Chapter 138

Despite the twists and turns of the journey, everyone eventually reached the mountaintop village. Once there, everyone felt much more at ease, even if only temporarily.

The people from all three communities gathered at Hilltop, which was a considerable burden for Hilltop. Even though they had a lot of food stored up, now, the populations of Alexandria, the Kingdom of God, Hilltop itself, and the Salvation Army prisoners they had captured earlier all needed to be fed.

So when Maggie and Glenn saw that everyone had arrived safely, they couldn't help but start to worry, especially Maggie, who, as the person in charge, had to find a way to maintain supplies.

However, we can still be happy for now. Everyone is gathered together. Although we haven't been away from Alexandria for long, so much has happened in the meantime. They've been together all this time, but now they're scattered, so it's inevitable that we feel a little melancholy.

Fortunately, everyone was reunited once again.

Amy, Sophia, and Dewayne happily ran into the arms of their respective families. The Kingdom of God had suffered a significant blow, but with the help of Andrea, Carol, and Morgan, most of its people were saved.

Beth was finally able to reunite with her sister and father, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, and overall, everyone's mood was quite positive.

"Are you alright?" After hugging Beth, Maggie walked over to Lina. Lina tossed Mor to Daryl and snuggled up to Maggie. The smelly Mor and the sweet Maggie—how could this take any longer?

Maggie nodded to Daryl and Mor across Lina, and she received a response from them in return.

"Where's Glenn?" Lina asked reluctantly as she got up from Maggie's embrace. It wasn't right that he hadn't come out to greet her after all this time!

“They went out with Jesus,” Maggie thought with a touch of helplessness, as they were both very kind.

"Huh?" Lina was a little worried. With a major battle imminent, she didn't want everyone to be too scattered, especially since Maggie was pregnant! These two!

“We have too many people, and we’re having some supply problems,” Maggie said to Lina in a low voice. “You know, they’re very stubborn.” Maggie glanced coldly at the enclosure where the prisoners were held. She intended to cut off their food rations; these Salvation Army soldiers didn’t deserve it. Ensuring the food supply for her own people was the most important thing!

But!

Thinking of the stubborn Glenn and Jesus, Maggie couldn't help but pinch the bridge of her nose. "Those two, what should I say? Soulmates?" Maggie said to Lina in a lighthearted, joking tone. Although it made her feel awkward, that's who they are. It was their kindness that prevented her from becoming unrecognizable.

“Father,” Lina stroked her chin and said seriously, “the naive ones, but we need them.”

Maggie smiled and looked at Moore and Daryl. "The medical trailer is over there, but we don't have a doctor anymore..." Thinking of Dr. Carson made Maggie a little sad. He was a responsible and good doctor, but... she wondered how he was doing at the Saviour's Church... was he still safe?

"..." Lina suddenly realized that she should go find those two guys right now! Gabriel and Dr. Carson! Those two unlucky guys, Eugene let them go, but they got lost on the way! Then Gabriel's eye infection got worse and worse, and when the two were caught again, Dr. Carson chose to commit suicide.

Escaping and being caught again would surely lead to torture, and besides, Dr. Carson is a good man who is unwilling to risk his life for the Salvation Army.

"I have to go out for a bit," Lina thought, and without further ado, she said, "Give me a car, and do you still have any RPGs? Give me one."

Daryl was helping Moore walk towards the medical vehicle when he suddenly stopped and looked at Lina. "Where are you going?"

“Find an opportunity to go around in circles,” Lina mumbled, her eyes constantly glancing at Maggie.

As soon as Lina spoke, Maggie's expression turned serious. "We only have one left." They hadn't used their defensive tactics before because the surrounding area was full of plants that could cause fires. Hilltop Village was already relatively weak, and it would be dangerous if they attracted a horde of zombies.

"Give it to me, just in case." Lina wasn't going to be polite. She was going out to risk her life, so she needed something to protect herself. She had no intention of dying recklessly.

“Okay,” Maggie thought for a moment and agreed, “but you have to go out…”

Just as the two were discussing, the gates of Hilltop opened again, and Rick and Michonne returned.

“Rick will definitely be out there watching the outpost,” Lina said after glancing around. “I’m thinking of going around to the Church of the Saviour and seeing if I can get Dr. Carson back.”

Maggie paused for a moment, realizing it all came down to her. "...But we can't take the risk. You don't have to..."

“Of course it’s necessary, Maggie. I’m not like you, and I’m not like Rick. I don’t care about here or there. I care about very few people. You’re different. You always think about more people, whether they’re here or there. In the end, it’s all about you. I hate that. It’s too much trouble. I just want my family to be safe. I just want the people I care about to be safe. That’s enough,” Lina said softly. “I used to think that I would do anything for everyone, but lately, I’ve done nothing. So many people have died, and I’ve been hiding behind, watching it all happen.”

"No!" Maggie looked at Lina in shock, not knowing why Lina suddenly thought this way.

Moore grabbed Daryl, who was about to step forward, glared at him, and pointed with his chin towards the medical trailer. Daryl stared at Moore for a long time before finally giving in.

“Lina, you don’t have to do anything for anyone. We all know you’re in a difficult position. You didn’t help him, but you chose us and helped us. That’s a fact. You’re not doing anything.” Maggie said seriously, so seriously that Rick, who had just walked over, was a little flustered.

“But that’s not enough,” Lina puffed out her cheeks. “It’s not enough.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, you’ve done enough,” Maggie said helplessly. “Go find Enid, she’ll take you to get it. Also, you must protect yourself first.”

"Wait, where is she going?" Rick asked quickly, not wanting to cause any trouble.

“…I’ll go on patrol!” Lina said first.

“She went to the Salvation Church to see if she could rescue Dr. Carson,” Maggie said bluntly, not intending to lie for Lina.

Lena gave Maggie a resentful look, then glanced guiltily at Rick.

Rick thought for a moment, “Okay, but their people are everywhere on the road… I don’t really want you to take the risk.”

Lina paused for a moment, "It won't be risky. They're all setting up an enclosure, so it's actually more convenient right now."

“No risks,” Rick cautioned.

"Don't worry." Lina nodded and walked towards the side of the house. She had seen Karl and Enid sneaking around to the back of the house. They were a young couple, hehe.

"Should Daryl go with her?" Maggie asked Rick, still worried.

“No, not at all,” Rick thought of his unexpected conversation with Negan on the way back. “Negan might be coming for us soon.” Rick’s expression turned serious. “Are you prepared?”

“Of course,” Maggie nodded just as seriously, “we will win.”

“Yes,” Rick patted Maggie on the shoulder, his gaze fixed on Judith, whom Michonne was holding, “there’s one more thing…”

“I know,” Maggie followed Rick’s gaze. “I’ve heard about it. Don’t worry.”

Rick forced a smile; the immense pressure made it difficult for him to relax. "I'll go to the outpost in a bit and keep an eye out for alarms."

Maggie nodded. She took a deep breath and looked around at the people in the three camps and the prisoners. She had to get back to work, arranging accommodations, supplies... there was so much to do.

Although she really didn't want to be a third wheel for the young couple, Lina desperately needed Enid's help right now, so she had to grab her RPG!

And the romance of young people is so beautiful! Hehe! Lena leaned against the wall of the house, supporting her body on one leg, and whistled lightly, startling the two men who looked at her in a panic.

Enid awkwardly tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Lina? What's wrong? Did Maggie want to see me?"

"No, I just need you to take me to get the rocket launcher." Lina knew when to stop, and instead of looking at the two of them with a teasing expression, she tried her best to maintain a nonchalant demeanor.

"Uh, okay." Enid didn't ask any more questions, just nodded, then looked at Karl, her cheeks still slightly flushed, her eyes darting around, not daring to look directly at him. "You go and pack up first, I'll come find you in a bit."

Carl, of course, did not object; he simply nodded at Enid.

"So innocent," Lina thought with a smile.

Following Enid to the armory, Lina saw the only box. Upon opening it, she found a rocket launcher and a single round of ammunition inside. That familiar feel was awesome!

“This is the only one left. We’ve used it a few times before when we encountered large-scale sieges outside, so…” Enid said regretfully.

“That’s enough,” Lina said, closing the lid and packing the box in her backpack. “Let’s go!”

"Be careful." Although she didn't know what Lina was going to do, Enid didn't ask any further questions. She figured it must be some kind of mission!

As Lina stepped outside, she unexpectedly spotted Abraham. Given how inseparable he and Sasha were, why wasn't he with Sasha now?

“Sasha just remembered. She saw Negan leading Gabriel through the horde of corpses into the Church of Saviour. He’s still alive,” Abraham said. “Unfortunately, Sasha wanted to shoot, but Negan was cleverly positioned, and Gabriel blocked the shot.”

“I understand,” Lina nodded, hoping she was in time. Dr. Carson, the friend of women, she hoped he wouldn’t commit suicide so soon!

Lena ran to the door, where a car was parked. Maggie nodded to Lena from a distance, still talking to Rick. Daryl also got out of the medical trailer. Lena waved goodbye to him, got into the car, and left Hilltop.

Daryl was bewildered. He took a few steps but couldn't catch up, so he went to Rick's side. Then he heard Rick say that he was also going out to the outposts along the way.

Daryl gave him a disgruntled look. "I'll go with you!" Why are you all out again?!

“No, you stay. We can’t all be out here.” Rick refused without even thinking.

Daryl was frustrated but helpless. After all, a major battle was about to break out here, and manpower was indeed needed. No matter how unwilling he was, he had to follow orders.

Rick continued his conversation with Maggie, mentioning the junkyard, followed by the issue of rations—how to accommodate so many people, and the prisoners…

Daryl got a headache after listening for a while and quietly left. He hated these things and preferred to let him go out and do whatever he wanted, as long as he didn't have to think about these rotten things.