hsntnovel Chapter 233 I Love You, Dad
Chapter 233 I Love You, Dad
Chapter 233 I Love You, Dad (6k)
At 5:22 p.m., Gavin’s car drove into the resort and through the increasingly messy forest.
Although March is not yet the time when summer grasses grow wildly, the recent continuous heavy rains have caused a moss bloom in the forests along the highway leading to the resort.
As the sun set and he looked at the moss growing on the trees, Eugene drove slowly, flicking ash from his cigarette through the window, and spoke to Gavin.
"Boss, isn't there a bit too much moss on those trees around here?"
"indeed."
Upon hearing this, Gavin lay back in his chair and nodded slightly in response.
"After all, the zombie fungus has already invaded the whole world, and this species of fungus, which has never appeared before, has already sent its spores to every corner of the world."
"If nothing unexpected happens, even if the ever-increasing number of zombie fungal spores doesn't directly turn us living people into zombies, the sudden appearance of hundreds of billions of fungal culture dishes around the world, which are essentially zombies, will make the fungi even more densely distributed."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gavin opened the car window as well, letting the cold wind rush into the car.
In the passenger seat, Nikita also lowered the window slightly to try and appear more alert.
The return journey was boring and long, and Nikita was almost asleep.
This is also the typical mindset of doomsday survivors facing the impending apocalypse.
When people's focus shifts from the disaster itself to the apocalypse itself, which has lost most of its entertainment.
Honestly, compared to the vibrant and diverse world of the past, this apocalypse that everyone has become accustomed to is rather boring.
Beside Gavin, Philip yawned as the cold wind blew, then moved closer to the window and looked at the scenery outside.
"Boss Gavin, once I take you to those two camps, I absolutely have to rest at your camp for a few days."
"Don't drag me around doing this or that when the time comes. I just want to stroll around your lake, or ride horses and herd cattle on your grasslands."
At this point, Philip rubbed his face to wipe away the fatigue.
He wasn't tired, at least not physically, but he was still tired, both physically and mentally.
He continued speaking with a stern face.
"Although I prefer wandering around the almost deserted world alone to settling down."
"I seem to be free and unrestrained, able to speed whenever I want and do whatever I want, but when I'm alone in the wilderness, it's really hard for me to relax."
"And here, tsk, this place is really nice. Unlike those two camps, which were full of pressure, this place has a much greater sense of security than the previous two camps."
"I bet spending a couple of days here would be much more enjoyable than driving my old car around Texas on a shoestring budget before the apocalypse."
After saying that, Philip reclined lazily in his chair, looking at his nose with a cross-eyed expression.
After he finished speaking, Eugene, who was in the driver's seat, turned around and said to Gavin, "I'm getting restless."
"Yeah, boss, that lone wolf is right. We should relax once in a while, I mean for us field crew."
"Although field and logistics personnel don't lack alcohol these days, every morning is an adventure and every day is a sleepless night. It's not that this is bad, but it lacks a process of being both stressed and relaxed."
"Exploration can only increase the explorers' experience; it's pointless to make them stronger through their own training."
"Therefore, I propose that we establish a fixed training day for explorers and vigilants, with at least one day of intensive training each week, just like we did when we were in the military!"
"At that time, we will focus on physical training in the morning, doing things like weighted long-distance running and swimming. Once we've exhausted everyone's energy, we'll let them wander around the training grounds instead of just sitting in the manor all day."
"Moreover, the training camp can improve our teamwork and also increase the obedience of our men."
"Anyway, I think this is fine, boss, say something!"
"Um?"
Gavin, who had been silent, was prompted by Eugene and had no choice but to shift his gaze from the sunset to the back of Eugene's head.
"Training camp?"
Gavin muttered something to himself, then spoke softly as if deep in thought.
"That's a good idea. After all, apart from you, Edward, Anthony, Old Feng, and Abraham, none of the rest of us have much military experience."
"Although exploring life naturally taught them how to cooperate, that kind of haphazard cooperation is destined to be less reliable than professional military training!"
"Let me think about it. After we've settled Cedar Park and Granite Beach Camp, let's select one or two days each week to conduct professional military-style training for field staff, office staff, and some logistics personnel."
"As for the training content, Eugene, spend some time these evenings with Edward, Anthony, and Feng, have a good talk, and come up with a training program that's more suitable for us!"
"Aha, no problem!"
Seeing that Gavin had agreed to his proposal, Eugene grinned excitedly.
These days, Eugene's life has been getting better and better. Without the pressure of life, he feels more and more like he has regained the state of mind he had when he was in the army.
Now, once military training officially begins, the field environment will undoubtedly be closer to military life!
This is Eugene's comfort zone!
After the discussion, Eugene, in high spirits, turned the car into the grassland area.
From a distance, Tara and Hogan, who had already changed shifts at the sentry post, raised their right hands in salute to Gavin.
Seeing Hogan raise his hand, Eugene couldn't help but purse his lips.
"Boss, isn't it a bit unChristian to send one of his priests to work as a guard? At this rate, how long will it take Father Hogan to finish building his church?"
"That was his own choice, Eugene."
Gavin waved his hand and laughed.
"Moreover, the church itself is not the key to Father Hogan's ministry; the process of building the church from scratch is the real ministry."
After saying that, Gavin watched as Eugene crossed the guard post and parked the car in the warehouse.
As soon as he got out of the car, Philip couldn't help but take off his bulletproof vest.
Seeing that Philip didn't like to set up defenses in his camp, Gavin felt more at ease with him and went to the hall with a cigarette in his mouth to rest while waiting for dinner to begin.
Philip, clutching his precious special hexagonal energy-absorbing plate top-grade bulletproof vest, went back to his temporary room to change his clothes.
As he walked out of the room dressed in casual sportswear, he happened to see two little devils, one black and one white, running past his door.
Wow! These kids are so energetic!
Philip couldn't help but sigh, and his voice drew the attention of the two kids to him.
Immediately, the two little devils turned around and surrounded Philip, pestering him to tell them stories about the outside world.
Having stayed in the camp for many days, the two children were filled with fear of the outside world, but at the same time, they were also very curious about Philip, this lone wolf in the apocalypse.
Seeing this, Philip didn't refuse. He simply took the two kids and a few cats and dogs from the camp and sat down in the restaurant to wait for their meal while telling them stories about the outside world.
He talked about his business in Laredo, which involved smuggling drugs from Mexico to the United States, and especially about the top talents he encountered during his smuggling experiences.
Just like Frank in the TV series, they all have a special skill.
He also talked about the zombie invasion that Laredo encountered on the Mexican border after the apocalypse broke out, and how he witnessed a Boeing plane crash less than two kilometers in front of him.
He also talked about how he was robbed by two men in Kotura, but he managed to drive them and their pickup truck into the river by sheer willpower, kill the two bastards in the water, and then escape from the bottom of the river.
He also recounted how he lost all his good stock in that encounter, only to find it again when he traveled to the vicinity of Fredericksburg.
He told the children about the cruelty of the outside world, about the human heads and desecrated corpses he had seen.
He also let the two kids in the camp know that no matter how dangerous the world is now, there is still at least a group of brave people who are enjoying this world to the fullest!
In the lobby, Gavin was recording his experience of clearing zombies in a RV park on the outskirts of Marin City while he could faintly hear the chatter coming from the second floor.
Hearing the children's boisterous cheers and occasional gasps of tension, Gavin couldn't help but smile knowingly.
Beside him, Nikita wiped her toes with her socks while turning to look up at the second floor and whispered to Gavin.
"Honey, Philip is actually a good fit for our camp. Don't you feel bad watching him leave? Shouldn't we think of a way to keep him here?"
"I've thought of a solution, darling, but I still want to leave the choice to him. After all, he's such an interesting person, and that's what he made of his own choices."
Gavin agreed, then put down his pen and paper, and stretched.
After relieving his fatigue, Gavin reached out and grabbed Nikita's fair instep, pulled her wiggling toes up to his face, sniffed them gently, and then made a disgusted face.
"Nikki, it's a little sour."
"Gavin, you can be a real jerk sometimes. I wore those military boots all afternoon, those super thick, heavy boots. Anyone would feel a bit sour in that situation. I—"
"Mmm~"
Gavin gently kissed Nikita's instep, interrupting the girl's words, then lightly pinched her round big toe and chuckled.
"I was just kidding you. You always change into clean socks before you go out, right? And a mere three or four hours of work wouldn't cause anything to ferment."
"Fuck you, Gavin, don't talk to me like that, I—you—really—"
Nikita blushed and then playfully kicked Gavin's thigh with her toe.
Gavin patted Nikki's instep and then waved to her.
"Let's go take a shower and then have dinner."
"Take a shower?"
Upon hearing this, Nikita glanced at her watch suspiciously, then blushed and hesitantly asked Gavin.
"There's not enough time, there's only half an hour left until six o'clock."
"Hmm? Half an hour isn't enough for a shower—wow, you're getting bolder, Nikki."
Gavin burst out laughing, then simply picked Nikita up and strode toward the room.
As they walked down the stairs, Winnie, who had returned to the lobby from the shooting range on the first floor, watched their departing figures and couldn't help but purse her lips. Then, she lifted her right foot, which was wearing a little boot, and imitated Nikita, who was being hugged and had her legs bent, by gently moving her toes inside the boot.
"Hehe, by the time I grow up, you'll be a Texas grandma, Nikita. Only the one who laughs last wins!"
As she spoke, Winnie slung her gun over her shoulder and returned to the room, placing the weapon back in its original spot.
Then, she changed into a loose set of pajamas, slipped on her slippers, and walked out of the room with her big cat.
The big cat followed behind Nikita and bumped into Jonathan, who was leading two Labradors.
Faced with Jonathan's fierce Labrador, the big cat stopped in its tracks in fear, its fur standing on end as it retreated to the wall.
"ha!"
Hearing the orange Maine Coon hiss, Winnie rolled her eyes and spoke to Jonathan.
"Uncle Jonathan, your dog scared my cat!"
"Huh?"
Upon hearing this, Jonathan's fierce expression faltered slightly, then he looked at Winnie with curiosity and asked with a smirk.
"You're Winnie, right? We've never even talked, but you remembered my name?"
"Why can't you remember, sir? Didn't you remember my name too?"
Winnie immediately retorted with a question.
Looking at Winnie, who was only a head shorter than him, Jonathan was slightly taken aback, then couldn't help but sneer and said.
"There aren't many kids in the camp, so of course I'll remember you. But there are plenty of others like me!"
"But not every ranch owner in 6666 has two such handsome dogs as yours! I love them so much!"
Winnie responded to Jonathan without hesitation.
Listening to Winnie's answer, seeing the fearless expression on Winnie's face, and the loving look in her eyes as she gazed at the two Labradors.
Jonathan fell silent for a good ten seconds before suddenly speaking to Winnie.
"I'll give you two dogs, just as great as mine!"
"Really? Thank you so much, sir. But I actually quite like ponies; I'm a little afraid of falling off big horses."
Winnie smiled and said to Jonathan without any politeness.
Upon hearing this, Jonathan was slightly taken aback, and then said in an annoyed tone.
"What a greedy little devil! March to May is the first estrus period for a mare. I'll find a chance to breed a foal for you."
"Besides, Gavin has a super beautiful stallion, doesn't he? I'm planning to breed his precious racehorse while Gavin's away!"
"If you can help me keep this from the boss, I can give you a pony!"
"What do you think, kid?"
"I'm all set for this favor, sir!"
In an instant, Winnie extended her right hand and made a pinky promise to Jonathan.
After a brief silence, Jonathan suddenly flashed a fierce, bright smile and then pinky sweared with Winnie.
After promising Winnie his pony, Jonathan led his two dogs to the restaurant.
From a distance, Corbin, the last heir of the Bonnet family, who was already sitting in the restaurant waiting, growled at Jonathan with displeasure.
"Jonathan, could you please not bring your dog to the restaurant!"
"Heh, Corbyn, Boss Gavin didn't forbid me from doing this!"
In response to Corbin Bonnet's reprimand, Jonathan gave him the middle finger and then casually sat down in his seat.
As he lazily settled down, he pulled a bag of beef jerky from his pocket and tossed it to his two dogs.
As the two dogs shared the beef jerky, Corbin, standing some distance away, frowned with increasing displeasure.
He wanted to endure it, he really wanted to endure it.
But—after enduring for a long time, he realized that he really couldn't hold back!
So he stood up with a growl and yelled at Jonathan.
"That's fucking beef jerky, Jonathan. To us, that's a delicacy, and you're feeding yourself that—"
"Whoa whoa whoa, what did I just hear? Don't argue in the restaurant, it'll scare our kids, Corbin, and Jonathan!"
Before Corbyn could finish speaking, Steve, who had just returned to the restaurant, came to Corbyn's side with a smile.
While pressing down on Corbin's shoulder, Steve scooped a tiny Doberman puppy out of his arms and forcefully placed it into Corbin's embrace.
"Walter?"
Corbin looked at Steve with suspicion and displeasure as the dog sat on him.
Steve, however, gave Corbin a silent reminder.
"I don't want to talk about the difference between 6666 Ranch and Gavin Farm, but keeping dogs and cats is the boss's order, you know? It's an order!"
"If you refuse to obey, the boss might not punish you, but you'll have to deal with the beavers, rabbits, mice, and groundhogs that are destined to multiply wildly this summer!"
"Besides, you and I both know what you're unhappy about. You're not unhappy about the dogs, you're unhappy that they don't obey you like dogs obey their owners!"
"So stop playing the clown in front of me, Corbyn!"
"Because I am the head of the household here, and I have given my permission for Jonathan to keep a dog!!!"
At this point, Steve slapped Corbin hard on the shoulders with both hands, pressing the much thinner Corbin back into his seat.
Seeing Corbin's disheveled appearance in the distance, Jonathan suddenly chuckled, then fed the dog while giving Steve a thumbs up.
At the same time, Gavin happened to come out of the room and went to the restaurant with Nikita.
"Boss!"
Upon seeing Gavin arrive, Steve quickly released Corbin and greeted Gavin.
In an instant —
"Boss!"
"Boss Gavin!"
"BOSS!"
"leader!"
"Gavin!"
Several greetings came from all directions to Gavin, who responded with a slight nod.
Then, Gavin came to Corbin and Steve's side and asked Corbin, who was pale-faced.
"Wow, Corbin, you have a dog?"
As he spoke, Gavin casually sat down next to Corbin and reached out to touch the Doberman puppy in his arms.
Upon being asked this by Gavin, Corbyn's face turned pale, and he hurriedly tried to move the puppy away.
Before he could put the puppy down, Gavin took the puppy from him and stroked it with a face full of affection.
"Haha, this is a good puppy, with a sturdy frame and big paws."
"Once you raise him to adulthood, he might be able to beat Jonathan's two fighting dogs all by himself. It would be really interesting if Jonathan lost to you when it comes to raising dogs!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gavin rubbed the puppy's head and then handed the puppy to Corbin.
Corbyn paused for a moment, then involuntarily took the puppy and glanced at Jonathan.
Meeting Corbyn's gaze, Jonathan grinned coldly and responded to Gavin.
"Boss, that's a really good bastard, but it's a bit of a waste to hand him over to Chief Corbin. Perhaps I should take over—"
"You're talking nonsense!"
Before Joansen could finish speaking, Corbyn suddenly cursed loudly, then couldn't help but hug the puppy tightly.
Seeing this, Gavin chuckled twice and pointed to the dining table.
"Alright, everyone, let's get ready to eat. Let's also chat about today's finds. Steve, did you bring this puppy back?"
"That's right, boss. I found it near Shepard Military Base. Its parents aren't around, so it seems to have been hungry for a while, but it's still energetic. It'll be a good dog!"
As Steve responded, he and Gavin returned to the table of the camp's early settlers.
At this dining table, besides Madison, Steve, Eugene, William, Martin, Winnie, Doris, and Nikita, only relatively outstanding individuals like Edward and Anthony were allowed to sit down.
As the number of people in the camp increased, the large dining table, which accommodated more than a dozen people, was filled with seven or eight seats.
As a result, the layout of each dining table changed accordingly; at least at Gavin's table, those sitting were the original members of the camp.
The group chatted and ate, sharing their experiences and insights.
At a distant dining table, people like Otto briefly reported on their day's work, creating a lively dining atmosphere.
As for Philip, the lone wolf, he sat next to the two kids, eating and telling them stories.
After dinner, Philip dealt with the two kids and didn't get to the gym until around 7:30.
After spending over an hour practicing with Edward and his group, Philip, ever the friendly type, went to the bar with his friends.
After enjoying William's cocktails at the bar and downing two glasses of whiskey, Philip walked through the night, returning to his room with a happy expression.
Taking off his clothes, not even bothering to put on underwear, Philip casually sat on the bed and picked up his large backpack.
He opened the zipper and took out a milk powder box, patted the lid and said softly.
"Dad, haha, I kind of want to stay here. This is really a great place. It's as relaxing as the bedroom ceiling you see after waking up from a nightmare."
"But I know you old bastard definitely don't want to miss Kansas, do you? After all, Mom's buried there!"
"Don't worry, I've come all this way, of course I'll get back to our home safely and bury you, you old bastard, with Mom."
"After that, let me think about it. Maybe I'll come back, if I'm still alive, or maybe I'll travel to many other places, to see the places you and Mom once wanted to go."
"But whatever I choose, remember to wish me peace from heaven."
"I love you, Dad."