Chapter 109: This Is a Good Thing
Traveling light, Caesar didn't bring his main force along. He simply called on Merle, Daryl, Glenn, and a few others, along with the two or three most elite members from each combat squad.
If nothing else, Caesar was still very cautious.
Since he had a bad premonition, Caesar had to give his opponent due respect.
He didn't take the heavy truck. Caesar got into an armored vehicle.
Morales and T-Dog were still in the front seats. Although they didn't know why they had to go out again right after returning, they were perceptive enough not to say anything.
Caesar leaned out and called to the worn red pickup. "Hershel, just follow behind us."
Hershel's lips moved a few times. He nodded. "Okay."
Caesar closed the window and had Morales drive.
At Caesar's request, Merle and Daryl didn't ride motorcycles either, and also got into an armored vehicle.
The armored vehicle also held capable warriors from each of their squads, filling the vehicle.
"What's the boss planning to do?" Merle rubbed his chin, completely puzzled.
Daryl glanced at Merle but didn't speak.
"Did you find your little trinket?" Merle raised an eyebrow.
Daryl instantly flushed red and glared fiercely at Merle, but said nothing.
Merle chuckled. He knew Daryl had emotional shame issues. Once it involved these kinds of questions, he was bound to get embarrassed.
There was another armored vehicle with Glenn, Jimmy, Rick, and Morgan inside.
Rick and Morgan hastily put on their combat gear. Rick looked at Glenn in the front seat. "Captain, what are we doing?"
Glenn shook his head. "I'm not sure."
Then Glenn's gaze fell on the red pickup ahead, and his mood sank considerably.
Whatever it was, it definitely involved the Greene family.
There were four armored vehicles going out in total. The last one held Frank, Ford, and the core members from their squads.
Without any delay, the four armored vehicles drove rapidly, racing toward Greene Farm.
In the red pickup sandwiched in the middle, Hershel looked at his naive daughter Beth with complicated eyes.
Why did Caesar choose to drive him home the moment he saw Beth? And bringing the captain from each combat squad?
This was obviously wrong. Combined with the fact that he had just introduced the two of them.
Hershel couldn't help but reach a terrible conclusion. Was he about to lose both daughters in succession?
But Beth was still a child, although she was already eighteen.
As for Jimmy, Hershel didn't take their relationship seriously at all. Old as he was, he could tell at a glance that Jimmy and Beth had a very pure sibling affection.
It's just that they were young and couldn't tell the difference, and had absolutely no intention of doing anything inappropriate.
Beth opened the car window. The wind blew the playful strands of hair on her forehead as she looked at the armored vehicle beside her.
Under the illumination of the sunset, the armored vehicle was especially bright. Even that cold heavy machine gun seemed much warmer.
Regardless of everyone's thoughts, the convoy quickly approached Greene Farm.
Caesar's armored vehicle was in the lead. He had pulled his alertness to maximum early on and was the first to notice the thick smoke on the horizon.
Someone was burning something. In this direction—could it be Greene Farm burning?
Caesar compared the direction and confirmed his guess was correct.
He picked up the radio and said quickly and clearly, "Greene Farm is under attack. Not sure if the enemy has left. Maintain combat readiness and prepare to engage."
After speaking, Caesar checked his firearms, his gaze ice-cold.
Bold. Greene Farm is mine!
How dare they touch my things—I'm going to kill you!
Not a single one left!!!
Hershel listened to the voice on the radio, his mouth slightly open, his gaze somewhat dazed, his hands and feet ice-cold.
The... the farm was attacked?
Who? Why would they target us?
We, we were just farming, living well—why attack us?
Why?
"Dad, calm down." Beth patted Hershel, waking him from his stupor. "We haven't seen Maggie and the others yet. What if they're okay!"
Beth's words were dry. She knew this possibility was extremely slim, but she didn't want to lose hope like this. The corners of her mouth turned down, tears rolling in her eyes.
Hershel came to his senses and quickly steadied the steering wheel. He glanced sideways at Beth and patted her palm, feeling his daughter's cold hand.
"It'll be okay, it'll be okay. Everything will definitely be okay."
Hershel forced himself to stay calm, not knowing whether he was comforting Beth or himself.
Glenn was equally shaken. He had just confirmed his relationship with Maggie not long ago.
They were in their honeymoon phase.
Jimmy looked at Glenn with concern but said nothing. He knew Glenn needed to process this himself.
Glenn stared directly at that thick smoke, his hand gripping the steering wheel growing tighter and tighter, his knuckles turning white, his foot unconsciously pressing harder on the gas pedal.
The convoy's speed increased as they rapidly approached Greene Farm.
Greene Farm's iron gate was long gone, leaving only the lonely wooden posts on either side. There were also several broken spots around from vehicles crashing through.
Not far away, the huge house the Greene family had passed down for generations was quietly burning. The wooden frame was still standing, but the exterior had been almost completely burned away.
The stables, cattle pens, and chicken coops had already collapsed, flames burning in the wreckage.
Even the barn hadn't been spared. The barn's doors stood open. There were many spray-pattern bloodstains on the ground, and several charred walkers covered in fire were taking difficult steps forward.
The walkers took only a few steps before falling to the ground, quickly burning to charcoal.
The barn made sounds of unbearable strain and collapsed with a bang, turning into a pile of ruins.
The convoy entered Greene Farm.
Sharp-eyed Caesar saw a corpse lying not far from the house that was now just a burning skeleton. From the clothes, it looked like a male.
The convoy approached the body. With several squeaking sounds, the vehicles stopped.
Beth sobbed and threw herself at the corpse. It was Jimmy, the boy from Hershel's neighbor's family.
"Jimmy, Jimmy?"
"What happened to you? Jimmy, I'm begging you, please acknowledge me. Don't be like Mom!"
"Ah... Jimmy?"
Beth cried with almost pleading desperation. Jimmy lay on the ground motionless, covered in signs of beating, with a bullet hole in his back. The blood had stopped flowing out, and his eyes were wide open.
Hershel walked forward with a grief-stricken expression and sighed. "Jimmy, I've failed your parents. I didn't do what I should have done."
A strong sense of responsibility pressed on Hershel's shoulders. He looked up blankly and swept his eyes around. He didn't see Otis or Patricia, and he didn't see his daughters either.
He shamefully breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness it was only Jimmy, not Maggie and the others.
But—was this a good thing?
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