Doomsday Roulette

“Ah! He’s awake!”

The woman called Candy was the first to notice Ye Zhongming opening his eyes, letting out a low exclamation.

The others quickly gathered around, looking at this somewhat peculiar person.

The apocalypse had started for over a month, and humanity had gradually adapted to days filled with blood and bones. They had begun a new life, although this life could hardly be described as beautiful or happy.

Words like roulette, profession, skills, monsters, zombies, and so on had replaced the popular terms of the peaceful era, becoming the new focus.

People had found a new narrow bridge, and everyone was crowded on it; some stood steady while others fell off.

Life would find its own way.

Especially for the wise human beings, everyone started to strive to be the ones not pushed off.

This team was no different, and they were aware that they had firmly stood on the narrow bridge.

Ye Zhongming glanced around and quickly grasped his situation.

This was a very standard hunting team.

The reason he said this was that among the seven, some held shields, some spears, some bows and arrows, and one was holding… a green potion bottle.

Close combat, siege, defense, ranged, and support; these were almost the standard configurations for a hunting team. Even if a small team evolved into a battle group, it wouldn’t change the essence, just magnifying these factors countless times.

What Ye Zhongming noticed first was not the little girl who seemed eager to help him, but the elderly man who held the team's power of speech.

With a head full of white hair, bright eyes, and a calm demeanor, he appeared… not very friendly.

Ye Zhongming sensed the hostility this old man held towards him.

This was not surprising. If he were in the position of a captain with absolute authority over team members, he would have left by now instead of staying here because of one member's kindness.

Next was the young man who had rummaged through his gear, wearing an unfriendly expression and scanning Ye Zhongming’s face like he was looking at a corpse.

Finally, Ye Zhongming looked at the young girl with a round face and round eyes, who revealed a charming dimple when their gazes met, and whose figure was somewhat plump as well.

This girl couldn’t be older than sixteen, Ye Zhongming judged in his heart.

After glancing at the green potion bottle the girl was holding, Ye Zhongming realized she was an alchemist.

This green bottle was a unique marker of alchemists—Grip of Equilibrium.

Combining this with what he had overheard earlier, Ye Zhongming understood why this team was still here watching over a ‘dying’ person like him. The alchemist girl had not left, and clearly, she was the backbone of this team.

Restoration potion?

That’s a good thing. It seems this little alchemist got a decent recipe when she obtained her profession.

Typically, when someone first acquires a profession, they get one or several skills, but certain special professions provide recipes instead, which essentially become their skills.

Professions like pharmacist and alchemist are such professions, wielding the power of the world through recipes.

Ye Zhongming glanced at the others, seeing no one particularly noteworthy, except for the middle-aged man standing beside the girl who caught his attention for a bit longer.

This man seemed to have a closer relationship with the girl, and he was the only one in the seven-man team who wasn’t an evolver.

Ye Zhongming smiled inwardly; it seemed this team was far from as harmonious as it appeared. Moreover, this middle-aged man and the girl didn’t seem to have the status they deserved.

“Hey, can you talk?”

The young man next to Ye Zhongming, presumably named Tian Jia, kicked him and asked.

“Who… are you?”

Ye Zhongming’s voice was hoarse, and speaking caused a metallic taste to rise in his throat; his injuries were still severe.

“You don’t need to know who we are, but you need to tell us who you are. Why are you here in the red egg? Are you alone or do you have other companions? What’s your purpose?”