C4 M870 Graupel Gatling Gun

"What's the matter? Still no luck coming up with a plan?" Zhu Ying watched the two men squatting motionlessly like they were constipated, having kept an eye on the two zombies for quite some time. She couldn't help but turn to them and speak up.

"I just can't think of anything good. Maybe we could dig a pit and lure them into it?" Lee Chao suggested, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"That won't work. Your idea is just playing with our lives," Lee Kai retorted.

"How is my idea playing with our lives? Do you have a better one?" Lee Chao's face soured at Lee Kai's comment. He felt slighted, especially in front of Zhu Ying. It seemed like Lee Kai was trying to make him look bad in her eyes. As a man, he couldn't let that slide, so he began to argue back.

"Why wouldn't it work? I understand these zombies better than you do. They're not exactly fast, and they don't know the first thing about flanking when they're after food. Just a few large pits as simple traps should easily entice them," Lee Chao explained, then flashed Zhu Ying a confident smile, increasingly convinced of his plan's merit.

Lee Kai, however, looked at him as if he were a fool. He realized that Lee Chao was acting out of jealousy and would counter any suggestion he made. It was futile to argue with someone so unreasonable. After a moment's thought, Lee Kai nodded in agreement. "Fine, you call the shots. Where do you plan to dig this pit? It needs to be at least two meters deep, maybe even three, to prevent them from climbing out. Where do you think is suitable?"

Seeing Lee Kai's approval, Lee Chao's confidence swelled. He gave Lee Kai a smug look and said with excitement, "I think right here is perfect. There's a small mound that can obscure the view, and the sand is soft enough to dig out a pit easily with our clothes wrapped around our hands."

"Alright, you keep at it. I'm going to see if there's another solution," Lee Kai said, preparing to leave.

"What's that supposed to mean? You need another solution? Don't you trust me?" Lee Chao glared at Lee Kai with disdain, convinced that his plan was the right one and that Lee Kai should have just listened to him.

"Your approach is sound, but there's always the chance of something unexpected happening. I'm going to scout around just to be safe, you know? We can't put all our eggs in one basket," Lee Kai earnestly told Lee Chao.

Lee Chao pondered for a moment, conceding that Lee Kai had a point. However, he was reluctant to let Lee Kai go. Losing such a strong worker would mean he'd have to dig the hole himself. Moreover, Zhu Ying was fond of the young man, and Lee Chao's plan required a lot of muscle. What if she decided to run off with him?

"Zhu Ying, why don't you stay here and help this gentleman with the trap? I'll manage better on my own," Lee Kai suggested to Zhu Ying.

"Absolutely, absolutely. It's somewhat risky to follow him. You can stay here and help me dig. Don't worry, you won't have to lift a finger; just watching will be enough," Lee Chao said, quite pleased with Lee Kai's suggestion. He gestured to Lee Kai to hurry up and leave.

Watching Lee Chao, who was so bewitched by Zhu Ying that he was disoriented, Lee Kai internally labeled him as a goner. "He's definitely the type to get sold out by Zhu Ying and even help count the money," he thought. Then, with a nod to the pair, he made his way toward the distance.

From the start, Lee Kai had little faith in Lee Chao's plan. Setting aside the question of whether zombies would actually fall into the pit, the very idea of digging one was overly simplistic.

Where was this, anyway? A highway. Digging here meant dealing with sand that would keep sliding back into the pit, and after a few dozen centimeters, you'd hit soil and clumps of earth. How could you dig without tools? The notion was laughable.

After a wide detour, Lee Kai arrived at the back of the rest stop. He surveyed the area, finding no immediate danger, then turned his attention to the rest stop itself. After waiting for a bit, he noticed that the two zombies at the front showed no interest in heading to the back. They seemed content to just shuffle around the entrance.

"According to Lee Chao, you can take out these zombies by either snapping their necks or dealing a severe blow to their heads. And these two aren't even mutated; they're just regular zombies," he mused. A plan began to form in his mind. "If only I could draw them away. Lee Chao mentioned that nearly every household in this country has firearms. With a gun, dealing with them would be a whole lot easier."

"So we have to change our plan? We can't trap them because we don't have anything to use as a trap. Instead, we need to figure out how to draw them away and then get inside the rest stop. There might not be any guns, but there are bound to be other weapons, like fire axes, for instance."

"Luring the zombies away is no small challenge," Lee Kai mused as he continued to watch and think hard.

Scratch, scratch... Lee Kai turned toward the source of the noise and saw the newcomer. "What brings you here?" he asked, surprised to see Zhu Ying. She smiled and said, "Do you think this could be useful?" She then handed him a black cord as thick as a finger.

Lee Kai examined the object and gave it a tug. "An electrical wire? Where did you find this?"

"That guy unearthed it from the ground," Lee Kai said, a bit taken aback, then added with a smile, "Let's head back and have a look, but be careful." Zhu Ying nodded, and they both cautiously made their way back to where Lee Chao was.

"Brother, my plan has some holes in it. Digging a pit won't be easy; the ground is just dry clumps of mud, impossible to dig through."

"Looks like we need to come up with a different strategy. Is this the wire you dug up?"

"Yes, I found it when I hit the mud clumps. But what good is such a small piece?" Lee Chao asked, puzzled as he looked at Lee Kai.

"A small piece like this certainly isn't enough for much. I was just wondering if there's more we could dig up?"

"That's not likely. I only managed to pull out this bit; who knows where the rest is buried."

"Then we can't count on that. I just scoped out the rest stop from the back. I'm not sure if there are zombies inside, but it was silent. So even if we manage to draw the two zombies out, we must be extra cautious inside. The best plan would be to take out these two zombies and then attract the others outside."

Upon hearing Lee Kai's suggestion, both of them disagreed. "No way, we're better off abandoning this place. Fighting zombies is just too risky. Are you sure you can take them down? One scratch and we're as good as dead," Lee Chao said, raising his voice with concern.

Before Lee Kai could say anything more, a guttural roar interrupted him. All three were momentarily startled. Lee Kai quickly peeked out from behind a sandbag and spotted two zombies charging towards them. Without hesitation, he took off running.

Lee Chao and Zhu Ying were quick to react. Realizing that Lee Chao's loud outburst had likely drawn the zombies' attention, they too spun around and fled.

Lee Kai was considerably faster than his companions and, after some distance, he veered sharply. Lee Chao and Zhu Ying noticed but chose not to follow. Lee Chao knew he couldn't keep up with Lee Kai and feared that sticking with him would seal his fate. Zhu Ying, on the other hand, suspected that Lee Kai was too cunning and would eventually abandon her. She preferred to stay with Lee Chao, who might be more easily persuaded in a pinch.

The area was strewn with sand, whipped into small mounds by the wind. After vaulting over one such mound, Lee Kai threw himself to the ground and scurried backwards, peeking over his shoulder.

Exhaling sharply, he watched the zombies converge on the sandbag where he and the others had been moments before, now in hot pursuit of Lee Chao and Zhu Ying. Lee Kai knew it was time to act.

He rose to his feet and dashed towards the rest stop. Upon reaching the entrance, he kicked the door open and surveyed the interior—nothing stirred. He strode in and immediately spotted the bar counter.

A grin spread across his face as he approached the counter. He had been concerned about finding firearms and had braced himself to make do with makeshift weapons. Now, he felt a wave of relief. He reached under the counter and retrieved a shotgun that was poorly concealed.

Remington M870 Shotgun

Category: Weapon – Shotgun

Rarity: Common

Attack: 1-10

Durability: 25/30

Ammo Capacity: 7/7

Gear Requirements: Strength 1

GearScore: 5 (Achieving a full mark will grant a special attribute)

Evaluation: A ubiquitous weapon, best used at close range when firing.

Value: 100 War Coins

World Transferability: No

Lee Kai paused, momentarily taken aback by the equipment's attributes. Realizing he could use it, he wasted no further time. Clutching the shotgun, he sprinted back outside. This wasn't the moment to comb through the rest stop; he needed to save his friends first. With them by his side, he could afford a modicum of security. Alone, he might not even realize how or when death came for him.

Lee Kai, gripping his gun and sprinting, spotted the silhouettes of two zombies in under five minutes. Observing their pace, just a notch above a brisk walk, Lee Kai hastened to catch up. As he dashed, he flicked off the safety on his shotgun. With a satisfying click, the shells slid into the chamber.

The noise behind them had clearly drawn the attention of the zombies. Given that Lee Kai was the nearer target, they naturally prioritized him. They spun around and lunged at Lee Kai as he charged in their direction.