The next morning at eight o'clock, Lin Feng crawled out of his tent and stretched.

Daryl, sitting by the campfire, glanced back and gave a small nod. "What's the plan for today — head out and clear the supermarket warehouse?"

"Can you handle it?"

Daryl let out a short scoff. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

"Fair point." Lin Feng grabbed his toiletries and headed to the well nearby to wash up.

He didn't ask how last night went. Same as always, with Daryl on the job, he wasn't worried.

Daryl looked back at the fire and poked it with a stick, then stood up and stretched. The corner of one eye caught movement. Out on the distant highway, several dark shapes were moving, heading straight toward them.

Daryl stopped cold, grabbed a weapon, and shouted, "Fuck! Everybody up! Grab your gear, we've got company!"

The shout punched through the tents. Merle and the others snapped awake, shoved on their shoes, snatched up weapons, and came tumbling out.

Squinting against the light, they could make out several vehicles rolling down the highway toward them, and not slowly.

Merle took one look and growled, "Holy shit. Don't just stand there, get behind those cruisers!"

Marcus swept over to the two police cruisers, dropped to one knee, and pressed an eye to the scope. "Lin, that RV, doesn't it look kind of like Dale Horvath's?"

"Huh?" Lin Feng raised his binoculars. He scanned the distant convoy, and yeah. That really did look like Rick's group.

"Wait." Merle shouldered the scoped Winchester. "Holy shit, it actually does?"

Lin Feng lowered the binoculars. "Nobody moves until they get out of the vehicles."

Though now that he thought about it, the camp really needed proper defensive works, sandbags, at minimum. The reinforced doors on the police cruisers could maybe stop a handgun round. Against a rifle, they were basically decorative.

The convoy out on the road seemed to notice the cluster of vehicles at the farm and rolled to a stop. The first person out was a man in a cowboy hat.

Rick.

Shane climbed out right behind, a Remington cradled across one arm, and looked at all the vehicles parked in front of the cabin.

"That many vehicles... it's got to be their group."

"Yeah. Let's go talk first. Hopefully these people are willing to have a conversation."

Shane's eyes held a flicker of skepticism, brow creasing. "And if they're not?"

"Then we find another way." Rick's voice was steady. "I made a promise to Carol."

Rick stepped forward, expression carrying a trace of tension.

Then someone stood up from behind one of the vehicles, and Rick's whole body relaxed at once. "Oh my god, Lin?! What are you doing here?"

Lin Feng grinned, gun resting in his arms. "I told you. I was going to find a farm and settle in."

"That's great, man." The sight of an old friend pulled a smile onto Rick's face. Rick closed the distance and dropped his voice. "Hey, let me ask you something. Is there a group of goons operating around here? The kind that takes people?"

"Takes people? Who did they take?"

The question was all Rick needed to know such a group existed nearby. Eyes going red at the rims, Rick said, "Carol's kid. Sophia. Sweet little girl."

Three question marks practically materialized over Lin Feng's head. "Sophia?!"

"Yeah, man. Yesterday we broke down on the highway and got hit by a massive herd. Sophia was hiding under one of the cars, got spotted, and bolted into the woods. Never came back out.

All we found afterward was a message the goons left behind. They said Sophia was with them. Said if we wanted her back, get to the farm."

Rick's voice carried the weight of both guilt and barely-held rage.

Lin Feng turned to look at Daryl. The movement was mechanical. "Hold on. That was the message you left?"

Daryl looked genuinely puzzled. "What — wasn't it clear enough?"

Clear. Yeah, crystal clear. Clear enough to turn us from the good guys into a kidnapping gang.

"Wait, hold on — what are you two talking about?"

"Uh..." Lin Feng hesitated. "That gang of goons you're looking for... might kind of be us..."

The words got quieter with each one. The feeling of being caught red-handed was overwhelming.

Rick froze. Shane froze right alongside.

Their missing person and their enemy were the same people?

Their own people had taken their own person?

Explain.

Marcus exhaled, deeply pained. "Uh... Daryl... did you not leave a name?"

"Fuck! What am I, carving names into trees like some kind of romance novel?!"

Whether it was anger or embarrassment, Daryl turned around and walked straight back into the tent.

"So Sophia..."

"Should be awake by now. Still in the tent, though. I wasn't going to let a kid walk out to face unknown danger, was I?"

Rick nodded, and there was real appreciation in it. "No. You weren't. Good call, man."

"Alright. Get your people over here. I'll go get her."

Lin Feng waved everyone forward and caught Andrew's eye, telling Andrew to go round up the others.

As for Merle, Merle had something far more important to deal with right now.

What that was, well. Dixon brothers being Dixon brothers.

[HAHAHA, little bro, I ask you to handle ONE thing and this is what I get?]

[Merle, I @%&%##%]

Sophia climbed out of the tent.

The moment Rick saw her, breathing went unsteady almost instantly. Chest heaving. Eyes going red.

"Sophia!"

The little girl blinked, then lit up and ran over. "Rick!"

Rick caught Sophia gently.

"I went back to look for you. Couldn't find you. Only found your doll." Rick pulled back just enough to look. "Did you get hurt?"

"No. Another walker came after me, but then Lin saved me."

"Good. That's good." Rick's voice softened further. "When you didn't come back, we were worried out of our minds. Especially your mom. Cried all night. Didn't sleep once. So scared for you."

Sophia went still at that. Then quietly slipped free of Rick's arms. "Where's Mom?"

"Sophia!"

Carol. The moment Sophia had come charging out of that tent, Carol had jumped out of the vehicle and was already moving.

The first call came out barely above a whisper. The second, the same. Then the third broke free of everything that had been holding it back, loud and raw and full.

"Mom?!"

They covered the distance between them at a run and held on.

Carol gripped Sophia with everything, like someone clutching a thing already lost once and refusing to lose again. Not letting go. Not even close.

"Thank God. Thank God. Oh, thank God."

Carol couldn't find words past that for a long moment. Just held on. When the grip finally eased, it was only to look Sophia over, hands checking face, arms, everything.

"How are you, baby? Does anything hurt?"

"No, Mum. Lin found me in the woods yesterday and brought me back. I had pasta and nuts and chocolate and cookies."

"Oh, thank God." Carol pulled Sophia close again, and the tears came anyway, steady and unstoppable. "That is so wonderful. That is so, so wonderful."

➤ Next: What Exactly Is Lin's Miracle Prescription?

Chapter 44 - What Exactly Is Lin's Miracle Prescription?

Amidst the noise of the camp, Hershel Greene stepped out of the cabin and began sizing up the former companions Lin Feng had spoken of.

When his gaze landed on the sheriff's uniform Rick wore, it lingered two seconds longer than usual, and the goodwill in those eyes deepened a fraction.

At the very least, this one looked like a reliable sort.

The one beside Rick gripping a gun, trailing exactly half a step back, was probably a deputy. Maybe a former partner.

Quite the short-tempered type, too. Otherwise, why climb out of a vehicle with a weapon already in hand?

As for the rest, none of them looked particularly dangerous.

Maybe letting them stay was worth considering.

Hershel turned that thought over as he shifted his gaze toward Lin Feng, who was already walking his way.

"Lin — these are the companions you mentioned?"

"That's right. What do you think, Mr. Greene?"

Hershel watched the camp growing louder by the second and felt a reflex of rejection stir in his chest. Then he thought about the mutated creatures Lin Feng had described...

The old man's expression wrestled with itself for a moment. "Lin, you said you could keep them under control..."

"Of course. Over these past few days, has anyone on my side broken a single rule?"

Hershel caught his meaning and nodded. "Then I'll leave it to you. If you need anything, or if something needs discussing, come find me."

Lin Feng nodded. "I will."

Hershel nodded once more, turned, and walked back to his cabin.

Lin Feng let out a quiet breath. The effort over the past few days hadn't gone to waste, he'd at least secured the right to speak on this farm.

Next step: get Rick and the others to accept the rules here as well.

During this early friction period, no one could cross that line and provoke the stubborn old man. Not even once.

Otherwise everything he'd built up would collapse.

And the only real flashpoint...

Lin Feng's gaze drifted to Shane and Lori, or more precisely, to the child Judith Grimes, still unborn.

Tsk. What a tangled mess. Anyone who tried to untangle it would just make it worse.

Sure, Shane had already been showing signs of wanting what wasn't his well before the apocalypse. But there was no denying it: Rick surviving in that hospital, Lori and Carl making it safely through the most brutal first month, none of that would have happened without Shane's protection.

And Lori, after believing Rick was dead, choosing to lean on Shane for the sake of Carl and their own survival? That was understandable. Even forgivable.

Up to that point, it all made sense.

But then,

What Lori absolutely, categorically should never have done was keep feeding Shane scraps of hope after Rick came back.

Add in the confirmation of Judith, and under that constant drip of provocation, Shane, already growing volatile and paranoid from losing authority in the camp, had spiraled further and further into darkness.

Running the numbers, Dr. Lin had already quietly written the prescription in his head.

As for whether the patient wanted to take it: no choice.

Refuse the medicine and Shane could go eat lead instead.

Everyone understands you can't have the bear's paw and the fish both. And no loss is truly unacceptable.

Watching the thoughts cycling through Lin Feng's expression, Rick stepped forward and asked quietly, "Lin — what is it? Is the farmer not willing to take us in?"

Lin Feng reined in his thoughts and shook his head, smiling. "No, I was just thinking about something else. But speaking of which — Hershel says setting up camp here is fine. There's the southern field for us, but two rules come with it."

"First, no drawing weapons without reason. It frightens the children. Second, no disturbing the family. Break either rule, and Hershel will grab the shotgun and show us the door."

"Sounds reasonable," Rick said. "I'll tell them."

Lin Feng glanced at Shane, who had the look of someone swallowing words. The smile on Lin Feng's face didn't move. "Right. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come eat with us. There's a job coming up, you showed up at a good time. Could use the extra hands."

The invitation was easy, completely unguarded. Rick smiled back. "No problem, man. Shane?"

A flicker of something complicated crossed Shane's face, but it passed. "You feed us, we pull our weight. That's fair."

"Then let's go." Lin Feng took the lead, walking ahead, and without a word or a gesture, quietly threaded authority into every small detail of that moment.

Nancy looked toward Lin Feng, a question in those eyes, and only after Lin Feng gave a small nod did Nancy bring Emma along to start getting breakfast ready for everyone.

Carol held Sophia's hand, faint traces of tears still glistening, and followed behind the group in silence.

The seed of awakening that had stirred in Carol's heart, after Sophia was found safe, it had begun to wither. Carol slipped back, without thinking, into the old familiar state of dependency.

Lin Feng swept a glance over the arrivals and put on a puzzled look. "Isn't someone missing? Did something happen out there?"

Rick's eyes shifted away, a trace of hesitation in them. No words came.

Jacqui had stayed behind at the CDC by choice, waiting to die. After learning the truth about the apocalypse, the will to survive had gone completely out of Jacqui. Better to go up in the explosion with the building than to become one of those hideous things.

Should Rick tell Lin Feng that dark truth? What if this young man couldn't take it either?

Lin Feng read the hesitation and closed the subject himself. "...Condolences."

The group moved into the heart of the camp. Andrea and the others took stock of Marcus and Cathy, the father and daughter both looked relaxed, color in their cheeks, none of the exhaustion and malnutrition they'd worn arriving at the Quarry Camp.

Dale even thought little Cathy looked like she might have filled out a bit.

They were doing well here. That much was obvious.

Several of them kept glancing back toward Lin Feng. Back when the original suggestion had been made, Lin Feng had seemed to be right.

The facts, at least right now, confirmed it.

And looking back at their own time since then, they'd nearly gone up in a painless explosion, barely escaped with their lives, gotten battered by a walker herd, and come within inches of losing Sophia...

Going forward, maybe it was worth listening more closely to what this man had to say.

➤ Next: Since Ancient Times, Routine Wins Hearts