96: Chapter 96 Hongfan Plaza

Zhuang Zeqiang paused his movements, his brows furrowing.

Nine Transcendents—that wasn't a small number.

But with The Convoy only having fifty-some people in total, the ratio felt a bit off.

If those nine Transcendents were truly powerful, the scale of The Convoy couldn't be this small.

Normally, a powerful Transcendent could gather at least dozens of ordinary people around them.

"It seems their strength is probably nothing special,"

Zhuang Zeqiang stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "Otherwise, they wouldn't have brought so few people."

"Boss, are we going to rob them or not?" Old San said impatiently, "Those are floating cars!!"

"Besides, we can't stay in this place much longer. Lately, the anomalies have been increasing in number and becoming more ferocious. Our strange objects can barely suppress them anymore. If we don't leave soon, we'll be devoured by the anomalies sooner or later."

The others in the room chimed in one after another.

"Yeah, Boss! Once we grab their vehicles, we'll leave this damn place immediately!"

"What's there to fear from nine Transcendents? We have six! Plus, you're a Sequence 3, Boss! If a real fight breaks out, it's not certain who will win!"

Zhuang Zeqiang waved his hand, hushing the crowd.

"What's the rush?"

His gaze was sinister.

"Strength isn't determined by numbers. If there's a tough nut hidden inside, we'll end up losing more than we gain, and that would be a huge loss."

"Let's watch first. Since they're heading to Hongfan Plaza so brazenly, they're bound to run into the thing inside. We might just be able to reap the rewards later."

"The thing inside is not to be trifled with."

"So many people have gone in and never returned, including Transcendents."

"Old San, keep watching. Report back immediately if there's any movement."

"You got it, Boss!"

Old San acknowledged, turned around, and ran out again.

Zhuang Zeqiang looked out the window, his eyes filled with greed.

floating cars.

He had only seen this contraption once before, with the Human Alliance.

The Human Alliance had just passed through here a few days ago, and they hadn't dared to make a sound.

This thing was fast, could fly, and could avoid the vast majority of anomalies on the ground.

With these seven floating cars, even if they had to live a nomadic life, it would be much safer.

As for whether Zhou Che and his group lived or died, he didn't care at all.

In the apocalypse, the law of the jungle was the natural order.

If they died by his hand, it was just their bad luck.

On the other side, Zhou Che sat in the car, his brows slightly furrowed.

When they entered the city just now, he kept feeling like someone was watching them.

That sensation of being watched was faint, yet impossible to shake off.

He activated his Perceiver Sequence and scanned the direction he had felt earlier.

Nothing.

There was no sign of living people, nor any aura of anomalies.

"What's wrong, Mr. Zhou?"

Captain Liu Ruyan noticed him frowning and asked.

"It's nothing." Mr. Zhou shook his head. "Maybe I'm just overthinking it."

He assumed he was just too tense and didn't think about it further.

He continued to use his Perceiver Sequence to probe for nearby anomalies.

There were indeed quite a few anomalies in Linshui County, but they were relatively scattered, in twos and threes, and didn't pose a significant threat.

As long as they didn't encounter a large-scale anomaly wave, it wouldn't be a big problem.

It wasn't like Shancheng, where dense swarms of anomalies were everywhere, leaving no room even to step.

The Convoy moved along smoothly, barely encountering any anomalies.

They avoided them, trying their best not to cross paths.

Ten minutes later, Hongfan Plaza appeared in their field of vision.

The plaza was huge, with a dried-up fountain in the middle, surrounded by four-story commercial buildings.

Most of the glass curtain walls were shattered, and the dark, hollow windows stared down at the people below like eyes.

The entire plaza was deathly silent; one couldn't even hear the wind.

"Stop."

Zhou Che waved his hand, and The Convoy slowly came to a halt at the entrance of the plaza.

"Everyone, get out of the vehicles."

He pushed the car door open and jumped out.

His Perceiver Sequence was fully activated, and his expression instantly turned grave.

"There is a powerful anomaly inside, with a very strong aura."

"Wang Zhiming, take twenty ordinary people and guard the outside, watch over the vehicles and supplies. The rest of you, come in with me."

"Remember, once we're inside, don't wander off. Stay close to your squads. If you notice anything wrong, call out immediately."

"Understood!"

everyone replied in unison.

Zhou Che nodded and led the rest of the group into Hongfan Plaza.

As soon as they entered the plaza, a chilling aura washed over them.

Even though it was summer, it was as cold as an ice cellar in here.

Strangely, however, it was excessively clean.

There were no corpses, no bloodstains, no signs of struggle.

Even the dust on the floor was uniform, with no footprints.

It was as if no one had ever been here before.

"Something's wrong."

Luo Xi gripped the short blade in her hand and whispered, "A mall this big must have had many people when the apocalypse broke out. How is it possible that there isn't a single corpse?"

"Yeah." Wang Laowu also scratched his head, "Even if they were eaten by anomalies, there should at least be some bone fragments left, right? How is there nothing at all?"

Zhou Che's brows furrowed even tighter.

His Perceiver Sequence told him that the aura of anomalies was coming from all directions, yet he couldn't find a specific source.

It was as if Hongfan Plaza itself was a massive anomaly.

That feeling of being watched was ten times more intense than before.

It felt as if countless eyes were hiding in the shadows, staring fixedly at them.

"Everyone, huddle closer. Do not scatter."

Zhou Che said in a deep voice, "Clear the area first, then search for supplies. Unless we find this anomaly, no one is going to move any supplies in peace."

The group immediately closed ranks, standing back-to-back in a circle, scanning their surroundings vigilantly.

Zhou Che led them, slowly searching along the main hall.

The first floor was searched—nothing.

The second floor was searched—still nothing.

The third and fourth floors were all searched.

They didn't even see a shadow of an anomaly.

The entire mall was empty and terrifyingly quiet.

Only the sounds of their footsteps and breathing echoed in the spacious hall.

"What's going on?" Ruan Xiaoxiao said softly, "Where did that anomaly go? Did it run away?"

"Impossible." Zhou Che shook his head. "Its aura has always been here; it has never disappeared."

"It is right beside us. We just can't see it."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone shivered.

Subconsciously, they looked around themselves, as if that invisible anomaly was standing right beside them.

Just then.

"Ah!"

A shrill scream came from the end of the line.

Everyone whipped their heads around.

They saw an ordinary survivor, pale and trembling, pointing behind him.

"Mr... Mr. Zhou! My brother... my brother, he's gone!"

"He was just following right behind me! In the blink of an eye! He was just gone!"

Zhou Che's heart sank.

"Captain Liu Ruyan, take a headcount!"

"Understood!"

Captain Liu Ruyan immediately began calling roll.

After finishing, her expression also turned grim.

"Mr. Zhou, two people are missing. Besides the one he mentioned, there is also someone named Li San who is gone too."