12: Chapter 12 Encountering a New Car Team

Everyone nodded. Having experienced the eerie turmoil in the village, no one wanted to linger in this dead, silent place. Captain Wang Xuan quickly counted the number of people and instructed everyone to pick up their supplies and follow. The team immediately set off, retracing their steps along the path they had come.

With the Lost Scarecrow leading the way, a pale green halo slowly spread out from its body. Wherever it passed, the pervasive gray strange fog retreated to both sides of its own accord. The pungent, rotting stench in the air faded significantly. Occasionally, low-level weird creatures would dart out from the roadside bushes, but as soon as they approached the range of the Straw Man's spiritual aura, they would be frightened into curling up and fleeing in panic. The entire journey proceeded without any further obstacles.

Little Claw squatted quietly on Wu Ran's shoulder, its golden-red wings gently pressing against his neck. Wisps of gentle Pure Yang Qi slowly seeped in, helping to nourish his depleted blood and energy. Abao walked with its short legs, following closely at his heels. A pale red halo wrapped around his calves, soothing the weakness and fatigue in his limbs. Wu Ran closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, his fingertips gently rubbing together as he felt the weak blood and energy in his body gradually rising. In his mind, he repeatedly reviewed the ability information of the Lost Scarecrow. The protective and deterrent capabilities of this green-grade spiritual item were undoubtedly the safeguards the Caravan lacked the most at the moment.

The Dependents and Independents behind them carried heavy bags of supplies, their steps light yet they remained cautious. After this scouting mission, Wu Ran had long since become the undisputed backbone in their hearts. Being able to slay weird creatures, turn them to his own use, and find life-saving supplies—in this cannibalistic apocalypse, following such a person was the only hope for survival.

They traveled swiftly. About half an hour later, the humming of the Caravan's vehicles finally came from the distance, and the familiar silhouette of the school bus came into view through the thin strange fog. But before they could get close, a tense atmosphere rushed towards them. In front of the Caravan, which had originally formed a defensive circle with the school bus as its core, two figures were confronting each other from a distance, the atmosphere so heavy it felt almost stagnant.

Wu Ran paused slightly and looked up. He saw that on the open ground where the Caravan had parked, the originally resting team was already in disarray. Xue Xing stood at the very front of the team, dressed in neat, short attire with a cold expression. Behind him followed a dozen young and strong men from the Caravan, all holding weapons with guarded expressions, standing in a standoff with a group of strange survivors.

The school bus, tricycles, and modified off-road vehicles were lined up on both sides. The people of the Pashanhu Convoy firmly protected the supply vehicles behind them. The atmosphere was tense, as if a conflict would break out at any second.

"What's going on?" Captain Wang Xuan walked up quickly and spoke in a deep voice. He blocked the front with his heavy Rock shield, instantly stabilizing the footing of his own camp.

Xue Xing looked back at him, his brows furrowed, his tone guarded: "We hadn't been resting for long when this group found us, saying they wanted to trade supplies. I don't think they have good intentions, so I didn't dare let them get close."

Wu Ran followed Xue Xing's gaze to the strangers opposite. There were about twenty people in the group, their clothes equally tattered, their faces bearing the fatigue and vicissitudes unique to survivors in the apocalypse. The team's equipment was uneven, and they looked like they had been wandering and displaced along the way.

In front of this group of survivors stood two particularly conspicuous men, clearly the leaders.

Wu Ran subconsciously activated the Inspiration Ability in his heart. A pale white Spiritual Sense shimmer quietly spread out. His gaze fell on the two men, and he instantly saw the potential light surrounding them—the man on the left, with a tall, straight figure and sharp eyes, was wrapped in a bright blue halo, his potential level not low; the middle-aged man on the right, with a thin build and steady eyes, had a soft green halo around him, his potential slightly inferior.

Apart from this, he could not see any other anomalies. He neither knew their ability types nor their Sequencer names; he could only judge their potential limits based on the color.

The man with the blue halo spoke first, his voice clear and bright, without a hint of hostility, but rather carrying a sense of peace: "Everyone, there is no need to be so guarded. We have no malicious intent. We are just passing through. Someone in our team is injured and has a fever; we are in urgent need of anti-inflammatory and hemostatic medicines. We came here specifically to trade supplies with you, definitely not with any ulterior motives."

The middle-aged man with the green halo beside him also nodded and added: "We have food, fresh water, and some tools found in abandoned towns in our hands, all of which can be used to exchange for medicine. We are all survivors in the apocalypse; there is no need for us to resort to violence."

Xue Xing still refused to relax, saying coldly: "In the apocalypse, empty words of goodwill are the least valuable thing. Who knows if you are trying to take the opportunity to scout out the situation of our Caravan, and then attack and rob our supplies once we lower our guard?"

Both sides held their own ground, and the atmosphere became tense again. The survivors opposite looked anxious, but they did not rashly step forward, clearly not wanting to easily trigger a conflict.

Seeing this, Captain Wang Xuan raised his hand to press on Xue Xing's shoulder, signaling him to calm down. He then looked at the two men opposite, sizing them up with a steady gaze, and said in a deep voice: "I am Captain Wang Xuan, the person in charge of this Caravan. Since you want to trade, you might as well show some sincerity. Tell us what supplies you can offer and what medicines you need."

Seeing that Captain Wang Xuan was willing to communicate, the man with the blue halo breathed a sigh of relief and took the initiative to report his name: "My name is Qin Bai, and this is Wan An. We met by chance and have been leading a group of survivors to survive. The attrition along the way has been huge, and our medicine has long bottomed out. I'm afraid the two wounded in our team won't hold on if this drags on. We have compressed biscuits and canned water. As long as you have extra medicine, we can give these to you."

Wu Ran stood behind the crowd, listening silently to the two men's words. His gaze remained on Qin Bai and Wan An, while he secretly calculated in his heart. Although the Caravan's medicine was not abundant at the moment, there was still some left from previous collections. However, fuel and food were extremely scarce. The supplies in the other party's hands could just solve the Caravan's urgent needs. If they could really trade, it would be all benefits and no harm to the Caravan.

Captain Wang Xuan clearly thought of this too. He turned his head and exchanged a few low words with Xue Xing. Although Xue Xing still had doubts, he knew the Caravan's current predicament and eventually relented.

Subsequently, both sides sent people to check the supplies. After some verification, it was indeed as Qin Bai and Wan An said; the supplies they brought were solid necessities for survival, with no tricks at all. This tense standoff was, after all, a misunderstanding.

Both sides lowered their guard and withdrew their defenses. People from the Caravan brought over a few simple stools for the other party, and they sat down temporarily to discuss the details of the trade.

During the conversation, intermittent electrical noise came from a backpack beside Wan An. Immediately afterward, a blurry but clear official broadcast sound came from inside. It was the unified survivor rescue channel after the apocalypse, broadcasting simple information about surrounding Safe Zones and supply points.

Captain Wang Xuan's eyes moved, and he immediately asked: "Do you have a radio that can receive the official channel?"

"Yes," Wan An did not hide it either. He raised his hand and took out an old-fashioned radio with paint worn off. He adjusted the knob to make the sound clearer. "We've relied on this all the way to avoid many disaster areas with heavy weird creature activity, and we can occasionally receive official news. It can be considered a reliance for survival."

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xue Xing asked further: "We have only heard of Sequencers before, but we don't know the specific classifications. Brother Qin and Brother Wan, what kind of sequence abilities do you each have?" He asked straightforwardly, but there was calculation hidden in his eyes. If they could recruit these two Sequencers, the Caravan's strength would be greatly improved.

Qin Bai and Wan An looked at each other. They did not hide it and said frankly: "I am a Beastman Sequence. After the mutation, my physical strength and speed are far beyond ordinary people, and my melee combat ability is strong. Old Wan is a Navigator Sequence; he is exceptionally sensitive to routes and dangerous auras, and is good at finding paths and avoiding disasters."

Seeing this, Captain Wang Xuan already had a plan in mind. He immediately threw out an olive branch directly: "To tell you the truth, our Pashanhu Convoy sticks together to survive. We have order and division of labor, which is much safer than surviving separately. Your team is small and has wounded; why not join our Caravan? We can act together in the future, share risks, and have a better chance of surviving."

Once these words were spoken, Qin Bai and Wan An's faces did not show surprise, but rather a bit of embarrassment.

After a moment of silence, Qin Bai spoke first, his tone polite but firm: "We appreciate Captain Wang's kindness. Our group is used to free movement; we are not accustomed to the rules and constraints of the Caravan, and we don't want to drag down your pace. It's more comfortable to survive on our own."

Wan An also added: "We just want to stick with the people we know, slowly find a stable place to settle down, and don't want to join a large team and be constrained. Please forgive us."

Since it had come to this, Captain Wang Xuan knew that it could not be forced. In the apocalypse, everyone has their own choices, and forcing them would only sow seeds of conflict. He did not mention the recruitment anymore, just smiled and signaled his respect for their choice.

Both sides chatted a few more words about survival tips for the apocalypse. After obtaining the urgently needed medicine, Qin Bai and Wan An got up to say goodbye. They organized their team and left in the opposite direction of the Pashanhu Convoy. The sound of the radio gradually faded away and finally disappeared into the forest.

Watching the backs of the other team as they left, Xue Xing rubbed his chin, feeling a bit regretful: "It's a pity to lose two useful Sequencers, as well as that official radio. If they could join our Caravan, the subsequent journey would be much less worrisome."

"It cannot be forced," Captain Wang Xuan waved his hand, his expression calm. "Everyone has a different way of surviving; as long as they are not enemies, it's fine. However, the official levels and rescue channel they mentioned are key information. We should pay more attention to them from now on."

During the conversation, everyone had already cleaned up the site and counted the newly exchanged supplies, temporarily alleviating the pressure of supply shortages.

Wu Ran stood to one side, his fingertips gently brushing over the fluff of the Golden Egg Treasure Chicken on his shoulder. In his mind, he repeatedly sorted through the information he had just obtained: the official F to S strength levels corresponded exactly to the potential colors he saw, which meant that the authorities also had Sequencers similar to the Spiritual Sense type. There was also Qin Bai's Beastman Sequence and Wan An's Navigator Sequence; the types of Sequencers were far more numerous than he had imagined.