Doomsday America

Chapter 107 First Flight
At this point, Gavin beckoned to Nikita and asked.

“Nikita, if you hadn’t unexpectedly run into that injured person from your family, would you still have left home and ventured into the town?”

"of course not!"

Nikita shook his head heavily and replied.

“I have water and food at home, and the water and food will last a long time. I am all alone, so how could I possibly go out and risk my life!”

"That's right, the number of people is small, but there is no shortage of food and water."

Gavin nodded, emphasizing as he continued.

"Because there was no water shortage, even though we searched extensively for three days before the apocalypse, we had a hard time finding many survivors. It was like a game of hide-and-seek."

"They are hiding in their own safe houses, and we have to try our luck one by one to have any chance of encountering them."

"and many more!"

As Gavin was speaking, Madison suddenly spoke up and couldn't help but ask Gavin a question.

"Boss, if that's the case, then we should just take a helicopter and circle around the area. That way, we won't have to look for them; instead, they'll be looking for us."

"Oh, so you could fly a helicopter before Steve came along?"

In response to Madison's question, Gavin rolled his eyes and asked him the same question.

Upon hearing this, Madison was stunned for a moment, then weakly raised his hand and slapped his face.

He covered his face as he spoke in a somber tone.

"Boss, this Chicago street scene is really not teaching!"

After saying that, Madison loosened his large face and looked at Steve and Eugene with a wry smile.

Noticing Madison's gaze, Eugene crossed his legs, nonchalantly gave Madison the middle finger, and said...

"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm a sniper. I studied ballistics calculation, information transmission, dynamic camouflage, digital coordination, and geopolitical sniping at the officer academy. Helicopter piloting is something pilots should learn!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Eugene shifted his legs to a different, overlapping position, then spread his hands unhappily and continued.

"If I had made it into Delta Force, there would have been a tiny chance for me to learn some pilot duties. But I didn't get in, so laugh all you want, haha~"

"I admit that there are indeed some people in our American military who are called sniper pilots, but that title is only for gunship weapons operators, those guys who specialize in firing machine guns from the sky!"

"As for me, it took me two and a half years just to complete the entire sniper course. How could I possibly have time to learn anything else?"

After saying that, Eugene reached out towards the plate of cold drinks that Bella had brought, wanting to take a cold drink.

Bella, who had just walked over, immediately dodged him, rolled her eyes at him, and said...

"You're the last!"

Then, Bella came to Gavin, handed him the plate to choose from, and said something along the way.

"Boss, Doris made some ice cream, I wonder if you'll like it~"

"Ha, Doris is really talented. Thank you for bringing us the ice cream."

Gavin casually picked out an ice cream and then showed it to everyone.

"Look, it's mango flavored! Is this something we should eat in the apocalypse?"

As Gavin finished speaking, laughter erupted in the hall, and Bella suppressed her laughter as she served everyone ice.

Meanwhile, Doris and Winnie, having finished washing the dishes, couldn't resist pushing old Bert into the lobby to rest and listen around the field staff.

As for Eugene, seeing that Bella had started giving ice cream to the logistics staff, he immediately slapped his thigh in displeasure.

"Hey, you woman, I'm exhausted from fighting outside, can't you give me some first..."

"Eugene, wait a minute, why didn't you mention that you attended a military academy?"

From in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor, William interrupted Eugene's complaints and shouted to Eugene from afar.

"I had no idea you'd gone to school. I always thought you were just a redneck veteran, buddy!"

"You fart!"

Upon hearing this, Eugene immediately shook off Bella, raised his hand and gave William two middle fingers, cursing.

“Every sniper is a graduate of military academy, and the spotter is also a sniper. That’s fucking common sense. I thought you would know that!”

"Alright, Eugene, not everyone knows the common sense you're spouting. Let's get back to the point!"

Gavin clapped his hands with a smile, interrupting Eugene and William's argument, and then continued with the previous topic.

"Where were we? Oh right, the search for survivors."

"Well, before the survivors have made up their minds to leave the house, no matter how many times we fly our planes over their heads, it may not be enough to get them to take the risk and leave the room."

"Once the survivors start moving around, I think most of them will choose to act during the day, right? After all, I really don't think anyone would like to start exploring and hiding from zombies in the pitch black of night."

"So, for survivors who are active during the day, are helicopters really just a salvation? Are we helicopter pilots really little angels?"

“I’m more worried that our helicopter activity will cause the zombies to become scattered sooner, and if there are survivors active in our flight path, they will have to pray that there are no zombies nearby that we can attract.”

"Otherwise, our helicopters will be the death knell for the survivors!"

At this point, Gavin leaned back on the sofa and suddenly remembered something buried deep in his memory.

How many years has it been since he played that zombie survival game? What was it called again?

It's that... that zombie project?

Gavin kept searching through his distant memories and vaguely remembered that when he played that game, what he feared most, besides the various alarms that alerted some kind of zombie, was receiving news of a damn helicopter passing by!

If a helicopter gets too close to a town, it will immediately activate the zombies in the entire town.

Of course, there are differences between games and reality. At least in Gavin's current situation, apart from the ambushers that have already been discovered, the other zombies can be attracted in a relatively simple way.

The current distribution of zombies is far less scattered and dangerous than it would be many years after the apocalypse.

After a moment, Gavin cleared his mind of the memories and looked around at the people around him.

He concluded in the end.

"Therefore, when the survivors are more likely to take action during the day, I don't want us to fly helicopters all over Texas, bringing them hope while also causing them unexpected trouble."

"Besides, judging from the air alone, unless we encounter a moving vehicle, we probably can't even determine whether what's walking on the ground is a person or a zombie!"

"But the situation is different at night. Most survivors will probably find a relatively safe place to hide and rest at night."

"Whether it's a secluded house or a campfire burning in the forest, as long as there's a glimmer of light, we can basically pinpoint the presence of humans, greatly increasing our efficiency in searching for survivors!"

Meeting Gavin's gaze, Steve nodded and said softly.

"Boss, I agree with your idea. I'll fly the helicopter, but I haven't flown a helicopter much at night."

"By the way, boss, can't you fly a helicopter?"

Madison suddenly chuckled and looked at Gavin.

When Madison asked him a question, Gavin paused for a moment, then shook his head and said meaningfully.

"Believe me, if it weren't for the apocalypse and the fact that we genuinely needed the efficiency of helicopters, I would never touch a helicopter in my life!"

"Don't even mention flying a helicopter, I don't even want to ride in one, because my seniors have already warned me about that!"

After saying that, Gavin looked up at the high ceiling and remained silent.

Not far away, Steve grinned and said.

"Boss, I don't know where you got this idea from. Helicopters are actually very safe. I've flown them many times. If you want to learn, I can teach you."

"Yes, it's still necessary to learn how to fly a plane. Whether I like helicopters or not, it's never a bad thing to know more about them in the apocalypse."

Gavin nodded, confirming Steve's statement. Then he put down the glass of ice cream, stood up, and clapped his hands.

"That's enough. Everyone, get some rest. Steve and I will fly the helicopter and try to lure the zombies in Richard Town as far away as possible, and maybe we can find some light." "As for the sentries, Nikita will be at level eight to ten, Eugene at level ten to twelve, Madison at level twelve to two, and I'll be at level two to four."

"Regardless of whether we find anything or not, Steve and I will be back before 10 o'clock. Eugene, if you're free tonight, you can teach everyone how to disassemble and maintain guns. That's all."

After saying that, Gavin and Steve went to the warehouse together, found a few flashlights with decent power, and hung them next to the walkie-talkie.

After inspecting the firearms, the two of them left the hall without hesitation and went into the garage, amidst everyone's worried gazes.

Looking at the many cars, Gavin randomly picked a sports car.

Seeing Gavin's choice, Steve asked suspiciously.

"Why would we drive a sports car? I still think a pickup truck is safer."

"We'll only be driving a few kilometers from the estate to the central airport, so it doesn't matter what car we use. I'm planning to gradually clear out the unused sports cars from the garage so we can park the plane on the roof of the estate when we return from the air."

Gavin explained, then found the sports car keys and got into the car.

As he started the car and drove out of the garage, Gavin added.

"There are too many sports cars in the garage, which take up a lot of space. After we drive the sports cars out and dump them elsewhere, we can find some suitable pickup trucks outside to fill the remaining space in the garage."

"Uh, okay, I just think it's a real shame."

Steve regretfully raised his hand and touched the various dashboards of the sports car.

This precious item, once coveted by countless people, has become industrial waste, despised by both humans and dogs, in the apocalypse.

The excessively low chassis limits many sports cars to road conditions, making it almost impossible for them to drive on streets other than highways. Even minor obstacles or bumps can damage the chassis, such as speed bumps.

The sports car's overly thin body meant it was destined to never be able to break through the horde of zombies.

It's likely that a sports car would lose its stability after simply crashing into and crushing a few zombies.

With a sense of regret for the luxury sports car, I parked the car in the direction of the central airport, which is near the airport where the Gulfstream G650 is parked.

As Gavin got out of the car, he noticed Steve looking longingly at the sports car, so he smiled and pointed to the Gulfstream G650, saying...

"Steve, when you think a sports car is a waste, why don't you take a look at that big guy!"

"Seriously, if you knew how to fly this thing, we could even ride it all the way to the Arctic Circle and beat up seals alongside polar bears!"

"Ha ha!"

Upon hearing Gavin's words, Steve turned on his flashlight and shone it on the massive Gulfstream G650.

He raised his hand and pressed it against the G650's body, then laughed.

"Brother, although I really want to ask what the seal did wrong to deserve being beaten up by us and the polar bears."

"But then again, I've never even been on this plane, so as a result, not many people can fly it anymore."

"Come on, stop being so sentimental. Let's get the helicopter up and running first. Let's get moving and get some sleep. We're getting more and more tired these days."

Gavin interrupted Steve's musings and went to the helicopter on his own.

Steve leaned closer, checked the plane from all angles, and then gave a thumbs-up.

"Our farm's aircraft maintenance is always excellent. As soon as the plane lands, it's quickly refueled, and we can take off right away!"

After saying that, Steve went to the hangar, found two parachutes, and threw one to Gavin.

Although Gavin can't fly a helicopter, he has actually studied parachutes, because he inevitably has to fly around by plane.

When people encounter a crisis on earth, they can at least rely on their brains and bodies to fight one last time.

But if someone has a problem at high altitude, their only hope is a parachute.

Gavin placed the parachute inside the helicopter, then discovered that the helicopter already had a parachute.

Well, it seems the cowboys on the farm are also worried about falling from the sky.

At this point, Steve started the helicopter and casually tossed the noise-canceling headphones to Gavin.

Gavin took the headset and put it on his head. The headsets in the helicopter all have built-in intercom channels, and the principle is the same as that of a walkie-talkie.

In this way, their voices can be transmitted to each other through the headphones.

After confirming that everything was in place, Gavin grabbed the anchor and gave Steve a thumbs up.

Steve then slowly started the helicopter and maneuvered it into the sky.

"Increase the altitude."

Gavin suddenly gave a reminder.

After all, the sound of helicopter rotor blades is simply too loud in the low-altitude region.

Steve climbed quickly, then said to Gavin with concern.

"Boss, watch your direction! It's so dark at night, I'm a little worried we'll wander too far and get lost!"

"Fake..."

Upon hearing this, Gavin cursed at Steve in annoyance.

Then, he took out his binoculars and looked at the rivers and lakes that were unusual in the darkness, reflecting the moonlight, and laughed.

"Steve, given your personality, if we were in danger of not being able to return, would you still fly this plane?"

"You saw right through me, brother. I am indeed very familiar with the distribution of forests and rivers around us."

Steve jokingly changed the plane's direction, bringing it above the forest and flying straight towards Richard Town.

As they flew, Steve continued to offer reminders.

"But boss, I'm only familiar with the surrounding terrain. The radar on our civilian helicopters is far inferior to that of military helicopters, which can conduct independent detection after the network is cut off."

"So, haha, now we basically have to rely on sight and intuition to determine the route."

"If I want to fly further, I'll have to fly enough and become familiar with the rivers and terrain over a larger area before I can fly accurately enough at night!"

There was no way around it; in the complete darkness of night, especially since they were still in the sky, all they could see was utter darkness.

Only the course and shape of a few rivers and lakes remain.

The river became almost their only usable landmark!

Steve checked the altitude and then continued to ask Gavin questions.

"Boss, we're over 1,500 meters high. At this altitude, we shouldn't be able to hear anything from the ground. So, should we wait until we reach Richard Town before lowering our altitude?"

"Yes, once we reach Richard Town, we'll descend. I'll take a look at the situation there and make sure we've lured away enough zombies."

As Gavin responded, he picked up his binoculars and kept observing the darkness below.

Unfortunately, the campfire light Gavin had hoped for did not appear in the vast forest near the farm.

And when Gavin vaguely saw Richard Town.

Gavin began to speak.

"Continue to increase altitude, fly over Richard Town and descend slowly. I want to see roughly how high the helicopter can attract zombies!"

"Copy that, boss!"

Steve responded quickly, while simultaneously increasing his altitude.

And Gavin...

He looked at the pitch-black town of Richard and shook his head regretfully.

Because there was no light he longed for near the town!

(End of this chapter)