Chapter 4: Glenn
Caesar turned and walked toward the driver's seat. A few nearby walkers approached, extending their claws to grab at Caesar.
Facing the attack, Caesar didn't retreat—he advanced. He took a large step forward, his right hand drawing a sharp knife.
He thrust it up through the walker's jaw and twisted hard. The walker collapsed as if its bones had been removed.
Caesar tried to pull out the knife, but unexpectedly the walker's weight pulled it from his grip as it fell.
Just then, a walker lunged from his side, mouth wide open.
Caesar stepped back, turned, and delivered a side kick. The powerful strike instantly broke the walker's leg bone, leaving it collapsed on the ground.
Looking around, walkers were closing in from all sides. Gradually they filled the street ahead, advancing collectively like an army.
Tate's distraction was no longer enough to disperse these walkers. Caesar was now their primary target.
Caesar's expression went cold. He raised his leg and stomped down, his cowboy boot heel crushing the fallen walker's skull.
He quickly got into the driver's seat and floored the gas pedal.
The pickup that hadn't been turned off shot forward, immediately smashing into several walkers. Blood and flesh flew in all directions.
The pickup reversed direction and accelerated forward at full power.
After driving a dozen meters out, the pickup stopped. Caesar opened the door, picked up the gun bag from the ground, and closed the door again.
Engine roaring, the pickup didn't stop again.
Tate glanced at the pickup passing by her side and muttered, "Party time's ending."
With that, the excitement in her eyes intensified. She pulled several grenades from her waist, yanked the pins, and threw them into the densest clusters of walkers.
"Eat shit, assholes! You want to eat me? This is all you get to eat."
Tate had plenty of firepower, and she was making a lot of noise. Walkers from farther away began converging on this street.
Glenn, standing on a rooftop, clicked his tongue. "This woman's crazier than Merle. She already got the guy out—why isn't she leaving?"
"Wait, this is actually a perfect chance to escape."
Glenn's eyes lit up. Right—with walkers from several nearby streets pouring in here, that meant walker numbers on other streets had greatly decreased.
The department store where Glenn's companions were located bordered two streets and could be exited through the back door.
They could both avoid contact with walkers and return to camp with supplies.
Thinking this, Glenn became excited. He stood up, about to run toward the department store.
But the moment he turned around, a pair of large hands covered his mouth and nose.
Before he could resist, tremendous force hit him. Glenn was lifted in the air in a bear hug, then slammed hard onto the ground.
The intense pain made Glenn's eyes bulge. His mouth opened but no sound came out. Veins stood out on his forehead as his body arched rigid like a shrimp.
Rip wiped off his gloves. "Jimmy, hold him down for me."
"Rip, this... this... we're just killing him like that?"
Jimmy sniffled, speaking hesitantly.
Rip gave Jimmy an annoyed look. "I'm tying him up. Hurry up—if we wait too long, Tate won't be able to get away."
"Oh, oh." Jimmy gave an embarrassed laugh.
Please. When Jimmy had broken away from those bad friends who controlled him, he'd seen Rip in action—clean and efficient, like an assassin.
Pigpen knot—cowboys commonly used it to bind livestock like cattle and sheep.
Jimmy tied Glenn's hands and feet behind his back, wrapping the rope several times, then threading the rope's end through the loops formed by the wrapping, folding it into a U-shaped opening and pulling it back.
After assigning Jimmy to tie up Glenn, Rip pulled out his walkie-talkie and shouted into it, "Tate, I'm ready over here. You can withdraw."
"Roger roger, my finger hurts from squeezing the trigger..."
Rip didn't listen to Tate's complaining and rambling. He raised the rocket launcher, aimed down the street at a Chinese restaurant not far from Tate.
Tate on the street, after emptying a magazine, stuffed the hot gun into the back seat and nimbly got into the driver's seat.
Without the barrage blocking them, the walkers took shuffling steps, about to grab the pickup.
Rip pulled the trigger.
The rocket, trailing flames, drilled into the restaurant. In an instant, a blazing fireball erupted inside, accompanied by a shockwave that swept outward.
Flames burst through the restaurant's windows and door, blowing several walkers away.
The walkers on the street had their attention drawn.
Just then, another explosion occurred inside the restaurant—bigger and more violent, shaking the entire street.
Flames rolled out. The surrounding walkers were engulfed by the fire tongues and quickly burned to charcoal.
Tate sat in the vehicle, arms covering her head, then looked up at the street ahead.
A scene indistinguishable from a war film.
"This is just like World War Three."
After her commentary, Tate started the vehicle and took the opportunity to get the hell out.
The fiercely burning fire scene was undoubtedly the best destination for walkers who'd lost their target. Along with the thick smoke, walkers walked into the restaurant in an endless stream.
On the rooftop.
Jimmy stared dumbfounded, finally managing to squeeze out, "Oh my God!"
Rip smacked Jimmy. "I told you to watch him. What are you doing?"
"Oh, oh." Jimmy rubbed his head and turned to look at Glenn.
Glenn was already awake, tape over his mouth, angrily trying to say something but unable to get anything out.
Jimmy crouched down, lifted his cowboy hat, rubbed his sparse hair, and put the hat back on.
He sympathetically patted Glenn's shoulder and consoled him, "Just relax, save your strength. Otherwise when you die later, I'll still have to hold you down. What a hassle, right?"
Glenn's pupils dilated. His breathing quickened, but he became much more docile and stopped struggling.
Knock knock knock—
Three short, one long. Caesar pushed open the rooftop door.
Caesar paused. He had to admit his luck was pretty good—he'd run into Glenn right away.
Rick followed behind Caesar.
"Got the gun bag?"
Rip asked.
Caesar nodded.
That's right—Caesar had used Rick's gun bag as the reason for rescuing Rick.
Though this reason was pretty flimsy. After all, to save Rick, they'd expended two rocket launchers and so much ammunition.
But Caesar needed Rick's group.
First, Caesar knew clearly that he only had one advantage—his understanding of this world and parts of this world's trajectory.
This trajectory was about Rick and his people. With them, Caesar could control part of the world's direction.
Through this, Caesar could also harvest the CDC's supplies, Hershel's farm's planting expertise, Woodbury's population...
Second, Rick's group had very capable people. For Caesar's ranch, which lacked manpower, this was an irresistible reason.
Caesar very much agreed with something Negan said: in the apocalypse, population is resources.
Capable people are precious resources.
Rick obviously still had some aftereffects and wasn't very clear-headed. He asked, "So what are we doing?"
Caesar glanced at him, then crouched down facing Glenn and broke into a grin.
"What we're doing now depends on what this delivery boy can tell us."
Glenn shrank back into himself. He suspected he'd run into bad people.
But he firmly told himself he would never reveal information about the camp, even if it meant death.
The determination in Glenn's eyes reminded Caesar of how he and Maggie looked when they were captured in Woodbury.
Caesar didn't want to beat around the bush. He spoke directly. "Your camp is at the quarry, right?"
"Huh?!!"
Glenn's eyes widened. He swore he absolutely hadn't betrayed his companions, but this certain tone clearly indicated knowledge of the camp's situation.
Caesar chuckled and exchanged glances with Rip beside him, seeing Glenn's naivety in each other's eyes.