Chen Ye didn't have time to think about what that strange thing really was.

In the apocalypse, there were far too many things he couldn't figure out.

If he tried to trace the origins and causes of everything, he probably wouldn't get anything done.

All he knew was that he'd survived until now.

Living was the most important thing.

Everything else had to make way for that.

As for what would happen next, that was a problem for later.

He just wanted to see Chu Che, Sun Xixi, and Iron Lion...

Find his teammates, and get out of this godforsaken place...

"Yezi!"

A crisp voice rang out.

It carried surprise, along with some indescribable emotions. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Before Chen Ye could see what was coming, he felt a fragrant breeze rushing toward him.

It even ruffled the bangs on his forehead.

Then... his entire body was sent flying.

Caught completely off guard, Chen Ye was knocked into a tumbling mess, rolling straight into the leaf litter layer behind him.

Dead leaves splashed up in a huge burst.

"Holy crap... Sun Xixi, you need to lose some weight! Cough, cough..."

Chen Ye's voice came from within the leaf litter.

Around him, coughing erupted everywhere.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

"Cough, cough..."

What should have been a romantic, post-survival hug had turned into this tumbling disaster.

Sun Xixi was, after all, from the Sword Immortal Sequence. She wasn't like Iron Lion, whose Sequence mainly focused on body refinement.

But her physical fitness was still better than Chen Ye's.

Chen Ye's Sequence only provided a boost to his physical attributes. If he didn't use supernatural power.

Relying solely on his physical fitness, Chen Ye definitely couldn't beat Sun Xixi.

On top of that, Chen Ye had just come out of an intense battle.

His body was completely drained.

He hadn't expected this girl to be so excited.

Sun Xixi's mouth hung open, her pretty face blushing all the way to the roots of her ears.

Even her neck was bright red.

It couldn't have been more awkward.

Only she knew how she'd survived those few waves of Anomaly Tides.

Sun Xixi didn't have an Upgrade System. She'd survived purely by relying on the Fire Dragon Sword in her hand.

Even Xiao Yu, who usually didn't get along with Chen Ye, was now in tears.

Her mouth wide open as she wailed loudly.

Between sobs, she wiped her tears and said, "I... I didn't die! Waaaah, I didn't die!"

Before this, Sun Xixi had thought she might never see this annoying man again, but she hadn't expected him to be alive either.

She'd gotten a little too excited for a moment and hadn't controlled her strength.

She hadn't realized Chen Ye was this weak.

"Yezi, are you... okay?!"

"Cough, cough... Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!"

Chen Ye clutched his lower back as he climbed up from the ground, a pained expression on his face. "I'm not dead! But seriously, you're a young girl, how do you have so much strength? Watch out, or no one will marry you!!!"

Chen Ye didn't hold back his teasing.

The pink-haired girl's face darkened. "With a mouth that cheap, it's definitely you!"

Chen Ye pointed at Dantai Bie, who was watching the show on the sidelines. "If we're talking about cheap mouths, there's someone even cheaper than me right here!"

Dantai Bie, seeing that it was finally his turn, quickly waved his arms. "Hello everyone, I'm Dantai Bie, Wandering Immortal Sequence, twenty-two years old this year, Aquarius, I like eating fish..."

At first, the pink-haired girl was sizing up this guy who was dressed incredibly cleanly.

Dantai Bie was thrilled that someone was listening to him talk and started rambling on and on.

He almost revealed what kind of underwear he wore as a kid.

The pink-haired girl quickly got a read on this guy's character.

At first, she was just being polite, but later...

It seemed like politeness wasn't necessary anymore.

Dantai Bie's voice grew quieter and quieter, until finally it faded to nothing.

"Chen Ye, it's great that you guys are okay..."

Iron Lion scratched the back of his head, looking like a simpleton.

His honest, naive face gave off a strong sense of warmth.

"Tsk, tsk... I never would have guessed. When did you and Xixi get to this level? Hugging and holding each other in public?"

Chu Che walked out from behind Iron Lion and Sun Xixi, his face full of gossip.

He often eavesdropped on these two at night.

How come he'd never found anything exciting?

These two... were definitely up to something.

"Tsk, tsk... get lost..."

"Wait, are you... you're Sequence 4 now?"

Chen Ye sensed a change in Chu Che's aura and looked at him in surprise.

Chu Che didn't hide it when he heard Chen Ye's question, a grin curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Chu Che, Pathfinder Sequence 4, Sequence Name: Shelter Official!"

Chen Ye: "..."

This guy... when did he become so cocky?

What the hell was that Sequence name?

Still, it was good that everyone was alive.

The group exchanged pleasantries, and Ding Dong gave Chen Ye a slight nod and a smile from the side.

No one was in great shape.

Except for Chu Che and Xue Nan. Those two looked exactly the same as when they'd disappeared earlier.

The pink-haired girl's hair was a mess, her forehead glistening with sweat, and her cartoon t-shirt was already torn to shreds.

She'd even lost one of her shoes.

Ding Dong was in even worse shape.

Her panel van looked like a crushed soda can.

It was clearly unusable.

He had no idea how the Ideal Grain Seeds were doing now.

Chen Hao was also standing among the crowd. This guy opened his mouth a few times, wanting to say something, but in the end, he couldn't get a single word in.

Still, he was watching everyone with a smile.

It seemed like he'd already become part of the convoy.

The bearded young man looked at Chen Ye, then at the others in the convoy, and felt a flicker of envy.

He was envious...

Even though they occasionally bickered, Chen Ye wasn't very polite, and their leader didn't seem to have much of a serious side.

In the end, everyone got along harmoniously.

Huang Lu moved through the crowd, calling out a name.

But no one answered her.

"Um... Squad Leader Chu, sorry to interrupt, have you seen my husband?"

Chu Che was in the middle of talking to Chen Ye.

Everyone had survived against the odds, and there was a lot to say. They didn't have time for anyone else.

Chen Ye had only been reunited with his teammates for less than a minute.

He hadn't even had the chance to introduce Huang Lu and Gong Yong to the group.

But this woman was so anxious that she directly interrupted Chen Ye and their conversation.

"Your husband?"

"He's a bit taller than you, with a bigger belly. He has a buzz cut, wears glasses, and is always smiling. My husband is also a Pathfinder!"

Hearing the woman's description, Chu Che's expression shifted slightly.

"Well... if your description is accurate, I did see someone like that!"

At Chu Che's affirmative answer.

Huang Lu's face instantly lit up with excitement.

"Where is he? Ah... honey! Honey! Come out, quick! Stop messing around, I'm scared!"

Huang Lu craned her neck to look behind Chu Che and the others.

"Um... miss... your husband... got lost in the darkness!"

Chu Che hesitated for a moment before telling her what he knew.

This was the apocalypse, after all.

There was no point in hiding things.

People died every moment in the apocalypse.

They had indeed encountered that person.

But in the end, he hadn't survived the Anomaly Tide and had vanished into the darkness.

Hearing this, Huang Lu froze for a moment, then shook her head. "No, it's impossible, impossible... honey..."

With that, the small, thin woman stubbornly plunged back into the crowd.

Chen Ye understood now.

Why the first time he'd seen this woman, she'd seemed so distracted and anxious.

It seemed her husband was probably never coming out.