Chapter 52: Oh God, It Dropped a Legendary!

Hearing the laughter of the others, Bella, who had just set aside her confusion, couldn't help but extend her middle finger.

"Fack, you stinking men—Gavin, you don't count!"

"Don't think I'm brainless! I'm a college student, you think I wouldn't notice that I share my name with this little dog?!"

As her voice trailed off, Bella shivered slightly, then walked over to the puppy and reached out to ruffle its head.

On the sofa nearby, Old Robert suppressed a smile, waved his hand toward Bella and the puppy, and said, "It's fine, this little one is very smart and just a year and a half old. From now on, let's just call her Laura."

"No need, we can both be called Bella. Surely you people can tell a human apart from a dog?"

Bella shook her head generously, completely unconcerned about sharing her name with a puppy.

Bella might not have minded, but Old Robert certainly did!

Old Robert quickly said to Bella, "That won't do at all. What if I tell Bella to roll over, and your damn self suddenly rolls across the floor instead? Wouldn't that scare an old man to death?"

"You?!" Bella's eyes widened in an instant, and she snapped, "Old bastard!"

With that, she thrust both middle fingers up at Old Robert.

Old Robert playfully responded by giving Bella a thumbs-up.

The people around them couldn't help but chuckle.

Seeing that the team's atmosphere was just right, Gavin didn't rush to start the meal. After all, he would never miss an opportunity to fine-tune the group's morale.

It wasn't until the laughter gradually subsided that Gavin finally clapped his hands and said, "Alright, folks, time to eat."

"Doris's culinary skills are no joke, so what are you all waiting for? Are you waiting for me to show off my own clumsy cooking, like dung beetle wraps and cockroach burger patties?"

With that, Gavin got up and headed for the dining area. He grabbed a plate, piled it high with rice and scrambled eggs with tomatoes, tossed on a couple of chunks of stewed meat, added a generous scoop of salad, and brought the plate over to Old Robert on the sofa.

Taking the plate, Old Robert broke into a grin and teased, "Good thing I'm not old enough yet to need you to spoon-feed me."

"Ha, don't worry. Considering you're the only old ghost in this team, even if you pee in the bed, I'll at least figure out a way to clean you up."

Gavin exchanged a lighthearted jab, patted the back of the old man's hand, and turned to leave.

Suddenly, Old Robert grabbed Gavin's wrist. His cloudy eyes narrowed into a sharp stare as he locked onto Gavin, speaking with deliberate emphasis.

"Listen here, kid, I don't want that kind of life—especially not in that kind of apocalyptic future you lot keep talking about!"

"So, if the day ever comes when I can't even speak—when I can't even use my mouth to impart a bit of life experience to you all anymore..."

"My boy, you must put a bullet in me with your own hands, for the sake of the times I used to hold you!"

At this, Old Robert's withered hand tightened around Gavin's wrist with surprising strength, as though he wouldn't let go until he received a firm answer.

Gavin fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle and said, "Can't even speak, yet you still want to boss me around? You've got quite the imagination, old man~"

With that, Gavin shook off Old Robert's grip and returned to the dining table.

The others had long since left the head seat open for him. He sat down without standing on ceremony, pulled his plate closer, and dug in with his head down.

Bella, sitting in the third seat on his left, couldn't help narrowing her eyes.

"Um... are we not going to say grace before the meal?"

"Don't dawdle, kiddo. From now on, we only pray to this!"

*Smack!*

Eugene cut Bella off as he slammed an M1873 revolver onto the table.

The M1873 could be considered standard equipment for most men in Texas, as well as an enduring, heavy-duty currency in the world of single-action revolvers.

Its low price, reliable quality, simplicity, and rugged durability made it an object of affection for countless men.

Of course, men loved it even more because it looked effortlessly cool when handling it.

Seeing the handgun placed on the table, Bella shrugged indifferently, though she couldn't help shivering again.

The lake water in February was only two or three degrees above freezing, and that kind of chill couldn't simply be washed away by a hot shower.

Seeing this, Winnie curled her lip slightly and ladled a bowl of meat soup for Bella, while Doris handed her a plate of pasta.

Over on the distant sofa, Old Robert took a bite of his food and yelled with grumpy dissatisfaction toward Gavin, "Gavin, you're an asshole! I really can't get used to eating rice!"

"Oh, come on, old man, you should be grateful to have food at all. You're eating the exact same thing as me!"

Gavin flashed a middle finger from across the room and went back to devouring his meal along with the others.

Before long, everyone had set down their empty plates.

Only Bella was left raising her head in bewilderment as she asked, "Do... do you all always eat this fast?"

"Yeah. The slowest eater does the dishes."

Gavin pointed at Bella, leaving her with no choice but to nod in resignation.

Then, Gavin stood up, leaned against the edge of the table, and addressed the group.

"Doris, Winnie, look after Bella and Old Robert. Bella might need some cold medicine—there should be some in the truck."

"William, stay in the main hall and keep watch. Pay close attention to any sounds outside the villa. If zombies attack, no matter how many there are, immediately lead everyone to the backyard dock and take the motorboat out onto the lake."

"Old Robert, keep your dog under control. Don't let it run outside and start barking!"

"No problem, you tyrannical farmer. My child never barks indiscriminately~"

Old Robert raised a hand in mock salute from across the room.

After that, Gavin exchanged a look with Madison and Eugene. "Madison, Eugene, it's time we let Old Robert open our eyes!"

At his words, Eugene and Madison immediately stood up.

As big Mac stood, Bella couldn't help looking up at him; his massive frame was genuinely intimidating.

Watching the three of them walk all the way over to Old Robert's sofa, Bella lowered her head to finish the last of her meal—she was the only one left still eating.

For some reason, Bella narrowed her eyes.

She had never been rushed while eating before. But the people sitting around her now were no longer her parents and her boyfriend... and she didn't have a boyfriend anymore anyway.

Wait... parents?!

Bella's eyes widened, and she instantly wanted to say something. But seeing that everyone else looked entirely tense and focused, she ultimately swallowed her words.

Meanwhile, Old Robert was stuffing another mouthful of food into his mouth while mumbling, "Go up to the third-floor study, to the bookshelf directly behind my chair. Look for a book titled *A Detailed Analysis of Tudor Plate Armor Craftsmanship*. There's a key tucked inside it."

"The armory is the room on the right side of the first floor, closest to the side door. There are a few good guns in there, but most of them are... *little toys* I crafted in my spare time!"

When Old Robert mentioned his "little toys," he cast a knowing, mischievous glance at Gavin, though Gavin didn't pay much attention to it.

His focus was entirely locked onto the books Old Robert had just mentioned.

"Let's go, let's take a look!"

With a wave of his hand, the three of them hurried up to the third floor.

Once inside the study, Eugene naturally drifted toward the window to keep watch outside, Madison set off to look for the key, and Gavin stared at the entire bookshelf with burning eyes!

True, the shelves held some classic works like *Wuthering Heights*, but there was an even larger collection of technical knowledge related to blacksmithing!

Gavin flipped through a couple of the volumes, the excitement in his eyes growing with every page. These books didn't just cover modern forging techniques; they even encompassed ancient European metalworking methods from the 14th to the 16th centuries!

What truly defined the traces of civilization?

This right here—this was the mark of civilization! Books and knowledge!

In an instant, Gavin made a silent decision.

Once they successfully retook the farm and managed to plant their roots there—no matter how short-handed they might be—he would make it a priority to visit any accessible libraries and salvage every single book to bring them back and preserve them properly.

Whether it was metallurgy, steelmaking, electrical engineering, or radio technology, he wanted all the specialized academic literature!

Perhaps in the future, the true survival of human civilization would depend entirely on the preservation of these books!

Just as Gavin's heart was pounding with excitement, Madison walked back over to him holding a small key and said, "Boss, we should head downstairs."

"Huh? Oh, right, let's go!"

Gavin gave a heavy nod, cast one last reluctant glance at the shelves full of craft manuals, and led the way back down.

At that moment, Gavin didn't even care much about Old Robert's armory anymore.

What could possibly be more precious than those crystallized achievements of human civilization?

A few rifles, a couple of shotguns, or some collectible vintage revolvers?

Those were worth jack shit!

And so, with his mind still entirely consumed by thoughts of books, Gavin pushed open the heavy door to the armory with casual indifference.

And then...

"What the fack!" Madison's jaw dropped open.

"Good god, what the hell is that thing?!"

Eugene nearly bit his tongue off in shock!

As for Gavin, he simply stared in a daze at the dazzling ocean of golden light before him, swallowed hard, and cursed under his breath,

"Holy shit, we just hit the legendary loot drop!"