Free Web NovelChapter 802: Chapter 787: The Reason for the Explosion (Part 2)
As expected, Wang Zhongyu was right in guessing that they had indeed been tracked by bandits, yet judging by both their demeanor and tone, it seemed they were already aware of the situation. If that was the case, why wouldn’t they have made preparations to avoid being caught off guard?
"I must say, Brother Luo, it looks like you all live rather comfortably, and your days must pass pretty well, otherwise how would you end up with something like this?" Wen Quanxin connected Luo Baocun’s earlier eating habits and his affluent belly, quickly identifying that the other side’s life must be good, possibly carefree like Liu Fugui’s.
Luo Baocun chuckled to himself bitterly, thinking if his life were as smooth as Wen said, he wouldn’t have nearly lost his life in this mess.
He shook his head helplessly: "Brother Wen, the life you’re talking about is beyond my wildest dreams. If I had such good fortune, I’d have found a place to settle down long ago. Why run around like this?"
Wang Zhongyu also thought that their life must be somewhat unsatisfactory, otherwise who would be wandering the streets at this hour, so he asked curiously, testing: "What, are you not a local, Luo Bro?"
"No, I’m from ZJTZ city."
"TZ?" Wen Quanxin exclaimed: "Emma, what a coincidence! I visited your place a few years back, it’s not close to here, around a hundred kilometers, right?"
"Yes, that’s right, over 600 kilometers!"
"You didn’t drive all the way, did you?" This time it was Wang Zhongyu’s turn to be surprised. It wasn’t the distance that surprised him, frankly, a hundred kilometers was nothing for a professional driver like Wang Zhongyu.
Plus, with the interconnected highways, it’s both convenient and fast.
It’s because of these efficient roads that cities are getting closer to each other.
But after the apocalypse, everything changed. Not only were city driving conditions terrible, but even highways that should have been smooth were jammed due to people fleeing in panic during the initial outbreak.
Fortunately, Wang Zhongyu and his team were relatively lucky, as the roads they traveled—whether ring roads or highways—were fairly smooth, even if every trip left Wang Zhongyu exhausted. The problem lay with abandoned private vehicles that severely hindered traffic conditions.
So, it’s conceivable that Luo Baocun’s journey was full of hardships, and that the figure of over 600 kilometers was just theoretical. Once traffic jams or highway blockages occurred, hmm... it would be a tough ride for Luo Baocun.
"Haha, Brother Wang, I’d love to take a train, but is it possible?" Luo Baocun returned with a bit of self-mockery, as the journey was truly one he’d rather not remember.
"Seriously though, Little Luo, I just can’t figure it out. Why did you have to drive at this odd hour? What’s the rush you guys are trying to beat?"
Wen Quanxin’s question caught Wang Zhongyu’s attention. Right, why was Luo Baocun rushing at such a late hour unless he was out of his mind or there was some other hidden reason: "Brother Luo, could it be that you were being chased or attacked by those guys all along?"
"Not really, actually we shook off the robbers who were trailing us not long after we set out, and I think tonight’s encounter probably isn’t related to them."
Wang Zhongyu nodded: "However, if you have something on your vehicle they desperately need, they might not stop tailing you."
"Shouldn’t be," Luo Baocun thought about it: "Truth be told, apart from an oil tanker we’re traveling with, there’s nothing much else worth coveting."
"Damn, no wonder!" Wen Quanxin slapped Luo Baocun’s shoulder in realization: "Brother, no wonder you got robbed. People know what’s worth a damn in this world, oil and food are top of the list. You say you got a whole truck of it, ah..."
Seeing Wen Quanxin’s lamenting expression, Wang Zhongyu couldn’t help but smile.
Wen’s analysis was accurate. With such a valuable cargo, it was indeed no surprise they were targeted.
If he were a bandit, and saw such a fortune passing through his territory, whether day or night, he’d certainly want a piece of it.
However, this mention of the oil tanker sparked more curiosity in Wang Zhongyu, and he asked: "Brother Luo, seems like you’re planning to venture somewhere far with that oil tanker."
"Not too far, honestly. I’ll tell you both I used to stay at a gas station. I had no plans to return, and in these cities overrun with creatures, you can’t move without a vehicle. So taking more oil seemed right. But... sigh..."
Luo Baocun sighed; anyone could understand what he meant to express.
Wen Quanxin timely comforted him: "Brother, keep your chin up. If you ask me, these things are just external possessions. If they’re gone, they’re gone. Is any of it more valuable than your life? Surviving is already worth it."
Wen’s words might have been harsh, but they were quite reasonable. Luo Baocun nodded in agreement: "Sigh, it’s just a pity for my companions who traveled with me; they weren’t as lucky."
Saying this, he clenched his fists, cursing those blood-sucking robbers, worse than the zombies themselves.
"Brother, let bygones be bygones. By the way, why’d you come all the way from TZ to here?" Wang Zhongyu, curious about their purpose, seized the chance to shift the topic from the gloomy mood.
"We’ve been struggling to make our way to a shelter. You know how hard it is for survivors like us to last long in the city: food and drink are issues. So, upon hearing about the shelter, we decided to go."
"No way!" Hearing this, Wen Quanxin got excited and asked eagerly: "There’s a large survivor base nearby?"
But his enthusiasm was soon dampened: "No, it’s in HN."
"HN!" Long-time road traveler Wang Zhongyu immediately visualized the distance between the two places: "HN, it’s about 300 kilometers away."
"Yeah!" Luo Baocun nodded: "We were thinking since it isn’t too far, we’d hurry over to feel more settled. Who knew, sigh..."
The information provided by Luo Baocun seemed quite valuable to Wang Zhongyu; even Old Xu had been concerned about the second shelter issue recently. If what Luo said was true, it might just solve their problem. Wang Zhongyu’s interest piqued.(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to vote on qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)
