Doomsday Sequence Caravan: I Have a Mechanical Heart

"I'll go first." An Xin stepped forward, eager to try.

"Okay." Ling Hao looked at her and nodded gently.

An Xin reached into the box, excitedly stirred it a few times, and then pulled out a sticky note with the number 'four' written on it.

He immediately raised his hand happily, "Brother Mu, Brother Mu, look, we're the fourth one."

"Ha ha!"

"You've got good luck." Su Mu smiled slightly and complimented him.

Next, Yuyao drew number one and immediately glared at Cheng Jun in annoyance, "It's all your fault."

"No, what does this have to do with me?" Cheng Jun was bewildered, scratching his head, truly not understanding what he had done to offend Yu Yao.

"Hmph!" But Yu Yao ignored him and came to An Xin's side.

Song Weiwei stepped forward and drew the number three. Finally, Cheng Jun took out the last card, which had the number 'two' on it.

Then he looked at Yao Zhe and said, "Little Yao Zhe, we're meeting tomorrow. Remember to get plenty of rest during the day tomorrow."

"Okay." Yao Zhe nodded.

"The night watch order has been arranged now." Ling Hao looked at the group and continued, "So please be on your toes when the time comes."

"Arrange your daily routine in advance."

"No problem!" Cheng Jun and the others replied.

"Can people live in this cabin?" Su Mu thought of something and looked at Song Weiwei.

"Okay." Song Weiwei nodded. "But they're a bit dirty. I'll have someone clean all the cabins later."

"You can choose whichever room you want to rest in."

"Okay." Su Mu nodded.

Not long after they left the ruined city

Two figures appeared on the pier by the sea. One of them was the man in black robes from yesterday. He stood with his hands behind his back, watching the ship carrying Su Mu and his group sail away, and spoke to the burly man beside him.

"Wait a moment, take a few men, and follow them from a distance in a boat."

"Remember, don't lose them."

"Also, we absolutely must not let them find out."

"I understand," the burly man nodded quickly.

"Then I'll wait for you on the other side of the sea," the man in black said slowly. "Don't disappoint me."

After saying that, he turned and left.

"Yes." The burly man bowed to the man in black robes, then strode towards a courtyard not far away.

after an hour

Just as Su Mu and his boat were almost out of sight, a fishing boat about thirty or forty meters long left from a dock more than ten miles to the south.

In the wheelhouse at the bow, the burly man stood by the window, holding a pair of binoculars. He would occasionally pick them up and look through them, instructing the helmsman, "Don't go too fast, just follow along."

"Understood." The boatman, a dark-skinned man, quickly replied, "Boss, is Mr. Pei really going to give us a lot of food?"

"Of course you can." The burly man glanced at him. "Just focus on your work and don't ask any other questions."

"You'll have plenty of food and drink."

"Hehe, yes!" The dark-skinned man nodded quickly upon hearing this. "I definitely won't let the boss down."

After lunch

The ship that Su Mu and his group were on had already reached the deep sea area more than 200 kilometers away.

He led An Xin to a clean guest room and they went inside.

An Xin leaned against the window, watching the waves crashing on the surface of the sea, occasionally letting out a gasp of amazement. Suddenly, she turned to Su Mu, "Brother Mu, are there really little mermaids in this sea?"

"No." Su Mu came to her side and shook his head. "That's just a story or legend."

"Oh." An Xin pouted, seemingly disappointed. After a moment of silence, she asked again, "What's in this sea?"

"Various kinds of fish," Su Mu said casually, "and corals and stuff too."

"Coral?" An Xin looked at Su Mu. "I've never seen coral before. Can you tell me what coral looks like?"

"Okay," Su Mu agreed, and then began to explain to An Xin.

After a moment, An Xin suddenly heard something, her eyes lit up, and she quickly tugged at Su Mu's arm, "Brother Mu, did you hear someone singing?"

"I heard it." Su Mu stood up and looked out the window with a serious expression. The song, which came from outside the window, was long and melodious, full of a desolate sense of loneliness.

"Brother Mu, look!" An Xin saw something again and quickly pointed out the window, excitedly saying, "A little mermaid, it's a little mermaid!"

"Where?" Su Mu looked around but didn't see any little mermaids. He frowned and asked An Xin.

"It's right outside the window," An Xin said, somewhat puzzled. "It even waved at me."

"Wave?" Su Mu was taken aback and looked outside again, but he still couldn't see anything except the sea.

Suddenly he realized something. Could that singing be some kind of eerie method that allows someone to see what they want to see?

Thinking of this, he hesitated for a moment and looked out the window.

A moment later, he saw that the scene outside had changed; it was no longer the sea, but a fertile wilderness covered with golden wheat. Moreover, he found that the more he looked at the scene, the more real it seemed, and it had even begun to affect his surroundings.

He was startled and quickly regained his composure, dismissing the thought from his mind.

When he looked at An Xin again, he found that she had climbed onto the windowsill and was about to open the window and go out.

Su Mu was startled and quickly stepped forward, pulling her down. "Get down quickly, it's dangerous."

"The little mermaid wants to play with me." An Xin turned to look at Su Mu, a hint of displeasure on her face. "Why won't you let her?"

"That's an illusion." Su Mu pulled her to his side and buried her head in his chest. "Close your eyes and think about eating chicken legs."

"?" An Xin was stunned. Although she didn't understand Su Mu's words, she hesitated for a moment and then did as he said.

A few seconds later, Su Mu looked at her and said, "Open your eyes and look outside. Are there any more little mermaids?"

"Wow!" An Xin's eyes lit up. "So many delicious chicken legs! I want to eat them!"

As he spoke, he rushed toward the window again.

Su Mu felt a bit annoyed, but quickly hugged her tightly. "Okay, okay, I'll give you some chocolate."

"Okay." An Xin thought for a moment and agreed.

Su Mu breathed a sigh of relief, turned his head and saw the curtains, quickly pulled them back, and instructed An Xin, "But you must promise me that you will not look out the window again."

"I understand." An Xin nodded vigorously.

He had just handed An Xin a piece of chocolate when he suddenly heard the sound of people falling into the water outside. And not just one, but seven or eight splashes followed.

And then there were greedy voices, "So much food, hahaha, it's all mine, all mine!"