As his Sequence improved, Captain Chu Che increasingly resembled a living map.
He could rely on simple information to sketch out the approximate terrain of nearby areas in his mind.
This ability wasn't particularly noticeable when he was Sequence 1.
But as his sequence rank improved.
This ability grew stronger and stronger.
Sometimes, Captain Chu only needed to sniff the wind blowing through the air to know his current location.
Other times, for instance, Captain Chu would grab a handful of dirt from the ground, taste it in his mouth for a while, and also discern the exact direction and position.
As if the wind and the soil contained information only a pathfinder could read.
Like now...
The entire convoy only knew that Xi City was to the south.
The sunset in Xi City was beautiful.
Captain Chu led the convoy members, swaying along the way, eventually arriving at Xi City.
Captain Chu's car held secrets no one else knew.
Back in Fog City, Captain Chu had somehow obtained a map from who-knows-where.
As if Captain Chu had known they were heading to Fog City all along, and thus prepared in advance.
Back then, it was understandable that Captain Chu knew Fog City like the back of his hand.
Later, in many situations, Captain Chu simply couldn't produce a map.
But he rarely led everyone down the wrong path.
For instance, over in the new world, Captain Chu led everyone across Cloud Bridge and back to the old world.
He was like an old dog, relying on excellent instincts, guiding the living through this dying world.
...
"Squad Leader Chu, are you sure we're on the right track?"
Chen Ye grabbed the radio and asked skeptically.
No help for it. Squad Leader Chu said the convoy was approaching Xi City's perimeter.
By all logic, Xi City should be by the sea.
But there wasn't a single trace of the ocean around them.
"Crackle..."
"Haven't you smelled the damp sea breeze in the air?"
Captain Chu replied matter-of-factly.
Chen Ye sniffed hard but smelled nothing.
"Bullshit sea breeze!"
"Xixi, Iron Lion, did you guys smell anything?"
"No!"
Sun Xixi's voice came through the radio.
"I didn't either!"
Iron Lion's simple, honest voice followed.
"You people are hopelessly stupid, incorrigible! Just follow me! Would I lead you astray?"
Captain Chu's tone was helpless.
"The closer we get to Xi City, the more convoys we'll see around us. Everyone, act carefully!"
"If you spot another convoy, don't act too excited or go say hello!"
"Got it!"
"And don't just bring random people into our convoy. This place is a mixed bag with all kinds of people!"
"Got it!"
"Remember, don't bare your soul to strangers you just met. Don't spill everything about the convoy. The situation here might be even more complicated than it was back at the Oasis!"
"Got it..."
"Blah blah blah..."
"Got it..."
Captain Chu rambled on and on, like a kindergarten teacher teaching little kids.
Chen Ye curled his lips and grumbled inwardly.
Chu Che was getting more and more long-winded.
Was this a side effect of being a pathfinder?
They'd all been to the Oasis before.
They weren't three-year-olds, acting like they didn't know anything.
When encountering other convoys out in the wild, people could still maintain a basic level of trust.
But in places like this, where convoys gathered in crowds, everyone's guard was raised high instead.
"Hey, hey, hey, Yezi, did you hear me?"
Not hearing a reply from Chen Ye, Captain Chu felt unsettled.
"Got it, you blabbermouth!"
"Me, a blabbermouth? If I hadn't kept reminding you, you'd have started a fight with the Shepherd Convoy ages ago!"
"Especially you!"
"Adding another rule to the convoy: Without the captain's permission, no stealing from other convoys!"
"..."
Chen Ye's dismissiveness infuriated Chu Che.
This guy was the convoy's troublemaker.
Most of the convoy's problems were stirred up by him.
If he weren't in the convoy, their troubles would probably be cut in half.
As Captain Chu blamed Chen Ye, he conveniently forgot who had instigated Chen Ye to steal the Shepherd Convoy's little fat sheep in the first place.
Gong Yong listened to the commotion on the radio, feeling an unprecedented peace of mind.
He hadn't been with the convoy long.
But he found he actually liked the current convoy's atmosphere.
By contrast, the Doomsday Convoy he'd been with before felt more like a ghost wandering through the apocalypse.
The Fair Convoy had just lost many people too.
But at least they'd given the dead a simple funeral.
Back in the Doomsday Convoy, there had never been such a thing as a funeral.
When someone died in the Doomsday Convoy.
They'd just toss the body out into the wilderness and be done with it.
Aside from the captain, a few superhumans, and the captain's brother-in-law, everyone else lived miserably.
While the Fair Convoy wasn't one hundred percent fair either.
At least everyone's spirit was different.
Thinking about this, Gong Yong felt quite satisfied with his current living situation.
On the table in front of him sat a device similar to a microwave oven.
Its size was about the same as a microwave too.
Chen Ye might be insufferable, but the idea he'd brought up the other day was actually useful.
Building a machine that could process expired food and make it safe to eat.
The convoy had so much expired food.
They couldn't just feed it all to the meatworms.
People didn't even have enough to eat.
Besides, Gong Yong had noticed people in the convoy getting stomachaches from eating unclean food every day.
To build this machine.
Gong Yong had fully mobilized his initiative.
His poor little brain was even starting to ache slightly.
Gong Yong lightly brushed his right hand over the microwave-like device before him.
A faint gleam flashed across his hand.
The gleam seemed to be some kind of mysterious energy that drilled into the microwave's interior.
Gong Yong stuffed a moldy green loaf of bread into the microwave.
A white button sat on the microwave's surface.
Gong Yong pressed it.
The microwave's glass panel emitted a stream of multicolored light.
As if something miraculous was happening.
Gong Yong was thrilled: Could it be working this time?
Just as Gong Yong thought he'd succeeded...
"Bang!"
A muffled explosion sent a wisp of black smoke rising.
The darkness was like a demon's mockery.
Gong Yong's expression turned ugly.
Just then, the radio crackled.
"Crackle... Hey, Da Yong, how's your microwave coming along?"
It was Chen Ye's voice on the radio.
Gong Yong wanted to ignore him, but he picked up the radio anyway.
"Brother Yezi, I'm working on it!"
"Still working on it? It's been days. Can you even do it or not?"
Chen Ye's words made black fumes rise from Gong Yong's forehead, and anger surged in his heart.
Can I do it or not?
You do it if you're so capable?
But Gong Yong didn't dare say that.
Though his personality had improved a bit lately.
But old habits die hard.
Only in specific moments did Gong Yong show some impressive qualities.
Like back then, with the convoy backing him up, he'd dared to go head-to-head with Boss Ma from the Shepherd Convoy.
Otherwise, on his own, he'd never have dared.
A dog relying on its master's power—that was him.
But standing up to Chen Ye's pressure head-on was still a long way off.
Gong Yong adjusted his frustration, then picked up the radio and explained, "Brother Yezi, this thing is pretty complicated. No one's ever made one before, no reference to go by. I still need to study it some more!"
Before he could finish.
He heard Chen Ye's infuriating voice: "Tch, you're this stupid???"
That sentence was like a needle, piercing straight through Gong Yong's pride.
Gong Yong flew into a rage, grabbed the radio, and no longer cared about Chen Ye's threats or terror.
"You do it if you're so capable! You're smart, you do it! Go ahead, go, go, go!"
With that, Gong Yong cut off the radio.
Let the heavens fall and the earth collapse for all he cared.
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