Chapter 38
Woodbury
"What are your plans? Join us, or leave Atlanta?"
Guillermo was silent for a moment before speaking, "Do I only have these two choices?"
Caesar did not force him to choose, and explained calmly.
"It's not that I'm giving you only these two choices, it's that you only have these two choices."
"The people who massacred your sanatorium are a band of plunderers, people who survive by killing and cannibalizing their own kind."
"They come from a community called Woodbury. They won't defeat you and then let you join them; they'll just kill you all."
"The ones fighting you are just a small squad from Woodbury, and nobody knows how many men they have left."
Hearing this, Guillermo anxiously retorted, "But what if the Woodbury community doesn't know about our intelligence?"
Caesar looked at Guillermo with surprise: "You don't think the whole squad is dead, do you?"
"Huh? Isn't that right?" Guillermo was taken aback. Given Martinez's condition, it would be difficult for him to survive.
Caesar said, "The margin for error in the apocalypse is very low. That squad has a high level of combat skill, and the probability of them surviving and returning to make communication is very high."
"So even if you can find a good base in Atlanta, I don't think you can survive in Atlanta."
After listening, Guillermo thought for a moment and asked, "If I join you, will I not have to leave the Atlanta area?"
Guillermo and his group, having lived in the Atlanta area for many years, were not particularly keen to leave.
"My ranch is near Atlanta."
"Aren't you afraid of these people coming back for revenge?" Guillermo was already somewhat fearful after being ambushed by Martinez and his men and killing too many people.
Caesar smiled confidently: "I am not afraid of Woodbury."
"I can easily wipe them out if I want to."
Yes, Caesar and his men have enough power to destroy the enemy, but what do I have? Only bluffing, no guns or ammunition, I can only be slaughtered by others.
After thinking it over, Guillermo said, "I'll join you."
"But I have one request."
"Yes, go ahead," Caesar said, nodding, unsurprised.
Guillermo raised his head and said solemnly, "You can't treat us differently. You can't make us eat inferior food while doing the hardest work."
Guillermo knew all too well how unpleasant it felt to be treated differently, and that in the post-apocalyptic world, this meant facing the most dangerous jobs for the least pay.
He didn't want his brother's life to be carelessly abandoned.
Caesar said confidently, "That's no problem. There's just one thing: they need to remain loyal."
"Don't worry, I understand."
Guillermo nodded.
After reaching an agreement, Guillermo returned to the tent area to talk to his companions.
……
The sun was shining brightly, and the weather was clear.
The basement level of the CDC.
Perhaps because they had slept too comfortably, Rick and the others woke up later than usual and arrived at the restaurant in small groups.
In the restaurant, Lori had already prepared breakfast and kept it warm.
Rick walked into the restaurant and saw Lori washing the dishes from last night. He went over and gave her a gentle kiss. "Thank you for your hard work, darling."
"Ugh~" Carl, who was waiting for his cereal, looked disgusted, clearly unable to resist the sweetness of middle age.
"Hey!" Carl's exaggerated reaction prompted Lori to pinch his cheek. "This is normal for middle-aged couples, okay?"
Carl could only nod: "Okay, okay."
Seeing that his cereal was ready, he quickly took it and walked away.
This quirky, mischievous look of his finally reveals a bit of childlike energy, Lori thought.
Turning their heads, the couple exchanged a glance, and Rick said, "Let him be."
The restaurant was bustling and peaceful, with everyone chatting and laughing as they ate their usual breakfast.
When Jenner entered the restaurant and saw the lively crowd at the table, he was stunned for a moment, still somewhat bewildered.
Lori greeted him with a smile, "Good morning, Dr. Jenner."
"I've made breakfast. Is there anything you'd like to eat? If you don't want any of these, I can make you something new."
Lori's enthusiasm overwhelmed Jenner, who quickly waved his hand, "No need, no need, this is fine with me."
After saying that, Jenner sat down in his seat.
Lori immediately brought over a plate filled with steaming hot food.
During the meal, Jenner thought for a moment and said, "Later, after breakfast, I'll show you around the second basement level."
"Oh!" Rick nodded in surprise. He had thought Jenner wouldn't open the second basement level to them, but he hadn't expected Jenner to be so generous.
Jenner understood what he meant and explained, "There are indeed many dangerous viruses on the second basement level, and I won't take you to see them."
"Just a quick tour. The best way to dispel curiosity is to face it head-on."
Upon hearing Jenner's words, several people at the table looked somewhat embarrassed.
They talked about the second basement level yesterday, and they are indeed very curious about it.
They didn't expect Jenner to take them on a tour directly.
Rick glanced at them but didn't say anything; such curiosity was perfectly normal.
Soon, almost everyone at the table stopped eating and waited for Jenner to take them on a tour.
However, no matter how long they waited, there was always one person eating at the table.
That is, Tite.
Tite doesn't look very tall, but he has a huge appetite and kept eating.
The way they ate wasn't very presentable either; it looked like they hadn't eaten for two or three days.
"Tite," Rick hesitated for a moment, then tilted his head and asked, "Didn't you eat enough last night?"
With an egg hanging from his mouth, Tite shook his head blankly and mumbled, "I'm full."
"Tite, you're amazing. You can really eat!" Karl gave a genuine thumbs up; he had never seen anyone who could eat more than Tite.
Tite blinked and said proudly, "I'm awesome, aren't I!"
After waiting a while longer, everyone at the table became a little impatient.
Rick was worried that Jenner wouldn't have the patience to show them around later, so he discussed with Tite, "Why don't you eat here and we go on the tour first?"
"If you want to know, we'll tell you when we get back."
"Eh~" Tite quickly swallowed a piece of sandwich in his mouth, puffed out his cheeks, and nodded: "Let's go, I'm ready!"
"Alright, let's go!"
Jenner stood up with a sigh of relief; he had indeed been getting a little impatient.
Rick and the others quickly got up and followed Jenner.
Tit, who was at the very back, casually grabbed two more sandwiches from the table, stuffed one into his mouth, and put the other in a bag and put it in his pocket.