This time, the convoy seemed to be fully prepared and stopped before approaching the building where Jason's people were located. After waiting for a while, they heard the sound of a loudspeaker coming from the building across the way.
"Listen, people on the other side. We have no malicious intentions. We request to send a representative to negotiate in the spirit of peace."
Upon hearing that voice coming from afar, everyone in the attack positions looked at each other in confusion, and finally all of them turned toward George.
After lowering his head thoughtfully for a moment, he picked up the radio.
"Zz… Commander, those bastards want to talk."
"Zz… I got it. Wait a minute."
The voice coming from the communicator was difficult to make out, and for everyone listening, the howling sound of the wind could be heard. Jason's voice sounded a bit robotic, and George only had to act according to orders.
After half a minute, the voice came through the communicator again.
"Zz… What's going on?"
"Commander, like I said a minute ago, those people just asked to start a conversation without violence."
After George finished saying those words, silence came from the communicator.
At this moment, Jason and Daryl were standing not too far away together with others who had traveled with them by motorcycle. Jason was observing the area, looking for the best spots from which he could make a move later on.
He assumed the other side would get in touch with their people, but he didn't expect it to take this long. Originally, it had taken them only ten minutes to get there, but it took the other side an entire hour. Where had they gone during that time?
The answer was already obvious. They had most likely been assessing the risks of confronting them in an open area, which meant that someone must have gone back without them noticing. They had killed everyone a few hours ago, but many things could slip through in such a chaotic situation, which eventually allowed a man to return.
Now those people had arrived where his people were, opening their mouths to negotiate, but most likely they wanted them to join them. After all, who would be willing to push a war to such extremes?
Thinking this, Jason pressed the button on the radio in his hand.
"Zz… Everyone stay alert. We'll proceed as planned, and remember not to show hostility. If things go wrong, the drones will destroy the enemy convoy."
"Understood."
Putting the radio away, Daryl and Jason continued doing what they were doing as they moved back. The groups did not exchange gunfire, but each side represented an organization. Because of this, the walkers in the surrounding area were drawn in by the large number of people.
…
Temporary base.
There were some obvious differences. For example, behind George, all the soldiers were wearing combat suits that covered their entire bodies. Their attacks were violent, and they didn't even need to fire a shot to take down a walker.
In contrast, the two on the opposite side who belonged to the Fireflies continued stabbing with daggers, and both sides made their judgments based on each other's aura.
Although George didn't show the slightest expression on his face, he was secretly proud. He more or less had a psychological advantage on his side.
The two people on top of the distant building had been paying close attention to the situation here. After about half an hour, the people on the other side finally withdrew. Some words were exchanged, but the most notable point was that neither side would attack until things were clarified.
"Captain George, you must save the kidnapped people!"
"We'll also help you in the battle, that's something you can be sure of."
This time, they exchanged words, but they didn't retreat. So would everything go well in the future?
Of course not!
"Remember, we won't leave without reclaiming South Carolina!"
…
Just as the opposing team disappeared at the intersection ahead, Daryl accelerated and shot forward at high speed. The motorcycle's advantage in flexibility was fully revealed at that moment.
"Be careful!"
"Commander!"
Just as the group of motorcycles reached the first intersection, a car suddenly came out from the side. Daryl's eyes widened, he clenched his teeth, and the expression on his face instantly turned fierce.
Screech~ Boom!
The front of the motorcycle twisted, narrowly avoided the front of the car at a critical moment, and slid to the side. Then the motorcycle lost its balance, the body slammed onto the ground, and it slid a long distance across the pavement.
The other motorcycles were slower but reacted instantly, stopping at once and quickly dismounting.
Jason's reaction was extremely fast. When the motorcycle tipped over, he kicked off the foot pegs beneath his feet. Using both arms, he jumped to the side of the road while pulling Daryl along with him. Then, before the situation could catch them off guard, everyone raised their weapons.
The people in the car also seemed startled. They slammed on the brakes, and after a moment of hesitation, a man stepped out of the driver's seat.
"Whoa! Don't get nervous! Relax, I don't have a weapon!"
The man saw two men pointing weapons at him as soon as he got out of the car.
"Everyone out of the damn car!"
The rest of the group saw how Jason and Daryl had been knocked aside by the car.
However, the other side didn't obediently get out of the car. Instead, they exited through the other door, and two weapons were also aimed at Jason and Daryl.
Two women got out of the car. One could roughly make out a woman with short blonde hair and a man with long brown hair.
The one who seemed to be the leader had the appearance of an old man. He was looking at everyone with a calm expression on his face. Judging only by his appearance, he looked like a peaceful elderly man.
But Jason felt a chill when he saw that old man. He stepped forward a few steps with his weapon raised, unwilling to let his guard down.
It was then that the old man spoke.
"I suppose you're companions of the people in those buildings, am I right?"
Without answering the other party's question, Jason asked directly,
"And I suppose you're part of the Fireflies, am I right?"
The old man looked straight at Jason with a bit of surprise, then glanced at the woman beside him and said a few words in a low voice.
"Listen, I think there must be some misunderstanding between us. Even though we work together, that doesn't mean we're connected. I'm sure one of them has someone special to me."
"Did you say they have one of your companions?"
The long-haired, brown-haired woman who had been silent this whole time suddenly spoke. She put away her weapon and told the two people beside her.
"They're not with them."
"How do you know?"
Then Daryl saw Jason put away his weapon. He asked in a low voice, and after receiving an affirmative response, he also put his weapon away.
At that moment, a faint smile appeared on the old man's face. He took two steps forward and extended his hand.
"Hello, my name is Joel Miller. These two people are with me. They're Jasmine and Pool."
"I'm Jason."
"Daryl."