You're Still Far From Growing Up

"Heh."

Listening to Eugene's explanation, Gavin let out a noncommittal laugh.

Look at Eugene's expression—was he trying to convince Gavin?

That was clearly Eugene trying to convince himself!

Off to the side, hearing Gavin's mocking laughter, Eugene irritably scratched his scalp and stood up, feeling dejected.

But just as he was about to continue his explanation, he saw Gavin raise a hand and point at the window facing Palmer Town.

"Eugene."

Hearing Gavin say his name, Eugene instinctively shut his mouth and looked at Gavin with suspicion.

Gavin pointed toward Palmer and continued.

"Actually, when William proposed going back to Ennis to see if his brother was still alive, I had a suggestion I hadn't told him yet."

"As for the reason, you should be able to understand. His request was too excessive and too selfish; he didn't consider the lives of the team members at all. So, not only will I not agree to his request, I'm going to teach him a lesson!"

"I intended to let him stand in the cold wind a bit longer, let him clear his head and hopefully grow a brain, before telling him my idea."

"But I see you aren't much better than William. Neither of you has any brains; you're both reckless and impulsive."

"But the good news is, I've discovered that you're at least quite loyal."

At this point, Gavin also stood up and reached out to grab Eugene's shoulder.

Eugene struggled a bit in resistance, but his strength was weak, and he was ultimately pulled by Gavin and pressed against the car window.

Gavin held his shoulder and smiled as he said to him.

"You don't have to admit it, but I only believe what I see. I think you have qualities worth admiring."

"So, let me give you a suggestion. Look there—see that GG Billboard by the road? The one with the advertisement for the Palmer Resort?"

As he spoke, Gavin pointed in the direction of the GG Billboard.

Seeing this, Eugene nodded.

Receiving a response, Gavin continued.

"I know you and William are neighbors; your houses must be very close."

"Considering William's dad was already stuck on the RV's bumper, that means when Winnie's family's RV passed through Ennis, both of your houses must have been very close to the road."

"Otherwise, William's dad wouldn't have had the chance to catch up to the RV, let alone get stuck on the bumper... never mind, let's not talk about that. Let's talk business."

Gavin's expression faltered halfway through, and Eugene rolled his eyes in embarrassment.

Eugene had nothing to say regarding the fate of William's half-a-dad.

Once Gavin regained his composure, he continued.

"Back to the point. First, I won't even mention whether his teenage brother could still be alive now that William's dad has turned into a zombie."

"Just considering that your houses are so close to the road, when William's dad was attracted by the RV, if your sister and William's brother also turned into zombies, wouldn't they also be attracted by the RV?"

"So my suggestion is, before you and William decide whether to risk going to Ennis to find your relatives, you should first go hide on the GG Billboard I pointed out."

"Wait for the zombie horde from the direction of Ennis to arrive, observe them from the billboard, and see if your relatives are among them before you make a decision."

As his voice trailed off, Gavin released Eugene and said calmly.

"If you think this is a good idea, I'll give you your guns now. How about it? Want to take a risk?"

"Give them to me now. Fuck, if I stay quiet on that billboard, I shouldn't be spotted by the zombies!"

Eugene viciously pumped himself up, then headed toward the RV door.

Seeing this, Gavin stopped him and continued.

"Don't be in such a hurry; I haven't finished yet. If one of you two acts like an idiot because you found a relative in the horde and draws their attention..."

"Remember, don't leave the billboard immediately. I'll drive the car around to the end of the artificial lake to help you draw the zombies' attention."

"That will give you a better chance of survival. Remember, you owe me one, Eugene."

After saying this, Gavin walked over to Eugene's side and stepped out of the door before him.

When Gavin got out, William looked up sharply at him, but Gavin ignored him entirely and went straight to the Tyrannosaurus to retrieve Eugene's two guns, grabbing a military knife while he was at it.

After handing the guns to Eugene, Gavin patted the tactical dagger strapped to his calf and said.

"I quite like this dagger, so I won't give it to you. In return, take this."

As he spoke, Gavin handed over the military knife.

Catching the knife, Eugene grinned and flicked the blade lightly.

"Tsk tsk, look at this pattern. This knife must be worth at least three thousand, right?"

"Are you kidding me, you poor bastard? This thing is at least eight thousand dollars, though it's not very sharp. Sharpen it yourself when you have time."

Gavin patted Eugene on the shoulder, then returned to the RV and closed the door.

Eugene hooked his saber onto his belt, sneered as he approached William, and kicked him in the shin.

"Get up, you bastard!"

"Eugene..."

Looking at Eugene, who was fully geared up, William guessed what was happening. He shook his head with difficulty and said, "You're right. Don't join me in this madness. I'm just... my head is a mess. Give me a little more time, okay? I...?"

"We're running out of time, rookie. For my sake, the quarterback just pointed out a path for me. The fucker really has some ideas!"

Eugene cut William off, hauled him to his feet, and dragged him into Old Ford.

While starting the engine, Eugene explained Gavin's proposal to William, and then Old Ford drove all the way to the base of the GG Billboard.

Inside the RV, after Gavin returned to the sofa and sat down, Madison rolled over. He watched the dust kicked up by the departing Ford and asked Gavin, "Will they really not be discovered by the zombies? If they are discovered, can they really survive?"

"You're awake?" Gavin asked.

"I'm awake. So, can they survive?" Madison pressed.

"Not sure. After all, I only know for certain that the zombies have hearing; I don't yet understand their sight or sense of smell," Gavin shook his head.

"Then if they just die like that..." Madison hesitated.

"Then I'll have an understanding of the zombies' sense of smell and sight. The more intelligence we gather, the greater our chances of survival in the future," Gavin replied immediately.

Hearing this, Madison was silent for a long time before finally blurting out, "They're just bait right now. Isn't that a bit of a waste? With them here, they could logically help us quite a bit. More people means more strength."

"And so?"

Listening to Madison's argument, Gavin shrugged and continued, "They have their reasons for taking the risk. I respect their choice."

"Besides, just as Eugene said, the world has changed. In the face of the apocalypse, we'll all have to take risks sooner or later."

"They chose to take that risk today; they're just a step ahead of us."

"Even if they die today, they're just a step ahead of us. Who can live forever, anyway?"

Having said that, Gavin stood up to go to the passenger side and open the window.

In the driver's seat, Madison watched Gavin smoke while keeping an eye on the movements of Eugene and the other man.

From a distance, they climbed onto the roughly six-meter-high GG Billboard using Old Ford.

Climbing up the canvas all the way to the very top of the GG Billboard, the two lay flat across it, not moving a muscle.

Gavin glanced at his watch, flicked his cigarette ash, and said softly, "Madison, don't be so pessimistic. Their chances of survival aren't small."

"Calculate the time; the Ennis Zombie Horde should be here before long. Maybe before Doris even finishes cooking, they'll be able to rendezvous with us."

As his voice trailed off, Gavin picked up his binoculars and silently looked toward Eugene's position.

While Gavin was observing, Winnie slowly sat up from her bed in the back of the RV and asked Gavin from afar, "Boss, when I grow up, will you use me as bait too?"

Clatter!

Doris, who was pouring seasoning into the stew, dropped the seasoning container onto the floor upon hearing this.

Hearing the question, Gavin turned back and smiled. "You?"

Rolling his eyes at Winnie, Gavin continued to tease her, "You've still got a long way to go. To be bait, you at least need to be fast enough, and you have to learn how to drive or ride a horse."

"Besides, the fact that you can even ask this question means you're still a long way from growing up."

"Kid."