[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-zombie-apocalypse-creation":3,"chapter-zombie-apocalypse-creation-zombie-apocalypse-creation-chapter-534":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Zombie Apocalypse: Creation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1887620,2510,"Chapter 534 534: Buses and Trucks","zombie-apocalypse-creation-chapter-534",534,"\u003Cp>\"Mhm... Wait, what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiaoyun's brain was caught a little off guard, as it had been auto-piloting the conversation for a while now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What? Don't look at me like that. You never had sex with an older woman before?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course I did. My wife is the same age as me.\" Xiaoyun instantly answered with no hesitation, not wanting to be looked down on by Jianguo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then you know what I am talking about... Man, my back is going to break after I get back home.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Jianguo stretched out his back a little, Xiaoyun's brain was still a little confused by what he was trying to imply. But he wasn't willing to lose face by asking it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Actually, speaking of age, how old are you?\" Jianguo curiously asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm... Thirty-nine years old.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thirty-nine? That's three years younger than me... You don't mind me calling you Brother Songming, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Jianguo call him a younger brother, Xiaoyun was a little annoyed, but he didn't really want to ruin the mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course not, Brother Jianguo... Woah, be careful.\" Xiaoyun warned as a few abandoned wheels lie right in the middle of the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know, I know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car quickly fell back into silence as Jianguo shifted his attention back onto the road, ending the gossip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifteen minutes later...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the two of them drove past the security checkpoint, they had finally arrived in Guangzhou proper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You can just drop me off here. I can get back to Luoping myself.\" Xiaoyun stated as they stopped at an intersection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you sure? I can just drive you there. It won't take that long,\" Jianguo offered as the light changed back to green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's fine. You don't want to be late for your wife's anniversary any longer, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a short consideration, Jianguo pulled the car over to the side before looking over at Xiaoyun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thanks, man. I really appreciate what you have done for me today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I should be the one to say that. Thanks for the drive... Here's a gift before I leave. Take it as a payment for those villagers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, no, no. You don't have to——\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Jianguo could say anything, Xiaoyun had already hopped out of the car, blending into the crowds of people who had gotten off from work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's no need for that...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jianguo sighed as he turned the car key again before looking over to the passenger seat, a backpack that Xiaoyun had left behind as a 'gift.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whatever... I need to get back home first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That should probably be enough to pay for those villager's medical bills... Jianguo's wife will probably be pretty happy seeing that, too, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Xiaoyun stood in a line behind a bus stop, his mind wandered back to the short afternoon adventure he had had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he wasn't able to capture the full experience of the village or find an answer to the city of Changsha's past, he was still happy with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, people were still happy with the status quo, at least in comparison to the outside world from which many of the refugees came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Secondly, the lack of job opportunities had pushed people into farming, especially outside of the major city under his control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third and most importantly, the gas shortage was clearly hindering every aspect of life and all the progress he was trying to make.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why is it rationed that severely... Didn't we still have a month of fuel left?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiaoyun murmured himself as he thought back to the talk he had with Yuqi. He could even clearly recall the exact report sheet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yo bro, are you taking this bus or not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, sorry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice behind him quickly snapped Xiaoyun back to reality as he took out his wallet before putting a few NRC dollars into the bus fare machine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After paying, he took a few steps inside before realizing the entire bus was full to the brim, leaving barely any room to move, let alone sit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So many people...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course, there's a lot of people. This is the last bus to Luoping for tonight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning around, a young man with a few dimples on his cheeks was right behind him—the same voice as the one who made him move earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really? But doesn't the bus run until nine o'clock usually?\" Xiaoyun curiously asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look at the sign over there. What do you think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Xiaoyun looked over to where the man pointed, he saw an announcement sign that stated the bus schedule was being cut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two hours of bus operation were lost, from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM, with one hour lost at the start and the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You guys didn't hear about the gas shortage? There's even a rolling blackout implemented in certain areas.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An older woman on the left answered, chiming in as all three of them stood right next to each other at the front of the bus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is it that bad?\" Xiaoyun questioned, his face starting to look a little concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's almost worse than the oil crisis my parent lived through back in the 70s. I can't believe I'm going to live without having light back home.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just a month, and we'll be good at least. The newspaper already said the oil refinery is starting back up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man replied, his voice sounding much more optimistic than the old woman's pessimistic tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah? And what's going to happen when they run out of oil to refine?\" The older woman questioned back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man on the right fell into silence, unable to argue back as he knew the answer he gave was a temporary solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm sure Governor Chen will figure it out.\" The young man desperately answered back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah, right. A man in his twenties that has no experience in governing a country will figure that out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey you, what do you think about this oil crisis?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man questioned, looking over at Xiaoyun, who had been silent after asking the question at the start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It should be fine... The last time I heard from my comrades, they told me that they were heading towards Zhanjiang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zhanjiang? What's so special about a fourth-tier city?\" The older woman questions with doubts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait, wait, wait. I get it! Wushi oil field! I remember seeing it on CCTV when I was a kid!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the young man's face filled with excitement, the older woman's face darkened as she fell into silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whatever.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yo, do you guys mind quieting down? It's a little distracting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bus driver's voice instantly made both of them fall into silence, more so for the older woman, who looked a little embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was almost as if she was starting to realize she was debating someone young enough to be her son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, look like I'm at my bus stop. Thanks for the talk.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Xiaoyun hopped out of the bus, his poker face instantly turned into a deep frown as he thought back to the conversation earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear that something severely wrong had happened while he was gone, something that had gone drastically off the rails.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking down the streets, he still couldn't think of a reason that could have led to this severe gas shortage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a second, a reasoning came up in his brain. An answer that could fully explain where all the gas had gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck. Did that trip really take all the gas?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not wanting to leave the troubles for himself later, Xiaoyun immediately turned around and began heading the other way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few minutes later...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Xiaoyun arrived at the military storage unit, he asked one of the guards at the front where the car storage was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being led to a massive open-air parking lot, he could see hundreds of cars before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The majority of them were filled with a dried, red stain, the same ones he had left in Changsha a day ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking through the modified sedans and SUVs, he finally found a semi-truck in the back that looked barely scratched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the semi-truck wasn't locked, allowing him to enter straight into the driver's seat with no problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where's the key... Here it is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking the car key out of the glove box, Xiaoyun inserted it before giving it a little turn. With the engine roar, he knew the truck worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now I just need to drive this out of Luoping carefully...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Digging through his memories, he eventually found one that showed how he once had sat next to a semi-truck driver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the gear switched and a downward press, the semi-truck finally began moving with its single bar of gas left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have to make this quick... God damn, this thing is hard to manage. Come on! Just believe in yourself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing a sudden loud roaring sound from the engine made him feel a little uncomfortable. Still, he continued driving, pushing the gas pedal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The back of the truck is fine... The back of the truck is fine... You don't have to look. Just don't look at it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cramped parking lot started to make Xiaoyun regret it as every turn felt like pushing tofu forward without breaking the corners.\u003C\u002Fp>",1533,"2026-06-10T06:59:51.848Z",1,"novelbin.me","3e025de4d9c5819964d4033a2a7685853f1fb37bb0442142687fab17ec908f32","zombie-apocalypse-creation-chapter-781","zombie-apocalypse-creation-chapter-780",829,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fzombie-apocalypse-creation-cover.jpg"]