Doomsday America.

Chapter 322 Tumbleweeds

After confirming it several times, Gavin finally felt relieved, then raised his hands high and clapped them heavily.

"Alright, guys, we're safe now. Let's get back to work and get the hotel geared up, then we can rest and cook!"

"Edward, lead the team to clear out all the zombie corpses from the inn and send them to a distant place to be burned."

"Eugene, continue moving supplies, dismantling heavy machine guns, and building a machine gun defense network for the hotel."

"Wang Ling, check the hotel rooms and assign rooms."

"Old Mike, take the rest of the team and move the grill and food to the open space in front of the motel. We're having an outdoor BBQ tonight!" Gavin clapped his hands again, urging his men to get to work quickly.

The guys weren't dawdling; after all, they had rested in the car for a day, and apart from the three deputy captains driving, everyone else was full of energy.

Or rather, if they don't find something to do, their bodies, which have been sitting in the car all day, will soon become numb!

And just like that, the workers immediately got to work, like ants, with clear division of labor.

Gavin wasn't idle either. He first checked the entire inn with Edward, including the basement. Then, after helping Edward move two bodies, he went to the newly set up barbecue grill in the open space and started fiddling with the charcoal. Seeing Gavin approach the grill, Barn, who was sitting on the roof of the RV keeping watch with his rifle, couldn't help but laugh at Gavin from afar. "Boss, since tonight's meal is an open-air barbecue, can we have some drinks?"

"What? Drinking?"

Upon hearing this, Gavin shook his head with amusement. Barn was quite bold.

Didn't you see that even Eugene didn't dare mention drinking in front of him?

Previously, Eugene had been severely reprimanded by himself for making mistakes due to drinking during an operation, which caused Martin and Eugene to stop talking about it altogether.

Even though the atmosphere was so nice today, neither of them jumped up in front of him to ask for a drink.

but……

Looking around at the busy workers.

Considering the fact that they might face dozens of armed biker gangs in the next day or two...

Gavin took a deep breath, then looked up at Barn, who was on guard duty, and smiled.

"If you want to drink... too bad we didn't bring any alcohol with us, did we?"

At this point, Gavin turned around and cursed at Eugene from a distance.

"Eugene! You fucking brought alcohol with you when you were carrying supplies before you left?!"

"No, damn it! I didn't! Didn't you see I joked about condoms? I wouldn't even dare to joke about drinking!" Eugene was fiddling with and fixing a heavy machine gun by a window on the second floor of the hotel when Gavin yelled at him.

Good heavens, he was so wronged.

After responding to Gavin, Eugene immediately yelled in Barnes' direction.

"Barn, you son of a bitch, you're the one who slandered me behind my back, aren't you?!"

"Fuck you, Eugene, I didn't! I just suggested that the boss take us to drink fewer beers!"

Inside the RV, Barn grinned and laughed, then responded to Eugene.

Upon hearing Barn's words, Eugene shrank back and immediately gave Barn a thumbs-up in admiration.

"You're awesome! I wouldn't even dare to suggest that. But boss, can't we drink less? As for drinks, I think the motel has some."

At this point, Eugene simply leaned against the window, rested his head next to the machine gun, and looked at Gavin expectantly.

Gavin glanced first at the scarred and menacing Barn, then turned to look at Eugene's expectant eyes. After a brief moment of thought, Gavin took a deep breath and smiled.

"Alright, but only beer is allowed, and no more than three bottles per person!"

"Since you didn't bring any alcohol in violation of the rules, you can just drink two bottles, Eugene."

"Haha, great job, boss, you're really something... Wait, how many bottles?"

Upon hearing Gavin's words, Eugene immediately began to express his gratitude, but before he could finish speaking, he realized something was amiss.

"That's not right, boss! How come I didn't break any rules, yet I drank even less!"

"Because you've made mistakes like this before, you jerk!"

Gavin gave Eugene the middle finger and cursed at him, to which Eugene rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Gavin chuckled at Eugene's disdainful look, then turned the embers in the oven with his charcoal fork and spoke to Diana, who happened to be walking by carrying some things.

"Diana, go tell the busy guys that the charcoal is hot enough. Those who have finished their work can bring their ingredients and come to me for a barbecue." "Okay, boss, time really flies! I haven't even broken a sweat yet, and it's almost six o'clock already!"

Diana smiled and agreed, then picked up the bullets in her arms and rushed into the hotel.

After delivering the bullets to Eugene's machine gun position, Eugene began loading the machine gun, while Diana went around notifying the busy men one by one.

Following Diana's notification, Tara arrived in front of Gavin about three minutes later, carrying a large pile of meat.

"Boss, here's the brisket and short ribs, and the hamburger patties. Adriana's looking for the grill pan; she won't find it for a bit." "As for the vegetables, Steve has them; they'll be here soon."

As soon as she finished speaking, Tara came up behind Gavin, picked out a folding stool from the group's supplies, and sat down at a distance from the barbecue grill. Seeing this, Gavin nodded in response, then took out a frozen beef and placed it next to the charcoal fire to thaw.

Don't ask why no one else came to help him with the barbecue.

Because no one else deserves it!

Family barbecues or outdoor camping barbecues are common in the United States, where a unique barbecue culture exists. A key aspect of this culture is that BBQs are enjoyed both as a family unit and as a group.

In cases where the leader of a team or the head of a family does not need to entertain other distinguished guests, and the leader or head of the family is not overwhelmed with other tasks, then the situation is as follows:

The job of grilling meat belongs to the eldest brother and the head of the family!

This is not a bad job; rather, it is a manifestation and consolidation of team rights and family rights.

If a few idiots suddenly appear and try to steal Gavin's job of grilling meat, Gavin will have to yell at them and drive them away to prove that he still has the energy to manage the entire team.

In short, Gavin doesn't necessarily need to stand in front of the charcoal fire all night grilling meat for everyone.

But the first piece of meat must be grilled by him.

And even if he wanted to get rid of his work and order someone else to grill the meat.

He has to make sure that everyone on the team gets to eat some of the food he bakes.

Although since the apocalypse, the pre-meal prayer has been quietly omitted by everyone.

That's because everyone has developed a slight sense of resentment towards their faith in God and Christ due to the prospect of the end times.

But even if the pre-meal prayer is omitted, it's not a tradition that can be easily discarded.

And so, as Gavin slowly thawed the beef, other meats and a small amount of fresh vegetables gradually piled up around him. Honestly, the fact that they were able to make room for these vegetables on the road was thanks to Thomas's hydroponic facility.

The camp's farmland wasn't ready for its first harvest yet; even the fastest-growing vegetables weren't ripe.

However, Thomas's own hydroponic base is a bit more sophisticated. Under Thomas's management, the first batch of vegetables was harvested half a month ago.

The vegetables Steve brought included onions, bell peppers, asparagus, as well as a lot of mushrooms and corn.

However, the mushrooms and corn were there before the apocalypse; they weren't cultivated.

While Gavin was fiddling with the meat, Steve sat down next to him and picked up a skewer to help Gavin thread the vegetables onto a plate.

To Gavin's right, Adriana rushed over, picked up the pork ribs and pork belly to thaw, and found a cutting board to start cutting them. With their help, the first batch of meat and vegetable skewers was quickly prepared.

Gavin then picked up the skewers and put them on the grill to cook, adding seasonings to the skewers while watching the heat.

As time passed, the first batch of skewers was basically finished.

Everyone has almost finished their work.

Apart from Edward personally leading two men in an armed pickup truck to transport the bodies to a distant location for cremation, everyone else gathered around Gavin. They stood and sat haphazardly, unlike the disciplined soldiers of the East.

But Gavin wouldn't underestimate his men's fighting ability because of this. After all, they were seasoned soldiers who had fought in gunfire and encountered zombies more than once. Their style and personality didn't need much refinement from him.

Looking at Gavin on the kebabs, Corbin Bonnet, the heir to 6666 Ranch and old lady Anne, couldn't help but raise his bottle at Gavin from afar.

"Boss!"

He then called out to Gavin with a smile.

"The first skewer of meat should rightfully be yours, and we'd like to raise a toast to you too, haha~"

"No problem, I should be the first to taste what I bake, haha!"

Gavin smiled and agreed, then put the grilled meat skewer into his mouth.

After savoring it for a moment, Gavin picked up the remaining skewers and shouted.

"Damn, I've never eaten such delicious barbecue before! It's truly my cooking!"

"Hahaha, what a load of bull from Boss Jing!"

"Hooray for that fucking awesomeness!"

"Well said, boss!"

"Me too, damn it, give me some!"

Amid cheers from his buddies, Gavin reached out his left hand to take the bottle of wine from Adriana and shared a sip with them.

The drinks at the motel were much cheaper than those at Gavin's house, but nobody cared, and Gavin drank to his heart's content. Gavin's act of eating the kebabs was actually a small Texas tradition, the kind only a few old-school cowboy families believed in.

After all, the United States has countless customs, and the custom of the eldest son eating the first bite of meat originated from the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples.

At that supper, after Jesus prepared the food himself, he first told his disciples that someone would betray him. Then Jesus dipped some bread in the bread and gave it to Judas first.

Therefore, some Southern Baptist believers do not offer the first bite of food to guests or subordinates, but rather the host and leader enjoy it themselves. However, in Texas, this tradition is mostly maintained only by very old-fashioned cowboy families, since the Southern Baptist Church is the crown jewel of Texas's indigenous religions, and its believers are mostly veteran rednecks.

In short, after eating the first skewer of meat, the rest of the meal was served in a normal, individual portion.

Gavin handed the second skewer of meat to Madison, the third to Steve, then to Eugene and Martin, and so on.

By the time Edward returned, each of the men had eaten more than one skewer, and Gavin had been busy by the oven for over an hour. Edward, after all, also had to check the burning to make sure it didn't start a fire, which took him quite a while.

Seeing them rush back, Gavin quickly grabbed a handful of meat skewers and then spoke to Steve and the others who were eating with gusto.

"Hey, you guys help me grill the meat, I can't keep up, I need to eat something."

"Alright, boss, go ahead without worry, haha~"

Eugene had long coveted the grill, and Old Mike was also eyeing it covetously.

As soon as Gavin left, the four or five of them eagerly gathered around the grill, diligently and contentedly grilling meat and vegetables. Gavin then brought the skewers to Edward's side, distributing them to Edward and the others, before leading them to sit around the fire. Taking the skewers, Edward ate them, murmuring something sentimental.

"It's really nice to take a trip once in a while. It's like a picnic. Damn, I even feel like I'm back in high school. It's like we're on a car trip."

"Yes, car travel, what a vivid description, and there are indeed countless zombies all over the world, just like the protagonists in horror movies, trying to give us a deadly turn."

Gavin responded with a smile, then clinked glasses with Edward.

Edward took a sip of his drink, then patted Gavin's knee in an annoyed tone and said...

"Boss, we're eating, can you please stop talking about fatal bends?"

"What's wrong, Edward? Are you afraid your appetite will get too good and you won't get enough to eat? Otherwise, why can't you mention something as appetizing as Wrong Turn?"

Beside her, Adriana laughed as she came up behind Gavin, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and pressed her rounded upper body firmly against his back.

As Adriana fed Gavin a skewer of grilled mushrooms in that manner, not far away, Wang Ling approached Gavin unhappily and yanked Adriana's bodysuit off.

It's almost May now, spring is almost over, and summer will be here soon.

Therefore, the guys were dressed much, much more lightly than they were in February and March.

Although everyone was wearing military uniforms, most of them had taken off their jackets when dining outdoors, and Adriana and Wang Ling were only wearing sports vests.

However, Adriana was wearing a red vest, while Wang Ling was wearing a light blue one.

After the two women embraced, Wang Ling pulled Adriana away and muttered a curse under her breath.

"Don't even think about seducing the boss, you'll be eaten!"

"Ah, so you want to kick me out and replace me with yourself? Ling, you're so stingy. I thought we could at least share together~" Adriana chuckled as she turned around and raised her hand, touching Wang Ling's face with her greasy fingers.

Wang Ling then gave Adriana a hard slap on the buttocks, and continued to curse.

"Stop being a slut, sis, Nikki and I are friends!"

"Me too, haha, but even if Nikki is in front of me, I still have to hug the boss, because I'm not like those stupid Asian girls who hide their desires, haha~"

Adriana laughed and replied, then turned and ran away from Wang Ling's embrace.

While dodging Wang Ling's displeased military boots, Adriana retreated to her small stool, sat there, and spread her legs, saying, "Ling, you really should learn from your fellow countrymen. Believe me, every single Asian girl I've met is at least ten times more alluring than me!"

"Don't think I don't know, they're willing to take any job, even if it means dressing up as a dog, and they often don't care how many opponents they face!"

"They're all brave girls, but you're like a little chick, tch~"

As soon as she finished speaking, Adriana gave Wang Ling the middle finger.

Wang Ling blushed with anger, and even her eyes turned red!

Well, she wasn't shy, she was angry, whether from Adriana's words or from her own indecent compatriots, she didn't know.

In short, their conversation sparked a small burst of laughter.

After the laughter subsided, Jonathan, who had just put a skewer of grilled veal ribs into his mouth, suddenly stood up from the circular seating arrangement surrounding the bonfire, directly in Gavin's direction.

"What a great night! God, we have beer, barbecue, buddies, and the perfect boss!"

"So how could we be without music, haha!"

"I knew we'd end up like this, sitting in the vast, dark night enjoying the tranquility, so I brought my guitar!"

"I don't know many songs, but I promise that every single one of them is perfect for this night and for each and every one of us!"

"Do you know what kind of songs the cowboys at Wagner Ranch sing at parties?"

At this point, Jonathan held up the bottle and gave Gavin a provocative look.

"Boss, can you still answer my question? Do you remember what songs you sang when you were a cowboy?"

"Huh? Trying to stump me? Are you kidding me, Jonathan!"

In response to Jonathan's question, Gavin raised a bottle of liquor and shouted at Jonathan and the other expectant guys.

"Go get the guitar! Even if you can't play, I can still strum a few tunes!"

"When I was a cowboy, I sang so many songs, I might not know which one is each of your favorites, but I do know..." "Our parties can't be complete without 'The Streets of Laredo' and 'Rolling Tumbleweeds'!"

"So what are you waiting for? Bring your stuff!"

"We should start the music!"