After some time, the convoy began moving again, heading toward the north. As for why they were going north, Li Xuan did not understand. However, during the twenty days he had spent with the convoy, he had noticed something strange—the distances between cities, towns, and villages were no longer what they used to be.
From this, he could only come to a few conclusions. Either the Earth's landmass had somehow expanded after the apocalypse, or perhaps the planet had fused with other worlds or dimensions. Considering that ghosts and such bizarre phenomena now existed, neither possibility seemed impossible.
In the end, he stopped thinking about it. It didn't matter what had happened to the world. What mattered was survival.
Even if the entire Earth perished… he had already decided that he would be the last one standing. No matter what.
The engines roared, but the energy from before was gone. What remained was silence—heavy, suffocating, and filled with unspoken fear. The road stretched ahead, cracked and empty, while the convoy moved forward in a loose formation.
People quickly noticed the difference. There were fewer survivors now. Where there had once been noise, movement, and numbers, there were now gaps—empty spaces between vehicles, missing faces, and abandoned belongings tied hastily to trucks or left behind entirely.
Some survivors sat quietly, staring ahead with lifeless eyes. Others clutched their injuries, wrapping cloth around wounds that had not been properly treated. A few cried softly, their voices barely audible over the low hum of the engines.
No one talked about what happened in the town.
They didn't need to.
Everyone remembered.
Li Xuan rode his electric bicycle near the middle of the convoy, maintaining a steady pace. His expression remained calm, almost indifferent, but his eyes moved constantly, observing everything.
Nothing escaped his notice—the reduced numbers, the injuries, the tension.
The convoy had survived.
But barely.
His hands rested lightly on the handles, his grip relaxed yet ready. However, his thoughts were far from calm.
In the town, he had fought and killed a person for the first time.
There was a slight unease in his heart, but no regret. He clearly understood that it had been a matter of survival—kill or be killed. There had been no other choice.
He still had his moral bottom line. Unless someone provoked him, he would not act unnecessarily. But if someone harmed him, he would find an opportunity to take revenge—no matter how long it took.
Even with his ability, he did not want to become someone who killed without reason. He did not want to lose his sanity or humanity and turn into a mindless killing machine.
Humans were already dying at an alarming rate.
Based on his estimation, more than eighty-five percent of the world's population had already been wiped out. Some were eaten by mutated creatures, some died in internal conflicts, and some turned into monsters themselves.
He understood one thing clearly—if he were left alone, no matter how strong he became, he would not be able to face an entire world filled with ghosts and beasts.
But at the same time, he would never let anyone provoke him and walk away unharmed.
He felt no guilt for killing those three men. Only a slight discomfort, because it had been his first kill.
In this dog-eat-dog world, he knew it was something he would have to get used to.
At the front of the convoy, inside the off-road vehicle, the leader sat silently with his eyes closed. To others, it might seem like he was resting.
But he wasn't.
His senses extended far beyond the visible road, detecting faint signals, distorted movements, and hidden dangers.
"It's still there…" he muttered under his breath.
Something had been following them since they left the town. It wasn't close enough to attack, but not far enough to ignore.
And it wasn't human.
It was a ghostly anomaly.
Even though it was only Level 1, just like the Sequence users in the convoy, it was not something they could easily deal with. In the town, four Sequence users had fought a single Level 1 ghost—and still failed to kill it.
They had defeated mutated beasts, plants, and creatures before. But ghosts were different.
They were harder to fight.
Harder to kill.
The convoy had only survived that encounter by retreating.
If they were forced to fight again, they might lose even more people.
That was why the leader had already made a decision—they had to keep moving and create as much distance as possible.
As night approached, he gave an order.
"Inform everyone—we won't be stopping carelessly tonight. Stay alert. Report anything unusual immediately."
Beside him, Ye Fan nodded with a serious expression.
"I understand."
The convoy continued moving for another half hour before slowing down.
This time, the stop was controlled and cautious. Patrol teams moved around the area, scanning for danger with heightened vigilance.
Seeing this, Li Xuan immediately understood that something was wrong. The patrol teams were far more alert than usual.
So, he chose not to set up his tent.
Instead, he sat near his bicycle, eating biscuits and chocolate while quietly checking his supplies.
After counting everything, he estimated that he had around fifteen one-liter bottles of water and enough food to last about two weeks—compressed biscuits, chocolates, bread, canned food, instant noodles, dried fruits, and nuts.
If he rationed carefully, he could survive for twenty to twenty-five days.
So, for now, food wasn't a problem.
But in the long run… it would be.
There was no production anymore. No supply chains. Eventually, resources would run out.
He had to prepare before that happened.
Although he could hunt mutated beasts for food, that required strength.
And right now—
He wasn't strong enough.
Li Xuan stayed near the edge of the convoy, not too far, but not too close either. Close enough to react, far enough to avoid attention.
From the very beginning, he had remained cautious of everyone.
Even women.
Even children.
No one knew his real name.
He had never revealed it.
In this world, anything was possible. There were ghosts, strange creatures, and people with unknown abilities.
What if something could shapeshift?
What if someone had poison, curse, or mind-control abilities?
What if someone could read thoughts?
Because of these possibilities, Li Xuan trusted no one.
He kept his distance from everyone.
Even something as simple as his name—he kept it hidden.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out nearby.
Three people were fighting—two men and a woman.
What started as a verbal argument quickly escalated into physical violence. One man had been staring at the woman, and the other took offense.
Within moments, punches were thrown.
Li Xuan didn't interfere.
He simply watched from a distance.
Soon, Ye Fan arrived with a few patrol members.
They quickly subdued all three individuals.
Instead of killing them, Ye Fan ordered them to be beaten and issued a strict warning.
"Any further trouble, and you'll be expelled from the convoy."
Then he made another announcement.
"We won't be resting tonight. A strange ghost is following us. We move again in one hour. Use the time to recover."
With that, he left.
Li Xuan watched him go, a strange thought crossing his mind.
"Is this guy a hidden protagonist…?"
In many novels he had read, people with the surname "Ye" were often arrogant main characters.
But this one…
He was completely different.
Calm. Obedient. Almost like a loyal subordinate.
Shaking his head, Li Xuan dismissed the thought.
His mind had drifted too far.
He stood up and began preparing again, replacing the battery of his electric bike.
He had a small solar charger and more than ten spare batteries stored carefully for emergencies.
In this world—
Preparation meant survival.