Worth at Least Ten Bucks

"What? Holy shit! Then I'd better take a good look!"

No sooner had Gavin finished speaking than Eugene hurriedly fished out his 8x scope, pressed it to his eyes, and peered toward the lake.

Beside him, Madison approached Gavin in surprise, looking toward the scope with anticipation.

It wasn't that Old Robert wasn't important; it was just that he wanted to take a look too. After all, Old Robert could still reply, and if he could reply, that meant he was still alive, right?

As for Gavin.

He peered through the scope at the center of the lake, some 2.6 kilometers away, his brow furrowed as he watched the naked figure lying supine on the water's surface, moving her limbs every now and then.

After taking a few glances, Eugene finally located the woman and instinctively said to Gavin.

"Whoa, found her, but are you sure that's not a zombie? Looking at that silhouette, she isn't swimming at all; she's just floating there, occasionally splashing around!"

"Let me see, let me see, you asshole, what could your eyes possibly see!"

Madison seized the opportunity, snatched the 8x scope, and began to observe.

At the same time, Gavin lowered his scope and explained to Eugene.

"You'd better pray that isn't a zombie, pal, because if zombies can swim, then I'll have to prepare for them digging tunnels and pole vaulting too!"

"Uh..."

Eugene was taken aback by Gavin's words, but then he suddenly remembered something, and a strange smile appeared on his face as he replied to Gavin.

"Wait, Quarterback, zombies that can pole vault and dig tunnels—are you sure you aren't talking about Plants vs. Zombies?"

"Are we going to see Michael Jackson crawl out of his grave, bring a group of backup-dancing zombies over to us, and moonwalk his way into eating our brains?"

Once he finished speaking, Eugene was amused by his own words and started laughing uncontrollably.

Michael Jackson had passed away in 2009, and Plants vs. Zombies was also released in 2009; the influence of these two things had not yet faded in 2013.

Hearing Eugene mention Michael, Gavin pursed his lips and said regretfully.

"Quit joking around. Michael was my friend. Let's not talk about that; let's go check on Old Robert first."

"I know about that, Boss. You even spoke up for Michael back in the day, though it's a pity no one wanted to believe you, Madonna, or that arrogant blonde real estate mogul."

Madison responded while lowering the 8x scope, then walked to Gavin's side and continued in a low voice.

"But Boss, are you sure that thing on the lake isn't a zombie? I don't have eyesight as good as yours, but she doesn't look like a living person to me either—she barely even splashes!"

"Whether she's human or a zombie, we'll know in a bit. Old Robert's villa has a small pier extending outward, and he should have two small boats. We'll go take a look in a moment!"

As he spoke, Gavin reached out, pulled open the villa door, and strode inside.

"Old Robert, are you there!"

As soon as he entered the villa, Gavin shouted at the top of his lungs.

Then, without waiting for a response, he followed the sound of coughing toward the second-floor gallery of Old Robert's house.

At this moment, Old Robert was coughing while lying face-down on the stairs leading from the second floor to the first, his bare ass exposed, looking at Gavin with a flushed face.

"Cough, cough... this isn't exactly the best time for a visit. I've been a fool, little Gavin..."

Old Albert said to Gavin in embarrassment.

Seeing Old Robert still sprawled on the stairs, Gavin rushed across the carpet to the staircase, his face awkward as he reached out to pull Old Robert up.

As he reached out, he asked.

"What happened? How did you end up crawling here? I thought I'd find you lying in bed with no will to live, or sitting in a recliner ready to eat a bullet!"

"Wait, don't! Don't pull me!!!"

Gavin's sudden movement startled Old Robert; he hurriedly stopped Gavin and then spoke rapidly.

"I have a herniated disc. Damn it, I probably pushed too hard when I was coughing!"

"Don't you dare pull me; my entire lower back and ass are killing me. Cough, cough, just let me... adjust my position!"

As he spoke, Old Robert's face turned red as he desperately tried to cover his bare buttocks.

He usually slept naked in a bathrobe when he was home alone, and now that he was lying head-down on the stairs, his bare ass was completely exposed.

Behind Gavin, Eugene and Madison glanced at Old Robert, and Eugene chuckled.

"Aha, what a pale ass. Hello there, old pal, I'm Eugene!"

"I'm Madison. This is quite a unique way to meet, haha~"

As the two greeted Albert, his face gradually turned purple, and his coughing intensified.

Seeing him cough violently, the three of them quickly stepped back a few paces.

Seeing them retreat, Old Robert said to Gavin with a bitter expression.

"Don't hide so fast, kid. I know what's wrong with me; it's just pneumonia after catching a chill, like a racehorse that jumps into the water right after finishing a race!"

"Go to the room on the left on the first floor where the dog is and get two boxes of Azithromycin. That stuff is really effective, cough, cough!"

"Azithromycin?"

Behind Gavin, Madison muttered the name, then took the initiative to head downstairs and walk toward the left.

Not long after, he came running back, chased the whole way by a fierce Rottweiler amidst a chorus of barking.

Watching the scene of the Rottweiler chasing Madison, Old Robert struggled to position his body across the stairs, then rolled over to prop himself up against the carpet, gripping the stair railing with both hands as he spoke with a pained yet nostalgic expression.

"Ha... cough, cough, haha, how long has it been since I've seen a sight like this? Back when I was young, Bella's grandfather used to chase the black laborers on our farm just like that~"

"Give it a rest, old man. You didn't have black laborers when you were young. I'm here to save you, not to listen to you brag!"

Gavin interrupted Old Robert, sounding annoyed.

Hearing this, Old Robert pouted playfully.

"Ha, it was just a change of name. From slaves to hired hands, but there was no difference in essence."

Old Robert's words were indeed true; after all, when he was young, it was the 1960s and 70s in America.

In that era, although the status of black people in the American North had improved slightly.

In the more conservative American South, especially in the eyes of the big plantation owners, black people might have lost their status as slaves, but they could still be beaten to death at will for merely glancing at a white woman.

Off to the side, listening to Old Robert, Eugene couldn't help but cackle with laughter.

While laughing, he shouted at the returning Madison.

"Haha, go Old Mac! The ancestor of that good dog named Bella probably chased your ancestors back in the day!"

"Fuck you, Eugene!"

Madison cursed back, easily shaking off the Rottweiler and arriving behind Gavin.

"Boss, I got the medicine!"

He handed the Azithromycin to Gavin.

On the stairs, after clearly seeing Madison's exaggerated height and physique, Old Robert finally couldn't help but swallow hard and said.

"Shit, I didn't see clearly before, but you black kid are ridiculously built. If this were a hundred years ago, I bet you'd be worth at least ten bucks, maybe even twenty!"

"Haha, of course, my body... wait..."

Madison had only proudly responded halfway before he suddenly felt something was wrong, so he rolled his eyes and asked Old Robert.

"That wasn't a compliment, was it? I shouldn't have brought you the medicine, you old fart!"

"Alright, forgive this old man. Gavin, hurry up and give me the medicine."

Old Robert waved his hand at Madison teasingly, then reached out toward Gavin.

Seeing this, Gavin carefully examined the medicine box, swallowed hesitantly, and asked.

"Old Robert, are you sure this is the right medicine? This is clearly medicine for dogs, it's written right on the box!"

As he spoke, Gavin pointedly showed the dog head on the packaging to Old Robert.

Then, under the astonished gazes of everyone, Old Robert snatched the Azithromycin and opened the box with a chuckle.

"I know, it's veterinary medicine. After all, I'm not Joanna; I'm a veterinarian!"

"Trust me, veterinary medicine is sometimes more effective than human medicine. Although there are always some side effects, it works faster, cough, cough!"

Amidst his coughing, Old Robert popped out a few pills and swallowed them dry.

After straining his neck to get the pills down, he caught his breath, leaned against the railing, and beckoned to Eugene.

"Redhead, can you help me find some water? Anywhere will do."

"Ha, you really know how to boss people around, fine~"

Eugene nodded with a grin and turned to look for water.

Watching Eugene's retreating back, Old Robert continued to smile at Gavin.

"Little Gavin, where did you find these fine lads? That redhead is a natural-born cowboy. He's got the hair of a cowboy and the face of a cowboy, and like most cowboys, he's short!"

"Fuck, you really didn't need to add that last part. Old Mac, you go find water for this old thing; I'm going to the lake to pick up that girl who isn't wearing any clothes!"

Eugene immediately turned back to flip Old Robert the middle finger, then bolted toward the villa's back door, which led to the backyard and the small pier.