The Blacksmith and the Veterinarian

As the words fell, Gavin immediately connected the call and impatiently switched it to speakerphone.

Beside him, Eugene pondered for a moment before the realization finally hit him.

If the person calling Gavin wasn't Madison, then who could it be?

If Doris and William hadn't encountered danger, there would be no reason for them to bypass Madison and call Gavin directly.

Therefore, if it was another team member calling, it meant they were in trouble!

Thinking of this, Eugene's expression turned solemn, and he pricked up his ears to listen to the sound coming from the phone.

Just as Gavin and Eugene waited in tension, a few light coughs came from the phone, followed by a voice that sounded slightly weak and aged.

"Cough, cough, damn it... cough, cough, cough... is that little Gavin on the other end?"

"That's right, this is Gavin. Who are you...?"

Gavin asked the phone hesitantly.

He hadn't saved this number in his contacts, but anyone who could get his private number shouldn't be a stranger.

As for the voice.

The voice on the other end was too hoarse and distorted; he couldn't tell who it was at all!

Receiving Gavin's reply, the person on the other end coughed heavily twice, then spoke with extreme weakness.

"That's good, cough, cough, God, it's Albert. I changed my number a couple of years ago."

"Little Gavin, do you still remember old Albert? When you were a kid, I even... cough, cough... I held you... ugh, cough, cough!!!"

Violent coughing erupted from the phone; Eugene was even worried that the caller might cough his own lungs out!

As for Gavin.

Hearing the name Albert, he immediately had an impression. He was an old friend of his father's, the first blacksmith and veterinarian at their family farm.

Over a decade ago, before Gavin started making big money through his foresight, their family farm was only about three thousand acres.

Back then, the entire farm had fewer than forty households. Aside from a dozen cowboys, five or six hunters, seven or eight fishermen, and a guy who ran a bar, old Albert was the only blacksmith on the farm.

He shod every horseshoe on the farm and trimmed every cow's hoof as well!

It sounded like he should be a very stress-relieving person, and in reality, he was. Old Albert had a laid-back personality, was humorous, and had even taken eleven-year-old Gavin deer hunting once.

However, after Gavin entered high school, juggling making money while committing to the football program—first breaking into the college league and then the major professional league—he was too busy to even return to the farm a few times, let alone catch up with old Albert.

And old Albert, the farm's designated blacksmith, had become increasingly swamped as the farm expanded, leaving him no time to contact Gavin at all.

After briefly recalling Albert's situation, Gavin immediately spoke to the phone, which was still emitting coughing sounds.

"How could I forget you, Albert? How are you doing right now!"

"Me? Cough, cough!"

Old Albert coughed twice and replied to Gavin weakly.

"Gavin, you should be able to tell, I'm doing absolutely terrible... cough, cough."

"I might have caught a chill when I went swimming in the lake yesterday. I've been burning up since dawn, and my waist and legs hurt so much I can't even get up... cough, cough..."

"God, those useless sons of mine, they actually... cough, cough... none of them are picking up the phone."

"Those bastards, they only know how to... cough, cough... ask me for work, but now that I'm sick, not a single one of them cares about me..."

At this point, old Albert's voice had grown significantly quieter.

Hearing this, Gavin took a deep breath and quickly said to old Albert.

"There might be another reason for that. Anyway, where are you now? Are you still living in the cabin by the lake?"

"That's right, the lake water... cough, cough, was too cold, cough, cough, cough, cough..."

At this point, old Albert coughed for over ten seconds before finally stopping with difficulty. He continued to speak to Gavin with trembling breaths.

"I called my ex-wife, I called Joanna, and I even called your parents, but none of them are getting through."

Old Albert took a deep breath, the sound of his inhalation audible on the other end of the line.

After exhaling, his voice dropped even lower, and he continued with exhaustion and pain.

"I've reached the age where people find me a nuisance. So far, you're the only one who answered my call. You're a good kid. Can you help me... help me contact Joanna?"

"These old bones of mine are finally going to end up on Joanna's hospital bed... cough, cough... to be poked and prodded by her... cough, cough, cough, cough!"

Hearing this, Gavin sighed.

Joanna was the doctor in Gavin's farm town. The farm had a sparse population, so one or two doctors were enough, and the town clinic only had fewer than ten beds.

The situation was very clear: old Albert had luckily escaped the fate of becoming a zombie.

And old Albert's cabin by the lake was a good seven or eight kilometers away from the farm town, with the nearest fisherman's cabin at least 1.5 kilometers away. No zombie would run that far just to attack old Albert.

But given old Albert's current condition, it seemed he might meet God even without a zombie attack.

As for Joanna...

Gavin took a deep breath and spoke into the phone, enunciating every word.

"I'm sorry, Albert, but I'm afraid Joanna is dead."

"And my parents—I don't want to admit it, but they're dead too. There's almost no chance of a miracle there."

"In short, there's no one who can save you right now. You have to hold on by yourself for a while longer, at least until I get back."

"I've already passed Ennis Town and am on my way to Coskana, but I can't guarantee how long it will take to reach you!"

"Hrk... cough... shit... are you drunk?"

Old Albert's coughing fit intensified, but Gavin continued in a heavy tone.

"Listen to me clearly, Albert, you must hold on by yourself for a while longer!"

"I'm coming for you. Before I get to you, no matter what, do not leave your roo..."

Beep, beep.

Before Gavin could finish his sentence, Albert hung up the phone.

Holding the phone, Gavin remained silent for a moment before shoving it back into his pocket and fishing out a cigarette for himself.

Eugene tossed a lighter to Gavin, and while Gavin was lighting his cigarette, Eugene asked hesitantly.

"Was that someone from your farm?"

"He's the professional blacksmith and part-time veterinarian at my farm."

After answering, Gavin paused for a moment before adding another sentence.

"He did hold me when I was a kid."

With that, Gavin rolled down the window and exhaled a cloud of smoke outside.

Hearing this, Eugene nodded and gave a wry smile.

"Well, I really don't know how to advise you, and I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing."

"But the fact that he hasn't turned into a zombie yet—with luck like that, a high fever might not be able to take him down."

"So there's no need to worry at all. Once we get to your farm, everything will be fine, haha!"

Eugene let out a forced chuckle and flicked his cigarette butt out the window.

Gavin shook his head noncommittally and said nothing more.

The two drove on in silence for nearly another two kilometers. By now, they had traveled nearly five kilometers; the road was unexpectedly long.

However, the journey ended there. After Gavin rounded another bend, the end of the road finally revealed itself to them.

Gavin parked the car on the side of the road and used his binoculars to look at the pasture three hundred meters away. Nearly twenty RVs of various types were gathered there, at least fourteen of which were travel trailers.

"Is this an RV park?" Eugene asked, standing beside Gavin. "But why doesn't an RV park have a sign?"

"It's a private RV party, not a park. I see the buses that transport the models; it's all the usual style."

While responding to Eugene, Gavin continued to look one hundred and forty meters behind the RV camp, where a castle-style manor stood. It was very private, with curtains drawn over every window.

Hearing this, Eugene curled his lip and scoffed.

"Covered up so tight, it's obviously some sick game for you rich perverts. Going this far out of the way just to play—do you think there are any little brats among the people those buses brought?"

After saying this, Eugene instinctively touched his shotgun.

Gavin lowered his binoculars and walked slowly toward the Tyrannosaurus.

As he climbed into the vehicle, he said.

"I'll mark this on the map. It could barely pass as a campsite. I estimate the number of people in the manor doesn't exceed one hundred. If we use sound as bait, we might be able to lure them away."

Eugene nodded along and smiled.

"This place is actually pretty good. We could set some traps on the road to stop any bastards with bad intentions."

"Of course, there's a downside: there's only one road leading out. If someone blocks it, unless there's a plane inside, don't even think about driving out."