Chapter 122: Gay Guy
The wind howled, rapidly carrying away the heat from pedestrians' bodies.
Merle wrapped himself tightly and jumped out of the vehicle, his large hand waving. "Hurry the hell up!"
"What kind of weather is this? The wind's so strong."
Merle shouted at the top of his lungs while walking toward the back door of the nearby department store.
The wind noise was so loud that even though Merle was shouting, his voice couldn't carry far. Even his squad members standing close could only hear him vaguely.
Merle left several people in the vehicles to guard them and keep the engines running.
Bang!
The back door was pushed open. Wind rushed in like fish entering water, producing terrifying wailing sounds.
Inside the pitch-black department store, the first floor was very spacious. Combined with the howling wind, it looked rather eerie.
Several young combat members shrank back.
Smack, smack, smack—Merle slapped their helmets several times in succession, saying fiercely, "What are you doing?"
"Hurry up and close that back door for me, and check all the other entrances and exits. Close any that are open!"
The physical pain instantly cleared the minds of the young squad members. No longer overthinking, they quickly moved inside.
"Having something to do keeps them from imagining things!" Toby, as Merle's trusted subordinate, naturally understood what Merle was thinking.
Merle shot Toby a look. "You get to work too!"
"Uh..." Toby laughed awkwardly and also went to close doors and check.
Compared to the previous department store, this one was further from the city center. Naturally, fewer people had visited it, yet the goods were much more complete and orderly.
The first floor displayed many clothes, mostly summer items.
When the apocalypse broke out, there was still some time before autumn, so winter clothes were displayed in much smaller quantities.
Merle wasn't idle either. He casually removed his helmet and strode into the hall.
The floor was covered with a thick layer of dust bearing footprints of varying depths—some were freshly made by squad members, others left by previous visitors.
The new footprints were far more numerous and varied in size, though the patterns were similar.
When his gaze swept past one set of footprints, Merle's footsteps halted. His eyes immediately became sharp, and his hand reflexively moved to the holster at his waist as he shouted, "Suspicious target traces discovered—everyone be alert!"
The warning echoed out. All combat members tensed, stopping what they were doing and gripping their weapons. Their gazes toward their surroundings became both vigilant and dangerous.
Beyond this, they backed toward their companions, slowly moving closer to Merle.
The hall no longer had any conversation, only the sounds of moving footsteps. The spacious hall seemed full of hidden danger.
Merle took the opportunity to put on his helmet, his gaze sweeping possible hiding places while glancing twice at the footprints on the ground.
"Suspicious target has a child with them—most likely one adult and one child. Two people!"
Just as Merle was reporting the specific information he'd discovered, a shout came from a corner.
"Don't move! Hands up! Don't try anything!"
"Squad leader, squad leader, I've got something here."
Merle held his gun with both hands, muzzle pointed at the floor, and ran quickly toward the source of the voice.
Other squad members also moved toward that location.
Surrounding the area, they saw two squad members holding guns pointed at two people in the middle—one large, one small.
They looked like mother and daughter. The mother wore thin clothing with a dirty thick garment thrown over it casually. Her body trembled slightly, her eyes full of terror.
The child looked only six or seven years old, wearing ill-fitting clothes that even dragged on the ground. She appeared somewhat malnourished, her eyes lacking any spirit.
Members from behind surged forward, completely surrounding the two. Several people with automatic rifles searched toward where the mother and daughter had been found.
Merle didn't speak, just looked at the mother and daughter.
His gaze seemed to carry tremendous weight. The mother's body shook violently, tears spilling from her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude on your territory."
"I thought with so many walkers here... there wouldn't be anyone claiming it as their turf."
"I... I just want to survive. I still have my daughter to raise. Please, please, let us go."
"My daughter was too hungry. I just wanted to find something to eat..."
"We really didn't mean to do anything, mm..."
Speaking, the mother's tears flowed freely, the pleading in her eyes unmistakably genuine.
The little girl sensed her mother's emotional collapse. She reached out with her dirty small hand and tugged at her mother's clothing corner, looking up at her mother—appearing very obedient.
Merle looked at the mother and daughter, his expression showing no reaction whatsoever.
The surrounding combat members kept their guns pointed at the two without relaxing, maintaining their vigilance.
Soon, the squad members who'd gone to search returned.
"Squad leader, no traces found."
"No abnormalities discovered either. We only saw a few walkers—their heads have been destroyed by us."
Hearing their reports, Merle's raspy voice sounded. "Contact the vehicle team outside again and have them check the surrounding situation."
Time passed second by second. The mother's emotional fluctuations were severe. Finally, unable to stand any longer, she collapsed to the ground. The little girl quickly hugged her mother.
Under the other members' gazes, Merle didn't forcibly make them lift the mother and daughter.
The radio reported no discoveries.
Only then did Merle breathe a sigh of relief. If this mother and daughter were being used as bait, there could very well be many enemies lying in ambush outside.
He would have to ask Caesar for help, seeking assistance from other combat squads—not for any other reason, but to ensure his own squad members could survive.
If they fought head-on like this, even if they escaped, many squad members would die.
Merle was no longer the Merle of before. His actions now required considering many things.
Clapping his hands, Merle said, "Alright, leave two people to watch them. Everyone else, get to work."
Leaving behind the combat squad members who'd initially discovered the mother and daughter, everyone else quickly searched the department store, identifying the storage warehouse location and where the needed supplies were.
Merle turned his back and walked toward the hall, beckoning to Toby beside him.
Toby ran over cheerfully, lowering his head to ask, "Squad leader, any orders?"
Merle pretended to casually glance back at the mother and daughter, saying offhandedly, "Find them something to eat and drink."
When Merle's gaze fell on the filthy clothes the mother and daughter wore, his tone caught before he continued, "And give them fresh clothes. They look so foul and dirty—they're offending my eyes."
"Hey, yes!" Toby grinned and nodded, his eyes looking as if they'd seen through something.
Merle's facial expression became unnatural. He pointed at Toby. "Hurry up and go!"
"If you dare say anything, believe me or not, I'll throw you in the cowboy cabin for a few nights. I heard there are several gay guys in there."
Toby's face changed, and he nodded repeatedly. "I'll go right away."