66: Chapter 66: Cold Day

When the draw finally concluded, Wang Laowu proved to be the luckier one and successfully secured a spot.

Having smoothly secured a position on the patrol team, he also firmly locked in a spot for Transcendent awakening.

Wang Laowu was secretly overjoyed, but he dared not show it in the slightest, feeling only relief and awe.

He knew very well that his old partner, Li Yiming, had just met a tragic end and gone missing.

His subordinates were already short-handed, and his influence within The Convoy would drop significantly.

He desperately needed this opportunity to perform a service for The Convoy to consolidate his standing in Zhou Che's eyes.

If he were to shirk his duties, avoid battle, or act cowardly, it would only make Zhou Che view him as useless and spineless.

In the future, when it came to the distribution of resources and opportunities within The Convoy, he would never be considered again.

Even if the road ahead was fraught with danger, he had to grit his teeth and push forward, not daring to show even the slightest slack.

Dawn Convoy had no internal strife or shirking of responsibilities, smoothly finalizing the patrol personnel.

Everyone worked together with one heart, and their cohesion far exceeded that of other small, disorganized convoys.

Not long after the internal affairs were fully settled, several familiar hovercars slowly returned from the distance.

Lin Wan, Captain Liu Ruyan, and the other two had finished a full day of exploring the main city and returned fully loaded.

The four of them were draped in bags and packages filled with supplies, and although they weren't top-tier treasures.

They had still gained a rich harvest, with all kinds of basic consumables and scarce daily necessities accounted for.

Upon landing, the four of them immediately sought out Zhou Che to provide a precise report on the core intelligence gathered from exploring the main city.

Lin Wan stepped forward, her tone steady and firm:

"Mr. Zhou, we have explored a large area of the main city, and we have confirmed it without a doubt."

"All the anomalies in the central main city of Shancheng are indeed being suppressed by an unknown, mysterious force."

"They remained dormant the entire time and did not actively attack living people. We can safely enter the main city to explore and scavenge; the risk is controllable."

After listening, the weight on Zhou Che's heart lifted slightly.

The main city held opportunities, resources, and clues about strange objects, and it was temporarily safe; this was the only piece of good news in this desperate situation.

Immediately after, he informed the four of them about everything that had happened at the camp today: the mass disappearance case, the conflicts between the various convoys, the alliance forming a patrol team, and the suspected murder of Li Yiming.

The situation was complex and undercurrents were surging; he had to ensure all core combatants were informed and prepared to be on guard.

After explaining all the cause and effect, Zhou Che immediately issued new investigation orders.

"Now, the priority is to investigate the cause of Li Yiming's death and uncover the tricks of the Trainee Convoy."

"Captain Liu Ruyan, Ruan Xiaoxiao, and Luo Xi, you three will remain at the camp to guard the rear and stabilize our combat strength."

"Lin Wan, you lead the team. Take Shen Fei, Wang Laowu, and Zhou Botao with you, and go to the Trainee Convoy again."

He was meticulous and planned steadily; he would never act rashly.

If all four women went out, the camp's high-end combat strength would be left empty, and if the anomalies lurking in the shadows were to launch a surprise attack, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He had to keep top-tier combat strength to guard the camp and ensure the absolute safety of their base.

After all, he had suffered greatly in this regard before.

Furthermore, Shen Fei and the other two had just been to the Trainee Convoy in the afternoon; they were familiar with the route and had already met their personnel.

Their investigation efficiency would be higher.

Lin Wan had excellent execution skills. After receiving the order, she immediately set off with the three of them, heading straight for the Trainee Convoy's station.

After they arrived, they first found the captain, Brother Kun, as before, and politely communicated their intentions.

Brother Kun knew that the situation had been tense recently and that all major convoys were investigating the disappearance cases.

He did not obstruct them at all and was very cooperative, giving them direct clearance to find anyone they wanted to question and verify the situation.

Soon, they found the ordinary survivor who had picked up the fish bag.

He was just an ordinary low-level member who had never been questioned alone by a Transcendent.

Facing the natural Transcendent pressure exuded by Lin Wan and the others, his legs instantly went weak, and he trembled all over.

Terror welled up in his heart; he didn't dare to lie at all.

Lin Wan got straight to the point, her tone cold:

"Where did you pick up this fish bag? Tell the truth."

The young man trembled, his voice shaking, telling the truth in every word:

"I... I picked it up on the side of a deserted road on my way back from the periphery today..."

"The bag was filled with dried fish, and there was no one guarding it nearby. I was greedy for a moment, so I just picked it up..."

He had no idea at this moment that someone from Dawn Convoy was missing.

He also didn't know that the bag he had picked up involved a human life.

He was only focused on begging for mercy in a panic:

"My lords, I know I was wrong! I didn't intend to covet your supplies!"

"I haven't touched a bit of the fish; I'll return it all to you now. Please don't hold me accountable!"

Lin Wan didn't care about these meager fish supplies at all and waved her hand to interrupt his defense:

"Take that bag out."

The young man dared not hesitate; he stumbled back to his vehicle and rummaged around for a long time.

He finally retrieved that old cloth bag and handed it to Lin Wan.

Lin Wan held the cloth bag, examining it repeatedly, trying to find a trace of a clue.

Just then, Wang Laowu, who was standing to the side, leaned in and lowered his voice, his tone incredibly grave and filled with absolute certainty.

"Sister Lin, something's not right!"

"I know this bag best. I was the one who personally packed the fish and handed it to Li Yiming."

"The bag was completely clean originally; there wasn't a single character on it!"

Lin Wan's pupils constricted slightly, and she immediately focused her gaze on the surface of the cloth bag.

She saw that on the old cloth surface, two dark, blackened, blood-colored characters had appeared—Cold Sun.

The handwriting was sloppy, twisted, and written with extreme force, penetrating deep into the fabric's fibers.

It carried a dense aura of death and an icy coldness.

Even without looking closely, one could tell it had been written in fresh blood!

Wang Laowu gritted his teeth and confirmed it again:

"Absolutely not! I would stake my life on it; the bag was clean before I sent it out, there were absolutely no characters!"

"These two characters appeared out of thin air later! Someone wrote them forcibly just before they died!"

In an instant, a chill surged up everyone's backs.

The truth was beginning to surface!

Li Yiming had definitely not been simply killed in a double-cross, nor had he been instantly devoured by a common anomaly.

During the process of being hunted, he had had a brief moment to catch his breath!

At the very last moment of his life, he had exhausted his final strength.

Using blood as ink, he wrote these two characters on his cloth bag.

Attempting to leave the final clue and the truth about the anomaly for The Convoy!

"Cold Sun..." Lin Wan murmured these two characters, her brows furrowed tightly.

The four people present looked at each other, their faces filled with confusion, and a chill rose from the bottom of their hearts.

Whether in the memories surviving from the apocalypse or in all the intelligence gathered since entering Shancheng.

They had never heard of "Cold Sun" as a name, codename, or title of an anomaly.

What exactly was this?

The only thing that was certain was that this was a crucial clue that Li Yiming had traded his life for.

It was also the only breakthrough for solving the mystery of the mass disappearances!

Seeing that this ordinary survivor could no longer spit out any useful information.

And knowing that the other party was just an innocent scavenger and not the murderer, she didn't ask any more questions.

After a brief farewell to Brother Kun, the four did not stay any longer and immediately returned to the Dawn Convoy.

As soon as they stepped into the camp, they found Zhou Che and presented the blood-stained cloth bag.

They reported every detail of their investigation and their strange findings without leaving out a single word.