"There's gasoline and food in the service station, and our goal, in addition to these two items, is one more thing, the most important one: we need a temporary base."
"You've seen the situation in the city. Soon, survivors will choose to leave the city in search of a way to survive. Right now, none of us know when rescue will arrive. So, before that happens, it's best not to take any rash actions."
"Taking over this service station can not only provide us with food security in the short term but also help us get information from the city."
Jianyi calmly explained her analysis to Long Xiaohu, but in reality, this wasn't her ultimate goal.
She had memories of the apocalypse from her past life, so she knew where the safest place was. However, she also didn't want to live the same restricted life as in her previous life. This time, she had taken the initiative, free from the influence of the main characters, and she could find a safe and secluded place to build a fortress, grow crops, and live freely.
She had deliberately chosen this rest area up ahead. Behind it was a slope without vegetation, making it immune to surprise attacks by mutated plants. In front of it was a wide highway, allowing for an easy escape. Moreover, the route she was taking was completely opposite to the one taken by Huo Chengzhang and the others in her previous life, so she was unlikely to encounter them again.
So, for now, all she needed to do was quietly observe the situation from the shadows. If she was lucky, she might encounter a few like-minded individuals with abilities, making her plan even more perfect.
Although Long Xiaohu found Jianyi's words a bit strange, he also thought she made sense. They knew nothing at the moment, so taking rash actions was indeed risky.
It was now one in the afternoon, and nightfall was approaching. If they were going to take action, they needed to do it quickly.
However...
"What if there are a lot of zombies inside the service station? Should we retreat?" Long Xiaohu suddenly thought of this and asked vigilantly.
Jianyi smiled, her lips curving to reveal a pair of sharp little canines. Her already beautiful features became more lively with this smile, leaving Long Xiaohu momentarily stunned.
In that moment, he seemed to see the same smile on that snowy evening years ago, and then... his nightmares began.
"Why fear zombies? What you should be thinking is, what if there are other people inside the service station," she said with a tone reminiscent of a school principal, patting his shoulder as she spoke.
Although her strength was not great, Long Xiaohu was pushed back a step, and his heart sank.
Jianyi raised an eyebrow and called for Chen Junsheng to get in the car. "Let's go, it's getting late. I want a place to stay tonight."
The motorhome started and sped away quickly, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Zhao Na shouted from the car, "Xiao Hu, are we going?"
Long Xiaohu nodded and got back into his pickup truck, following the motorhome ahead.
He had no chance to turn back now; he could only follow Jianyi's lead.
All the same, their luck didn't seem to be too good. There were not only wandering zombies in the service station but also living people.
"Their vitality is quite tenacious," Jianyi murmured in a mocking tone as she observed a young man in orange work clothes, who had been eyeing Jianyi's group warily. He looked to be in his twenties, tall and skinny.
There was also a woman in casual clothing in the store, in her thirties, who seemed excited to see Jianyi and her group. She was probably a survivor passing by.
However, the inside of the store was dimly lit, and Jianyi couldn't be sure if there was a third person inside.
The sound of the car engine starting caught the attention of the roaming zombies, and they slowly began to converge on the motorhome and pickup truck.
The zombies on both sides, locked behind closed doors, became excited. The banging sounds were heard from within, as if they were trying to break down the doors and rush out.
"What if they come over? What should we do now, Junsheng?" Zheng Lanxin looked at the approaching zombies outside and became very anxious.
Jianyi cast a mocking look at her stepmother. Compared to the shock brought by the zombie horde, these zombies outside were simply not worth her attention.
However, that strange feeling came again. She had a hunch that these zombies weren't interested
in her. The reason they were converging was because of the people around her.
The motorhome was sturdy and secure, so Jianyi remained calm. However, Long Xiaohu, who was following behind her, was getting nervous. His pickup truck was neither high nor robust, and if Jianyi didn't take action soon, he would have to drive away to save himself.
Fortunately, just as the zombies were about to surround his pickup truck, the motorhome in front suddenly moved.
It charged forward, knocking down three zombies in its path with great force, then circled around the gas station, leaving the zombies scattered and disoriented. It was a fearless and vigorous display.
Long Xiaohu was momentarily stunned. He had never seen this kind of action before.
Following Jianyi's example, he tried to imitate her. He drove his pickup truck over the fallen zombies to ensure they wouldn't recover their attacking strength anytime soon.
Soon, both vehicles safely parked in front of the store. The motorhome's tall and sturdy body effectively blocked the store's entrance.
Inside the store, the two people who had been contemplating whether to help were clearly startled. They watched as the doors of the vehicles opened, and a man and a woman walked out, each carrying an ice pick and menacingly approaching the zombies.
"Long Xiaohu!" Jianyi shouted as she joined the group of zombie slayers. She continued to finish off the zombies that couldn't get up.
Long Xiaohu clenched his fists and reluctantly joined the group of zombie slayers. However, as a tall and strong young man, his actions were not as precise and efficient as Jianyi and her brother's.
The strange and bloody scene left the two people inside the store with their hair standing on end. It was only when Jianyi and her group had finished off the zombies, covered in dirt and blood, and came to stand in front of them that the two people finally snapped out of their stupor.