TWD - Zomboid - Chapter 308: Chris: Is He Treating You Well? Is the Kid Okay? (Patreon)

Jill had every reason to be cautious.

Rebecca had started her career so young that even Luke rarely thought of her as a combatant. But if a fight actually broke out, Rebecca would still qualify as an elite soldier.

Of course, she couldn't compare to Crane Superman.

Chris gave Rebecca another look, but his hostility wasn't directed at her.

It was aimed at Luke.

Graham stepped forward and offered Rebecca his hand.

"Miss Chambers, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Rebecca politely shook his hand.

So young!

Graham was surprised as well.

The scientist looked no older than her twenties, yet she had the quiet composure of someone who had weathered plenty of hardships. She could easily have passed for a veteran of years on the front lines of research.

Graham instinctively compared her to his own researchers.

The Southern city-states had their own research teams, but without exception, they were all aging experts who had already made names for themselves before the apocalypse. They had spent decades building their experience until their hair turned gray.

Those old experts had helped establish an entire defensive system against walkers.

And yet they couldn't compare to one young researcher?

She had actually developed an antidote!

If the Nobel Prize still existed, this young woman would deserve at least one.

Not that there were many people left alive who could compete with her.

Just how extraordinary was her talent for scientific research?

Of course, that was assuming the antidote was real!

Graham still needed to see actual results before he would dare make a deal with the Commonwealth.

If the antidote proved genuine, then the two sides would have plenty to discuss.

Which meant it was time for the demonstration in Atlanta!

Was this antidote really as impressive as they claimed?

Both sides carefully worked through the details of the demonstration and the personnel assignments.

Once most of their disagreements had been ironed out and a basic framework for cooperation had taken shape, the two leaders even exchanged a few casual jokes.

For a while, the atmosphere became downright cheerful.

Just then, Chris, who had barely spoken until now, suddenly turned toward Claire as she approached from nearby.

Claire had been leading a team around the area to scout the distribution of walkers and make sure the Southern city-states hadn't prepared an ambush nearby.

There were good reasons for choosing her for the job.

Claire frowned slightly.

Something about the distribution of walkers in the area made her uneasy.

Faint, terrifying roars came from deep within the dense forest, enough to make the hair on her arms stand up.

And it wasn't just one or two.

It sounded as though an entire group of creatures was hiding somewhere deep in the wilderness.

She hadn't felt this way in a long time.

As Claire approached, she spotted Luke.

At the same time, she also saw her older brother.

After all, Chris was built like a damn iron tower. There was no way anyone could overlook him.

The tension in Claire's heart finally eased a little.

She had originally gone to Raccoon City to find her brother.

Instead, she'd run into plenty of Thunder Walkers, along with Lickers crawling all over the walls.

After barely escaping Raccoon City, she'd ended up in the Commonwealth, where mutants had nearly tormented her to death.

Seeing Chris again now made it feel as though an entire lifetime had passed.

But before Claire could enjoy the reunion, she noticed her brother staring at her with an incredibly complicated expression.

That look...

How could she describe it?

It felt like he'd spent years looking out for his little sister, only for some big, clumsy oaf to come along and sweep her off her feet.

And there was nothing he could do except stand there and watch helplessly.

Chris's stare made Claire's skin crawl.

More than anything, she was completely confused.

"Claire."

Chris stepped forward with a serious expression.

"Is he... treating you well?"

Claire blinked.

He?

Who?

"It's good to see you're okay. I'm fine too!"

Although she didn't understand what he meant, she nodded honestly.

"I'm doing pretty well in the Commonwealth. Nobody dares give me any trouble."

Chris frowned so deeply that the lines between his eyebrows almost formed a permanent crease.

He suddenly looked several years older.

"And the child... is everything alright?"

His expression grew even heavier.

"I've already heard about it, so don't bother trying to hide anything from me. Just look at you. You've gotten so worn out. You used to be such a headstrong little sister, always arguing with the family..."

The way Chris spoke, it was as though the Claire he remembered had already drifted far away from him.

Claire was even more confused.

The child?

Was he talking about Sherry?

If he meant Sherry, then things really weren't going well.

"Her condition isn't looking good," Claire said quietly. "I've been taking care of her this whole time. I almost didn't come today because of it..."

Chris's heart sank.

The heavy weight hanging over him somehow felt even heavier.

His little sister was so worried about his niece that she'd almost refused to come see her own brother.

Sure enough, the sweet little sister he'd known had finally grown up and become someone else's family.

The two of them were having completely different conversations.

Claire was worried sick about Sherry's condition.

After spending so much time together, the two had long since become like sisters.

The G-virus remained a serious hidden threat that could erupt at any time.

Chris, however, had completely misunderstood.

"She's so young, and she's already seriously ill?"

Chris frowned.

"Could it be... some kind of hereditary disease?"

As he spoke, he suddenly raised his head and stared at Luke, who was standing nearby.

The look in his eyes made it seem as though he wanted to tear Luke apart and eat him alive.

Luke: "???"

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Why was Chris the Teammate Killer looking at him like that?

Luke had been happily watching the siblings catch up when Chris suddenly turned that murderous stare on him.

Don't look at me like that!

I sure as hell don't want your teammate curse rubbing off on me!

"Sherry... has some kind of hereditary disease?" Chris asked.

Was the G-virus hereditary?

Who the hell knew?

Thinking about something like that right now should practically be illegal!

Chris deserved a good smack for letting his mind go there!

"I don't know! Go ask Rebecca!"

Luke shook his head.

"You don't know? How can you not know?!"

Chris clenched his fists.

He was a perfectly respectable man.

But if Luke was going to take advantage of his relationship with Chris's sister and act this irresponsibly, then Chris happened to know a thing or two about fighting himself!

The hulking man stood there like a damn iron tower.

The shadow he cast alone was large enough to cover an adult.

"You need to ask a doctor about that kind of thing! Why are you asking me? I'm not some ancient god who controls viruses!"

Luke looked completely innocent.

"Wonderful. I'd already prepared myself mentally for this. I've even been seeing a therapist every day, all so I could welcome a new member of the family with a smile today!"

Veins bulged across Chris's forehead.

"Huh?"

Luke stared at him.

"Sherry?"

"Why would you need to prepare yourself mentally for that? And you even started seeing a therapist? Isn't that a little hurtful?"

Luke could see the buff above Chris's head, but even he was starting to get confused.

What the hell did [Anger - Blond Hair] mean?

Why was even the buff above this walking riddle's head so damn cryptic?

"Wait, Chris. Have you misunderstood something?"

Claire stood between them, completely baffled.

She couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere along the way, this conversation had gone seriously off track.

"I don't think there's been any misunderstanding!"

Chris rolled his neck.

A rapid series of sharp cracks rang out.

"No, no, no!"

Claire shook her head frantically.

Something was definitely wrong here!