Upon hearing this, William promptly followed instructions and pinched his ears tightly.
As he bore the pain, his breathing gradually steadied.
Once Eugene confirmed that William's breathing was no longer erratic, he grinned and continued to offer gentle reassurances.
"That's right, my friend, stay calm."
"The zombies arrived right after we climbed up. That scoundrel Gavin surely has ill intentions. Even if I hadn't asked him for a weapon, he would've given me the right advice at the perfect moment."
"I thought we were the ones making all the choices, but now it seems that he might have orchestrated everything for us. What a despicable wretch, haha!"
With that, Eugene reached out and patted William on the shoulder. They lay close together, heads nearly touching.
After calming William further, Eugene glanced at the approaching zombies and spoke in a relaxed tone.
"But none of that matters. What truly counts is whether we can see our loved ones again. No matter what you encounter, remember my words. Pinch your ears hard with your fingernails, feel the pain, and adjust your breathing!"
"Trust me, after this, Gavin will be begging us to assist him."
"Even if he constructs a colossal doomsday camp in the future, we will still be the greatest explorers. No matter how much of a tyrant that bastard becomes, he will inevitably need our help, haha!"
At this point, while laughing, Eugene pinched William's shoulder firmly.
The zombies drew ever closer, and Eugene could no longer continue speaking.
Silence enveloped them, broken only by the sound of their measured breathing.
In the distance, at the temporary camp...
In Gavin's view, the horde of zombies surged out from the forested area, rampaging along the road and sweeping past the town of Palmer like a tide.
Their limbs were twisted, they staggered, their faces were grotesque, and their intentions were clear.
Yet they could not locate William and Eugene...
During this chaotic rush, eight zombies crashed into the billboard's supports.
Eugene and William remained utterly still, making no sound.
Seeing this, Gavin ceased his observation, despite the zombie horde having only passed halfway beyond the billboard.
He approached the RV, knocked on the window, and smiled at Madison.
"I'm quite certain that zombies possess a terrible sense of smell."
"As for their eyesight, I can't say for certain, but I know they struggle to find stationary targets, much like frogs."
As he finished speaking, Gavin handed the telescope to Madison.
After she took a look, Winnie promptly snatched it away, and even Doris joined in to take a peek.
When the telescope returned to Gavin's hands, he looked at the three occupants of the vehicle, their expressions filled with excitement, and said with a smile,
"What do you think? Feels great, doesn't it? After all, zombies are not invincible. At least they won't find every single one of us with accuracy~"
"Yeah, Boss, we can play hide and seek with them!"
Winnie was the first to respond to Gavin's words, her excitement evident.
Although Madison and Doris remained silent, Gavin could sense the morale boost in the team brought about by Eugene and his companion's successful escape.
As for Eugene and the others, if they met their end, would the team's morale falter?
And if it did? Keeping everyone under the looming threat of zombies might help them confront reality and remain vigilant, making it easier for Gavin to manage.
Of course, there was no need to face reality at this moment, so Gavin tapped on the car window and offered a reminder,
"Doris, how long until breakfast? The flowers have wilted while I've been waiting!"
"Huh? Sorry... just five more minutes, five minutes!"
Doris clenched her fists against her chest, making a rare promise to Gavin with determination.
While Doris busied herself, Winnie opened the RV door and trotted toward Gavin.
She wrapped her arms around his legs and whispered,
"I thought they were really going to die. You knew they were safe all along, didn't you? You wouldn't let us perish in front of you, right, Boss?"
After speaking, Winnie slowly released her grip on Gavin's pants.
She raised her small face to look at him, her golden hair shimmering in the morning sun, dazzling as Gavin appeared to her.
Meeting Winnie's hopeful gaze, Gavin grinned and gently tapped her forehead.
"It's quite wrong to say you're young. You're already using morals to blackmail me at such a tender age. You must be excelling in school, kid?"
"What are you talking about, Boss? I don't understand anything. I have to go do my homework~"
Winnie immediately turned and dashed toward the RV, but just as she was about to hop inside, she suddenly stopped!
"Wait!"
She turned her head, wide-eyed, gazing at Gavin in disbelief, and asked,
"Boss, if everyone turns into zombies, will my teacher also..."
Before Gavin could respond, Winnie gasped in realization and leapt into the RV, her hands waving as she called out to Doris,
"Mom! Wuhu! I don't have to do homework anymore!!!"
"Damn..."
Outside the RV, Gavin couldn't help but laugh and curse, then turned to look at the billboard.
As the swarm of zombies rushed past like a river, Eugene and his companions waited until the creatures had moved at least a kilometer away before climbing down from the billboard, getting into the car, and driving off.
They parked the old Ford not far from the Tyrannosaurus Rex, and Eugene silently opened the car door to approach Gavin, shaking his head.
Gavin tossed him a cigarette and asked,
"Why are you shaking your head? Is there no one among the zombies you're searching for?"
"No, the person we're looking for is beyond saving."
Eugene took a deep drag of smoke and smiled bitterly.
"Gavin, your suggestion is excellent. I never want to return home again. I'm sure William feels the same."
"Guess what we saw? She was only about ten meters away from my sister. She even lost her shoes. Damn this zombie apocalypse!"
After speaking, Eugene exhaled a smoke ring, his expression forlorn.
Hearing this, Gavin fell silent for a moment, pointed at William, who had yet to exit the car, and asked,
"So, he wants to be alone and quiet?"
"Let him cry and gnaw on his nails. He's just a child who hasn't been weaned yet. I'm not mistaken."
Eugene curled his lip at William.
Gavin nodded thoughtfully and said,
"Alright, let him stay here for a bit, and then we can go eat."
"What? The stew is ready? It's taking forever! Damn, it smells so good!"
After taking a deep sniff, Eugene strode toward the old Ford, kicked the car door hard, and began to curse.
"Stop being so miserable, do you think you're Shakespeare? Come eat, you fool!"
Having said that, regardless of William's agreement, Eugene pulled him toward the RV.
After dealing with William, Eugene returned to the old Ford, opened the trunk, and pulled out a dozen beers.
Grinning, he waved a beer toward Gavin from a distance.
"Look what this is, quarterback! You basketball players don't get to drink this good stuff!"
"Go to hell, Eugene! Do you think we're ascetics? Not only do we drink the strongest liquor, we also only play with the hottest girls!"
As soon as Eugene finished speaking, Madison opened the car door and instinctively interrupted him with a curse.
Hearing this, Eugene shook his head in disdain and shot back,
"Go to hell, Brother Ni, you'll die if you don't brag, right?"
While cursing, he handed Madison a bottle of beer.
Madison bit the bottle cap with his teeth, swallowed most of the contents in one gulp, and then burped in satisfaction.
Not far away, Winnie emerged from the RV, holding a camping blanket, and began to spread it out.
Seeing Doris place the most important pot of stew on the camping blanket, Eugene quickly tossed a bottle of beer to Gavin and claimed a spot on the blanket.
As Gavin opened the beer, Doris brought over a plate of rice and asked nervously,
"I... I haven't cooked rice much. Do you think this is acceptable?"
"Believe me, it doesn't get any better than this, Doris!"
Gavin assured her with sentiment as he joined her on the camping blanket with a plate.
As soon as he sat down, Winnie ladled a generous spoonful of broth for him, eight parts meat and two parts broth.
Gavin took a sip with a spoon and was pleasantly surprised by its flavor. Though it differed from the style of meat stewing he was accustomed to from his own chef, the soup was not only rich but the beef was also soft, tender, and fragrant.
Little Winnie speaks the truth—her mother truly excels at cooking!