novelsite Chapter 207 Operation Shepard Begins
Chapter 207 Operation Shepard Begins
Chapter 207 Operation Shepard Begins
On the other hand, on the H175 eighteen-seat helicopter.
As the flight continued, Sean spoke to his crew through his headset.
"The H175 has a pretty good speed and the longest range among civilian bulk passenger helicopters, with a range of over 1250 kilometers on a full tank of fuel."
"As for passenger capacity, it's almost at its limit in the civilian helicopter market, except for the Sikorsky S-15."
—Apart from the 92A, there are few models that are taller than it.
"So, I won't let such a good plane slip by easily. When we land at Shepard Air Force Base later, I will choose a location that is easy to recover."
"no problem."
Gavin said something briefly into his headset, then moved closer to the front seat and glanced at Wang Ling's expression.
Fortunately, after sitting on the plane for a while, the girl seemed to get used to the feeling of the helicopter and looked much calmer.
After confirming that Wang Ling was in good condition, Gavin leaned back in his chair.
Looking at Nikita beside him, he felt a little tempted to nibble on the girl's ear, but then he thought it wouldn't be appropriate. There were quite a few people on the plane, and most of them were single; he shouldn't provoke them.
So, feeling bored, Gavin pulled out his pistol and began cleaning it in his pocket.
Meanwhile, in the row behind him, Eugene noticed Gavin's actions. He leaned on the back of Gavin's chair and snapped his fingers next to Gavin.
"Hey boss, can I borrow your pistol for a bit? I want to see its markings!"
"Alright, don't mess it up. This is my only chance, and it's my team owner's legacy~"
Gavin smiled and handed the black and gold embossed Colt python to Eugene, who then took the pistol and began fiddling with it along with Martin beside him.
As he fiddled with it, Eugene grinned widely and continued speaking.
"It's really quiet on the plane, guys. We're about to recruit seventeen or eighteen new guys. Isn't that something to be happy about?"
"That's just the boss's personality. He doesn't like telling jokes. Doesn't anyone among us want to step up and tell a few jokes?"
"Or at least sing a song, haha, let me sing one for you guys first, Mazefak~"
At this point, Eugene didn't hold back and started humming a cowboy-style song in his rough, hoarse voice.
And so, the atmosphere on the plane gradually became lively thanks to Eugene's efforts to lighten the mood.
Gavin didn't actually like overly lively action scenes, but everyone has a different style, and the American guys clearly preferred Eugene's approach.
The morale of the men visibly began to rise, and even Wang Ling occasionally tapped her legs to the rhythm.
Seeing this, Gavin didn't want the atmosphere to drop again. After Eugene finished singing, he followed up with a song by Bruno Mars.
Then came a series of humming songs, one after another, occasionally interspersed with a couple of off-color jokes, until the plane had entered the vicinity of Shepard Air Force Base, at which point even Wang Ling started singing a Chinese song.
However, Wang Ling's song served as a fitting end to today's concert.
After she finished singing shyly, Sean interrupted his friends' celebration amidst cheers and applause.
Sean spoke into his earpiece.
"Alright, guys, that's enough of the celebration. It's 9:42 AM Texas time, and we're now within the radiation zone of Shepard Air Force Base!"
"Boss, any additional instructions? If not, let's head straight to the target area we've already scouted!"
At this point, Sean turned around and glanced in Gavin's direction.
Upon hearing this, Gavin pursed his lips, then looked out the airplane window at the open field below.
They were 1,600 meters above the ground, and the ground wasn't very clear, but they could vaguely make out that it was muddy.
"Did it just rain here recently?"
Gavin couldn't help but speak up.
After hearing his words, Sean paused for a moment in the driver's seat, then looked at the ground and responded.
"Boss, you have a good eye. The ground does look a bit muddy, but not much. It probably rained a little in the last two days."
"Do you think this will have any impact on our exploration? If so, then the fuel we have left can support us to fly to Ranch 6666, and we can do without landing."
"Really?" Gavin countered, "If we go straight to Ranch 6666, will we have enough fuel for the return trip?"
"Well, theoretically it should be enough, but there's a certain risk, boss. We'd better resupply at Ranch 6666."
After Sean answered, he slowly adjusted his flight direction and flew towards the designated location.
He knew Shepard Air Force Base so well, he could do it with his eyes closed.
Okay, you definitely can't fly back with your eyes closed, but you definitely won't fly the wrong way with your eyes open.
As Sean changed direction, Gavin rubbed his chin and then said to Sean seriously.
"Sean, don't assume we'll get supplies at Ranch 6666. It's an unfamiliar environment, and no one can guarantee we'll get what we want!"
"So, since fuel can't fully support our travel between Ranch 6666, we can't set our sights on Ranch 6666."
"This isn't just something you need to pay attention to; all pilots need to be equally careful!"
At this point, Gavin took out a map and glanced at the distance.
Shepard Military Base is generally located in the same direction as Ranch 6666.
With the H175's range, traveling between the estate and Shepard Air Force Base is not a problem; the round trip is only about 800 kilometers.
However, if you want to travel to and from Ranch 6666, the round trip distance is at least 1,200 kilometers.
If unforeseen circumstances arise that prevent a landing or refueling, Gavin would face even greater risks, which is not in line with his character.
Especially since he doesn't really like flying in helicopters, given Old Kobe's example, sigh—
In the driver's seat, Sean nodded knowingly as he listened to Gavin's words, then continued speaking while observing the ground.
"Don't worry, boss, I know my stuff when it comes to flying."
"Yes, I trust your expertise. If we can land later, we'll bring a batch of fuel to Ranch 6666 ourselves, in case the situation at Ranch 6666 is unknown and we are unable to resupply."
Gavin agreed, then put down the map and focused his gaze on the ground.
As the flight distance increased, Lake Wichita soon came into view.
Upon reaching this point, Sean gradually descended the altitude and spoke to everyone through his headset.
"Boss, we've arrived. Below us is the Lake Wichita fuel storage center. Do you remember this place?"
"Of course I remember."
Gavin tapped on the glass and responded with a laugh.
"It's only been a few days since I was here, how could I forget so quickly? Let's descend further and check the number of pursuers!"
As Gavin finished speaking, he knocked on the cabin door twice more forcefully.
Sean cooperated by continuing to descend, getting closer and closer to the ground.
Beside Gavin, Nikita took a deep breath, then clapped her hands loudly and said.
"Wake everyone up!"
"Huh? Can anyone actually sleep?!"
Nikita's words made Gavin look at her in disbelief. Meeting Gavin's gaze, Nikita pointed back to the last row of seats on the plane.
Following Nikita's directions, Gavin turned his head and saw Abraham sleeping soundly there!
"+"
'
Gavin couldn't help but laugh and curse.
"Anthony, wake the old man!"
"Alright, boss, this old man's a really good sleeper. We've been singing for ages, and he's still asleep!"
Anthony made a joke, then raised his hand and poked Abraham's arm.
Noticing Anthony's movement, Abraham opened his eyes without moving and cursed expressionlessly.
"Don't fucking touch me, kid. I'm just resting, you know? Resting!"
"Singing and dancing on a plane like this isn't a good habit. The change in air pressure during a flight will make most people tired. If you keep singing for a few hours, you won't have the energy to work!"
At this point, Abraham finally tilted his head back and let out a long yawn, then reached out and grabbed his weapon, taking a look at it in his bosom.
Click!
After a glance, Abraham pulled the bolt of his gun, producing a crisp clanging sound.
Then, the old man raised his right hand to Gavin.
"Young comrade, I'm ready for battle at any time. Don't worry about my condition!"
"I've never worried about you, old buddy. Sleeping soundly is a skill in itself, and I'm not kidding!"
Gavin responded, then unbuckled his seatbelt, went to the door, and pulled open the cabin door.
Suddenly, a cold wind howled in and rushed in, blowing directly on people's faces, causing Nikita and the other three girls to gasp.
As Gavin took action, Eugene also came to Gavin's side.
He gripped the fixed device with his left hand, held the rifle in his right hand, and kept the muzzle of the sniper rifle on his back away from the cabin ceiling, while shouting to Abraham.
"Lack of energy just means you're old, not that you need to conserve your strength. A mere hour-long flight isn't enough to tire even a six-year-old out of combat!"
"Mazefak, redhead, your stinking mouth looks just like my gun holster; I wish I could shove the muzzle of a gun down there right now!"
Old man Abraham chuckled and scolded, then stood up and braced himself against the chair with his calves.
At the same time, everyone else in the cabin stood up one by one.
Below, scattered zombies rushed out from the loose buildings within a radius of more than 500 meters, each running towards the location of the helicopter.
Looking at the scattered zombies all around, Edward quickly counted their numbers and then habitually rested one hand on his headset before speaking.
"Boss, there are very few zombies, probably no more than sixty!"
"This is my first time here, and it's really nice. There are even fewer zombies than planes, and I don't see any threat!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Edward took two steps forward to Gavin, grabbed the cabin door with his left hand, and let the cold wind blow through his hair.
Gavin instinctively squinted his left eye; the cold wind made his wound feel chilly and itchy.
The raven noticed Gavin's closed eyes, so it rubbed the corner of Gavin's eye with a feather from its head.
Looking at the agile raven, Edward took a deep breath, then reached out and patted Foggin's wings, and laughed.
"Gavin, your raven is absolutely a gift from God! I've never seen a bird as intelligent as it!"
"Heh, forget about God's gift, Edward. Get ready to work. There aren't many of these zombies. Let's just wipe them out."
Gavin patted Edward on the shoulder, then deftly picked up his rifle.
After spreading his legs to make himself as stable as possible, Gavin fired without hesitation.
Bang bang bang!
After three shots were fired in quick succession, one of the zombies immediately collapsed and could not get up.
Upon seeing this, Edward glanced at Gavin's gun barrel in surprise.
"Dude!"
He then raised his thumb and said...
"You're pretty good with rifles too. I thought a cowboy like you only knew how to use a revolver."
"Ha, stop praising me. My rifle is just so-so. It's Sean who's good at flying the plane; it's incredibly steady!"
When Gavin answered, he praised Sean, and in his mind, he also praised Winnie.
If he hadn't practiced shooting with Winnie yesterday afternoon, he might not have hit the target so accurately.
Gunshots rang out along with the sound of helicopter rotors, but there were only a few dozen scattered buildings near the Wichita fuel storage center.
Apart from the main residential area where there were slightly more zombies, with more than thirty emerging, only a few zombies appeared in the warehouses and airport buildings.
More than half a minute after Gavin fired his gun, the number of scattered zombies did not increase; they were just more than two hundred meters closer to the plane.
Seeing that only about sixty zombies had rushed toward the plane so far, Gavin was no longer worried and spoke to his men.
"Sean, continue descending the helicopter. Hover it about 2.5 to 3 meters above the ground. Eugene, open the opposite cabin door as well. Everyone else, use your preferred weapons to judge the distance and fire!"
"Listen up, we have air superiority, so this time we need to conserve ammunition as much as possible. Be steady, don't rush!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gavin stepped forward and steadily fired his gun while leaning against the edge of the cabin.
Beside him were Edward, Martin, Anthony, Steve, and Abraham—six people in total—who completely blocked the cabin door!
Seeing that the cabin door was completely blocked, Nikita raised her hand to stop the women who were still trying to get closer to the cabin, and said with a faint smile.
"Let's not go over there. Let the men do it; they're all itching to get started, aren't they?"
"Heh, I really can't wait. If there's any game that excites a man more than playing with zombies, it's probably playing with women, right?"
Beside Nikita, Adriana chuckled and told a fucking lame joke, drawing everyone's attention.
Even Gavin couldn't help but glance at her.
Meeting everyone's gazes, Adriana chuckled and shrugged, continuing her speech.
"Why are you all looking at me like that? I'm just telling the truth!"
"Mazefak, nobody's saying you're lying, I just wish you'd tell less of the truth!"
Gavin cursed at Adriana in annoyance, then continued clearing away the approaching zombies.
After the six of them killed about twenty-seven zombies, the zombies had already gathered under the helicopter, trampling each other and trying to climb up!
Sean was fearless; even though the zombies below had already climbed together and formed a two- or three-meter gap, he continued to descend, actually lowering the height to the level Gavin had requested.
In no time, the zombies at the top had almost climbed to the bottom of the helicopter!
As the zombies drew ever closer, Wang Ling felt a chill run down her spine.
Gavin and his crew didn't need to communicate at all; they happily put their guns directly on the heads of the zombies, easily taking the lives of many more.
From the moment they descended to the very end, in just a few minutes, all sixty-plus zombies were wiped out.
Looking at the zombies lying on the ground and then at the surrounding environment where no more zombies were coming, Gavin took out a cigarette and handed one to everyone, then said with a cigarette in his mouth.
"Alright, guys, the cleaning is done. Now it's time to loot."
"Sean, land the plane closer to the Black Hawk helicopters. Eugene, take your squad and explore the nearest isolated terminal to see if you can find any decent uniforms!"
"Everyone else, get to work around the Black Hawk helicopter. Hurry, be careful, and get moving!"