Chapter 28: Isn't This Just a Pain in the Ass? A Gas Tank!

Chapter 28: Isn't this a pain in the ass? Gas cylinders!

Bang!

That was a gunshot.

The zombies in the building were instantly agitated by the noise. Lin Jiao and Xu Bin rushed to the railing to look down; the shot had come from below. Lu Feng hurried over as well and saw a man covered in grime sprinting desperately on the fourth floor, with a dense swarm of zombies trailing behind him.

To Lu Feng’s shock, a gray monster the size of a calf was tearing through the zombies, lunging toward the man.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The man fired continuously, but while the bullets struck the monster, they merely hindered it rather than killing it. The firearms were no match for the creature; they only bought the man a little time as he scrambled toward the stairwell.

"A mutant beast!" Lin Jiao whispered, her expression darkening. She and Xu Bin had been trapped here precisely because of these creatures.

As the gunfire continued, the zombies in the building grew even more restless. Two piercing shrieks echoed from elsewhere—evidently the other two mutant beasts Lin Jiao had mentioned.

"Damn it, he's running upstairs. Let's go," Xu Bin said, his face changing instantly.

Lu Feng sensed the commotion below and followed Xu Bin upward. Even the zombies on their current floor had discovered them and were lunging toward them. This was truly a pain in the ass.

"Ah..."

A shrill scream soon drifted up; the man had clearly met his end. After a long while, the surroundings finally returned to silence.

On the eighth floor, Lu Feng, Xu Bin, and Lin Jiao carefully peeked out.

"Damn, it’s still on the sixth floor," Xu Bin cursed under his breath.

Lu Feng saw the mutant beast as well; it was busy gnawing on the man’s corpse. He felt utterly frustrated. It was just like those movie plots where, just as you reach the entrance of a jewelry store ready to grab the goods, something like this happens.

Since bullets couldn't handle the beast, he didn't believe his steel blade or the axes and steel spikes carried by Xu Bin and Lin Jiao would be any more effective. Looking at their expressions, it was clear they had no intention of engaging it either. Besides, he couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't alert the beast while moving goods on the sixth floor. They might be discovered the moment they stepped out.

If the beast rushed into the jewelry store, it would be game over, and they would have to find another shop in the department store.

"Boss, this is quite helpless," Lin Jiao sighed.

"I don't believe we can't take it down," Lu Feng said fiercely before heading back upstairs. Once at the Qingfeng Teahouse, he exited the game with a thought.

The man’s failure to kill the beast was simply due to insufficient firepower. He recalled that a group who had arrived with Lin Jiao and Xu Bin had once killed a mutant beast with gunfire—though they had nearly exhausted all their ammunition to do so, it proved the beasts could be killed.

Back in his apartment, Lu Feng went out and headed straight for the teahouse. Finding enough firepower inside the "Post-Apocalyptic" department store was impossible; otherwise, Lin Jiao’s group would have found it long ago. He had to find a solution in the real world.

At the teahouse, Da Fei was busy with the tea factory and wasn't around. However, Yang Ming was there, drinking tea with some men at a table in the lobby. His presence kept the other brothers in the shop on their best behavior. To Lu Feng’s surprise, Chen Bo was there too.

"Young Master Lu, you're here?" Chen Bo greeted him proactively. He wasn't there to abandon his own teahouse; he was just anxious for news about the goods Lu Feng had mentioned and didn't want to seem pushy by calling.

"Cousin, Boss Chen, let's talk in the office," Lu Feng said, heading upstairs.

To get enough firepower, his first thought was explosives. Xianlin Town was a mining hub, so industrial explosives were available; his cousin and Chen Bo should be able to source them. However, explosives were contraband, and trafficking them was a serious crime. He didn't want to take that risk.

Then, he thought of something else: the gas cylinders that were common years ago. A fully pressurized gas cylinder could produce an explosion just as powerful as dynamite. In many countries, they were even modified into improvised bombs. A 15-kilogram cylinder contained an explosive force equivalent to 75 kilograms of TNT. If he could get a few, tamper with the valves to ensure they could be ignited instantly and expand beyond capacity, they would explode.

Since gas cylinders were being phased out by natural gas and now required real-name registration, getting them would be tricky. He would have to rely on his cousin’s connections.

In the office, Yang Ming and Chen Bo waited for him to speak.

"Xiao Feng, what’s up?" Yang Ming asked.

Lu Feng went straight to the point: "Cousin, I need you to help me get a few gas cylinders. They need to be full. I also need you to have someone rig them so they can be ignited and detonated instantly. Can you do that?"

Yang Ming asked, puzzled, "What do you need those for, Xiao Feng?"

Lu Feng couldn't reveal the truth: "I can't say exactly, but it's very important."

"Understood, I won't ask," Yang Ming nodded. "I know someone who understands this. I'll have them delivered to you once they're ready."

Chen Bo, seeing Yang Ming take the job, didn't pry either. He didn't want to offend his "god of wealth."

After handing the matter over, Lu Feng returned to his apartment, locked the door, and entered the game again. Lin Jiao and Xu Bin were still observing from the corridor. Because of the department store’s circular design, they could barely see parts of the sixth floor, where the beast was resting after its meal.

"Boss," Lin Jiao asked, "I don't know why you care so much about gold, but with that beast there, we should give up on the sixth-floor jewelry store."

"We don't have to give up if we take it out!" Lu Feng said, watching the creature.

Lin Jiao and Xu Bin were shocked. "Take it out? You must be joking!"

"Boss, you overestimate us," Lin Jiao said. "With our current weapons, we’d only be giving it another meal."

Xu Bin nodded fervently. "With my build, we’d probably be enough for two meals. The beast hasn't finished the last guy's body, so it’s clearly stuffed and sleeping now."

"..." Lin Jiao looked at him, speechless. Was he really calculating the beast’s appetite?

"You don't need to do anything. I’ll handle it myself," Lu Feng said, heading downstairs. Even if his cousin brought the cylinders, he had to set up a trap; he couldn't just charge at the beast carrying a gas cylinder.

Lin Jiao and Xu Bin were left stunned. Did they hear that right? The mysterious boss was going to take on the mutant beast himself?