TWD - Zomboid - Chapter 265: Chris: You Mean My Sister Has a Daughter? (Patreon)

“Wait!”

Chris cut in before they could end the call.

“You claim you have an antidote and that you’ve already cracked one type of virus. Do you have any proof? Words alone mean nothing. How are we supposed to believe you?”

“What if this is all an elaborate scam...”

Ada replied, “That’s easy. We’ll do it the old-fashioned way. Pick a neutral location and conduct a joint experiment. Whether it’s a mule or a horse, we’ll know once we put it through its paces.”

Then she asked, “Sir, judging by your tone... you seem like a practical man.”

“Give us your name. We should at least know who we’re dealing with.”

“Chris Redfield.”

Luke had been lounging lazily in his chair while Ashley massaged his legs.

The president down south probably had no idea that his precious daughter was currently on the other end of the radio, massaging a strange man’s legs.

The president’s daughter, no less!

Maybe he should get Claire to do the same later.

After all...

But the moment Luke heard the name, he instinctively sat a little straighter.

Redfield?

Chris?

Holy crap!

Chris was working for Ashley’s father?

No wonder the Southern City-State had developed so quickly. With those iron arms of Chris’s, what walker could possibly stop him?

The world really was small.

“Redfield?” Luke cleared his throat and leaned closer to the radio. “Chris Redfield?”

“Yeah.”

Chris answered warily.

He couldn’t understand why this stranger was placing such emphasis on his surname.

“Well, that’s quite a coincidence.”

Luke clicked his tongue.

That startled me for a second!

I’m practically superhuman too. Why the hell should I be afraid of Chris?

“Chris, this really is a small world. Looks like we’ve just gained another bargaining chip.”

“What do you mean?” Chris immediately sensed something was wrong.

“I’ve got a girl named Claire here. And by sheer coincidence... her last name is Redfield too! She’s also in my hands right now. Hahaha, what a... pleasant surprise!”

On the other end of the radio, the muscles along the burly man’s arms bulged visibly. If the president hadn’t been standing right there, Chris might have punched straight through the wall.

His earlier composure vanished.

“Claire?”

“You mean Claire?!”

“She... she’s still alive!”

His younger sister Claire had originally gone to Raccoon City looking for him, but by then Chris had already evacuated.

Later, Raccoon City was completely destroyed.

When Chris heard that survivors had escaped the city, he had gone to meet them in high spirits, only to find Jill.

He had asked Jill about Claire again and again, but she hadn’t seen any survivors at the Raccoon City Police Department. By that point, it was no longer a place where ordinary people could survive.

Lickers, Hellhounds, Tyrants...

Even Chris didn’t dare imagine what he would do if Claire had died.

President Graham looked utterly bewildered.

Was the guy on the other end collecting people like stamps?

It was bad enough that his own daughter had been taken. Now his most capable subordinate had apparently lost his younger sister too.

Graham suddenly felt like he had found a kindred spirit.

The balance of the negotiation quietly began to shift.

The pot just kept getting bigger.

Luke knew Chris fairly well. In the Resident Evil remakes, Chris might show up acting mysterious every time, but underneath that hardened exterior, family had always mattered most to him.

Especially his little sister.

“Chris, relax. Our little sister is doing great here. She eats well, lives comfortably, and she’s even become a promising member of the unit.”

“Oh, you probably don’t know this either. You’ve got a niece now... no, wait, the other kind of niece.”

“Her name is Sherry!”

Crack! Crack!

The fabric around Chris’s shoulders tore apart under the pressure of his bulging muscles.

Jill instinctively backed away a few steps. One look at the dark, murderous expression on her captain’s face, and she didn’t dare say a word.

Even Graham stared blankly at the desk as though his mind had gone somewhere else entirely.

So after all that, they were practically family now!

“You’re saying... my sister has a daughter?”

Luke scratched his head.

Did Sherry count as a daughter?

Probably.

She might only be eight years younger than Leon, but to the players, she was definitely a daughter through and through.

“I guess so.”

BANG!!

Chris split Graham’s solid wooden desk straight down the middle with one hand.

His hand didn’t even have a scratch on it.

Hard as hell.

“What was that sound?” Luke’s brows twitched.

He could have sworn he heard something break.

Was Chris always this easy to rile up?

“Nothing. Just my joints loosening up. A few insignificant cracks.” A dangerous gleam flashed in Chris’s eyes. “Since my sister approves of you, take good care of her and her daughter.”

“By the way, do you prefer it fast or slow?”

...

At the Commonwealth, Luke and Ada both sat up straight.

Fast or slow?

What did that mean?

Even Ada couldn’t figure it out at first.

“Uh, the man beside me is my boyfriend. He’s straight, so no thanks.”

BANG!!!

Graham’s hands froze in midair as he stared at what remained of his computer, now reduced to little more than a circuit board.

He grabbed his chair and quietly scooted farther back.

“Very good. Very good! So he’s a two-timing... scumbag?”

Ada frowned deeply.

“That’s our business. You don’t get to meddle in it. Even if he were dating ten women at once, what would that have to do with you?”

“So he does have other women?”

Chris clenched his fists, looking every bit like he was ready to crush someone’s skull.

In the end, Jill had to physically drag Chris out of the room. If he stayed any longer, the next thing to break might have been the president.

“Sorry. Chris got a little too excited after hearing news about his sister. Please don’t let it affect the negotiations,” Jill said.

“All right. So do we have a deal?”

Graham was noticeably less wary now.

After all, if he was involved with Claire...

Ahem.

Wait a second.

My daughter wouldn’t also...?

...

Three minutes later.

BANG!!

Jill silently watched a table leg sail out through the window.

“Mr. President, are you setting off a ceremonial salute over there? I can barely hear you. Like I said, Ashley is doing great. She likes it here so much she’s even thinking about staying longer!”

“Did you hear me? She’s doing great...”

“It’s just a little inconvenient to send her back right now. Once everything is settled, we’ll return her...”

Doing great...

Wants to stay longer...

They’ll return her once everything is settled...

Claire and her daughter...

Veins bulged across Graham’s forehead.

The nukes!!

Where the hell are my nukes?!

“Fine! I agree to your terms. Arrange the meeting as soon as possible. As soon as possible...”

“Uh, there’s no need to rush. We should probably make some preparations first...”

“It must be as soon as possible!”

Graham forced down his anger.

“Oh, right. Don’t forget to tell Chris that Claire is doing great here too. I’ll let Claire know her brother is still alive, so he won’t have to worry about her anymore.”

You’re still bringing up Chris?!

BANG!!!

The transmission ended.

Luke and Ada stared at each other in complete confusion.

Everything had been going smoothly at first.

What the hell happened near the end?

The people on the other side seemed a little emotionally unstable.