Chapter 29: The Opportunity Arrives
After waiting a while, Wayne discovered no pain on his body. Only then did he open his eyes.
He found that Merle had only raised the machete but hadn't actually chopped down.
Merle's team members around them all laughed loudly, their gazes at Wayne all saying: You coward!
Wayne's face flushed red. Hugh was the same.
Only then did Merle confirm that Wayne and Hugh were telling the truth. Otherwise, when Wayne begged for mercy just now, he would only have said he shouldn't have lied.
"What do we do? Should we go in?" A team member inquired.
The walkers inside the market—their numbers were visibly enormous. If they could wipe out Glenn's squad, they could wipe out Merle's squad.
Daryl said nothing and turned to walk toward the market.
Merle's brow furrowed. He stepped forward and grabbed Daryl. "I didn't say we wouldn't rescue them."
Daryl turned his head to look at Merle. "We promised Caesar we'd support Glenn."
Merle knew Daryl's stubborn streak had kicked in. He couldn't confront him head-on. "We promised, and I'll do it."
"But what if Glenn and the others haven't run into trouble!"
Daryl asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Seeing he'd placated Daryl, Merle continued. "You all know walker attention shifts."
"There are two pieces of cooked meat in front of you, plus a portion of unprocessed ingredients in front of you—which do you choose?"
A team member said, "Of course the cooked meat."
"Exactly. Walkers are the same. Plus, disemboweled humans are far more attractive to them than intact humans."
Merle explained. "So Glenn and Jimmy very likely are still alive. That walker herd is definitely feasting. Before they finish eating, many walkers won't let go."
After thinking it through, Daryl wasn't so anxious anymore.
"Even if they're still alive, they probably can't hold out much longer now."
"You have to trust that Dragon kid and the cowboy kid. They have walkie-talkies. If something happens, they can definitely get word out."
"He's Korean." Daryl suddenly corrected.
Merle nodded helplessly. "Fine, fine, Korean."
After placating Daryl, Merle looked toward the surrounding subordinates and waved his hand, having them continue their previous work.
As for Hugh and Wayne, the two were handcuffed together and tossed into the pickup.
Just as Daryl was waiting anxiously, Glenn's breathless voice came through the walkie-talkie.
"Caesar, I, I found the market's storage, storage area!"
"In, inside there's lots of food. Should be freshly delivered not long ago. Not much sold yet."
Hearing Glenn's voice, Daryl's face relaxed and his mouth split into an arc.
Merle tilted his head to glance at Daryl. Noticing the smile at his mouth, he couldn't help but smile too.
"Really are a foolishly kind bleeding heart, little brother!"
...
Caesar's group had rested on the platform for a long time.
The walkers below still extended claws upward but couldn't reach the flesh no matter what.
Caesar left two people on the platform and led the rest to climb onto the building's rooftop.
Standing on the rooftop, Caesar pulled out binoculars to survey the surrounding streets.
Luck was good. The surrounding streets didn't have many walkers. Even if all walkers were drawn to the market, they could be easily slaughtered.
Caesar nodded with satisfaction. "So few walkers. Don't know where the other walkers ran off to!"
Just then, Caesar's ears twitched. He heard gunfire and explosions, rumbling.
"Boss, there's a situation!"
At that moment, T-Dog discovered the anomaly. He pointed toward a spot.
Standing on the rooftop, they could see rising fireballs. Clearly someone was firing rocket launchers.
Caesar strode over and raised binoculars to look.
On the distant street, he could see several fully armed off-road vehicles rapidly advancing forward.
Their weapons were excellent, bullets firing forward like they cost nothing. The man in the lead stood there, the grenade launcher in his hands firing forward from time to time.
Each grenade fired inevitably caused an explosion.
For a moment, all of Atlanta became extraordinarily lively. Countless walkers began to riot.
Caesar's eyesight was excellent. When he clearly saw the man firing grenades, he froze for a moment.
Martinez??
How could it be Martinez?
Caesar's brow furrowed tightly. He struggled to recall memories in his mind.
Soon, he realized he hadn't seen wrong.
The Governor's group were marauders roaming around the Atlanta area. In some deleted scenes from the original show, the nursing home had been wiped out by marauders.
Some speculated it was the Governor's group who did it.
Others speculated it was other marauders.
Caesar realized—Martinez wasn't chasing the nursing home people, was he?
Thinking this, Caesar's gaze became profound.
Eliminating a portion of the Governor's living forces—truly a wonderful temptation.
Moreover, the Governor's subordinates were generally quite wealthy. Eliminating them would immediately yield considerable weapons and food.
Should he make a move? Or should he make a move?
Such a difficult choice!
Caesar's mouth curved slightly upward. He couldn't act too late either. If he was late and those being saved died completely—
His side would have to bear the firepower alone.
Just then, the walkie-talkie hanging at Caesar's waist made a sound.
"Caesar, I, I found the market's storage, storage area!"
"In, inside there's lots of food. Should be freshly delivered not long ago. Not much sold yet."
Caesar's face lit up with joy. He picked up the walkie-talkie to reply.
"Good that you found the location. How's the situation on your end, Glenn?"
"The market inside is full of walkers. Not easy to clear out."
Hmm? So many walkers?
"Did they come in from outside?"
"No, there were already many walkers in the market."
Caesar patted his forehead. No wonder there were only those few walkers in the plaza. I was wondering why the walker numbers didn't match up. Thought I had good luck.
Caesar glanced at Martinez and his group still shooting in the distance. His eyes rolled. A plan came to mind.
"Hey, Daryl, Merle. I have a mission for you!"
Caesar spoke into the walkie-talkie, issuing order after order. As the orders were given, Caesar's mouth curved higher and higher.
...
Martinez stood on the open-top off-road vehicle, one hand gripping the car door, the other holding a grenade launcher, firing at vehicles ahead.
Grenade after grenade made enemies scurry for cover with heads down.
Watching the enemies' miserable state, Martinez laughed heartily. His subordinates also laughed arrogantly along with him.
Martinez rarely led teams out himself. His eyes were full of excitement.
Not to mention encountering a big fish with certain medical supplies and considerable food reserves.
After killing them all and seizing the supplies, it would be enough for Woodbury to throw a party.
Thinking of the party with several beautiful women coming to offer themselves to him, fighting over him jealously, the excitement in Martinez's eyes grew increasingly intense.
Martinez saw the enemies ahead turn a corner and shouted loudly in rebuke. "Stay close! Press up!"
"Kill them all and their food and medicine are ours. Back in Woodbury with lots of food—afraid there won't be girls?"
Stimulated by the promise of women, quite a few subordinates howled strangely. Drivers also floored the gas pedals.
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