[TWD x Resident Evil] — Chapter 777 - Preparing to Absorb All of Washington's Survivors

Simon knelt on the ground, cold sweat dripping steadily from his forehead.

His lips trembled. He couldn't get a single complete sentence out.

Normally he could kill and burn without blinking. But faced with a monster who could shrug off bullets with his bare body, every last scrap of his nerve had scattered to the wind a long time ago.

Watching Simon's spineless, pathetic display, Negan gritted his teeth and forced his head up.

"Sir."

Negan took a slow breath and worked a sincere-looking smile onto his face.

He knew if he kept playing dead right now, he might actually get cleaned up like garbage.

"Let me do the talking."

He straightened slightly, not too much, not a fraction of overreach.

"We did take a lot of good stuff. That's true."

"Guns, ammo, canned food, medicine."

Negan swallowed, keeping his voice as candid as he could manage.

"I'll also come clean. We've done a lot of bad things."

"We enslaved people. We forced more than a dozen camps in the area to hand over half their supplies every single week."

"We killed a group who resisted."

He watched Leon's face, perfectly, completely blank, and felt his pulse hammering, but he steeled himself and laid out his survival philosophy anyway.

"But sir, you know what kind of world this is now."

"Resources are finite. They don't just grow out of the ground. If you don't take them, you starve."

Negan spread his hands wide, like it was all perfectly obvious.

"Everything I did came from one place — keeping the thousand-plus brothers under me alive."

"Everyone's just scraping by in the apocalypse. Making others suffer is always better than suffering yourself, right?"

He finished and stared tensely into Leon's eyes.

The words were shameless. But in this world they were iron law.

He was betting Leon already knew that.

Leon smiled.

"You're right."

He nodded, and there was even a trace of genuine agreement in his tone.

"Making others suffer really is always better than suffering yourself."

"I think the same way."

Negan felt a surge of wild elation detonate inside his chest.

He'd bet correctly.

This man was exactly the same kind of person as him.

As long as their philosophies aligned, his life and his Saviors' lives were safe, they might even get to eat well alongside this superhuman.

"You are wise, sir!"

Negan seized the opening immediately, his smile breaking wide open across his face.

"From now on, the Saviors follow you!"

Leon looked at Negan's excitement and shook his head.

"No. Hold on."

"Since we think the same way, this is simple enough."

He spoke at an unhurried, measured pace.

"To make my own life better, starting today, every single supply the Saviors acquire gets handed over to me. All of it."

The smile on Negan's face stiffened.

All of it?

Then what would they eat?

But this was still within his range of tolerance. As long as they were alive, supplies could always be taken again.

"No problem! One word from you, sir, and we won't hold back so much as a single cent!" Negan swore, beating his chest.

Leon nodded, his gaze sweeping slowly over the hundred-plus Saviors still on their knees.

"However."

His voice rose slightly.

"You people are used to running wild. I'm worried you won't stay in line."

"To prevent anyone from causing trouble behind my back down the road, I think it's necessary to set some rules."

His gaze settled on Negan.

"Let's go by your Saviors' rules."

"I'll pick 2 people from the group, and right in front of everyone, I'll cave their skulls in."

Leon bent down slightly, staring at Negan, who was already starting to panic.

"Good proposal?"

Negan stared at him.

Pick 2 people and cave their skulls in?

He knew this process all too well.

This was exactly what he had just sent Ron Anderson to do. It was the method he loved best for breaking new people.

But now that same blade was hanging over his own neck.

What if this man chose him?

"N... not good..."

The smile vanished from his face entirely. He shook his head in rapid, frantic arcs, and cold sweat instantly soaked through the leather jacket across his back.

"Sir, this really isn't good."

"We will absolutely behave. Absolutely obey. There is no need to set any rule like this!"

The trace of amusement on Leon's face disappeared. His expression went cold.

"So you know it isn't good?"

"If you know it isn't good, then what were you doing just now?"

He pointed at Deanna Monroe and Aaron nearby, both still shaken and unsteady.

"My people nearly got killed by you."

Negan felt his soul leave his body.

He could read the situation perfectly. Leon was demanding an explanation.

And honestly, he really did feel wronged. He had no idea whatsoever that these ragged, beaten stragglers belonged to this monster. If he had known, he wouldn't have dared stand there and watch even with ten times the courage, let alone sprint out to rob them.

"A misunderstanding! This is absolutely a massive misunderstanding!"

Negan threw himself flat on the ground.

"We truly didn't know they were your people, sir!"

"We were blind! We were fools who couldn't see straight and ended up provoking you!"

He regretted it so deeply he could feel it in his guts.

He slapped himself hard across the face, twice. Each one rang out loud and sharp.

"We swear, from now on we will keep our distance from them completely. We will never dare set our sights on them again!"

Simon nodded along furiously beside him.

"Sir, spare us! We really didn't know!"

Leon had no patience left to waste on them.

"Enough. Put away those disgusting faces."

He waved a hand and cut off the begging.

"Starting today, the name 'Saviors' no longer exists in this world."

"All of you — dissolve your existing organization on the spot."

"Every one of you is being folded into the Outer Labor Camp, under my unified command."

Negan froze.

The Outer Labor Camp?

He was going to work them as laborers?

But he didn't dare make even a sound of objection.

Being a laborer beat having his skull caved in right here, didn't it?

"Yes, yes, yes!"

He scrambled to express his gratitude.

Leon turned his head toward Carlos, standing not far off.

"Carlos, come here."

Carlos jogged over immediately.

"Sir." The awe on his face had long since passed the point of measuring.

Leon pointed at the weapons scattered across the ground, then at Deanna Monroe and the others.

"Take Deanna Monroe, Aaron, and the rest of them, and bring these newly folded-in laborers. Pick up every weapon on the ground."

"Get those abandoned school buses and pickups started."

"You were a soldier. Organization and discipline — that's your world. You know it."

"Keep this group in line. Anyone who doesn't behave, shoot them dead on the spot. No need to ask first."

Carlos straightened to attention.

"Understood. It will be done."

"Now." Leon looked at Negan. "Lead the way."

"Take me back to your base."

"And give me the locations of every survivor stronghold in Washington."

➤ Next: A Gift