74: Chapter 74 The Difficulty of Finding Ideal Grain Seeds

If we run out one day, the whole The Convoy will go hungry.

He had previously approached other The Convoys on the East Bank, hoping to trade for some seeds.

As it turned out, seeds were in short supply and were used by the The Convoys themselves.

Some The Convoys didn't have any at all, while others held onto them like precious treasures and refused to trade them for anything.

He had asked Captain Ma Shangwu, but he also said he hadn't brought any seeds on this mission.

If we want seeds, we either have to go to the Human Alliance headquarters or find a squad that specializes in planting.

Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst; better to plant the one we have in hand first.

After finishing their meal and resting for half an hour, the group set off again.

After driving for about twenty minutes, an antique wooden building appeared in front of them.

With its flying eaves and carved beams, despite being covered in a thick layer of dust and having collapsed in some places, it still retained its former grandeur.

Half of the plaque at the entrance had fallen off, and the characters on it were blurred, but one could faintly make out the three characters for 'Mountain Academy'.

"This is Dongshan Academy," Captain Liu Ruyan said. "I came to the mountain city for a trip before the apocalypse. It was quite popular back then, a real influencer hotspot. It's full of bookshelves inside, and there's a rooftop café with a view of the river."

Zhou Che's eyes lit up. An academy! Full of books! Wasn't this the perfect place to search for the golden book strange object?

"Let's go in and take a look," Zhou Che said, pushing open the car door and leading the others inside.

Upon entering, they were greeted by a wide reception desk covered in dust.

Behind it was a massive spiral staircase that wound its way up to the top floor.

The area around the staircase was packed with dense shelves, stacked from the floor to the ceiling, stretching out of sight.

Thousands of books lay quietly on the shelves, covered in thick dust and exuding the scent of aged paper. The scene was both spectacular and desolate.

Looking at so many books, Zhou Che's head began to ache. With this many, how long would it take to flip through them one by one?

Just then, the sound of moving objects and voices came from the top floor.

Zhou Che gestured for Captain Liu Ruyan and Ruan Xiaoxiao to be quiet.

The three of them crept up the spiral staircase.

It took them about ten minutes to reach the top platform.

Sure enough, there were a few people on the platform—three Transcendents and two ordinary survivors. They were crouching on the ground, stuffing books with golden covers into sacks.

It seemed they had also received word that the top-ten strange object was a golden book, so they were specifically looking for golden books to try their luck.

Seeing Zhou Che and his group, the Transcendents immediately tensed up, their hands hovering over their weapons.

When they realized it was Captain Liu Ruyan, they relaxed and wore polite smiles.

Nowadays, there was no one on the East Bank who didn't know Captain Liu of the Dawn Convoy. No one wanted to offend a force with twelve Transcendents.

"Captain Liu, what a coincidence," the lead Transcendent said with a dry laugh. "We just arrived and were searching for some books to see if we could get lucky. We've pretty much finished searching, so we'll leave this place to you and be on our way."

With that, he hurriedly signaled his men to shoulder their sacks and left in a rush, fearing that if they were too slow, the Dawn Convoy would snatch their belongings.

Zhou Che looked at their retreating backs and curled his lip. Pure luck-seeking.

With so many golden books, how could they possibly just happen to find the strange object? If it were that easy, the strange object would have been found long ago, and it wouldn't be their turn. The Human Alliance would have emptied these books out long ago.

Plus, carrying so many books took up too much space; they wouldn't have room for the real treasures when they found them. It wasn't worth the loss.

"Don't just stand there, get to work," Zhou Che shouted to those below. "Don't look for golden books, they're useless. Focus on practical ones—architecture, vehicle modification, mechanical repair, agricultural planting, medical first aid—as long as it's a trade, gather them all."

This was what Wang Zhiming had told him beforehand. The The Convoy was currently most in need of talent. These practical books could be used to train their own craftsmen, doctors, and farmers.

The four ordinary survivors quickly acknowledged the order, picked up sacks, and began sorting and packing the books.

Zhou Che wandered around the platform. The rooftop café had long since fallen into ruin, with tables and chairs overturned and glass shattered everywhere.

Standing at the edge of the platform, he could see the murky Yun River in the distance and the collapsed high-rises on the other side.

The wind blew, carrying the fishy scent of the river and the smell of dust.

Zhou Che took out his phone, which had long since lost its signal, and took a photo of Dongshan Academy. On the screen, the dilapidated academy and the ruins in the distance complemented each other.

He smiled self-deprecatingly. Everyone else was out for a day trip, but here he was, having a day trip in the apocalyptic mountain city.

His heart felt a little sour and helpless. If there were no apocalypse, he would still be slacking off in his office, or out eating hotpot and drinking beer with friends after work. Why would he need to be on edge every single day?

After collecting the books, the group carried the sacks and walked out of Dongshan Academy.

After loading the books into the vehicle, Zhou Che sat in the passenger seat and stroked his chin, pondering.

The people from those other The Convoys earlier, while clumsy in their methods, had given him an idea.

The Human Alliance was definitely more professional and better informed than they were. Captain Ma Shangwu and his group were certainly looking for that golden book, and they definitely had a special method.

Instead of fumbling around blindly, it was better to follow the Human Alliance. Wherever they went, he would go. Perhaps he could pick up some scraps.

"Ruyan, we're going to Jiangdong Library," Zhou Che said.

"Jiangdong Library?" Captain Liu Ruyan was taken aback.

Actually, she didn't know where Jiangdong Library was. But she had the Pathfinder Sequence and could sense the aura of Captain Ma Shangwu and his group. She just needed to follow the aura.

Zhou Che said, "Sense where Captain Ma Shangwu is. Since the top-ten strange object is a book, they certainly can't avoid the biggest library. Jiangdong Library is the largest on the East Bank; they are almost certainly there."

Captain Liu Ruyan nodded. "Very well, Mr. Zhou."

With that, she started the car and drove in the direction she sensed.

The other two vehicles followed silently behind. The survivors didn't dare to speak, thinking Zhou Che had some important plan.

They drove for over an hour. Zhou Che was distracted at first, but then he realized something was wrong.

The scenery outside the window was becoming increasingly familiar; it felt like they had passed by here before.

Moreover, they had been moving upward, and the surroundings were packed with dense residential buildings.

The road wasn't on the ground but on the rooftops.

Driving along, one would think they were on the ground floor, but looking up, they were actually dozens of stories high in the air.

Right next to them were people's balconies, with long-rotted clothes hanging out to dry.

"Captain Liu Ruyan," Zhou Che couldn't help but speak up. "Did you take the wrong road? Why do I feel like we've been going in circles?"

Captain Liu Ruyan gripped the steering wheel, her expression unnatural, and said in a low voice, "It seems... something is wrong."