hsntnovel Chapter 187 Multiple Parallel Operations
Chapter 187 Multiple Parallel Operations
Chapter 187 Multiple Parallel Operations
While Gavin was deep in thought, Sean, in the helicopter pilot's seat, suddenly looked at a small town emerging on the ground in the distance and spoke.
"Boss, we've arrived!"
"arrive?"
Gavin paused for a moment, then looked at his watch; it was 2:32 PM.
This timing is normal, considering it's nearly 300 kilometers. Regular patrols wouldn't require the Apache to be driven at top speed.
As for Shepard Military Base —
Many people might think that this base is like the American military outposts that often appear in movies.
Low tents and barracks stand side by side, while infantry fighting vehicles and military Humvees move back and forth.
In reality, real military bases are nothing like those in the movies; what appears in the movies are mostly temporary barracks for the US military during combat missions.
So what does the actual Shepard military base look like?
You can imagine it as a giant city with a huge area and more than 90% green space!
It's important to know that as the world's largest aviation technology training center, at least 110,000 students graduate from this base every year.
At the same time, this base is open to more than 80 countries around the world. You can see not only the German Air Force, but also trainees from the Royal Saudi Air Force and the Singapore Air Force.
In Germany alone, at least 1,100 people graduate from here every year.
One can imagine the size of a large training base with as many as 110,000 graduates each year, its area, airport size, and number of training aircraft.
To put it another way, Wichita Falls, the city closest to Shepard Air Force Base, actually serves that military base.
Because more than 25 percent of the city's population is employed by this military base!
The town that Gavin was seeing at that moment was actually just a satellite town of Shepard Military Base, a functional town that existed around the military base.
As Gavin looked towards the town, Sean spoke to him.
"Boss, when we saw that town, we were only about 36 kilometers away from Shepard Air Force Base."
"That town is a residential area for the families of German soldiers stationed there. Not only do those Germans live there, but there are also many German-style bakeries and bilingual schools."
"I used to dream that after I got married, I would settle my wife and children there and let my future daughter go to primary school there."
"Germans may not be good at telling jokes, but if my daughter goes to school with those German kids, at least I won't worry about her learning to smoke marijuana and get tattoos in elementary school!"
"After all, you know that apart from lacking a sense of humor and being exceptionally stubborn, those Germans have countless good qualities."
"It's a pity the apocalypse came. Damn it, I didn't get married before the apocalypse. If I still don't get married after the apocalypse, I'll really regret it."
At this point, Sean couldn't help but lick his lips.
He genuinely admired the Germans because he himself was an outlier among American soldiers.
Nine out of ten American soldiers are addicted to marijuana, and four or five of those nine also have a unique fondness for morphine.
Look at Eugene and Anthony, they were both high on drugs while they were in service, and they only quit after they retired.
Sean, this guy is an active-duty Air Force officer, yet he doesn't even want to have sex. Where can you go to reason with that?
Don't think this is outrageous; after all, things like mold are produced and sold domestically, even in marijuana.
For example, when Sean passed by a German town and flew forward for about eight kilometers, he pointed to an open space at the foot of a mountain and said...
"Ha, boss, look over there, that's our marijuana field, those round buildings, they're botanical gardens used to grow marijuana."
"Looking back, the two roads near the German-style town and the one near Wichita Falls were our favorite roads as soldiers."
"One road leads to the amusement park, the other to the red-light district. You have both the big head and the small head firmly under your control. After serving in the military for so long, you won't want to leave!"
"But I've never been there. I usually immerse myself in the Wichita Falls night as soon as I get off the plane."
"Damn it, you'd never guess how popular I am there, so I just can't understand why, even though I'm so good at dealing with women, I don't have a girlfriend."
"Uh—wait, instructor!"
Just as Sean finished speaking, on the fire control console in front of Gavin...
Nicholas couldn't help but interrupt Sean and complain.
"Instructor, have you ever considered that the reason you don't have a girlfriend might be because you spend too much time in the red-light district?"
"You're infamous throughout the entire flight crew; how many women on the base don't know how promiscuous you are!"
"What's more, even photos of you drunkenly crashing onto a pole dancing stage were posted online!"
"Fuck you, Nicholas!!!"
Upon hearing Nicholas's words, Sean hurriedly turned his head, gave Nicholas a thumbs-up, and then turned his finger upside down, pointing the tip of his finger at the ground.
After a slight pause, Gavin burst into a loud, surprising laugh.
Hearing Gavin's laughter, Sean remained silent for a moment before finally breaking down in laughter along with Gavin.
After laughing for a good ten seconds, Sean finally caught his breath and continued speaking to Gavin.
"Boss, don't listen to Nicholas's bragging. I just ran around naked with a stripper for a bit. Who knows which bastard was jealous of my big dick and took a picture of me and posted it online."
"Let's put this topic aside, haha, let me tell you about my next goal."
"Shepard Air Force Base's main operating area is not our best choice. Although it has the largest airport in the base, most of the aircraft parked there are training aircraft."
"Moreover, that's also the area with the largest number of people in the military base. I guess there are at least 30,000 to 50,000 people there."
"So, I plan to take you to the Wichita Lake military storage depot, which is about 22 kilometers from Shepard's main base."
"There is enough aviation fuel there to power thousands of aircraft for at least eighteen months, as well as more than 130 transport helicopters and at least 50 biplane bombers."
"And these things were actually guarded by no more than eight hundred soldiers."
"Of course, the three of us definitely can't handle eight hundred zombies on our own, but eight hundred is much better than fifty thousand, isn't it?"
"Of course."
Hearing Sean's words, Gavin nodded readily and then found the location of Lake Wichita on the map.
Gavin frowned as he looked at Lake Wichita on the map and asked.
"Sean, the place you're talking about is right next to Wichita Falls. Are you sure it won't be overrun by zombies from Wichita Falls?"
"Boss, no way. I refueled there once before I joined the camp. That time, I lured the zombies from the storage warehouse to the nearby plains."
"As for Wichita Falls, it's about four kilometers away from the warehouse I mentioned. At that distance, the zombies in Wichita Falls won't approach unless they're lured by living people."
At this point, Sean further adjusted his course and flew directly towards the vicinity of Lake Wichita.
After carefully inquiring about the location, Gavin marked the approximate location of the storage facility on the map.
This kind of military building wouldn't appear on ordinary civilian maps. If Gavin hadn't marked it, the area would just be an empty space.
As Gavin was making annotations, he suddenly couldn't help but look up, because out of the corner of his eye he saw Sean and Nicholas saluting a small town below the helicopter.
Seeing this, Gavin peered down at the town below and asked softly.
"What kind of place is that? Why are you saluting? Is there a hero you respect in that town?"
"No, no, no, it's not just heroes, it's also cadets and comrades, boss!"
Sean lowered his hand and then explained to Gavin in a heavy tone.
"Boss, that's Glory Square. It records the deaths of at least 4,200 trainees at Shepard Base due to training accidents."
"They are all our predecessors who sacrificed their lives for the cause of aviation. They are respectable figures for every one of us who came from Shepard."
"Even for the global aviation industry, every training accident represents an opportunity for correction and improvement!"
At this point, Sean sighed deeply.
Gavin nodded knowingly and smiled.
"Oh, so it wasn't a hero, but one of the four hundred who died in training—wait—Young Master Duo?!"
At this point, Gavin's tone suddenly rose several tens of degrees!
He asked Sean incredulously.
"You mean Duo Shao?!"
"Four thousand two hundred!"
Faced with Gavin's persistent questioning, Sean answered again with a serious expression.
And Gavin—
"Hiss—"
He couldn't help but gasp.
You can't tell how big this military base is just by the number of people graduating each year.
Since the living can't understand it, let's listen to the dead.
There are as many as 4,200 people who have died in training accidents at this base alone!
Now Gavin truly understood just how enormous this base was.
At the same time, the helicopter flew over Glory Square and soon arrived over Sean's target.
I could see the airport in the distance, and the residential area and streets that were faintly connected to the lake.
Then look at those large oil storage tanks where only a small portion is visible above ground.
Gavin knew they had probably reached their destination, so before Sean could speak, he spoke into the headset.
"So we've arrived, this must be the Lake Wichita Reservoir?"
"That's right, boss. That airport over there is our backup airport. In addition to that, this fuel depot also supplies seventeen other airports of varying sizes within a fifty-kilometer radius, including the international airport in Wichita Falls."
"How about it? Not bad, right? The buildings look pretty spacious, don't they?"
"That's right."
Gavin nodded readily and smiled as he spoke to Sean.
"Of course I trust your judgment, buddy. Professional matters should be left to professionals, and when it comes to knowing Shepard Air Force Base better than you, who can do it? So lower your altitude and detour around the airport so I can confirm the approximate number of remaining casualties."
"receive!"
Sean gave a serious salute, then controlled the plane to descend, flying around the airport in the fuel zone at an altitude of about 220 meters.
Gavin's gaze, however, was fixed on a series of Black Hawk helicopters parked at the airport as he circled around, and he couldn't help but purse his lips.
"That's great!"
Gavin then spoke.
"After we descended, there were fewer than seventy zombies chasing us. These are probably the last hunters in the storage area."
"If we can lure them away, then theoretically, the entire storage area will only be occupied by the residents hiding in the various barracks."
"They can indeed pose a danger to us, but theoretically, as long as we don't enter the building area and trigger any Howlers that might be there, even if we openly fly away with our attack helicopters, the remaining attackers won't come from afar to harass or attack us!"
At this point, Gavin rubbed his chin.
A moment later, his eyes lit up, and he continued.
"Originally, I was planning to have you, Lao Feng, and Steve each fly a helicopter to bring most of our field agents over for a big operation."
"Given the current situation, all we need is five or six people and a helicopter, along with the three of you who can fly helicopters. We can trade one helicopter for three attack helicopters!"
"This is much easier than my previous plan. Besides, we don't need too many attack helicopters. I think we can just send back a dozen or twenty as backup."
"Sean, lower the altitude and lure the rest of the pursuers away. Once they're gone, we can go home. Get ready tomorrow, and we'll come back and take the attack helicopter!"
"Alright, boss~"
Following Gavin's orders, Sean chuckled and continued to descend, leading the seventy-odd zombies chasing them into the distant forest.
After the pursuers had run far enough, the helicopter climbed again, reaching an altitude of nearly two thousand meters, and circled the airport area twice more.
After circling twice, the helicopter returned along the same route and flew towards the manor.
This was just a reconnaissance mission, and besides, the Apache helicopters weren't something that needed to be replaced.
Therefore, they had no intention of taking any action on this trip; a quick look to confirm the target location and the distribution of zombies was enough.
In the apocalypse, there is plenty of time, but only one life—this is the truth that Gavin most agrees with.
The reason there have been no casualties at the camp so far is because Gavin has instilled the word "caution" in everyone's minds as much as possible.
Without taking unnecessary risks, there will be no casualties.
Similarly, this is why Gavin almost flew into a rage over the drunkenness of the field convoy.
Meanwhile, at the crossroads about 16 kilometers from Athens.
The shield swiftly sliced through the crossroads, shoving aside the two zombies blocking its path.
After the shield swept past the two zombies...
call out!
The car braked suddenly, and the window rolled down, revealing a spray gun sticking out.
boom!
boom!
Gaa gaa gaa!!
The gunshot startled the nearby birds and crows, and the silent air was completely filled with the echo of the gunshot and the flapping of birds' wings.
Thud th ...
Hearing the sound of wings outside the window, Nikita closed the car window, released the safety on her shotgun, and reloaded it with bullets.
Seeing Nikita's calm demeanor, Martin smiled, turned around, and gave Nikita a thumbs-up in the passenger seat.
"Nikita, what awesome marksmanship!"
"Oh----"
Faced with Martin's praise, Nikita shook her head expressionlessly and cursed.
"Even if you praise me, I won't forget that you were drunk. You made a mistake, Martin. You should be glad nothing happened last night!"
After speaking, Nikita rolled her eyes at Martin, then placed the loaded gun on her lap and held her breath.
Looking at the indifferent Nikita, Martin remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault."
"Alright, Martin, stop fucking making mistakes. Just be more careful next time."
Anthony patted Martin on the shoulder.
Listening to National Guard gunner Anthony's words, Steve turned around from the driver's seat and spoke seriously to the two men.
"Don't fucking make it sound so simple. A lot of mistakes are too late by the time something happens, you bastard!"
"Do you understand why the boss sent the three of us to come with you to search the radio station? It's because he needs the three of us to keep a close eye on you, to make sure you remember last night's lesson, you drunkard!"
At this point, Steve turned around and drove the car to the northbound lane of the intersection.
Watching the car pass by the intersection, Anthony pulled out a map, glanced at it, and then said.
"If we follow the correct route, we should see a small fire station about two kilometers from here."
"Once we get there, we'll be only 15 kilometers from Athens."
"Okay, I understand."
Steve agreed and then glanced at his watch.
It is 2:56 PM now.
He turned around and continued speaking to the men in the car.
"We have plenty of time, but even so, our task today is just reconnaissance!"
"Remember, it's reconnaissance, not action. Unless we're absolutely certain that Athens is safe, we must not get too close!"
"Proceed cautiously, and try to find an electronics store in Athens as far as possible; there must be a radio station there!"
"And Walmart, Steve, Walmart sometimes sells radios too."
Anthony reminded Steve from the back seat.
Steve nodded and continued driving.
Meanwhile, in the camp, as they advanced...
Eugene sat among a group of elderly men and women, staring blankly at the potato in his hand with a distressed expression.
Noticing Eugene's reaction, the Baron smiled mischievously, grabbed a potato, and threw it at Eugene's clothes from a distance.
"Hey, kid!"
The Baron then called out to Eugene.
"If you don't like your job, then tell our leader to give you a more dangerous assignment instead of sitting here wasting your time!"
"ha?"
Hearing this, Eugene took a deep breath in annoyance, then lightly kicked the potato box under his foot and said with a wry smile.
"Old man, I was punished here, do you think I like dealing with these potatoes!"
"Wait until they sprout, then dig out the sprouted seeds and bury them in the soil for the next few days. This kind of work is not suitable for someone my age."
"Damn it, my hands aren't just for cutting potatoes; they're like murderous hands. Too much potato starch will make them dull!"
As Eugene spoke, he chuckled and raised his right hand, looking at it intently as if admiring a precious gem.
And the Baron—
After a moment of silence, he rolled his eyes at Eugene and said...
"But alcohol makes your hands less sensitive more easily than potato starch."
"And the most whiskey you've ever had is made from those tiresome potatoes you keep talking about!"
"So you need to learn to respect, and even be grateful to the potato, and remember your mistake, and then don't repeat it, son!"
"Gavin was really angry today. He made me yell at you all afternoon, but I don't like yelling. I prefer to pass on my wisdom and experience to you."
"And my experience tells me that no matter the circumstances, never anger your boss, Eugene!"
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