TWD - Zomboid - Chapter 307: Bilateral Talks (Patreon)

Ashley's father had quite a personality. He didn't come across as stiff or old-fashioned like a lot of politicians. If anything, he had a bit of a temper.

And the president was clearly unhappy about Luke keeping Ashley in custody.

"You should have brought Ashley with you. At the very least, you should let me see my daughter and make sure she's safe and unharmed!" Graham said.

Luke shook his head. "Can't do that. She's staying in the Commonwealth, where she's being well fed and properly taken care of every day. She's perfectly safe. Just think of it as a business trip or a vacation, a chance for her to get a change of scenery."

"Besides, until we've reached an agreement, she has to stay with me. I've already made that perfectly clear!"

Graham's expression darkened, but in the end, he kept his temper in check.

His daughter was in Luke's hands, and Graham wasn't the kind of man who could simply abandon Ashley and disregard her safety.

Ashley's mother had passed away long ago. His daughter wasn't just his beloved child. She also carried the love he still held for his late wife.

"They say dealing with young people is supposed to be straightforward. You seem to be an exception," Graham said.

Luke replied, "That's because some assholes only know how to take advantage of young people who don't know any better. Everyone has a different value in the apocalypse. An ordinary person's life might be worth next to nothing, but the president's daughter is still worth a fortune, right?"

Even in the apocalypse, the rich were still rich.

Graham frowned. "Our city-state is a democracy. Everyone enjoys equal rights. How could things be the way you describe them? Your views are a little too radical."

Luke smiled. "Really? Then tell me, how many ordinary people's food rations are you willing to spend to rescue Ashley? If one of them worked for an entire year, would they even earn enough to cover what your daughter costs in a single day?"

Graham said nothing.

The young man standing in front of him seemed to lean rather far to the left.

Perhaps the greatest value of the apocalypse was that it had shattered America's old two-party monopoly, allowing political figures with all kinds of different ideologies to regain a voice.

There were even some who, back in America, had been little more than something you'd find by the roadside...

(Ah, forget it. Better not write that.)

Luke was clearly one of them.

"Let's leave that subject alone," Graham said, immediately changing the topic. "We aren't here to debate ideology. We can allow our differences to remain while working toward common interests. Isn't that something you openly acknowledged over the radio?"

"Tsk, tsk. Dodging the uncomfortable part really is a politician's favorite trick!" Luke clicked his tongue. "President Graham, both of us control the most important resource there is. People!"

"Only through cooperation do we have a future!"

"Walkers are everywhere, and there are plenty of unknown forces causing trouble behind the scenes. The two of us need to stick together like brothers—just with completely different parents!"

"At the very least, you and I are both still on humanity's side!"

"But there are some people who don't want to be human anymore. They don't even want anyone else to remain human. So tell me, how do you think people like that can be changed?"

Luke reached out to pat the president on the chest.

Before his hand could even get there, Jill raised her gun.

"Step back!"

The moment Jill raised her weapon, the white-armored soldiers behind Luke raised theirs as well.

"Lower your weapon, ma'am!"

Crane stepped closer.

At this distance, he was confident he could pin Jill to the ground before she had a chance to fire.

Luke ignored the warning and patted the president on the chest anyway.

"Beautiful lady, you'd better put that gun down. In my experience, once your president gets within ten paces of me, any security around him becomes completely useless."

Luke straightened his collar and looked at Jill.

Neither side had brought many people. That was one of the rules they'd agreed on before the summit.

Otherwise, one side could show up with ten armored vehicles while the other handed everyone a thermobaric bomb. At that point, there wouldn't be any need to negotiate. They'd scare each other half to death before the meeting even began!

If they were genuinely here to discuss cooperation, then they needed to act like it.

"Big words. What, you think you're faster than a bullet?" Jill stepped forward.

Crane shifted his footing.

In an instant, he crossed the ten paces between them and appeared directly in front of Luke.

Jill's pupils contracted sharply.

Even she was clearly shocked by Crane's speed.

"There! You saw it yourself. Allow me to formally introduce one of my men, Crane!"

Luke patted Crane on the shoulder, and Crane stepped aside.

You think Crane Superman is a joke?

Even Volatiles would have to think twice before charging straight into a crowd.

But Uncle Crane?

Give him a machete and he'd go right in.

"Enough!"

Graham finally spoke.

"Mr. Li, since both sides are here in good faith, I'll get straight to the point."

"Go ahead."

"You said you've overcome the virus and even developed an antidote. That's the very reason we're able to meet here today," Graham said. "So... may I meet your researchers?"

It was a perfectly reasonable request.

The antidote was the foundation of this summit, but the people capable of developing it were the most valuable resource in the apocalypse.

"Of course."

Luke stepped back and beckoned toward the people behind him.

"Rebecca, come over here. It's your turn to take the stage!"

Rebecca walked forward carrying the cryogenic sample container.

She wasn't wearing a white lab coat today. Instead, she was dressed in a neat combat outfit. Her short black hair was tucked behind her ears, and the eyes behind her gold-rimmed glasses looked exceptionally calm.

It wasn't as though Rebecca had never dealt with a tense situation before.

Back when she still went on missions, she'd even worked alongside Wesker.

Now those were enemies who knew how to put pressure on you!

Compared to that, this was nothing.

"This is Rebecca Chambers, the head of scientific research for the Commonwealth," Luke introduced. "She led the team that developed the antidote. They poured their hearts into it and spent who knows how many years researching before finally producing it."

Graham and the others practically broke out in a cold sweat.

The apocalypse had only started a little over a year ago, and you were saying she'd spent years developing the antidote?

So she'd started researching it years in advance?

Now that was some impressive research ability.

Apparently, predicting the future was part of the job too...

Graham and Jill both stared at Rebecca.

They were weighing the situation.

Both sides had brought roughly the same number of people. If anyone wanted to make a move, it would come down to who had the nerve to act first.

If they could get Rebecca...

The thought flashed through Graham's mind, then disappeared just as quickly.

Researchers were among the Commonwealth's most valuable assets, and Rebecca was probably one of the most important of them all.

If Luke dared to bring her to the summit, then he clearly wasn't worried about the Southern side trying anything.

Especially with that young man here.

Graham knew the names of quite a few Ark leaders.

Before the apocalypse, those names had been part of a classified list known only to certain high-ranking officials, and Graham happened to be one of the people with access to it.

But after the apocalypse began, the Arks had lost contact with one another.

Some had already been destroyed.

Even Graham had no idea who Luke had killed to take their position.

"Hello, I'm Rebecca. I'll be responsible for explaining the experimental results throughout today's demonstration."

Rebecca extended a hand.

Jill studied Rebecca for a few extra moments.

She was trying to determine whether the female scientist was also a combatant, or simply a researcher.

Judging by the way Rebecca moved, she clearly showed signs of having received training.

That alone was enough to make Jill wary.