CHAPTER 7 :
The trade continued for more than an hour.
At first, people were cautious, sticking close to their own groups. But as time passed and no conflict arose, the tension slowly eased. Supplies were limited, so trading didn't last forever. Eventually, conversations replaced transactions.
For many, it had been days since they had seen another group of survivors.
Voices grew louder.
Laughter, though rare, began to appear.
A man from the Peace Convoy sat near a Hope Convoy guard, shaking his head.
"You people… you're too organized. Makes us look like amateurs."
The guard smirked slightly.
"Organization keeps you alive."
"Yeah," the man sighed. "Starting to think we joined the wrong convoy."
He wasn't the only one thinking that.
Several people whispered among themselves. Some even openly talked about switching convoys. Compared to Peace Convoy, Hope Convoy looked stronger, more stable, safer.
Shen Miao noticed it and frowned slightly.
"They're losing confidence," she said quietly to Xu Ming.
Xu Ming didn't look surprised.
"It was bound to happen. Strength attracts people."
"Are we going to stop them?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"No. If someone wants to leave, they'll leave anyway."
Not far from the crowd, Li Xuan walked slowly.
His eyes moved across faces, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
The shadowless man.
He had seen it clearly.
"No shadow… that's not normal," he muttered.
At first, he tried to rationalize it. Maybe it was the angle of light. Maybe he missed something.
But the more he thought about it—
The more uneasy he felt.
"What if it wasn't a person?"
His heartbeat quickened slightly.
"What if it's something that already infiltrated them…"
He glanced toward the Hope Convoy.
"With so many Sequencers there… how could something like that exist?"
That thought made him even more anxious.
"If it's still there… then it's strong."
Very strong.
Li Xuan made a quiet decision.
He began moving closer to Xu Ming's group.
"If something happens… I need to be near the strongest people."
He wasn't ashamed of it.
Survival came first.
"I'm not sleeping tonight," he thought.
"If anything goes wrong, I run."
Meanwhile, the trading area remained active.
But not everyone was relaxed.
A few people had noticed something strange.
A man whispered to his friend, his voice low.
"Hey… did you see that guy earlier?"
"Which one?"
"The one near the vehicles… I swear he didn't have a shadow."
His friend frowned.
"You're overthinking. We're all stressed."
"Maybe…"
But he didn't sound convinced.
Not everyone dismissed it.
Some people quietly distanced themselves.
They didn't say anything.
But their eyes kept scanning.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then—
Someone screamed.
"G-GHOST!!"
The voice was sharp and filled with panic.
People turned instantly.
A young man stumbled backward, pointing with a trembling hand.
"That guy! He doesn't have a shadow!"
For a moment, silence fell.
Then chaos erupted.
"Ghost?!"
"Where?!"
"Run!!"
Fear spread like wildfire.
People began pushing each other, trying to get away. Some dropped their belongings. Others tripped and fell, only to scramble up again in panic.
"It's here! It's inside!"
"We're going to die!"
Within seconds, the entire trading area descended into disorder.
Li Xuan's eyes sharpened.
"Damn it… so someone else noticed."
He stepped back slightly, already preparing to move.
"If it turns hostile…"
He didn't finish the thought.
By the time the panic reached its peak—
The Sequencers moved.
Xu Ming arrived first, his voice cutting through the noise.
"Stop running! Calm down!"
At the same time, Xiao Yiming and his group stepped in from the other side.
"What's happening?" Xiao Yiming asked sharply.
Several survivors pointed frantically.
"That man! He has no shadow!"
"He's not human!"
"Kill him!"
All eyes turned.
The shadowless man stood there quietly.
He didn't run.
Didn't panic.
He just stood still.
Xiao Yiming looked at him.
Then—
His lips twitched slightly.
As if he understood something.
He raised his hand.
"Everyone, calm down."
His voice wasn't loud.
But it carried authority.
Surprisingly, people began to quiet down.
"That man," Xiao Yiming continued, "is one of ours."
Murmurs spread.
"What…?"
"He's a Sequencer," Xiao Yiming said calmly.
"The reason he doesn't have a shadow… is because of his ability."
Silence followed.
People looked at each other.
Confused.
Uncertain.
Zhang Xuan frowned.
"That's… a weird ability."
Xue Yong spoke casually from the side.
"There are stranger ones."
The crowd slowly calmed.
Fear didn't disappear completely.
But it faded enough.
People stepped back, keeping their distance.
No one approached the man anymore.
The shadowless man didn't explain anything.
He simply nodded once to Xiao Yiming.
Then turned and walked away.
His steps were steady.
Unhurried.
Xu Ming walked up to Xiao Yiming.
"You should've mentioned that earlier," he said quietly.
Xiao Yiming gave a helpless smile.
"Didn't think it would cause this much trouble."
Xu Ming stared at him for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Keep your people in check."
"Same to you," Xiao Yiming replied.
The situation gradually stabilized.
People returned to trading, though the atmosphere had changed.
There was less talking now.
More caution.
More distance.
Li Xuan exhaled slowly.
"So… it was just an ability," he muttered.
He felt a bit foolish.
"I almost overthought it."
Still…
Something didn't sit right with him.
But he couldn't explain why.
After a while, he shook his head.
"Whatever. Just stay alert."
As evening approached, the trading finally ended.
Both convoys returned to their respective areas.
The temporary peace remained.
But it felt thinner now.
Fragile.
Night fell.
Darkness swallowed the land once again.
Fires were lit.
Guards took positions.
Some people slept.
Others stared into the distance, lost in thought.
Li Xuan lay down inside his tent.
But he didn't close his eyes immediately.
He stared at the ceiling.
Thinking.
Replaying everything.
"The ability… or something else…"
After a while, he exhaled slowly.
"I'm just overthinking."
Finally, he closed his eyes.
Outside—
The guards patrolled quietly.
The camp looked peaceful.