After Alex nearly took off Merle’s head with an iron coin, a heavy silence settled over the room. Even Dale’s attempts to defuse the situation fell flat. Daryl and Shane kept a wary eye on Alex, especially after seeing the coin embedded in the brick wall behind Merle. But what unsettled them most was the fact that no one had even seen the moment he threw it. It had happened too fast.

The only thing that somewhat eased the tension was Shizuka, who was treating Glenn’s gunshot wound — the result of his unfortunate “meeting” with Merle’s so-called friends. As it turned out, they were complete racists who opened fire the moment they saw Glenn.

Alex watched Rick’s group calmly. His gaze briefly stopped on the girl — Sophia. In the original story, she was supposed to get lost and eventually die, turning into a walker. But here, she was alive. Alex knew this reality wasn’t bound to the canon. Even Merle still had his hand, and Shane was alive. Carol, sensing danger, instinctively shielded Sophia with her body. Alex noticed the gesture but said nothing. He would’ve done the same.

“Don’t be afraid of him,” came Recca’s calm voice from beside Alex. “He might look like a villain, but he won’t harm children. We have a daughter too.”

Her words eased the tension slightly — not completely, but enough for some members of Rick’s group to exchange glances and truly take note of the woman standing beside Alex. Recca, scanning the group, noticed a pregnant woman — Lori Grimes. Sadly, Alex already knew the baby wasn’t her husband’s.

“Hmm… I wonder if Rick knows whose child it really is…” the thought crossed Alex’s mind. He never imagined he’d get a front-row seat to this soap opera.

“I see you have a pregnant woman with you. Allow me to examine her. From the looks of it, she’s in the late stages,” Recca offered kindly.

“I think she’s fine. There’s no need to worry,” Rick replied cautiously, stepping protectively in front of Lori.

“Still, I insist,” Recca said gently but firmly. “I promise not to harm your wife. I just want to make sure everything’s okay with the baby, especially after what you’ve all been through.”

Rick hesitated. Shane joined the conversation, watching the exchange tensely. Alex, observing the moment, smirked inwardly. If he had popcorn, he would’ve leaned back and enjoyed the show. The scene unfolding was straight out of a drama series — Rick and Shane silently clashing over one woman.

Lori, noticing the growing tension, gently took Rick’s hand and gave a subtle shake of her head — it’s fine. Rick sighed, nodded, and stepped aside, letting his wife through. Shane looked at him with disapproval. But now, Recca had her chance to act.

Recca took Lori by the hand and led her to a quieter spot. Rick placed a hand on his son Carl’s shoulder and nodded toward Lori. The boy, wearing a serious expression, walked over to his mother and stayed by her side. Recca sat Lori down on a chair, pulled a compact medical capsule from her backpack, and began the examination.

“Were you a doctor before?” Lori asked while Recca adjusted the equipment.

“I was, once,” Recca nodded. “I used to be a doctor in a police special unit. After our division was disbanded, I went into science and became a professor of biochemistry. When everything started… I was giving a lecture at the Seoul Institute.”

“And how did you meet your boyfriend? You two are… a couple, right?” Lori asked cautiously.

“With Alex? That’s simple,” Recca replied with a slight smile, putting on a stethoscope. “When the chaos began, he was in Japan with his family. Now take a deep breath and cough.”

“Wait…” Maggie interjected, listening closely. “If you were in different countries, how did you even meet?”

“To keep it short,” Recca said without looking up from her work, “Alex and his family were vacationing in Japan. Then he and his team hijacked a military ship from there, traveled to a bunch of places gathering allies, and we met in South Korea — he was helping with city evacuation, holding back a horde of demons and zombies to save civilians.”

Lori and Maggie exchanged stunned glances. The rest of the group also stared at Recca — then at Alex, who was lazily watching Shizuka stitch up Glenn’s leg wound.

Noticing their reactions, Recca merely shrugged and continued the examination, as if what she said was completely ordinary.

“And what did your boyfriend do before all this?” Dale asked, clearly curious.

“Alex?” Recca chuckled. “He prefers to call himself a ‘private contractor.’ But to put it plainly — he’s a former mercenary.”

She finished the examination and leaned back.

“Everything’s fine. The baby is developing well. You just need to be careful and not overexert yourself. Otherwise, labor might start early,” she said softly, packing up the equipment.

Lori nodded with a faint smile — just knowing the baby was okay was already great news. Alex glanced over at her and Recca, and a subtle smile flickered on his face. He also noticed both Shane and Rick exhale in relief, and he barely held back a laugh.

On one hand, Lori’s actions were understandable — Rick had been in a coma, and no one knew if he was even alive. And Shane couldn’t be blamed either — they both thought Rick was dead. But Alex wasn’t going to say anything about it — it wasn’t his place, especially since he had only known Rick’s group for a few minutes.

Once Recca finished examining Lori, the tense atmosphere finally began to lift.

“Alright, I’m done. I stitched the wound, but don’t overstrain your leg. If the stitches tear — we’ll cut it off. Of course, you can take the risk if you really want to lose a leg,” Shizuka said with a sweet, almost childlike smile. Her tone could send chills down the spine of even a seasoned fighter.

“G-got it. Thanks. No need to cut anything, please,” Glenn stammered, swallowing nervously.

Shizuka smiled sweetly, then suddenly hugged Alex around the neck. He shot her a glance, holding back a smirk. More and more, it seemed like the girls in his family were starting to “corrupt” Shizuka, making her more… cunning. He even had a good guess who was behind it, but he didn’t plan to interfere. After all, no matter what, Shizuka was still his adorable airhead — kind and sincere, even if she talked about amputations with a smile.

“Are… are you two dating?” Maggie asked uncertainly, pointing at Alex and Shizuka.

“There’s more of us. A lot more,” Recca answered with a crooked smile. “And explaining why… is complicated.”

The guys exchanged glances, then looked at Recca, and finally at Alex. The envy in their eyes was almost tangible. But Alex didn’t care—he was used to those kinds of looks. Men always looked at him that way.

He shifted his gaze to Rick’s group and moved on to the next step—questions. He was particularly interested in where those bastards from the KKK came from, since Merle seemed to know them, even though they’d shot Glenn.

“All right, we helped your friend. I think it’s only fair if you answer me now. Where exactly did you encounter that group your chatty buddy here is familiar with?” Alex said, nodding toward Merle.

“Hell no, they ain’t my friends! Especially after they tried to put a bullet in my ass!” Merle snapped.

“But you used to consider them friends. Or at least acquaintances,” Alex shrugged.

“All right, Merle, calm down,” Rick interjected. “If you’ve got a map, I’ll show you where we ran into them.”

Alex nodded and pulled a phone out of his pocket. He activated a holographic projection of a map and placed the device on the table. Everyone stared at it in mild shock.

“What the hell is that? Where’d you get something like this? You run away from a sci-fi movie or something?” Andrea asked, staring from the map to Alex.

“Nope. Made it myself,” he replied flatly. “Now stop wasting time. Show me where you saw them. Because besides a group of racists, there’s another problem in this town—and it’s a lot worse.”

“Can you clarify what other problem you mean?” Dale asked cautiously.

“Cultists,” Shizuka said seriously. “And they’ve got a very, very nasty book. They live in a cabin in the woods and… do their dark stuff.”

“You serious right now? Cultists? With a book? Maybe someone’s pulling your leg,” Daryl scoffed.

Alex narrowed his eyes and spoke with a slight note of irritation:

“Listen, Robin Hood. Do you think I’d care about them if it was just some joke? We’ve traveled halfway across the world during this apocalypse. Trust me—every country closed its borders, and the radicals took over. Every day, I hear someone preaching about the ‘greatness of the nation.’ The apocalypse was the perfect excuse for groups like that to seize power. Racism, fanaticism, death cults—it’s all common now.”

He raised a finger, as if making a point.

Veterans like Dale and Hershel just nodded with a mix of regret and understanding. They’d seen enough of life to know how the world worked. The rise of nationalist factions in various countries wasn’t a surprise to them.

To reinforce his point, Alex opened a journal compiled by GIR and MIMI, showing Rick’s group what was happening across the globe. As Alex read out excerpts from different countries, Rick’s people began to realize—if you listened carefully, you could hear the same themes. Promises, slogans, calls to action—they all sounded the same, just worded differently.

After finishing, Alex closed the journal and brought the map back up.

“Just point to the spot on the map, so we don’t waste time searching,” he said to Rick.

He silently pointed to one of the markers. Alex saw that the group of racists had set up at an old shooting range. Nodding, he immediately sent the coordinates to his team, instructing them to start moving toward the location slowly.

“You said you were from Alaska, didn’t you?” Dale suddenly asked, squinting. “So the broadcast we heard… was that from you? The voice sounded familiar.”

“That’s right,” Alex nodded. “We have a settlement in Alaska. You probably heard us.”

“Are you planning to go back there once you’re done here?” Carol asked carefully, clearly trying to learn more.

“Actually, we still have a lot of work to do here. I won’t go into detail. But if you’re interested, you can return with us to our settlement. You’ll have to wait a bit until we finish our business here, but it’ll give you time to decide whether you want to come with us or stay at the military base,” Alex said, giving Rick’s group a quick look-over.

“Thanks for the offer. Like you said—we’ll think about it and decide,” Rick nodded. “Can you tell us what’s going on at the military base?”

Alex nodded and began to explain. He knew the situation at the base well, which was under the command of Major Payne. Alex was confident: with someone like that in charge, the base would be in order. Major Payne was a man of iron discipline. He had no tolerance for freeloaders or anyone who treated their responsibilities carelessly. Alex knew men like him well—everything ran like a well-oiled machine: precise, coordinated, and reliable.

Rick’s group listened attentively. When Alex finished, Rick repeated that they would seriously consider his offer. This conversation also gave Alex a chance to get to know their group better and finally introduce himself properly so he could address them by name without raising suspicion.

Casually, he asked where they had come from—to complete the picture. As in the original timeline, Rick’s group had followed a similar path with a few differences: Merle hadn’t lost his hand, Shane was still alive, and Sophia—the girl who was supposed to become a walker—was still with them. But otherwise, things had followed the familiar pattern.

The rest of the group also nodded in agreement with their leader. Alex didn’t press them, just shrugged. But their conversation was suddenly cut short—a single gunshot rang out from the street.

Alex raised an eyebrow and exchanged looks with Shizuka and Recca. While Rick’s group tensed at the sound, Alex was already up from his chair, heading toward the exit with the girls. Outside, they could hear shouting, fighting, and bursts of gunfire.

But as soon as they stepped outside, everything went silent.

Rick and the others exchanged glances and cautiously followed Alex. They emerged just in time to see Alex, Shizuka, and Recca climbing over wrecked cars.

The trio headed into an alley—and immediately stumbled upon a scene of carnage. The girls were standing among bodies dressed in white robes. Corpses lay everywhere—some smashed into walls, others hacked apart, a few shot clean through the head. From the clothing, it was obvious: these were Ku Klux Klan members.

Alex immediately understood what had happened. Those bastards had clearly brought this on themselves—most likely they’d crossed the line, and his girls didn’t tolerate disrespect. Especially not Becca, Rory, Saeko, or Revy—if you pushed them, you could expect heads to roll.

Alex clasped his hands together as if in prayer, with a hint of irony, hoping those bastards went straight to hell.

Rick’s group reached the alley and stopped, swallowing instinctively as they took in the wreckage and glanced at the girls.

“Well, ladies… what happened here?” Alex asked calmly.

“Some idiots showed up, talking nonsense about some Merle, looking for him,” Becca began, her eyes flashing. “And as soon as they saw us, they started debating who would fuck whom. So, I blew one of their heads off. The others pulled guns, so I had to respond.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Valmet interrupted, rolling her eyes. “She didn’t even let them finish talking. One guy even stammered about ‘sleeping together,’ and got a bullet right in the forehead.”

“It’s the same thing!” Becca snapped back. “What the hell is wrong with him opening his mouth anyway? I’m only sleeping with my own cupcake!”

Alex watched the scene with a blank expression. Then his gaze shifted back to the mutilated bodies of the Ku Klux Klan members, and a moment later he heard footsteps behind him. Turning his head, he looked at Rick’s group—more precisely, at Merle himself, the one these racists had been hunting.

Rick, Merle, and the others clearly heard the girls say the robed men had come specifically for Merle. All eyes in the group immediately turned to him.

Merle just snapped back in response to the sudden attention. The girls stopped their argument and immediately tensed when they noticed a new group emerging from the alley.

“Looks like, Merle, your buddies weren’t planning on leaving you alone,” Alex remarked, raising an eyebrow. “What did you do to piss them off so much that they decided to track you down?”

“I didn’t do anything to piss them off! Daryl’s the one who put a bolt in one of their heads,” Merle growled irritably, clearly angry about being targeted.

Daryl rolled his eyes but didn’t bother to explain. Those guys started shooting first; he was just defending himself. Alex glanced at him and gave a thumbs-up—an approving gesture. Watching the series, Daryl always seemed like a decent guy who had saved the group more than once.

Now the girls understood who Merle was—the very one the dead had talked about.

“Well done, Daryl. So where are you headed now? To the military base?” Alex asked with interest, addressing Rick’s group.

“If you’re right and it really is safe there,” Rick began with a slight smile, “then that’s where we’ll head first. And then we’ll think about your offer to join your settlement.”

He extended his hand to Alex.

“I’m not insisting,” Alex replied, shaking it. “We’ll be staying in the city for now anyway. You’ll have time to think it over.”

Rick nodded and smiled again. His group headed toward the vehicles they had arrived in and started getting inside. Alex showed them the route on the map—how to get to the military base more safely, avoiding unnecessary trouble.

While he was explaining the route, he contacted Payne and informed him that he was sending people their way. As usual, Payne didn’t miss the chance to be rude, accusing Alex of sending him another group of freeloaders. Alex ignored the jab and simply ended the call—he had no desire to listen to the grumbling of that tough soldier.

After clarifying everything to Rick’s group, Alex said goodbye and stepped aside to let the vehicles pass. When everyone had left, only Daryl remained, sitting on his motorcycle, deep in thought.

“Why didn’t you go with your group?” Alex asked, approaching him.

“I’m here to help,” Daryl replied calmly, leaning on the handlebars. “I don’t like owing favors. Especially since Glenn got hurt because of Merle. And the fact that those guys came after us… your group had to deal with that crap we’re involved in.”

“Alright then, I won’t stop you. You probably know where your brother’s buddies are hiding?” Alex asked with a smile, lighting a cigarette and offering one to Daryl.

“Of course I do. Before the apocalypse, my brother and I used to visit that old shooting range quite often. I remember once he drunkenly let it slip that his buddy who runs the place was building a bunker for the end of days. Looks like he wasn’t wrong. They built something serious there to hold everyone.”

“Are there many people there?” Chiquita, who had just approached, asked.

“Not sure,” Daryl shook his head.

Alex exchanged a glance with Chiquita. Judging by that, there could be quite a few people there. The other girls also came closer, listening to the conversation.

“And who’s your new friend who decided to help us?” Ada asked, looking at Daryl.

“This is Daryl, Merle’s brother. The same one those idiots in robes came after. He knows where their bunker is and decided to help us,” Alex explained, introducing Daryl to the girls.

Daryl nodded silently. He wasn’t much of a talker. The girls nodded back and shifted their gaze to Alex.

He spread out the map and pointed out the location of the KKK members’ hideout. Seeing the spot, the girls understood he wasn’t wrong.

“What’s the plan? Head there right away? Or keep looking for survivors who haven’t been caught yet?” Saya asked, adjusting her glasses.

“I think it’s better to go there immediately. We already have plenty to do. I’ll contact Price and the others to head to the marked point. We’ll meet there,” Alex said after a brief pause.

The girls nodded and moved toward the vehicles to prepare for departure. Alex immediately got in touch with Price and explained the situation: he and his group had rescued survivors who knew the location of the KKK bunker, and now they were heading there. Price reported that they would arrive soon as well—their squad had encountered a large group of survivors they planned to bring first to the military base before catching up with Alex and the girls.

Finishing the conversation, Alex relayed the information to the girls, who confirmed they were ready to depart. Daryl rode ahead, leading the way so no one would get lost. After some time, he pulled over to the roadside and stopped. Alex and the girls, following in the Humvee, also halted.

“What’s with the stop, Robin Hood?” Becca asked, peeking out of the Humvee window.

“We’re a couple of kilometers from their hideout,” Daryl replied, pointing down the road ahead. “Better to wait here until your friends arrive. They’ve got guards there — we’ll be spotted quickly.”

Alex nodded in agreement and stepped out of the vehicle with the others. The girls decided to pass the time chatting among themselves while Alex stared ahead, feeling a strange sensation—as if something interesting was happening right now, and he was missing it.

“Maybe we should scout the area while we wait?” Rika suggested, tapping the thoughtful Alex on the shoulder.

“You mean: ‘Alex, darling, go scout the area while the rest of us girls fool around here,’ right?” he said, turning to her with a squint.

“You’re so smart! That’s why I love you. You’re the most perceptive husband we have. Mwah!” Rika smiled and kissed him on the cheek, leaning on his shoulder.

Alex glanced at the other girls. They nodded in agreement, clearly not eager to venture into the woods. He sighed—he himself wanted to stretch his legs and check things out anyway. A reconnaissance fit that purpose perfectly.

He called over GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, who were sitting on the Wolf, and headed toward the wooded area. As he began moving away, Daryl killed the motorcycle engine, slung his crossbow over his back, and followed.

“So, you’ve got robots, huh?” Daryl asked, matching pace with Alex.

“You know, I expected a stronger reaction. Usually people are shocked when they see my helpers, but you look like you’ve seen it all before,” Alex replied with a smile.

“You’ve got robots. Well, that’s cool.” Daryl said it with exaggerated indifference.

“Not all of them are robots. Only GIR, MIMI, and the Wolf. Stitch is something more complicated. Just think of him as a dangerous pet. Only instead of biting, he sprays automatic gunfire,” Alex said, pointing at his group of four.

Daryl glanced at Stitch. Noticing the look, Stitch turned his head, baring sharp teeth, and simultaneously flashed a peace sign with two fingers. Daryl smirked, deciding it was easier to pretend he didn’t see either the robots or the strange blue dog with a weapon. Now he understood why Alex talked about a ‘strong reaction’—especially considering the childlike dog costumes the robots were wearing.

As they continued through the forest, Alex decided to chat with Daryl a bit—to pass time and build rapport. The road to the shooting range where the surviving KKK members were holed up was several kilometers long.

At first, Daryl wasn’t eager to talk, but soon the conversation got going. He started asking questions himself, curious about who Alex and his group were dealing with. Alex didn’t hide anything: if Daryl and his people ever decided to join the settlement, they would find out everything from others anyway.

“Stop. We’re almost there,” Daryl suddenly said, stopping in his tracks. “Now let’s be quiet and careful. Knowing those idiots, they probably set booby traps all over the forest.”

Alex nodded and moved cautiously. Even if a mine wouldn’t hurt him, the explosion was always an unpleasant experience. He had already seen and suffered enough from explosions in his life. Getting blown up again, even without consequences, was definitely not part of his plans.

Daryl walked ahead, carefully scanning every bush and bump in the ground. Alex knew he was an excellent hunter and knew the terrain perfectly. But even experience can fail sometimes.

A click sounded.

Daryl froze, sharply looking down. Right under his foot, the edge of an antipersonnel mine was visible, partially covered by dirt.

“Congratulations, you just won the grand prize,” Alex said, stopping beside him and glancing at the trap.

“Very funny,” Daryl muttered through clenched teeth. “Hope your metal friends can disarm this kind of present. Because personally, I’m not too keen on blowing up.”

“We’ll see,” Alex replied with a smirk. “Just don’t move. Theoretically, we can sew your leg back on… if it stays intact.”

Daryl gave a brief nod and stood still, even trying to breathe as quietly as possible.

Alex carefully crouched in front of the mine, cleared some dirt from the edges, and with a gentle exhale released a thin stream of magic. Soon the mine’s body frosted over, then started to build up a thick layer of ice. When the whole device was completely frozen, Alex suddenly shoved Daryl to the side.

Daryl closed his eyes, bracing for the explosion… but nothing happened. Peeking one eye open, he saw the mine was still frozen solid in the ground.

“What the… why is it covered in ice?!” he exclaimed in surprise.

“Oh right, forgot to mention… I’m a ninja. That’s something I can do,” Alex shrugged as if it was the most ordinary thing.

“Are you alright in the head?” Daryl asked skeptically, staring at him.

“Completely. But you better not ask the girls — they’ll tell you all sorts of crazy stuff. Now I’m going ahead. Just in case you suddenly get an urge for an extreme takeoff.”

He chuckled and moved forward. As they progressed, Alex started noticing dozens of traps — mines, tripwires, snares. All laid out with frightening meticulousness.

“Those idiots really decided to mine everything, without thinking that some zombie might accidentally trigger all this?” he muttered under his breath.

Carefully navigating around obstacles, Alex reached the edge of the clearing that opened onto the shooting range grounds. Crouching down, he looked around. But… no one. No movement, no sounds. Only silence.

“You said they had lookouts?” Alex asked, turning his head toward Daryl.

“They did. A couple of hours ago they were definitely on duty. Now… it’s like they vanished.”

Alex frowned and started walking along the clearing to get a better look at the entire perimeter. Daryl followed him, along with GIR, MIMI, Stitch, and Wolf. After walking a bit further, they reached a spot with a clear view of the inner shooting range area. Daryl pointed at a nearby building.

“That should be the entrance to the bunker.”

Alex peered closely. But even focusing carefully — no souls. No zombies, no corpses, no signs of life.

“Something’s off here…” he muttered. “The only explanation is they all went down into the bunker. Or… something came here that scared them away.”

The thought that a horde of zombies or mutants might have arrived gnawed at him. But everything looked… too clean. Too quiet. Like before a storm. Now Alex understood why he had felt like he was missing something. Still, he decided to come here only when the others arrived.

He stood up and nodded to Daryl.

“Let’s go back. We need to come here with the rest. Knowing myself, I’d end up crawling into the bunker alone and then get told off for ignoring everyone.”

“Good idea,” Daryl said, casting one last look at the silent shooting range before following Alex and his helpers back into the forest.

To be continued…

+3 Chapters on my Patreon: p*treon.com/GreedHunter

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep