"Boss, you call the shots!" Lu Feiguang was now completely following Xiao Wenqiang's lead.
"Let's go south! The economy is more prosperous there, more rich people, and thus more police presence." Ye Yao suggested, having had the same thought initially. It was also because she went south that she met the male protagonist of the novel, Liang Yunchong.
However, the current Ye Yao had not yet experienced this plotline. It was just an intuition that made her want to go there.
"Boss, can we go north?" Yang Ning, who hadn't spoken much, whispered, "My home is in that direction. I want to go back and see my family."
An Xin quickly raised her hand too, "My home is also to the north, I agree we should go north."
Xiao Wenqiang's gaze turned to Zhu Yan, who numbly shook her head, "I have no opinion, whatever everyone decides is fine."
"Then how about we head north? That's where the national leaders are gathered, so the safety should be higher!" Xiao Wenqiang's home in this world was in the northwest, and she actually had a selfish desire to visit her parents as well.
Except for Ye Yao, everyone else nodded in agreement.
Ye Yao pouted, really not wanting to go north. She had a strong feeling that the south was where she was supposed to be. "How can you guys be so unreasonable, not respecting my opinion at all!"
"The minority obeys the majority. If you don't like it, you can choose to go south by yourself." Xiao Wenqiang's expression also hardened.
"I was just offering my opinion. Wenqiang, we've always been the best of friends, why are you being so harsh with me?" Ye Yao acted wronged.
"Because some of your words and actions lately have made me question if it's still appropriate for us to be friends!" Xiao Wenqiang deliberately spoke in a gentle tone.
"Wenqiang, you've really misunderstood me, I didn't mean..." Ye Yao tried to salvage the situation.
"Then shut your mouth and stop the nonsense!" Xiao Wenqiang said, then ignored her and motioned for the two boys to find a relatively large and intact-looking SUV.
The three of them worked together seamlessly, lured out the zombie driver, and dealt with it perfectly. In less than five minutes, the six of them squeezed into one car and headed north. Fortunately, there were no patrols on the road now, otherwise, it would definitely be considered overloading.
...
Stopping and starting, five days later, Xiao Wenqiang and her group arrived at S City.
This city was formerly a relatively prosperous coastal area, but now it was in ruins, desolate.
Since the most important thing when driving a car was consuming gasoline, their first task upon entering S City was to find a gas station.
Although there was no internet, thankfully the navigation system they had downloaded onto their phones was still functioning. Following the navigation, the SUV drove towards the nearest gas station.
The area around this gas station was fenced off with various steel plates and barbed wire, with only a gate at the main entrance for a single car to enter and exit. Yang Ning, being very cautious, slowed down and parked the car nearby.
Xiao Wenqiang and the others disembarked in batches, tiptoed to the vicinity of the main entrance, and began to observe.
"You can't do this! At a time when humanity's survival is at stake, how can you monopolize this gasoline?" The first voice to speak was a very familiar male voice. Zhu Yan, who was nearby, immediately pricked up her ears and moved closer to peer.
"We're not monopolizing it! Didn't our Big Ming say you can exchange it for food!" another flippant man said.
"But our food is running low too. We're all humans, can't you just give us some gas." another unfamiliar woman pleaded.
"Little sister, we're all humans, so people can't be so greedy!" the flippant man continued, "We occupied this gas station first, so naturally, we get to decide. It used to cost money to refuel, now it's just exchanging money for food, isn't that reasonable?"
"The gas station isn't yours, and you can't use this much gas, so why can't you give us some?" The familiar man was Wang Hu, and beside him was an unfamiliar young woman.
"Stop wasting your breath with him. Either exchange for supplies, or get lost!" another man with a low voice gave the order.
"You..." Wang Hu seemed about to lash out, but there were three strong men on the other side, and he was the only man on his side, clearly at a disadvantage. So he swallowed the curse that was about to come out and said to the woman beside him, "Xiao Die, if it weren't for your safety, I would have definitely fought them!"
The girl named Xiao Die, whether genuinely foolish or pretending to be, looked up and said innocently, "Brother Wang, you don't need to worry about me. People like them, without empathy, should be taught a lesson."
These words were naturally heard by the three men at the gas station. The first flippant man couldn't stand it anymore and, grabbing an iron rod, struck Wang Hu's small sedan with a "crack."
Instantly, the windshield shattered into a spiderweb pattern. The scene was somewhat like the blood vessels on a zombie's face, ferocious and terrifying.
"Damn it!" This time Wang Hu couldn't hold back, drew the kitchen knife he had scavenged on the road, and swung it at the man.
The outcome was predictable. Wang Hu, alone, couldn't possibly fight against three men. He was quickly subdued by the opponents. The one called Big Ming stepped on Wang Hu's back and said, "How about it, kid! Still being difficult?"
At this moment, Wang Hu was crying, his face bruised and swollen, unable to even speak. He could only shake his head in pain. As for the girl named Xiao Die, who had gotten a ride with him and had come along, she had already driven away in the small sedan with the broken windshield as soon as she realized Wang Hu was outmatched and the situation was bad.
Big Ming ordered his two subordinates to tie up Wang Hu, "Leave him to hang as bait later!" Then he turned towards the main entrance and said, "Friends outside the gate, have you watched enough of the show?"
Xiao Wenqiang and the others knew they had been discovered, so they didn't hide and walked in openly.
"You're Big Ming, right? We're just passing through and want to buy some gasoline from you." Xiao Wenqiang walked directly to the leader.
Since the outbreak of the zombie virus, Big Ming had seen all sorts of people. Therefore, the moment he saw the woman in front of him, he had an instinct that she was someone not to be trifled with.
"No problem, no problem. How much gasoline do you need?" Big Ming spoke while his eyes scanned the others who followed her in.
Wang Hu saw Zhu Yan at this moment and his face lit up with joy. He spat out a broken tooth and called out to Zhu Yan with a gap-toothed mouth, "Yanzi! Great, you're still alive! Yanzi, quickly save me!"
Big Ming's expression changed, and he frowned, asking, "What? You know him?"
Xiao Wenqiang bared her teeth and smiled, "Yes! But we have a grudge!"