Chapter 36: Backstab

Gavin waved his hand at the group, signaling them to return to the vehicles and prepare.

However, hearing Gavin’s order, the others couldn’t simply let him act alone. Madison was fine with it; he listened to whatever Gavin said and had near-infinite faith in Gavin’s capability.

But Eugene...

"You’re going alone?"

The moment Gavin finished speaking, Eugene immediately questioned him with a strange look on his face.

"Are you kidding me? If something happens to you, who else knows the address to your place? I’m still waiting to eat that beef!"

After saying this, Eugene patted William on the shoulder.

"Let William drive the Tyrannosaurus and wait for us. I’m going with you!"

"Not necessary."

Gavin rejected Eugene’s proposal flatly, pointing toward the Tyrannosaurus to urge him on.

"Go wait in the Tyrannosaurus."

"Why?"

Seeing that Gavin wouldn't give him any chance, Eugene spat on the ground in frustration and muttered, "Quarterback, are you looking down on me? Do you think I can't get the job done?"

"Screw you. When I was killing people in the Middle East, you were still in school hugging a football and banging cheerleaders!"

"Do you know how many lives I’ve taken? My kill count would scare you to death—a full thirty-seven, thirty-seven!"

"If you gave me an MK22, I could blow your head off from a thousand meters away. And you’re looking down on me? Do you think I grew up on fried chicken and watermelon?"

"Hey!"

Before Gavin could respond, Madison jumped in. He kicked Eugene in the backside and cursed, "Keep your mouth clean, you piece of trash. Don’t force me to beat the shit out of you and then keep beating you inside your own shit!"

"Ah, right, I forgot—we’ve got a brother here. My mistake, haha!"

Eugene laughed, grabbing Madison’s arm to appease him. Then, letting go of Madison, he turned back to Gavin.

"Seriously, Gavin, you don't need to protect us during these scouting missions."

"In this shitty apocalypse, every one of us, one way or another, will have to face those zombies sooner or later."

"If you go alone this time, maybe you’ll go alone next time too. And what about us? Just trailing behind your ass, waiting to eat the shit you drop?"

"I don't care about the others, but I’m no dung beetle. I can help you, in any aspect!"

As he spoke, Eugene set aside his reckless demeanor, trying his best to show a different side of himself to Gavin. Looking at Eugene now, Gavin did indeed see the qualities of an American soldier: decisiveness, courage, and just enough of a rogue spirit.

However, whether or not Eugene had killed before wasn't the reason for Gavin’s decision. Gavin shook a finger at him and said softly, "It has nothing to do with that, Eugene."

Gavin tossed his binoculars to Eugene and explained, "Look at the environment over there. The zombie is at the fuel pump with its back to us, about sixteen meters from the convenience store."

"Look closely at the shop window. There is another zombie inside."

"Once I deal with the one at the pump, if it attracts the one in the store, it might break the glass and create a piercing noise."

"The town is only ninety meters away. If that triggers a chain reaction, we’ll see who can run the fastest!"

Gavin shrugged and smiled. "In short, after I take out the zombie at the pump, I still have to carefully open the door and deal with the one inside. Even I can't guarantee that process won't make any noise, and I suspect the same goes for you."

"So, it doesn't matter how many people go. What matters is that whoever goes must be fast enough to get back to the vehicle as quickly as possible if things go wrong."

"Let’s put it this way: my personal best in the 100-meter dash is 9.64 seconds. What about you? How fast can those short legs of yours go? Eleven seconds? Or maybe a bit better, ten and a half?"

Gavin pointed toward the Tyrannosaurus, warning Eugene firmly. "Go wait in the truck. If the operation is aborted due to an accident, we’ll retreat to the large open space near the feed mill to avoid the zombies."

"Of course, I judge the success rate to be high. Once I succeed, you guys approach the gas station at a low speed. Don't you dare rev the engine, okay?"

Gavin glared at Eugene, who curled his lip in annoyance.

"Fine, you win, Texas Bolt. Sorry my short legs aren't up to your standards. Fuck!"

After rolling his eyes and flipping Gavin the bird, Eugene obediently headed for the Tyrannosaurus. As he started the vehicle, he opened the passenger door and gestured to the seat, telling Gavin, "I won't wish you good luck because you’re reliable, but if the mission fails, remember I’m waiting right here, man!"

"Don't worry, it will succeed."

Gavin nodded at Eugene, then waved at Madison. Madison immediately took William back to the RV, starting the engine to wait.

Seeing Madison and William return, Winnie pulled Doris over to the sofa and asked cautiously, "Why did the boss go over there alone? None of you are following him?"

The group's conversation had seemed intense, but because of the zombies in sight, they had kept their voices down, making it hard for the two women to hear.

While Madison explained to the women, Gavin drew his tactical knife and strode toward the gas station. When he was about a hundred meters away, he slowed his pace. By the time he reached the sixty-meter mark, he crouched slightly, continuing his approach in a stealthy stance.

Staring fixedly at the zombie’s back, Gavin relaxed his upper body muscles while tensing his lower body. If he saw any sign of the zombie sensing him or turning around, he would sprint immediately.

This time, he wanted to ensure the zombie didn't even have the chance to roar.

At the same time, he was conducting a small experiment: seeing if it was possible to backstab a zombie if his footsteps were light enough. Based on Eugene and William’s experience hiding on the billboard, Gavin was fairly certain the zombies' sense of smell was gone. If a zombie’s nose were even half as sensitive as a dog’s, Eugene and William wouldn't have survived.

Now, he would see if their hearing was better or worse than a living person's.

If their hearing was superior, he wouldn't stand a chance regardless of how quiet he was. Because even the lightest footstep was still a sound, and unlike humans, zombies wouldn't be distracted by extraneous information that might cause them to miss faint noises.

Gavin licked his lips, his right hand gripping the knife handle tighter. He was only eighteen meters away—a distance that also exposed him to the view from the convenience store window.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he confirmed the zombie inside was still wandering between the shelves and not looking his way. Gavin kept his lips pressed shut and continued to sneak forward.

Fifteen meters. The zombie at the pump swayed slightly.

Ten meters. The zombie exhaled, its arms swinging naturally.

In the distance, Madison took a deep breath, his hands gripping the RV’s steering wheel. Eugene sat in the Tyrannosaurus, binoculars glued to Gavin.

"Heh, he’s almost there!"

As Eugene muttered to himself, Gavin appeared within two meters of the zombie with agonizing slowness.

Suddenly, the zombie shivered and whipped its head around!

But Gavin was faster.

Just as the zombie turned, Gavin lunged, his right hand driving the knife downward directly into the creature's skull.

The zombie collapsed instantly. Gavin caught it with his left hand, grabbing its clothes to prevent it from hitting the ground and making a sound. After slowly lowering the body to the ground, Gavin pulled his blade out and turned toward the convenience store.

But as he looked at the shop window, he realized with a jolt:

His gaze had locked directly with the zombie inside.