Chapter 106: Loss of Delusion
After finishing her instructions, Amy led the two of them toward the council hall.
On the way, Maggie glanced at Hershel and asked Amy quietly, "Afterward, will I be able to move around freely?"
Amy showed no surprise and smiled. "Of course you can. Glenn is in the combat members' camp on the west side. You can go find him directly."
Maggie showed no embarrassment whatsoever and said openly, "I know."
Hershel, walking beside them, shot Maggie a cold glare.
Maggie seemed to know what was coming and didn't even look at Hershel.
The three of them walked to Caesar's office door and knocked. A steady voice came from inside.
"Come in."
Amy pushed open the door and gestured for the other two to enter first.
Hershel took the lead and entered the room, seeing Caesar seated in his chair.
Caesar stood up and shook Hershel's hand with a smile. "Good morning, Hershel. No trouble on the road, I hope?"
Hershel shook his head. "On my way here, I noticed the roads approaching Black Pine Valley were very clean."
"The Black Pine Valley under your leadership must be a place many survivors flock to."
Hershel's expression was quite serious, without any hint of flattery.
Caesar laughed a couple times but didn't take Hershel's words seriously.
After the three of them exchanged pleasantries for a few moments, Amy had someone bring Hershel to find Dr. Jenner. As for Maggie, she had already run off to play in town.
Dr. Jenner's laboratory was still in that heavy truck and hadn't been moved into a wooden cabin yet.
He worried the cabin's conditions wouldn't be suitable. After some time, once the combat squads found suitable building materials, they would construct a special room for him to conduct experiments.
With Caesar's promise, Dr. Jenner's days were quite comfortable, though his research always seemed unsatisfactory.
Anyone who does experiments regularly knows that sometimes there can be no progress for several weeks.
But sometimes, suddenly, there's a major breakthrough.
Dr. Jenner was flipping through his handwritten materials when he heard knocking at the door. Without looking up, he replied, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Dr. Jenner." The voice outside belonged to Guillermo. "The boss asked me to bring someone to talk with you."
Dr. Jenner sighed, put down his pen, and slowly opened the door.
Outside stood Guillermo leaning against the heavy truck, and Hershel.
Hershel's expression was excited, his face unable to suppress his smile. "Hello, my name is Hershel."
Seeing Hershel's appearance, Dr. Jenner knew perfectly well what he was expecting. He pressed his lips together and said, "I don't have what you're looking for here."
"Uh..." Hershel froze for a moment, then continued, "I know the vaccine hasn't been developed yet. I know that."
"No, you don't know." Dr. Jenner stood inside the truck, looking down at Hershel from his elevated position, using cold words to shatter Hershel's unrealistic fantasy.
"The vaccine can't save walkers."
"Or rather, the vaccine cannot revive people. All those walkers outside died after being infected with the virus, and then transformed."
"The vaccine I'm researching is to make humans immune to the walker virus."
"So even if I succeed in developing it, it still can't save those walkers. They're already dead."
Better a short pain than a long one. Dr. Jenner didn't want these people to hold onto unrealistic fantasies, dangling themselves with illusory hope every day.
Hershel's upright body slumped slightly. His aged yet ruddy face seemed to grow several years older in an instant, his features sagging, his eyes downcast, the light in them like flames about to burn out, as if they might be extinguished at any moment.
Guillermo's expression didn't change. He looked at Hershel indifferently. He had brought several other people from town who still harbored illusions about walkers to see Jenner before.
It's just that after bringing so many, Guillermo had grown numb to it.
With a bang, Dr. Jenner closed the door, returned to his seat, and continued his research.
He kept flipping through materials, but his pen remained unable to write anything for a long time.
Outside the door, Guillermo didn't comfort Hershel. He brought him to a secluded grove and found two camping chairs.
Hershel sat in the camping chair with vacant eyes, staring blankly at the sky.
Guillermo chose not to coddle Hershel's emotions and simply explained the walker virus.
"Everyone is a carrier of the walker virus. After the host dies, the walker virus activates, taking over the host's brain and turning them into a walker."
"And people who are bitten or scratched by walkers have an excess of the walker virus in their bodies, which directly transforms the host into a walker."
"Both of these methods result in people who have died becoming walkers."
Guillermo looked at Hershel. "Dead is dead. Those things walking around outside are just monsters wearing the skin of your relatives and loved ones."
For once, Hershel didn't refute such statements. However, after listening to Guillermo's explanation, Hershel came to clearly recognize his own obsession.
After a moment of silence, Hershel slowly spoke. Due to his extreme emotional turmoil, his voice was somewhat hoarse.
"Is there a tavern in town?"
Guillermo said, "There is. Do you want me to take you there?"
"Thank you!"
The two of them walked all the way to the only tavern in town. The tavern kept its doors open even during the day.
Inside, voices buzzed with noise. Most were combat members who were off duty today.
"Captain Guillermo, nothing to do again today?"
A combat member who saw it was Guillermo called out.
Instantly, the entire tavern erupted in laughter.
Guillermo looked helplessly at the combat member who had spoken and gave his shoulder a heavy pat, forcing out a dry laugh.
Then he pulled Hershel over to sit at the bar.
The others stopped teasing Guillermo.
"Aren't you a combat squad captain? What are they laughing about?" Hershel asked in surprise.
He didn't know too much about the town, but he still knew that combat members held high status in town, especially combat squad captains, who could be said to be among the most powerful people under Caesar.
How could anyone mock someone with such status?
Guillermo called for two drinks from the bartender and glanced at Hershel.
"Hershel, let me quiz you. Who has the most power in town?"
"Caesar, of course." Hershel said matter-of-factly.
"That's right, it's Caesar." Two drinks were placed in front of Guillermo, and he said thank you.
Guillermo turned around in his seat so he could both feel the lively conversational atmosphere in the tavern and see Hershel.
"The boss assigned me to protect Dr. Jenner, and I know how important Dr. Jenner is, but constantly protecting Dr. Jenner keeps me and my squad confined to town."
"A combat squad's honor and status are earned and maintained through combat. My squad doesn't fight, so naturally we have no honors, yet we receive the same treatment as other combat squads who risk their lives outside."
"This creates resentment from the other combat squads toward my squad."
After Guillermo calmly finished explaining, Hershel shrugged his shoulders. "You could read the Bible. I think you have the potential to be a pastor."