As the factory's large iron gates were pushed open, a spacious yard came into view.
The yard was all dirt and weeds, with no concrete paving. It looked like an old factory from the sixties or seventies, with a few buildings inside, all just two stories tall.
A factory like this probably would not have attracted any attention even before the apocalypse, let alone after it.
"Wait, is that a fuel tanker?"
After glancing over the factory's layout, Luo Fan suddenly found his attention drawn to a fuel tanker.
"No wonder Chunfeng sent us here to collect gasoline even though this isn't a gas station. There's a fuel tanker here! This makes things much easier. Xiao Wang, go see if that tanker runs."
Niu Dagang had spotted the tanker too, and he looked delighted.
If the tanker ran, they would not even need to fill any containers. They could simply drive it away.
As for why a rundown old factory like this had a fuel tanker, that did not matter!
"Sure thing, Brother Niu." Xiao Wang nodded from the bus. Rather than hurry to drive the bus into the factory, he jumped down and walked toward the tanker.
"Come on, let's go in and have a look too."
Luo Fan and Niu Dagang exchanged a glance, then walked into the old factory together.
Naturally, the silent An Xiaoran still followed closely behind Luo Fan.
"The gasoline here is stored in a fuel tanker? Then what use is there in us coming here?"
"Exactly. If the Sequence Users just drive the tanker out, won't we have come for nothing?"
"I... I even brought several containers specifically for gasoline."
Niu Dagang, Luo Fan, and the others were delighted to discover the tanker, but the survivors who had followed them looked crestfallen.
They had followed behind the bus so they could carry out more gasoline and trade it with Sequence Users for various supplies afterward.
In particular, even the bones of Fierce Beasts that had reached a tier were highly nourishing to ordinary people.
But now? If the tanker was simply driven away, would they not have served no purpose at all?
Had they risked their lives coming in here only to get nothing?
Although they were deeply unhappy, the Sequence Users had all entered the factory. The survivors did not dare stay outside by themselves, so they followed them in.
Luo Fan and Niu Dagang walked up to the tanker and examined it closely.
Relatively speaking, the tanker looked very small. There was even a clearly visible painted marking on the tank, stating that its volume was 2.16 cubic meters.
"So this tanker only has a two-ton capacity? About 2,000 liters." Looking at the capacity marked on the tanker, Luo Fan inwardly shook his head.
This had to be about the smallest tanker there was, right? It would have been ideal if they could have found a large ten-ton tanker here.
Of course, Luo Fan also understood that he was being greedy.
Originally, even filling every fuel drum and container on the bus would only have given them a few hundred liters. Being able to haul away 2,000 liters would definitely have exceeded their expectations.
Niu Dagang went up to the tanker, then leaped onto it, lifted the tank's lid, and peered inside.
"Luo Fan, it looks like there's considerably less than half a tank of fuel in here," Niu Dagang said to him.
Well, considerably less than half? That probably meant only six or seven hundred liters. Luo Fan's expression darkened further.
"Hey, I don't agree with this! We all came with you to collect gasoline. You can't take it all!"
Just then, a young woman among the survivors shouted at Luo Fan and Niu Dagang.
Hearing her, Luo Fan turned to look at the woman, his expression calm. "Then what do you think we should do?"
"Everyone who finds it gets a share. This fuel isn't yours. We all deserve some," the woman continued.
Luo Fan smiled outright at her words, though it was anger that made him smile.
"Lady, our Hope Convoy may uphold the principle of fairness, but we found this vehicle under Chief Zhao Chunfeng's guidance. After finding it, we still have to give him an agreed proportion."
"And you? You only followed us for safety. Now you actually want a share of the fuel we found?"
"Aren't you taking a bit too much for granted?" Luo Fan said irritably.
"The containers we each brought can't hold much anyway. We're all gathering supplies, so everyone who finds them gets a share. Besides, this road doesn't belong to you. If you can use it, why can't we? What's wrong with giving us some?"
Clearly angered by Luo Fan's mocking address of "lady," the woman raised her voice several notches and argued her case at him.
Slash!
The woman who had been arguing loudly with Luo Fan clutched her throat and stared at him in disbelief. Blood streamed rapidly between her fingers, and she collapsed to the ground, desperately trying to breathe.
But her throat had been slit, and the air leaked straight out. She struggled violently on the ground, but before long, her movements grew weaker and weaker until she stopped moving altogether!
The other survivors nearby all looked startled and hurriedly backed well away, staring at Luo Fan in terror.
So that's why they say to kill the bleeding hearts first in the apocalypse? The apocalypse is already here, and she still thinks the weak deserve to be looked after? Luo Fan flicked his Beast-Fang Short Blade, muttering inwardly.
At the same time, he looked at the other survivors and said, "What about you? Does anyone else want a share of the gasoline? Speak up!"
At Luo Fan's words, the survivors, who had originally thought the woman had something of a point, all retreated several steps in unison. They stared at him in terror, shaking their heads frantically.
There, didn't that solve the problem right away? Seeing that the survivors had been cowed, Luo Fan felt inwardly satisfied.
As for whether these survivors should receive any fuel, both sides had their own arguments.
Combined with their own interests, that had left the survivors vaguely siding with the woman just now.
Luo Fan understood perfectly well that continuing the argument would only escalate the quarrel. There was no way he could actually persuade them.
If he kept doing nothing but arguing, it might even give these survivors the impression that he was weak and easily bullied.
Now, that single slash had immediately cut off their fantasies.
"This..." Niu Dagang, standing nearby, was relatively kindhearted. He had never expected Luo Fan to strike in public without any hesitation, but although he opened his mouth, he said nothing.
Having a conscience was one thing, but Niu Dagang still knew where he stood.
"Hey, everyone, come take a look! There's a lot more fuel here. It looks like this little factory is a black refinery."
Just then, however, Rose, clad in a black cloak, suddenly called out to Luo Fan and the others from the doorway of one of the factory buildings.
Before you continue