Hi guys,
I am terribly sorry for the late update. Somethings happened all of a sudden and had to deal with them.
Don't worry, from now on it's going back to daily release.
And one more thing, if you like the story so far please don't forget to give some Power Stones. It will greatly help the story to get more readers.
Thanks.
*****
Chapter 10: Quest
"Don't be so hasty. I told you from the beginning, I came in friendship." Shawn smiled, not angered by Hershel's attitude.
Shawn narrowed his eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, the number of walkers around the farm has increased recently, hasn't it?"
Hearing this, Hershel's fingers trembled. Shawn was right. Their barn was already half-full of walkers, and it would soon be completely full. The number of walkers wandering around the farm had been increasing lately, and Hershel had been wondering what the problem was.
Looking at Shawn, Hershel adopted an expression of someone ready to listen intently.
Placing the small cup on the coffee table, Shawn stood up, walked to the large window, and pushed open a few slats of the blinds to look outside. At that moment, a lone walker was wandering over from the distance, moving forward aimlessly with its grayish-white eyes.
"Things don't seem to be peaceful in the cities lately. The living have been mostly eaten, so the walkers are starting to move toward the suburbs. Millions, tens of millions of walkers are migrating."
What?!
Hershel's heart leaped in shock. He subconsciously looked at his family, only to see his daughters looking back at him with worried expressions.
"Why should we believe you?" Hershel's mind was in turmoil, but he showed no sign of it on his face.
"Believe me or not, it's up to you. I just came from Atlanta. I was besieged by a horde there. I know the terror of these man-eating creatures. Right now… this is just the beginning, just one or two wandering walkers. Within six months, this place will be discovered by the migrating horde. How long can your farm last?"
Shawn looked back at him, and the intensity of his gaze made Hershel's heart skip a beat. It was as if, through Shawn's words, Hershel could already picture the scene. The land around the farm was flat, with only the wooden house visible from a distance. The tireless, painless walkers could easily reduce this house to ruins, and they would become nothing but food in the walkers' mouths.
"What do you suggest?" Hershel's face was still stern, but when he said this, Shawn knew he had relented.
Hershel was a bit like Rick, but he wasn't Rick. They both had their own families, struggling to survive with their loved ones in this apocalypse. But Hershel lacked Rick's courage and boldness… he was too old. This was no longer his era.
A friendly smile returned to Shawn's face.
"We stick together for warmth. You allow us to live on the farm, and we will naturally protect it. We will help you deal with any walkers that approach. And these two friends of mine are skilled hunters. I believe their harvest will be much more satisfying than what your own people can bring in," Shawn said, pointing at Daryl and Merle.
"We want half. You can stay by the farm, but you are not to disturb my family or my employees!" Hershel immediately started negotiating the distribution of meat.
"One-third. We can only give you one-third, and you have to trade your own food for it." Shawn's expression didn't change as he looked calmly at Hershel, teaching him the art of the deal.
Hershel stroked the armrest of the sofa. Trading the farm's food for meat was definitely a good deal. Most importantly, Shawn could take care of the approaching walkers for them. Relying on two novices like Otis and Jimmy to hunt, who knew how long it would be before they got to eat meat again. And the two men with Shawn…
Hershel looked Daryl and Merle up and down, finally nodding in satisfaction.
"Deal." Hershel extended his hand and shook Shawn's. It seemed to be a civilized transaction.
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Inside the house.
Hershel prepared their first lunch as a sign of friendship. Afterward, Shawn marked out an open space next to the house, laid down a thin layer of wooden planks, and set up a tent and a butchering rack. This would be their camp for the foreseeable future.
In the distance, two more walkers approached the farm. Shawn looked back at the house; Hershel was watching from the window.
"The camp is set up. Time to get busy…"
Shawn stretched, picked up his horse bone club, and walked toward the walkers. He didn't let Merle or Daryl do it. This was his promise, and of course… for the experience points. Lone walkers were a great opportunity for him to gain XP. After the battle at the quarry camp, his Lv. 4 experience bar was already more than two-thirds full. By his calculations, he should be able to reach Lv. 5 in a day or two.
Walking up to the walkers, Shawn hefted his club. He held the top-heavy weapon parallel to the ground, gently placing it next to the head of a staggering walker. He took a practice swing, as if playing baseball, and then swung with all his might!
'Schlick—!'
A direct hit to the head triggered the headshot chance, and the walker's head exploded.
He swung the club in a circle over his head and, using the momentum, smashed it into the chest of the walker wandering beside him, knocking it to the ground.
'Crack—'
Another swing, breaking the leg of a third walker that was trying to circle around behind him. Then, he delivered 6 or 7 more blows to the heads of the two downed walkers, finishing all three of them off.
"This…"
In the house, Hershel lowered his binoculars, exchanging a look of astonishment with the people beside him. Shawn's brief display of skill had left an indelible impression on their minds. Although his movements weren't light or elegant, the sheer ferocity was enough to leave one speechless.
A look of delight appeared on the faces of those in the house. The deal was done. The stronger Shawn was, the safer they were. This was undeniable.
Returning to his small camp, Shawn nodded to his group. "You're free to do what you want. Hunt, do laundry, cook, look for the bikes, whatever. But just one thing: do not disturb Hershel and his family. That's my promise to him."
After getting affirmative replies from the group, Shawn knocked on the door of the main house.
Beth opened the door. She looked Shawn up and down curiously, her voice softer than a mosquito's. "Is there something else?"
"Hershel, I have one more question… Besides you guys, do you know of anyone else around here?" Shawn asked, looking at Hershel behind Beth.
"I'm not sure. We rarely leave the farm. There's definitely no one right here. If there are people, they must be in the small town to the east." Hershel told him the truth. After thanking him, Shawn left the house and nodded to himself.
'As I expected, it must have been that group who took the motorcycles.' The suspicion Shawn had before was now mostly confirmed. But to know for sure, he would have to meet that group later.
Taking the car keys from Andrea, Shawn drove alone back along the same route to the spot where they had rested the previous night.
Just then, a soft chime sounded in Shawn's ear, and an orange marker popped up before his eyes.
[Apocalypse Quest: Retrieve the Motorcycles]
A look of surprise appeared on Shawn's face. "I didn't expect the quests you can only get from traders in the game would appear like this… but it does save me a lot of trouble."
A smile spread across Shawn's lips. In the distance, within his field of vision, an orange exclamation point, a quest marker, had appeared. Following the game's logic, this exclamation point was the quest location, which meant it was the current location of the motorcycles!
(Image Here)