Marvel's Death Merchant

After a few blows, the walker could no longer stand and collapsed to its knees. Rick pressed on, raising his baseball bat high and smashing it down on the walker's head, knocking it completely to the ground.

Even after the walker fell, Rick didn't let his guard down. He mustered his remaining strength and struck again, splitting the walker's head open and killing it instantly.

The battle was over. Rick, panting, clutched his wound and collapsed to his knees.

"Are you alright?" Jie Liang asked with concern.

“Let me catch my breath,” Rick replied wearily.

After a while, Rick recovered and then led Jie Liang and the black father and son into his house.

“My family is still alive.” Rick threw away his blood-stained mask. “At least they were alive when they left.”

"How did you know?" the Black man asked.

“There were empty drawers in the bedroom; the clothes were taken, not many. But enough for the trip,” Rick explained.

"Perhaps it was stolen," the Black man questioned.

“Did you see the picture frame on the wall?” Rick said. “It’s gone. I don’t know anyone who would steal that.”

After saying that, Rick opened a cabinet and rummaged through it a few times.

"All my family photo albums and family portraits are gone."

Rick's words awakened memories in the Black people.

“Photo albums…” The Black man’s eyes welled up with tears as he smiled bitterly, “My wife… is the same… I was packing survival supplies… but she was taking out those photo albums…”

The Black man was overcome with grief, while Rick began to worry about his wife and children. Unaffected, Ji Liang comforted the two men, telling them not to grieve too much.

"Perhaps they went to Atlanta." Not wanting to continue building a somber atmosphere, Akira hinted at the answer based on the plot he knew.

“They must have gone there,” the Black man echoed, forcing back his grief.

"Why go there?" Rick asked, puzzled.

“The government built a shelter there,” the Black man said. “It was huge, at least that’s what they kept saying until the broadcasts stopped, and it was under military protection. There was food and lodging… They were urging people to go there. They said it was the safest place.”

“And they also have places to see a doctor,” the Black child added.

“Yes, the CDC said they are looking for solutions,” the Black man added.

Upon hearing this, Rick's gaze hardened. He turned and went into the inner room, where he took a set of keys from a cabinet.

Jie Liang breathed a sigh of relief; things were finally progressing as the original storyline had suggested.

Next, Rick took Jie Liang and the black father and son to the town's police station.

In this post-apocalyptic world, the energy supply had been cut off for a month. Rick had just woken from his coma and hadn't showered in quite some time. So, Rick used the police station's backup butane system to heat some water, and everyone enjoyed a comfortable hot shower. The joy of the black father and son was palpable. The black child even started singing a rap song. In this apocalyptic world, a hot shower had become an unimaginable luxury.

After showering, the group was completely refreshed. Rick sent the Black child away, trying to persuade the Black man and Sue to go to Atlanta with him.

Even if Rick hadn't said anything, Jie Liang had already made up his mind to stick with him. The black man, on the other hand, was reluctant to leave, and his wife was still wandering the streets.

Next, Rick opened the police station's armory and emptied it of all the firearms and ammunition. The armory mostly contained pistols and shotguns, with one exception: a light rifle with a scope, commonly known as a sniper rifle. Rick gave it to the black man.

The black man was actually Rick's savior. Rick woke up incredibly weak, alone, and wounded. He was unaware of what was happening in the world and lacked the necessary awareness. Without the black man's shelter and help, Rick would have certainly died. So, although they were going their separate ways, Rick's conscience prevented him from ignoring his benefactor's perilous situation. Rick gave half of his gun to the black man.

Afterwards, they went to the backyard of the police station.

“Take this.” Rick handed the black man a walkie-talkie. “I’ll turn it on for a few minutes every morning at dawn. If you ever come to Atlanta, you can use it to contact me.”

“Listen,” the black man warned Rick and Jie Liang, “they don’t usually act alone; they often come in packs, like starving wolves. Be very careful!”

"Take care!" Jie Liang said solemnly to the black man, knowing how dangerous it was to act alone.

Just then, a zombie dressed in a police uniform staggered toward them through the barbed wire gate.

“Leon Betsy,” Rick said with a sigh. “I know him. Careless and stupid. But I can’t let him wander around like this.”

Rick pulled out his gun.

“The gunshots will attract more walkers,” the black man warned Rick.

“Get out of here before they come,” Rick said.

So the Black man took the child to the car. Rick walked up to Leon and stared at him through the barbed wire. Leon gripped the barbed wire tightly with both hands, staring at Rick, baring his teeth, and letting out a monstrous roar.

Rick slowly raised his gun and pressed the muzzle against Leon's forehead. Leon, as if seeking death, let the gun be pressed against his head, continuing to roar at Rick, as if he were saying something to him.

"Bang!" Blood splattered, Leon's head jerked back, his hands gripping the barbed wire, his body slowly went limp, and he finally collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

The two cars drove out of the police station and went their separate ways at the intersection. The Black man honked his horn to say goodbye, and Rick responded by blasting the siren twice. Both men knew that in this apocalyptic world, this parting might be their last.

Rick drove up to where the half-walker was and stopped. Jie Liang knew what he was going to do. Rick was always like this; his rationality was constantly influenced by his own almost foolish naiveté and kindness.

When Rick and Jake found her, the half-walker had already crawled into the woods.

Unidentified wildflowers bloom on the grass in the woods, and golden sunlight shines on the half-bodied zombies lying on the grass.

The wrinkled, rotting skin, pale golden hair, dark circles under the eyes, missing nose, and exposed gums no longer evoked any sense of horror.

The half-walker discovered Rick and Mustard standing beside her.

She struggled to lift her head, managing to squeeze out a few weak growls from her throat... She tried repeatedly to prop herself up, but failed time and again... She looked at Rick and Jie Liang, stretching out a hand to them with all her might, as if begging for their help; each growl from her throat sounded like a plea...

"I'm so sorry you've become like this," Rick said sympathetically to the half-dead zombie.

Then, he drew his gun, aimed at her, and pulled the trigger...

The half-dead corpse finally stopped moving, lying quietly on the grass, truly returning to peace.

Gunshots rang out in the distance, as if echoing Rick's firing.

Jie Liang knew that the black man was using that sniper rifle to shoot the zombies in the street. He was using the gunfire to lure his wife, now a zombie, into restoring her peace. Tears welled in his eyes as he vented his emotions by killing the zombies. But when his wife appeared in the scope, he couldn't pull the trigger no matter what he did; he could only wail and cry…

Jie Liang felt he should do something. The existence of some unseen force that brought him into this world was surely not without reason. Perhaps someone wanted him to experience more in this world; perhaps he didn't know now, but that didn't matter anymore. He would live well and find the answer. (To be continued...)

Chapter 177 Heading to Atlanta

Without wasting any more time, Jie Liang and Rick sped off towards Atlanta.

On the way, Rick tried to contact Atlanta by radio, but there was no response.

The police car didn't have much fuel left. So Rick tried to find gasoline at a gas station.

Several cars were parked haphazardly on the road outside the gas station, some overturned, others burned to a shell. Dozens of cars were densely packed in front of the gas station, lanterns hung from the trees nearby, some car windows were covered by clothes, some makeshift tents were pitched on the ground, and the space between the vehicles was littered with daily necessities, including a plastic children's tricycle.

The makeshift camp was deserted; one can only imagine what became of its former inhabitants.

Rick tried to find some fuel inside, but he found nothing, only a little girl holding a rag doll. She had turned into a zombie, and Rick had no choice but to shoot her to rest in peace.

Having found nothing, Jie Liang and Rick had no choice but to continue. Eventually, they ran out of gas and the police broke down at a farm.

Rick grabbed the oil can, intending to try his luck at the farm, while Sue and all their luggage were taken, ready to abandon the car.

The farm was deserted. On the wall of one room, written in blood, was the message: "God, forgive us." A young man's body lay slumped against the wall on a sofa; his face was intact, but his skull and brain were missing, the remaining skull crawling with flies. A shotgun lay on the body, muzzle pointing upwards; on the floor beside him lay another young man, shot dead.

Rick then abandoned his plan to enter the house.

There was a car on the farm, but the keys were missing. Luckily, there was a horse in the barn behind the house. Rick and Sirius had no choice but to let the horse carry their luggage and walk to Atlanta.

After a difficult journey, Rick and Sirius finally arrived in Atlanta.

On the wide main road leading into the city, the half leading out of the city was jammed with cars, the stagnant traffic stretching all the way into the city, covered in dust; but the half leading into the city was spotless, without a single car in sight.

Both Jie Liang and Rick ignored the strange phenomenon and continued their journey into the city, each preoccupied with their own thoughts.

The city streets were littered with trash, showing no signs of human habitation. But the deeper one ventured, the more evidence of battle became apparent. Barricades and roadblocks lined every street. Abandoned police and military vehicles, as well as armored cars and helicopters, were scattered everywhere.

Jie Liang and Rick walked nervously down the street when suddenly the sound of a helicopter came from the sky. They looked up, but most of the sky was blocked by the surrounding skyscrapers. However, a helicopter flying overhead was clearly reflected on the glass curtain wall of one of the buildings.

Rick became excited. He clearly believed that the helicopter had some connection to the shelter.

"Wait for me where I am, Jie Liang, I'll go after them and see!" Rick excitedly mounted his horse. It was as if his wife and children were waving to him.

"Wait, Rick, it's too dangerous to ride a horse in the city. There's not a single living person here. There might be a large number of zombies hiding behind some street!" Jie Liang tried to call out to Rick, but Rick ignored him.

Damn it, tanks!

Jie Liang thought anxiously to himself.

Where is that tank? According to the plot, Rick had just passed a tank when the helicopter appeared. Rick chased after the helicopter on horseback, but encountered a large group of walkers as soon as he rounded the corner. He finally escaped death by hiding inside the tank, where he experienced a turning point and reunited with his wife and children! My arrival has indeed changed the course of this world! Perhaps because the two of them were delayed on foot, Rick hadn't reached his destination when the helicopter appeared!

Rick continued riding ahead, completely ignoring Jie Liang's warnings. But Rick was a key figure, crucial to many of Jie Liang's plans. Jie Liang had no choice but to desperately chase after him.

Just then, a burned-out bus appeared ahead of the road, and at the intersection at the end of the road, a tank cannon barrel protruded.

God help him, Jie Liang recalled the plot. Perhaps the tank wasn't needed anymore. Just to the left, to the left of the tank and the burned bus, was the alley where the Korean man, Glenn, had guided Rick to escape! But how could he gain Glenn's trust, and how could he bring Rick back?

The sound of horses' hooves echoed through the streets, startling some of the walkers who began to chase after Rick. Rick began to realize something was wrong and started running even faster.

Damn it, he can't catch up! The number of walkers on the street is increasing, and they are starting to separate Akira and Rick. If Akira continues to chase after them, he will inevitably end up with the walkers!

Glenn was alerted by Rick on the rooftop, and it was through the excellent view from the rooftop that he devised Rick's escape plan. In other words, Glenn is now secretly observing him from the rooftop!

Thinking of this, Jie Liang immediately looked up and sure enough, there was someone looking at him from the top of the building on the left.

Jie Liang waved towards the rooftop, and the figure vanished instantly. Coward!

Rick should act quickly before the walkers notice him and hide in the alley! Otherwise, even if he manages to escape, he'll lure the walkers into the alley and block Rick's escape route!

But what if Rick dies before that? Even a bite or scratch would be fatal for Rick! In the original film, Rick's escape was largely due to luck. Who can be sure that things will turn out the same way with Akira's involvement?

With that thought in mind, Jie Liang no longer hesitated. Gritting his teeth, he rushed towards the direction of the tank—the place where Rick had fallen in the original film. Most importantly, inside the tank, a US soldier turned into a zombie had a fully loaded M9! In the upcoming battle, having one more gun or one less gun would mean life or death! Moreover, Jie Liang decided not to leave his fate to the original plot. He would wait in the tank for Glenn's guidance; he wanted to reunite with Rick and escape directly to that alley!

The number of zombies on the streets is increasing.

Jie Liang didn't dare to climb to the top of the tank and show off. After running to the front of the tank, he tilted his body, slid forward with both feet, and used the momentum of running to slide directly under the tank!

Guided by memory, Jie Liang quickly located the entrance/exit under the tank and crawled inside using both hands and feet. He nimbly rushed to the rear of the tank and pulled an M9 from its holster on the soldier's corpse. The corpse was startled, opened its eyes, and was about to get up and pounce on Jie Liang when it was kicked back by a large foot. The situation was urgent; Jie Liang had no time to waste. Besides, the sound of gunfire would only add unnecessary complications to the situation.

After kicking down the zombie, Akara quickly climbed out of the tank through the exit on top of the turret.

Rick spurred his horse and galloped to the other end of the street where the tanks were parked, attempting to turn into another street. However, that street was densely packed with walkers, seemingly endless, numbering in the hundreds or thousands. Startled by Rick, they all rushed towards him. In a panic, Rick turned his horse around and fled back the way he came, but was forced to stop near the tanks. The walkers he had disturbed had already blocked his retreat, and Rick was completely surrounded.

Rick tried to ride his horse out, but he was squeezed and couldn't move. The walkers pushed and pulled at him and his horse, finally knocking the horse to the ground.

Rick fell to the ground, his gun holster landing beside the horse. The zombies swarmed in, gutting the horse and fighting desperately for its flesh.

At that moment, Akira emerged from the tank, carrying out his plan. (To be continued...)

Chapter 178 A Narrow Escape