Chapter 22: The Gas Station

“Damn it!” Wang Zhi slapped the steering wheel as he looked at the blurry windshield.

The zombies around them were getting more numerous. If they didn’t speed up soon, the car would soon be surrounded by zombies, and they would be trapped with no way out.

Wang Zhi had no other choice. He picked up his handgun and used the stock to smash the windshield, clearing the blurred glass.

Once the glass was removed, Wang Zhi could clearly see the road ahead. He immediately slammed on the gas and sped out.

Without the windshield, Wang Zhi could finally see the road clearly. After driving for a while, they had fortunately moved away from the bustling city center, and there were no more blockages on the road.

Wang Zhi glanced down at the fuel gauge, and it was already on empty! He had severely underestimated the fuel consumption. With 28 people in the car, they were significantly overloaded, and their fuel usage was almost double the normal amount.

After driving for a while, as expected, the car began to slow down and eventually stopped.

“What happened? Why did it stop?” Fatty asked, confused in the back seat.

“We’re out of fuel.”

“What? Are we going to walk the rest of the way?”

“We’re less than a kilometer from the gas station. Fatty, you stay here and protect everyone. The three of us will go get the fuel,” Wang Zhi turned and said.

“Wait! You’re leaving me here alone?” Fatty looked around nervously, as zombies began to appear sporadically.

“There are still more than 20 people back there. What are you afraid of?” Wang Zhi responded.

“20… I…” Before Fatty could finish, Wang Zhi pulled him out of the car.

“Don’t forget why we came out here!”

“I understand, Captain Wang, but are you really leaving me here alone?” Fatty asked, a bit scared.

Wang Zhi looked around, “There aren’t many zombies here, and on the outskirts, as long as you keep quiet, staying here should be safe.”

“Alright! You guys hurry up and get the fuel!” Fatty replied.

After the three of them left, Fatty quickly got back into the car.

“Don’t make a sound. If any zombies show up, I can’t protect you,” he warned the others.

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The three of them made their way to the gas station. Most of the cars there were full of zombies, so they kept a safe distance from them to avoid ambushes. Cautiously, they moved towards the gas station.

At the gas station, there were many abandoned cars, and the ground was covered in corpses.

“It looks like this place has already been looted,” Lao He commented, seeing the glass door of a nearby convenience store smashed.

“We’ll check it out first. Stay alert,” Wang Zhi ordered.

The three of them cautiously approached the gas station, staying back-to-back to avoid being surprised by zombies. As they approached a car, a zombie behind it noticed them and suddenly attacked. Wang Zhi, already prepared, quickly plunged his dagger into the zombie’s skull, killing it instantly.

They continued eliminating a few more zombies and eventually reached the convenience store inside the gas station.

As Lao He had said, it had already been looted.

However, the fuel barrels were still intact, so they took two bottles each and packed them into their bags.

“That should be enough. Let’s head back,” Wang Zhi said.

On their way back, Wang Zhi noticed that Lao He was frowning.

“What’s wrong, Lao He? Are you feeling unwell?” Wang Zhi asked.

“No, I just feel something is off,” Lao He replied.

“Off? What do you mean?” Wang Zhi asked.

“Why do you think the people at the Dawn Tower knew about the apocalypse in advance, almost as if they could foresee it?” Lao He expressed his confusion.

“There are two possibilities. First, the apocalypse was caused by them. Second, they knew someone was going to cause it, but the person was too powerful for them to stop,” Ying analyzed.

Wang Zhi fell into deep thought after hearing this.

Yes, the apocalypse seemed to be planned in advance. The real question was whether it was caused by the Dawn Tower.

“I hope it’s the first option,” Lao He said.

“Why?”

Wang Zhi asked, confused.

“If it’s the second option, it’s not good for us. Our enemies won’t just be the brainless zombies,” Lao He said, his voice grim.

Wang Zhi’s heart skipped a beat. He realized that if it was the second option, they would be facing something even more terrifying than the Dawn Tower.

“We don’t have time to discuss this right now. Let’s think about it after we get out of here alive,” Lao He said, quickly walking ahead.

The three of them took about an hour to return to the car, and when they arrived, they found several more corpses nearby. Wang Zhi immediately understood that it was Fatty’s work.

When Fatty saw them return, he quickly ran up to them, asking about the situation.

Wang Zhi went over to the car, emptied the fuel cans into the tank, and started the car again. As they drove on, the number of vehicles on the road decreased. They had fully entered the outskirts, and Wang Zhi kept an eye on the map.

“This should be the place! We’ll head two kilometers further in, and it should be right around there,” Wang Zhi said as he stopped the car, looking at the nearby rice fields.

Everyone got out of the car and stretched their stiff limbs. The ride had been uncomfortable with so many people crammed into one vehicle. Now that they had arrived at an empty area, it felt like they had reached an oasis of safety, and hope appeared on everyone’s faces.

“Hong Ge, what’s the shelter you mentioned like? Can you tell us about it?” a student asked curiously, walking up to Fatty.

“There’s nothing to explain. You’ll know when we get there. Stay focused on the road and be alert,” Fatty said impatiently.

In the rice fields, Wang Zhi didn’t notice any zombies, but he stayed vigilant as always. It had become a habit he could never let go of.

Just then, Wang Zhi suddenly felt a tug on his backpack from behind.

Tensing up, Wang Zhi spun around, ready to use his dagger.

He turned to find it was just Jia Liuli.

“It’s you,” Wang Zhi said, lowering his dagger. “Remember, if you’re behind someone, speak up first.”

“I’m sorry,” Jia Liuli said apologetically, lowering her head.

“Is something wrong?”

“After we get to the Dawn Tower, can I stay with you guys?” Jia Liuli asked, looking at Wang Zhi with longing in her eyes.

“It should be fine. But let’s get there first. I’m worried that once you see that place, you won’t want to leave,” Wang Zhi answered honestly.

“Okay!” Jia Liuli’s face brightened when she heard Wang Zhi didn’t reject her request.

Wang Zhi had already been considering making Jia Liuli the team’s tenth member. Now that she had actively come forward to request it, it saved him from having to convince her. He knew that no matter where you went, people would form small groups. Standing with the right people and forming the right circle was important—it would directly impact one’s entire life.

Wang Zhi couldn’t guarantee that the choices these people made were the right ones, but he could honestly say that he would never betray them.