4: Scavenging after the rain

Chapter 4: Scavenging After the Rain, Diesel Crisis

The crimson rain finally lost its edge, turning into a pitter-patter of drizzle. A sliver of white appeared on the horizon, giving the ruined city's silhouette a hazy glow. At some point, the rooftop searchlights had automatically extinguished, leaving only faint black smoke drifting from the Power Generator Station's chimney, slowly dissipating in the cool breeze.

Su Mei leaned against the wall of the Barracks, some color having returned to her face. The wound on her arm had scabbed and hardened, the blackish-blue tint completely gone, though a faint, barely perceptible stiffness remained when she lifted her hand. She watched Lin Zhou squatting by the Power Generator Station, unscrewing the fuel tank cap to peer inside, her brow furrowing involuntarily.

"Not much diesel left?"

Lin Zhou straightened up, his fingertips stained with dark brown oil, his face expressionless. "It will last half a day at most; this thing consumes more fuel than I expected. Without power, the Barracks will shut down, and even ammunition replenishment for the Machine Gunners will become an issue."

His gaze swept over the streets below. After the rain stopped, the zombies' roars had weakened considerably; most were huddled in the shadows of buildings, with only a few scattered Ordinary Types wandering the streets. The silhouette of a gas station in the distance was clearly visible; though its red sign was half-fallen, it remained a conspicuous target.

"Target: the south city gas station." Lin Zhou pointed in that direction, his tone certain. "There's not just diesel there, but also a fuel tanker, which should be enough to sustain us for a while. Additionally, the gas station's convenience store and repair shop can yield quite a few metal parts."

Su Mei stood up and flexed her wrist. She tucked her Fire Axe behind her waist and gripped her military dagger. "I'm going with you. Are those three soldiers staying to guard the rooftop?"

"Two Machine Gunners will stay to guard the rooftop entrance and the railing to prevent zombies from taking advantage of any gaps." Lin Zhou turned to the three soldiers standing at the edge of the roof and gave a stern command, "Machine Gunner One, take command of rooftop defense. Kill anyone who approaches without exception. Conscript, follow me and Captain Su down to scavenge for supplies."

"Yes, Sir!" the three soldiers responded in unison, their voices powerful and resonant.

Lin Zhou said no more. He grabbed the Fire Axe from the ground, tucked it into his waist, took two spare magazines from the Conscript, and checked the chamber. After confirming there were no issues, he led the way toward the stairwell. Su Mei and the Conscript followed closely behind, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the empty stairwell, startling a few rats hiding in the corners that scurried into the darkness with sharp squeaks.

The stairwell was thick with the stench of blood and decay. The walls were covered in claw marks and bloody handprints, and every few steps, a rotting corpse could be seen—some were zombies, others unfortunate survivors. Lin Zhou walked at the front, Fire Axe held across his chest, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, not missing a single potential threat.

"Watch your step." Su Mei lowered her voice, pointing to a loose concrete slab on the floor. "In these old buildings, the structure becomes unstable after an earthquake. Don't step into a gap."

Lin Zhou nodded and lightened his steps, leading the two of them carefully around the area. When they reached the third floor, a zombie suddenly lunged from a corner. Its body was impaled by rebar, yet it remained alive, its cloudy eyeballs fixed on the trio as it roared and tried to pounce.

The Conscript was quick-handed; his muzzle tilted up slightly, and with a 'bang,' the zombie's head instantly exploded, splashing black blood across the wall.

[Ding! Conscript killed a Rank 1 Zombie ×1. Host receives 5 Experience Points, metal points +0.5]

[Current Level: 1 (40/100)]

Lin Zhou glanced at the system notification and continued downward without stopping. The fire door on the first floor had been deformed by zombies slamming into it, its surface covered in scratches and bite marks. Sunlight from outside filtered through the gaps, casting mottled shadows on the floor.

He reached out and pushed the door panel; with a 'creak,' the door opened a crack. On the street outside, several ordinary zombies were slowly wandering about, still a dozen meters from the entrance.

"I'll go out first to lure them away," Su Mei whispered, preparing to rush out.

Lin Zhou pulled her back. "No need. Conscript, take them out with semi-auto fire. Don't make too much noise."

The Conscript nodded, leveled his AK47, and aimed at the head of one of the zombies through the crack in the door. The gun fired, and the zombie fell to the ground. The other zombies paused for a moment, looking toward the source of the sound.

"Go!" Lin Zhou barked. He was the first to charge out, swinging his Fire Axe and hacking into the neck of the nearest zombie. Su Mei followed closely, her dagger precisely piercing the eye socket of another zombie with crisp, efficient movements.

In moments, the few wandering zombies were dealt with. Lin Zhou glanced at the gas station in the distance; it was about five hundred meters away, requiring them to cross two roads and pass an abandoned supermarket.

"Follow the green belt along the road; avoid open areas," Lin Zhou said deeply. "Zombies have poor eyesight, but their hearing and sense of smell are sensitive. Try not to make a sound."

The three of them crouched low and quickly ducked into the roadside greenery. The withered yellow weeds were knee-high and still wet from the rain, soaking their pant legs. They occasionally encountered a few zombies along the way, but the Conscript took care of them silently without causing any commotion.

Ten minutes later, the three finally arrived at the gas station. The station's main doors were tightly shut, the glass doors smashed to pieces. The interior was a mess, with convenience store shelves overturned and snacks and drinks scattered everywhere.

"Su Mei, guard the entrance and prevent zombies from approaching," Lin Zhou instructed. "Conscript, follow me to the fuel tank area."

The fuel tank area was at the back of the gas station, where several massive storage tanks stood. Beside them sat an abandoned fuel tanker; its body was covered in rust, but the tank itself looked intact.

Lin Zhou walked quickly to the fuel tanker and reached out to grasp the door handle. Immediately, a system notification sounded in his mind:

[Devoured a small amount of rusted iron (car door), metal points +3. Current metal points: 5.5]

[Convert to red alert system resources? Yes/No]

"Convert!"

[red alert system metal: 5.5, power: 2]

He didn't linger, moving to the back of the tanker where he saw the fuel lines connecting to the storage tanks. The fuel lines were thick steel pipes covered in valves; though somewhat rusted, they were still sturdy.

"This is it." Lin Zhou's eyes lit up. He pulled out his Fire Axe and carefully tapped the fuel line's connection. He had learned basic pipe maintenance during his military service and knew how to dismantle the fuel line.

The Conscript stood to the side on guard, muzzle pointed at the surroundings to prevent any accidents.

Just as Lin Zhou was about to finish removing the fuel line, a gunshot suddenly rang out from the direction of the convenience store, followed by Su Mei's low shout: "Speed Types! Three of them!"

Lin Zhou's heart tightened. His movements quickened, and with a sudden surge of strength, he wrenched the fuel line off. Black diesel began to gurgle out. Without time to think, he tore off his jacket to plug the end of the pipe and turned to rush toward the convenience store.

At the convenience store entrance, Su Mei was locked in combat with three Speed Types. Her arm hadn't fully recovered, making her movements somewhat sluggish. Her shoulder had been clawed, leaving a bloody trail, and the speed of her Fire Axe swings had slowed. Seeing a Speed Type's claws about to strike her throat, Lin Zhou roared. His Fire Axe whistled through the air with a sharp crack, burying itself deep into the zombie's skull.

"Pshhh!"

Black blood splashed across Lin Zhou's face, but he didn't care. He yanked the axe out and swung at another Speed Type. The Conscript also rushed over, his AK47 barking repeatedly, quickly finishing off the remaining two zombies.

Lin Zhou walked quickly to Su Mei's side to check the wound on her shoulder. It wasn't deep, but it was still seeping blackish-red blood. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Su Mei gritted her teeth and wiped the grime from her face. "I wasn't paying attention just now and got flanked."

Lin Zhou frowned, pulling iodine and gauze from his backpack to quickly treat her wound. "It's not safe here. Load the diesel quickly, then we retreat!"

He walked to the fuel tanker, filled several fuel drums they had brought with diesel, and had the Conscript dismantle the convenience store's metal shelves and checkout counter, yielding a good amount of metal points.

[Devoured medium amount of metal shelves + checkout counter, metal points +18. Current metal points: 23.5]

[After conversion to red alert system resources, metal: 23.5, power: 2]

Just as the three were preparing to leave, the roar of a car engine suddenly echoed from the end of the distant street, followed by intense gunfire and human screams.

Lin Zhou's expression changed. He looked up to see a modified off-road vehicle charging toward the gas station, followed by a dense, dark mass of zombies—there were at least a hundred of them!

"Damn it!" Lin Zhou cursed under his breath. "It's a survivor convoy; they've lured the horde here!"

Su Mei's face also darkened. She looked at the approaching off-road vehicle and the horde, then at the fuel drums on the ground, her eyes sharp as blades.

"We can't leave now," Su Mei said deeply. "The oil in the tank area is enough to blow half the block to the sky."

Lin Zhou's gaze fell upon the storage tanks, then toward the nearing horde. A bold plan instantly formed in his mind.