Persuasion

Lunch was very lavish.

Roast duck, chicken, steak, various fruits, red wine, and pies—everything was available.

It was clear that Hershel's family placed great importance on Leon's visit. Leon, in turn, strictly observed his role as a guest, being very polite and occasionally cracking well-timed jokes. The meal left both host and guest thoroughly pleased.

In the afternoon, Leon and Amy expressed a desire to try horse riding, so Hershel had his eldest daughter, Maggie, teach them how to ride.

From proper posture to how to exert force and maintain balance while moving, Maggie taught earnestly. She was an outgoing girl and occasionally chatted about her own stories with the farm.

They rode for about two hours, which was quite pleasant. Leon had basically mastered the essentials of riding, while Amy was still just a beginner.

He made an excuse to leave the two girls to continue practicing and went to find Hershel in the house.

The old man was a bit puzzled as to why Leon was looking for him, but Leon got straight to the point:

"Mr. Hershel, I know you keep many zombies in your warehouse, and you believe they're just sick people, not monsters."

"Because they're all your neighbors, relatives, and friends."

"I won't judge your views for now, but I invite you to leave this farm with me and see the world outside."

"See what this world really looks like now."

"It won't take long—just an hour or two—and as long as you stay by my side, there won't be any danger."

Hershel frowned, looking at Leon with some anger. But considering the man's identity and the power he wielded, the old man let out a soft sigh and said:

"Alright, Mr. Castor, I'll go out with you and take a look. But I hope you won't interfere with me and my family's actions from now on."

A dozen minutes later, without alerting anyone else, Leon drove his Modified Jeep with Hershel toward a nearby town.

Halfway there, Leon spotted a good target and pulled the car over.

It was a zombie reduced to just half its body—likely run over by a car, with everything below the abdomen gone. Rotten skin, blackened organs, all visible. When it saw the stopped vehicle, it suddenly gained motivation, using both hands to desperately crawl toward the car.

Leon stepped out, planted his foot on the zombie's head, pinning it firmly to the ground, and turned to Hershel, whose face had turned ashen, and asked:

"These things start rotting after the first day of transformation. I don't know why they don't breed maggots, but with bodies like this, they can still move."

"Mr. Hershel, you might not know this, but I searched the entire Atlanta area for months and only found a few hundred survivors. Only about one in several thousand of us humans made it."

"If we develop a virus serum in the future, can these rotten, broken corpses turn back into humans?"

Hershel stared blankly at the half-zombie still crawling. The zombies he'd seen before were mostly intact, giving him a sense that they might be curable. Combined with fantasies of reuniting with his loved ones, he had stubbornly clung to his opinion.

His daughters and friends had also lived in the illusion he wove, with no one willing to shatter it.

But this half-crawling zombie dealt him a massive blow, making him want to run away.

Leon waited a few dozen seconds. Seeing the old man still hadn't answered, he shrugged and crushed the zombie's skull under his foot.

They got back on the road. Hershel suddenly said he wanted a drink, so Leon followed his directions to a bar in town.

Along the way, they saw even more grotesque zombies—some with skin burned to charcoal, some missing limbs from being gnawed on, some with gaping holes in their chests, and one that was just a layer of skin wrapped around a skeleton, still moving. It was downright unscientific, and Leon found it fascinating.

Inside the bar, Hershel's mood seemed low. He grabbed a bottle of brandy from the counter and started drinking on his own. Leon picked a low-alcohol fruit wine, took a glass, and began to look around.

After he finished his sweep and cleared all threats, the old man had already downed half the bottle.

Leon walked over and patted Hershel's shoulder, saying, "Go easy, Mr. Hershel. When we get home, your family will blame me."

The old man lifted his somewhat bleary eyes, looked at Leon, and said:

"Coming out with you today and seeing those mutilated monsters—"

"I realize now that I've been a complete fool, Mr. Castor. My wife, my stepson, my close friends—they've been dead for a long time. I've just been raising a bunch of monsters."

"What hope is there left in this world? This town used to have thousands of people, and now there's not a single living soul to be seen."

"Everything we knew has turned to dust."

Leon wasn't particularly moved. He spoke to Hershel with a serious expression:

"Whether you think there's hope or not, Mr. Hershel, you're the pillar of your family. Your two daughters rely on you, your friends trust you. Even if there's no hope, you have to act confident and pass that confidence on to them."

"That's the responsibility you have to bear as a father and as a friend."

He patted the old man's shoulder again and continued:

"This world still has hope. Our Umbrella Corporation is that hope. As long as we're given enough time, we will definitely defeat the virus and liberate all of humanity."

"That's my belief, and my ideal."

Hershel murmured a few words softly, then said:

"You're truly a noble man, Mr. Castor."

Before dusk, the two drove back to the farm. Maggie and Amy were riding horses, enjoying the scenery. When they saw their father return drunk, they felt a bit puzzled.

Leon didn't explain much. Instead, he invited Maggie's family to join him for a meal that evening, featuring the delicacies he'd brought from the base.

He had also brought plenty of supplies from the base for Glenn's team, so he took the opportunity to host a small outdoor barbecue party.

Before sunset, Glenn and his team returned to the farm. They'd only been out a few days and hadn't gathered much—mostly some food and medicine. However, three passing survivors had asked to join Umbrella Corporation, and he'd kept them around.

Leon took a moment to meet the three: a married couple and their neighbor, who seemed like honest, down-to-earth folks. He promised to take them to the Umbrella base when he left and invited them to the party, earning their gratitude.

Under Amy's arrangement, the dinner went smoothly. With good food and drink, plus various cooked dishes and snacks from the base, everyone ate happily.

Leon didn't spoil the mood with any speeches. He simply let Amy attend to him and quietly observed everyone's reactions.

After the dinner ended, Glenn came over and told Leon some news.

Outside a nearby town, he'd discovered a camp of about thirty people. With insufficient intel, he couldn't judge their character, so he hadn't acted rashly.