Under everyone's horrified gazes, Merle suddenly raised his leg and, with all his might, savagely kicked the Walker nun in the stomach!
"Bang!"
The Walker nun was sent flying by the immense force, stumbling backward and crashing to the ground, landing on its back.
This scene brought all the cheers to an abrupt halt.
"He...how dare he?!"
"Blasphemy! This is blasphemy!"
The guards instinctively raised their guns, but The Shepherd slowly raised his hand, signaling them to calm down.
He seemed to have developed a strong interest in the direction this "trial" would take.
Merle gasped for breath; he saw it.
When the Walker nun fell, a sharp, roughly half-foot-long shard of glass was unmistakably embedded beneath its tattered uniform on its back! He didn't know if it was left when it broke through a window, either in life or after death.
A sharp glint immediately flashed in his eyes.
Merle didn't hesitate for a moment. Before anyone could react, he lunged forward a few steps, first kicking the Walker, which was trying to get up, back to the ground, then pouncing onto the Walker nun's back.
He used his full weight to press the Walker firmly to the ground, while simultaneously forcing his bound hands towards the sharp glass shard protruding from its back!
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
He distorted his body frantically, using the sharp edge of the glass to saw back and forth at the ropes binding his hands.
The still-healing wound on his wrist rubbed back and forth against the sharp glass.
He could clearly hear the 'slicing' sound of his wrist skin being cut, mixed with the snapping of the ropes, but he didn't care.
"What is he doing?!"
"Stop him! He's cheating!" a Believer shrieked.
"No! This is part of the trial! The Lost Ones will punish him!"
"All of you, look closely!" Merle roared, feeling the intense pain in his wrists, towards the surrounding Believers.
"See clearly! This is how I deal with your bullshit trial!"
"Roar—!"
The Walker nun, pinned beneath him, suddenly flipped over, tossing Merle to the ground. It got up and pounced on Merle again!
But it was too late.
The ropes snapped!
"Come on! You bitch!"
A savage glint flashed in Merle's eyes. The moment the Walker nun pounced on him, his newly freed hands violently gripped its neck!
Man and Walker, they wrestled and rolled wildly on the ground.
Merle's brute strength erupted to its maximum at this moment.
He roared, flipped over, pinning the Walker beneath him, then grabbed the Walker nun's hair and, with all his might, slammed its head against the cold concrete floor again and again!
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
He straddled the Walker, like a berserk beast.
Rotten flesh, shattered bones, black blood, and brain matter splattered everywhere, covering his face and body.
But he didn't stop.
He smashed its jaw, crushed its eye sockets, collapsed its skull... until the head was completely reduced to an unrecognizable pulp, unable to move a single inch.
The entire factory fell into a deathly silence.
Only Merle's heavy breathing echoed through the empty workshop.
The Believers' expressions, eager for a show, froze on their faces.
Their mouths hung open, and the fanaticism in their eyes gradually faded.
It was replaced by fear.
Merle slowly stopped moving.
He looked down at his blood-stained hands, then at the completely motionless corpse beneath him.
Suddenly, he smiled.
He reached out and grabbed the head, which was only connected by a bit of flesh, and with a sudden pull—
"Splat—"
Accompanied by the disgusting sound of tearing tendons, he actually ripped off the pulpy head!
Under everyone's utterly terrified gazes, Merle slowly stood up.
He held the head, still dripping black blood, high in the air, like a trophy of war, and surveyed his surroundings.
Then, he flashed a bloody grin, pressed the severed neck of the head fiercely against his own face, and rubbed it hard!
Leaving a distinct "kiss mark" of viscous black blood on him.
"Trial?"
He tossed the head aside and, facing The Shepherd on the high platform, he raised both middle fingers high.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
He burst into unrestrained laughter, his voice hoarse and wild.
"Is this your bullshit trial?! Huh?!"
"You trash! You sons of bitches! Who else here wants to fucking judge me?!"
"Who! Else!?"
Rick was stunned. He hadn't expected Merle to counter-kill in such a desperate situation, and he was also shocked by his courage.
Shane gave Merle a deep look. He had always disliked the Dixon brothers, especially Merle, and had always seen him as a threat to the team.
But even so, he had to admit that at this moment, he admired the bastard's ruthlessness.
The gazes of the others were even more complex, especially T-Dog.
In his eyes, this racist trash was a complete coward, a scoundrel who only feared death and taken advantage of the weak.
But this man, who, for his brother, had snatched a life back from the mouth of a Walker... was this really him?
Perhaps they had conflicts in the past, and perhaps they would have countless entanglements in the future.
But at this moment, looking at this man laughing wildly amidst the blood, the team members truly accepted this incorrigible bastard from the bottom of their hearts.
The entire factory was silent.
"Fuck..."
Daryl knelt on the ground, looking at the figure standing like a demon from hell, and smiled.
As he smiled, tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes, rolling down his grimy cheeks.
"...I knew you bastard... wouldn't die that easily..."
The Believers finally recovered from their shock, and they began to panic.
"How could this happen?!"
"He passed the test...? But he's clearly a sinner!"
"No! This must be cheating!"
"He killed a Lost One! His sin is compounded!"
Merle's actions not only saved his own life but also bought time for the others.
Amidst this chaos, Rick slowly raised his head.
He looked at The Shepherd, who was also silent on the high platform, and declared in a clear and steady voice:
"We are innocent."
The arguing ceased abruptly.
Rick's voice suddenly rose, exploding like thunder in the workshop:
"We are innocent!!"
This roar was like a wildfire, igniting the hearts of the others.
The Believers' expressions began to waver.
Just then, Jim, who had been kneeling on the ground as if his soul had left his body, also suddenly raised his head.
His eyes were vacant, not focused on anyone, yet he seemed to see through the fate of everyone here.
He grinned and, in a drifting tone, whispered:
"You were born of God's mercy..."
His voice gradually grew louder, with a hint of mad laughter:
"And you shall... die by God's wrath!!"