ma Shangwu spoke first.

He opened the main topic of the meeting, laying out all the clues gathered so far.

"The earliest source of this Transcendent disappearance case comes from a regular survivor in a small, independent convoy on the East Bank."

"At the beginning of the incident, that survivor went out at night to use the restroom."

"He was away from the camp for only a moment before he vanished into thin air, becoming the first missing person in the entire mountain city."

"Since then, disappearance cases have started to break out one after another, spreading from ordinary people to Transcendents."

"It has spread from small convoys to large ones, growing increasingly intense with no discernible pattern."

The room was deathly silent; everyone stared fixedly at Captain Ma Shangwu, waiting for the subsequent countermeasures.

Unable to find the culprit, the anomaly, or the pattern of the crimes, the feeling of passively waiting for death was the most torturous and lethal of all.

After a moment of stalemate, the various captains took turns whispering and discussing, finally settling on the only viable self-preservation plan.

Integrate the Transcendent combat power of all convoys to form a joint patrol team!

Designate all blind spots, remote roads, and uninhabited areas on the periphery of the entire convoy circle for 24-hour non-stop patrol and reconnaissance.

Every convoy must dispatch one Transcendent to join the patrol team.

Unified scheduling and comprehensive investigation to track down the root cause of the disappearances and guard the safety of the perimeter.

After hearing this plan, Zhou Che felt no ripples in his heart; he had absolutely no objections.

If there was one thing about the Dawn Convoy, it was that they truly had a large number of Transcendents.

Although most of them were low-level combatants at Sequence 1 or Sequence 2.

Quantity was guaranteed, but quality was not; high-end combat power was scarce, but there were plenty of low-level personnel.

Selecting one low-level Transcendent to participate in the patrol would have almost no impact on the overall combat power of The Convoy; it was a trivial matter.

But when these words reached the ears of the other convoys, the room instantly exploded into chaos, with wails of grief and protests rising one after another.

Countless small convoy captains turned pale, their faces full of resistance.

Their resources were too thin!

Many small convoys had only three or four Transcendents at most, and these few Transcendents were the lifeblood of the entire convoy.

If one was taken away, the combat power within the team would be reduced by a quarter immediately.

Not only would there be no manpower to protect the ordinary survivors in the camp...

…but there wouldn't even be enough manpower to enter the main city to scavenge for supplies; it was completely not worth the loss.

For a time, the room was filled with complaints; no one wanted to provide manpower or take risks.

Captain Ma Shangwu had long anticipated everyone's desire to shirk responsibility, and his expression was cold and stern.

He threw out a tough order, leaving no room for discussion.

"I will say this here: the rules are unified, and everyone must execute them!"

"This disappearance case specifically targets and hunts Transcendents. Ordinary survivors have no reconnaissance or self-preservation capabilities when they go out, so sending them out is useless."

"Either every convoy dispatches one Transcendent to join the patrol team to jointly resist the enemy and investigate hidden dangers."

"Or, hand over an strange object of equal value as a substitute."

"You must choose one of the two."

"Any convoy that refuses to cooperate will not be covered by the subsequent patrol team's reconnaissance, rescue, or protection resources! You will be left to fend for yourselves, and you will bear the consequences!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell into instant silence.

No one dared to protest another word.

If they didn't provide manpower, they would have to hand over precious strange objects to pay the debt, which was a much higher cost.

Compared to the strange objects they kept in reserve, dispatching one Transcendent was already the most cost-effective choice.

Furthermore, if they didn't provide manpower, the patrol team wouldn't protect that convoy.

This was something these people did not want to see.

Captain Ma Shangwu was also forced into a corner, which is why he set such strict rules.

If he continued to let the various convoys be selfish, fight on their own, and shirk responsibility...

…and let the anomaly hunt Transcendents unscrupulously, within three days...

…the Transcendent combat power of the entire mountain city convoy circle would be quietly devoured.

By then, everyone would only be able to wait for slaughter, leading to total annihilation.

After finalizing the rules, Captain Ma Shangwu scanned the room, his gaze finally landing on Zhou Che, who was sitting quietly in the corner.

Everyone present was a legitimate captain of their respective convoy; only Zhou Che was a temporary replacement and had no captain title.

He asked in a deep voice:

"Brother, you are not the captain of the Dawn Convoy, and this matter concerns the allocation of The Convoy's combat power."

"Can you make the final decision? Do you need to go back and discuss it with Captain Liu?"

The entire room's gaze instantly focused on Zhou Che, with everyone wearing expressions of curiosity and probing.

Zhou Che's expression was indifferent; his tone was casual yet firm as he spoke lightly:

"No need to discuss."

"For a small matter like this in the Dawn Convoy, I have full authority. Selecting one Transcendent is no problem; we will cooperate."

A single, airy sentence revealed his absolute control.

Everyone in the room was filled with doubt; who exactly was in charge of the Dawn Convoy?

Could it be that this seemingly low-key young man was the true person in power in the Dawn Convoy!

Even core decisions like dispatching Transcendent combat power required no discussion with anyone; his word was final!

The meeting ended there, the patrol team rules were completely finalized, and all that remained was for each convoy to select their own personnel and report on time.

After the meeting dispersed, the various convoys fell into a dilemma, and the selection process was extremely difficult.

Everyone knew clearly that peripheral patrolling carried huge risks.

The culprit behind the disappearance cases was lurking in the peripheral blind spots, and the patrol would likely run into the anomaly.

Once they ran into it, there was a high probability they would fall silently, without even a chance to call for help.

Wealth is sought in danger, but this was a certain-death danger; no one was willing to volunteer for death.

The major convoys dawdled and shirked, but in the end, they really couldn't push the responsibility away.

They simply resorted to drawing lots to decide the personnel; it was all up to fate. Whoever was drawn was unlucky, and they couldn't blame anyone else.

Human nature is selfish, and this was even more vividly displayed in the apocalypse.

Returning to the Dawn Convoy, Zhou Che looked at his subordinates, a group of low-level Transcendents, and had already made up his mind.

The four core combatants: Captain Liu Ruyan, Lin Wan, Ruan Xiaoxiao, and Luo Xi.

They were The Convoy's top trump cards, and not a single one could be moved; they definitely could not be put into the patrol team to take risks.

The patrol candidates could only be selected from Sequence 1 Transcendents like Shen Fei, Wang Laowu, and Zhou Botao.

The risk was huge, no one was willing to take the job voluntarily, and forcing an assignment would only chill their hearts.

Zhou Che was well-versed in the art of management and never engaged in uncompensated moral kidnapping.

He threw out major benefits; under heavy rewards, there must be brave men.

He spoke publicly to Shen Fei, Wang Laowu, Sister Zhang, and the others, promising major benefits.

"Whoever is willing to voluntarily join the joint patrol team and participate in peripheral reconnaissance and defense..."

"...will directly lock in a Transcendent awakening slot."

As soon as these words were spoken, the effect was immediate!

The death-seeking job that everyone had previously avoided instantly became a hot commodity.

Patrolling had risks and could lead to death;

…but the slot was a solid, guaranteed benefit that was firmly in hand and definitely not a loss!

In the apocalypse, a Transcendent awakening slot was more precious than any supplies or food.

In an instant, Shen Fei, Wang Laowu, and the others scrambled and fought to sign up for the patrol team, as no one wanted to miss out on this scarce slot.

The few argued without end, and none were willing to back down.

In desperation, Zhou Che had no choice but to adopt the fairest method: drawing lots to decide the person.

It was all up to luck and fate.