Chapter 6: They Have Arrived

Seeing the tension between Moore and Sean, as if they were about to come to blows, Li Changsheng shook his head and stepped forward from behind the car. He spoke to Moore, "Moore, I checked just now, and Daryl isn't here either. I suppose they’ve gone to look for you. If you have grievances, go to the source. Don’t cause trouble in the camp!"

Moore was taken aback by these words; his anger vanished instantly. He shot Sean a fierce glare, then hurried over to Li Changsheng, declaring with a straight face, "Alright, boss, I'll do as you say."

‘Has Moore, that scoundrel, lost his mind?’
‘Exactly, if his brain wasn’t damaged, why would he listen to that Asian guy?’
‘Moore’s the kind who bows to no one!’

The crowd was astonished. Sean, especially, was bewildered. Everyone knew Moore was the type who wouldn't give you a drop of water even if you were dying of thirst. He was belligerent and defiant, never submitting to anyone. Was the sun rising in the west today?

Sean pointed at Moore, then glanced at Li Changsheng, at a loss for words.

Li Changsheng shrugged, "Well, I saved Moore. Now he works for me, so of course he listens to me."

Sean was clearly skeptical. With Moore’s temperament, there was no way this was possible. Something was up between these two.

Li Changsheng wasn’t aware of Sean’s suspicions. He took some drinks and bread from the RV and handed them to Amy, who had been watching the scene unfold. "Here, since I’m attending the dinner, I should contribute something."

Amy hesitated, feeling embarrassed as everyone looked her way; her cheeks flushed red.

Adria snatched the bag from Li Changsheng’s hand. "Thank you!" she said, pulling Amy away. In her heart, Amy was most important. This handsome rascal wanted to flirt with her sister? Not in this lifetime.

Dale shook his head at the farce, though he didn’t want Moore back either. Still, it was better that no one had died.

Lori looked at Li Changsheng with a hint of hostility. She had heard clearly: this Chinese man was inciting Moore to cause trouble for Rick. Clearly not a good person.

At that moment, Moore suddenly asked, "Boss, can I go pick up my brother? I’m worried Daryl might be in danger!"

Li Changsheng thought for a moment, then nodded, "Go ahead. Stay safe, and come back soon—we leave tomorrow."

"Thank you, boss!" Moore replied, hurriedly starting his car and driving off.

Li Changsheng watched as the car quickly became a tiny black speck in the distance, thoughtful.

These brothers truly had a strong bond.

And that was for the best—he wished for more such feelings among the camp residents.

Only those with attachments were the most stable presence.

...

By nightfall, everyone had gathered around a bonfire. Nearly the whole camp was present, including the Moser family, whom Li Changsheng had never met before—characters from the original story who hadn’t followed Rick.

Carol didn’t go to care for Ed, but instead sat in a corner with Sophia.

Carl held up his metal lunchbox, "Help me pass the fish!"

Amy smiled softly, used her fork to pick up a piece of fish from the stone slab, and handed it to Carl. "Here, eat more so you’ll grow up faster!"

Carl replied earnestly, "Alright, when I grow up, I’ll help you adults fight the walkers!"

"Carl! Don’t talk nonsense!" Lori glared at him.

Carl made a playful face, causing everyone to laugh behind their hands.

Little Sophia, beside Carol, also managed a rare smile. These past days, under her father’s idle and hopeless care, she’d been cautious, afraid of being scolded or beaten by Ed.

Li Changsheng did not appear at the gathering; Amy seemed distracted.

"Amy, what are you thinking about? Are you thinking of that guy again? Didn't he say he went out on patrol? Why worry about him?" Andrea spoke up.

Amy blushed slightly. "Andrea, what are you saying? Of course not!"

Lori interjected suddenly, "Actually, I never liked that Asian man from the start. Now that he’s with Moore, I’m even more certain of my feelings."

Sean looked at Lori and added, "I agree. This guy, like Moore, is a huge threat to the camp’s stability!"

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Dale spoke. "I can tell he doesn’t trust us. Even today, though we assured him there were no walkers nearby, he went off on his own patrol anyway."

Moser said, "But he’s leaving tomorrow! It doesn’t matter to us anymore. Instead of talking about him, we should enjoy this meal!"

The topic shifted, and the mood grew warmer.

After a while, Amy stood up suddenly.

Andrea was startled. "Where are you going?"

Amy shot her a look and whispered, "I need to go to the bathroom—honestly, you’re so jumpy!"

Not like she was worried Amy would go find that guy.

Andrea chuckled awkwardly.

...

Li Changsheng had never gone far. He sat quietly in his RV, watching the camp residents.

Dining with strangers?

He had no interest in that!

Besides, after Moore’s incident in the morning, he knew some people in the camp had opinions about him. Even with Amy's repeated invitations, he wouldn't go and make himself unwelcome.

But Amy had shown him kindness, and Li Changsheng was always someone who remembered warmth and cold. In the original story, Amy died a tragic death. If he could change that, he would.

He noticed Amy standing up and heard the rustling footsteps in the dense woods. Li Changsheng knew.

They were coming.

Without hesitation, he grabbed his weapon and rushed to Dale’s RV.

The camp residents noticed him.

"What are you doing?" Amy was still inside the RV; Andrea shouted.

"He’s ruining a perfectly good party," Sean said impatiently. "Dude, why are you carrying a weapon in the middle of the night?"

Everyone was confused, faces tinged with anger.

Li Changsheng snorted coldly and barked, "Still eating? Walkers are here! If you don’t want to die, stay alert!"

"Walkers? What nonsense! They can’t possibly be here!"

"Fearmongering!"

Just then, Amy stepped out from the RV doorway. "What’s going—"

Before she could finish, a walker suddenly came around the front of the car.

Amy was stunned by its sudden appearance, forgetting to run.

The walker lunged at her, reaching for her arm. Amy screamed in terror.

But before the walker could touch her, Li Changsheng stabbed it in the head with his short gun.

He then thrust the weapon into the ground, wrapped one arm around Amy’s waist, lifted her shapely backside with the other, and pushed her back into the RV. "Stay inside, lock the door, and don’t make a sound!"

"Walkers! Walkers!"

The crowd shouted, and the entire camp descended into chaos.