Chapter 141: Events Happen Everywhere (Protagonist)
The wind at the Port of Savannah carried a salty scent, causing the flags atop the container walls to flutter wildly.
Li parked the pickup truck outside the registration office, turned off the engine, and remained seated behind the wheel for a moment.
Clementine peered out the window, watching the men in black uniforms come and go. Some carried rifles, some pushed supply carts, and others inspected the bullet holes in a Humvee that had just returned from outside the safe zone.
After watching for a while, she shrank back into her seat and clutched the seatbelt.
Li opened the door, stepped out, walked around the front of the truck, opened her door, and helped her down.
Andrea emerged from the office.
The moment she saw Li, she slowly walked over.
Li looked at her and remained silent for a moment before recounting everything he had seen in the small Florida town—the open front door, the bloodstains on the ground, signs that someone had been staying in the bedroom, and the open back door leading into the dark forest.
He spoke slowly, as if forcing himself to relive memories he would rather forget.
After listening, Andrea lowered her head and stared at the pen in her hand.
Her fingers tightened around it until her knuckles turned white. A moment later, she loosened her grip and slipped both hands into her pockets.
"I see."
Her voice was calm, but the slight movement in her throat betrayed her emotions.
Li said nothing more.
Andrea glanced at Clementine before turning back to Li.
"Stay here and help me. I'll have someone take the little girl to the CDC. There are schools there, along with people who can take care of her."
Li hesitated.
Noticing this, Andrea added, "You can go with her, make sure she gets settled, and then come back."
Li nodded.
---
The Humvee left Savannah at dawn.
Li sat in the back seat while Clementine slept against his shoulder.
Her breathing was soft and steady. A small trail of drool glistened at the corner of her mouth in the morning sunlight.
The driver remained silent, and so did Li.
The vehicle traveled for hours as the scenery outside shifted from wilderness to farmland.
Clementine eventually woke up, rubbed her eyes, and pressed her face against the window.
"Li, look!"
Her voice brightened instantly.
Golden wheat fields stretched endlessly on both sides of the road. The heavy stalks swayed with the wind, bending and rising again like waves of gold.
In the distance stood several wooden shacks covered with waterproof tarps. Farming tools were piled near their entrances.
Workers moved through the fields, their faces obscured by straw hats and gray overalls.
"I see them," Li replied.
"This wheat doesn't look neglected at all."
The soldier driving glanced at them through the rearview mirror.
"That's thanks to Hershel, Umbrella Corporation's Minister of Agriculture. Without him, we'd still be eating compressed rations."
Li froze for a moment.
"Hershel? Hershel Greene?"
"You know him?"
Li didn't answer.
Clementine leaned closer and whispered,
"Li... will he kick us out?"
She remembered the farm.
She remembered how they had rescued two surviving children, causing Shawn Greene to die after being bitten by a Walker.
She remembered Hershel standing on the porch with a shotgun, ordering them to leave his land.
Li smiled and shook his head.
"No. That was then. This is now."
The soldier chuckled.
"Once you join Umbrella Corporation, nobody can kick you out unless you betray the company."
He paused before adding,
"And if that happens, being kicked out will be the least of your worries."
Clementine immediately stopped asking questions.
---
The Humvee left the interstate and entered a narrower asphalt road.
The faded yellow center lines were still visible.
At the end of the road stood a four-meter-high wall, gray-white in color, with broken glass embedded along the top that sparkled under the sun.
Armed guards patrolled the wall at a leisurely pace.
The iron gate remained shut.
Inside the guard post, Kyle sat in a chair with his hat pulled over his face, dozing peacefully.
After checking the vehicle's identification and verifying Li and Clementine's identities, the soldier called out to the guard station.
Kyle lifted his hat, squinted at the vehicle, and picked up the phone.
"Amy, the people Andrea mentioned have arrived."
---
On the third floor of the CDC, Amy placed the phone down and walked to Wu Fan's desk.
"Boss, the two people Andrea recommended have arrived. Li and Clementine are here."
Wu Fan paused while studying a map.
"Oh? Send them up."
Amy nodded and turned to leave.
Before reaching the door, she looked back.
"Boss, what's so special about those two? Why are you paying so much attention to them?"
Wu Fan brushed the cigarette ash from the table and smiled.
"Nothing special. I'm simply curious about someone Andrea personally recommended."
Amy stared at him for several seconds before finally leaving.
Wu Fan lit another cigarette and leaned back in his chair.
His thoughts raced.
Wherever Lee and Clementine went, trouble followed.
Savannah. The island. Florida.
They always seemed to be involved.
That couldn't be a coincidence.
Perhaps they possessed a natural talent for triggering major events.
Maybe someday he could send them straight into enemy territory.
Without firing a single shot, the enemy might collapse from within.
The thought amused him.
He smiled and stubbed out the cigarette.