Doomsday America.

Chapter 281 Target Found!

When Gavin compared the zombies before him, whose surfaces were not yet dry and looked exceptionally moist and disgusting, with the ordinary zombie hordes he remembered, he felt that the movements of these zombies were like scenes from a 120-frame movie.

The movements of ordinary zombies felt like a frame rate of 45 to 60 frames per second, with significantly less fluidity in their joints! Thinking this, Gavin took a deep breath and then said to Eugene, who was still in shock:

"Eugene, don't just stand there, check the radiation levels on the radiation detector!"

"Huh? Okay! Damn it, I'm disgusted by these grotesque things. They look like they just hatched from an alien egg, or like they fell into a snot pool. Damn it, I feel like throwing up!" Eugene quickly replied to Gavin, then took a deep breath, pushed himself up from the ground, and went to the radiation detector.

Simply turn on the radiation detection device, and without prolonged testing, the device will quickly emit a sharp alarm sound!

Hearing the damned alarm, Gavin instinctively gritted his teeth. They were indeed under the influence of nuclear radiation, but they didn't know where the core source of the contamination was. A moment later, Eugene, after checking the detection equipment, frowned and said to Gavin:

"Boss, this is bad! The device is showing 320 microsieverts per hour!"

"Bullshit!"

Upon hearing Eugene's words, Gavin pursed his lips and said softly.

"It really is the effect of that damn radiation!"

In reality, Gavin and Eugene weren't professionals, so they didn't know that the amount of microsieverts (millisifts) exposed during a chest CT scan is only about five to eight. And when Gavin told Sean and Edward this number...

There was a moment of silence on the walkie-talkie.

A moment later, Edward's weary voice rang out.

"Boss, we're very far from the ground. The only source of radiation for us is radioactive dust in the air."

"Compared to the radiation levels we detected, the ground below, being closer to the radioactive soil, must have much higher radiation levels!" "Most importantly, Texas has a well-developed underground water system. I'm worried that nuclear radiation will spread through this system, affecting our water resources!" "However... our only hope is that even with groundwater, Texas's underground water system flows from inland towards the coast. We don't know if the nuclear radiation will affect us in the opposite direction of the groundwater flow. We'll have to test our home's water supply when we get back!"

"Not just water!"

Just then, Old Feng interrupted Edward and then spoke to Gavin.

"Boss, once we get back, we'll probably have to quarantine all our planes at an airport far from the manor. Those five planes... are bound to be contaminated with a significant amount of radioactive fallout." "Damn it, this is a real problem. The seaside... is more dangerous than we thought!"

At this point, Old Feng cursed in frustration, then shook his head unhappily before continuing to fly the helicopter.

And Gavin.

The words of the crowd silenced him for a long, long time, until the zombies in the binoculars had basically gathered, and until the streets of the town below were filled with slimy zombies wandering around. Only then did Gavin look down at the more than two thousand zombies below and speak softly.

"You're right. Once we get back, we'll need to conduct regular tests on our air and water."

"But don't worry, guys. Don't forget, Li Qing already conducted radiation tests on that mushroom-covered zombie we captured a few days ago, the one I named 'Big Mac'." "In Li Qing's radiation tests, the Big Mac showed no signs of being affected by radiation, and our radiation equipment didn't detect any additional radioactive material when testing the Big Mac, did it?" "Besides, even the Livingston Lakes area, which is closer to the ocean, hasn't been affected by radiation for the time being. We've been testing Livingston for a long time, haven't we?" "I don't know the specific principles behind this. After all, I'm not a PhD in physics and don't understand the corresponding rules of radiation."

"But overall, if the radiation hasn't even affected Livingston, then regardless of whether more radiation has been carried away by the ocean, we are much farther from the coastline than Livingston, and we are destined not to be affected by the radiation in the short term."

As for the future…

Gavin paused for a moment at this point, then continued speaking into the walkie-talkie.

"If our estate is indeed affected by radiation in the future, then... we'll have to prepare to move!" "And our relocation will be inland, away from the coastline and the areas where many nuclear power plants are located!"

"First, we can relocate to Ranch 6666. There's more land there, and more agricultural equipment available. The environment is similar to our farm, except the living conditions will be a bit worse. After all, Ranch 6666 doesn't have my luxurious estate!"

"As for the plane we used today, including our radiation suits, once we get home, we'll leave them at the airport on the edge of the farm. We'll drive home in the car near that airport, and then take a good shower, damn it!"

At this point, Gavin felt a pang of melancholy, and his fingers twitched instinctively. He really wanted to light a cigarette right then and there. Radiation is invisible and intangible, almost unseen by the naked eye, but its threat is very real.

This unseen crisis only instills more fear in these physics novice types.

But since Gavin had gone to such lengths, the guys finally felt much more at ease.

The recent investigation into the Big Mac did indeed indirectly prove that the home was not affected by radiation.

So, the guys quickly calmed down.

Thus, the flight team of five helicopters flew across the coastline and finally arrived directly above New Orleans!

Upon arriving here, Gavin's scalp tingled involuntarily at first glance, for he saw the devastation in New Orleans that far surpassed that of Dallas! At this moment, half of New Orleans' buildings had already collapsed, and traces of explosions were everywhere.

Just as the astronauts had told Gavin, there was a nuclear power plant located near Luling, less than ten kilometers from downtown New Orleans, and in the center of two large lakes next to Luling! This nuclear power plant indeed experienced a violent explosion and fire, the flames spreading relentlessly across the grasslands separated by the two lakes, on the slightly dry grass of February and March. As Gavin flew over, he clearly saw that the fire had spread far beyond thirty kilometers, leaving numerous signs of scorching heat and liquefied gas explosions in areas including New Orleans to the right of the explosion's epicenter and Reese's and Reese's regions to the left.

Looking at the ruins left by the fire, Eugene took a deep breath and then smiled bitterly at Gavin.

"Hey...hoarse...boss...these explosions and fires...it seems like they've cleared out most of the zombies in the area!"

"There are hardly any intact buildings to be seen below. Damn it, we're so far away, about 670 kilometers away. Otherwise, I bet we could have seen the spectacular explosion!" "Ah...that's true!"

Hearing Eugene's words, Gavin responded softly.

Eugene was right. The explosion and fire at the nuclear power plant, and the subsequent explosions and spillover effects on other facilities such as the city's natural gas supply, did indeed inflict devastating damage on the zombies in the surrounding area!

Gavin understood this perfectly well: no matter how much the zombies mutated, they couldn't escape the influence of the symbiotic relationship between carbon-based life forms and fungi, and these two life forms couldn't possibly mutate to the point of being immune to fire and explosions in a short time. As a result, in the areas on the ground primarily affected by the fire, there was almost no trace of zombies!

Of course, there were no other creatures to be seen either, not even a single tree or a patch of grass.

However, leaving the core area aside, Gavin followed the helicopter through the ruined city of New Orleans, getting closer to Lake Pontchartrain.

It was right on the edge of New Orleans, within a small area of ​​the city that was not destroyed by the fire and explosion.

Gavin not only saw zombie lairs similar to those in the previously irradiated town, nested within city buildings, but he also saw zombies far more mutated and bizarre than those in the town! These zombies were so black they were even more so than black people, that Eugene instinctively shouted out the word "Conan" upon seeing them! This word startled Gavin, who stared at the vaguely visible… completely black… zombie covered in black, rotting matter on the ground, and said to Eugene, "Eugene, you fucking watched Conan?"

"Huh? Why can't I watch anime? I've even watched Dragon Ball, Goku!"

Eugene immediately responded, and then shared his thoughts on the scattered black zombies below.

"These zombies really look like the little black figures from Detective Conan, you know, those guys that are all black, haha, I don't know if I should laugh, but they really do look funny..." Eugene's laughter trailed off as he said this.

Clearly, compared to the zombies in the small town's lair seen earlier, the zombies near New Orleans, located in the epicenter of nuclear contamination, had undergone a more drastic and dangerous transformation! However, the key now was finding the astronauts, so Gavin only silently recorded the appearance of the zombies below, without intending to carefully verify the specific direction of their mutation. And so, the five helicopters circled over New Orleans and continued flying north.

Lake Pontchartrain is located right next to downtown New Orleans, just north of the city.

Upon approaching the location, Gavin picked up the radio again and spoke to the waiting astronauts:

"Guys, this is Gavin. I've passed New Orleans and am now directly above Lake Pontchartrain Causeway!"

"Buzz...Roger that! That's fantastic! We'll release the dye right away; hopefully, you'll find the orange-yellow mark we left behind!" Charlie immediately responded to Gavin's words, then swiftly maneuvered the return capsule, using explosive propulsion to disperse a series of dyes used to aid the search into the surrounding waters within a few kilometers! With the rapid release of fuel, just forty minutes later, the helicopter searching over Lake Pontchartrainrand spotted the return capsule. It was Old Feng's plane that found them, and the passenger on board was Adriana.

So, Old Feng immediately called Gavin over the radio.

"Boss, my plane has located the astronauts' return capsule!"

"receive!"

Old Feng's message finally brought a smile to Gavin's face, who had been waiting for so long. After laughing, he continued speaking to Old Feng.

"You have Adriana on your plane, right? What a coincidence! The astronauts have just returned to Earth, back to their home planet, and they're already enjoying the service of one of the most beautiful women in our camp!" "Aha!"

Hearing Gavin's words, Adriana burst out laughing. While preparing the rope ladder and radiation suit, she spoke into the walkie-talkie, "Boss, am I really one of the most beautiful women you described? Why won't you even bother to visit me?"

"I'm completely healed, old Bert has confirmed it countless times, but you won't even let me kiss you once. You're such a hypocrite!" "Haha!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"Pfft, haha!"

Adriana's words elicited cheerful laughter from the crew over the walkie-talkie, while Gavin, holding the radio, addressed Adriana, "Alright, stop joking around, get to the rescue of the return capsule."

"Our planes had already split up. On such a large lake as Lake Pontchartrain, it would be difficult for us to regroup without the help of landmarks. So your helicopters will carry out the rescue of the return capsule independently."

"After the rescue, all helicopters will assemble at an altitude of about three kilometers above New Orleans, and then, after leaving the radiation-affected areas of New Orleans and elsewhere by at least a hundred kilometers, they will find a suitable location in the wild to land and refuel!"

"At that time, we will make personnel adjustments to better concentrate manpower to care for and protect the astronauts!"

"Oh, and Adriana, don't forget to prepare a separate radiation protection suit for Richard!"

Gavin yelled at Adriana, who quickly replied with a string of "I know."

And so, a moment later, on the return capsule...

Boom!

A heavy footstep sounded, and Charlie and his group looked up in surprise.

The next second, Charlie lunged at the central control unit of the return capsule and activated the observation camera located directly above the return capsule.

Thus, Adriana's body, completely hidden beneath a radiation suit, appeared before the astronauts.

At the same time, Gavin's voice came through the radio.

"Charlie, my men have found you!"

"Yes, yes, Gavin, I've seen your guy, but there's only one of him?"

Charlie responded to Gavin with a comment, and Gavin continued to explain to Charlie.

"That's right, Charlie, sending a helicopter to find you with only one person on board is a bit too shabby, isn't it?"

"However, this is all we can do. The nuclear radiation near New Orleans is too severe; the air is probably filled with radioactive dust. We dare not approach the surface to search for ships, and we certainly don't want to have excessive contact with radioactive water and soil!"

"You too, my friends. My crew will give you priority in getting the radiation suits. Get Richard dressed right away!" "And then... I'm sorry, I know your spacesuits are not well-suited for ground operations, but you have to get through this. You'll have to climb onto the helicopter yourselves!" "Later, we'll meet at a fixed landmark, then find a place to land and refuel."

"In this process, you will also be able to see firsthand the current state of the Earth, witness the devastation of New Orleans by explosions and flames, and even more... witness firsthand the mortal enemy we are destined to face for the rest of our lives!"

"That's the damn 'miracle' of death taking over the bodies of the living and walking on Earth, and it's the eternal enemy of every one of us who are alive, you filthy bastard!!!" Gavin said, exhaling in the helicopter.

His helicopter was currently circling over the vast Lake Pontchartrain, which is about 60 kilometers long and 56 kilometers wide—practically a near-circular, enormous lake. If other helicopters continued searching for Lao Feng's helicopter, who knows how much more time that would waste.

but……

After a brief moment of thought, Gavin spoke to Sean.

"Sean, let's try to find Old Feng's helicopter. If we don't find them by the time all the astronauts are rescued, we'll go to New Orleans and meet up with them!" "Okay, boss."

Upon receiving the order, Sean did not question it at all and flew towards the approximate area that he had previously designated for Lao Feng's helicopter.

Although the five helicopters couldn't pinpoint each other's locations, they were initially divided into different groups, at least knowing roughly which direction the others would be in. Eugene, unlike Sean, with nothing else to do, plopped down next to Gavin, grabbed his sniper rifle, and asked Gavin a question.

"What's wrong, boss? Are you worried the astronauts won't be able to board the helicopter themselves?"

"Yes, I do have that concern!"

Gavin immediately answered Eugene's question.

"After all, in my memory, many astronauts were lifted out of the return capsule."

"Carried out?"

Upon hearing this, Eugene couldn't help but pause in surprise.

"Astronauts are often lifted out? I don't remember that. I only know that they either die in space or return safely. How come they are sometimes lifted out? Haha~" Just as Eugene asked the question, the return capsule was in motion.

As soon as Charlie opened the return capsule door, Adriana quickly knelt down at the circular doorway and handed Charlie the radiation suit.

"Hello, astronauts, I'm Adriana, the sexy queen of Camp Gavin and the number one... cough cough, number two female warrior in field operations!" "Anyway, this is a radiation suit; you'll need it!"