Walking up the stairwell and seeing Shepard looking at each other with the Great Dane on the back porch, Zach knew why he didn't hear the noise. It is impossible for this veteran who has just escaped from his homeless status to have the financial resources to pay for any means of transportation.
"Sir Grande..." Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough, "Zack, Zach." Shepard's head was covered in sweat and he forced a smile. I don't know if it was too hot from walking here in the summer, or because I was frightened by the Great Dane guarding the gate.
Zach waved the Great Dane, who was chewing something, to get out of the way. He smiled and asked Shepard to come in, "Why are you here? Did you come here? Alice, Alice." Zach called to the second floor. "Prepare some ice lemonade."
Alice, who appeared on the stairs, said oh, and was stopped by Mo, who was planning her dress, "Alice, let me teach you something, a summer treat, iced sour plum soup..." Ignore it.
By mistake, Zach asked Shepard to go to the office as the two women went to the kitchen. This guy came here specially near noon. He must have something to do.
"Haha, there are more people in Grande." Shepard smiled kindly, "I just met another Grande... Benjamin, and we talked about the army."
"How was the chat?" Zach gestured for Shepard to sit down in the office. "As I said, Benjamin was also born in the army. You guys participated in the same war." The war that ended ten years ago brought vampires and Alphas together. war.
"It's pretty good." Shepard was an honest guy and nodded with a smile, "I've also heard about Benjamin's unit. Maybe we've met before and acted together."
"Really?" Zach smiled. This casual conversation was very suitable for relaxing.
However, Shepard's expression suddenly turned unpleasant, probably because he thought of something bad that happened during the war. War? There were so many bad things, who knew which one he was thinking about.
"Do you remember your former comrades?" Zach asked thoughtfully.
"Well, I remembered a few friends. Well, some of them are no longer here." Shepard pursed his lips, as if trying to make a smile, "Haha. It's also a coincidence. I used to have a very good comrade named Benjamin was sacrificed. Benjamin was not there when I came to Grande before, so I didn’t feel anything. This time I saw someone with the same name, which made me a little sad.”
"Oh." Zach said casually, "Benjamin is a common name." Although Benjamin's military identity is indeed that of a poor soldier who was replaced, he has already been impeccable under the arrangements of Mayor Anthony. There's no chance of anything going wrong, so don't worry. But we can recall who else is named Benjamin, for example, Brian lying in the guest room, his father who has turned into a Purple Heart Medal (Extra "Thirteen Years Ago").
"Yeah." Shepard shook his head, putting aside the emotions brought about by the memories. He showed a sincere smile, "I'm here to thank you, Ger... Zach. I have a job!"
"Oh!" Zach smiled and nodded. "Did Amelia help you arrange work? Congratulations." Zach gestured to the phone on the desk, "Just make a call, and you even came here specially."
"No!" Shepard should be really happy, "You are my benefactor, of course I want to thank you in person! Without meeting you, I am still in Ixton..." Living like a useless person. There is no need to say this.
"What kind of job?" Since the other party had already stated his purpose and was just thanking you, Zach chatted casually, "After the funeral here, you have been going to the shelter for a few days. Why did you confirm your job today? "
Shepard participated in the collective funeral of the servants of Bishop Manor, earning his first salary from Grande. Later, because of an appointment with Amelia, he went to the asylum in the North District. Amelia was considerate and arranged the reception work first. Unexpectedly, she found a job for him now.
"Miss Browning (Emilia) was very helpful." Shepard said gratefully, "After I went there, after arranging accommodation, she introduced me to Mrs. Quinn. Then there After doing a background check and physical examination, Mrs. Quinn found that my resume was very good, and she also said that the shelter project needed the help of a veteran who was able to move freely, so she provided me with this job opportunity."
"Your resume?" Zach asked with a smile.
"Uh..." Shepard's expression became unnatural, "After I was discharged from the army, I was arranged to go back to Barton and work as a prison guard in the Southern District Prison, but I only worked for half a year. Well, due to some personal reasons, I resigned. I haven’t found a new job, I don’t have any relatives, and my best friends are no longer there… Ordinary friends have no time to take care of themselves, so they start wandering.”
The war had just ended at that time, so there really wasn't much opportunity. But our vampire cares about something else—
prison? Under the management of the 'best warden', it is another prison break and another prison with collapsed facilities! Zach raised his eyebrows. He had never asked before, and now, there was no need to ask. "Your job is not to be a guard, right? Haha, those people in the shelter are not prisoners." Zach was joking.
"Haha, of course not." Shepard also smiled, "If I were good at guarding work, I wouldn't resign, haha. It's security. The shelter seems to be planning to provide medical services to the homeless. Listen to Amelia. He said that it seems that some kind of project will be implemented on a pilot basis. Some medicines are very precious and require people in our own system to take care of them. It is not suitable to hire an outside security company."
Everyone understands, everyone understands! Mrs. Quinn wants to legalize something, Smith's secret industry needs to be laundered... PILOT! Oh, is there any better pilot than these homeless people at the bottom of society
Shepard really has a good job, thanks to Zack.
"After that, your life will be stable." Zach smiled. Everything went very smoothly, even beyond his initial expectations. Originally, he just wanted to get someone to work with Mrs. Quinn and the project to become the eyes and ears. Now, It’s not just about being in the project, it’s about participating!
"Well." Zach looked like he was thinking, "I'll give you a gift. Congratulations on starting a new life."
"Hey!" Shepard looked panicked, "This is not possible! I have received too much help from Grande..."
Zach had already stood up, smiled and waved his hand, "What does it matter? We get along very happily. There's nothing wrong with giving gifts between friends. From now on, you will be stable. We can get together from time to time. Well, how about the car?" Ke had already walked around the desk and looked at Shepard's dusty boots. "It will be more convenient to meet with us in the future."
"Uh... this..." The gift is already scary, a car? car!
Zach doesn't care. He had already left the office, waving his hands and smiling, "Don't be too excited, Grande's cars are all old cars, and staying in Grande will also occupy a lot of space. Just treat it as helping a friend to get rid of one."
Before Shepard had any chance to refuse, Zach had already gone downstairs and was chased through the backyard by the frightened Shepard behind him. Opened a warehouse in the south.
There are actually only three regular vehicles in Grande's fleet, and the armored-style truck goes without saying. Then there is the old car that was bought from Anthony. This is the car that Benjamin drove when he and Alice went to the nursery yesterday. Finally, there is a big truck. The livestock shed on the west side of the Grande needs to replenish the lambs (Zach's food) occasionally. This is the car used.
The rest are the cars left over from the previous generation Grande. There are also cars that were collected and returned by West End Grande, except for Madison from the mill who wanted to take away two public cars. All gathering dust in this warehouse. Also included was the truck that had been replaced - the one with a broken radio.
Zach picked at random, "I'm not lying to you, look, it's all gathering dust." Zach waved away the dust, "Just use it as a transitional vehicle."
"Well… "
"Don't say no, we are friends." Zach had repeated the word 'friend' many times. intention-
"Okay. Okay, thank you, friend." He said imperceptibly, "Then... this is the car." Shepard still picked the shabbiest car, which was Grande's former favorite. The one with the broken radio.
Zach tilted his head and looked at the dirty car body, the deliberately broken rearview mirror, the crooked and dented doors and seats, and the various stains in the rear compartment... Looking back, Grande once replaced this car The car is also very intolerable.
"This one?" Zach winked and laughed, "You don't have to pick the shabbiest one, right? You're not being polite, you're embarrassing my friend."
"Ah! I'm not trying to embarrass you! It's..." Shepard looked at the old truck that had accompanied Zach and Benjamin for several years. "This car makes me feel familiar. Really!"
Zach raised his eyebrows, looked at the car again, thought for a while, and nodded, "Yes, people who have experienced the war will feel familiar with this car, and so do Benjamin and I. We are driving it now, you see. , also this one." As everyone knows, this sense of familiarity comes from the style and materials of the car, which is the armor on the battlefield.
But in Ian's only 'legacy' - "Button Bottom", we also know that the price of this sense of familiarity is that Herman 'stealed' resources on the battlefield and used this gimmick to satisfy the civilian car market. !
It is also something that those soldiers who sacrificed or survived on the battlefield will never know, but at this time they have a comforting familiarity.
Shepard's face had a peaceful, um, peaceful expression, "Yeah, I feel a sense of security when I see this car."
Zach kept smiling and didn't say anything more that the people in front of him didn't need to know, "But I'm not going to hand this car over to you just like that." Zach smiled and pulled Shepard out of the warehouse, "Benjamin!" He said to Looking at Benjamin's warehouse, he shouted, "Benjamin, Matthew! Get the water pipe over here!"
CAR WASH.
The spray of water refracted like glass in the midday sun. Three sturdy guys surrounded the truck that was about to start a new life... Obviously, Zach would not participate in this manual labor. The only thing he did was to work behind the scenes. On the porch, holding a wine glass, he reminded Matthew that there was still mud on the front window, reminded Benjamin that the rearview mirror on the left was still crooked, and reminded Shepard that the radio in the car was completely broken and had not been replaced. of.
"Tell them to move the car forward." Mo didn't know when he appeared next to Zach.
Zach turned his head and looked in the direction of the kitchen, "Aren't you helping Alice prepare lunch? Why."
"Is this the car that Grande originally used to carry corpses?" Mo asked.
Zach raised his eyebrows, "Yeah."
"I feel it." Mo pursed her lips, "The 'qi' is very strong, so strong that it makes people uncomfortable." She curled her lips again, "But it seems to be good for Harrison down there. I suggest you clean it. …Especially the stains in the trunk, it’s best to go to him.”
Zach frowned, if it was strong, he should be the one who felt uncomfortable! But now he can only use Harrison as a ghoul to try to understand this suggestion, "If the breath of the corpse can help him, the cemetery is a better place. Do you want me to move him back again." "
Mo shook his head, his expression uncomfortable, as if he was unwilling to talk about such things, "I don't know what a ghoul is, and I don't want to guess at random. I just rely on my own feelings and think that the smell of corpses is not right. He has benefits…”
Zach was impatient. Mo didn't want to talk about it, and he didn't want to hear it either. "So, do you want me to move him back again?" After interrupting, he asked again emphatically.
Mo seemed to sigh, "Can you please listen to what I have to say? The cemetery is useless. There is no place in your grand cemetery that smells heavier than the smell of this car. This car is the key point."
Is Mo kidding? The smell of corpses in a car is heavier than that of a cemetery? ! The creatures of the Republic, are their sensory abilities inundated with water
However, Zach immediately suppressed this sarcastic and irritated comment, because Old Hank, who was bored waiting for lunch and playing with the Great Dane, said with emotion: "Huh! I thought this car followed me. A car that's been more than ten years old will always look dirty and shabby in the hands of you two guys! Huh! I'm leaving Grande, so I need to clean it!"
Yeah, this car, before it became Zach and Benjamin's favorite, was Grande Sr.'s and Hank Sr.'s car. That…
Let's not talk about Old Hank's job as a cleaner. How many "things" they have stuffed in the trunk of this car that cannot be seen by others. How many corpses are there in the cemeteries in the two southwest districts alone? Delivered by car!
Rich? That is very rich! In any open cemetery, it is impossible to close those few square meters of rear compartment!
Zach frowned tightly, "I've already given this car away."
"I didn't ask you to come back." Mo finally couldn't hold it back and rolled his eyes, "Move forward if I tell you to. Why are you so verbose!" This impatience probably came from what the 'general' told him before. Zach's Mo isn't sure either. It's just a try anyway, no one can guarantee anything.
Zach curled his lips and tried his best. He walked down the back porch and walked towards the three people who were washing the car. "Let's take a rest and go wash it. Lunch is ready too."
After Shepard expressed his thanks again, and walked towards the shower room on the west side of the warehouse, Zach looked at Benjamin and Matthew, who had not moved for the moment, and pursed his lips, "Did you hear that? Remove the trunk for me!" "
"What can I exchange for?" Benjamin asked calmly. The hair had already begun to spread. This was a job that needed to be completed quickly.
Zach looked at the van they were currently using and said, "That one."
In the open-air shower room on the west side of the warehouse, there was the sound of water and the sound of Shepard humming happily. The noise in the backyard was perfectly covered up. (.)