manynovel Chapter 86 Recruiting New Members for the Motorcade
Chapter 86 Recruiting New Members for the Motorcade
The scarred man narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Fu Xiaojian and the convoy behind him that looked weathered yet still intact.
He saw the conspicuous scarlet SUV, the rock-like burly man next to the bus, and the sharp-eyed woman in the pickup truck.
"Our convoy doesn't have a name, just call me Scarface, order of service—militia," he said succinctly.
"I'm the only superhuman left in our team now. To put it nicely, it's a team; to put it bluntly, it's just a bunch of unlucky guys huddling together for warmth."
Scarface knew that his team was no match for the team in front of him, so he didn't have much intention of resisting.
"We can try to get information, but we don't know much. Besides, we're short of supplies."
The meaning is clear: information is not free.
Fu Xiaojian was surprised to hear this. How could a superhuman from the militia have led the convoy to safety? Even guiding the way would be a problem, wouldn't it?
Fu Xiaojian's expression turned somewhat grim, and his earlier desire to recruit them diminished considerably. He feared he might have encountered another convoy like Qin Hong's.
"Where's your leader? How have you survived this long without a superhuman guide?"
Upon hearing this, everyone, including Scarface, fell silent, as if recalling some unpleasant experience.
"Our convoy originally had more than a dozen vehicles, but yesterday the convoy was attacked by a group of strange vehicles. We were ordered to scatter and escape, which means we were to cover their retreat."
"The ridiculous thing is that those weirdos ignored us and chased after the rest of the convoy! We can only find a high place to stay, but we can't leave or go back!" Scarface looked utterly dejected.
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiaojian felt a different kind of thought arise in his heart once again.
This is yet another remnant unit abandoned by the core team in a time of crisis.
In the apocalypse, such things are commonplace; sacrificing some people for the survival of the whole is sometimes a cruel reality.
"If you'd like, you can come with our convoy. Of course, I can't guarantee your absolute safety on the road, but more people means more strength, which is better than you being stuck here." Fu Xiaojian revealed his true intentions.
Scarface and the survivors behind him exchanged glances, clearly tempted.
Staying alone on the edge of the swamp is tantamount to waiting to die.
Being able to keep up with a convoy that has multiple superhumans and relatively intact vehicles would undoubtedly greatly increase one's chances of survival.
"What's the price? What do we need to pay?" Scarface was very clear-headed. There's no such thing as a free lunch, and if there were, it wouldn't be their turn.
"Follow the rules of the convoy and obey orders. Contribute as much as you can during battle, and the supplies obtained will be distributed according to your contribution," Fu Xiaojian said in a deep voice.
"In addition, if any of you have awakened your sequence, you need to prioritize serving the convoy."
"What are the rules of the team?" Scarface continued to ask.
Perhaps their less-than-ideal experience with the previous team made them reluctant to recall it.
"Our team currently has only two rules: first, equal exchange; second, no idlers. Of course, we will not abandon our companions voluntarily, and please don't blame us if we really can't rescue them!" Fu Xiaojian said.
Scarface turned around and whispered a few words to his companions, and they quickly reached an agreement.
"Deal! We'll go with you!" Scarface nodded emphatically. Without a leader, all that awaited them was death.
After a brief handover, this small remnant force was incorporated into the salary train team.
Their vehicles were in very poor condition; the RV was almost totaled, and the owner, a middle-aged man, could barely squeeze into the bus.
The two SUVs were still barely roadworthy after Wang Hu's inspection, while the only one that was intact was Scarface's ambulance.
After some investigation, everyone learned that Scarface's real name was Shao Bing, and from his name, it was clear that he had been a soldier before the apocalypse.
As the apocalypse arrived, its natural awakening sequence led it to participate in humanity's only counterattack against the supernatural.
The result was a complete rout, with almost the entire original force being wiped out.
He himself was seriously injured and unconscious in a field hospital for half a month. When he woke up, he began a strange struggle for survival.
Jiao Jiao curiously examined the newly joined members, her fingertips flashing with a milky white halo as she cast a faint "recovery" spell on several survivors who appeared to be seriously injured.
The warmth brought out expressions of gratitude in these people who had endured so much suffering, and it also made Jiao Jiao realize the value of her own sequence once again.
She glanced furtively in Xu Si's direction and saw him standing around the wrecked RV, his eyes shining like the sun.
With the help of star trails, the RV is clearly visible.
A large hole in the underside of the car, which damaged the main frame, was the root cause of its scrapping.
Even Xu Si would have to put in a lot of effort to get it started, but it would be perfect for upgrading the [Wax Melting Messenger].
He walked over to Fu Xiaojian and whispered, "Old Fu, let's rest here today!"
Fu Xiaojian was assigning new members when he heard this. He glanced at the large vehicle leaning precariously in the mud and nodded. "Wang Hu has inspected it. The main frame is broken and can't be repaired, so we have to give up. What, you've got your eye on it?"
"Well, even a wrecked ship has three thousand nails." Xu Si didn't say anything more.
Fu Xiaojian understood and patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, I'll tell Shao Bing. Anyway, it's just scrap metal. You can deal with it yourself if you need to. We'll rest here tonight and leave this swamp as soon as possible tomorrow morning."
As for what price to pay, Xu Si doesn't need to worry about that.
Xu Si walked to the RV and placed his palm on its cold, damp body.
[A strange object detected—the Wax Messenger]
[Available vehicle components detected; upgrade estimated to consume 1800 purification points]
[Should we upgrade?]
"yes!"
[Purification point -1800, estimated time: 4 hours]
[Current remaining purification points: 106770]
As the command was given, the wax armor of the "Wax Messenger," with its gray-white base and dark red patterns, seemed to come alive, slowly spreading out like a viscous liquid and covering the RV's body.
The contact points emitted a faint "sizzling" sound. The metal, plastic, and glass materials of the RV, like wax blocks being scorched by high temperatures, began to soften and decompose, and were then greedily absorbed by the "melting wax messenger".
"Holy shit"
Xu Si was completely dumbfounded. How could this upgrade be so bizarre!
The process wasn't intense, but it carried a strange, engulfing sensation.
The enormous RV was visibly "melting" and shrinking.
The "Cheap Bone Armor" on the body of the "Metal Wax Messenger" appears to be thicker and more solid, and the dark red patterns seem to be a bit deeper. The body is even half a circle larger than the Warrior.
The newly joined Shao Bing and others were all horrified when they saw this scene.
They then realized that this convoy was full of hidden talents, and even Xu Si, who looked the youngest, possessed such strange and powerful abilities.
Jiao Jiao suddenly appeared, her mouth agape: "Brother Dao, can your car eat cars?"