TWD: Saving Merle First - Chapter 93: They’re Pretty Tough Anyway (Patreon)

Wade looked at the agile parkour runners leaning against the car, a gleam of “recruitment” flashing in his eyes.

As always, parkour runners who had survived the Volatiles’ brutal selection process would be a core fighting force in any camp.

Now imagine letting Abraham and Ryan train them for a while. Wade almost did not dare picture the result...

After taking two gulps of water, Jade turned to Wade beside her, who was constantly sizing up the team. “When do we set out?”

Wade shook off his daydreams and cast a serious glance down the highway. “No rush. My men aren’t back yet.”

“Not back yet?”

“Yeah. I’m worried someone might be tailing you. My camp doesn’t want to take on any unnecessary risks right now, and we can’t afford to.”

Jade squeezed the plastic bottle twice. This guy actually seemed like a responsible camp leader, a little like Brecken...

“Mm-hmm.” She replied briefly, then walked over to Rahim and whispered something to him.

Then Rahim climbed back into the pickup truck, retrieved a few portions of food and fresh water, and walked over to the second SUV.

Wade sat on the steps, watching it all without giving anything away, thinking of two people: Tolga and Fatin.

Those two scientific geniuses with extremely high IQs and negative EQs.

They were not bad people at heart, but the way they talked was infuriating, especially because there was usually no good way to argue back.

Wade himself did not mind, but that did not mean Merle, Abraham, or Shane would feel the same. Once those hotheads got worked up, someone could actually end up dead.

So when the time came, those two would have to be kept in separate quarters.

That said, it really was time to improve the camp’s living conditions. At the very least, everyone needed to get out of tents before winter.

Otherwise, people will freeze to death.

Wade propped his chin in his hand, his thoughts racing.

Leon and Claire, standing nearby, kept sizing him up.

“This guy looks so weird. I just get the feeling he’s hiding something.”

Claire furrowed her brow. “He’s a little like the guys around my brother, but he doesn’t have that battle-hardened air about him.”

“So what do we do? Should we leave or stay?”

“Let’s wait and see.”

Wade listened to Leon and Claire’s conversation without giving anything away, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Come on, come on. Now that you were here, none of you were getting away.

Neither of these two was a pushover, especially Leon, who had a reputation for being absurdly tough. His combat skills and overall ability were top-tier.

He had not fully matured yet, but that did not stop Wade from deciding to speed up the process himself.

When the time came, Crane, Abraham, and Ryan could all help give him a one-month crash course.

He was tough enough to take it, anyway.

Marcus jumped down from the truck bed, wiped the sweat and blood from his face, and said, “Wade, the conditions in this truck are terrible. It’s stuffy, there’s barely any ventilation, and the wounded need to get back to camp and rest as soon as possible. Otherwise, the risk of secondary infections and lasting complications will be high.”

Wade nodded. “Alright, I’ll call Daryl and Merle back. Let’s head home.”

As he spoke, he took out his walkie-talkie, turned it on, and tapped it lightly twice. Two seconds later, Merle’s voice came through the receiver: “What’s up? Did something happen?”

“Nothing serious. How’s it going over there? We’ve got some wounded here, so we need to get back as soon as possible.”

“Oh, okay.” Merle’s voice sounded a bit disappointed.

Wade turned off the walkie-talkie and clipped it back to his waist.

Apparently they had found nothing. Or more precisely, no one had been tailing the convoy.

That was actually for the best; at least they wouldn’t have to organize another outing tomorrow and could focus on harvesting the crops in peace.

Wade stood up and said to Jade, “Get everyone in the vehicles. We’re heading back to camp.”

Jade nodded, glanced at the parkour runners, and without further ado, said bluntly, “Get in the car.”

Then Wade watched those people move like they had been spring-loaded. The instant Jade gave the order, they returned to their positions quickly and in perfect order.

There was a hint of pride in Jade’s eyes, as if she were saying, “See what my people are like?”

Wade gave her a thumbs-up. They really were impressive. But from now on, they’d be part of his crew.

Merle and Daryl emerged from the street, both looking rather glum.

“Any clues?”

Merle shook his head. “Come on. The street’s completely empty. Nothing but a few walkers here and there.”

Wade nodded. “Alright, I’ll drive. Let’s head home.”

Merle’s eyes lit up at those words. He hurried into the passenger seat, pulled out a bottle of liquor, twisted off the cap, and started chugging.

Wade rolled his eyes. Other people had disciplined, well-trained teams. His own group felt more like a daycare for problem children.

Not wanting to say much more, he turned the key, stepped on the gas, and drove out through the back door of the police station.

The ride back was fairly quiet, with no incidents.

Once everyone returned to camp, Wade told Jade, “We’re all staying in tents now, but you’ll have to set them up yourselves. As for materials, you can ask Rick to help you sort them out.”

“Rick?”

Rick wasn’t wearing a hat this time; otherwise, Wade would have been able to describe his appearance in advance. Fortunately, as always, Rick walked straight over to Wade as soon as he returned.

“Right. Go to Rick for internal camp matters and Shane for anything outside the camp,” Wade said, casually outlining the division of authority.

That had been Wade’s plan from the start. Rick went without saying, while Shane was practically made for handling outside affairs. He was smart, ruthless, fiercely protective of his own, and aside from the occasional streak of obsession, nearly perfect for the job.

Rick and Shane, who were approaching, exchanged a brief glance before quickly looking away.

The two had barely spoken over the past few days, but their relationship was no longer completely frozen.

The bond between them had become complicated. Each might think, I don’t want anything to do with him, but if someone else laid a hand on the other, he would be the first to kill them.

Jade watched the two men approaching from behind Wade and made a mental assessment: the one with blue eyes must be Rick, and the one with the buzz cut was Shane.

There was no other reason. Shane looked every bit like a thug right now, clearly the kind of man who handled trouble outside the camp.

With Crane still unconscious and Brecken dead, Jade had no choice but to step up herself. She waved at the two men.

Rick nodded with a faint smile. “Welcome. Wade’s been worried about you guys these past few days. He even had people stationed by the radio all day waiting for news.”

Rick was subtly helping Wade win them over. Shane was much more straightforward. He merely grunted, then added as if to make up for it, “I hope your abilities live up to how highly Wade thinks of you.”

Jade had formed a rough impression of their personalities, so she grunted in response as well, then said, “Rest assured, my people won’t let you down.”

Rick then called Glenn and the others over. They fetched a batch of tents from the barn and began setting up camp with the parkour runners.

Shane crossed his arms, watching the parkour runners move with such precision, and gave a slight nod.

“Not bad. At least they don’t look like complete novices.”

Wade smiled. “Shane, trust me. Once the summer harvest is over, take them into town, and you’ll see why I wanted to bring these guys on board.”

Shane didn’t comment, but he nodded anyway. “But if there’s a problem with these people…”

“You handle it. I trust you.”

As Wade spoke, his gaze fell on the group from the Tower in the distance.

As everyone came into view, Wade saw Sherry, the unconscious Crane, another seriously wounded parkour runner, and Tolga and Fatin surveying the camp. But Brecken was nowhere to be seen...

Wade’s last shred of hope vanished at that moment. He let out a quiet sigh and said nothing more.