Flames soared to the sky—
Below the circular grandstand.
Michonne, her face somewhat cold, suddenly opened her eyes.
She instinctively caught the white katana thrown to her side, drew the blade, and faced the danger.
In the four corners near her, four muscular men each held three iron chains.
Following the chains, the other end was several withered Walkers, roaring incessantly, their movements and aggression significantly increased.
They seemed to see no one else, only fixating on Michonne, whose arm had a bleeding cut.
On the high platform directly in front of the circular grandstand, a man who appeared very composed and imposing stood there, his arms spread, facing the crowd.
Four large lights instantly lit up with his movement, illuminating the entire circular grandstand.
The previously quiet environment instantly became lively, the grandstand filled with people, who conversed and cheered softly.
It wasn't until their 'Governor' pressed his hands down that they slowly quieted.
"Today is a different day!"
The Governor's face held a touch of sorrow, a stark contrast to the hidden malevolence in his eyes.
Michonne followed the spotlight to the Governor, secretly cursing him as 'two-faced' once more.
"I believe everyone has already heard about Johnny's martyrdom during his last supply run."
"This is a heartbreaking fact, but it happened."
"I've thought more than once, how wonderful it would have been if I hadn't let Johnny leave the Community?"
"Perhaps then Johnny wouldn't have died, and I wouldn't have sleepless nights, suffering day in and day out."
The Governor's expression and words moved the crowd present; the last trace of noise disappeared, and they bowed their heads in silent mourning.
At this moment, the corner of the Governor's mouth involuntarily twitched, revealing a twisted and grotesque smile.
"But!" He suddenly raised his voice, and everyone involuntarily looked at him.
"Today, however, I discovered that Johnny's death was not an accident!"
As soon as these words were uttered, there was an uproar.
All the residents of the Community looked at each other, incredulous.
The Governor's statement overturned their previous understanding of the matter.
"I found the truth, I found the truth for Johnny!"
The Governor became increasingly agitated, his voice rising in waves like the sea; in his deep emotion, he even stood on the high platform and vigorously waved his arm.
"Johnny was murdered! In that small town 30 kilometers away."
"Later I learned that deep in the jungle there is a Prison, with tall fences like ours, occupied by a group of survivors."
"Johnny wanted to be friendly with them, but they mercilessly pushed him into a horde of Walkers!"
"And our reconnaissance captain!"
The Governor paused, suddenly shifting the focus to Michonne.
With three parts sorrow, three parts helplessness, and three parts accusation, the Governor spoke again.
"She watched Johnny die with her own eyes!"
"She…"
The Governor drew out his words, his eyes catching the warm light, like a fiercely burning flame.
But from Michonne's upward angle, she saw something different.
It was like the eyes of a jackal, faintly glowing with a cold, green light.
And it was precisely in that half-second of Michonne's dazed that the Governor condemned her.
"She is from the Prison!"
"They are all brutal predators; they sent Michonne to infiltrate us, attempting to dismantle us from within!"
As soon as the Governor uttered these words, it was like a meteor striking water, instantly stirring up a thousand waves!
Community members stood up from their seats, their mouths filled with curses directed at Michonne.
The Governor pressed his hands down again, and the noise once more vanished.
He dabbed at the corner of his eye, bringing forth a tear of sorrow.
"Just this morning, our people had a battle with them."
"Fortunately, we won, and we brought the murderer Michonne back from their hands!"
"Punish her!!"
Someone shouted, and everyone began to repeat it like a broken record.
"Punish! Punish! Punish…"
They were like chanting a slogan representing justice, their voices gradually becoming uniform.
"Punish!"
The Governor also shouted along with the rising enthusiasm of the crowd.
At the same time, the warriors standing in the four corners activated the mechanisms, releasing the chains locked on the Walkers' neck rings.
The bloodthirsty Walkers seemed to quicken their pace even when trotting, swarming closer to Michonne.
Seeing this, the Governor withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards the quiet area behind him.
"I remember you said last time that you needed a living reconnaissance captain?"
Milton hesitated, asking in a tone that wasn't quite a question.
The Governor stopped at his words, turning to look at his friend, the Community's scientist and Walker researcher.
"Because I found something more interesting."
The Governor grinned at him, asking in return with a forced smile.
"Do you know what Martinez saw?"
Milton seemed puzzled, and the Governor leaned closer, continuing.
"A natural castle, spacious lawns, sturdy buildings, abundant supplies, and there are only 20 or 30 people there, and a dozen guns!"
"You know what this means."
"But… but…" Milton weakly averted his eyes, not daring to meet the Governor's gaze.
"There are no 'buts,' Milton."
"The people in the Community need a safe living environment; I am just eliminating all crises in their infancy."
"I kill to protect the Community."
Watching the Governor once again equate his wanton killing with protection, in a place no one else could see, the Governor's face was distorted.
Milton fell silent, but the Governor pressed closer.
"We are friends, you should trust me, right?"
Milton nodded, he should… trust him, right?
…
"Who's there?"
The man with a gun slung over his shoulder frowned and approached, only to be met by a woman with black and white hair and a benevolent appearance.
Carol held up her hands, looking pitifully at the man.
"I swear I didn't want this, but my child is sick, and I want to find some medicine for him." Tears welled in Carol's eyes.
"Wait until you see Martinez."
How could the man be so easily fooled?
At this time, almost everyone was in the 'arena,' so how could a woman suddenly appear?
Moreover, this woman looked somewhat unfamiliar; he didn't remember seeing her in Woodbury.
As he spoke, the man held his gun reversed, aimed at Carol, and was about to grab her hair.
But when a corner of his body touched the darkness.
Whoosh—!
A swift and sharp shadow attacked, instantly piercing his brain.
Carol, who had just been so delicate and weak, instantly narrowed her eyes, smoothly supported the man, and dragged him into the darkness behind her.
After doing all this, Carol wiped the corner of her eye without a change in expression, as if crying was merely a tactic for her.
Daryl witnessed this scene firsthand, instinctively turning to look at Merle and Glenn.
The three could see the surprise in each other's eyes.
Was this still the Carol who was so weak she dared not resist domestic violence?
When Shawn suggested this earlier, they were still a bit uneasy, but now, who present dared to say they could do better than Carol?
"Thanks, Carol." Shawn winked at her.
At this time, the five of them had already reached the middle-to-rear section of Woodbury, a position from which they could faintly hear the cheers from the 'arena.'
Shawn also roughly realized his judgment error; Michonne should be in the 'arena' right now.
The group was about to approach the arena.
But the next second, the swaying figure on the opposite path made Shawn pause.
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