novelsite Chapter 99 The Davidic Order
Chapter 99 The Davidic Order
Chapter 99 The Davidic Order
Nikita froze for a moment, staring at Bruce's suddenly crumbling face.
Then, she raised her hand to cover her mouth and couldn't help but chuckle twice.
This was the first time she hadn't been able to suppress a smile since the zombie apocalypse began.
For the past few days, she had been hiding at the second-floor window, staring blankly at the pile of corpses in the yard.
After encountering Joseph yesterday, her accidental injury caused her even more trouble.
Not only did she have to take care of the patient, but the patient's mouth was also incoherent, with every word consisting of nothing but God and romantic love, which filled her with anger but also left her helpless.
When she witnessed Gavin blow Joseph’s head off, her first instinct was genuinely fearful that Gavin’s next bullet would hit her in the face.
Or perhaps she fears becoming Gavin and his two companions' toys, just like the tragic victims in the case reports her mother had shown her.
But she had to admit that when Joseph died, she did feel a guilty sense of relief.
As for now...
Nikita turned to look at the two German Shepherds running towards them, and saw them shake off the Rottweiler and pounce on Gavin's legs, circling around.
Then look at Bella and Winnie's unharmed clothes and bodies, and their genuine smiles.
“That’s great…”
Nikita murmured something, then lifted her foot and spun around.
The river, the meadows, the scenery seemed no different from my own home.
But there are so many more people and so much more energy here than at home!
Gavin glanced at Nikita and asked.
"What did you say was good? The Golden Retriever and the German Shepherd are about to fight?"
"Um?"
Nikita was taken aback and quickly turned her gaze to Bruce.
Bruce hopped over unhappily, baring his teeth and making a fierce face at the German Shepherd.
Seeing Bruce's provocation, the German Shepherd wouldn't back down. What dog doesn't have some fighting ability?
In an instant, the two German Shepherds, one in front and one behind, surrounded the Golden Retriever.
Even when surrounded, the Golden Retriever was not intimidated at all, and with a howl, it pounced on the German Shepherd.
"Bruce!"
Nikita yelled in panic and immediately tried to pounce on the dogs to stop their fight.
But she had only taken two steps when old Bert stopped her, and he said to her with a smile.
"Don't worry, they're just playing around. You need to figure out if they're really going to their deaths."
"Dogs are different from humans. In some ways, they are much smarter than humans. So the first thing they do when they meet is to figure out who should be the leader of the pack, to understand their fighting ability, and to confirm their own position in the group."
"Um?"
Hearing what old Bert said, Nikita frowned and whispered to him.
"Are you talking to a dog or to me? I don't like what you're saying!"
"Haha, well, old folks like me are always annoying, and... you and your mother really look alike. Your mother's pancreatic cancer... I'm so sorry I couldn't make it to her final moments."
Old Bert responded, then turned the lever and steered the wheelchair toward Gavin.
Nikita was left standing there, completely bewildered, staring incredulously at old Bert's retreating figure.
Ignoring the stunned young woman, old Bert moved closer to Gavin, looked at the bloodstains on Gavin's hair and hat with his cloudy old eyes, and asked.
"You killed someone, Gavin, even though you know we're short-staffed!"
"Yes, we are indeed short of manpower, but we are not short of trouble," Gavin said.
"Looks like that's going to be a problem?" Old Bert frowned.
"That's troublesome. That boy's eyes are glued to girls, his mouth is full of God and divine pronouncements, and he's far too decisive in choosing to shoot living people. Even Eugene can't match that kid in that respect!"
At this point, Gavin patted old Bert on the shoulder.
After a brief moment of thought, old Bert spoke softly.
"From what you've said, that kid looks a bit like Bridget's son, and that woman is a member of the Davidic sect. Their house is only forty-odd kilometers from our farm... oh, and now it's only eight or nine kilometers from the airport to our east."
At this point, old Bert rubbed his old eyes, trying hard to recall the information in his mind.
A moment later, old Bert recalled what he had said to Gavin.
"Child, do you remember the conflict between our Texas Davidian sect and the state government? You... I'm afraid you don't remember, because you were only three or four years old then."
"It was either 1993 or 1992, when several hundred members of the Branch Davidians clashed with the state military and Secret Service agents in Waco, Texas."
"At that time, the two sides fought for more than fifty days. It seems that four special agents, more than a dozen policemen and dozens of militiamen were killed. At least eighty people died on both sides in total."
"It wasn't until the FBI and Delta Force raided the cult's manor that a small group of Davidians were arrested. But when the remaining members of the Davidic cult saw that they could not resist, they set fire to the manor and committed mass suicide, burning many young people to death."
"That's when Bridget got arrested. Even though she's been in prison, her husband and kids still believe in Davidism, and Davidism hasn't disappeared. I remember they were giving a speech on an Indian reservation last year."
"Let me think what that woman's child's name is. Besides her family, there are a few other farm kids nearby who also believe in Davidism. Let me think."
"Hmm... Gavin, did you run into Horace, Joseph, or Matthias today?"
"sharp!"
Upon hearing this from old Bert, Gavin couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.
"The person I met today must be the Joseph you mentioned!"
"Joseph? That's Randy's kid, but there's not much difference; they're all followers of David."
Old Bert shook his head and gently patted Gavin's arm.
He smiled and comforted Gavin.
"Don't feel pressured, child. You did nothing wrong. May your eyes always remain as sharp as they are today."
"Don't worry about me, I won't feel any pressure at all. You know I don't like taking risks, so I'm very good at spotting danger, and even better at dealing with it!"
Gavin patted old Bert on the shoulder, telling him not to worry about him.
What does it mean to have an elder in the family who is a treasure? Look at old Bert, that's the value of the elderly.
With just a few fragmented pieces of information, old Bert was able to piece together the general situation and even guess the name of the deceased.
How much alcohol must he drink, and how many bars must he visit, to gather this much information about his surroundings!
As for the Davidic sect incident that old Bert mentioned, old Bert thought that three- or four-year-old Gavin wouldn't remember it, but in fact Gavin remembered it very clearly.
The cult's headquarters are in Texas. They fought with the state government for 51 days, resulting in nearly 90 deaths and injuries on both sides. In the end, more than 100 cult members committed suicide.
This incident caused a sensation across the United States back then, and even the leader of the Davidic sect made it onto the cover of Time magazine.
Besides these, other American cult incidents comparable to this include the mass poisoning incident of the Church of Humanity's Temple, which resulted in nearly 900 deaths, and the Oklahoma City bombing of the Tribe of David, which resulted in more than 200 deaths.
And the imprisonment of women by the God-Priests Union Church, the cannibalism by the Paloma Yube Church, the mass suicides by poisoning by the Heaven's Gate Church, and so on...
Thinking of this, Gavin raised his hand to take off his hat, rolled his eyes, and rubbed his hair.
Damn it, I didn't know until I thought about it that these American scoundrels are really good at this kind of thing.
Their cult is really something else!
This is just a cult before the end of the world!
Before the apocalypse came, those cults ran rampant.
Now that the end of the world has truly arrived, Gavin could guess with his toes what American cults will become in the future!
Gavin shook his head in frustration and unconsciously touched his pistol.
"Old Bert, I'm going to take the zombies to the stables and lock them up. Tell everyone that we'll have dinner when I get back."
After saying a final word to old Bert, Gavin, still troubled, picked up the zombie and tossed it onto his shield.
Driving his shield towards the horse farm, Gavin chose a small, enclosed stable, the kind where mares prepare to give birth, and threw the zombie inside.
They found a few more ropes and used them to further secure the zombie, which was already bound like a caterpillar, to the fence.
Gavin drove his War Shield back to the manor, where everyone was already waiting for him in the hall.
When Gavin got out of the car and arrived at the manor gate, Bruce single-handedly took on three dogs, fiercely shoving aside the others and hopping and skipping towards Gavin.
Seeing the golden retriever's fawning manner, Nikita cried out in embarrassment.
"Bruce, can't you be a little more reserved!"
"Ha, what's with all the coyness from a male dog? By the way, aren't all three of our puppies female?"
Gavin glanced at the dogs, then patted Bruce on the head encouragingly.
Bruce was immediately thrilled and ran to Eugene to continue vying for his favor.
While Eugene was playing with the dog, Gavin led everyone toward the restaurant and casually asked.
"Nikita, have you introduced yourself to everyone?"
"Yeah, I know everyone now. I really didn't expect that our camp would actually... have survivors of every age group. This combination looks... kind of heartwarming~"
Nikita responded with a smile, then sat down next to Winnie, looking at the plates laid out on the table with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
Noticing the direction of Nikita's gaze, Gavin pointed at the table and smiled.
"Guys, what are you waiting for? After dinner, it's break time. Do you want to waste your break staring at me at the dinner table?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gavin was the first to start eating, and everyone else followed suit.
Nikita ate with unusual enthusiasm, and Gavin guessed what was going on.
"Nikita, you can't cook?" Gavin asked Nikita while chewing rice.
Upon hearing this, Nikita was slightly taken aback, then instinctively raised her head and asked in return.
"Sorry, was I eating too fast?"
Hearing Nikita's words, Winnie, who was putting pizza into her mouth, paused slightly and quickly looked at Nikita.
"You reacted so quickly, Nikita!"
Winnie swallowed the food in her mouth and smiled at Nikita.
Upon hearing this, Nikita tilted her head and spoke naturally to Winnie.
"Why ask that? That's how I talk to my mom. If I could cook, we wouldn't be going hungry these past few days, and I wouldn't be eating so quickly. It's normal for him to guess I can't cook just by looking at how I eat, right?"
"You and your mother... are both amazing."
After hearing Nikita's explanation, Winnie was stunned for a moment, then praised Nikita with admiration.
Nikita smiled and shook his head in response.
"My mother always wanted to raise me to be the best lawyer. My only form of entertainment from childhood to adulthood was to do mock defenses with my mother at home based on real cases."
"I'm so envious of you. You look so cute and lively, and your mom is healthy and happy with you. You're exactly the kind of person I admire most!"
No, no.
Winnie waved her hand hastily, but her face involuntarily turned red. After a brief blush, Winnie was slightly taken aback, and her heart skipped a beat.
What were the standards for the boss again?
A clean, beautiful, and intelligent woman!
Wait, Nikita is beautiful, like Elsa from Frozen, and she seems quite intelligent too!
As for cleanliness...
Winnie glanced at Bella guiltily, then looked back at Nikita.
She planned to find an opportunity to inquire about Nikita's love history after lunch...
Lunch passed by amidst everyone's casual conversation. After everyone had finished eating, Gavin tapped the table and whispered some instructions.
"Next is your break time. You can do as you please, but be sure to let me know if you go out."
"The afternoon work is the same for the logistics staff: sorting and organizing farm supplies, taking care of cattle and horses, raising chickens, storing milk and eggs, and ensuring that at least one person is on duty."
"As for the field staff, they will gather in the lobby after 1 p.m., and I will make arrangements in person then."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gavin went to the hall first, waving to Nikita at the same time.
"Nikita, come to the lobby."
"Okay, you're really good at being the leader, not wanting to let my affairs interfere with everyone's rest time~"
Nikita chuckled and joked, then followed Gavin to the sofa in the living room.
Gavin lay down on the sofa facing the manor gate, adjusted his position, and spoke to Nikita.
"Let me tell you about your choice first, logistics or fieldwork. No matter what you choose, you can change this type at any time. If your fieldwork performance is poor, you can transfer to logistics, and if you improve your logistics skills, you can apply for fieldwork."
"That's great, it sounds a bit like a defense company. My mom will definitely love the atmosphere here."
Nikita smiled nostalgically, then sat down on the sofa to Gavin's left and answered softly.
"Are there strict selection criteria for field personnel? I've been practicing shooting for the past three months. My dad says I'm a great shot, but only with shotguns and revolvers."
"Aside from that, my speed is just average, but I believe I won't fall too far behind everyone else, so I can do fieldwork. I admit I like the feeling of adventure!"
At this point, Nikita pursed her lips. After fighting her way out of the relaxed living area last night, she took a long shower at home to calm down her excitement.
For the past seventeen years, her mother had been her everything, but after her mother fell ill and died, her world collapsed, and she had been harboring a nameless rage ever since.
After being taken home by her father, she immediately devoted herself to firearms. In just over three months, she became quite proficient with them. Although the feeling of firing a gun was stress-relieving, the evil fire in her heart always lingered.
Until last night, after she used the gun in her hand to blow head after head off...
Watching them fall to the ground, watching the blood spurt out...
At that very moment, Nikita felt the anger in his heart suddenly subside!
As for now.
Hearing Nikita's words, Gavin lay silently on the sofa, calmly gazing into Nikita's eyes.
Nikita met Gavin's gaze for a moment, until Gavin nodded and spoke.
"The standards for field work are not specific, but they mainly focus on three aspects: overall quality, obedience, and courage."
"If you want to go on fieldwork, then start preparing now. There's an armory on the third floor; you can go there to choose a gun. Then find William and get a zombie intelligence handbook to read carefully. Be in the lobby at 1 PM sharp. Any questions?"
"No problem, sir!"
(End of this chapter)