Chapter 29: Encountering Danger
“You shameless scoundrel! Don’t think saving Beth means you can—”
Maggie’s words were abruptly cut off by Hershel, who emerged from Beth’s bedroom. “Maggie! Don’t be rude to our guest!”
“Dad…” Maggie protested anxiously.
Hershel shot her a stern look. Maggie bit her lip, turned angrily, and stormed back toward her room.
Li Changsheng, amused by the drama, called after her, “Miss Maggie, don’t forget my tea and snacks.”
Go to hell…
Maggie was on the verge of snapping back, but seeing Hershel nod at her, she had no choice but to glare furiously at Li Changsheng and reluctantly head toward the kitchen.
Tsk…
Trying to cross me…
Serves her right…
Li Changsheng’s smile was sly and calculating.
Hershel seemed oblivious to the undercurrent between Li Changsheng and Maggie. He wore a troubled expression, his brow furrowed, and asked Li Changsheng, “Li, do you know how she ended up like this? The one who attacked Beth was once my wife. She escaped from the storage…”
At this, Hershel’s guilt overwhelmed him, words choking in his throat.
He had heard the whole story from Beth: on her way to the storage, she discovered a walker escaping through the window, wearing the same clothes as her mother had worn in life. Shocked, Beth chased after her, thinking her mother might have been cured. But when they met, her mother was nothing but a cold-blooded monster…
Listening to Hershel, Li Changsheng sighed. “Hershel, I’m deeply sorry. But I must tell you, you’ve seen the walkers outside. The slow ones are ordinary infected, but there are also special infected—those with unique abilities. Beth’s mother has likely mutated. But you must understand, she’s long been dead. What you need to do is release her, not put yourself and your family at risk. Trust me, the best cure for them is a bullet, one at a time.”
He knew Hershel still clung to the belief that walkers were just sick people, so he deliberately reminded him.
Hershel was still unwilling to let go. “Is there really no cure?”
Li Changsheng was speechless at Hershel’s naivety, though he understood it. If his own loved one had turned into a monster, he doubted his past self could have pulled the trigger; perhaps he too would have clung to hope for a cure.
But this was the world of walkers. Walkers were nothing but soulless dead things.
Li Changsheng spoke quietly, “Hershel, they are no longer patients. They died long ago. What moves them now is the virus controlling their brains. If you keep dreaming of curing them, you’d better be prepared for yourself, Beth, and your other loved ones to be killed by walkers!”
“You bastard, what are you saying!” Maggie had returned and immediately rebuked him in fury.
“Maggie!” Hershel stopped her. He was silent for a long time, then sighed. “Maggie, please take care of our guest…”
He seemed deeply shaken, spiritless, and left the room alone.
...
While Li Changsheng enjoyed his tea and snacks under Maggie’s angry glare, Rick’s group was embroiled in a heated debate about where to go next.
Rick, at his wits’ end, gathered everyone. “Since we all have our own opinions, why don’t we share them and vote?”
Dale spoke first. “Guys, you’ve heard it yourselves—the CDC is under his control. There’s no freedom or democracy there; it’s his personal rule. So I vote for Fort Benning.”
Lori agreed, “I support Dale. It’s not just him; there’s also Merle. I won’t even get into Merle’s character.”
Shane glanced at Lori. “I back Lori and Dale.”
He had his own motives—he was already losing his position as leader, and going to the CDC would mean being entirely at someone else’s mercy. If the opponent was weak, it wouldn’t matter, but that Chinese guy clearly had both brains and force. Shane knew he couldn’t compete with Li Changsheng.
Morgan spoke up, “The three of us have decided to head for the CDC. Li has saved us several times already. I trust him not to harm us.”
Carol hugged Sophia. “I agree with Morgan. I want to repay him somehow, for Sophia’s sake.”
Glenn looked around nervously, clearly torn.
Rick prompted, “Glenn, what do you think?”
Glenn hesitated, then spoke. “Guys, we’ve already lost T-Dog and Jacqui. I don’t want anyone else to die. If Fort Benning is overrun, where else can we go? Maybe we should check out the CDC first. If it’s not suitable, we’ll leave together.”
Jim, the mechanic, shrugged. “I’ll go wherever.”
Three votes for, three against, and one abstention.
Everyone’s eyes turned to Rick, and he felt immense pressure.
But he quickly composed himself and shook his head at Lori. “Let’s find a place to stock up, then head to the CDC!”
Now that he knew Lori was pregnant, he didn’t want to gamble on Fort Benning.
Meanwhile, at Hershel’s farm.
Maggie tossed her backpack into Li Changsheng’s arms. “Come on, take me to the bar in town!”
Li Changsheng was baffled. “I hardly know you. Why should I take you?”
Maggie glared at him. “Hershel’s disappeared. I suspect Beth’s ordeal hit him hard. Either you come with me, or you leave.”
Though Li Changsheng had saved Amy, in Maggie’s eyes he was still a stranger she couldn’t quite trust, so she wasn’t comfortable leaving him alone on the farm.
Li Changsheng shook his head. Truth be told, he’d wanted to leave for some time, but after arriving at the farm and seeing the rich agricultural resources, he was tempted.
After all, agriculture remained the backbone of society—even more so in this resource-scarce apocalypse. Hershel, though old, possessed invaluable farming experience. No one in the City of Civilization knew anything about cultivation.
“Fine, I’ll go with you. By the way, say goodbye to Beth for me.”
He planned to talk to Hershel, and regardless of the outcome, would head to the wind-powered farm afterward.
Li Changsheng drove Maggie to the nearby small town. It didn’t take long to reach a bar.
It was a modest establishment.
A weathered wooden sign hung outside, painted in faded letters: “The Rusty Mug.” As they entered, the mingled scents of tobacco, beer, and faint alcohol filled the air.
The bar’s decor was rustic. Old clocks and photographs adorned the walls, along with tags left by passing travelers. The counter was lined with bottles and jars of spirits, neatly arranged.
Before the apocalypse, this place would have been cozy and inviting, but now it was layered in dust, with many tables overturned.
Under the dim lights, only silence and an eerie sense of desolation remained.