Chapter 47: Someone Is in the Lake!

As the words fell, Gavin glanced at Eugene. Well, this guy was practically beaming with laughter; Eugene’s vision of the apocalypse must have been vastly different from the reality Gavin described. As for the possibility of zombie cattle that Gavin had mentioned, Eugene seemed not to take it seriously.

Seeing Eugene’s carefree attitude, Gavin didn’t press further; after all, he knew his own farm’s environment well. Indeed, the farm’s surroundings were excellent, offering a high initial survival chance, but such environments were plentiful across America. In Texas alone, there were at least six thousand six hundred and sixty-six farms even larger than Gavin’s, serving as sanctuaries for survival.

If Gavin dared to let his guard down upon returning home? Ridiculous. In every movie, those people are the first to perish.

Still, even vigilance must have its ebb and flow. At least the damp, cold breeze now was quite pleasant.

With that, Gavin pressed on against the chill wind, accelerating as he safely exited the lakeside resort and reached the two-point-six-kilometer-long cross-lake highway. A quick glance at his watch showed it was 10:40 a.m. Though they had lost some time along the way, it had been less than two hours since Old Albert called him.

Gavin pursed his dry lips and murmured softly, “Old Albert, I hope you can hold on until I get there.”

“What did you say? The wind’s too strong; I didn’t catch that!” Eugene shouted over the cold gusts beside him.

Gavin shot Eugene a sidelong look and shook his head. “I said you’re just waiting to be served beef, you fool!”

“Ha! I like beef—God bless Angus cattle!” Eugene replied enthusiastically.

At that moment, the RV behind suddenly accelerated, pulling up alongside the Tyrannosaurus and matching its pace. Madison leaned out, her face wide, and called to Gavin, “Boss, it’s past ten. Doris was asking what you want for lunch—rice again? She can make tomato scrambled eggs!”

“No problem. Tomato scrambled eggs it is. Tell her to set aside a portion for me without any added sugar, and bring me some of the leftover stew from this morning,” Gavin responded.

With that, the RV slowly fell back, leaving only Winnie leaning against the window, making a funny face at Gavin.

Though Madison and the others didn’t yet realize they had reached Gavin’s home, it was clear that the cold, desolate environment around them instilled an unspoken sense of security and ease.

America was like that—most of a state’s population clustered around the capital and major cities. And this was Texas, the Lone Star State, second in both economy and population, a top-tier state bold enough to declare independence from the White House!

Yet even so, once you left the Dallas metropolitan area, the surroundings immediately became the kind that could star in a terrifying highway thriller, with deadly curves lurking at every bend.

Every year, countless people went missing across America, many vanishing along these isolated rural roads far from the big cities.

To illustrate, on the vast land Gavin’s family controlled, there wasn’t a single police station. The nearest one was twenty-six kilometers away to the west, in Richard County near the reservoir.

One could imagine how scarce law enforcement was in America’s rural areas. And farm owners across Texas were known for their tough, domineering temperaments!

With these thoughts in mind, the Tyrannosaurus crossed the cross-lake bridge and reached the apex of the Y-shaped road. Approaching this point, Gavin turned right and pointed toward the open area at the end of the T-junction.

“That’s the airport the state government gave me. It’s a domestic airport, but there’s hardly any traffic.”

“So, quarterback, where exactly are we headed? How far is it from here to your farm?” Eugene rubbed his face in frustration, interrupting Gavin.

“God, I’ve had enough. I’m praying to you for the first time ever—please toss this showoff devil into hell!” Eugene exclaimed. “You’ve got a highway, a river, a lake, even an airport at home—I want to strangle you, Gavin!”

“Ha!” Gavin chuckled lightly, playing along with Eugene’s exaggerated rant. Then he pointed southward and said, “Enough jokes. Our journey is almost over. About two kilometers ahead is Albert’s lakeside cabin.”

“The land around Chambers Reservoir, the part surrounded by water, I developed into a tax-free resort.”

“The land encircling the lake, my father converted into welfare villas for longtime employees, placing each where they preferred.”

Two kilometers passed quickly with a few words exchanged. Gavin slowed down and turned onto a narrow forest path.

As they advanced along the trail, Eugene spat out the window, cursing, “Fuck, so the way to a standalone cottage with a yard is just to find a way to become one of your family’s employees, huh?”

“It’s not that simple. Take Albert, for example—his grandfather served my great-grandfather. They fought together in the Civil War. That’s decades of history,” Gavin interrupted, explaining as he parked the vehicle in front of the villa.

Before them stood a three-story cottage built right beside the lake, with a third of its structure extending over the water.

The courtyard was unremarkable, covered with a somewhat untidy lawn between the paths.

It was clear Albert was getting old. When he was younger, Gavin would never have seen such a neglected lawn at his home.

In addition, the yard’s paths connected to the garage, stable, and a blacksmith workshop filled with scrap iron and equipped with a furnace.

Seeing the blacksmith workshop, Gavin pursed his lips.

“My old blacksmith friend, please don’t let anything happen to you.”

Muttering silently, he spoke to Madison and William as they got out.

“William, you better stay out of this with that leg of yours. Go back to the car.”

“Madison, grab the masks and gloves. The three of us will gear up and check on Old Albert.”

“No problem,” Madison agreed promptly, efficiently retrieving the protective gear from the Tyrannosaurus’s truck bed and handing them to Gavin and Eugene.

While they put on their masks, Madison struggled a bit to fit the small mask over her larger face, then asked Gavin, “Boss, is William okay staying in the car alone? Should we keep Eugene with him?”

“No need,” Gavin replied succinctly.

“The nearest household is about 1.5 kilometers away. Even if zombies find us, there’d only be one or two at most.”

“At the beginning of the apocalypse, zombie locations were mostly fixed near their homes. They hadn’t yet spread across Texas due to animals and survivors.”

With that, Gavin donned his gloves, drew his tactical knife, and approached the villa.

He didn’t have a key and didn’t expect Albert to open the door, so he climbed over the two-meter-high fence with ease.

Madison and Eugene followed closely behind; despite the height difference, their athleticism was impressive as they landed in unison.

Gavin walked toward the villa’s door, calling out in a moderate voice, “Albert, are you there? It’s Gavin!”

“Cough, cough...” A faint coughing sound came from inside.

Gavin’s face brightened instantly—his old blacksmith friend was alive! What a relief!

Excited, he quickened his pace, but as he reached the villa’s front, he suddenly stopped.

“Cough, cough... Gavin... you bastard... you must be teasing me!”

Albert’s voice drifted slowly from within, yet Gavin stood motionless, gazing intently at the distant lake.

When Madison and Eugene, wearing puzzled expressions, came to his side, he pulled out binoculars and, with some surprise, said, “Shit, you two, take a look—there’s a naked woman swimming in the lake!”