Chapter 1019 - 1004: Mountain Forest Operation (6)

Chapter 1019: Chapter 1004: Mountain Forest Operation (6)

The gas station was indeed eerily quiet, but in the post-apocalyptic world, if you want to obtain resources, you must face unknown dangers.

"Stop the car!" Old Xu gestured for Luo Baochun to halt.

As Luo Baochun applied the brakes, Old Xu was the first to leap out of the vehicle.

Thud, thud, thud, he tapped on the back door three times, and then the door opened from inside.

Hu Xiaodong, Wei Dazhuang, and others from the squad jumped out one after another.

The team members who "saw daylight again" were all greedily gulping fresh air.

Despite Wang Zhongyu opening a vent in the back compartment, the cramped space with so many people made the air inside unbearable.

"Wow, looks like someone’s been here," Hu Xiaodong said with a smile, noticing several corpses strewn around the gas station.

Upon hearing this, Hua Biao stepped forward, glanced at the corpse, then stood up: "There’s a hole in the head, they were shot dead."

"This one too! This guy has a hole in his forehead!" Lei Tong exclaimed in surprise.

Listening to their comments, Old Xu’s eyebrows furrowed.

"Could it be them?" Tang Xiaoquan appeared out of nowhere.

Old Xu glanced at the young man, obviously his words hit the nail on the head.

Indeed, ever since entering the gas station, Old Xu had sensed something amiss.

First of all, there were no zombies, which was highly unusual for this type of location.

With the frequent flow of vehicles daily, during the apocalypse, this place wouldn’t become a major disaster area, but there should be some mutated zombie creatures.

Secondly, the scattered bullet casings on the ground.

In a foreign country, they might mean nothing.

But in Huaxia Country, where guns are strictly controlled, they meant one thing: danger!!

In the post-apocalyptic world, human nature becomes unpredictable, and people who were once kind might reveal the darkness within under the harsh rules of this cruel jungle.

And if these unstable people acquired guns, the consequences would be dire.

So, for these corpses, Old Xu had to be extra cautious.

If the corpses were originally zombies killed, that’s one thing.

The fear was they were people killed while trying to get fuel, which would be...

Without acknowledging Tang Xiaoquan’s conjecture, Old Xu directly issued orders: "Xiao Luo stay in the car, keep the vehicle running. Hua Biao, Lei Tong, you two guard the road! Xiao Hu, Dazhuang, keep an eye on the front. Qiang, Xiao Tang, come with me to get the fuel."

Orders were given, and the survivors immediately took action.

Yet, Luo Baochun added, somewhat unnecessarily: "Uh, I’m urgent to pee, can I go to the toilet?"

Old Xu couldn’t refuse Luo Baochun’s request, given that nature calls are uncontrollable.

Furthermore, during a long journey, who doesn’t occasionally need an urgent pit stop?

Considering the tense situation, Old Xu ordered: "Handle it right here!"

No one knew if the restrooms might hide danger; Old Xu just wanted to gather fuel and leave the station.

He didn’t want to send anyone for a restroom check, nor did he want to create additional trouble.

Luo Baochun, being a veteran driver, was apparently accustomed to "handling things on the spot."

With men all around, there was nothing shameful about unzipping and peeing.

Luo Baochun simply unzipped and peed by the tire.

As Luo Baochun vented life’s essence, Old Xu led Wang and Tang towards the fuel tanks.

They brought all the household fuel-storing equipment they could use.

No choice, coming out wasn’t easy, so adhering to the principle of maximizing resource carry, the survivors "put everything into it."

Each person carried two large cans, and Hu Xiaodong kept his eyes closely watching Old Xu and the others’ steps, his Compound Bow drawn to full.

Right now, if any danger threatened the three’s safety, he’d immediately release and send the "threat" to its grave.

Approaching the fuel tanks, Old Xu unscrewed the cap of the fuel can, then jabbed the detached fuel nozzle into the can opening, set it up, and pulled the trigger, but...

The anticipated fuel stream didn’t occur; the digit indicator on the tank remained unchanged.

In vain, he tried several more times, yet still, the fuel gun showed no sign of motion.

Meanwhile, Wang Qiang and Tang Xiaoquan finished their prep work as well.

Old Xu subconsciously glanced at them, noticing Tang Xiaoquan’s change in expression; he immediately understood they likely faced the same situation.

"Old Xu! This tank has no fuel!" Wang Qiang wasn’t like Old Xu or Tang Xiaoquan, trying every which way; after failing once again, he quickly announced.

Sometimes the truth can be despairing; though Old Xu and Tang Xiaoquan knew Wang Qiang spoke the truth. However...

Looks like other teams must have taken the fuel away first.

Old Xu sighed quietly, slowly twisting the cap back onto the fuel tank.

Just when he issued the retreat command, unexpectedly, Tang Xiaoquan approached and added.

"Old Xu, do you think those people might have taken the fuel?"

Old Xu couldn’t know for sure; he shook his head: "This... hard to say, could be it, could not."

"Well, let’s hope not, Old Xu, look, this station is less than half an hour’s drive from their base; it’s a good place for them to get fuel."

In the past, upon hearing Tang Xiaoquan’s reasoning, Old Xu might truly worry a bit, but now, he wasn’t worried at all, and instead hoped Tang Xiaoquan’s prediction was accurate.

Wonder why? The reason is actually very simple!

Luo Baochun had already mentioned, during his encounter with Wen Quanxin, he was on his way to get fuel.

And the encounter took place near the villa.

So, if the prisoners did indeed ransack this station, it must have been quite a while ago; otherwise, Luo Baochun wouldn’t skip a nearby station for a villa.

"No matter who they are, let’s leave here first." Owing to Luo Baochun’s identity, Old Xu couldn’t reveal the truth.

Due to this, he was even more aware of the danger here.

After all, compared to mindless zombies, gun-wielding bandits were indeed more worrisome.

Without fuel, the survivor team’s purpose of staying here vanished.

So once Old Xu’s command was given, everyone orderly retreated back into the vehicle.

Fortunately, although the fuel collection mission failed, as it was mid-route, there was no loss for the survivors.

After getting back in the car, the survivors continued driving toward the city.

Everyone believed that once in the city, all their resource supply needs would be fully met. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations, monthly tickets; your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)