5: Desperate Alliance

Chapter 5: Oil-Bursted Zombie Tide, Alliance in Desperation

The roar of a car engine drew closer as an off-road vehicle's tires crushed the water-logged road surface, splashing water high into the air. The vehicle's body was riddled with bullet holes and claw marks, evidence of a fierce battle just fought. Atop the roof, a man was frantically firing a shotgun; the buckshot tore into the zombie horde, splashing black blood everywhere, yet it did nothing to stop the monsters that feared neither pain nor death.

"Dammit! We can't shake these beasts!" the man on the roof roared through the wind with a desperate howl. "Boss! The gas station is right ahead, let's charge in!"

The off-road vehicle didn't slow down, slamming straight into the gas station's entrance. With a loud 'boom,' the already damaged glass doors were shattered to pieces. The vehicle rampaged through the convenience store's shelves before finally skidding to a halt at the edge of the fuel tank area.

Lin Zhou's pupils constricted suddenly. Looking at the tide-like zombie horde surging behind the car and then at the nearby storage tanks, a plan instantly formed in his mind. He grabbed Su Mei and whispered, "Take the Conscript to the second floor of the convenience store. Guard the windows and don't let the zombies get near the fuel tank area."

"What about you?" Su Mei's voice carried a hint of worry.

"I'm going to meet these survivors and set some traps while I'm at it." Lin Zhou patted the Fire Axe at his waist and pointed to the storage tank's valve. "Keep an eye on that valve. As soon as I shout for you to act, open it!"

Su Mei didn't ask further; she simply nodded, grabbed a Fire Axe, and quickly led the Conscript into the convenience store. Lin Zhou took a deep breath, gripped the handgun he had borrowed from the Conscript, and walked toward the off-road vehicle.

The vehicle's doors were flung open, and three people jumped out—two men and a woman. All wore worn-out windbreakers and held machetes or steel pipes, their bodies covered in blood and filth. The leader was a burly man with a hideous scar across his face. He held a modified machete, his eyes scanning Lin Zhou warily.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Scarface's voice was hoarse, filled with heavy caution.

"Just a passing scavenger," Lin Zhou said calmly, his gaze shifting to the zombie horde drawing closer behind them. "You've brought quite a lot of trouble—about a hundred zombies, including seven or eight Speed Types."

Scarface's expression changed. He glanced back at the surging horde, then back at Lin Zhou. "Brother, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. We could..."

"I don't have time for nonsense," Lin Zhou interrupted, pointing at the fuel tank area. "See those storage tanks? They're full of diesel. A single flame can turn this horde into ash."

Scarface's eyes lit up instantly. The Short Man beside him immediately said, "Great idea! But how do we light it? We lost our lighter while we were running!"

Lin Zhou pulled a lighter from his pocket—one he had found in a fire box on the rooftop and kept with him. "I have one. But you'll have to do me a favor."

"Name it! As long as we survive, we'll go through fire and water!" Scarface said without hesitation.

"Guard the entrance to the fuel tank area. Don't let the zombies get near the valve," Lin Zhou pointed toward the convenience store. "My companion will cover you from the second floor. Once I lure the zombies into the center of the tank area, you open the valve and let the oil pour out."

Scarface and the others looked at each other and nodded. They were all survivors who had struggled through several days of the apocalypse; they naturally understood the feasibility of the plan.

Lin Zhou said no more and turned toward the gas station entrance. He deliberately slowed his pace, occasionally firing the handgun into the horde. Though the bullets didn't deal fatal wounds, they succeeded in drawing their attention.

"Hooo... Gurgle..."

The horde's attention was indeed drawn by Lin Zhou. They hissed and changed direction, surging toward him. Lin Zhou's eyes were cold and his pace steady, maintaining a specific distance as he led them step by step into the fuel tank area.

Soon, Lin Zhou retreated to the center of the tank area, with the abandoned tanker truck right behind him. He glanced back; Scarface and his group had already secured the entrance, while Su Mei and the Conscript had set up their positions on the second floor, muzzles aimed at the approaching zombies.

"Do it!" Lin Zhou roared.

Scarface immediately rushed over and twisted the storage tank's valve with all his might. With a 'hissing' sound, black diesel poured out like a waterfall, quickly coating the ground of the tank area. The heavy smell of fuel filled the air.

The horde had already flooded into the tank area. They stepped through the diesel with 'squelching' sounds, yet they still lunged recklessly toward Lin Zhou. Lin Zhou's gaze sharpened; he turned to run, simultaneously tossing the lighter into the diesel behind him.

"Boom!"

A pillar of fire soared into the sky, the orange-red flames swallowing the entire fuel tank area like a giant dragon. Intense heat instantly swept over everything. The screams of the zombies rose and fell, only to be quickly drowned out by the crackling of the fire. Black-red filth was evaporated by the flames, rising as pungent black smoke that condensed into dark clouds in the air.

Lin Zhou ran desperately toward the convenience store. The heat wave from the fire scorched his back, sending stings of pain through his skin. He burst into the store, and Su Mei immediately reached out to pull him up to the second floor.

Standing by the second-floor window, the group watched the raging fire in the fuel tank area, their faces showing the relief of survivors. The zombies struggled and burned in the flames, quickly turning into piles of charred remains, their previous ferocity completely extinguished.

"Badass! Brother, you are truly badass!" Scarface clapped Lin Zhou on the shoulder excitedly, his eyes full of respect. "If it weren't for you, we'd be dead for sure today!"

Lin Zhou waved him off, watching the flames gradually subside, though his expression remained solemn. "Don't celebrate too early. The light and smoke from the fire will attract even more zombies. We need to leave here quickly."

The smiles on the faces of Scarface and the others froze. They all understood Lin Zhou's meaning. In this apocalypse, any noise or light could invite a terminal disaster.

"We're coming with you!" Scarface suddenly spoke up, and the two men and one woman behind him nodded in agreement.

"We know of a warehouse nearby with plenty of supplies and metal parts," the Short Man added. "As long as you're willing to lead us, we're willing to give you everything in that warehouse!"

Lin Zhou's gaze landed on them. Though they looked wretched, they all seemed to have decent combat skills—especially Scarface, whose calloused hands and scars indicated he was a tough character. In the apocalypse, more helpers meant more hope for survival.

He turned to look at Su Mei, who gave a slight nod, clearly agreeing to take them in.

"Fine," Lin Zhou said deeply. "But on one condition: you must follow my lead and obey my orders."

"No problem!" Scarface and the others replied in unison.

Lin Zhou nodded and began to tally his gains. He had the Conscript dismantle the gas pumps and the metal signs, yielding quite a few metal points.

[Devoured a large number of gas pump metal components + metal signs, metal points +35, current metal points: 58.5]

[After conversion into red alert system resources, metal: 58.5, power: 2]

"Enough to build an Ore Refinery," Lin Zhou thought to himself. An Ore Refinery could automatically collect metal resources, meaning he would no longer have to dismantle things personally, which was vital for the base's development.

Just then, a faint groan came from outside the convenience store door. Lin Zhou's eyes sharpened as he immediately went to the window. He saw a girl in a school uniform lying on the ground; her leg had been scratched by a zombie, and the wound was already turning black.

"There's another survivor," Su Mei's voice was low.

Lin Zhou frowned. Looking at the girl's pale face, he hesitated for a moment. His instincts as a veteran made it impossible for him to just sit by and watch.

"Bring her up," Lin Zhou said heavily.

Scarface immediately ran downstairs and carefully carried the girl up. She looked only sixteen or seventeen, her eyes filled with terror. Seeing Lin Zhou and the others, tears instantly began to flow.

"Thank you... thank you..."

Lin Zhou looked at the wound on the girl's leg, pulled the last syringe of antibiotics from his backpack, and handed it to Su Mei. "Treat it. Whether she lives or not depends on her luck."

Su Mei took the antibiotics, nodded, and began treating the girl's wound.

The fire at the gas station gradually died out as the sun rose over the horizon. Golden sunlight spilled over the ruined city, yet it could not dispel the smell of blood in the air.

Lin Zhou stood by the window, looking at the distant streets, a new goal already in his mind.

"Once the girl wakes up, we go to the warehouse," Lin Zhou's voice was steady, carrying an unquestionable determination. "There are not only supplies there, but everything our base needs to develop."

Scarface and the others nodded, their eyes filled with hope.

On the second floor of the convenience store, sunlight streamed through the broken window onto the group, as if plating them in a layer of golden armor.

In the midst of desperation, a new alliance had quietly formed.