The Greene Family Farm was a slice of heaven in a hellish world. Green pastures, well water, and the illusion of safety.
Ren knew better.
He had set up the main camp near the tree line, maintaining a respectful distance from the house as per Hershel's request. But Ren wasn't planning on staying in the yard forever. He wanted the house. He wanted the land. And he wanted the eldest daughter.
[System Notification]
[Quest Active: The Farm Arc]
[Time Limit for Barn Resolution: 24 Hours.]
[Penalty for Delay: Shane Walsh goes insane and causes a chaotic shootout.]
Ren dismissed the screen. "Twenty-four hours? I'll do it in two."
He was currently shirtless, splitting logs for the campfire. It was unnecessary labor—he could snap the logs with his bare hands—but it served a purpose.
Maggie Greene was watching from the porch.
Ren swung the axe. Crack. The wood split perfectly. His muscles rippled under the sheen of sweat, the Super Soldier Serum providing an aesthetic that was impossible to look away from.
He paused, wiping his forehead, and looked directly at the porch. He caught Maggie's eye. She didn't look away fast enough.
Ren smirked and walked toward the house.
POV: Maggie Greene
Maggie felt her face heat up. She had been staring. It was hard not to. The men she knew were farmhands or high school sweethearts. This man... Ren... he looked like something sculpted from granite.
He walked up the steps, his breathing even despite the heavy labor. Up close, his blue eyes were startlingly intense.
"You must be Maggie," he said. His voice was deep, vibrating in her chest.
"I am," she managed to say, crossing her arms to hide her nervousness. "Daddy says you need to keep your weapons in your camp."
"We live in a world where the dead walk, Maggie," Ren said, leaning against the railing. He was invading her personal space, but she didn't step back. "Asking a man to disarm is asking him to die. I don't plan on dying."
"My daddy makes the rules here," Maggie countered, showing some of that Greene fire.
Ren chuckled. "Your daddy is a good man. But he's wrong about a lot of things. especially what's in that barn."
Maggie froze. "What do you know about the barn?"
Ren took a step closer. He smelled like woodsmoke and raw masculinity. "I know they aren't people, Maggie. I know you think they're sick. But I'm going to show you the truth."
"You stay away from there," she warned, though her voice lacked bite.
"I'm doing this for you," Ren said softly. He reached out, his finger grazing her chin. The touch sent a jolt of electricity through her. [Incubus Charisma Effect: Arousal/Confusion]. "I can't let monsters live so close to something so beautiful."
Before Maggie could respond, Ren turned and walked away. "Tell Hershel to meet me at the barn at sundown. And tell him to bring his Bible. He's going to need it."
Sundown came with a blood-red sky.
The entire group—Ren's survivors and the Greene family—gathered by the barn doors.
Hershel was furious. "I told you to leave them be! This is my land!"
Rick tried to mediate. "Hershel, please, Ren thinks—"
"I don't think," Ren cut in. He stood before the chained doors, holding a heavy steel chain in his hands. He was fully geared up now: tactical vest, combat boots, and his katana strapped to his back.
"Hershel," Ren said calmly. "You think these are your neighbors? Your wife? You think there's a cure?"
"There is!" Hershel shouted. "It's a sickness!"
Ren shook his head. "Watch."
Ren turned to the doors. He didn't unchain them. He grabbed the handle of the small pedestrian door.
"Ren, what are you doing?" Shane asked, hand on his gun.
"Taking out the trash," Ren said.
He slipped inside the barn and slammed the door behind him.
Inside, it was dark and smelled of rot. Two dozen walkers—Hershel's "family" and neighbors—shuffled in the gloom. When they saw Ren, they groaned, a chorus of hunger.
Ren didn't draw his sword. He didn't draw his gun.
He wanted them to hear the power.
"Come on," Ren taunted.
The first walker lunged. Ren punched it.
It wasn't a normal punch. It was a Strength 27 blow (boosted by his recent level up and achievement).
SPLAT.
The walker's head exploded like a dropped watermelon. Brain matter coated the barn wall.
Outside, the group heard the wet, crunching impact.
THUD. CRACK. SPLAT.
Ren moved through the barn like a whirlwind. He grabbed a walker by the arm and ripped the limb off, using it to bludgeon another walker to death. He kicked a walker in the chest, his boot caving in the ribcage and sending the creature flying into the hayloft.
He was fast. Brutal. Efficient.
In three minutes, twenty-two walkers were dead.
Only one remained. An older woman. Hershel's wife.
Ren grabbed a pole catcher (used for animals) and looped it around her neck.
He kicked the barn door open from the inside.
Light flooded in, revealing the carnage behind him. Ren stood amidst a sea of bodies, not a scratch on him, holding the pole. At the end of it, the walker snarled and snapped, jaw clacking.
Ren dragged her out into the sunlight.
"Look at her, Hershel!" Ren commanded.
Hershel fell to his knees. "Annette..."
"She doesn't know you," Ren said coldly. He stepped on the pole, pinning the walker to the ground. "She doesn't love you. She wants to eat you."
The walker clawed at the ground, trying to reach Hershel's leg, teeth snapping.
"A sick person cries," Ren said. "A sick person feels pain. This?"
Ren drew his pistol and shot the walker in the kneecap. The bone shattered. The walker didn't scream. It just kept crawling, dragging the ruined leg.
"No pain," Ren stated. "No mind. Just a machine made of meat."
Hershel watched, the tears streaming down his face. The illusion shattered. He saw the monster for what it was.
"Do it," Hershel whispered. "Free her."
Ren looked at Rick. "Do it, Sheriff. Show him you can protect this place."
Rick stepped forward, his Python raised. He looked at Ren with a mix of fear and respect. Ren had done the dirty work, but he was giving Rick the 'honor' of the mercy kill.
BLAM.
Annette fell still.
Silence reigned over the farm.
Ren walked over to Hershel and offered a hand. "I'm sorry for your loss. But now, your farm is safe."
Hershel looked at the hand. It was the hand of a killer, but also a protector. He took it.
"We have empty rooms," Hershel said hoarsely. "In the house. You can... you can take them."
[Quest Completed: The Farm Arc (Resolution)]
[Rating: S (Flawless/Speedrun)]
[Reward: 2000 System Points, Reputation Max with Maggie Greene, Ownership of Greene Farm Base.]
Night: The Pocket Dimension
That night, the group moved into the house. But Ren declined a room.
"I prefer my own space," he told Maggie.
He went to the barn—now cleaned of bodies by the others—and set up his tent in the loft.
"System, open Pocket Dimension."
He stepped through.
The dimension had changed. With the points he spent earlier and the new upgrade he just bought (Interior Design Pack - 200 pts), it now looked like a luxury penthouse apartment. A massive bed, a modern bathroom with endless hot water, and a kitchen.
Amy and Andrea were already there, wearing silk robes Ren had provided. They were safe, clean, happy and open, both already have feelings for Ren and he knows that.
So, All three already have become very close to each other.
"You're back," Andrea said, walking over and kissing him deeply. "We heard shots."
"Just cleaning up," Ren said, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Is it safe out there now?" Amy asked, joining the hug.
"For now," Ren said. "But tonight, I'm tired of death. I want life."
He spent the night with the sisters. It was a night of passion and release, furthering his Harem Sync Rate.
[Harem Milestone: Sisters United.]
[Reward: Stamina Regeneration +20%.]
The Next Morning: The New Objective
Ren walked out of the barn the next morning, feeling refreshed. The Super Soldier Serum meant he needed very little sleep, and his stamina was infinite.
He found Maggie sitting on the fence, looking out at the fields. She looked sad but resolved.
"Morning," Ren said.
Maggie looked at him. "You were right. About everything."
"I usually am," Ren said, hopping up on the fence beside her.
"You're arrogant," she smiled weakly.
"It's not arrogance if you can back it up," Ren replied. He looked at her. "I'm planning a run today. Into town. Pharmacy. Gun store."
"I'm coming with you," Maggie said immediately.
"It's dangerous."
"I'm not a damsel, Ren. I can ride. I can shoot."
Ren grinned. This was the Maggie he wanted. The warrior.
"Get your horse," Ren said. "I'll take my bike."
[Side Quest: The Romance of the Apocalypse]
[Target: Maggie Greene.]
[Objective: Take her on a supply run. Save her life. Initiate romantic contact.]
The Town Run
The ride into the local town was fast. Ren on his black Ducati, Maggie galloping on her chestnut horse. They looked like knights of a new era.
They reached the pharmacy. It was mostly looted, but Ren's System Map showed him hidden loot caches.
"Back here," Ren pointed to a locked storage room. "Standard looting usually misses the secure storage."
He kicked the door open. Inside were antibiotics, painkillers, and feminine hygiene products (a gold mine in the apocalypse).
"Jackpot," Maggie breathed. She started filling her bag.
"Maggie," Ren said.
She turned.
Ren was standing close. Too close. The air in the dusty pharmacy grew heavy.
"Why do you look at me like that?" Maggie whispered. Her breath hitched.
"Like what?"
"Like you want to devour me."
Ren stepped forward, pinning her gently against the shelves. "Maybe I do."
He leaned in. Maggie didn't pull away. She closed her eyes, tilting her head up.
Their lips met.
It wasn't a tentative first kiss. It was hungry. Passionate. Maggie grabbed the lapels of his tactical vest, pulling him closer. Ren's hands found her waist, his grip firm and possessive.
[Target Acquired: Maggie Greene (Status: Lover)]
[Harem Count: 3.]
They broke the kiss, panting.
"We should... get these meds back," Maggie said, her voice husky.
"In a minute," Ren said, kissing her neck. "The apocalypse can wait."
As they exited the pharmacy, Ren's Danger Sense (part of Grandmaster Warfare) flared.
He tackled Maggie to the ground just as a bullet shattered the glass door where they had been standing.
"Sniper!" Ren hissed. "Behind the counter!"
They scrambled for cover.
"Who is it?" Maggie asked, eyes wide.
Ren peeked over the counter. He saw three trucks blocking the street. Men with automatic weapons were fanning out.
On the side of the truck, a spray-painted symbol: The Saviors.
Ren's eyes narrowed. "Saviors? Here? This early?"
The timeline was shifting. Ren's presence, his excessive use of force, his rapid clearing of zones—it was accelerating the world's progression. The Saviors were expanding faster than in canon.
"Come out!" a voice boomed. "We just want half your shit! Standard Negan tax!"
Ren looked at Maggie. She was scared but holding her knife tight.
Ren laughed. A low, dark sound.
"Maggie," Ren said, pulling a grenade from his inventory. "Cover your ears."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to send a message."
Ren stood up. He didn't hide. He walked right out the front door, grenade in one hand, Lightning crackling in the other.
The Saviors paused, confused by this man walking into the open.
"We are Negan!" the leader shouted.
"I don't care," Ren said.
He pulled the pin and threw the grenade with superhuman precision. It sailed through the open window of the lead truck.
BOOM.
The truck erupted in a fireball.
"Open fire!"
Bullets hailed around Ren. But he moved faster than aim. He dashed forward, a blur of motion.
[Skill: Lightning Bolt]
He fired a bolt of electricity from his left hand. It hit a Savior in the chest, stopping his heart instantly.
He drew his katana with his right hand. Slash. Another Savior fell, head separated from shoulders.
It wasn't a fight. It was a massacre.
In thirty seconds, six Saviors were dead. One was left crawling away.
Ren walked over and stepped on his back.
"Tell your boss," Ren said, his voice cold. "Tell Negan that the Sovereign is coming. And I don't pay taxes."
He drew his pistol and shot the ground next to the man's ear. "Run."
The man scrambled up and ran for the remaining truck, peeling out of town.
Maggie walked out of the pharmacy, staring at the burning wreckage and the bodies.
"Who are they?" she asked.
"The next war," Ren said, holstering his sword. He turned to her and offered a hand. "Ready to go home?"
Maggie took his hand. She looked at the destruction, then at Ren. She realized something. The world was terrifying, but standing next to Ren, she wasn't the victim. She was with the monster.
And she liked it.
[Sync Rate Increased: 40%]