The next morning, Shane and the others returned to the base early. When they were inspected at the gate, they casually asked about the situation of the base, but they heard news that almost made him curse.
Lori had run out again without a car!
This matter had been made clear to Rick long before they became captains: those who leave will no longer be brought back. Everyone is responsible for their own safety once they break the rules. This time, an exception was made due to the other party's identity, but normally deserters are eliminated.
Four people had left, three women and one man, which prevented Shane from having an outburst of anger upon hearing the news.
"Damn it! Why didn't she wait for me to come back?"
He didn't bother with a thorough inspection, and began to put on the clothes he had taken off for the check, while the rest of his group who had accompanied him looked at each other in dismay.
"Captain Shane, what about us?"
"Don't take off your clothes, come with me."
After making a decision, someone drove the car while Shane's group went out of the base again. Many were angry—why look for a crazy woman who only causes trouble? But they did this for Guillermo and Rick, who were possibly in danger.
While traveling, Shane's radio was not idle along the way. He kept calling Lori and finally got in contact with her.
"Zz… Wait for me there, I'll be there soon.
"Zz… We're going to find Rick. I suspect he went to another community."
"No, don't move, wait for me there, I'll be there soon."
The accelerator pedal of the car he was in was pressed all the way down, and the car raced toward the destination amid a whistle.
...
Rick and his group did not do what Lori assumed; they had not yet reached the terminal, but they were on their way.
At this moment, the situation of the horde of walkers behind could not be determined, so preparations had been made for any situation. If they found a drivable car on the road, they would return to the base, and if they could communicate with the base, they would ask for air support.
The main reason helicopters were not being used was because, if used extensively, they would attract unnecessary attention.
Last night, Abraham, who had been out of control, found Rick early in the morning, sincerely apologized to him, and the two groups temporarily eased their relationship and continued forming a united team to walk toward the terminal.
Meanwhile, Shane quickly found the town where Lori was. After some warnings, he accepted that Lori would accompany him to the terminal. In his opinion, if this woman suffered outside the base, she would appreciate everything she had. But even so, he had no intention of taking everyone.
In the end, he took Richard and Oscar with him, while Carol and Alex were asked to return to the base.
At that moment, Carol and Alex were preparing to leave, and Shane and his group were already gone.
"Let me drive."
Alex put some backpacks in the back of the car. Not being able to follow the group bothered him, as if it were truly a waste, and then he saw Carol looking at him strangely.
"What's wrong?"
"Go back alone."
"What?"
With a dazed look on his face, Carol pulled out two pistols, a dagger, and a gallon of gasoline from the car. It seemed she really didn't plan to return.
"I can't leave you here alone, Carol!"
Looking at the young man in front of her, she extended her only free left hand and patted him on the shoulder, then spoke with a serious face.
"Listen, I'm asking you to go back not for anything unnecessary, but just in case. Now you're the only one who knows the exact location of the terminal. After you return, you must keep the radio with you and report it to the base. If something goes wrong, they need to know in order to send help."
"Do you mean it's going to be dangerous?"
"I'm not sure, but I always have a bad feeling when I see so many pretty signs of the terminal."
After Carol persuaded Alex to go back, she found a car that could still start and after refueling it, she left the town.
"I hope I'm just overthinking…"
...
A few days earlier in Washington.
For two consecutive days, with five groups of people working continuously, they finally drove the horde of walkers not far from the Saviors' settlement.
On the outskirts of the site, several military trucks and Humvees with machine guns were parked outside an abandoned warehouse, all of which had received slight modifications. Many of the trucks were full of people—obviously there were many moving around in the vehicles—and there were still people standing outside the vehicles. Several people guarded the two entrances of the warehouse and many others carried things.
That's right, this was a group of people in Alexandria. As was evident, the most dangerous place is always the safest, and the people stationed here would support the operation.
At seven in the evening, the large horde of walkers was about to reach this small town, and the operation was about to begin soon.
There were two figures crouching on the roof of a small building not far from the new camp of the Saviors, one holding monitoring equipment and the other holding a holographic sight.
They were Jason and Daryl, who were speaking in low voices.
"On the east side, that's right. Investigate all the surroundings, and our target is there. But what if the other side finds out? There should be sentries, it's not that simple."
"I'll go in first, you wait outside."
Having said that, Jason pulled out his radio and said: "Zz… George, respond if you hear my voice."
"Received, boss!"
"Get ready, there's still an hour left before the large troops enter the predetermined range."
"Understood!"
Leaving the radio aside, the two quickly packed their things and had to return to the warehouse before taking action. Time was running out, so the two jogged around the perimeter of the other camp toward the warehouse.
The journey was fast and slow at the same time, and when the moment came, both wore walker masks on their heads.
The scattered walkers paid no attention to the two, and they soon returned to the warehouse.
The security personnel saw two "walkers" running here from the distance. Knowing they were their own people, they opened the door directly.
"How is it?"
As soon as the two entered through the door, they were surrounded by several people, especially Jesus. All his companions had been taken hostage, several days had already passed, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't worried.
In fact, everyone attached great importance to this operation.
First, it was about the survival of more than two hundred people.
Second, it was said that after this operation ended, they would leave here directly and go to the Atlanta base that only existed in their fantasy.
The third and most important point was that this operation was very dangerous. Everyone wanted to make sure that each link didn't go wrong as much as possible, after all, it was related to their own safety.
After reaching some cars, Jason placed all the equipment on his body and then looked at the crowd that had already gathered and said:
"There's still half an hour before the action begins. All of you must check your equipment, weapons, and especially your masks. Those details are very important and must be paid attention to. Don't use your radio and don't speak loudly. All you need to do is take the weapons to the designated point and return to this place.
"After the operation is over, there will be a small team of people waiting at this point. If there's any unexpected situation, everyone remember to meet at that point, that's where we'll all gather if we get lost. At that time, the enemy will be surrounded by the undead, so don't worry about whether you can escape in time."
"Once the waiting time is exceeded, the group will return to Alexandria and withdraw from that place no later than ten in the morning. Military trucks have been prepared at the meeting point beforehand, and some vehicles with enough fuel will also be left for those who don't arrive in time, so they can return."
After finishing speaking, Jason looked at the faces of these people one by one and silently memorized all their appearances in his heart, then raised his voice slightly and shouted:
"Let's begin, give your hearts to the future and I promise you that the S.C.T will rebuild humanity!"