In the drizzling rain.

The convoy members finally returned to solid ground.

Standing on this land once more, they momentarily felt a sense of surreal disorientation.

The clouds, white or dark, that had seemed within reach just days ago, now appeared so distant.

Faintly, they could see figures as small as ants waving at them from the elephant’s back.

Soon, it vanished into the distance, out of sight.

The Divine Elephant’s pace remained unhurried, just as it had been when they first saw it.

But in truth, the Divine Elephant moved very fast;
it was just that its movements were slow.

Soon, they could only watch as the Divine Elephant gradually shrank in their vision, becoming smaller and smaller.

A convoy member had once asked Chu Che a question.

Why couldn’t the convoy and Divine Elephant Village merge into one?

Wouldn’t that make their combined strength even greater?

For this question, Chu Che had unusually given a reply.

First: Divine Elephant Village’s material supply capacity was very weak. Based on calculations, the entire village could at most sustain supplies for around five hundred people.

Previously, Divine Elephant Village already had a thousand people, which was already an overload.

Even now, with only seven hundred people left in Divine Elephant Village, supplies were still extremely tight.

Even though the Taoist priest and the monk had gone out to gather supplies several times, it still wasn’t enough to supply the entire Divine Elephant Village.

Second: The greater the number of people, the greater the attraction to Anomalies. The recent wraith attack on the village was the best proof.

Third: If they accepted this convoy, would they accept the next convoy they encountered? Eventually, the population of Divine Elephant Village would keep growing.

Until the entire village couldn’t bear it and collapsed!

Fourth: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Fifth: …

There were too many reasons.

The disadvantages of merging the two sides clearly outweighed the benefits, so everyone gave up on that idea.

…

Chen Ye surveyed the surrounding environment.

They were currently in a jungle with very dense vegetation.

Before them was a somewhat dilapidated and desolate National Highway. Due to the long absence of vehicle traffic, the road surface was covered in moss.

Some unknown wild grasses had also sprouted from beneath, and the road surface was cracked like a spiderweb, with fissures spreading in all directions.

Without human activity, in just about a year, this land had already changed dramatically.

The air was filled with refreshing, pleasant freshness.

On both sides of the National Highway grew tall trees, none of which Chen Ye recognized.

A thin mist rose deep within the forest, different from the eerie and mysterious fog of Fog City.

The distant mist seemed merely a natural climatic phenomenon.

If this environment had existed before the apocalypse, it could have become a popular internet-famous check-in spot, even attracting many travelers for photography.

But now…

Chen Ye only felt unpredictable danger and eeriness.

“Alright, alright, everyone, get ready, we’re about to leave too!”

Xue Nan held a loudspeaker, urging everyone to board the vehicles like Old Bao used to.

The survivors began their preparations in twos and threes.

Some went to check the vehicles.

Some checked if the supplies on the vehicles were properly secured.

After the disaster at Divine Elephant Village, the convoy’s survivors had also suffered some losses.

As a result, there were even fewer people on Iron Lion’s school bus now.

Iron Lion exchanged greetings with everyone and then directly boarded the bus to sleep.

His injuries still hadn’t fully recovered.

Right now, he urgently needed rest to heal his wounds.

Under Ding Dong’s guidance, Zhou Xiaoxiao carefully checked all the seed stock.

Another batch of those potatoes and lettuce had matured yesterday, and new qualified seed stock had already been planted.

Thanks to Ding Dong desperately protecting Professor Liu that day.

Professor Liu imparted all the knowledge he knew about these two types of seed stock, making Ding Dong the convoy’s foremost expert on understanding these seeds.

Ding Dong valued these seed stocks as much as her own eyes.

She checked them several times a day.

Of course, those specifically responsible for these seed stocks weren’t only Zhou Xiaoxiao and Ding Dong.

The convoy had sufficient labor, and a few of the more meticulous survivors were also assigned to follow Ding Dong’s instructions.

Ding Dong had people move the seed stock out of the vehicle compartment and secure all these flower pots to both sides of the compartment.

When they descended from the Divine Elephant’s trunk earlier, Ding Dong had people move all these planted flower pots into the vehicle compartment.

Now they needed to be moved out again to bask in the sun.

According to Professor Liu, exposing these seed stocks to more sunlight could also promote their growth speed and improve the rate of producing good seeds.

These flower pots had also undergone special modifications, so there was no worry about soil spilling or them tipping over during travel.

Even if that happened, Ding Dong would make adjustments at any time.

The convoy’s jolting wasn’t a big problem for these grain seeds.

According to Professor Liu, these grain seeds still had very vigorous vitality. As long as they weren’t deliberately damaged, their survival rate wasn’t a concern under normal circumstances.

Only the rate of producing good seeds and the maturation time would be affected.

That mature young woman named Zhang Yanping was one of only two people who stayed behind in Divine Elephant Village.

The other was that Sister Fang, who also remained in Divine Elephant Village.

Mentioning this name might sound unfamiliar.

But if you say she was the only pregnant woman who thought Chen Ye was a good person, perhaps you’d remember her immediately.

Because of her pregnancy, she was no longer suitable for following the convoy’s journey, so she stayed in Divine Elephant Village.

Before leaving, this pregnant woman actually found Chen Ye and wanted him to name her unborn child.

Chen Ye hadn’t expected to receive such treatment.

After thinking for a moment, he chose the name “Jinsheng” for the child.

“Jin” represented the embers of civilization.

“Sheng” represented the new sprouts emerging from the ashes.

The child’s father’s surname was Li, who had long since died during a supply-gathering trip.

Therefore, the child’s name would be “Li Jinsheng.”

The pregnant woman was very happy and thanked Chen Ye profusely.

Currently, the entire convoy totaled only twenty-seven people.

Excluding the five Superhumans, that left twenty-two ordinary survivors.

Although the survivors felt sorrow for their fallen companions, they seemed to have grown accustomed to this kind of life.

Everyone went about their respective tasks.

Chen Ye patted the Apocalyptic Pickup Truck, opened the door, and got in.

The Pink-haired Girl’s vehicle also started up.

Only, not a single person was visible in the driver’s seat.

Everyone had grown accustomed to this “driverless” vehicle.

The master-disciple pair of Zhou Xiaoxiao and Ding Dong had finished checking everything that needed checking;
the vehicles were in good condition.

Even if there were minor issues, the convoy’s maintenance personnel could identify them immediately.

Iron Lion was already snoring loudly inside the bus.

Xue Nan and Xiao Fu were now in Squad Leader Chu’s vehicle.

The two characters “Fairness,” written in red paint on the vehicle body, were still strikingly eye-catching!

Chen Ye’s Apocalyptic Pickup Truck, though battered and worn, remained the most eye-catching vehicle in the convoy.

The familiar voice of Captain Chu Che came through the walkie-talkie again.

“Everyone, let’s hit the road!”

Hearing this “hit the road,” Chen Ye’s eyebrows twitched violently.

In the past, Chen Ye had also been someone who feared no taboos, completely disregarding any superstitions.

But this was the apocalypse now.

Having witnessed various Anomalies, some of which defied conventional understanding.

Therefore, Chen Ye now found this term particularly grating.

Chen Ye grabbed the walkie-talkie and ranted: “Pah! Pah! Pah! Squad Leader Chu, can you even talk properly? Can you? What do you mean ‘hit the road’? What ‘hit the road’?”

The walkie-talkie also transmitted the Pink-haired Girl’s furious rant.

“Squad Leader Chu, it’s ‘let’s depart,’ not ‘hit the road,’ not ‘hit the road,’ no! You’re a grown man, and a captain at that, can’t you say something more auspicious?”

“That’s right! That’s right!”

Little Fish’s protesting voice also came through.

This petite young girl with a cocky expression also seemed very unwilling to hear such inauspicious words.

Although Bald Old Li didn’t voice an opinion, his silence represented his dissatisfaction.

Only the walkie-talkies of Ding Dong and her disciple remained silent.

“Ahem… everyone, that wasn’t me speaking just now, it was Xue Nan. I’ve already lectured him.”

“Comrade Xue Nan has deeply realized his mistake and the trouble he caused everyone!”

“I believe he will absolutely never make such a mistake again!”

“Xue Nan, apologize to everyone!”

Xue Nan’s aggrieved voice came through the walkie-talkie.

“Ahem… s-sorry, everyone!”

Chen Ye showed no face to Squad Leader Chu, grabbing the walkie-talkie and ranting: “Squad Leader Chu, have you no shame?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep