Chapter 128: No Problem That a Saint Can't Solve
The metal bench outside the CDC was still warm from the afternoon sun.
Yet to Abraham, it felt colder than an icebox.
He sat hunched over, elbows resting on his knees, his head hanging so low it nearly touched the ground.
Veins bulged across his muscular arms.
His fingers dug deep into his hair, gripping so tightly that his scalp ached.
His broad shoulders trembled slightly.
He looked like a stone statue that had been hollowed out from within, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
Rosita stood beside him.
Her hand rested gently on his shoulder.
She had been trying to comfort him for a long time.
"Abraham, this isn't your fault."
"No one knew he was lying."
"We'll find another way."
Every word she spoke was like a pebble tossed into a bottomless lake.
No response came back.
Abraham remained motionless.
Even his breathing seemed suppressed.
After a while, Rosita sighed.
She slowly withdrew her hand and stepped aside.
She didn't know what else to say.
She was exhausted too.
---
Dale approached from the registration office carrying a cup of water.
He glanced at Rosita.
She simply shook her head.
Understanding immediately, Dale nodded and walked over.
The old man lowered himself onto the bench beside Abraham.
The metal creaked under his weight.
Abraham didn't react.
Dale wasn't in a hurry to speak.
He placed the cup on the armrest and gazed toward the distant construction site.
Workers moved across scaffolding.
Welding sparks flickered in the air like fireflies at dusk.
After watching quietly for a while, he finally spoke.
"My name is Dale."
His voice wasn't loud.
But it was steady.
Like the roots of an ancient tree firmly anchored in the earth.
"Before the apocalypse, I was just a retired salesman."
"I spent my savings on an RV and traveled across the country."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"It was my wife's dream."
"I owed her a lot."
"I spent too many years working and not enough time with her."
"I promised I'd take her traveling after retirement."
"I thought we'd have all the time in the world."
The smile faded.
"But she didn't."
He fell silent for a moment.
"Not long after I started that journey, the apocalypse happened."
"That's when I learned something."
"No matter how carefully you plan your life, you can never keep up with change."
---
One of Abraham's fingers twitched.
But he still didn't look up.
Dale turned toward him.
"Son, I heard your story."
"You escorted that scientist all the way from Texas to Georgia."
"More than a thousand miles."
"You fought walkers, bandits, bad weather, broken roads..."
"All because you believed in him."
His voice softened.
"You believed he could save the world."
"You believed your wife and daughter's deaths would mean something."
"You needed a reason to keep going."
Abraham's shoulders suddenly tensed.
A low, broken sound escaped his throat.
Dale gently nodded.
"I understand."
He patted Abraham's back.
"I understand that feeling."
"When it feels like the sky itself has collapsed."
"It's not the liar you can't let go of."
"It's the reason."
"You're afraid that without him, you'll have nothing left."
---
Abraham suddenly lifted his head.
His eyes were bloodshot.
Tears streamed down his face.
His lips trembled.
"He lied to me..."
"My purpose..."
"Everything I endured..."
"It was all a joke."
His voice cracked.
"What's the point of living now?"
Dale met his gaze directly.
His eyes remained calm and unwavering.
Like a still lake beneath the moonlight.
"Your journey wasn't a joke."
"You protected that scientist."
"You protected Rosita."
"You crossed half the country and survived."
He pointed at Abraham's chest.
"That's real."
"That's strength."
Dale picked up the cup and offered it to him.
Abraham didn't move.
So Dale placed it directly into his hands.
"If your wife and daughter were here right now..."
"They wouldn't want to see you destroy yourself over another man's lie."
Abraham gripped the cup tightly.
His knuckles turned white.
Water sloshed over the rim and splashed onto his pants.
"If faith collapses..."
"It can be rebuilt."
"If hope is lost..."
"You can find it again."
Dale leaned back against the bench.
Smoke rose from a distant construction site.
He watched it drift across the sky.
"Do you know what Umbrella has accomplished?"
"We developed a vaccine."
"A vaccine that prevents people from turning after death."
"We're gathering survivors."
"Restoring order."
"Rebuilding civilization."
"Eliminating the people who prey on the weak."
He looked at Abraham.
"This isn't some fantasy."
"It's real."
"And people like you are exactly what this place needs."
---
Abraham lowered his head and stared into the water.
The ripples slowly faded.
Clouds reflected on the surface.
Gray and white.
Drifting quietly overhead.
Dale stood up.
"Stay."
He patted Abraham's shoulder.
"Join us."
"Not for me."
"Not for that scientist."
"For yourself."
"For every day you fought to survive."
"For the future your wife and daughter would want for you."
He smiled gently.
"For the version of you that never gave up."
Then he walked away.
Step by step.
Toward the registration office.
---
Rosita watched from a distance.
Neither she nor Abraham spoke.
Several minutes passed.
Then Abraham moved.
He raised the cup.
And drank every drop.
Setting it down carefully, he pushed himself to his feet.
His legs were numb.
He staggered slightly before steadying himself against the bench.
Then he looked up.
At the towering CDC building.
At the red-and-white Umbrella logo mounted on its wall.
He stared for a long time.
Finally—
He turned and walked toward the registration office.
---
JD sat behind the desk, spinning a pen between his fingers.
Seeing Abraham approach, he stopped.
"Need something?"
He assumed Abraham wanted another meeting with the Boss.
Instead, Abraham spoke calmly.
"I want to join."
JD blinked.
Then he opened a drawer and pulled out a registration form.
Abraham accepted it.
He picked up a pen.
Slowly.
Steadily.
He wrote his name.
One stroke at a time.
When he finished, he pushed the form back.
"Welcome to the team."
JD smiled.
Abraham nodded.
Then turned and walked away.
Watching his departing figure, JD glanced down at the form.
In the remarks section, he wrote:
Former U.S. Marine Sergeant.
---
"I'll join too."
JD looked up.
Rosita was standing at the desk.
He chuckled and slid another form toward her.
---
Meanwhile, on the third floor of the CDC...
Wu Fan looked over the recruitment files JD had delivered.
He smiled.
"As expected of Dale."
"He managed to convince Abraham this quickly."
Then he glanced at their loyalty ratings.
Abraham: 20%
Rosita: 26%
Pretty low.
But understandable.
They had only just arrived.
Trust wasn't built overnight.
Once they witnessed Umbrella's capabilities and saw what the organization was truly doing, their loyalty would naturally rise.
For now, Wu Fan closed the files and made a decision.
"Assign them to Sean and Sandra as assistants."
"They can learn while we observe them."
After all...
Even talented people needed time to prove themselves.