novelsite Chapter 240 The Road from Lucky One to Chess Player
Chapter 240 The Road from Lucky One to Chess Player
Chapter 240 The Road from Lucky One to Chess Player (5k)
As soon as she finished speaking, Margaret couldn't hold back her tears again.
God, who can understand how exhausted she has been these past month?
From the very beginning, when she met with her driver Nathan and the Lucien brothers, the reason she wanted to compete for the position of leader was partly due to the lingering mentality of the upper-class wealthy, and partly as a way of protecting herself.
In that terrifying and dangerous environment, if she didn't want to become someone else's plaything, she also didn't want to be abandoned by others.
Then she can only fight for it, gain the recognition of others, and become a source of emotional support for at least some people, so that others will surround her and willingly protect her!
She admitted she was a little selfish, but—it was the best choice she could make at the time.
But aside from safety, she didn't really care about any so-called rights, as long as Gavin didn't treat her like prey like Lucien did, and treat the other girls in the camp like playthings.
She didn't care whether she was still in the leader's position or not!
What kind of person is a leader of just a dozen or so people?
His power level is even lower than that of a class monitor!
It's really difficult for her!
And Gavin—
Hearing Margaret's aggrieved yet eagerly surrendering words, Gavin couldn't help but roll his eyes.
This is truly a case of one man's poison being another man's honey.
Margaret is so sensible, she really saved me a lot of trouble!
Thinking of this, Gavin immediately opened his mouth, intending to say something.
But before he could even open his mouth, he heard the sound of a door being opened roughly and heavy footsteps.
The loud banging of the door drew everyone's attention, and Edward, Martin, and Gavin immediately drew their guns and pointed them at the man in the doorway.
That guy was the drunken old man who had disappeared earlier. After returning to his room, he actually came back carrying a shotgun, cursing and swearing at Margaret.
"Margaret, which hyped-up brat made you cry like that? I'll rip his skull open with one shot! I—what—there are quite a few of you—"
Seeing the three Christmas trees aimed at him, the old man suddenly sobered up. Gavin and his two companions were too fast. He had just turned the doorknob and walked in, still holding the guns in his left hand, and hadn't had time to aim them at all.
As a result, he was already targeted and locked onto by three guns!
"No, don't shoot! He means no harm!"
After a moment of stunned silence, Margaret quickly explained to Gavin and the other two, then hurriedly spoke to the old man who had entered.
"Pieris, get out of here! Nobody's bothering me, nobody's. I was laughing while crying. Do you even know what laughing while crying means?"
"Uh, maybe it's like how I made my wife cry in bed, I get it, damn it, you young people are really something—haha, look at me, I've had too much to drink, I'm leaving now~"
After sobering up, the old man quietly took two steps back and closed the door behind him.
After leaving the office, the old man's face fell, still shaken, as if he had overlooked something.
What exactly did I overlook?
I don't know, I'd better go to sleep. That's how life is supposed to be. Just take it one day at a time.
While pondering, the old man put away the sprayer, made his way back to his room, and picked up an old newspaper he had found a few days ago to read.
The old newspapers that can still be found today are all from before the apocalypse, and the one the old man is currently reading with great interest has a front-page headline about legendary quarterback Gavin leading the Cowboys to their fifth Super Bowl championship, continuing Texas's glory!
As he watched, the old man raised an eyebrow. This Gavin, tsk tsk, is even more handsome than he was when he was young!
As for the people in the room he just saw—
The old man was so focused on the gun and the conspicuous crow that he didn't even notice what the person sitting opposite Margaret looked like.
But so what? As long as Margaret knows what's going on.
The old man had a very carefree personality. He knew that he was not as smart as most people because he had not received any education, so he only liked to follow the advice of smart people.
If Margaret says it's okay, then he'll take it as okay.
As for what the future holds?
Haha, he's an old homeless man who spent three and a half years wandering the streets. Why would he worry about the future?
He doesn't care at all!
And so, the old man, still tipsy, grabbed some snacks and canned beans and continued drinking his whiskey.
Meanwhile, in the office, after the old man left...
Gavin silently put away his weapon, as did Eugene and Edward.
Gavin propped the rifle up to his feet, aimed it at the ceiling, and then, with his left hand on the muzzle, spoke to Margaret.
"Margaret, I understand what you mean, and I'm glad you're willing to join our team!"
"Really? Are you telling the truth?"
Margaret was overjoyed. She stood up excitedly, went to Gavin's side, knelt down in front of him, placed her hands on his knees, looked up at him with a longing expression, and looked at him like a little rabbit, her eyes full of desire.
"Hey!"
Seeing this, Gavin smiled, grabbed Margaret's hand, helped her up from the ground, and then patted her on the shoulder.
"Don't be so obsequious, Margaret. That pre-apocalyptic mentality isn't in fashion these days."
Before the apocalypse, Gavin possessed considerable wealth, status, and influence.
More than one supermodel who had played in a friendly match with him, like Margaret, knelt before him, wishing she could do countless things for him in exchange for even a little bit of his support.
Even then, Gavin always settled accounts with women using only money!
He doesn't play with women for free, and he certainly won't transfer his influence to his women. He also dislikes any possibility of any woman being associated with him in the media, not even for a short period of time!
Of course, given his status, even if he were to have fun for free, countless women would still approach him.
But that's not a reason for him to let his guard down. If everything isn't clearly defined as a monetary transaction from the start, who knows what crazy decisions the women might make in the future!
This kind of thing has already been proven by people like Kobe Bryant and Richard Liu.
Gavin is not short of money, so he always uses prices that others cannot refuse to make every night a clear agreement, only in this way can he be safe enough.
Even if the media discovers it, the woman, because of the truth about the money-for-sex transaction, will be more eager than Gavin to portray the scandal as a happy chance encounter.
Only in this way can he avoid being easily influenced by women and thus prevent them from having a significant impact on his future.
In short, the same tactics Margaret used on him were the same as those used by some of the women in the upper-class groups Gavin had attended before the apocalypse.
The characteristic of the parties in the high society before the apocalypse was that the more high-class the party, the more vulgar the content.
When Margaret realized that Gavin had rejected her, she couldn't help but purse her lips regretfully, and then shook her head apologetically.
"I'm sorry, I haven't adjusted to the changes brought about by the apocalypse yet. I'll learn slowly. I'll explain all your orders to my men and carry them out. I just hope you can do your best to ensure the safety of each and every one of us. Safety is the only thing that matters!"
At this point, Margaret's eyes became increasingly pleading.
Gavin nodded, then took Margaret's hand and said.
"That's what I should do, Margaret. I'm very firm about safety."
"So, sit back in your chair and tell me how I'm going to take you all with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gavin pointed to the boss's chair for Margaret.
Margaret grabbed Gavin's wrist and chuckled as she spoke to him.
"No, sir, you should be sitting there. I'm already yours, aren't I?"
"you're right."
Upon hearing this, Gavin nodded and unceremoniously sat down in Margaret's boss's chair.
Women like Margaret are not considered particularly influential figures in high society; they are merely relatively unknown among the upper class.
Upper-class people are actually far more flexible, greedy, and direct than so-called lower-class people.
Or rather, many people are simply not flexible enough, which is why they can only remain at the bottom of society.
Just look at how quickly Trump's daughters distanced themselves from him; just look at how socialites like Hilton and Kardashian use things like videotapes to boost their status and influence.
In the eyes of the upper class, face is actually insignificant; compared to face, positioning and influence are more important!
There was once a construction company owner in Camp Gavin named Jon Fletcher who knew about this.
He was a big shot back then, an upper-class person who could hang out with many Texas legislators.
But now, look how low he's gone. Ever since Jon figured out that most people in Camp Gavin were from the lower and middle classes, this upper-class man has steadily worked his way up to become a kitchen helper, washing and preparing vegetables for Doris all day long without a single complaint.
But will Gavin lower his guard against him?
Stop it.
When this group of people who once held more power lower themselves, it only shows that they have much greater desires.
Of course, Margaret was too low to have any other delusions at this moment.
Gavin could tell that Margaret was simply being driven crazy by her insecure life!
Before the apocalypse, Margaret's sense of security came from money, whether it was the security forces in her own factory or the bodyguards and drivers she hired; those were all sources of her security.
But now, she has no money. All she has is her mouth and a small number of human resources that don't belong to her but can be mobilized by her words!
In short, Gavin understood Margaret's decision and knew how the upper class should play their game.
So he took the seat of honor without hesitation. This eagerness to usurp the host's place, and his seemingly uncouth and barbaric behavior, actually put Margaret at ease.
This is what it means to fear power but not to cherish virtue; most upper-class people are like this.
What is virtue in the eyes of high society? It is a tool to whitewash the truth, a prop to manipulate others, a crown to flaunt oneself, and a life standard to be trampled underfoot, prepared only for the lower class!
And Gavin.
Gavin would deal with a jerk like Eugene in the same jerk way.
Faced with intellectuals like Thomas who idolize European traditions, Gavin would respond to Thomas's expectations and win them over.
When he faces someone like Edward, a highly capable and elite among elites, Gavin will use his own sharp and decisive actions to defeat him head-on and earn his respect.
When Gavin encounters Margaret, an upper-class person whose behavior and habits are still stuck in the pre-apocalyptic era.
Gavin would naturally use the greed of the upper class to make them habitually grovel before him.
As for Nathan's opinion?
Well, right now, there are actually only two people in this office who are from Camp Margaret.
Unfortunately, Nathan was originally Margaret's driver, and he had seen too much of the ostentation and ugliness of the upper class. Margaret's appearance today had no effect on him whatsoever.
Nathan even thought Gavin was too gentle, not letting Margaret lick his boots or anything else.
As for Margaret's decision to lead the team to join Gavin?
Nathan didn't think much of it; in fact, he was a little happy.
At least he doesn't have to stand guard at the door in fear, worrying that Lucien will come back with a bunch of ruthless bastards, right?
After Gavin sat down in the boss's chair, he took the opportunity while Edward and Eugene stood behind him again to observe Margaret and Nathan's expressions.
Then he said in a low voice.
"Margaret, Nathan, it's almost 2:40 today. This is not a good time to take you on a long journey. Nighttime will make our transfer extremely dangerous."
"So, we'll send a helicopter to pick you up tomorrow!"
"Let me think about it. I'll send three Black Hawk helicopters tomorrow, enough to take all of you with me."
"If there are no other issues, you can talk to your people after we leave, or you can gather your people together now and have them meet with me so I can speak with them personally."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gavin rested his left hand on the back of the chair and his right hand on his chin, looking lazily at Margaret.
Margaret breathed a sigh of relief, instantly understanding Gavin's meaning, and cooperated by saying...
"Chief, we—"
Just call me Gavin.
"Okay, Boss Gavin, it's getting late, and I don't think I can take up any more of your time. I'll hand everything over to my men, and I guarantee they won't have any objections!"
"OK."
Seeing Margaret's decisive answer, Gavin nodded, then pointed behind him and casually asked.
"By the way, Margaret, have you been to Austin recently?"
"No, Gavin, nobody in our camp knows how to fly a helicopter, so we didn't dare get close to a dangerous place like Austin."
At this point, Margaret shook her head regretfully.
Gavin understood the situation at Margaret's camp.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Camp Gavin has fewer than a hundred people, yet they can still find four or five pilots; this is quite common.
In fact, in the field of helicopter pilots alone, only 37,000 people in the entire United States have obtained civilian helicopter pilot licenses.
As for military helicopter pilot licenses, fewer than 10,000 people in the entire United States possess them.
In other words, including retired military pilots from various batches, there are probably not 100,000 people in the entire United States who can fly helicopters!
Given this ratio, finding one helicopter pilot for every five thousand people in Texas would be considered incredibly lucky.
If the zombie fungus hadn't, to some extent, achieved a process of weeding out the bad and keeping the good, Gavin wouldn't have encountered so many still-living pilots.
Gavin even speculated that, based on the proportion of zombie mutations he had seen in various regions,
It's likely that out of ten thousand pilots, fifty are still alive, a ratio that's already beyond imagination.
It is easy to imagine how important human resources are. Even if there are so many airplanes in the United States, the number of people who can actually use them is extremely small.
Gavin nodded in understanding and then said simply.
"It's alright, Margaret. Since you haven't explored very far, before I come back to pick you up tomorrow, please give me a general map of the areas you've already explored."
"What I need is an exploration map that clearly marks the number of zombies, their activity level, and the direction of their movement. I'm sure there are a few brave people in your village who have gone out to explore before, right?"
"It's just recalling the map; that shouldn't be difficult, and they don't need to take any more risks."
"no problem!"
Hearing this, Margaret breathed a sigh of relief; she hadn't expected Gavin to ask for so little!
Gavin is such a great guy. No wonder he has such an amazing reputation in the modeling world. Almost every supermodel has made him the Victoria's Secret supermodel's favorite man after he became famous, far surpassing Leonardo DiCaprio.
Seeing that Margaret readily agreed, Gavin glanced at his watch, then waved to Edward and Eugene.
"If there are no other issues, Margaret, I intend to leave your camp immediately to meet your old rival, Lucien."
"Since they just saw you this morning, the route between your two camps shouldn't be too dangerous!"
"Okay, boss, but—"
Seeing Gavin make his decision, Margaret nodded obediently, but then pursed her lips worriedly.
"However, Lucien might not be as easy to talk to as I am. He's a very ambitious man, with eyes like those of a guerrilla fighter in a movie. I think you understand what I mean!"
"Ah—I understand."
Upon hearing this, Gavin nodded; he certainly understood what the upper class meant by "the lucky ones."
It's simply the confident look in the eyes of outstanding individuals who have jumped out of the killing line and successfully crossed class barriers, brimming with self-assurance about their lives.
In fact, before Gavin won his three-peat, he was just a lucky guy in the eyes of the American upper class.
It wasn't until he won three, four, and five consecutive championships that he truly transformed his influence from a pawn in the eyes of the elite to the chessboard itself, and ultimately into one of the players.
In other words, before Gavin's three-peat, the upper class's attitude towards Gavin was: "This kid has some talent. If he's lucky enough to get my support, he'll have a smoother path, and I'll profit from it!"
After Gavin won three consecutive championships, the way the upper class looked at him changed. They thought, "This kid is super talented. If I can get his support, my career and influence will also improve."
After Gavin won five consecutive championships, the way the upper class looked at him completely changed. Their attitude became: "This guy is practically a god. If we could become friends with him, a single word from him could bring me immense benefits!"
It's worth noting that at the height of his power, Gavin's single statement could influence at least six to eight percent of the votes nationwide!
Especially in Texas, a single sentence from Gavin could influence 30% to 45% of the vote!
What immense influence that is!
This is also why Gavin decided to enter the world of American football—because American football holds such a prestigious position and has such a huge influence in the United States!
As for football, although that thing has a greater influence in the world, what does Gavin need a global influence for?
As long as he secured the American vote, he had already grasped the most important bargaining chip. It's just a pity that the end came too early, leaving Gavin no chance to take many more steps.
But it's not too late now, is it?
Hearing Margaret's words, Gavin nodded slightly, then stood up and said as he walked towards the door.
"Your description is spot on. Now I know what kind of person Lucien is. Let me meet him; hopefully, he'll give me some face!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gavin swiftly pushed open the door and left, followed by Edward and Eugene.
Watching the three figures disappear, Margaret finally breathed a sigh of relief, then gently rubbed the scars on her face with a sense of ease.
Nathan then suddenly patted Philip on the shoulder.
"Hey, what are you standing there for? Aren't you going to follow them?"
"Oh right, right, Fuck, I almost forgot, I just didn't expect Margaret to surrender so quickly!"
After making a joke, Philip winked at Margaret and then quickly chased after her.
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