Chapter 41: Lies
"Mm, put the gun down. Don't just point it at people all the time."
Hearing Caesar's instruction, Tate reluctantly lowered the gun and handed the walkie-talkie to Jenner.
"Here. You two talk!"
After speaking, Tate turned and left the room.
Only Jenner and a walkie-talkie remained in the room. A voice came through it.
"Dr. Jenner, hello. I've heard so much about you!"
"I apologize for Tate's recklessness. My intention was for Tate to find an appropriate opportunity so we could sit down and communicate peacefully."
"Oh, really?" Jenner breathed a sigh of relief. It was wonderful to communicate with a normal person.
Communicating with Tate, he'd constantly worried a bullet hole would suddenly appear in his body.
"Yes. I'm now sincerely inviting you to join my team." Caesar directly expressed his intention.
"You've figured it out, haven't you? Tate has no real connection to Rick and his group. Tate was sent specifically by me to find you."
"And you, Dr. Jenner, are among the most elite talents remaining in humanity. To develop a vaccine to cure the virus, we can only rely on you."
Hearing the high praise Caesar heaped on him, Jenner's expression didn't change. He only replied, "You overestimate me. I can't develop a vaccine!"
"Why not?" Caesar didn't plan to beat around the bush with Jenner anymore. He played his trump card directly.
"It's because of your wife, Candace. She told me you're an excellent researcher. She believes you can develop the vaccine."
Jenner's gaze went blank. His ears began ringing.
Candace...
How could it be Candace?!
Anger and shame intertwined in his mind. Jenner stood up and shouted at the walkie-talkie.
"What are you saying, you bastard! My wife is dead! What kind of sick joke is this?!"
"I know Candace has passed away. She and I were friends, though we weren't very close." Caesar calmly wove his lies.
"She told me about some of the CDC's situation, and she also told me she was infected with the virus and was about to turn into a walker."
Jenner realized something was wrong. If Candace and this person weren't close, why would Candace tell him about the CDC's situation, and why would she say she was turning into a walker?
The person on the walkie-talkie seemed to see through his doubts and explained, "Candace knew I'm not an ordinary rancher. I know a lot about this apocalypse."
"Moreover, I have the ability to get you out of the CDC before it self-destructs, and I can protect you to survive in the apocalypse."
Hearing Caesar's words, Jenner seemed to lose all strength and collapsed into the chair.
Yes, the only person who cared about me and understood me like this was Candace. Candace must have known I'd refuse to leave the CDC and choose death instead.
"Candace also asked me to make sure you continue researching the vaccine. She's a gifted researcher, and so are you. Otherwise, how could she possibly fall in love with an ordinary person?"
"Because in her eyes, you shine just as brightly."
The corners of Jenner's mouth lifted slightly. The only person who encouraged him like this was Candace.
Alright. Jenner's eyelids lowered. He'd decided to join Caesar's team.
So Jenner began asking about the specifics of Caesar's team.
"What? Your camp is in a valley?!"
"Then how do I conduct experiments? I don't even have a facility! I don't have lab equipment—how am I supposed to do experiments?"
Jenner was dumbfounded. He'd thought he could enjoy life there, not worry about food or clothing, just relax.
He hadn't expected life there to be so harsh.
"Uh... we don't have lab equipment, but the CDC does!"
"When the time comes, we'll move all the equipment, and we'll find a new place to build a laboratory base."
Caesar said awkwardly, trying to reassure him.
There was no helping it. In the apocalypse, the only place that still maintained laboratories was that three-city alliance—Philadelphia, Portland, and Omaha.
Philadelphia, that mysterious Civic Republic.
Others like Woodbury, the Saviors, the Commonwealth—none had the capability to build laboratories.
This could only be achieved when technological power recovered to a certain stage.
Caesar promised, "Don't worry. Whatever lab equipment you need—as long as you know where it is, we'll definitely get it for you as soon as possible."
Hearing Caesar's assurance, Jenner's mood eased slightly.
Actually, he didn't really care that much about the lab facility. He was just worried that after joining Caesar's team, if he couldn't even conduct experiments to study the walker virus, he'd have no value.
At that point, wouldn't he just be struggling to survive in the apocalypse? He might as well explode with the CDC.
"We'll arrive at the CDC today. I'm very much looking forward to meeting you. Dr. Jenner, goodbye!"
After Caesar finished speaking, he shut off the walkie-talkie and said to Rip beside him, "Accelerate. We need to reach the CDC as quickly as possible."
Rip wore black sunglasses, looking somewhat cold. "Alright."
Rip drove the truck, foot on the gas pedal. The speed increased rapidly.
The front of the truck had been fitted with a spike made of several triangular steel plates welded together. Because it was hollow, the weight wasn't too heavy for the truck.
But combined with the truck's own kinetic energy, it was like a bulldozer, effortlessly smashing aside abandoned vehicles blocking the path.
As for walkers, to the truck they were just speed bumps.
As long as they didn't form a horde, they posed no pressure at all.
Looking down from the sky, the entire convoy used Rip's large truck as the spearhead, driving straight down the road. Everything blocking the truck's path was toppled by the spike on its front.
Behind the truck followed several similar trucks. Except for the first one, the others didn't have ramming spikes installed. They were almost completely filled with food and supplies.
On both sides of the trucks, sturdy pickup trucks advanced in orderly fashion. The pickups had also been modified considerably—fitted with crash bars and facilities to prevent walkers from getting caught in the wheels.
Additionally, there were two cruiser motorcycles traveling on the flanks.
Daryl rode his new motorcycle, glancing at Merle beside him. He heard Merle listen to the walkie-talkie for a moment, then shout at him.
"Oi, little brother! Boss says we need to speed up!"
Daryl immediately twisted the throttle. The motorcycle shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
Looking at Merle in the rearview mirror, Daryl's lips curled into a mocking smile. "You can't even taste my exhaust!"
Just then, a walker suddenly charged out from a side street. Although the walker's speed couldn't possibly catch up to a motorcycle, if it just grazed the bike, it would be enough to make it lose control.
A gunshot rang out. Merle held a gun in one hand, a freshly found cigar clamped in his mouth, and rode up laughing hoarsely.
"Still gotta rely on your big brother! Hahahaha!"