Doomsday America.

Chapter 275 Accepting Reality?

"Get the hell up here, you damn pig-like bastard! Stick your ass up and put your damn pants and clothes back on!"

In front of a lone tent, Eugene lifted his boots and kicked the tent flap hard, making the tent rattle loudly.

The strange noise made the people in the tent open their eyes in confusion.

A moment later, Adriana struggled to lift her left hand, glanced at the H. Moser & Cie. watch on her wrist, then opened her mouth helplessly and cursed at the noise outside the tent.

"Mazefak, Eugene, it's only 7:30! What the hell are you doing here?"

"The boss said we'd have breakfast at eight o'clock, eight o'clock, not the hell at seven-thirty, and not now!"

At this point, Adriana angrily pulled her leg out of her sleeping bag and kicked the tent hard!

Outside the tent, looking at the footprints that briefly appeared on the tent flap, Eugene chuckled, then simply sat down at the entrance of Adriana's tent, raised his hand and knocked on the curtain.

"Yes, yes, we eat at eight, but there's still half an hour left, Anna, could we...?"

"You damn old hag, Redhead, get out of my tent! I'd rather spend the next half hour licking the boss's genitals than let you into my tent, you damn stupid idiot! How dare you wake me up early, making me so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open!"

Adriana yelled at Eugene, her voice causing everyone in the camp to stop what they were doing and turn to look in Eugene's direction.

For a moment, Eugene, who was the center of attention, was stunned, then blushed and yelled at Adriana.

"You fucking...you...damn it, the boss's already gone to Lake Livingston for a bath, you're not getting any of his licks, you...you damned, you filthy, vicious bitch!"

"What? The boss is already awake? No wonder you woke me up early!"

Hearing Eugene say this, Adriana finally came to her senses completely. She then quickly put on her tank top and pulled her underwear over her legs.

Wearing only a simple tank top and shorts, Adriana pulled back the curtain, stepped barefoot out of the tent, stretched her body in the sunlight, and smoothed her slightly longer hair.

Her impressive bust and slender waist earned her knowing cheers and more than one whistle from the camp.

Even Steve whistled at Adriana from afar.

Surrounded by such sounds, Adriana chuckled and shook her head, while looking up at Livingston Lake in the distance.

From a distance of one or two hundred meters, Adriana could vaguely see two figures lying in the water at the edge of the lake, in a man-made filtered pond separated by mud and sand.

Seeing this, Adriana took a deep breath and then used the leather cord on her wrist to tie her hair into a stylish way.

Then, she put her arm around Eugene's shoulder and said to him with emotion.

"Eugene, I don't blame you for waking me up early. You're such a kind person; otherwise, I would have almost missed such a beautiful scene." "So now, can you escort this fragile little woman to the lake for a bath?"

"Haha, damn it, I knew you'd apologize. Let's go!"

Eugene immediately gave Adriana a thumbs up, then gave her a sly smile.

They were longtime sex partners and teammates who had worked together for weeks, which is why their relationship wasn't ruined by those few joking curses between them.

Eugene always remembered that what Adriana longed for most was Gavin's body.

So, after he discovered Gavin and Edward had gone to take a bath together not long ago, he quickly came to wake Adriana up.

And so, about three minutes later.

In an artificially dug, filtered lake area, Gavin, who was bathing with Edward, couldn't help but look up at Old Feng by the lake. Old Feng was sitting by the water, holding a gun, idly dipping his feet in the water, his eyes scanning his surroundings, always on guard. Noticing Gavin's gaze, Old Feng shrugged and looked at Eugene and Adriana approaching, saying...

"Boss, the footsteps are Eugene and Adriana."

"Adriana? She's awake? That's troublesome..."

Gavin immediately turned around and looked down into the water at Adriana as she approached.

Adriana was still dressed in shorts and underwear, and when she arrived at the lake, she decisively took off her underwear. Without any hesitation, she also took off her shorts and threw them on the lakeshore. Then, Adriana ran a few steps, laughing loudly and shouting.

"I am the big bomb!"

"Fuck...you're still a fucking sandstorm!"

Gavin cursed irritably, and as soon as he finished speaking, Adriana grabbed her legs and plunged into the lake. With a splash, Adriana nimbly flipped over in the water and then darted to Gavin's side like a fish.

"Boss... ooh ooh... I'm here~"

With the sound of water, Adriana helped Gavin sit up, leaned against him, and waved to Eugene on the riverbank with a smile.

Eugene irritably took off his boots, stuck his feet into the lake like Old Feng, sat there and gave Adriana the middle finger, while asking Gavin a question.

"Boss, ignore that stupid woman who's in heat 24/7, let's talk about the work we need to do today."

"Is there anything we can do before the astronauts return?"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Gavin used his right hand to shoo away Adriana's hand as she reached for his younger brother, while simultaneously putting his left arm around Adriana's shoulder. This prevented Adriana from succeeding while greatly satisfying her little expectation, and Gavin continued speaking under this self-protective guise.

"These past few days, we've cleared out as many of the larger zombie clusters around Livingston Lake as possible. So, the remaining tasks this morning are to inspect the helicopters as much as possible, ensure the radios are working properly, and make sure every vehicle is ready for deployment." "These vehicles are all requisitioned from the surrounding area; they're not our own high-end models, so their reliability can't be guaranteed."

"In addition, we need to check the condition of our rescue equipment, including ropes, life rings, and any breaching tools that may be used, including cutting machines and other equipment."

"Once the return capsule lands, regardless of whether it opens properly, we must bring the astronauts out!"

"In addition, the emergency medical supplies also need to be checked again. Edward, after dinner you need to have the guys practice our rescue procedures again."

"Didn't Old Bert train us at home? We must make sure everyone remembers the most basic rescue techniques. Whichever helicopter finds the returning astronauts first, we must ensure their safety and prevent them from suffering more serious injuries after landing than before!" "In short, that's roughly what we need to do: check, prevent, prepare. That's all we can do!" At this point, Gavin suddenly took a deep breath, then turned his head away irritably, avoiding Adriana who was gently licking his ear.

After Gavin dodged her, Adriana feigned sadness, placing her hands on Gavin's left shoulder and teasingly saying, "Boss, you're not being prejudiced, are you? That would be so heartbreaking! I love you so much, I'd die for you, but you won't even look at me!"

"Just look at me, or feel my heartbeat!"

"If you could feel my burning heartbeat, I don't believe your heart wouldn't race a little, boss. I wish I could give you my whole heart, I..."

"Stop fucking horny here, you idiot. Go take a shower, and then get back to your room for dinner, you moron!"

Gavin interrupted Adriana's nonsense in an annoyed manner, and slapped Adriana into the water. He then got out of the water and stepped back to the shore using the pre-laid stone steps.

Not far away, Lao Feng tossed a bath towel to Jiawen.

Adriana burst out of the water, wiping the water off her face with her bare hands. Then she turned and lay on the shore, letting the water balloon on her chest be flattened as she greedily watched Gavin's back.

Edward, still in the water, shook his head with a smile, then looked at Adriana with nostalgia.

Edward said nostalgically, gazing at the curves of her back and hips that were faintly visible beneath the water's surface.

"Adriana, you're just like one of my comrades. That girl is just as cool as you, but of course, she's much better than you. You still need to train harder."

"Your comrades? Wuhu, you mean the female soldiers in SEAL Team Six? Is that something I can achieve through training alone?" Adriana turned to the side, giving Edward the middle finger with an annoyed look.

Edward stood up with a pout and went back to shore with Gavin, taking another towel that Old Feng threw to him and drying himself off.

Seeing the two handsome men who were so good-looking that they made her weak in the knees leave the lake, Adriana could only dejectedly start washing herself quickly. Her movements were as fast as Gavin and the other man getting dressed.

After Gavin and Edward had put on all their gear, Adriana had already climbed out of the water and bent down to pick up the towel Gavin had just used to dry herself off.

Gavin, holding a pistol, lifted Adriana's underwear and cursed at her with a frown.

"Adriana, even if you're taking a shower, don't fucking walk this far in this stupid stuff! Aren't you afraid of getting shot?" "If there's a next time, believe me, I'll tie you up and throw you in the cellar, make a frame for you, and use it as a den of honor!"

"Huh? There's such a reward?"

Upon hearing this, Adriana rubbed her belly and furry body one last time, then threw away the towel, grabbed the pants from Gavin's pistol, and put them on.

After putting on her vest, Adriana shook the water off her hair and smiled.

"If we encounter danger here, it means all our efforts over the past week have been wasted, boss!"

"I may be just a foolish woman, but you are all elites. You have snipers, you have SEAL Team Six. Why can't I trust you, and why can't I trust that we are safe?"

"And, haha, although the lake water was very cool in the morning, the morning dew and mist made me feel very refreshed. I like this kind of wild bathing, but I was just too rushed in time."

"Alright, stop joking around, let's go back and eat!"

Gavin shook his head, interrupting Adriana, and then led the way toward the camp.

Then, the guys at the camp, who were resting and preparing as usual, saw the five people by the lake return to the vicinity and started eating breakfast.

After breakfast, the staff got completely busy, with countless inspections taking up all their time.

The sun in the Livingston Lake District gradually rose from low to high, reaching its highest point in the sky.

And Gavin...

At this moment, he is sitting calmly on his beach chair.

Even though his face was as calm as still water, even though his eyes were as still as a lake...

His lips, which moved frequently, were gradually revealing his unease.

As Gavin waited anxiously, Sean lit a cigarette and came to Gavin's side, saying...

"Boss, how about we grab some lunch? There's still over an hour before the astronauts' scheduled departure time, isn't there?"

"It's only 12:40 now. If they want to deorbit and return to Earth, they'll need to start adjusting their angle at least after 2:20." "The next hour and a half is enough for the astronauts to orbit the Earth again!"

At this point, Sean handed the lit cigarette to Gavin, who took it and took a deep drag.

After exhaling the smoke, Gavin nodded slightly.

"Get me some whole wheat bread, the simplest kind. We're almost there, and I don't want to eat anything that might give me a stomachache." "Sure, boss, don't worry, Doris made all our bread yesterday morning, it won't spoil that quickly!"

"Oh, and how about some more apples? Whole wheat bread slices wrapped around apple slices taste quite unique, don't you think?"

Sean asked Gavin, who nodded slightly.

Gavin managed to get through his simple lunch.

Time continued to flow relentlessly, one o'clock... two o'clock... two-thirty... two-forty!

As the hands of his watch struck 2:40, Gavin finally rose from his beach chair and roared at his men, who had been waiting patiently, "Alright, guys, get on the plane! Everyone get on the plane! Remember your assigned locations, and hurry up!"

"receive!"

"Yes, boss!"

"No problem, boss!"

In no time, Sean, Edward, Steve, Old Feng, and Nicholas all boarded their planes.

However, only four planes took off.

After taking off, the four helicopters quickly flew in four directions around Livingston Lake, occupying all four corners of the lake! However, Livingston Lake is truly vast, at least fifty kilometers long and at its widest point at least twenty-two kilometers wide. Even with four helicopters flying around the lake, their view could hardly cover the entirety of Livingston Lake.

Therefore, helicopters can only rely on pre-planned cruise routes, paying as much attention as possible to the sky, and not missing any opportunity to see the return capsule.

After the four planes each took one or two crew members away...

At the temporary camp at Lake Livingston, only Sean, who was ready to take off to provide support at any time, and Gavin and Eugene, who were guarding the ground radio, remained. The sudden emptiness of the camp made Eugene involuntarily a little nervous. He stood next to Gavin with his lips pursed, constantly observing the sky through his binoculars.

Gavin sat silently in front of the radio, staring intently at it, trying to pick up any sound from it. To avoid any potential impact on the return capsule's systems if he sent a radio message, Gavin and the astronauts had established a unilateral agreement for sending and receiving messages long before the astronauts' return.

In other words, only Ivan and Charlie Duke in the sky can decide whether to send a message to Camp Gavin!

After all, the reentry capsule is an extremely delicate device, especially one that is operated entirely manually without signal, information support, or automated functions. Whether it's separating the propulsion system or changing the thrust angle by even a degree, if the Ivan's operation is slightly off, the error could be far-reaching. And such a creature as the Ivan cannot be affected by even the slightest possible sudden interference from ground-based radio.

In short, this is the reason why Gavin is unable to even stay in touch with the astronauts at this moment.

The complete silence on the radio at this moment made Gavin even more nervous, frozen in front of it!

Time ticked by, second by second...

Two o'clock...

3:10...

twenty……

thirty……

As time passed and the radio remained silent, Gavin finally couldn't contain his tension and exhaled deeply.

"call……"

This long, drawn-out breath immediately made Eugene look at him.

Noticing Gavin gritting his teeth and breathing evenly and heavily through his nose, Eugene pursed his lips, reached out and pulled out a cigarette, handing it to Gavin. He didn't speak, but instead handed him a lighter at the same time.

As Gavin took the lighter, the voices of his men came through the walkie-talkie on his waist.

"This is Feng. It is exactly 3:40. There are no abnormalities east of Livingston Lake."

Along with Lao Feng's voice, the other pilots, who had been arranged to report every ten minutes, also began to report in the intercom. "This is Edward, it's exactly 3:40. No abnormalities west of Livingston Lake."

"Nicholas, nothing unusual in the north."

"No abnormalities in the south..."

Gavin had heard this seemingly normal sound countless times, every ten minutes, and it only made him more and more anxious.

But he could only try to suppress his anxiety by smoking one cigarette after another, and then wait quietly, waiting... 3:50... 4:00... 4:10... 4:20...

4:30...

By this moment, the sun above Livingston Lake had gradually turned into a sunset, beginning to show signs of its descent and casting shadows.

Meanwhile, in the campsite by Livingston Lake, which was gradually turning golden and red, Gavin, sitting in front of the radio, visibly exuded a suppressed rage.

Eugene had already sat down next to Gavin, his legs trembling nervously as he rapidly puffed out cigarette smoke. After finishing his cigarette, he suddenly threw the butt to the ground and whispered to Gavin.

"Boss, it's almost five o'clock, we need to get ready..."

"Prepare, what preparation? Prepare to silently and quietly accept the fact that they are dead? That's fucking cruel, damn it, that's not the ending they deserve, absolutely not!!!"

At that moment, in response to Eugene's reminder, Gavin growled and looked up at Eugene.

His eyes were fixed on Eugene, causing Eugene to involuntarily shut his mouth.

After another four or five minutes of silence.

On the nearby helicopter, which was ready to take off at any moment, even Sean couldn't help but take a deep breath and shout to Gavin.

"Boss, Eugene is right. It's almost five o'clock now, and about an hour and a half has passed since the astronauts agreed to meet us!"

"Just as we're always ready to witness miracles, boss, right now we must also be prepared for miracles yet to happen, right?"

"I know you're sad, because I'm sad too, but... Boss, maybe we have to accept reality, we... um?" "Buzz... um... buzz..."

Just as Sean finished speaking, the radio that had been silent in front of Gavin suddenly crackled with intermittent static! At the same time, Gavin leaped into the air, his eyes wide with tension, and rushed to the radio, anxiously awaiting the next communication!