Chapter 50
Departure
A violent explosion occurred on the horizon; it was the detonation of a thermobaric bomb beneath the CDC.
The temperature soared instantly, cracking the outer wall of the CDC and revealing molten golden flames, like magma, erupting from within.
The zombies that lingered nearby were burned to ashes by the high temperature of over a thousand degrees.
Flames spread out like a carpet along the gate, and in an instant, tens of thousands of zombies vanished.
Immediately, the powerful overpressure rippled outwards, instantly blasting away the zombies that were a little further away from the CDC, while those that were closer were reduced to ashes.
It was torn apart and shattered in mid-air.
It turned into rain of blood and tiny pieces of corpses, falling from the sky.
clap clap-
Atlanta was hit by another bout of rain and hail.
The lead truck drove out of the parking lot, its roof being hit from time to time, making clattering sounds.
The Darylmore brothers, who love riding motorcycles, obediently sat in the pickup truck and put their motorcycles inside.
The convoy continued forward in the rain, and after traveling some distance from Atlanta, it stopped again.
The combatants in the pickup truck got out first, quickly cleared away the nearby zombies with melee weapons, and raised their guns as a warning.
No one got out of the cars or trucks; Caesar had no intention of lingering on the highway.
"Rip, you go with Glenn and the others, and get things done in King's County as quickly as possible. I have only one request: empty the place!"
Caesar looked into Rip's eyes, raised a finger, and his attitude was very firm.
Rip gave a fist bump. "You can trust me to handle things!"
Rip's assurances were always strong, and Caesar smiled and bumped fists with him.
Several pickup trucks drove out and stopped in front of Caesar.
Glenn and Jimmy got out of the first car, and Glenn raised his head: "Caesar, we're ready."
Glenn's beard hadn't been shaved in a long time, making him look much more mature.
Caesar smiled and nodded. "Alright, Rip will go with you."
"Check it out before you go."
He gave the order to disband his team and let them go say goodbye to their families.
Jimmy also talked with his grandfather for a while.
Glenn was all alone, just staring blankly at the heartwarming scenes of others saying goodbye to their families.
Rick was also a member of Glenn's team; he had long since taken off his county sheriff uniform and put on a durable jacket.
At this moment, he pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes tightly, and listened to Lori's complaints.
"I don't understand, why do you want to go to King's County?"
Lori was emotional and used intense body language to express her dissatisfaction to Rick.
"Do you want to distance yourself from me and Karl again?"
Hearing this, Rick finally opened his eyes and looked at Carl standing to the side.
Carl pouted, and two rows of tiny pearls fell from his eyes. His cute little face was full of grievance as he cried and threw himself into Rick's arms.
"Dad, I don't want you to leave."
The last time they parted, it took Carl a long time to see Rick again, and he worried that this time it would be a long time again.
Rick hugged Carl, his heart softening, but Carl wasn't a lone wolf wandering the streets; he could make his own decisions.
He is part of the team, enjoying the team's benefits and support, and therefore he must obey the team's orders.
Rick thought for a moment, then tried to speak slowly as he explained, "You know, I met a father and son in Kings County who saved my life."
"Yes, they saved your life, but what about me, what about Carl?" Tears streamed down Lori's face; she simply couldn't accept Rick's departure.
Sensing that Rick was about to leave, her sense of security plummeted. In the past, when Rick was in the hospital, it was Sean who accompanied her and provided the sense of security that Rick lacked.
Now that Sean is gone, Rick is leaving too.
How could she accept that?
Rick ignored Lori's cries and forced himself to finish speaking.
"Out of gratitude for saving their lives, I must go and save them."
"As part of the team, I also had to follow orders to go to King's County to collect weapons and ammunition."
Do you understand?
"It's not that I want to go, it's that I have to go."
Even so, Lori couldn't accept it; the sadness on her face turned into anger, and she straightened up.
"You'll go no matter what, right?"
Rick pursed his lips. "Yes."
"Then go ahead!" With that, Lori grabbed Karl and walked away.
Watching his family members walk away, Rick let out a long sigh.
Rip was also saying goodbye to Beth, who put her hands in her pockets. "Remember, bring me back some good wine."
Rip lowered his head, chuckled, and looked up at Beth, "You're still so unique."
Beth shrugged. "Look carefully. I want to drink something nice."
"Okay, okay." Rip nodded repeatedly, reaching out to hug Beth's hot body.
A few seconds later, Rip shrank back slightly and exchanged a glance with Beth.
A sly glint flashed in Beth's eyes. "Want to go for it?"
Rip quickly waved his hand, "Wait until I get back, wait until I get back."
"Okay." Beth released his hand in disappointment, and Rip took two steps back.
"Oh, right. Before I leave, I'll go talk to Caesar and ask him to find you something to do," Rip suddenly said.
Beth asked, "What kind of job can I look for?"
Before the apocalypse, Beth specialized in helping investment firms acquire shares in other companies, and she was ruthless in her methods.
Rip stroked his chin: "Although there are no companies for you to acquire right now, there are some camps that have been established."
"You can recruit them, take them on. It's not much different from when you acquired companies before, is it?"
Beth's eyes lit up, and after thinking about it carefully, she realized it was indeed a good idea.
So Rip and Beth went to Caesar.
After listening to their ideas, Caesar took a deep breath and nodded in agreement.
There are definitely more than just Caesar's ranch still surviving in Black Pine Valley. Caesar's goal is the entire Black Pine Valley, and he will definitely want to annex other forces.
With Beth around, they can try to annex surrounding forces without resorting to force, relying solely on intimidation and flexing their muscles.
This is indeed a very good deal.
"Okay. Beth, you're on the job!" Caesar smiled and extended his hand.
"You have a keen eye, boss!" Beth said with a smile, and the two shook hands.
……
A convoy sped along the desolate highway.
Caesar drove the truck at the very front of the convoy.
Two motorcycles were traveling side by side ahead when suddenly one of them slowed down and approached Caesar's pickup truck.
Moore yelled at the top of his lungs, "Boss, there are people on that ranch!"
Caesar looked up and followed the direction.
With such keen eyesight, one can see a farm not far away.
The farm was surrounded by a wooden fence, and you could vaguely see a few people inside. The farm looked very empty.
Adding that large house, Caesar narrowed his eyes, guessing it might be Herschel's house.
However, Blackpine Valley is Caesar's top priority right now, and he doesn't plan to contact the Herschel family for the time being. "Leave them alone."
"If they don't launch an attack, we won't do anything."