Doomsday America

Chapter 179 Shepard Military Base

Old Bert had no idea what Wang Ling was thinking. He simply lifted Anna's gauze and scrutinized her with his old eyes.

Gavin stood to the side, took a soft breath, and spoke with a hissing sound.

"Hiss, old Bert, is there any hope for her?"

"There's hope! Of course there's hope! She's rotten to the core, and she's still alive. This woman is incredibly resilient!"

Old Bert looked up, smiled at Gavin, and casually tapped Anna's severed arm.

“Look at her wound. It’s been open for at least three days. In this condition, she has lost a lot of blood and has also developed a wound infection.”

"This woman was probably still alive and kicking not long ago. If she's not alive, who is? She's practically a legendary longevity queen!"

"But what I'm more concerned about is how this woman got injured; her hand was clearly severed!"

At this point, old Bert shifted his gaze and looked in Wang Ling's direction.

Meeting old Bert's gaze, Meryl and Greta were slightly taken aback before quickly looking at Wang Ling.

Seeing this, Wang Ling took a deep breath and spoke to Gavin and Old Bert.

"Yes, I did it. I cut off her hand, but I did it to save her!"

"Save her?"

Hearing this, Gavin became interested, so he quickly asked Wang Ling.

"Are you talking about something like in a Brad Pitt movie, where the woman was bitten by a zombie, but you cut off her hand and she didn't turn into a zombie?"

As he spoke, Gavin's eyes revealed an expectant look.

For Gavin, although there were many things worth verifying, human resources were so scarce in the post-apocalyptic world that he couldn't bear to use enough living people to do too many experiments.

Therefore, he has yet to have the opportunity to verify whether cutting off the bitten flesh as quickly as possible could prevent a human from turning into a zombie if bitten by a zombie.

If Wang Ling and Anna's story can fill a gap in Gavin's series of small experiments, it will save Gavin a lot of trouble!

And Wang Ling...

When Gavin asked her question, she paused slightly, then shook her head helplessly and replied to Gavin.

"I'm sorry, it's not what you think. Anna and I... Anna, she... sigh..."

Wang Ling sighed helplessly, then patted her samurai sword.

“I told you on the plane that a helicopter flew near us a few days ago, which triggered a zombie riot at the hotel.”

"During that riot, we were a group of six who fled together. Two of us died on the way to the rooftops, and Anna lost a hand!"

"Her arm was broken so badly that... the broken bone had pierced through the flesh and was exposed to the air!"

"Moreover, the bone that pierced through her severed arm tore open a huge wound about fourteen centimeters long!"

“There are three of us left, and none of us have experience treating this kind of injury. So, I can only treat the dead horse as if it were still alive. Do you understand what I mean? If not, I'll say it another way…”

"Trying anything as a last resort, ma'am, I understand you, no need to explain, just continue with your situation!"

Gavin interrupted Wang Ling, signaling her to get to the point quickly.

Beside Wang Ling, Greta couldn't help but smile wryly, and took Wang Ling's hand to explain to Gavin.

“Boss Gavin, I’m sorry, Ling always likes to use some strange slang that doesn’t often appear in America. That must be her native dialect.”

"Yes, I can see that. She does have this habit."

Gavin nodded to Greta, then looked back at Wang Ling.

Wang Ling took a deep breath and continued speaking to Gavin with increasing helplessness.

"Okay, I won't use any more slang. Anyway, we couldn't handle Anna's original injury, so I changed it to one that's easier to treat!"

"I chopped off her huge, torn forearm, so all she was left with was a broken forearm wound!"

“I admit it was a bit inhumane, but I firmly believe it was the best way at the time. The rest of us didn’t even know how to set bones, let alone put back the bones that were twisted and broken to the point of piercing and tearing her skin!”

"That's the situation. If you think I did something wrong, I'm open to criticism. But if I encounter a similar situation, I'll still do the same thing!"

At this point, Wang Ling raised her head and silently looked at Gavin.

Gavin couldn't help but swallow hard, then took another look at Anna's severed hand.

There's quite a story behind this severed hand...

Old Bert, after a brief moment of thought, nodded slightly and spoke to Wang Ling.

“You did the right thing, girl. A severe fracture with accompanying puncture and tearing is not something a layperson can handle, and such an injury is not something you can easily care for.”

“Such wounds are far more dangerous and could lead to infection than simple wounds like these. If left untreated for too long, they could result in amputation, or even death.”

"Although she lost an arm, she has survived the few days since we found you. She is still alive, which is the best outcome."

"I'll clean her wound, apply some antibiotics, and change her dressings for a few days. She'll definitely pull through."

At this point, old Bert decisively placed the severed hand on the operating table in front of him, picked up various instruments, and began to operate on Anna directly in the sterile environment.

Anna's wound was severely eroded, and some of the necrotic tissue had reached the point where it had to be cleaned.

Seeing that old Bert had started to get busy, Gavin patted Wang Ling on the shoulder.

"Alright, girls, let old Bert and Bella take care of the patients. Come with me, I'll show you your rooms."

"No rush, I'd like to help, I can do it."

Wang Ling quickly waved to Gavin, then prepared to help old Bert with his work.

Seeing this, Gavin narrowed his eyes slightly. This Wang Ling has a rather strong sense of self…

However, considering Wang Ling's guilt about Anna's injuries, Gavin didn't say much and continued to ask the remaining two women.

"Are you guys planning to lend a hand too? If you ask me, the medical room doesn't need so many laymen!"

"Uh, Gavin, let's go with you!"

Greta nodded quickly in agreement, and then she and Meryl struck a pose as if they were about to leave, while she tugged at Wang Ling's sleeve.

But Wang Ling stubbornly shook her head, refusing to leave with Greta.

Seeing this, Gavin waved to Steve.

“Steve, you lend a hand here too. I’ll take them to Thomas and have him show them around the manor.”

"Don't worry, boss."

Steve nodded to Gavin, then fixed his gaze on Wang Ling's katana.

He knew why Gavin had kept him around; he wasn't there to lend a hand, but to prevent Wang Ling from suddenly attacking someone!
And Wang Ling.

She also unconsciously glanced at the revolver at Steve's waist.

She knew Steve was wary of him, just as she was wary of Gavin's team.

After all, they had only just arrived at the campsite, and Wang Ling dared not entrust her teammate, who had been supporting each other for several days and was unconscious, to the strangers in front of her!
What if Anna were insulted or even killed and eaten?

Wang Ling had lived in America for a long time and knew how many incomprehensible lunatics there were in that country!
Gavin nodded to Steve, then led Greta and the other man out of the medical room.

He understood Wang Ling's concerns and appreciated them greatly. In his view, every explorer in the camp should be as vigilant as possible.

Of course, he also had to be vigilant, which is why he left Steve in the medical room.

Steve's quick-draw skills were taught to him by his father when he was young. Steve's shooting speed would never give anyone the chance to cause trouble in the medical room!
With that in mind, Gavin led Greta and Meryl to the task board in front of the second-floor restaurant.

Just as Gavin arrived, Winnie, wearing a cowboy hat and a cowboy outfit, carrying a small revolver and a small pistol, went to the mission board and selected a mission.

Seeing Winnie's actions, Gavin couldn't help but come to her side, put his arm around Winnie's shoulder, and ask.

"Why are you here taking on missions too? Let me see what kind of missions you've accepted?"

"Boss, I only take small jobs, like cleaning up the dead chickens near the chicken farm."

Winnie responded with a smile, her gaze lingering briefly on Meryl and Winnie before extending her right hand to them.

"Hello, newbies! I'm Winnie, one of the first survivors from Camp Gavin. It's nice to meet you all!"

"Oh, hello, I'm Greta, and this is Meryl. You look much more mature than you appear!"

Greta quickly shook hands with Winnie, secretly surprised by Winnie's mature demeanor.

Meanwhile, Meryl couldn't help but look at the mission board and speak up.

"Is this your task board? That's an interesting initiative. Is there anything I can do? I'd be happy to help!"

"Let me see, handling the carcasses of chickens that died in the thunderstorm at the chicken farm requires two logistics personnel and one office staff member. Is this the personnel division of the camp?"

"Another task is to dig up small trees from the nearby forest and transplant them to designated areas around the manor to provide cover. And it's a long-term mission, wow~"

"There's also the task of widening and dredging the waterways near the manor to create a moat, which requires skilled operation of excavators and is also a long-term project?"

"Recruiting heavy truck drivers to work with excavators, and also recruiting drivers who are skilled in operating planting tractors in advance for long-term tasks."

"These tasks are quite interesting, but there's not much I can do. I might be able to help out in the kitchen, or help with cleaning, and I can also pick up corpses. Can I accept the task now?"

At this point, Meryl looked at Gavin expectantly.

Gavin gave Meryl an approving look, then shook his head at her.

"Newcomer."

Gavin said with a smile.

“It’s your day off today, so enjoy it while you can, that’s our rule!” With that, Gavin released Winnie and patted Thomas on the shoulder.

"Thomas, show the newcomers around the manor and explain our rules to them."

"Please rest assured, sir."

Thomas nodded in response and handed the mission card to Winnie.

Winnie picked up the card and tossed it at Gavin before leaving the manor and heading towards the chicken farm with William and Wells.

Watching the backs of William and his two companions, Gavin smiled and shook his head before sitting down in the hall.

The round trip to Dallas took almost two hours, and it's almost 10:50 now. There's not much work left this morning.

So, Sean and his two students are currently sitting in the lobby, drinking beer and chatting.

Upon seeing Gavin arrive, the three men, who had been chatting and laughing while carrying beers, instinctively stood up and saluted Gavin.

Although Gavin was not quite used to their actions, he responded calmly, then sat back down in his seat and smiled.

"Drink less, guys, you're heading to Houston this afternoon to collect data."

"Don't worry, sir, we're fine. Or rather, we're in much better shape than we were in the army. After all, the army is basically a place filled with marijuana and alcohol, while we may have had some beer, at least we didn't smoke marijuana!"

Sean responded to Gavin with a loud laugh.

Hearing Sean's words, Gavin shook his head helplessly.

Okay, it's well-known that the American military is terrible. After all, the American military is too lazy to even smuggle drugs because they sell their drugs directly to their own people. How many soldiers don't get high? Even meth is a piece of cake.

But that wasn't what Gavin wanted to say. He gently tapped the table in front of him and spoke to Sean.

"Alright, you know what you're doing. I don't want to see all three of you crash the plane together."

"Besides that, let's talk about that damn aggregate in Dallas. What are your thoughts on that monstrosity?"

"view?"

Upon hearing Gavin's words, Sean picked up his beer bottle, smiled, and shook his head at Gavin.

"Boss, what can I say? I just want to find two fully loaded B-21s, drop all the shells on that damn thing, and then pour some napalm on it so it will disappear from the world forever!"

"Ah, B21..."

Hearing Sean's words, Gavin shook his head helplessly, then asked Sean.

"You brought up the B-21 because you think helicopter firepower would be too much for it to take down?"

"Yeah, boss..."

In response to Gavin's question, Sean nodded with a wry smile and continued to explain to Gavin.

"Boss, that's a behemoth over ninety meters tall. It's difficult for the firepower of a typical helicopter to incapacitate it."

"If we can't incapacitate him, then no matter how we attack him, we can't prevent it from raging in downtown Dallas, or even leaving the city and running into the surrounding forests, spreading the fire even further."

"The fire that started the pyramid of corpses, which is over 90 meters high, could burn for three days and three nights and probably for seven or eight days!"

"Seven or eight days is enough time for him to rush from Dallas to Houston and burn down half of Texas along the way, damn it!"

At this point, Sean rubbed his face vigorously, then took a big gulp of beer.

Setting down the bottle, Sean looked up at the sky sadly and involuntarily asked Gavin a question.

"Boss, do you think we still have any hope? Damn it, it's only been a short time, and the zombies have become unrecognizable. Ambushers, hunters, bloodseekers, howlers, aggregates, all kinds of zombies. It even makes me feel like they are the future, or rather, the future belongs to them!"

"To destroy the aggregate's mobility, I estimate that even Green Wolf wouldn't be very effective. We'd need at least 500 pounds of aerial bombs, maybe even 1,000 pounds."

"That's over ninety meters high! It's a real, mobile mountain of flesh, so only weapons capable of destroying a small mountain can possibly inflict enough damage on it!"

At this point, Sean couldn't help but point to the roof.

"Anyway, we definitely don't have enough Apaches. The strongest thing on an Apache is Hellfire, but Hellfire hitting that thing is probably like tickling it!"

"Scratching an itch..."

Gavin frowned.

"That's a very apt description!"

Thinking of this, Gavin couldn't help but shake his head, then asked Sean a question.

"Sean, can you find a small nuclear weapon? If we could give the amalgam a small tactical nuclear weapon, it should be able to destroy it in one hit, right?"

"Ha, of course that's no problem. After all, aggregates are still flesh and blood. Even if they are a bit bigger, they can't compare to tactical nuclear weapons."

"The problem is, boss, I simply can't get my hands on that kind of thing, because all the proper tactical nuclear weapons have a lot of keys to use, and I can't crack those things."

"As for irregular tactical nuclear weapons, I have no right to know anything about them, and I have no idea where to look for them."

"Besides, I can't even find a proper tactical nuclear weapon. I only know that there's nothing like that at Shepard Air Force Base. You'd have to go to Loughborough Air Force Base to have a chance of finding it, and even if you did, you wouldn't have the key..."

Sean spread his hands out to Gavin.

Seeing this, Gavin nodded helplessly.

"Well, it seems we can forget about tactical nuclear weapons. But that's fine, I was worried that nuclear radiation would bring about some strange changes to the zombies."

"While humans fear radiation, I don't think zombies and fungi can be killed by it. After all, fungi can't even be killed by a vacuum or cosmic rays."

"I can't even imagine what the zombies near the nuclear power plant will look like in a few years or a decade or so. We absolutely cannot go to the radiation zone to explore; that would be too dangerous."

"Fortunately, the nuclear power plant is only located in the coastal area, and there are none of those things near our living area, sigh..."

Just as Gavin was speaking, construction boss Jon came over with several cocktails and placed the glasses on the table.

Gavin took the glass, nodded to Jon, and then waited for Sean's reply.

After putting down the bottle, Sean picked up a cigarette, took a couple of puffs, and then said to Gavin.

"Boss, my buddies and I will eat in a bit, then we'll hurry up and go to Houston to record the weather data, and then take a couple of detours towards Shepard Air Force Base when we have time."

"Although the Shepard base doesn't have a large number of people, it still has at least three thousand. If possible, I would like to lure away as many of the hunters as possible to make room for our future operations."

"If I could wipe out all my zombie comrades at Shepard Base, I might be able to fly two B-21s."

"Although after the mission is over, we will no longer be able to safely use those big machines due to a lack of logistical support and maintenance, at least this time, the B-21 and its high-powered bombs can help us deal with the aggregates in Dallas!"

“Once we can blast the aggregate into immobile fragments, we can safely use napalm on them. As long as they are immobilized, even if we create small fires, the flames will have a hard time spreading in the heart of Dallas’s streets.”

"Even if it spreads, we still have a lot of liquid carbon dioxide left. I can fly over and drop some, which will stop the fire. After all, the streets are a natural firebreak."

"Do you think this is a good idea? Let's take back at least one air force base first, then confirm what kind of strike capabilities are present in the base, and then we can take action against the aggregate, boss!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sean raised the beer bottle and shook it at Gavin.

Gavin then raised his glass to Sean in a toast.

After swallowing a mouthful of wine, Gavin pursed his lips, then nodded thoughtfully.

“Let’s do it your way, Sean. I trust your knowledge of Shepard Base and your views on the Mega-Assemblage.”

"However, I think the only way we can get to Shepard Base is by helicopter, and we currently only have three people who can fly helicopters."

"Three people are enough!"

Sean interrupted Gavin and said firmly to him.

"Boss, we absolutely must bring the Apache helicopters. We need their firepower for concentrated strikes. Apart from that, we can use transport planes for everything else!"

"Although the transport planes at the camp are all civilian, they generally have a large carrying capacity. If you drop the cargo and force people into the transport planes, two helicopters can definitely transport more than a dozen people without any problem."

"Besides, Shepard also has helicopters like the Black Hawk. We can gradually replace our civilian helicopters with Black Hawks, which will make our future operations easier."

"So let's eat now, and get right back to work, okay, boss?"

"can!"

Gavin immediately raised his glass to Sean.

"You'll have to work a little harder today. Go to the kitchen beforehand and ask Doris for something to eat, then head straight to Shepard for a quick trip!"

"Anyway, please be careful. I'm still waiting for your news at home."

"Don't worry, boss, there's hardly anyone competing with us for that spot right now. And even if there were, I guarantee I'd be more professional than them, haha~"

Sean laughed in response to Gavin's words, then took his two students and prepared to leave.

Seeing the two students stand up, Gavin couldn't help but ask them.

"Wait, Sean, how long do you think it will be before Nicholas and Paul can fly the helicopter?"

"how long?"

Faced with Gavin's question, Sean paused for a moment to think, then shook his head and smiled.

"They can start now if it's an emergency, but it's not safe enough!"

"If it were up to me, I think they would need at least 40 hours of training and about 50 hours of escort flight experience before they could be considered qualified helicopter pilots!"

"What's wrong, boss? Are you in such a hurry to get them to play a role?"

"No, I'm just hoping that more helicopters will be flying over our camp!"

Gavin shook his head, gesturing for Sean and his two companions to go eat.

The trio of Sean left the hall and disappeared in the direction of the kitchen.

(End of this chapter)