The Town

It was past 6 PM when someone delivered dinner and woke the two, telling them to attend a meeting after they ate.

When Kirk and Little Fatty arrived at the meeting venue, they found the atmosphere extremely somber. A man covered in blood stood in the center; it was Mori's brother, the expert archer Daryl. Rick saw them arrive and gestured for Daryl to continue.

"…So, we tracked the car's trail all the way to a valley woodland. Suddenly, we were ambushed. They were prepared, as if they knew we were coming. Three large vehicles surrounded our group. Their firepower was too strong – machine guns, automatic rifles, and sniper rifles. We were scattered, some died, and most were captured. I hid and watched as those convoys got onto the highway and drove away."

"You're the only one who escaped?" the Doctor asked, his voice trembling. His precious eldest daughter, Maggie, was also in the exploration team.

Daryl nodded and pointed at Ma Ruiqi. "The Chinese woman also escaped. I don't know how she did it." Ma Ruiqi stood up and said expressionlessly that she had hidden in the grass, evaded the search, and escaped.

Kirk and Little Fatty exchanged glances. The plot character team had suffered a huge loss sending people to track The Governor. Plot characters Michonne, Green, Maggie, and Andrea were captured. Newbies Ranmaru and the Korean kid were caught, and two others were killed. Combined with their team's crushing defeat in Area C, the plot character team's combat strength had been halved.

"We can't just stand by and let The Governor torture them. We have to rescue them. Now! Immediately!" The Doctor became agitated; Maggie was his daughter. Rick and Daryl both agreed. Ma Ruiqi stepped forward, stating she knew where The Governor's town was and was willing to join the rescue team.

"Why didn't The Governor kill them? Why take them? He's trying to use them as bait to lure us. If we go to rescue them tonight, we'll be walking right into the enemy's trap! Besides, don't forget, the walkers will undergo their third mutation tonight, and our defenses are completely insufficient," Shane argued fiercely. Mori agreed with his opinion.

However, due to Rick and the majority's insistence, the team passed a resolution to organize a rescue team to go that night and rescue four plot characters and two newbies.

At this moment, The Space issued a new mission: "[Rescue]. Your four friends have been captured by the evil Governor Philip. You cannot stand by and watch them be tortured and killed. Rescue them tonight; this is your only chance. Reward for successfully rescuing one plot character: 500 survival points, 25 Team Contribution Value, 0.5% plot deviation."

"Plot deviation? What is that? It looks pretty valuable," Blondie muttered.

Little Fatty chuckled inwardly. Blondie, such a 'big shot,' still didn't know what plot deviation was. Meanwhile, Big Brother Kirk had already accumulated 25.6%.

Kirk, however, kept staring at Ma Ruiqi. This woman was too suspicious. She was clearly close to Rick's group, yet she didn't act with Rick. Instead, she insisted on joining the reconnaissance team. Kirk believed plot characters had affinities. Ma Ruiqi's actions might have annoyed Rick, but The Space wouldn't trifle with affinity levels. Ma Ruiqi's relationship with Rick should still be above average. Why would she abandon the better option for the worse? This time, even the Korean newbie, who had the highest Agility and was the fastest among the newbies, couldn't escape The Governor's encirclement and search. How did this woman manage to return? Her recent behavior was too strange; she needed to be watched closely.

Kirk privately called Mori aside, and the two whispered for a long time.

The rescue team, consisting of 10 people, stealthily approached the town's defensive wall. Rick, Daryl, and Mori led the team. Kirk, Little Fatty, Blondie, and Ma Ruiqi all participated in the rescue.

The defensive wall wasn't high, only about 3 meters. It seemed walkers weren't good at jumping. It was 20 meters wide, blocking a main road leading into the town with tires, wooden boards, and cars. A few people were stationed there, operating machine guns and searchlights.

This was the Governor's town from the plot, a typical quiet American town. The bright moonlight rose, like snow. The night breeze blew gently. The Milky Way hung upside down, the stars were brilliant, the wind was high and clouds were thin, making it intoxicating. The town had many palm trees, their shadows swaying in the night breeze, adding to the town's charm. Many houses still had lights on. There was electricity, hot water, and showers. The air was filled with the aroma of bread, steak, coffee, and cheese. Compared to the hellish scene outside with walkers everywhere, rotting corpses filling the land, and people living in constant fear, eating outdoors and sleeping in the open, this tranquil, safe, and warm place was a paradise on earth, a utopia. In the plot, The Governor used this utopian town to deceive many people, presenting himself as a democratic, civilized, and enlightened leader, promising people safety, autonomy, and a life, only to later commit heinous atrocities. He was a devil in human skin, the worst of the worst.

"Infiltrate," Daryl signaled.

The guards here weren't necessarily all bad guys; they were basically ordinary citizens who were unaware of the truth. But now, to rescue Green and the others, they had to get over this wall.

An ominous premonition flashed through Kirk's mind. This outwardly peaceful and beautiful town was like a monster lurking in the darkness, waiting to devour them.

What if Ma Ruiqi had truly surrendered to The Governor? What if they had set up an ambush inside? What if that person was truly a traitor and had informed The Governor? This operation would likely be fraught with danger.

Before the operation, he told Rick his deductions. Mori said nothing, only made a gesture across his neck.

Anyone who endangered the team would be killed without mercy!

The only concern was Rick's attitude. Would he let this woman go because of their past relationship?

Just then, Ma Ruiqi suddenly stood up. "Over there!" she pointed. A faint hole appeared at the corner of the wall. This woman had sharp eyes.

"We can crawl through there to sneak into the town and rescue them!" Ma Ruiqi took the lead and crawled towards the hole, but Rick grabbed her.

"Rick, what are you doing?" Ma Ruiqi shrieked.

"You're usually very timid. Why are you rushing to the front this time? What's on the other side of the wall?" Rick asked with a smile.

"I… I was just anxious to save people," Ma Ruiqi stammered, forcing a smile. "There are our people on the other side of the wall."

"It's The Governor's people, isn't it?" Mori said. "How did you escape today?"

"I escaped through my wit! Why aren't you guys suspecting Daryl?" Ma Ruiqi became angry.

(Kirk's internal monologue: Big sister, stop being brainless. Daryl is an experienced internationalist fighter in the plot, never a traitor! His tracking skill reached level 6, and he's known as the 'hundred-kill, never-die' survivor until the very end!)

Mori grabbed Ma Ruiqi. "Woman, who do you think you're fooling with that acting? Do you really think you're from Hollywood? Tell me, what did The Governor say to you?" His blade glided across Ma Ruiqi's face. "You wouldn't want this pretty face ruined by my terrible artistic skills, would you?"

Ma Ruiqi shrieked, "Rick, save me!"

Rick pulled Ma Ruiqi up. "My wife, Lori, how did she die? We were all outside fighting walkers, why did you stay inside? Carl said that when the walkers rushed in, only you stayed by Lori's side. When I examined Lori's body, I found a bullet hole on her leg! Was it you?"

Ma Ruiqi shrieked, "It wasn't me! It wasn't me! It wasn't any of me!" She struggled desperately.

At this moment, her screams attracted the sweeping searchlights from above. Immediately after, machine guns opened fire.

The rescue team scattered. Ma Ruiqi took advantage of the chaos, pushed Rick's hand away, cast a venomous glance at the rescue team, and then darted through the hole.

Voices could be heard from the other side. As expected, The Governor knew about the rescue team's arrival and had set up an ambush at the hole. Fortunately, Rick and the others had decisively seen through Ma Ruiqi's plan and hadn't fallen into the trap.

"I already told Rick what you said, and he agreed. Actually, we deliberately let Ma Ruiqi go this time to lull The Governor into a false sense of security. Our real rescue operation will officially begin in the latter half of the night. In Chinese terms, it's a 'comeback charge'," Mori told Kirk while chewing gum.

Kirk felt a sense of awe. Who said plot characters were stupid? They were very smart. Ma Ruiqi's true colors were revealed, and she was caught red-handed. Everyone except herself knew something was wrong with her.

As for the comeback charge later, Kirk thought it was a brilliant move. Lightning doesn't strike the same place twice, but what if it did? That would be a blind spot in people's thinking. In the first half of the night, The Governor set a trap for them, but they would deliberately venture into the lion's den again in the latter half.