wavenovel Chapter 23 Buying and Selling Gas…
Chapter 23 Buying and Selling Gas…
Cao Shuang showed no politeness whatsoever. Since the other party had "given up" the oil well, he accepted this "courtesy" as a matter of course.
The Wuling Hongguang came to a steady stop in front of its designated gas station. He pulled out the fuel nozzle and inserted it into his fuel tank, which was theoretically always full but had to be "empty" at this moment.
The numbers on the gas pump screen began to jump, emitting a monotonous "click" sound, which seemed exceptionally clear amidst the noise and chaos.
However, Cao Shuang's "special treatment" immediately stirred up an even bigger reaction, like adding salt to a boiling oil pan.
"Why should I?!"
"Yeah! Why can he get gas without having to hand over supplies? And he gets to occupy a whole gas station by himself?"
"We waited in line for so long and submitted so much stuff, and he just cut in like that?"
"So what if you drive a beat-up Wuling van? So what if you have a gun? You're just a player like us!"
"Exactly! Everyone, be the judge! This is so unfair!"
Especially the elderly woman and her son, who had just suffered a great loss and had sheepishly returned to the back of the queue, were consumed by jealousy upon seeing this scene, and were so angry that they trembled all over.
The handprint on Old Lady Li's face hadn't completely faded, and now it was twisted even more grotesque with anger and jealousy. Pointing in Cao Shuang's direction, she incited the people queuing around her in a shrill voice:
"Look, everyone! Look! What kind of world is this! We were patiently queuing up, and those damned bastards bullied us. We handed over our things and we still got beaten up! And what about him?"
What gives him the right? Is he lawless? Is there no justice left? There are so many of us, are we afraid of just one person? Let's all go together and make him give up his gas! Everyone should get free gas!
Her son chimed in, his voice weak, but his eyes betrayed undisguised jealousy and malice.
"Mom's right! We're all players, why should he get special treatment? He must be in cahoots with those car thieves! There are more of us, we're not afraid of him!"
Some players, already resentful from the long wait and the surrender of valuable resources, were further incited by the mother and son.
Looking at Cao Shuang's dusty Wuling van and the lone man, they automatically ignored Chu Yao in the passenger seat and suddenly felt much more confident.
He's all alone! If there are so many of us, and we all rush at him, he can't possibly kill us all, can he?
The law does not punish the masses! A blind, oppressive, and wishful thinking mentality began to spread, and dozens of people started to stir, gathering around Cao Shuang's gas station with hostile eyes.
"Stop right there, you bastards!" A furious shout exploded like a thunderclap.
It was that scarred-face guy. He had just been scolded by the boss and was seething with anger. When he saw this group of reckless thugs trying to mess with that gun-wielding thug, he flew into a rage.
He and several of his men, carrying weapons, stood menacingly in front of the group of restless players.
"What do you want? Huh?" Scarface slammed his steel pipe against the ground, making a dull clanging sound, and his fierce eyes swept over the crowd.
"That's a stake that our boss specially approved for that brother to use! Anyone have a problem with it? Step forward!"
He specifically emphasized the words "special approval" and "brothers." The crowd froze instantly, intimidated by the "freight gang's" fearsome reputation and the gleaming weapons before them.
That blind courage I had just felt deflated like a punctured balloon.
Old Mrs. Li was still not giving up. Hiding behind the crowd, she shrieked, "Special approval? What makes you think he deserves special approval? Did he even hand over the supplies? This is discrimination! It's a cover-up! We demand fairness!"
"fair?"
Scarface seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He suddenly raised his steel pipe, pointing it at the barrel of Cao Shuang's AK-47 that was resting on the car window. His voice suddenly rose, filled with undisguised sarcasm and ruthlessness:
"Fairness? Let me tell you what fairness is! He has that thing, that's fairness! If any of you can pull out a real one and stick it to my head, I'll give you special permission to add another stake! Really? Huh?!"
His gaze was like a knife, sweeping across the faces that were filled with indignation, fear, or confusion:
"No? If you don't have any, then shut the hell up! Line up properly! Follow the rules! If you dare to make another sound, believe me, I'll throw you all out to feed the zombies!!"
The crowd fell completely silent. Guns, weapons of mass destruction that exist only in movies and news in peacetime, possessed overwhelming persuasive power under the rules of the apocalypse.
No one dared to mention "fairness" anymore, and no one dared to step forward.
Old Mrs. Li and her son also shrank back and hid deep in the crowd, no longer daring to utter a sound, only glaring at Cao Shuang from afar with resentful eyes.
Scarface snorted coldly before waving his hand to disperse his men and continue maintaining "order."
He glanced furtively at Cao Shuang and saw that the other man was still calmly cheering, seemingly oblivious to the commotion. His apprehension deepened. This guy was no pushover; it was best not to offend him.
Cao Shuang ignored the surrounding noise and undercurrents. He slowly "added the gas" (in reality, the gas flowed through a hidden pipe he had loosened beforehand into several large oil drums that he had prepared in advance).
He instructed Chu Yao, who was still somewhat shaken, "Don't just stand there, find all the containers in the car that can hold oil. Empty water bottles, lunch boxes, anything will do."
Chu Yao was taken aback for a moment, then understood. Fuel was hard currency here! And it was becoming increasingly hard currency!
The announcement stated that the next gas station is 100 kilometers away, and the distance will only increase over time.
Many cars, even with a full tank of gas, may not be able to reach the next gas station in one go. They have to rely on "all-purpose fuel" they find along the way, or, like now, store extra bulk fuel.
It's true that Cao Shuang has unlimited energy, but this fuel can be traded!
They can exchange it for other supplies they need, or even... as the system requires, for the opportunity to "connect".
She immediately sprang into action, rummaging through the carriages that had just been expanded to 10 cubic meters and were still piled high with supplies.
An empty mineral water bottle, and the exquisite lunchbox from the green box.
She even found several sturdy plastic bags... any container that could be sealed properly, and placed them at Cao Shuang's feet.
Cao Shuang was very pleased with Chu Yao's cleverness. He operated the oil gun and began to pour oil into the bottles and jars. The golden liquid gushed in, emitting a strong gasoline smell.
Soon, more than a dozen bottles and jars were filled, tied tightly with any lids or plastic bags they could find, and carefully stacked in a corner of the carriage.
That wasn't all. He then found two square metal sealed boxes from the pile of supplies, which he had obtained from opening the blue boxes earlier and used to store high-grade rations. He poured the little food left inside into a bag, thoroughly cleaned and dried the boxes, and filled them with gasoline.
These two boxes have a large capacity and good sealing properties, making them excellent oil storage containers.
This scene was naturally witnessed by many observant people around.
Seeing that Cao Shuang not only filled up his own tank but also recklessly stockpiled so much bulk fuel, many people's eyes turned red with envy.
That golden liquid, at this moment, was more tempting than gold to them; it was their life!
Greed once again overcame the fear of firearms. Especially seeing that Cao Shuang was alone and didn't seem to have any intention of leaving immediately, some of the bolder ones, or those who were truly desperate, gathered around again.