"Aaron?"
"Aaron!"
"Have you seen Reggie?"
"I want him to go over the blueprints with Tobin again."
From a dozen meters away, Diana called out Aaron's name.
Aaron appeared with a small hammer in his hand, a yellow hard hat on his head, and a few specks of dust on his face.
However, the smile he hadn't yet managed to wipe off suggested that these smudges weren't from construction; a man was hidden behind the partition beside him.
"I think I saw him go home just now; maybe you can find him there!"
As he finished speaking, Aaron, seemingly still concerned, jogged closer and smiled at Diana.
"Reggie is getting old; he might be tired. Don't be so strict with him; let him rest for a while."
"Understood, thank you for your concern."
Diana's words sounded somewhat official, as if she hadn't quite gotten used to her current identity.
Receiving Aaron's reply, Diana walked towards her and Reggie's villa.
Her steps were quick, and her posture was capable.
In this town-sized Community, she felt young again; the days of campaigning for councilor seemed like just yesterday.
Pushing open the villa door, Diana familiar walked up to the second floor, and without even opening the office door, she called out her husband's name.
"Reggie? Are you there?"
"Aaron said he saw you come back."
Diana called out a few times but received no reply from Reggie.
Not seeing him in the bedroom, Diana turned and walked into the office.
But the moment she pushed the door open, Diana froze for two seconds, instinctively stopping her movements and standing still.
Because at that moment, Shawn was smiling at her.
Drinking the coffee she had personally brewed that morning, sitting in her office chair, he looked as if he were the master of the house, welcoming her back.
Seeing that Diana had finally bothered to come back and look, Shawn smiled and raised the coffee cup in his hand to her.
"The taste is good; it seems to have hints of caramel and citrus… Hmm, that's how coffee tasters describe it, right?"
Hearing Shawn's words, Diana slowly recovered.
She raised her eyes; though she was no longer young, her eyes still held a sharp light.
She subtly took two steps towards the bookshelf on the left side of the room, her gaze never leaving Shawn.
"I haven't seen you before. You're not a resident of our Community?"
"If your goal is to join the Community, perhaps we can sit down and talk, like having an interview."
Shawn put down his coffee cup and couldn't help but chuckle.
Diana's negotiation skills were truly terrible. Was talking nonsense her way of distracting others?
But Shawn was not in a hurry. He watched Diana's movements, his right hand clenched into a fist, tapping gently twice on the desk.
"Woo woo—"
"Woo!"
Immediately, several muffled sounds of struggling and cries for help came, and Spencer, who had been knocked out under the table, also woke up.
Their mouths and noses were bound with coarse cloth, allowing them only to emit indistinct 'whimpering' sounds.
Indeed, no one was more familiar with her husband and son than Diana; the moment she heard the sounds, her movements became significantly hesitant.
The sharp light in Diana's eyes seemed to have vanished, a hint of panic well hidden deep within.
She feigned composure: "What exactly do you want?"
Diana was rational, not shouting or breaking down in tears; even at this point, she was still inquiring about Shawn's intentions.
Shawn nodded inwardly at this sight. Diana had always had things too easy, but she actually had the ability to handle various situations.
Given enough time to grow and be tempered, she was bound to display a brilliance beyond ordinary people.
Being older was not just a disadvantage; ample experience endowed Diana with rich life wisdom.
But seeing Diana still trying to subtly move closer to the bookshelf, Shawn shook his head and took a sip of coffee.
Because as Diana approached the bookshelf, she suddenly pulled out a short-barreled revolver with a wooden handle from between the book layers.
The dark muzzle pointed directly at Shawn, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
But Shawn acted as if he hadn't seen it, still curiously flipping through Diana's neatly organized data notes.
"Do you know why, even though I knew you would resist, I still had no intention of stopping you?"
Shawn asked casually as he continued to flip through the notes.
"I don't know what you want, but I only hope we can communicate and get along peacefully and friendly."
"If you are familiar with Alexandria, you will know that this is our consistent way of doing things."
"Friends are greeted with fine wine; enemies are met with hunting rifles!"
Alexandria Diana
Diana tried her best to maintain her 'fierce' expression, looking like a kitten wearing a tiger's claws.
Shawn suddenly looked up and gave her a brilliant smile.
The next moment.
Before Diana could react to the meaning hidden in Shawn's smile, she felt a gust of wind behind her, and her wrist was gently twisted. The revolver in her palm uncontrollably free-fell, dropping towards the ground.
When it was suspended in mid-air, it was suddenly caught by a slightly rough hand.
Without suppressing Diana, Daryl merely watched her astonished eyes, slowly retreating a few steps.
He ejected the revolver's cylinder, holding it vertically beside his cheek, and the bullets in the cylinder dropped one after another to the ground.
Each time a bullet hit the carpeted floor with a dull thud, Diana's face involuntarily paled a few shades.
It wasn't until all the bullets were removed and Daryl casually tossed the revolver onto the off-white sofa nearby that Diana's face showed panic for the first time.
Because at this very moment, Merle and Tallahassee also slowly emerged from behind the curtains and cabinets.
All of them were experienced, tall hunters, carrying a strong scent of blood. Just standing there, doing nothing, was enough to make Diana tremble with fear.
Looking at the several burly men led by Shawn, Diana fearfully retreated a few steps, bumping into the bookshelf behind her.
A few strong men weren't scary; what was terrifying was that these people could enter her office unimpeded in broad daylight.
Even Reggie and Spencer were captured by them without anyone knowing.
Alexandria's high walls seemed like a joke in front of them.
In fact, if they wanted to, they could cause irreparable and significant damage to Alexandria in the very next second.
Diana felt as if she had suddenly misstepped, a sense of loss washing over her.
It was almost unprecedented.
She… was somewhat desperate.
Seeing Diana's expression, Shawn knew that this 'decapitation operation' was just one step away from completion.
Immediately, he no longer hesitated, directly pulling out the five people from under the desk one by one and placing them beside Diana.
Spencer, Pete, Jessie, Reggie, Denise.
These people almost represented talents from various levels of Alexandria.
Scouting, combat, medical, education, construction… and finally, Diana herself… the administrator.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[email protected]/Rexlent
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"