Looking Around, It's All Mine

Seeing that everyone had boarded, Gavin looked ahead, started the engine, and spoke up.

"The view is fucking wide open."

As the words left his lips, Gavin pressed down on the accelerator, and the breeze quickly grew into a heavy gust.

Feeling the February chill sweep across his face, Gavin curled his lip.

"And the ventilation is fucking intense, too."

"Haha, at least we've got a car to drive, that's already pretty damn good, Boss!"

Eugene slapped his thigh and let out a sly laugh, but after being choked by the cold wind, he cut his laughter short and asked Gavin, "Quit joking around, man. What's our next move?"

"You had a plan for everything before, but this time you haven't really said much. Is the road ahead even more dangerous than what we've already been through?"

"How could it be?"

Facing Eugene's question, Gavin raised a hand to blow warm air onto his palms, then raised his voice to answer.

"I'm not talking about a plan this time because, for the road ahead, we really don't need one."

"Once we clear this hurdle at Coskana, we'll be completely out of the Dallas-Fort Worth and Larington urban sprawl."

"From here on out, we'll be driving for 180 kilometers, and I doubt we'll even find a town with a thousand or two people along the way."

"Besides, once we round the airport, we'll be able to see Chambers Reservoir. Aside from the loose resort area nestled within the reservoir, there are no obstacles in front of us. There's simply no need to make a plan."

With that, Gavin slowed down slightly.

The cold wind at speeds over a hundred kilometers per hour was hitting them too hard.

In the passenger seat, Eugene's mouth hung open in excitement as he heard Gavin's explanation, and he remarked, "That's great then. No danger is a good thing. But what about the airport? Isn't there an airport up ahead?"

"Yeah, there's an airport, but can't we just not go inside?"

Gavin looked at Eugene as if he were an idiot and teased, "You've never been to Coskana Airport, have you? Once the road to the airport splits from the main highway, it stretches for nearly six hundred meters before you actually reach the terminal."

"As long as we don't take that turn, do you think the zombies working the night shift are going to fly six hundred meters and jump into our car?"

"I told everyone to stay alert just so they wouldn't get too complacent."

After saying this, Gavin shook his head and kept driving.

Six kilometers later, Coskana Airport came into view.

Just as Gavin had said, the two vehicles simply took a turn, staying well clear of the airport as they continued to charge toward Chambers Reservoir.

Looking toward the airport from a distance, Gavin licked his wind-chapped lips and said, "Not bad. The airport is much safer than I thought. My only worry before was that a plane might have crashed on the road and blocked our path."

"That kind of crap happens all the time in movies, but reality isn't that dramatic after all. We're in luck."

Accompanied by Gavin's laughter, Eugene's gaze fell upon Chambers Reservoir.

Chambers Reservoir might sound like just a water storage facility, but it was actually a sizable lake. Locals also called it Richard Lake because it was located within the nearby Richard County.

The reservoir was shaped like the character '人' (a person), splitting left and right. It spanned nearly twenty-eight kilometers in total length, with an average width of about six kilometers, while the narrowest points of the lake were between 2.3 and 2.6 kilometers wide.

Naturally, bridges and roads had been built across the two narrowest sections of the lake.

As for the Chambers Resort that Gavin had mentioned, it was located right between the two "legs" of the lake.

The route Gavin intended to take was to pass right between those two legs and then cross the long bridge spanning the eastern side of the lake.

Looking at the clear, shimmering water, Eugene licked his lips and said calmly, "It looks pretty peaceful here. If I'd known, I should have brought my sister and nephew here for a camping trip."

"Yeah, it's a nice spot. You should have come camping here a long time ago. You should have rented a house in the resort area, too."

Gavin nodded, affirming Eugene's sentiment.

Hearing this, Eugene looked at Gavin suspiciously and asked, "Why would I rent one of their houses? Isn't it better if I just bring a camping blanket? Or do they throw in male and female models with the rental, and maybe arrange a 36D wet nurse for my nephew while they're at it?"

After his sarcastic remark, Eugene shifted in his seat, reached behind him to pull out a scrap of leather, and tossed it out the window.

As for Gavin, he thought for a moment before explaining to Eugene.

"Trust me, renting a place at this resort is worth every penny."

"Every unsold house in the resort comes with a free small boat and a full set of fishing gear after a short-term rental. You can even request free horse rentals from the resort and ride over to visit my farm."

"Is that so?"

Hearing this, Eugene laughed and said to Gavin, "No wonder you're pushing it so hard. Turns out it's got something to do with your farm after all."

"Do you think it's just a slight connection?"

Hearing this, Gavin suddenly turned his head and looked at Eugene with a very strange expression.

Eugene couldn't decipher the emotions behind that look, but he felt offended nonetheless, so he muttered unhappily.

"Quarterback, why are you looking at me? Did I forget to pick my teeth, damn it?"

"Heh, I'm looking at an unimaginative poor guy. You actually didn't realize that this resort is also mine!"

"Fuck, damn rich people..."

At these words, Eugene cursed instinctively, but no sooner had he finished than something occurred to him, and he asked Gavin in shock.

"Wait, what did you say? You mean this resort that stretches as far as the eye can see is yours too?"

"If that's the case, have you already arrived home? Isn't your home a farm? So where the hell is your house, shit!"

As he spoke, Eugene's features tightened as he stared fixedly at Gavin.

Meeting Eugene's look of shock and anticipation, Gavin smiled, raised his right hand, turned to face the howling cold wind, and spoke.

"That's right, I'm home."

"The land stretching eighty-five kilometers forward from here, with a width of about twenty-five kilometers, is all mine."

"Nearly a third of that land was acquired through farm consolidation, forming a massive 140,000-acre ranch."

"As for the rest of the land, centered around the reservoirs, it was entrusted to me by the state government for development through a leasing agreement."

"Badass!"

Hearing this, Eugene slapped his thigh hard and said excitedly.

"I never expected you to be this rich. Damn it, I can't even afford a new car, this shitty America!"

"Haha, you spoke too soon."

Gavin smiled and interrupted Eugene, then continued.

"This shitty America doesn't just keep you from buying a new car; it also lets me build a resort without spending a dime."

"Don't forget, the state government entrusted me with the development here. Because I took on the contract, not only do I get massive tax exemptions, but they even threw in an airport~"

"All in all, just the land tax I save every year is over sixty million bucks. That alone is enough to build the resort."

"And since I already have the land, why would I spend my own money on construction? Obviously, I'd use the land to secure loans."

"So the question is, who should I pay back now? Should I just drop two tons of gold through the roof of the White House? Haha!"

Amidst his laughter, Gavin took a turn and arrived at the sign for Chambers Resort.

Looking at the lush, green resort before them, Gavin continued to the silent Eugene.

"Alright, stop rolling your eyes. We're safe for the time being once we're here."

"Although I wasn't involved in the planning or construction of the resort, I know at least this much."

"In this ten-kilometer-long natural scenic area, there are only twenty-four large estates built along the roads and sixty-four villas nestled by the lake."

"As for the rest of the area, it's packed with so-called nature parks, amusement parks, a dozen small docks, and a bunch of snack shops and gift stores."

"Building this resort was purely for tax breaks. Otherwise, do you really think a generic scenic spot like this could ever be as popular as Disneyland?"

"Besides, I didn't use my own name to advertise it, so the houses here sell poorly and the tenants are pitifully few."

With that, Gavin slammed on the gas, accelerating directly into the resort area.

Along the road, every estate was set back at least 160 meters behind tree-lined paths, and there was at least 300 meters of distance between each property.

Watching the estates pass by on both sides, Eugene swallowed hard, his expression stunned.

"The luckiest thing that's ever happened to me in my life is probably meeting a damn capitalist like you on the first day of the apocalypse!"

"I even think every house here would be perfect for our base. The mattresses inside must be softer than the ones I paid fifty bucks for with a hooker!"

"No."

Gavin suddenly cut Eugene off, smiling as he continued.

"Although it's sparsely populated here, the vegetation density is too high, which severely limits visibility."

"Besides, we have a better option."

"We must head to the ranch estate, not just because my parents are there, but because all my guns are there!"

"Not to mention there are countless Angus Cattle there."

"Of course, at a time like this, we should pray."

"Pray that we don't run into tens of thousands of zombie cows!"