When Rick heard these words, his Colt was instantly drawn from his waist, but soon the sound of guns being cocked filled the ears of Rick's trio, followed by the calm voice of Gareth.
"Haha, you're truly a cautious man. There are only three of you out in the open while the rest hide in the woods. Do you think we're stupid?"
Seeing that he was surrounded, Rick steadied himself, observed the situation, and spotted a group of people slowly emerging from the woods, led by the rest of his companions.
Eugene walked at the end of the line, his facial features nearly wrinkled with tension. When had he ever been targeted by so many guns while supposedly being protected all along? His eyes flickered and finally fixed on the strong red-haired man standing by the door.
Abraham was surrounded by more than a dozen people who appeared at that moment, and he reluctantly dropped the weapon in his hand. He looked around but saw Eugene behind him with a cowardly expression. In the past, that would have sparked an impulse deep inside his body, but Rosita quickly gave him a look, signaling him not to do anything rash.
"Hey, this gentleman seems a little more aggressive."
With an expression of certain victory on his face, Gareth walked closer to Abraham, though he kept a two-meter distance. He looked at Rick and his group with a smile and spoke in a strange tone.
"You all need to learn to respect the winner, understand? Especially you big men!"
After speaking, he winked at a few people behind him, who stepped forward to collect Rick's group's weapons.
But at the same time, Rick's deep voice sounded, trying to change the current situation.
"You're making a huge mistake. We belong to a large organization. If we don't return in time, they'll come looking for us, and if they find you, you'll be finished."
"Heh, do you think I care?"
"We can talk."
"I don't think so."
Rick couldn't understand why this man was so confident. He lowered his head slightly, but his eyes locked on Gareth's position. The other side refused to negotiate, which meant there seemed to be only one way out.
At that moment, Gareth glanced the other way. Rick realized this was his chance. Gareth was only two meters away. As long as his opponent was off guard, Rick could charge at him in less than a second.
The man collecting their weapons on the other side already noticed him, and the opportunity was fleeting.
Whoosh!
Rick's body became a blur as he lunged at Gareth. The two-meter distance vanished in an instant. With a hook around his enemy's neck, his muscular strength exploded, and with his right hand he pressed the Colt against Gareth at the same time. He braced his legs and shoved his back hard against Morgan and the others behind him.
"Don't move!"
Rick's shout drew everyone's attention. The group members, who had been frustrated, were stunned by Rick's sudden success. But Morgan and Abraham reacted quickly, stepping forward to cover Rick, weapons ready.
A dozen guns were aimed at them at that moment, but the three had already regrouped. Gareth was pinned in front of Rick, and Morgan guarded his back.
Rick hid his body behind Gareth as much as possible, leaving the others without a clear chance to fire.
"Tell your men to put their guns down!"
"Rick, Rick, Rick… you know what? This is a bad move!"
Seeing Gareth's relaxed expression, thinking Rick wouldn't dare shoot, Rick's tone turned harsher.
"Do you think I'm joking?"
"Listen to me—!"
A burst of laughter cut him off. Not only Gareth but also the armed men around him couldn't help but grin. Gradually their laughter grew louder, attracting nearby walkers.
"You really don't understand the situation. If I were you, I'd obediently put the guns down."
"Rick, something's not right."
Morgan's men also noticed something was wrong, and just as tension grew, Gareth finally spoke again.
"Alright, don't be upset. We already knew you were coming, understand, Rick?"
After a few breaths, seeing that the pressure on his neck hadn't eased in the slightest, Gareth rolled his eyes involuntarily.
"Your wife is in our hands! Was her name Lori?"
"What!"
Not only Rick, but even Guillermo not far away stared in disbelief.
Both sides caught a trace of surprise in each other's eyes. How did these people know Lori?
The words struck Rick like a bomb. Hearing his wife's name, his mind buzzed and his grip slackened involuntarily.
Sensing the hold on his neck easing, Gareth didn't struggle free but kept talking.
"Do you want to see her? I can take you there, but you have to let me go."
"No, you have to let them go!"
As he spoke, Rick tightened his arms again and pressed the gun harder against Gareth's head. He understood this man was his leverage—if he let him go, his last bargaining chip would vanish.
Feeling the pressure return to his neck, Gareth's expression grew impatient, and he signaled toward the gate.
The others seemed to understand and two of them turned and ran into the yard.
Not long after, a few people emerged from the corner. Rick looked up and saw the figure in front of him at a glance. It was his wife, Lori.
"Rick!"
"Lori!"
Driven by the sight of his wife, Rick's grip grew tighter, and he whispered into Gareth's ear.
"Let them go, or I'll kill you right now!"
"Shut up! You have no bargaining chips anymore, understand?"
Waving again, Lori was kicked to the ground. A man planted his boot on her and aimed a gun at her head.
At the same time, someone snatched Katie from Elen's arms and pointed a gun at the child's forehead.
"See? Do you want these people to die? If you don't release me, they'll all die because of you!"
Hearing his wife's cries and the shouts of Elen and Noa, all other sounds seemed to vanish for Rick. He looked around and only saw his companions shouting something with their mouths wide open.
His wife's pained expression, his comrades' terrified eyes, and the enemy's smug look all replayed before him like scenes in slow motion.
All he could hear was the heavy sound of his breathing and the pounding of his heartbeat. As Rick thought carefully—was everything now up to him?
Gareth's shouting faintly reached his ears, and then his senses slowly returned, the surrounding noise growing louder.
"Do you want to see your wife beaten to death? Do you have the heart to watch this child die because of you?"
"Please, don't hurt her, Katie!"
"Let me go! Let me go!"
"You won't end well!"
…
Rick lowered his Colt, and his dim eyes finally rested on his wife not far away.
A smug smile appeared on Gareth's face. Complicated as Rick was, he had finally succeeded.
After stretching his neck and rubbing the spot where he'd been strangled, Gareth looked at the people behind him.
"Everyone, welcome to Terminus, and sorry for the harm done to you!"