The Walking Dead: I Sell Arms as a Sixth-Rate Seller in the Apocalypse

12 noon

A church on a street in the North Side of Atlanta

Rick and Mieko arrived at the church entrance.

Seeing the dilapidated church before her, Mieko felt a complex mix of emotions.

Seeing this, Rick put his hand on Mihoko's left shoulder and comforted her, "Don't worry, everything will be alright."

Upon hearing this, Mihoko said nothing. She turned the doorknob and found that the door was locked from the inside, which puzzled Rick, who was standing nearby.

Rick said to Mihoko, "Honey, something's not right here. Wait here for me while I scout around and make sure it's safe before I figure out how to break in."

Mieko replied, "Okay, be careful."

Rick nodded to Mieko, then walked to the side of the church with his tactical crossbow in hand.

The church in front of us looks dilapidated and weathered on the outside, but its interior is actually full of wonders.

Almost all the church windows were boarded up, and the small doors on the side of the church were also boarded up from the outside, as if to prevent anything inside the church from escaping.

Rick arrived at the back door, where a wooden board was nailed to the door, though the nails on the other side of the board hadn't been driven in yet.

Three intact wooden planks, a claw hammer, and several long nails were scattered around the back door, clearly indicating that the person who was doing this work left before finishing.

This made Rick even more curious about what was inside the abandoned church.

Seeing this, Rick picked up a claw hammer from the ground and pried open the nails that hadn't been driven in time to the wooden board. He then adjusted the board so that it was no longer blocking the doorway.

He then turned the doorknob and opened the back door.

Rick didn't go inside; instead, he went back to the gate and called out to Mieko.

Mihoko followed Rick cautiously into the church through the back door.

What comes into view is a long, narrow corridor with clutter piled up on both sides. Because the windows are nailed shut with other wooden boards, the outside light only shines in through the gaps between the boards, and even so, the room is still very dim.

Seeing the situation, Rick said to Mieko, "Honey, shall we go in?"

Mieko said resolutely, "I'm going in. No matter what dangers are hidden inside, I won't let go of any information about my mother. Besides, you said you would protect me no matter how dangerous it is. What? Are you scared?"

Rick shook his head upon hearing this, and said to Mieko beside him with deep affection, "I don't care about myself, I'm just afraid that if we encounter danger later, I won't have time to take care of you. I don't care about myself, but I will be heartbroken if you get hurt."

Upon hearing this, Mihoko smiled and said to Rick, "It's alright, my husband is here, don't worry about me. Besides, I have the Beowulf assault rifle that my husband gave me. If there is any danger, I will shoot and resolve it immediately."

Rick replied, "Great. Just watch behind me. I'll protect you first if there's any danger, honey."

Mieko nodded in affirmation, and the two of them walked slowly forward in the dimly lit and narrow corridor, one carrying a tactical crossbow and the other carrying a Beowulf assault rifle to observe the rear.

The two of them walked to the door of the priest's sitting room.

Rick and Mieko exchanged a glance, then immediately turned the doorknob and entered the priest's living quarters. The room was filled with garbage and reeked of excrement and urine. Rick frowned as soon as he entered. The smell of excrement and urine was nothing compared to the smell of the black and red blood and broken brains that had splattered when he killed a zombie on the second floor of the bookstore the first time.

Mieko, on the other hand, lacked the patience to endure it and immediately leaned against the door frame, dry heaving.

Rick patted Mieko on the back, then took out two blue coffee candies and handed them to her, saying, "Honey, sucking on a coffee candy will make you feel better."

Mihoko took the blue coffee candy and immediately put one in her mouth. As she felt the rich coffee flavor gradually emanating from the candy, her complexion improved significantly. Even the dark room seemed brighter thanks to the candy's effect.

Mieko scanned the room, and when she saw a familiar figure lying on the messy single bed not far away, she immediately ran over. Rick, meanwhile, aimed his tactical crossbow at the corpse on the bed. If the corpse sat up, Rick would not hesitate to pull the trigger and blow its head off.

At this moment, Mihoko came to the other side of the bed. With the enhanced night vision from the blue coffee candy, she recognized the gaunt, elderly face immediately. She rushed to the bedside and shoved the person in front of her, saying, "You are? Father Sanchez!"

Upon hearing this, Rick ran up to Mieko and pulled her away, saying, "Mieko, don't get so close. What if the person in front of you is a zombie? You'll be in danger."

After Rick finished speaking, he ignored Mieko and forcibly pulled her aside.

Rick nudged the corpse in front of him with his tactical crossbow, waited a moment, and found that it did not make a sound like a zombie that was feigning death. Rick examined the corpse and found that it was not dead, but had fallen into a coma due to long-term malnutrition. Judging from its current state, it would die of hypoglycemia soon.

Without hesitation, Rick immediately spent 1 point from the system shop to redeem a bottle of Red Bull with special effects produced by the system. He then helped up Father Sanchez, who was still unconscious, pried open his mouth, unscrewed the cap, and fed Father Sanchez some Red Bull.

Tens of seconds later.

A weak cough was heard.

The weakened Father Sanchez opened his cloudy eyes and looked into the dimly lit room, then turned to look at the dimly lit surroundings and the two people in front of him.

Father Sanchez: "Cough cough cough, thank you for saving me."

Rick said to Father Sanchez, "It's nothing, Father. If you want to thank someone, thank my wife."

Father Sanchez: "Hmm? Your wife?"

At this moment, Mieko came to Rick's side and said to Father Sanchez, "It's been a long time, Father Sanchez."

Father Sanchez paused for a moment, looking at the girl in front of him wearing a white Japanese school uniform and holding an assault rifle, and asked with a suspicious expression, "Kind child, although I don't know who you are, thank you for saving me. God will bless you."

Upon hearing this, Mieko continued, "Father Sanchez, it's me, Mieko Nohara. A few years ago, you were a frequent customer of my mother's Korean BBQ restaurant."

Father Sanchez frowned, stared intently at the girl before him, then sat up and grabbed Mieko's hand, saying, "It's you, you're little Mieko? The daughter of Boss Park Miri, Nohara Mieko?"

Mieko was taken aback by this sudden turn of events, but she quickly regained her composure and said to Sanchez, "It's me, Father Sanchez. Do you know what happened to my mother's shop? Why has it been turned into a clinic?"

Father Sanchez paused, sighed, and said, "Ah, Mieko, how long has it been since you last visited?"

Mihoko thought for a moment and said, "Five years, Father Sanchez. Ever since my mother had an accident five years ago for unknown reasons, my father has been monitoring me every day, preventing me from sneaking out to see my mother, until he told me that he had broken up with my mother and that I should forget about her from now on."

Father Sanchez: "You can't blame your father for this. He couldn't handle what happened to your mother, so even if you came, it would be the same."

Mihoko replied anxiously, "But my father wouldn't tell me about my mother. No matter how I asked him, he wouldn't say anything. Until the zombie apocalypse broke out, my father told me before he died that I should come to Atlanta to find my mother."

Father Sanchez sighed again upon hearing this, and then said, "Mieko, the incident involving your mother started with a little girl named Penny. She was a regular customer at your mother's barbecue restaurant. One day, after the little girl named Penny came to your mother's restaurant, your mother took the little girl named Penny and left the restaurant. Your mother did not return until that evening."

Upon hearing this, Mihoko grabbed the priest's hand anxiously and asked, "Father Sanchez, is the reason my mother hasn't returned related to that little girl named Penny?"

Father Sanchez nodded and said, "Yes, as far as I know, it was your mother who learned that Penny was being bullied by a boy at school. Since Penny's father, Mr. Philip, couldn't get there in time, your mother decided to teach that boy a lesson for Penny, but that's when things went wrong."

Upon hearing this, Mihoko's eyes welled up with tears. Seeing this, Rick gently pulled Mihoko into his arms and said to Father Sanchez, "Father Sanchez, please get to the point."

Father Sanchez: "Child, may I ask who you are?"

Rick: "Father Sanchez, my name is Rick, and I am Mieko Nohara's husband."

Mihoko, who was in his arms, said to Father Sanchez, "Father Sanchez, this is my husband Rick. We got married after knowing each other for only three days. But thanks to Rick, I was able to come here to see you. Otherwise, I might have been eaten by those man-eating monsters and become one of them two nights ago."

Father Sanchez said, “Thank you, kind child, thank you for saving Mieko. You are a good person, and I believe you will treat Mieko well. May the Lord bless you, this kind couple.”

Rick's brow relaxed, and he said, "Thank you, Father Sanchez. If possible, I would like you to officiate our wedding."

Father Sanchez: "Alright, son, but let me finish first."

Rick nodded, signaling Father Sanchez to continue.

Father Sanchez continued speaking to Mihoko: "The boy Mihoko's mother disciplined was the son of Miles, the deputy mayor of Atlanta. When the deputy mayor learned that his son had been disciplined, he found a group of thugs and immediately set fire to Mihoko's mother's shop. When Mihoko's mother returned the next day and saw the shop reduced to ruins, she called the police. However, the officers handling the case had already been bribed by the deputy mayor, and the matter was dropped. Your mother then thought of the boy and went to find him, but it turned out to be a trap. Your mother was immediately arrested by the bribed officers and sentenced to six months in prison on trumped-up charges. She was sent to Georgia State Federal Prison. Six months later, your mother was released from prison. Mr. Philip and Penny picked her up, and she then lived in Mr. Philip's house. Not long after, your mother married Mr. Philip and became pregnant. A year later, your mother gave birth to a son for Mr. Philip, who was baptized here with me."

Upon hearing this, Mihoko was stunned, as if struck by lightning, her mind going blank for a moment, and she stood there dumbfounded.

Seeing this, Father Sanchez took a photograph from the bedside table and handed it to Rick, saying, "This photograph shows Mr. Philip and his family."

In the photo, a tall white man has his left arm around an Asian woman, who is holding a newborn baby. A girl who looks to be only 10 years old is holding the hands of the man and woman and smiling.

Rick looked at the man in the photo and felt he looked increasingly familiar. He then asked Father Sanchez, "Father Sanchez, is this tall white man in the photo Mr. Philip? Do you know his full name?"

Father Sanchez replied, "Yes, that is Mr. Philip, and his full name is Philip Black."

Upon hearing the name, Rick felt his mind go blank. Did he even know who Philip Black was? The villainous boss who stormed the prison and killed Herschel in the original series, the governor of Woodbury, was named Philip Black.

Thinking of this, Rick didn't hesitate. He put his arm around Mieko, who was still in shock and hadn't recovered, and walked out. Then he said to Father Sanchez, "Father Sanchez, come with me. I'll take you away from here first."

Father Sanchez was completely bewildered. He didn't understand why he suddenly had to leave, but he chose to trust the young man named Rick in front of him. He then stood up and followed Rick out of the church and outside.