Chapter 104: Number

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Chen Ye would never have believed that a whale could fly in the sky.

Everything before his eyes had clearly surpassed all common knowledge Chen Ye possessed.

If someone told Chen Ye they had seen a whale flying through the heavens,

Chen Ye would think that person was either insane or trying to scam him.

From childhood to adulthood, whether taught in school or read in books, the basic common knowledge was that fish lived in water.

But this one before him... this whale... like a cloud in the sky, cast a massive shadow over the sand dunes, more than enough to cover the entire camp.

Along with an area spanning one mile around.

No, an even larger area lay beneath the shadow of this enormous whale.

As Chen Ye looked up, he happened to see the gigantic whale emerge from the clouds in the sky, its tail gently swaying, stirring waves of cloud mist.

Chen Ye had a feeling, a sense that this whale truly belonged in the sky.

After breaking free from the clouds, the enormous whale's body descended slightly, actually...

It was actually heading toward the convoy.

Without realizing it, Chen Ye's palms had become sweaty, and he could barely keep the cigarette clenched between his lips.

The willow branch on the Blood Resentment Machete's handle had already wrapped around his arm.

Even before the whale approached, Chen Ye could feel the pressure.

If someone claimed this whale was normal, he wouldn't believe it even if beaten to death.

Captain Chu Che clenched his fists, his eyes glued to the massive whale as he muttered something under his breath.

"How is this possible..."

"How did it appear?"

"Number 9, it's Number 9, damn it!"

Chen Ye subtly retreated, positioning Captain Chu in front of him.

Chen Ye didn't want to be so lacking in loyalty, but his wretched body had made the choice automatically.

Chen Ye had told himself countless times to be a good person, to value loyalty.

But whenever danger approached, he always found himself hiding behind others, letting them face death first.

He knew it was wrong, but he simply couldn't control his body.

"Roar~~~"

Both heads of Iron Lion and Mad Lion glared furiously, their eyes wild and provocative, as if they didn't care at all about the massive gap between them and the whale.

The long sword on the Pink-haired Girl's back actually unsheathed itself automatically, vibrating as it circled around her.

Ding Dong watched calmly, her hands clenched into fists as she stared at the whale charging directly toward them.

As for the ordinary survivors, they fared even worse.

The enormous whale drew closer and closer.

Until it filled everyone's pupils completely.

"Wait, there's... someone on that whale's back!"

A survivor nearby screamed in alarm.

Actually, even without his warning, Chen Ye had already seen it—not only were there people on the whale's back, but there were buildings too.

They were small houses, packed densely together, layer upon layer.

Heads even poked out from these tiny houses.

Adults, children, elderly people, women...

The scene before them resembled a neighborhood where a strange visitor had arrived, and everyone came out to see the spectacle.

And these strange visitors happened to be Chen Ye's group.

Even along the whale's back edges stood some people, looking down on Chen Ye's group from their high position.

That look in their eyes... made people indescribably uncomfortable.

Neither the enormous whale nor the people on its back paid much attention to Iron Lion's roars and provocation.

Just then, the whale gently flapped its wings, accelerating again as it soared high into the sky and disappeared into the white clouds.

Until the massive whale vanished completely from everyone's sight.

Only then did the survivors on the hard ground breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Over half of them had warm, damp, and foul-smelling pants.

Some collapsed to the ground, unable to stand up.

Others still kowtowed toward where the massive whale had disappeared, their expressions incredibly pious.

Captain Chu Che's face remained quite grim. Seeing Chen Ye standing behind him, he sneered, "Were you planning to use me as a sacrificial pawn just now?"

Chen Ye scratched his head awkwardly, quibbling, "Captain, you've misunderstood me! I'm not that kind of person!"

Before Chu Che could snort coldly, the Pink-haired Girl, Iron Lion, and Ding Dong had already gathered around.

"Captain, what was that thing just now..."

Chu Che glanced at them, his expression maintaining its previous demeanor.

"Sky Whale, Number 9."

Those simple words stunned everyone present, leaving them speechless.

"Captain, are you saying... that was... a Wonder?"

Chu Che nodded: "A top-ten ranked Wonder, Number Nine—Sky Whale!"

"My heavens, I thought Wonders were only weapons like what we have. Captain, that radio was surprising enough, but I never imagined there could be something this massive."

The Pink-haired Girl marveled.

"Can living creatures become Wonders too?"

Chen Ye asked curiously.

"Who said that whale was alive?"

Captain Chu replied nonchalantly.

"Then that thing isn't alive?"

Chen Ye asked again.

Chu Che once again replied nonchalantly: "Heh... who said the whale isn't alive?"

Chen Ye: "Captain, that's just playing games. You're the one saying it's alive, and you're the one saying it's dead."

Chen Ye hadn't expected this enormous whale to also be a type of Wonder.

"Every Wonder ranked in the top ten is far beyond what you can imagine."

"As long as something possesses special abilities and serves special functions, it can be called a Wonder."

"Of course, no need to envy them—the higher the Wonder's ranking, the greater the price paid!"

When he uttered the word "price," Chu Che's tone carried extra emphasis, almost sounding through gritted teeth.

"Captain, do you know something? Why are you always so mysterious?"

Chen Ye questioned, watching Chu Che's expression.

Chu Che didn't answer Chen Ye's question, instead continuing.

"Wonder rankings aren't fixed. The lower the ranking, the more frequently it changes."

"Because new Wonders are always joining the rankings."

Seeing the Number 9 Sky Whale seemed to have opened Chu Che's floodgates of conversation.

"Captain, what determines the Wonder rankings?"

The Pink-haired Girl asked curiously.

Her long sword was also a type of Wonder, but its ranking wasn't high.

"Wonder rankings are based on comprehensive abilities. Some Wonders don't have strong attack power, yet their rankings are high!"

Like your Eavesdropping Radio.

Chen Ye thought to himself.

"Captain, then... who actually decides the Wonder rankings?"

Even the usually silent Ding Dong chimed in with a question.

This question wasn't just puzzling Chen Ye—everyone wondered about it too.

For example, when Chen Ye just finished upgrading the Blood Resentment Machete, he immediately learned its ranking.

Chu Che shook his head: "I don't know either!"

"What about those people just now?"

"They're like us—migrating survivors! They just use different migration tools. We use vehicles, they use the Sky Whale."

"Captain, are there Anomalies in the sky too?"

This time it was Mad Lion's head asking.

"The sky, the sea, underground—everywhere you can imagine has Anomalies."

"Even with a Number 9 Wonder, if those people get entangled with Anomalies, their only fate is death."

The appearance of the Sky Whale caused some commotion in the camp.

But fortunately, it was only commotion.

And Chen Ye's attention shifted away from the briefly glimpsed Sky Whale.

Because he was about to obtain his second Wonder.