Half an hour later, we finally reached the outskirts of Atlantic City.
Our camping van led the procession, with the long trail of vehicles from Margaret's community following in our wake as we navigated the main road leading into the city. This was the same route that, just two days ago, we'd traveled when first exploring Atlantic City—back when we'd stopped our vehicles at a safe distance and proceeded on foot to scout the area, uncertain of what we might encounter.
This time, however, we brought the entire convoy much closer to the city limits before stopping. There was no need for the excessive caution we'd employed on our initial reconnaissance. We already knew what dangers lay ahead—we'd mapped out the territory, identified the major threats, and developed a concrete plan for how to proceed. The unknown had become known, which meant we could operate with greater confidence.
