hsntnovel Chapter 202 It smells so good, brothers!
Chapter 202 It smells so good, brothers!
Chapter 202 It smells so good, brothers!
"Yes, 6666 Ranch!"
Hearing Anne's words, Gavin excitedly called out to her.
"I still have tens of thousands of Angus cattle at home with '6666' printed on their rumps, Annie, but I really didn't expect you to be alive. This is the best news I've received today!"
"Of course, getting in touch with you is the only good news I've had recently. Son, how are your parents?"
'
Anne greeted Gavin's parents over the radio.
After all, both Anne's Burnett family and Gavin's King family were prominent figures in the Texas ranching industry, and they were quite familiar with each other.
Although most of their peers can be considered competitors, logically speaking, the relationship between 6666 Ranch and Gavin Ranch shouldn't be particularly harmonious.
In reality, because the Kim family had only been in power for a short time, before the apocalypse, the Kim family was not only no match for 6666 Ranch, but was also a major customer of 6666 Ranch!
What is the most lacking thing in a large ranch? Is it equipment or land?
No, they're livestock!
Therefore, as Gavin Farm rose to prominence, it also took care of a huge business for 6666 Ranch. Gavin Farm purchased almost all of its cattle, sheep, and grass seeds from 6666 Ranch!
The cattle breeds and milk produced by Gavin Farms are relatively new and cannot compete with established ranches like 6666 in the high-end market.
Before Gavin Farm could even compete with 6666 Ranch, the apocalypse had already arrived.
However, Anne's greeting—
Upon hearing this sound, ZT, who was standing nearby, even clenched his buttocks.
His eyes also looked at Gavin with a hint of sadness.
Gavin paused for a moment, then calmly spoke to Annie.
"Annie, please allow me to send you my greetings on behalf of my parents in heaven."
"This—child, the world will always take something away from us. I am sorry, but I understand."
Anne listened to Gavin's words, sighed, and shook her head.
The cheers from Annie's side gradually subsided after Gavin's greeting, until they fell completely silent.
After a few seconds of silence between the two radio operators, Gavin picked up the walkie-talkie and continued speaking to Annie.
"Alright, Annie, let's not dwell on our past. Let's talk about the present. How are you all doing? Is the environment at 6666 Ranch still considered safe?"
"Ha, Gavin, you're right. No matter how much I wallow in sadness, my grandchildren will never be the same again."
Anne continued speaking sadly to Gavin.
"As for my living conditions, they are relatively safe at the moment. We live in our family's warehouse area, and our supplies are plentiful, but we are a little short of ammunition."
"We have no worries about food and drink; the cattle and sheep on the farm are currently grazing freely in the pastures. However, we are extremely short of manpower!"
"So, why don't you bring your people to my territory? We have everything here, the only thing we lack is people!"
"Oh! Is that so?"
Upon hearing this, Gavin couldn't help but frown.
The word "territory" perfectly encapsulates what Anne wanted to express.
Clearly, the contact from Ranch 6666 was not for joining Camp Gavin.
Not only do they not intend to join, they also plan to bring Gavin over!
Thinking of this, Gavin shook his head slightly, then said to Annie.
"Annie, stop joking. I'm not going to leave central Texas easily. You know my location is better suited for the future than yours, right?"
"While Ranch 6666 is an established ranch, it is located in the far north, and the land is relatively dry. Your farmland mostly relies on underground drip irrigation systems, which is a huge hidden danger, Annie."
"Once the groundwater system is completely damaged, the planting season of 6666 Ranch will be shortened by at least half, the grain production will decrease accordingly, and the convenience of life will be greatly reduced."
"But central Texas is different. It has a well-developed water system, abundant water resources, suitable sunshine, just the right temperature, and distinct seasons."
"So, Anne, you know, in terms of survival, my home is a better fit for the future than Bonnet's territory!"
Gavin's words were very direct, because he was extremely eager to have Anne's manpower!
Just as old lady Anne was particularly craving the hands of his camp at Gavin, he also thought the hands of Anne's camp smelled delicious, especially delicious.
And Anne.
Upon hearing Gavin's words, she put down the communicator, turned around, and shrugged at the eleven people surrounding her.
"See, kids, Gavin is just like I remember him, a wolf with its claws sheathed."
"Even if he hides his claws and becomes relatively docile, he's still a wolf, you know? There's virtually no chance he'll join us!"
As she finished speaking, Annie's gaze fell on her only remaining family member.
He was a young man with ruddy skin, who looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, similar in age to Gavin.
Meeting Mrs. Anne's gaze, the man frowned, nodded, and said softly.
"Aunt, don't worry, we never expected them to join us directly, did we? After all, we don't even know the state of their camp!"
"Although they said a lot on the radio, the radio is always something for outsiders to hear, and no one knows how much of what they said was embellished."
"Even if they agree to join, we still have to worry about whether their style can fit in with ours. If our styles don't match, it won't be a good thing for either of us."
"Besides, our world is coming to an end, Aunt. Even if we can't reunite, knowing that there are still many people in the world who can stay in touch with us is already an exciting thing!"
At this point, the young man took two steps forward and came to Anne's side.
As she watched her nephew approach, Anne took a deep breath and then handed the communicator to the young man.
Although she is currently the backbone of the 6666 Ranch Camp, she is old; God, she is almost eighty years old.
The leader of the camp was never her, but her nephew, the young man in front of her!
At the same time, the young man took the communicator and immediately spoke to Gavin.
"Hello, Gavin, I'm Corbin Burnett Hart, nice to meet you."
"Oh? Corbyn?"
Upon hearing this, Gavin narrowed his eyes knowingly. It seemed that this was the guy in charge of the opposing camp.
He knew something about Ranch 6666; he knew that Annie was almost eighty years old. Such an old woman might earn the respect of the post-apocalyptic people, but it would be difficult for her to become a true core and leader of a camp in the early stages of the apocalypse.
Hearing Gavin's slightly puzzled voice from across the radio, Corbyn chuckled softly and then spoke to Gavin.
"Yes, Gavin, I'm Corbin, Anne is my aunt, and I'm also the chief cowboy and transport manager of Ranch 6666."
"The apocalypse and the appearance of zombies turned our home into a mess, but God protected us and we finally found a way to survive on the ranch, where we also gathered together survivors from more than a dozen nearby villages and towns."
"Just like you guys, Gavin, I really enjoy your broadcasts. The zombie knowledge you share on the radio has been incredibly helpful to me and my partners in our operations."
"Here, please allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude to you, Gavin. Your knowledge has saved more than one of our lives; you are the true heroes!"
"Aha————"
Upon hearing this, Gavin couldn't help but let out a strange sound.
The phrase "You are the real heroes" reminded Gavin of a certain guy who wasn't quite right in the head.
Gavin was quite understanding of the origins and development of 6666 Ranch.
After all, the prerequisites for 6666 Ranch's rise in the apocalypse were much stronger than those for Gavin Ranch!
At its peak, Gavin Farm had only about 800 to 1,000 people across the entire farm area.
Including the farm town, the only survivors left on Gavin Farm are old Bert and Steve!
Most of the other farms next to Gavin Farm still regard Gavin Farm as a hungry wolf.
So, what about the environment of 6666 Ranch?
This top-tier ranch, which has existed for at least 150 years, already had at least six supporting ranch towns around 2000.
The ranch has a total of over three thousand employees, and that only includes cowboys and farmers, not their families, and the three or four villages that have been built around the employees.
On the 260,000-acre site of Ranch 6666, which actually influences more than 600,000 acres, at least 12,000 people are active.
It's easy to imagine that even if Granny Anne and Corbyn only gathered the ranch's manpower, they could still salvage at least a dozen survivors, who were core members who were basically loyal to Corbyn and Anne!
As for Gavin, the way he led Gavin Farm to rise to prominence was full of surprises, since the core team of Gavin Farm was actually recruited by Gavin on his way home.
Thinking of this, Gavin smiled and said to Corbyn.
"No need to thank me, my friend. We all share the same enemy: the omnipresent zombies."
O
"If even we can't share intelligence on zombies, then humanity's future is too bleak, isn't it?"
"Yes, Gavin, we have a common enemy!"
Corbyn calmly took over Gavin's words, pressed the intercom, and said to the men surrounding him with a smirk.
"Tsk tsk, did you guys hear that? Gavin really acts like a celebrity, talking like he's being interviewed all the time~"
"Hey, Corbyn, don't talk about my idol like that!"
No sooner had Corbin finished speaking than a burly man in the crowd carrying a shotgun shouted at him.
Upon hearing this, Corbyn innocently spread his hands and rolled his eyes in response.
"Yes, yes, he's your idol, and he's an idol to many others, so we're going to abandon everything on the farm and go to them?"
"Don't forget, we had already voted before we even contacted them, and the number of votes to stay on the farm far exceeded the number of votes to leave."
"We don't know what it's like over there yet, but even putting aside the atmosphere of the camp, the zombies there are enough to give me the creeps."
"At least we don't have any aggregates here, right? And there's no massive zombie migration tidal wave attracted by aggregates!"
"My God, do you all remember how panicked we were when we first heard those broadcasts? It was so dangerous over there!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Corbyn rubbed his brow heavily.
Honestly, before the apocalypse, he didn't have any issues with Gavin, but now he really dislikes Gavin's existence!
Before Gavin's broadcast came on, he and his men slowly explored the area, gathered their forces, and took care of Aunt Anne, all in an orderly manner.
Logically, this atmosphere of unity among the guys should last a long time, until life in the camp is stable enough that it won't be easily shaken by external disasters.
As soon as Gavin's broadcast came on, his united team was immediately torn apart by the broadcast!
From that day on, their once-solid camp split into two groups. One group insisted on staying in place to build and restore production at the 6666 Ranch, while the other group insisted on joining up with the Gavin camp, since there was strength in numbers!
Fortunately, the distance between Ranch 6666 and Ranch Gavin is more than 600 kilometers, and Gavin's radio broadcasts have been continuously reporting dangerous situations such as the aggregation.
Using that information, Corbyn went to great lengths to stabilize his men and stop the unification faction from constantly talking about their expedition.
Even though the unification faction quieted down a bit, the campers still longed to re-establish contact with Camp Gavin.
To this day, they happen to find a guy hiding in the woods in a nearby town who knows how to use a radio.
So the guys immediately decided to contact Camp Gavin, their enthusiasm was so great that even Corbyn, the leader, couldn't stop them.
Thinking of this, Corbyn rubbed his head vigorously.
It's a real headache; leading a team is so exhausting.
Suppressing his frustration, Corbyn turned his attention to the radio station.
At the same time, Gavin was also holding the intercom and asking Corbyn a question.
"Corbin, tell me about the situation around you. How many people do you have now?"
"Us? There are seventeen of us so far. And you, Gavin, you should have more people than us, right?"
Corbyn did not hesitate to tell Gavin his number of men.
After all, we are still in the early stages of the apocalypse. The world today is far from the wasteland depicted in movies, where deceit and treachery are rampant.
It's one thing if it's a cult or a small camp of three to five people, but in that kind of environment, people's evil intentions will be constantly amplified.
Just like Giulio at Edward's camp, why did he dare to climb into Jennifer's tent?
It's because they are few in number, and the fewer people there are, the fewer obstacles they can pose.
In camps like Corbin's, where the number of people exceeds that of a small camp and approaches that of a medium-sized camp, many actions must be taken with consideration for their impact to avoid provoking public anger.
Upon hearing Corbyn's question, Gavin pondered for a moment and decided that he didn't need to hide his numbers.
He really wanted to take Corbyn's men under his control, so he had to keep a low profile.
What a joke! Americans only respect the strong!
Gavin replied to Corbyn with a smile.
"I do have more men than you, buddy. We currently have sixty-two people. Besides the fifty-six in the camp, there are six other guys stuck elsewhere and unable to return for the time being."
Wow!
Upon hearing Gavin's words, Corbyn immediately revealed an envious look.
His men around him also gasped.
In these last few days of the apocalypse, Corbin sent at least two people out to explore every day, and even so, they only managed to gather less than twenty people!
The result was that the Gavin camp had more than three times their size! What the hell is going on?!
Did Gavin send everyone out to explore the world?
While expressing his surprise, Corbyn replied to Gavin.
"This number really surprises me, Gavin. Your team is much larger than I thought. I thought you wouldn't have more than thirty people!"
"Corbin, my friend, the population of central Texas is much larger than that of the north, especially since I am located in the middle of four large cities: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin."
"You can imagine the extraordinary population and agricultural potential of central Texas, buddy!"
"How about it? Want to come and take a look around? If it's a good fit, we should all get together, because the more people there are, the greater our chances of survival, right?"
Gavin immediately extended an invitation to Corbyn, for a post-apocalyptic America didn't need all sorts of complicated schemes.
Besides, the sooner the better, the better, as he invited Corbin's camp to join.
The longer it drags on, the more construction will happen at the Corbin camp, and the more they will invest in the camp, the less they will want to leave!
Even if Gavin hadn't witnessed the development of Camp Corbyn, he could have easily guessed this!
Indeed, when Corbyn and his group first received Gavin's broadcast, it was precisely at a time when many people wanted to leave their homes and travel far away to join Gavin's camp.
As time goes by, people will only become more and more adapted to their environment and build their own comfort zones.
At this moment, upon hearing Gavin's invitation, Corbyn took a deep breath and then looked at his men.
Meeting Corbin's gaze, three or five people lowered their heads, seemingly plotting something.
Noticing the figures, Corbin pursed his lips in annoyance.
None of those people were employees of 6666 Ranch.
Corbin was aware of this, after all, the ranch staff in their camp made up too many people, so the cowboys naturally gathered together, and their gathering inevitably put some pressure on the other newcomers.
The more cowboys banded together, the more arrogant they became, which was inevitable and something Gavin always tried to avoid.
From the very beginning, Gavin Camp proactively divided the camp into three factions: field staff, office staff, and logistics staff, which essentially defined the scope of group formation for the camp's members.
At the same time, by delegating authority to Thomas and old Bert, he also increased the proportion of support staff, thus balancing the strength of the three parties.
Therefore, Gavin's camp was as solid as a rock, while Corbyn, obviously, missed something, and his camp was a bit off track, at least compared to Gavin's camp.
Looking at the three or five non-cowboy faction members bowing their heads, Corbin took a deep breath and then replied to Gavin.
"Gavin, I admit you're right. The more of us there are, the greater our chances of survival."
"But you know, Ranch 6666 is my and Aunt Anne's home, my friend. Just as you don't want to leave the farm beneath your feet, it's hard for us to leave our land!"
"Besides, the environment at Ranch 6666 is already very safe. We've scouted the area around the warehouse district and identified the zombies' gathering places and routes of movement."
"It took us a lot of hard work, buddy. We finally managed to make 6666 Ranch a habitable place, so your invitation puts me in a very difficult position. It's hard for me to make that decision."
Hearing Corbin's words, the cowboys couldn't help but nod in agreement.
These cowboys have gone to great lengths these past few days, losing two men in the process, to finally uncover all the zombie information about Farm 6666.
Those newcomers have no idea how hard they work. Just hearing about Gavin Farm, they clamor to move there, showing no appreciation for their sacrifices!
Gavin, upon hearing Corbyn's reply, rubbed his chin, weighing his options before speaking to Corbyn.
"Of course I understand how tough it is for you guys, buddy. I haven't had a single good night's sleep since the apocalypse began!"
"But the more this is the case, the more I advise you to move towards my location as soon as possible, Corbyn!"
"The number of zombies is countless, roughly equivalent to the population of human civilization. Survivors are few and far between, and as time goes on, the number of survivors outside will only decrease!"
"We must unite to cope with future shocks!"
"You have fewer than twenty people in total. God, listen to that pitiful number! Even if you were to face a small horde of hundreds of zombies head-on, your numbers would make it very difficult for you to handle!"
"I know you already have a relatively safe environment, but what about the future? Can you guarantee that your camp will always be as safe as it is now?"
"Adversity and unexpected events are everywhere, guys. We must clench our fists and use every finger's strength to better cope with crises!"
"Believe me, instead of wasting our breath here, let's talk face-to-face. I'll try my best to get to your camp within three days. Then you can send someone or come to visit my camp yourself. I guarantee you'll see something you'll be satisfied with!"
"And what would satisfy us?"
"Nothing more than safety!"
"I don't mind showing off my camp, guys, because I guarantee my camp is safer than yours, and our combined camp will be even safer!"
"Don't give me that talk about ambition, Corbyn. We don't have that. And even if we did, my ambition would only be to ensure that more humans survive this apocalypse!"
"You're the transport manager and chief cowboy of Ranch 6666, and I'm the nation's best football star and ranch owner!"
"Before the apocalypse, we all had at least four figures under us. How could we possibly be reluctant to give up a position managing a mere few dozen people? Do you agree with me?"
"You guys who were just cheering, each and every one of you is a living, breathing being. Hearing your voices fills me with emotion. I firmly believe I heard the hope for humanity's survival and the radiance of civilization's continuation!"
"Our lives shouldn't be spent merely surviving on the land beneath our feet. If we come together, as our numbers grow, we can do more, and we should do even more!"
"Planting? Herding? Those are things we're destined to do, but not the only things we'll do!"
"Bullet manufacturing plants, gun manufacturing centers, hydroelectric power stations, wind power stations—all of these are achievements we can potentially realize!"
"But with fewer than twenty of you, what can you possibly accomplish? Answer me, how much can you possibly achieve?"
"When I stand before you, I want you to look into my eyes and see clearly what I have promised you!"
"We don't want to become barbarians who only know how to farm and herd livestock. We want to continue, we want to develop, we want to rebuild our world. But twenty people can't do all that, while eighty people have at least a sliver of hope!"
"Unity is our last resort, and it has always been humanity's advantage and strength in the face of nature!"
"Believe me, I will reach you. At the latest, in three days; at the earliest, tomorrow. You will see me, and I will give you an answer, an answer for the future!"