Rick and Shane

"It seems I underestimated you, Dr. Castor."

Seeing that no more Zombies were coming their way, Leon returned to the heavy jeep and stayed alert for any Zombies that might launch a surprise attack from elsewhere.

In the passenger seat, Kevira stared at Leon's eyes with a strange look, her expression tinged with surprise.

"You're stronger than I imagined. Your strength, reaction speed, and explosive power are beyond what I expected. It's difficult for an ordinary person to reach this level. In almost every aspect, you're comparable to top athletes."

"Even the retired Navy SEALs ace my family recruited at great expense couldn't match you physically."

Leon glanced at Kevira expressionlessly. He didn't mind others knowing how strong he was, but there was always something condescending in the girl's tone, as though she were an arrogant keyboard warrior who had no idea how vast the world was.

"Miss Kevira certainly has quite a mouth on her. But do you remember? You're no longer a rich girl. You're just a cripple now, and you're going to owe me a huge debt in the future."

Faced with Leon's vicious words, the girl merely chuckled, completely unfazed, and continued:

"I'm serious. Your physical abilities are very strong, but your combat skills are still at an ordinary person's level. You should find an expert and study under them properly. That's the only way to make the most of your advantages instead of relying solely on brute force."

"It's a shame I can't move right now. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind teaching you a thing or two."

Leon had actually noticed this weakness of his as well, but there were no true combat experts around him. Almost everyone had learned through unorthodox methods.

"Are your combat skills really that strong?"

Kevira shook her head and said:

"Physically, I can't be considered a true expert, but my combat skills are very strong."

"I've had professional coaches teach me combat since I was twelve. I'm talented too, but physical ability is a very important factor in this. I've never undergone genuine life-or-death combat training. I can deal with ordinary people, but against true experts, I might have an advantage at first. Once it came down to endurance and strength, though, I'd be defeated."

"However, if I launched a surprise attack and hit someone in a vital spot, I could basically kill anyone instantly."

Leon nodded, finding Kevira's explanation reasonable. This was the real world, not a martial-arts movie. How could there be someone with an excellent physique whose strength and speed surpassed those of a muscle-bound brute?

Standing around doing nothing was boring, so Leon chatted with Kevira while keeping watch on his surroundings. From her, he learned quite a few things ordinary people had no access to.

This rich girl was the youngest daughter in her family and had quite a few siblings. Her family ran a multinational corporation. Although she couldn't inherit the family business, she still had more money than an ordinary person could ever spend. She had inherited her parents' excellent genes and was both intelligent and talented, but she had always been unconventional and enjoyed playing with dangerous, thrilling things. Her parents barely restrained her, and she had gradually become the person she was now.

As they chatted, a figure emerged from behind the truck. It was Daryl, who had gone to the supermarket to create a disturbance. He had moved considerably faster than Leon had expected, completing the entire task in about twenty minutes.

Leon took a bottle of water and a towel from the back seat of the jeep and handed them to Daryl.

"Are you hurt, Daryl?"

Daryl breathed slightly heavily and shook his head. He took the water and towel, removed the modified motorcycle helmet from his head, and gave himself a quick cleanup.

Once his breathing had gradually steadied, Daryl didn't stop to rest. Instead, he immediately said to Leon:

"I'm going to help transport the guns, boss."

Leon nodded. Daryl's refusal to claim credit or act conceited touched him slightly as a boss.

If all his subordinates were good employees like this—willing to fight, willing to work, and unconcerned with personal gain—how could he fail to unite the world under his rule?

"Go ahead. I'll handle security outside."

At dusk, before the sun set.

Leon's convoy finally returned to the Umbrella Base, where the Logistics Department porters who had received the news were already waiting.

After a simple handover, assistant Amy stayed behind to continue handling the inventorying of the supplies, while he escorted Mrs. Moretti and several patients to the base's Medical Room.

This operation had yielded a great deal. Besides clearing out the county hospital's medical equipment and large quantities of medicine, they had also obtained more than a hundred rifles and over three hundred pistols from the gun shop Kevira had recommended. Their Ammunition Reserve alone exceeded twenty thousand rounds.

Kevira's value was self-evident from this alone.

According to the girl, there was only one gun shop in King County that could be considered legitimate. Atlanta had roughly three larger gun shops, but all of them were near the city center. Given the current situation, even without Zombies, it would be difficult to drive there without clearing the obstacles from the roads.

Leon led everyone to the Medical Room on the first floor of the base.

There were quite a few people inside. Besides the two nurses still working, Shane and Carl were beside Lori, speaking softly about something.

The unlucky girl appeared to have regained consciousness. Her face and chest were wrapped in thick bandages, leaving only her nose and mouth exposed. With her dejected appearance, she looked like an Egyptian mummy.

Bright, who had been shot, had already left. He was probably looking for some simple work to earn Contribution Points.

Standing at the doorway, Leon wore a sly smile. He shouted at Carl, who was holding Lori's hand beside the bed and weeping softly:

"Carl, look who I brought back to see you!"

Carl, who had been crying, and Shane, whose face was filled with sorrow, both turned toward Leon at the same time.

They saw Rick lying on the bed beside Leon.

Shane's expression changed dramatically. Shock, delight, panic, surprise, longing, and another complicated emotion he himself didn't understand all froze across his face. The dazzling succession of expressions was like a brilliant stage play, and it gave Leon a trace of pleasure.

Carl's reaction was much simpler. The little boy, who had suffered one misfortune after another, opened his eyes wide and parted his small mouth. His sorrow turned to joy. With tears and snot still on his face, he shouted "Dad!" and ran toward Rick beside Leon at full speed.

Lori, who had been dejected, seemed completely bewildered when she heard Leon and Carl shouting. Her expression was hidden beneath the bandages, which was a pity. She stood stunned for nearly a minute before calling out Carl and Rick's names and trying to struggle out of bed and feel her way over.

But her hands and feet were still fractured, so Shane and the nurses, who had recovered from their surprise, pushed her back onto the bed.

Rick's wife and Carl's mother seemed to have fallen into a confused state of mind. She mumbled Shane, Carl, and Rick's names, but couldn't form coherent words.

The entire Medical Room seemed to descend into chaos. It took three or four minutes of shouting and commotion before things gradually quieted down.

"You seem happy?"

Kevira, lying on another bed, looked at Leon strangely as she asked him this.

"It's heartwarming and amusing, isn't it? A family torn apart by disaster has reunited here, as if fate brought them together." Leon wore an inscrutable smile as he glanced at the girl.

"Shouldn't I be happy?"

The girl curled her lips and muttered softly:

"Your expression doesn't look like you're happy about someone else's reunion. You look more like you're watching some kind of comedy."

Leon ignored Kevira and instead watched as Lori and Carl each held one of Rick's hands, while Shane surrounded him with them.

They murmured their own words and softly called Rick's name, their voices filled with genuine emotion.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

"Where am I?"

It seemed even God had been moved by the heartwarming scene. Rick, who might otherwise have needed more time to awaken, suddenly opened his eyes and began coughing.

Leon's eyes narrowed slightly, and the smile at the corners of his mouth widened again despite himself.

This was too interesting.