67: Chapter 67 Terrifying Growth Rate

Zhou Che temporarily summoned all the Transcendents for an emergency meeting.

Inside the camp tent, the lights were dim, and everyone sat in a circle.

The fish bag stained with dried blood was placed in the center.

The two crooked, blood-written characters "Cold Sun" shimmered with a dull light under the lamp, exuding an indescribable chill.

Zhou Che tapped his fingertips against his knees and spoke first, his tone so heavy it felt like it could drip water.

"Wang Laowu, did you go ask the people close to Li Yiming? Does anyone know what these two characters mean?"

Wang Laowu shook his head, his face full of guilt.

"I asked everyone, but no one knows. Li Yiming didn't talk much, and he never mentioned anything related to 'Cold Sun.' It doesn't match any nicknames or place names from his hometown."

Zhou Che sighed, the last shred of hope in his heart gone.

The path of investigating Li Yiming's close contacts was completely dead.

He looked around; everyone was frowning, staring at the two bloody characters, lost in thought, but no one could offer any explanation.

"Wang Zhiming, what do you think?" Zhou Che called out directly.

Wang Zhiming had been a university professor before the apocalypse; he was meticulous, logical, and one of the few people in the The Convoy who could calm down and analyze things.

It was time to hear the professor's opinion.

Hearing this, Wang Zhiming leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the characters on the fish bag, his brows knitted together.

He stared for a full half-minute, then suddenly reached out and pointed at the character "Sun".

"Mr. Zhou, don't you all feel that this 'Sun' character is wrong?"

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on that character.

"Wrong? What's wrong with it?" Zhou Che pressed.

"It's too small," Wang Zhiming said with certainty. "It's a whole size smaller than the 'Cold' character next to it, and the strokes aren't finished. The bottom right corner is missing a bit, and the hook isn't fully drawn."

"The more I look at it, the more I feel this isn't a 'Sun' character at all, but an unfinished 'Crystal' character!"

"Li Yiming must have been targeted by a strange entity at the time and didn't have enough time. He only managed to write 'Cold' and the top half of 'Crystal' before something happened!"

Once these words were spoken, the tent instantly fell silent.

Zhou Che leaned forward abruptly, getting close to the fish bag to examine it carefully.

Sure enough, that "Sun" character was not only small, but the strokes were also sloppy and hurried, clearly interrupted halfway through writing.

"Cold Crystal..." Zhou Che whispered these two words, and the hair on his body stood up instantly.

wraith cold crystal!

Wraith Black Mist!

As soon as these two terms popped up, everyone present turned pale, their hearts pounding wildly.

The terrifying memory of encountering the Wraith Black Mist in The Desert instantly flooded their minds.

That thing was overwhelming, devouring everything; even Transcendents couldn't withstand it. It was everyone's nightmare.

"You've got to be kidding me? The Wraith Black Mist chased us all the way to Mountain City?"

Wang Laowu's voice trembled.

"If it's really that thing, we're finished! This isn't something we can deal with!"

Zhou Che almost jumped up too, with only one thought in his mind: Run! Run immediately! Convince the entire The Convoy to run!

Whoever wants to stay in this crappy Mountain City can stay; he didn't want to lead the entire The Convoy to become a snack for the Wraith Black Mist.

Seeing Mr. Zhou's anxiousness for the The Convoy and the terrified expressions of the others, Wang Zhiming spoke again, his tone calm.

"Mr. Zhou, everyone, don't panic yet. I think it's highly unlikely that the Wraith Black Mist has come."

Zhou Che suppressed his panic and looked at Wang Zhiming: "Oh? Then tell me, if it's not that, what could it be?"

Wang Zhiming was articulate and analyzed it point by point.

"First, everyone has seen the size of the Wraith Black Mist. It covers the sky and blocks the sun; as long as it appears, the entire area can see it."

"But now, other than people going missing, none of us have seen even a shadow of the black mist. There isn't even a trace of its aura left. This doesn't match the characteristics of the Wraith Black Mist."

"Second, the killing method doesn't match."

"The Wraith Black Mist uses large-scale, indiscriminate attacks that erode the soul. Those targeted are slowly devoured, a painful process that leaves behind cold, black mist traces and wraith cold crystal."

"But this time, the disappearances were all silent. Not a single sign of a struggle or even an aura was left behind; people just vanished. This is simply not the killing style of the Wraith Black Mist."

Zhou Che rubbed his chin and nodded slowly.

That's right, he had been scared senseless just now.

This traceless disappearance was indeed different from the Wraith Black Mist.

The Wraith Black Mist always killed with great fanfare, wanting everyone to see its terror.

Wang Zhiming paused and stated his boldest speculation.

"But Li Yiming risked his life to write the two characters 'Cold Crystal'. This means that before he died, he must have seen something related to wraith cold crystal and the Wraith Black Mist."

"But it wasn't the real black mist."

"I suspect this strange entity has three abilities: First, mind reading, capable of seeing through a person's deepest fears; second, shapeshifting, capable of turning into what you fear most; third, amplifying fear, causing you to lose the ability to resist."

Once these words were spoken, the tent instantly fell into a dead silence.

Everyone felt their scalps tingle, a chill shooting from the soles of their feet straight to their crowns.

Mind reading! Shapeshifting! Amplifying fear!

This was no less terrifying than the Wraith Black Mist!

Zhou Che's heart skipped a beat, and his back went cold.

What the hell kind of underworld thing is this?

It's even more sinister than the Wraith Black Mist!

No, must run! Must immediately convince all the East Bank The Convoys to run! Can't stay in this place!

Seeing everyone's terrified expressions, Wang Zhiming quickly added, his tone carrying a hint of reassurance.

"Everyone, don't be too afraid yet. I think this strange entity's current strength shouldn't be that great."

"Otherwise, it wouldn't only dare to target people who are alone; it would have already charged into the camp for a mass slaughter."

"But its growth potential is definitely extremely strong."

"Think about it, at first it only dared to kill ordinary survivors. Less than two days later, it dared to target Transcendents. It is rapidly becoming stronger by devouring living beings."

"If we wait for it to grow for a few more days, and it becomes able to target groups of people, none of us will be able to escape."

"My suggestion is, while it hasn't fully grown yet, let's join forces immediately and strangle it in the cradle!"

Zhou Che's mouth twitched. Looking at Wang Zhiming's earnest expression, he couldn't help but complain.

"Uncle Wang, has anyone ever told you that you're quite good at telling stories? With all these twists and turns, you've almost given me a heart attack."

Wang Zhiming was stunned, looking blank: "Huh? Really? My former students all said my lectures were quite vivid, what's wrong, Mr. Zhou?"

Zhou Che held his forehead and rolled his eyes, silently reciting in his heart: This is the The Convoy's only strategist, bear with it, bear with it.

He said irritably: "Nothing. The characteristics you mentioned, I think they're probably spot on. But as for taking action, it's not our turn to lead."