Chapter 319, Road Chase
"Brother, which shelter are you from?" Yang Long asked as he led the way.
"Old Factory Area!"
"You must have a good number of people with you. To trade so much grain, you must be quite capable," Yang Long continued.
Wu Heng glanced at him and replied directly, "Not many. We stumbled upon a grain store and got some supplies."
Yang Long smiled, "No offense, brother. We often collaborate with strong bases to clear special areas. When there's a chance, you can join us, and the spoils will be shared."
Wu Heng nodded, "If the opportunity arises, let's work together."
......
They reached a warehouse at the back.
The iron gate opened, revealing a trove of military equipment.
Yang Long had someone pull back the canvas, unveiling a twin-barreled cannon.
The two black barrels exuded a sleek, mechanical beauty.
Yang Long patted the cannon, saying, "GSh-23 twin-barrel cannon, loaded with 23mm rounds. Initial velocity of 715 meters per second, firing rate of 3400 to 3600 rounds per minute. It can easily shred conventional vehicles and some barriers."
Wu Heng didn't grasp the technical details.
All he gathered was that this thing packed a punch.
It wasn't intended for people but rather to destroy vehicles or machinery and defensive structures.
Machine guns could already kill swathes of enemies; this cannon, with its larger rounds, must be far more potent.
Wu Heng inspected it carefully and felt satisfied.
"How's it operated? Show me."
The cannon was mounted on a sturdy frame, seemingly allowing for significant maneuverability.
Yang Long and his men laughed and proceeded to demonstrate the operation, explaining how to aim and adjust the direction.
Without a control system, it required manual operation.
Similar to a machine gun, it was aimed directly at the target.
......
"Alright, the grain's on the truck outside the market," Wu Heng stated.
Although he couldn't test fire it, he was pleased with the cannon.
"I'll go with you, and we'll have the cannon transported out to you."
"Sounds good!"
They chatted while heading out of the compound.
Wang Chengang had also bought some tools and was loading them onto the truck.
Wu Heng approached, directing his men to start unloading the grain.
With so much to move, they weren't picky about rice or flour, just tossing out whatever came to hand.
Whatever they grabbed would do.
Observing their efficiency, Yang Long and his men guessed they had ample supplies.
As they unloaded the grain, Yang Long offered, "Next time you need something, just contact me. I'll arrange the goods for you, so you don't have to waste time in line."
"Sure," Wu Heng nodded.
Soon, they'd unloaded the grain, and Yang Long's team began inspecting it.
After confirming everything was in order, Yang Long picked up his radio, saying, "Bring the cannon and ammo over."
A truck emerged from within the compound.
With some help, they transferred the cannon onto Wu Heng's truck.
Once everything was secured.
Wu Heng directed his men to cover the truck bed with a canvas, "Captain Yang, we'll head back now."
"Take care!"
Wu Heng waved, and the convoy started moving.
Yang Long and his team, along with the large grain haul, crossed the market under the envious gaze of other shelters.
......
At the market entrance.
The crowd dispersed, but five men stayed, their eyes fixed on the departing trucks.
One of them cursed, "They traded so much grain for a cannon, damn it!"
"I was watching them closely. All that grain came from one truck. The other two must have loads of good stuff too, and there are only a few of them," added another.
"Boss, should we follow them? We might not stand a chance here, but we can take down those small fry."
"They just got that cannon. Are you looking to die?"
"The cannon and rounds are stored separately. If we strike quickly, they won't have time to use it," said the one who suggested the idea, glancing at the parked vehicles. "Didn't we just get a rocket launcher? When push comes to shove, we'll hit them with a couple of rounds. Trading the launcher for a cannon is worth it!"
The bald man with a goatee considered this, frowning.
In this world, it was kill or be killed.
These people bringing so much grain indicated they didn't have much street smarts.
Maybe this was his chance to score big.
After checking the surroundings and seeing no one else following, he said, "Let's go. If we pull this off, we'll have all the food and women we want."
"Alright, boss!" the others replied.
They headed to their vehicles.
Soon, a pickup and a few SUVs packed with people sped off in pursuit of the trucks.
......
Inside Wu Heng's truck.
"The prices here are so cheap!" Qi Hancai remarked.
"Yes, grain is a necessity, and as it depletes, we feel it's cheaper since we're well-stocked. But for other shelters, it's far from cheap," Wu Heng explained.
He had supplies from another world.
Otherwise, the Old Factory Shelter's survivors alone might struggle to hold up.
If that were the case, forget trading for cannons—they wouldn't even afford rifles and ammo.
Trading away anything might lead to hunger the next time around.
Qi Hancai went quiet, "You're right. Thank you for keeping all of us fed."
"We're in this together."
She smiled, "If you were a regional commander, I'd have joined you ages ago."
"It's not too late now."
"Heh! Anyway, it's just that..." Qi Hancai trailed off as Wu Heng raised a hand, silencing her.
He listened closely to something outside.
Qi Hancai also grew tense, checking the surroundings through the rearview mirror.
Wu Heng instructed, "Ask the rear truck if they see any vehicles approaching."
Qi Hancai immediately picked up the radio, relaying Wu Heng's question.
A response quickly came from the rear truck, "No vehicles spotted."
"No vehicles," Qi Hancai reported.
Wu Heng shook his head, "That can't be."
Just as he was about to have Xiaoxiao fly out to scout,
A few SUVs briefly flashed through the gaps between buildings along the roadside.
Both of them caught sight of the approaching vehicles.
They were indeed being followed.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a pickup roared onto the road, pulling alongside Wu Heng's truck.
The tarp covering the rear of the pickup was thrown back, revealing a heavy machine gun.
The barrel swiveled toward their truck.
"Die! I'll send you to your mother!" the man laughed, preparing to pull the trigger.
Swish!
Suddenly, an invisible force yanked the machine gun barrel skyward.
No matter how much he tried, the man couldn't aim it downward.
Seizing the moment, Qi Hancai yanked the steering wheel, ramming the truck into the pickup.
Bang!
The loud crash echoed.
The military truck shuddered slightly, while the pickup with the machine gun wobbled, veering uncontrollably and crashing into an abandoned car by the roadside. The hood flew up, spewing smoke.
Four more SUVs darted out from the side and followed closely.
Their windows rolled down, and rifles were pointed out.
Before they could shoot,
Their gun barrels also jerked around, aiming up and down, but never forward.
Wu Heng took out his pistol, using the effect of the [Hunting Ring], and fired two precise shots at the SUV with its window open.
Both bullets struck the driver's seat.
The SUV spun out, crashing into a bus stop.
Then, with a few more shots, Wu Heng hit the tires of three more SUVs.
The vehicles flipped, metal crashing and scattering in all directions.
The ambush was over almost as soon as it began.
Before some of them could react,
The fight was already finished.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, or the machine guns and rifles hadn't been fired, they might not have believed it happened.
"Is anyone injured?" Qi Hancai asked over the radio.
"No injuries!" came the reply.
"Same here!" answered another truck.
In the rearview mirror, a few people crawled out of their wrecked vehicles, cursing toward the trucks.
Qi Hancai looked back through the mirror, saying, "Some of them are climbing out. Looks like they're fine."
"Turn back and finish them off!"
"Got it!" Qi Hancai grabbed the radio, "Reverse, we're
going back to take them out."
"Roger that!"
"Roger that!"
The convoy reversed, speeding back to the overturned vehicles.
......
Under the bus stop shelter.
The bald man and his group struggled out of the car. Thankfully, the zombies in the area had already been cleared, or they would've been swarmed to death.
He coughed hard, smacked the smoking hood, and cursed, "Damn it! The gun moved by itself!"
One of his underlings said, "They must be Awakened, boss. We ran into Awakened ones!"
"Damn it, anyone can awaken these days," he muttered.
"Check on the others and pull them out if they're alive," the goateed man ordered, muttering bitterly, "I'll remember that guy and the woman. Next time, I'll blast them with a rocket lau—"
Mid-sentence,
He noticed something strange ahead.
The three trucks, which had disappeared down the road, were now rapidly reversing toward them, the canvas covers at the back swaying.
It looked like something was about to come out of them.