I can hold on by myself for twelve minutes.

It’s not that I can’t do it!

It’s just this thing…

Thinking about those Door-Opening Anomalies that appeared out of nowhere, each one like a paranoid lunatic, Chen Ye found the whole matter rather troublesome.

Actually, the Door-Opening Anomalies weren’t the worst part.

The worst part was that killing those anomalies would definitely trigger unknown, terrifying movements from whatever lurked deep in the darkness.

Although he hadn’t seen what those things were,

the pressure they radiated even before appearing was enough to make one wary.

If time hadn’t run out just now,

and those unknown horrors had struck, he might not even know how he’d die.

The Blood Moon Lord was strong.

The move used to pluck the blood moon in Oasis City was also powerful.

But if he used that move,

what would he do tomorrow?

These were problems he couldn’t avoid facing.

And right now the Monster Pickup Truck was in a sorry state.

All four doors at the front had been warped by the Door-Opening Anomalies.

You could hardly call them doors anymore.

If you hadn’t seen it with your own eyes, who would think those warped things had once been doors?

If the hinges hadn’t stubbornly held onto them, they’d have long since separated from the body.

Not only that, even the door near the cargo bed had been torn open by the anomalies.

It was now leaning at an angle, wobbling back and forth against the edge.

At this point, the Monster Pickup Truck was in the worst shape it had been since becoming a Wonder.

Luckily, only the doors were deformed.

Other parts were only distorted because the doors had warped.

It seemed the Door-Opening Anomalies had their own rules.

They were only interested in doors.

They didn’t excessively damage the rest of the vehicle.

That must be their pattern.

The Little Monster hiding in the vehicle seemed a bit aggrieved.

It poked out a tentacle and tried to put the doors back.

After all, this truck was its home.

Or rather, part of its body.

If the owner weren’t Chen Ye,

if it were some other person,

that Little Monster inside the truck would have long dragged them under the vehicle to become fuel for the Monster Pickup Truck.

Chen Ye didn’t know exactly what kind of creature the Monster Pickup Truck was,

but watching it now, it was clearly heartbroken.

Like a child whose beloved toy had been destroyed.

The tentacle tried to push the warped door closed.

“Squeeeak~~~”

A harsh, grating shriek from the hinge.

The door that the tentacle had just closed slowly creaked open again.

The severely warped door simply wouldn’t latch.

The tentacle tried several more times.

The result was the same each time.

It poked the door, then the body of the truck, seemingly confused why it wouldn’t close.

Then it looked like it understood the problem.

Cautiously, the tentacle tried to bend the warped area of the door back into shape.

Seeing this, Chen Ye couldn’t help feeling a twinge of pity. He reached out toward the mangled door.

The tentacle paused for a moment, then pushed the door toward him.

Chen Ye sat in the driver’s seat and steadied the door with his hand.

Fortunately, this battered truck had been slightly reinforced by the System a few times.

Not in major ways,

but the quality was decent.

At least after this kind of pulling damage, the door hadn’t torn off.

“Go get that toolbox from before.”

Earlier Chen Ye had traded for a set of tools from Bald Old Li.

After he got the Smoke Breath mimic ability, Chen Ye rarely used that toolkit.

Still, it had been left in the corner of the cargo bed, unused.

In the apocalypse, whether an item seems useful or not, you shouldn’t throw it away carelessly.

You never know when it might come in handy.

Right now he had to conserve his Supernatural Power, so that toolbox could be put to good use.

A tentacle promptly reached into the cargo bed.

Soon it returned curling around a toolbox.

“Clank clank clank…”

“Clink clink clink…”

Chen Ye lifted his hand.

The tentacle rolled a hammer into his palm.

Chen Ye started hammering…

Another tentacle handed him a pair of pliers.

When he finished with the pliers, another tentacle slid a flathead screwdriver into his hand.

Almost without Chen Ye speaking, the tentacles seemed to know instinctively what he wanted.

They were the perfect assistants.

Maybe the tacit understanding had come from Chen Ye upgrading the Monster Pickup Truck from a 28-inch Bicycle to what it was now.

After a round of banging and tinkering, the door was at least somewhat restored to a passable shape.

At least it looked more or less flat.

Only somewhat flat.

But you could tell it was a door.

“This should be fine now.”

Chen Ye tossed the tools aside.

A tentacle sprang from the glove box and caught them.

Two other tentacles poked the door Chen Ye had barely fixed, then the truck body.

Then those two tentacles, like human hands, began to clap.

They seemed genuinely impressed with Chen Ye’s work.

No doubt, spending time with humans had made this little thing’s behavior much more humanlike.

To Chen Ye, these tentacles were like children.

They provided a lot of emotional value.

Chen Ye grinned and produced a cigarette from his chest pocket.

A tentacle immediately curled toward a lighter.

Another tentacle gently pressed the lighter’s button.

A small flame popped up.

The fawning display was almost indistinguishable from a person.

Chen Ye lightly tapped a tentacle with his right hand.

It obediently withdrew the lighter.

At this moment, in the eyes of the Little Monster hiding inside the truck, Chen Ye must have seemed towering,

all-powerful…

and perfect…

But just then,

Chen Ye heard faint noises.

He turned to look.

The sounds were coming from the door he had just repaired.

Whether from the pull of gravity or something else, the door started to tilt.

Before Chen Ye could react further,

there was a bang.

The door he had just fixed fell off completely.

This…

The tentacles that had been providing the atmosphere all froze.

Chen Ye, cigarette dangling from his mouth, watched the whole thing happen in stunned silence.

At least until now there had still been a door, even if warped and unable to latch.

But now…

there wasn’t even a door anymore.

If it weren’t for Chen Ye, the Little Monster inside the truck would have probably lost it.

An awkward silence hung in the air…

“Gulp, gulp…”

Chen Ye’s face went even redder. He scratched the back of his head. “Um… dinner isn’t ready yet. How about… we eat first?”