Doomsday America.

Chapter 264 Mushroom-type Defensive Zombies

at the same time……

Thump thump thump thump...

Amidst the cacophony of noise, five helicopters hovered together over a large open area southwest of Livingston Lake.

Looking at the ground below, Gavin took out a map, and Eugene also took out a map and started looking at it.

After glancing at it twice, Eugene pointed to the road section on the map and spoke into his earpiece.

"Boss, this is Highway 224. This road is about eight kilometers straight southwest of Lake Livingston. The route is flat and there are basically no buildings in the middle. The left and right ends connect San Jacinto Pier and Caprera Pier."

"I think this is a good place. After we land, we can choose a suitable location in the middle of an open area within eight kilometers to set up a temporary camp that we can live and use for seven days."

"At the same time, as long as we take back the two docks at the left and right ends of the highway, or at least one of them, we can reliably obtain ships." With that, Eugene put away the map and shoved it carelessly into the pocket of his shirt under his bulletproof vest.

After confirming the details of the Eugene Plan, Gavin nodded while fiddling with the map and spoke into his headset.

"The flight crew is preparing to land. The target location is the grassy silt near the lake in the open area below."

"Understood, sir."

"Yes, boss!"

In an instant, the five pilots, Sean, Edward, Old Von, Steve, and Nicholas, began to descend.

As the helicopter landed, Gavin tucked the map back into the ammunition vest covering his body armor, then waved to his men. Inside the cabin, the seven men, including Eugene, nodded to Gavin and began organizing their equipment.

Gavin took over Edward's squad, which, together with Eugene's squad, made up eight people. This number is still expanding, as Edward and Eugene want to grow the squad to the size of a standard tactical squad, which is at least six people.

But... how should I put it, the current veterans in the camp, including Anthony, are all leading their own teams.

With no qualified veterans available to replenish the camp, Edward and Eugene didn't want to fill the ranks with mediocre ones, so they had to train new recruits themselves, which would take some time.

As Gavin pondered, the helicopter slowly descended, eventually coming to rest on a grassy area about 110 meters from the lake.

This area is far from the muddy areas by the lake, the land is relatively stable and very open, making it ideal for temporary camping.

Gavin and his group were not in a hurry. Instead, they stayed inside the helicopter until the rotors completely stopped before Gavin jumped out of the cabin. After he landed, Tara and the others, who were sitting on the Black Hawk's landing gear, also jumped to the ground.

After looking around at the open area, Gavin pointed to a small forest about 800 meters away and said softly.

"Let's have a smoke here first, make sure the helicopter has lured the zombies over, then defend and take them out!"

Just as Gavin was saying this, Eugene happened to toss him a cigarette.

Gavin casually tossed the cigarette into his mouth, while Adriana leaned closer and lit it for him with a lighter.

As the smoke gradually rose, Eugene lit a cigarette and spoke casually in the helicopter.

"Old Feng, and all of you, did you hear that? You bunch of flying creatures, stay inside the plane and watch how your grandfathers on the ground protect you!"

"Ah! Eugene, you really have a way with words!"

Edward cursed into the wireless headset, then got out of the driver's seat and picked up his weapon.

He walked off his plane with his gun in his arms, then came to the field team and said with a smile.

"We already searched the surrounding area before we landed, and there wasn't even a small group of hundreds of zombies around here." "Even if there were any stragglers in the forest, it would be absurd to think there were even a few dozen zombies. What a load of crap, it's just routine maintenance." With that, Edward unbuckled his helmet and took out a cigarette, lighting it with relish.

Meanwhile, the other pilots also got off the plane and gathered around Gavin.

Tara tossed a Coke bottle to Gavin, who opened it while pointing at Nicholas's Black Hawk helicopter.

"In a little while, let's set up the tents we brought and also put up some simple tables to make a makeshift command post." "Then, I'll take a team of field agents and follow Sean's helicopter to find some vehicles nearby. There are suitable vehicles in the resort area where we met Lao Feng, and the environment there is relatively relaxed and safe."

"Eugene, before I drive back, you and the guys pack up the makeshift camp by the lake. Of course, if a big wave of zombies gathers, then you guys fly up into the air and don't fucking fight like idiots on the ground."

"Once we find a car, we'll decide which dock to go to to find a boat."

"receive!"

Eugene nodded seriously. As a veteran, he knew how to follow the action plan.

Veteran soldiers like him, having fought in countless battles, inevitably possess a carefree and easygoing nature unlike that of ordinary people, but this is limited to outside of war. Once in a state of war, veterans who have truly teetered on the brink of death will all instantly enter combat readiness. Only those who have experienced the risks of war understand how to deal with it: to tense up as quickly as possible, and to relax just as quickly. This balance of tension and relaxation is the only way to effectively alleviate the exhaustion and tension of war.

And just as Gavin was saying this...

In the distant forest, a few zombies did indeed come running towards them.

The helicopter attracted zombies to a wider area than the gunfire, and the zombies' locations were all very chaotic, so it wasn't surprising to find zombies nearby.

Sean looked into the distance through his binoculars, and after confirming the number of the first wave of zombies that rushed out, he chuckled and shook his head.

"Boss, only three zombies rushed out of the forest, not enough to go around."

"Yeah, boss, judging from the number of zombies that rushed out in the first wave, I don't think we need to expect a zombie horde."

Nicholas picked up where his instructor left off, chuckling as he exhaled a puff of smoke.

Meanwhile, the three zombies broke free of the forest and ran across the wide grasslands, then crossed the empty Highway 224. This was because the zombie apocalypse had begun at 3:00 AM, and the zombie fungus was spreading rapidly and violently.

So, in this American apocalypse, Gavin couldn't see any of the traffic jams on the roads.

Unless there are special circumstances, no road would be so congested at around 3 a.m., right?

While Gavin observed the road, he also looked towards the forest.

Several zombies also inexplicably appeared in the open fields from two other directions.

And so, as time went by, the number of zombies slowly increased.

It started with three heads, then seven, then sixteen or seventeen, and finally reached nearly thirty-three.

Although the number seems large, they actually ran to the helicopter camp in batches.

Each batch consisted of only two or three, or even five, zombies, and the distance between each batch was always over eighty meters. Looking at the disorganized and small number of zombies, Eugene scoffed disdainfully, then unloaded his sniper rifle from his back and placed it on the ground. Next, he picked up his broadsword and coldly addressed Gavin.

"Boss, there are only a few zombies. I need to take the guys to practice with melee weapons."

After saying that, he patted the half-bladed broadsword that Old Bert had given him, which had been specially made for him by the camp's blacksmiths in the last few days. The balance and feel of the sword were very much to his liking. He stuck out his tongue at the guys around him and laughed.

"So, you guys aren't afraid to fight zombies in close combat, are you? If you are, use a pistol!"

"Shut your mouth, what are you afraid of!"

"Stop looking down on us, get back to your work, Captain!"

"Come on, let's kill them!"

Faced with Eugene's provocation, the men were outraged, and even Old Feng pulled out his nail-headed short stick.

In recent days, the camp's blacksmith team has been honing their forging skills and creating many new weapons that are better suited to fighting zombies.

This includes items such as spiked clubs, extended claw hammers, sharp spears with solid ends, and heavy-duty kukri knives with added weight.

In short, melee weapons have undergone significant changes with the emergence of zombies. The core goal of all weapons is not to harm humans, but to pierce or smash the heads of zombies in the simplest way.

And Gavin.

Looking at the guys, full of energy, pulling out their melee weapons...

He carefully surveyed his surroundings, and after confirming that the attacking zombies were only scattered in small groups in the surrounding wilderness, he nodded expressionlessly and waved his hand lightly twice.

Have fun, guys!

After saying that, Gavin threw away the half-eaten cigarette in his hand and walked to the two planes where tents and other survival supplies were placed.

Everyone here is an experienced player, and the opponent is only a small number of zombies.

In this situation, Gavin doesn't need to do any additional war mobilization.

With Gavin's permission, the men's expressions changed, and they charged towards the nearest zombie, howling as they went.

The nearest zombies were only about 70 meters away from them, and there were only three of them.

If you run too slowly, you won't be able to get one!

Despite his sharp tongue, Eugene isn't actually the fastest runner among the group.

Edward and Old Feng stepped out from the crowd in two strides. Edward, still using his dagger, immediately plunged it into the zombie's eye socket the moment he faced it.

The force of this thrust was so great that it actually knocked the zombie into the air by its head, sending it crashing heavily to the ground. And Old Feng...

Before his men could even touch the zombies, he smashed the first zombie on the head with his stick. Then, he spun around to avoid the first zombie's falling body, swung the short stick in his hand, and slammed it into the chin of the next zombie!

card!

With a sharp crack, the second zombie's chin was instantly smashed by a spiked club.

Spikes tore through the zombie's flesh, while the solid metal rod smashed its jaw, knocking the zombie to the ground.

Before Lao Feng could finish off the second zombie, Tara appeared behind him and stomped hard on its head. *Thud!*

With the sound of brains splattering, Tara nudged Old Feng on the shoulder and laughed.

"Aha, I finally managed to snag one!"

"Tsk, don't rush, Tara, there's plenty more to come!"

Old Feng chuckled and nudged Tara's waist with his elbow.

Tara nodded and continued charging, heading straight for the two zombies that followed.

You could tell the guys were really relaxed right now, because Tara didn't even bother to swing her weapons. She just used her big body and her shoulder pads, which were wrapped in three or four layers of cowhide and even had a steel plate sewn on, to slam into the zombies coming at her.

She ducked low as she crashed into the zombie, sending it flying and spinning it through the air! The sight made several of the crew gasp. Diana, after her initial shock, immediately turned to Gavin, who was packing up the tent, and shouted, "Boss, look at her! I think Tara would be an excellent center even if she played men's rugby!"

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, Gavin put down the tent and glanced back.

In his eyes, Tara, who had just knocked one zombie away, was now shoving another zombie hard in the chest and neck with her gloved hand! With just one shove, the zombie was thrown back as if it had been hit by a car and crashed to the ground.

Seeing this action, Gavin's eyes lit up, and he laughed.

"Haha, beautiful defensive move! It's a shame Tara only focuses on fitness; she should be playing women's rugby!"

"Yes, it's a shame that someone with that physique doesn't play rugby."

Next to Gavin, Sean, who was carrying two kegs of beer off the plane, grinned.

He laughed as he leaned closer to Gavin and spoke.

"Boss, it's not easy for our camp to form a rugby team. There are just too many people on the team."

"However, there are now over a hundred people in the camp, so how about we form a few baseball teams? Playing baseball is more fun than playing basketball all day!"

"uh-huh?"

Upon hearing this, Gavin smiled and patted Sean on the shoulder.

"What's wrong, Sean? Basketball isn't enough for you anymore?"

"Haha, boss, basketball is not bad, but I fucking can't play basketball, so I still prefer baseball and football~" Sean replied with a laugh.

While the two chatted leisurely, more of the crew encountered the zombies that followed.

Tara was a monster; she simply used her strong physique to fight off the seven or eight zombies that followed. Watching his men excitedly engage in close combat with the zombies, Gavin put his arm around Sean's shoulder and said...

"If you like baseball, then go and put in the effort to get it done. I can't just forbid other sports from being allowed in the camp because I play rugby."

"Besides, don't you all know very well that as long as it doesn't interfere with our daily work, I really don't have any requirements for the camp's recreational activities."

"Oh, right, and no drugs. But other than that, you can do whatever you want. Just try to be happy so you can overcome the confusion that's bound to come with the apocalypse, buddy."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gavin released Sean and continued to hoist the tent to the area he had chosen.

Seeing Gavin begin packing up the tent, Nicholas followed behind Sean, and the three of them chatted as they set up the tent.

In the distance, the field agents' excited shouts lasted for about two minutes, then ended completely with the death of the last zombie.

Just as Gavin was setting up his tent, Eugene and Edward, both covered in zombie blood, chuckled as they dragged a zombie behind Gavin and tossed the dead body near him.

"Boss, look at this zombie, doesn't it look a little different?"

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Gavin released the nail he was about to drive into the ground, casually tossed it to Sean, then turned around and came to Edward and Eugene, squatting down next to the dead zombie and speaking.

"What's different?"

As he asked, Gavin flipped the zombie over without any disgust, so that its face was up.

While Gavin was turning over the zombies, Eugene laughed heartily.

"Haha, you saw that too, haha, these zombies are starting to grow mushrooms!"

"..."

Gavin's gaze had already landed on the zombie's face.

No, it's not just the face.

The zombie in front of him had large patches of mushrooms growing on its face, brow bone, and bridge of its nose, while different kinds of mushrooms were also growing on its body. More importantly, Gavin noticed that those mushrooms did not look as fragile as ordinary mushrooms.

At least the mushrooms look quite chewy.

So Gavin raised his finger and pressed it on the large mushroom-shaped area on the zombie's chest.

With that press, Gavin's expression worsened.

as predicted!

The moment he pressed it, he felt like he wasn't pressing a mushroom at all, but a tire!

That's right, damn it, the large patches of mushrooms growing on this zombie's body actually have a rubbery texture. They feel exceptionally tough and elastic to the touch, very bouncy!

After confirming the feel of the weapon, Gavin pulled out the dagger stuck in the outside of his left thigh and poked the mushroom on the zombie's body with the tip of the blade.

Damn it!

Gavin's eyes widened. The feeling of poking these mushrooms was almost the same as poking a tire. These mushrooms were damn tough as tires! So Gavin immediately asked Eugene and Edward.

"Do all zombies have these mushrooms on them?"

"Uh, no, I checked, there are thirty-seven zombies in total, and only five or six of them are like this!"

Eugene answered quickly.

Upon hearing this, Gavin's furrowed brows deepened.

This number isn't good. It proves that the rubber mushroom zombies aren't just isolated cases, but rather a widespread phenomenon. So, Gavin reached out, grabbed the mushroom from the zombie's body, and then pulled hard.

In an instant, he ripped a mushroom off the zombie!

What was terrifying was that he hadn't torn off a mushroom; the mushroom's root was still connected to a large piece of muscle and a small portion of internal organs! Looking at the mushroom firmly attached to the flesh, Gavin sighed, then pressed his hand against the gaps in the zombie's body where no mushrooms were growing, saying, "Damn, if these mushrooms covered the entire zombie, I bet we'd be facing a special kind of zombie that looks like it's wearing a bulletproof vest!"

What causes this type of mushroom to form? Humidity? Air? Light?

"But in any case, this kind of zombie is worth recording. If you don't have a gun, and you encounter a zombie whose whole body looks like it's wrapped in rubber tires with only melee weapons."

"Ordinary people might not be a match for these zombies!"

"Damn it, these damn zombies are getting more and more of a nuisance!"