Where Does Courage Come From

Madison's words immediately drew everyone's attention. Even Doris couldn't help but lean toward the doorway to look at Gavin.

Facing the expectant gazes of the group, Gavin rested his elbows on the bed of the Tyrannosaurus and smiled.

"Of course it has an impact, but it's not a major issue. I think if they encounter the Ennis Zombie Horde, a few scenarios will likely play out."

"On one hand, if their small group merges into the main Ennis Zombie Horde and continues toward us, we'll just stick to the original plan."

"On the other hand, if they push through the Ennis Zombie Horde and keep moving, the collision between the two zombie groups will inevitably cause both of their formations to scatter further."

"By then, even if we run into them, there's a high probability we can smash through their ranks, which will be even looser than they are now."

"Even if we can't, we can just follow behind them. Once they cross the Ennis Crossroads, we'll accelerate through Ennis and head toward Coskana Town."

As he said this, Gavin rubbed the corner of his eye, as if there was some sleep in it.

The feeling of not sleeping all night was not pleasant, though a one-hour nap had helped ease the headache significantly.

At the RV door, Eugene laughed and clapped his hands after hearing Gavin's explanation.

"Haha, Quarterback, I'm starting to like those theories of yours!"

"You're liking them too early. I believe for Gavin, the impressive stuff is still to come!"

Madison patted Eugene on the shoulder. Eugene sneered, dodged his hand, and continued speaking to Gavin.

"Then I'm really looking forward to it. I'm almost tempted to start coddling you, Quarterback. Did you get enough sleep? Do you want to sleep a bit more?"

At this, Eugene pointed at Doris with a cheeky grin and continued.

"I just passed by the oven and found out that the lady ordered the roast to cook for another two hours. We won't be able to eat until eight or nine!"

"So why don't you get some more sleep? Dinner is still a long way off~"

"Ah, this..."

Hearing Eugene's words, Doris immediately lowered her head in shame.

Staring at her toes, she bit her lip and kept encouraging herself in her heart.

Doris, be strong!

Be strong!

After repeated self-encouragement, Doris looked up at Eugene's fierce face, which was marked by a scar at the corner of his eye.

Panicked, she looked away, and her nose began to sting.

"Wuu wuu... I'm sorry, I... I rarely make stew in the morning, so it takes a bit of time, wuu wuu wuu..."

"Mom!!!"

Winnie was so anxious she nearly sprayed her cola out of her nose.

Seeing this, Gavin waved his hand at Doris, annoyed, and said, "Just go cook!"

"I know, wuu wuu wuu wuu..."

Doris's sobbing intensified as she trotted back to the gas stove, scrambling to get things ready.

Watching Doris's retreating back, Winnie's face fell.

Looking at Gavin's dissatisfied expression, Winnie helplessly walked over to his side, clutching her cola, and said sheepishly.

"I admit my mom is a bit of a crybaby, but believe me, her cooking is really delicious!"

"Before my dad and mom got married, she actually ran a French restaurant, a fast-food joint, and a bakery. But after they got together, she stopped working."

"Oh, really?"

Hearing this, Gavin patted Winnie on the head and asked, "How old is your mom?"

"Forty-two. Why are you asking that, Boss?"

Winnie looked at Gavin with suspicion, but Gavin just smiled and said to her.

"Only forty-two? She doesn't look it. But she married quite young—your brother is almost an adult, right?"

"So, kid, if your mom married so young, why did she open so many shops before marriage? I'm afraid it's because the restaurants went out of business too quickly, right?"

"Boss!"

Winnie couldn't help but roll her eyes, though she was still curious about Gavin's words.

After lingering for a moment, she went over to her mother's side to ask.

Seeing both women enter the vehicle, Gavin pulled out a cigarette and shared them with William and Eugene.

As he puffed away, William walked over to the Tyrannosaurus, placed his hands on the truck body, and said to Gavin.

"Gavin, I... I think... I think..."

"Spit out whatever you have to say, man. You look like you're constipated!"

Eugene was deeply annoyed by William's demeanor, so he simply leaned in to curse at him before naturally resting against the Tyrannosaurus.

Urged on by Eugene, William cast a nervous glance at him before speaking to Gavin with even greater trepidation.

"I was thinking... when we pass by my house, could we... look for my brother? I want to know if he's really turned into a zombie!"

Having finally let out what was on his mind, William let out a long breath, then lowered his head, wearing an expression of someone awaiting judgment.

Hearing this, Gavin fell silent for a moment, then looked at Eugene with a blank expression.

Swept by Gavin's gaze, Eugene felt his scalp go numb.

An instant later, Eugene lunged in front of William, grabbed the collar of his police uniform with both hands, and roared up at him.

"Are you a hero? Tell me, are you Superman? William, you're just a damn rookie cop!"

"Do you think you're the only one who cares about your family? You're obsessed with your dead father, and now you're worried about a brother whose fate is unknown, but what are the living in your eyes?"

"You're such a good son, a good brother. Then what about me? Am I trash? I know my older sister and nephew are in Ennis, yet I didn't even dare to take a look, is that it?"

"You're so damn noble, and I'm just that despicable, right?"

"Wait, that's not what I meant!"

Seeing that Eugene was practically lifting him off his feet, William struggled while hurriedly shaking his head.

"You know I didn't mean that, Eugene. I just... I just can't stop worrying!"

"Ha, didn't mean that? How laughable!"

Faced with William's explanation, Eugene sneered and released his collar, then jabbed a finger hard into his chest and roared.

"After I saw your dead-beat dad and the thousands of zombies following behind the RV, I didn't even dare to look for my sister for the sake of our lives!"

"Because I know my living sister wouldn't want me to appear before her as a corpse, and my dead sister would only want me to keep living for her sake!"

"But now, because you can't stop worrying, you want to drag all of us into an Ennis crawling with zombies."

"Are you saying the Artificial Lake isn't safe enough, and you want to find some damn excitement for us all?"

As his voice trailed off, Eugene wanted to kick William in frustration, but he was too annoyed to even lift his foot, so he simply paced around him irritably.

As he paced, Eugene spat on the ground and continued to lecture William.

"That Quarterback kid is annoying as hell with his constant preaching, but I love him to death because every bit of it reminds me how to survive!"

"And you, William? You're a damn rookie cop, yet you're always reminding me how to take risks!"

"What are you doing? Where is your brain? It's the damn apocalypse now! The world has changed; you should be lucky enough that you haven't turned into a zombie yet!"

At this point, Eugene couldn't hold back his anger any longer and shoved William against the Tyrannosaurus.

William stumbled and slid to the ground, sitting there with his head hung in defeat.

The more Eugene looked at William like that, the angrier he became, so he simply picked up the half-empty bottle of cola and approached him with a menacing glare.

Seeing this, Gavin patted the body of the Tyrannosaurus and said softly.

"Alright, Eugene, let me talk to him."

After pushing Eugene aside, Gavin looked at William, kicked his legs stretched out on the ground, and said.

"You want to go find your brother? No problem. If we can safely reach the Ennis Crossroads, you can take the Ford and go back to Ennis yourself."

With that, Gavin signaled to Madison.

"Old Mac, give him his USP."

"You got it."

Madison nodded, went to the Tyrannosaurus to retrieve the USP, and tossed it into William's lap.

William looked at the gun in his hands, his Adam's apple bobbing as he struggled to find words, remaining silent for a long time.

Seeing this, Gavin exhaled a puff of smoke and said quietly.

"I'm not a man who likes to take risks, but I admit, there are times when we have no choice."

"However, rookie cop, when you decide to take a risk, I hope you don't pin your courage on other people."

Having said that, Gavin squatted down and placed a hand on William's shoulder.

After locking eyes with the silent William for a moment, Gavin withdrew his hand and asked.

"So, William, where does your courage to return to Ennis actually come from?"

"It better not be coming from me."

"Because if so, that's a pity. I rarely take risks for people I've just met."

"What about you?"