Chapter 47

The composition of this group is very complex.

There are ordinary citizens, street vendors, city management officers, traffic police, as well as thieves and gang members... In short, they have all gathered together to survive. They might have once despised each other due to their professions and social status, but now they must cooperate to fight against the terrifying zombies.

Gray Shirt is a twenty-something thug.

He claims to be the boss of a gang in a certain area of the city's west, controlling several streets.

No one knows Gray Shirt's real name; he calls himself "Leopard Head."

When bored, "Leopard Head" likes to talk eloquently about "Water Margin" to others, often inserting phrases like "Song Jiang, that ungrateful wolf," "The government is full of people like Cai Jing," and "All government officials are like Gao Qiu." He always talks about how beautiful Lin Chong's wife is and how she was toyed with by Gao Qiu's son, saying that this is a true reflection of his own life... Lu Tao doesn't know if "Leopard Head" is particularly fond of this plot or if his real experiences are indeed like this. But there are a few things that can be certain: "Leopard Head" didn't even finish elementary school; he knows nothing about the characters in "Water Margin" except for Lin Chong, Song Jiang, Lu Zhishen, and Wu Song; this guy is very lustful, especially towards young and beautiful women, and when he talks about them, he calls them "sluts" or "bitches."

As for another young man with an unconventional appearance, a bizarre and unique hairstyle, and a bit of a rural flavor, his name is Li Shunfa, who works as a helper in a hair salon.

Of course, he claims to be a "very professional barber."

But some people in the group like to call him "XX District Haircut."

Lu Tao has a scholar's unique arrogance.

He instinctively dislikes these people but has to join this group due to the threat of zombies.

Lu Tao's elegance and arrogance are equally unacceptable to others, and his handsome and cold appearance even causes some people to envy him. However, after he single-handedly killed four zombies in a battle, the cold remarks from behind him decreased significantly. People like "Leopard Head" are also willing to get closer to him from time to time.

...

The words just spoken clearly hurt "Leopard Head's" self-esteem. He felt that Lu Tao had rudely deprived him of what he valued most, even though it was just a facade to intimidate others.

"I'll do whatever I want. You little brat, don't act all high and mighty in front of me. Don't think that just because I give you some face, you can get cocky. Wait until I get a gun..."

"Then go get one—"

Lu Tao interrupted his vicious words, pointing to Su Hao and the others standing opposite, and said lazily with a cold smile: "Go ask that person for it. You said—this is your territory."

The gas station to the north of the camp is very close. People usually get some gasoline from here to mix with wood and other flammable materials to cook and boil water. To be honest, Lu Tao doesn't want to share the gasoline with outsiders, but he's not crazy enough to think he can be an enemy of Su Hao. He was just talking casually.

The professional barber Li Shunfa stood to the side, his mouth open, looking foolishly.

He doesn't care who wins or loses between Lu Tao and "Leopard Head"; it doesn't matter to him. But whoever loses, he will follow the winner and kick the loser a few times.

One: For the thrill.

Two: For the thrill.

Three: Still for the thrill.

Lu Tao has never liked these people, thinking they are ignorant and arrogant.

For example, just now, "Leopard Head's" understanding of guns is entirely from movies, and his way of speaking is basically imitating the new version of "Young and Dangerous." If a real gun were put in front of him, he wouldn't know how to use it and might even throw it away as scrap metal.

Thinking about how "Leopard Head" often talks about Lin Chong's wife in a very lustful way, Lu Tao feels a sense of helplessness and irritability. He has no family left and has lost his future ideals. He lives purely out of instinct, or rather, because he doesn't want to be food for the zombies.

He is very confused and doesn't know what to do...

His thoughts gradually drift away, and his expression becomes dazed. "Leopard Head" has been glaring at Lu Tao, and he immediately notices that the light in Lu Tao's eyes is dimming. He chuckles coldly and pulls out a triangular scraper from his pocket.

"Leopard Head" decides to give Lu Tao a good lesson—though he is very good at fighting zombies, he doesn't give him face and doesn't follow the rules. Stabbing a few holes in him can also intimidate that pretty, soft man... Yes! That's right, let them know my strength, and the pretty girl might even like me because of it.

Isn't that how it is in movies?

Knock down the other side's leader with one strike, then you can drive his car, use his money, and have his woman!

That's what life is.

Just as he is about to stab with the knife, "Leopard Head" feels a strong pressure in his ears—the roar of an engine coming from a distance, causing the ground to vibrate. If this were a bustling city before the virus outbreak, it wouldn't have caused such a strong shock. Now, the city is almost empty, with people either dead or scattered. Even a rat running on the empty, silent streets would attract attention, let alone the noise of vehicles speeding by.

"Leopard Head" turns around in shock and sees two heavy oil tankers turning at the street corner, speeding towards the gas station. The iron-gray bodies of the vehicles are filled with a menacing metallic texture, and the oval-shaped oil tanks evoke terrifying words like "explosion," "flame," and "death." They roar, getting closer and closer, until they slow down in front of the gas station.

Du Tianhao, a tall and muscular man, jumps out of the driver's seat. He has a half-smoked cigarette in his mouth and looks at Lu Tao and the others with a somewhat puzzled expression, then turns his gaze to Su Hao, walks over, and shouts in a hoarse, rough voice: "Boss! You called us in a hurry, is there a problem?"

Behind him, five more team members jump out of the two vehicles. They are fully armed, holding new "Type 95" assault rifles, and quickly climb to the roof, taking control of the high points around the gas station. In just a few minutes, the entire gas station is within their firing range.

Su Hao is not a professional soldier, but he has a close relationship with the military in the future and knows some basic training.

He looks at the three young men frozen in place, opens the car door, takes out a battery, and hands it to Du Tianhao, instructing him calmly: "Go and connect the power, drain all the oil here, not a drop should be left."

The two thirty-ton capacity vehicles are enough to transport the remaining gasoline and diesel from the underground oil depot.

Du Tianhao takes the battery, spits out the cigarette, and stamps it out with his foot. He grins, looks at the opposite side, and hands the battery to Xin Yan, who is standing next to him.

"This kind of technical work should be done by you. I'm better suited to stand here and keep an eye on those guys with bad intentions."

As he speaks, he shows off by taking off his T-shirt, revealing a muscular and explosive chest. In the glaring sunlight, the giant man's arms bulge with thick veins, and his exposed skin glistens, looking like a sculpture made of steel.

He clearly understands Su Hao's way of doing things. Although it's not explicitly stated, the current situation is clearly a standoff. Du Tianhao doesn't think Lu Tao and the others have the strength to threaten him—they are thin, while he has muscles. His tall and muscular build, combined with weapons, is more convincing than any verbal intimidation.

Lu Tao silently watches Su Hao and the others. He sees them connect the power, take out a large flexible hose from the office, and connect the underground oil depot to the oil tanks on the vehicles. With the roar of the engine, the stored oil rushes into the tanks like a flood.

"Leopard Head" has already put away his knife. He opens his eyes wide, watching this intimidating scene... Yes, it is indeed very impressive. He confirms again that the guns in Su Hao's group are real, not high-quality toy guns made of plastic. Especially Du Tianhao, that man stronger than a bear and looking like a beast, makes him truly understand the descriptions of heroes in historical novels.

Damn—drinking fifteen large bowls of wine without even peeing, getting drunk and killing a tiger, Wu Song probably wouldn't be any different.

And, Lu Zhishen, that fat monk, also has a real-life prototype. Pulling up a willow tree... looking at the guy with arms thicker than his waist, he probably wouldn't have any problem pulling up a utility pole.

Looking at his own thin and weak body, and then at the other guy's legs like steel pillars... this feeling makes "Leopard Head" very uncomfortable and also somewhat understands why Lu Tao mocks him.

While it's still light and there are no zombies on the road, let's go!

Lu Tao has been watching Su Hao.

This attention is not out of hostility but out of interest and speculation due to their similar ages. Especially in appearance, Lu Tao thinks the other person might be younger than him.

His guess is correct—Su Hao's new body is only nineteen years old physiologically.

Lu Tao doesn't quite understand why Du Tianhao and the others are willing to respect Su Hao as their leader.

He clearly heard Du Tianhao call Su Hao "Boss."

And the others, especially Xin Yan standing next to the SUV.

They don't have the conflicts within their own team, they look united, have intimidating guns, and know how to operate electricity... They may have much more than what appears on the surface.

Maybe, I should join them?

...

Su Hao doesn't notice Lu Tao and the others leaving. His full attention is on the two oil tankers extracting the fuel.

This is a large gas station.

After Xin Yan connects the power, she discovers that the total capacity of the underground oil tanks is actually 120 tons, with over 90 tons of various grades of gasoline and diesel still remaining, far exceeding the normal load capacity of the two oil tankers.

At 4:26 PM, the two vehicles are already full, and two more oil tankers, which have received orders, slowly enter the station to continue extracting the remaining fuel.

The noise from the oil pumps inevitably attracts some zombies. The team members on the roof, who are familiar with the surrounding terrain, confirm that there are no large groups of zombies nearby, and they send three people to deal with the approaching zombies. They also use the radio to contact the bank building, requesting that two combat teams be sent over quickly to support the smooth operation of the fuel extraction.

Su Hao pins a zombie to the ground, breaks its hands, and extracts a sufficient dose of the necrotic hormone. This light brown biological liquid still looks turbid in the sunlight, like a cappuccino with too much milk. However, Su Hao can keenly discern that the necrotic hormone in his hand is slightly darker than the first one he extracted when he first arrived in this world.

The metal needle inserted into the pineal gland to extract the hormone inevitably carries some of the zombie's own bodily fluids. It could be cerebrospinal fluid or pus filled with a large amount of virus. These fluids do not affect the purity and effectiveness of the necrotic hormone, but they can indicate the strength of the extraction target through color. According to the general monster strength evaluation criteria in the future world: the darker the bodily fluids, the stronger the monster.

Yes! The zombies in this world are gradually evolving over time.

This is not an illusion but a clear and undeniable reality.

Su Hao sighs inwardly, puts away the tube containing the hormone, and earnestly instructs Du Tianhao, who is standing next to him: "Don't waste too much time, be vigilant, and retreat immediately if you detect a large group of zombies. We need the fuel, but I don't want anyone to be injured or killed for it."

Du Tianhao nods in agreement, repeatedly clenching his hands, making a "cracking" sound.

The silver bones, combined with the effects of Su Hao's blood on the human body, have produced a fusion-like enhancement. This change is not just in strength and physique but also in appearance. For example, Du Tianhao, a man who had already stopped growing physically, has grown nearly two centimeters in height in just a few months. His skin's keratin layer is thicker, and his muscles are as heavy and solid as steel ingots. Especially his typical "square" face, with the masseter muscles tightly stretched by the prominent cheekbones, forming a rugged appearance between the jawbones. He looks cooler and more like a sculpture than Arnold Schwarzenegger's cold face in "The Terminator."

After giving these instructions, Su Hao turns and gets into the passenger seat of the SUV. Xin Yan and Yang Luolu, a nine-year-old girl, are already sitting in the car. The little girl, with a "Alps" lollipop from a roadside store in her mouth, asks in a childish voice: "Where are we going now?"

Su Hao looks at Xin Yan and says calmly: "Gas Station No. 1."

...

The traffic report for Kunming City in January 2020 shows that by the end of the previous December, the total number of private cars in the city had exceeded 3 million.

The increasing number of cars requires sufficient gas stations. Especially the ring road under construction near the outskirts, the number of gas stations along the way is even more than in the city. Compared to the city, the outskirts are farther from residential areas, providing some safety, and the traffic is not as congested.

When planning the escape and relocation in the future world, Su Hao had already investigated the surrounding area of the time-space landing point through a computer.

He carefully considered the coordinates for the construction of the wilderness camp: it is near the main traffic artery, with a river nearby that has abundant water. The soil is fertile, the geological structure can support the construction of deep buildings, and the surrounding area has not experienced natural disasters such as landslides. Due to the replacement of old and new roads, there are seven gas stations of different ages within a radius of the camp. Four of them are newly built, with distances ranging from 600 meters to 5 kilometers. The other three had stopped operating half a year ago, and the owners were in the process of applying for the scrapping and dismantling procedures.

The outbreak of the virus disrupted the progress of all affairs in the world. The abandoned gas stations could no longer be dismantled, and they still retained complete electrical control equipment, as well as a complete set of underground oil tanks and connecting pipelines. Two of the gas stations, located near the main traffic artery leading to the suburbs, had a large number of freight trucks stopping to refuel every day,