73: Chapter 73 The waters of the mountain city run deep.

Zhou Che lifted his eyelids: "If you have something to say, say it. Don't dawdle."

"Right, got it." Wang Laowu chuckled and hurriedly said, "Mr. Zhou, didn't you say last time that whoever joins the patrol team would get a Transcendent slot?"

"I've already chosen someone. He's the most loyal kid under my command, named Liu Qiang. He's quick at his work, reliable, and will definitely never betray you."

Only then did Zhou Che remember this matter.

Last time, to select people for the patrol team, he had promised a Transcendent slot, and Wang Laowu had won it in the draw.

Having just returned, Wang Laowu couldn't wait to come looking for him; it seemed he was afraid he would forget.

"Where is he? Bring him in so I can see him," Zhou Che said.

"Right, okay!" Wang Laowu hurriedly turned and went out, bringing in a young man in his early twenties.

The young man was named Liu Qiang; he wasn't tall, had dark skin, and looked very sturdy.

It was his first time meeting Zhou Che in person; he was so nervous he didn't know where to put his hands and feet, standing in place and rubbing his hands constantly.

"H-hello, Mr. Zhou," Liu Qiang said, stuttering.

Zhou Che looked him up and down; he truly looked like an honest and upright person.

"Fine, he'll do."

Zhou Che nodded, not wasting any words, and raised his hand to pat Liu Qiang on the shoulder.

A surge of Sequence power was injected into Liu Qiang's body. It was precisely the Guardian Sequence that had belonged to Li Yiming.

After Li Yiming died, the system had reclaimed the Sequence, and now it was just right to bestow it again.

Liu Qiang's whole body trembled as he felt the Transcendent power suddenly surge within him. He shook with excitement, tears nearly welling up in his eyes.

He fell to his knees with a thud and kowtowed heavily to Zhou Che.

"Thank you, Mr. Zhou! Thank you, Mr. Zhou! My life, Liu Qiang, belongs to you from now on! If you tell me to go east, I will never go west! If you tell me to die, I won't hesitate!"

Wang Laowu also breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face.

He finally had another Transcendent under his command; from now on, he would have more say within the The Convoy.

"Alright, you both can go," Zhou Che waved his hand. "Prepare well for tomorrow; follow us into the main city, and don't cause any trouble for me."

"Yes! Mr. Zhou!" The two hurriedly replied and respectfully backed out.

The tent fell silent once more.

Zhou Che leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes; the image of that murky black river appeared in his mind again, along with the final, resentful gaze of the Devourer of Calamity.

The waters of Mountain City were even deeper than he had imagined.

...

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, the camp stirred into motion.

Zhou Che, clutching half a piece of compressed biscuit left over from the night before, chewed on it while standing in front of the The Convoy to take roll call.

This time, entering the main city, he brought nine Transcendents, and also selected some agile and sharp-eyed ordinary survivors specifically to be responsible for carrying supplies and doing odd jobs.

Luo Xi stayed behind to guard the camp with two Sequence 1s, keeping watch to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation to steal things.

The remaining people were divided into three squads to act separately.

Lin Wan took Shen Fei and Zhou Botao along the northern route; Wang Laowu took Liu Qiang and Sister Zhang along the southern route; Zhou Che himself took Captain Liu Ruyan and Ruan Xiaoxiao along the central route, which was also the route closest to the core of the main city.

"Remember, groups of three, no one is allowed to be alone," Zhou Che mumbled, chewing on his biscuit. "If you encounter anything wrong, signal immediately, don't try to force it. If you can loot, loot; if you can't, run. Your lives are the most important thing."

"Understood!" everyone replied in unison.

Zhou Che waved his hand: "Let's move out!"

Several modified hovercars slowly ascended into the air and flew toward the dilapidated main city of Mountain City.

The closer they got to the core of the main city, the more shocking the scenes of devastation became.

The once brilliantly lit Hongyadong had half its mountainside collapsed, with stilt houses hanging crookedly on the cliff, and glass shattered everywhere.

The Qiansimen Bridge was broken in two, its steel reinforcements exposed like the bones of a giant beast.

Abandoned boats drifted on the river, bobbing up and down with the murky water, looking lifeless.

Zhou Che leaned against the car window, looking at the scene outside, and couldn't help but shake his head.

Before the apocalypse, Mountain City was a famous internet-famous city in the country; every holiday, it was packed with people, so crowded you couldn't even move.

Now, it was a different story; you couldn't even see the shadow of a living person, only broken walls and ruins with the whistling cold wind. Things remain, but the people have changed—that's pretty much how it was.

Captain Liu Ruyan drove the car, stopping and going along the way. Whenever she saw a grocery store, pharmacy, or hardware store by the roadside, she would stop and go in to scavenge.

These were all hard currency in the apocalypse. Food could save lives, medicine could treat injuries, and hardware tools could repair things and modify equipment; none could be dispensed with.

Several survivors were responsible for carrying the bags, while Zhou Che wandered slowly behind, tossing anything useful inside as he saw it.

When searching the pharmacy, they dug out a few boxes of expired cold medicine and iodine, as well as half a bottle of alcohol. Although expired, it was better than nothing, and it would be fine to make do with.

When searching the hardware store, they found a bundle of wire, a few wrenches and screwdrivers, and half a bucket of engine oil. Taking these things back would be just right for Xu Feng to use for car modifications.

In the span of a morning, the trunk of one car was more than half full. It was all miscellaneous basic supplies; although not valuable, they were useful.

In the blink of an eye, it was noon, and the sun had risen to the top of the sky. The group found a relatively open parking lot and stopped to build a fire and cook.

Four ordinary survivors quickly set up an iron pot, poured in a little oil, and dumped the chopped dried fish in to stir-fry. Soon, a fishy smell wafted out.

This was their lunch for today: stir-fried dried fish with dry, hard black bread. In the apocalypse, this was already considered top-tier food.

Many people in small The Convoys couldn't even eat dried fish; they could only gnaw on tree bark and dig for wild vegetables.

Zhou Che and his group's food was even better. In addition to the stir-fried dried fish, he took out two boxes of pre-made dishes—one box of braised pork and one box of fish-flavored shredded pork.

Tearing open the packaging and pouring it into the pot to heat, the rich aroma of meat instantly overpowered the fishy smell.

The four ordinary survivors' noses were almost crooked from sniffing it; they secretly swallowed their saliva but didn't dare to look more than once.

They knew in their hearts that this was a treatment only Transcendents could enjoy. The apocalypse was just that realistic: the stronger you were, the better you ate, and the longer you lived.

Zhou Che rummaged through the storage box again and found the last bottle of iced cola. He unscrewed the cap and poured a small half-cup for Captain Liu Ruyan and Ruan Xiaoxiao each. The remaining large half of the bottle was all for himself.

"Give it a taste." Zhou Che took a big gulp, burped, and the cold bubbles slid down his throat, making him squint his eyes in delight.

Ruan Xiaoxiao held the cup, sipping it in small mouthfuls, her eyes sparkling like a child who had received a piece of candy.

Captain Liu Ruyan also drank in small sips; the cold sweetness dissipated the exhaustion of the morning, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

Zhou Che watched them, calculating in his mind. The The Convoy's food was still too poor; eating dried fish every day made people want to vomit. Fresh vegetables and fruits were things they didn't even dare to imagine.

He did have an Ideal Grain Seed in his possession that could grow grain and vegetables, but no one had planted it yet. Now it seemed it was time to bestow the Plant Master Sequence and get the grains planted.