" Hehe."
As he listened to Eugene's explanation, Gavin offered a noncommittal smile.
What expression is Eugene wearing? Is he trying to convince Gavin?
It was merely Eugene attempting to convince himself!
On the sidelines, hearing Gavin's sarcastic laughter, Eugene rubbed his scalp irritably and stood up, feeling dejected.
Just as he was about to continue his explanation, he noticed Gavin raising his hand and pointing at the car window facing Palmer Town.
"Eugene."
Upon hearing his name, Eugene instinctively closed his mouth and looked at Gavin with suspicion.
Gavin pointed toward Palmer and continued speaking.
"In truth, when William suggested returning to Ennis to ascertain his brother's fate, I had a proposal I never shared with him."
"You should understand the reason. His request is far too excessive and selfish. He doesn't consider the lives of his team members at all. So not only will I refuse his request, but I will also teach him a lesson!"
"I wanted him to cool off for a while—wait until he regained his senses—before sharing my idea with him."
"However, I don't think you are much better than William. You both lack common sense, being reckless and impulsive."
"But the good news is, I've discovered that you are quite loyal."
With that, Gavin stood up and placed his hand on Eugene's shoulder.
Eugene struggled briefly to break free, but his strength was insufficient, and Gavin ultimately held his shoulders firmly, pushing him against the car window.
Gavin wrapped an arm around Eugene's shoulders and said with a smile, "You may deny it, but I believe only what I see. I think there is something about you that deserves my admiration."
"So let me offer you a suggestion. Look over there—do you see that billboard by the roadside? The one with the Palmer Resort poster?"
As he spoke, Gavin pointed toward the billboard.
Eugene nodded in response.
Encouraged by this, Gavin continued, "I know you and William are neighbors, and your two families should be quite close."
"Given that William's father was already stuck on the bumper of the RV, it means that when Winnie's RV passed through Ennis, your two houses were at least very near the road."
"Otherwise, William's dad wouldn't have had the chance to catch up with the RV, let alone end up stuck on the bumper... Never mind that, let's get to the point."
Gavin struggled to maintain a straight face while speaking, and Eugene rolled his eyes in embarrassment.
Eugene had nothing to say about the fate of William's estranged father.
Once he regained his composure, Gavin continued, "Let's return to the matter at hand. First of all, I won't even mention whether William's teenage brother is still alive after his father has turned into a zombie."
"Since your two families are so close to the road, when William's father was drawn to the RV, if your sister and William's brother also turned into zombies, would they not also be attracted to the RV?"
"My advice is this: until you and William decide whether or not to risk going to Ennis to seek news about your relatives, you should hide on the billboard I just pointed out."
"Wait until the zombies from Ennis arrive. Observe the billboard and see if any of your relatives are among them before making a decision."
Once he finished speaking, Gavin let go of Eugene and spoke calmly, "If you think this is a good idea, I'll give you your gun right now. How about taking the risk?"
"Give it to me now, damn it! If I stay quiet on the billboard, the zombies won't notice me!"
Eugene encouraged himself fervently before heading toward the RV door.
Seeing this, Gavin stopped him and added, "Don't be hasty. I haven't finished what I'm saying yet. If either of you does something foolish upon spotting your relatives among the zombies and draws their attention..."
"Remember, don't leave the billboard right away. I'll get in the car and drive around to the far side of the artificial lake to help divert the zombies' attention."
"Now you have a better chance of survival. Just remember to owe me one, Eugene."
With that, Gavin walked over to Eugene, opened the car door for him, and climbed out.
As Gavin exited the car, William suddenly looked up at him, but Gavin ignored him, heading straight for the Tyrannosaurus Rex car to retrieve Eugene's two guns, also grabbing a saber.
After handing the gun to Eugene, Gavin patted the tactical dagger strapped to his calf and said, "I'm quite fond of this dagger, so I won't part with it just yet. In return, take this."
As he spoke, Gavin handed over the saber.
Catching the saber, Eugene grinned and lightly flicked the blade.
"Tsk tsk, with this design, this knife must be worth at least three thousand dollars, right?"
"You're joking, you poor wretch! This thing is worth at least eight thousand dollars, but it's not sharpened. You can sharpen it yourself when you find the time."
Gavin patted Eugene on the shoulder before returning to the RV and closing the door.
Eugene hung the saber at his belt, approached William with a sneer, and kicked his calf.
"Get up, jerk!"
"Eugene..."
Seeing Eugene ready to leave, William guessed what was happening, shaking his head with difficulty as he said, "You're right. Don't get crazy with me. I'm just... a little confused. Can you give me more time? I...?"
"We're running out of time, trainee police officer. Do me a favor. The quarterback just offered me a plan. He's resourceful!"
Eugene interrupted William, pulled him up, and dragged him into the old Ford.
As he started the car, Eugene relayed Gavin's proposal to William, and soon the old Ford drove straight toward the billboard.
Inside the RV, after Gavin settled back down on the sofa, Madison turned and asked while watching the dust kicked up by the Ford as it drove away, "Will they really go undetected by the zombies? If they are discovered, can they truly survive?"
"Are you awake?" Gavin replied.
"After waking up, what then? Can they survive?" Madison pressed.
"I'm not certain. After all, I'm only sure that zombies have hearing. I'm still unsure about their vision and sense of smell," Gavin admitted, shaking his head.
"What if they just die like that..." Madison hesitated.
"Then I'll have a better understanding of the zombies' sense of smell and vision, and the more information we have, the greater our chances of survival in the future," Gavin responded quickly.
Hearing this, Madison fell silent for a long moment before finally speaking again.
"They're just bait right now. Isn't that a bit of a waste? They should be able to help us a great deal. More people means more strength."
"So what?"
Listening to Madison's words, Gavin shrugged and continued, "They have their reasons for taking risks, and I respect their choices."
"Besides, as Eugene said, the world has changed. Sooner or later, we will have to take risks when confronting the end of the world."
"They chose to take the risk today; they're simply a step ahead of us."
"Even if they perish today, they would only be one step ahead of us. Who can live forever?"
With that, Gavin stood up and moved to the passenger seat, opening the window.
In the driver's seat, Madison watched Gavin smoke while observing the movements of Eugene and the other man.
From a distance, they stepped into the old Ford and quickly climbed up the billboard, which stood about six meters high.
They ascended to the top of the billboard by climbing the curtains and lay flat upon it, motionless.
Gavin glanced at his watch, flicked the ash off his cigarette, and spoke softly, "Madison, don't be so pessimistic. They have a good chance of survival."
"According to the time, the Ennis zombie horde should be here soon. Perhaps they will meet us before Doris finishes cooking."
After finishing his words, Gavin picked up the telescope and silently observed Eugene's position.
While Gavin was watching, Winnie slowly sat up from the back of the RV and called out to him from a distance, "Boss, will you use me as bait when I grow up?"
Crash!
Doris, who was pouring seasoning into the stew, dropped the seasoning box upon hearing this.
Turning around, Gavin smiled, "Just you?"
He continued to tease while rolling his eyes at Winnie.
"You're still quite a distance from being good enough. If you wish to serve as bait, you must at least be able to run swiftly. Additionally, you need to learn how to drive or ride a horse."
"Moreover, the mere fact that you can pose such a question indicates that you are still far from maturity."
"Little devil."