Chapter 2: Bicycle to Tricycle

Taking advantage of the faint light appearing on the horizon, Chen Ye saw that his 28-inch bicycle had undergone significant changes.

The original two wheels had become three wheels.

The tires also looked much wider than before, with rough treads that gave off a strong off-road vibe.

Even the wheel spokes had thickened considerably.

And then there was the cargo bed at the back.

With this cargo bed, the loading capacity was significantly better than the previous 28-inch bicycle.

The 28-inch bicycle had transformed into a three-wheeled vehicle.

Chen Ye tested it out and discovered that this system-upgraded three-wheeler was actually more energy-efficient than his previous 28-inch bicycle, riding with remarkable ease.

After careful inspection, he realized the system had installed an energy-saving mechanism on this three-wheeler.

"Xiaoye, don't tell me you went out gathering supplies at night? You've got some nerve!"

"Tsk tsk... this thing isn't any worse than those cars!"

After daybreak, Chen Ye's three-wheeler still attracted considerable attention.

Many survivors looked on with envy and jealousy in their eyes.

In this apocalyptic world, any resource was extremely precious.

Especially this three-wheeler that clearly wasn't ordinary.

Most importantly, this vehicle didn't require gasoline.

After all, some people had previously joined the convoy with cars, but once they ran out of gas, they simply abandoned their vehicles by the roadside.

Gasoline was something only the people in those two modified off-road vehicles at the front could obtain.

Rumor had it there were some formidable individuals in those two off-road vehicles.

Particularly a young girl who carried a sword.

A woman wearing yoga pants approached.

"Brother Ye, could you let me ride in your cargo bed? My legs have been so sore from walking these past two days."

After speaking, the woman affectedly rubbed her calves in a flirtatious manner, making the surrounding men swallow hard with desire.

This woman had been rescued during a supply gathering mission a few days ago, and many men had been fawning over her since.

It wasn't that she didn't want to hitch a ride in the off-road vehicles.

The off-road vehicles had simply rejected her, so she settled for Chen Ye's three-wheeler as second best.

Although Chen Ye's three-wheeler didn't have four wheels, if you added some padding to the cargo bed, the comfort level would definitely be much better than walking or riding on a bicycle seat.

"No way!"

Chen Ye refused without even thinking.

The woman seemed shocked by Chen Ye's blunt refusal, her face instantly darkening.

Before the apocalypse, the woman's looks would have qualified her as quite attractive.

She had never been rejected so directly before.

Even after the apocalypse began, she had relied on her modest beauty to survive until now.

How could this man before her refuse so decisively?

"Chen Ye, you..."

"Jiajia, why don't you ride with me? My bike has a padded seat too, guaranteed comfortable!"

A burly man quickly spoke up to curry favor.

The woman's expression improved slightly, and she shot Chen Ye a fierce glare before turning away like a proud princess and walking toward the man's bicycle.

The man was called Qiangzi, who had been a fitness trainer at some gym before the apocalypse, with a powerfully built physique.

Originally, this man had a motorcycle, but after running out of gas, he acquired a bicycle to follow the convoy.

The yoga pants woman sat on the man's bicycle seat and complained:

"Your bike is so uncomfortable, can't you get a four-wheeler too?"

Qiangzi smiled ingratiatingly: "Four-wheelers are easy enough to find, they're everywhere on the streets, but refueling is inconvenient, charging is inconvenient too, might as well stick with our bicycles."

"Don't be fooled by how happily they're driving now—soon enough they won't be able to drive anymore."

Actually, Qiangzi was full of hot air.

There had been unattended cars parked along the road earlier, but despite tinkering for ages, he couldn't get any of them to start.

Jiajia rolled her eyes and said: "If you can't get a four-wheeler, why not get a three-wheeler like Chen Ye..."

"Qiangzi, why don't we just take Chen Ye's three-wheeler?"

Jiajia lowered her voice to whisper in Qiangzi's ear.

Qiangzi glanced at the hand crossbow hanging from Chen Ye's waist, his expression cautious: "Jiajia, let's forget it, Chen Ye isn't someone to mess with!"

"And he's got that hand crossbow!"

"Hmph! Look how spineless you are!"

The yoga pants woman snorted coldly and fell silent!

Chen Ye hung the hand crossbow at his waist and tossed his bundle into the cargo bed.

Previously, this bundle had been somewhat awkward to carry on the 28-inch bicycle's rear seat.

Now placed in the three-wheeler's cargo bed, there was still plenty of extra space.

For some reason, today's travel pace was noticeably faster than yesterday's.

Fortunately, the three-wheeler had the energy-saving mechanism installed, making it even easier to ride than the previous 28-inch bicycle.

People riding bicycles nearby were sweating profusely.

While Chen Ye appeared quite relaxed.

Qiangzi pedaled his bicycle with all his might, his back completely drenched in sweat.

The yoga pants woman Jiajia, sitting behind Qiangzi, glared at Chen Ye with even more hostility.

"Houses! There are houses up ahead!"

Someone in the convoy suddenly shouted loudly.

This shout was like throwing a stone into a calm lake, creating ripples.

People who had been walking with heads down suddenly looked up toward the distance.

Their pale, malnourished faces were filled with greed and excitement, even a hint of terror.

Chen Ye looked up and saw rows of buildings lining the roadside, appearing like a small town.

Not just Chen Ye—everyone in the convoy turned to look at this cluster of buildings.

A town meant supplies.

Many people in the convoy had already exhausted their supplies.

Even Chen Ye didn't have much left in his backpack.

After the apocalypse, most towns had become human exclusion zones.

The more populated the town, the more dangerous it was.

For example, just thinking about a major international metropolis like Shanghai was enough to imagine how terrifying such places must be.

Those who had barely escaped from Jiangcheng had no desire to face those horrifying anomalies again.

If it were nighttime, the convoy would stay as far away from such towns as possible.

But now...

During daytime, anomalies generally didn't appear, giving survivors the opportunity to enter towns or villages to gather supplies.

The several off-road vehicles in the convoy noticeably accelerated.

Chen Ye secured his hand crossbow at his waist, stood up on his pedals, and accelerated toward the town on his three-wheeler.

Leaving the bicycle-riding survivors behind him.

Many cast envious glances his way.

"This beast! So fast?"

Someone behind Chen Ye cursed resentfully.

"Damn it, why doesn't he crash and die!!!"

"That... there might be anomalies in that town!"

"Damn it, who cares if there are anomalies or not? If I don't find food, I'll starve to death first!"

"The bold get fed while the cautious starve!"

"Charge! First come, first served!"

The entire convoy became electrified with excitement, even the exhausted survivors on foot found renewed energy.

As they approached the small town, sensing the eerie atmosphere emanating from it, everyone's feverish excitement cooled slightly.

Even before getting close to the town, they felt waves of spine-chilling danger.

The town sat by the roadside like a monstrous beast.

Despite being broad daylight, the entire town felt as gloomy and cold as the depths of a winter night.

One modified off-road vehicle was fastest, but just as it was about to enter the town, it suddenly slammed on the brakes, tires leaving two deep black marks on the ground while emitting a screeching sound.

Other vehicles following behind also produced sharp braking noises.

The noisy commotion suddenly fell silent.

As if someone had pressed the mute button.

Eerily quiet!

Chen Ye slowed down and approached the town's entrance alongside the four-wheeled vehicles.

When he got a clear look at the town before him, he felt like his intestines were being squeezed by an invisible hand, a chilling fear rising from the soles of his feet to the roots of his hair.