Jim, who was in the middle of changing his magazine, was startled by the words. He spun around abruptly, coming face-to-face with the rotting visage of a Walker!
Scared out of his wits, his subconscious reaction was to raise his gun and fire.
However, it was already too close!
Just as he thought it was all over, a sharp black crossbow bolt whistled past Jim's ear, instantly pinning the Walker through its brow!
Jim turned back, still shaken, to see Daryl not far away. Daryl lowered his crossbow expressionlessly, without even giving Jim a second glance, before turning to fire his next arrow in another direction.
The crisis here was temporarily averted, but the battle alarms in other corners of the camp had only just begun to blare.
Louis lay prone on the roof of the RV, watching the situation on Jim's side with lingering fear.
He had almost been unable to resist using magic to interfere with that Walker just now; fortunately, Daryl's movements were faster.
"Merlin's ragged socks! Why are there so many Walkers?"
"In the original story, didn't Rick finish these things off with a few shots after he got back?"
Louis complained internally, but his gaze quickly swept across the entire camp, trying to identify weak points in the defense and potential threats.
"Behind the RV! Near the woods!" Louis soon spotted new targets. "Two are coming through!"
Due to the dim light and the angle, that position formed a blind spot that the people below could hardly detect.
At that moment, two Walkers were swaying as they emerged from the woods. They hadn't been noticed immediately and were silently approaching the RV!
On the roof, Dale and Glenn heard him and immediately turned their muzzles and clubs, trying to find the targets.
However, before they could fully lock on, a crisp and angry gunshot rang out ahead of them!
Bang!
The Walker in front fell to the ground at the sound, half its head blown away by the bullet, splashing black blood and brain matter everywhere.
Louis looked over in surprise to see that Andrea had climbed onto the roof at some point.
She held a silver handgun tightly with both hands, her blonde ponytail swaying in the night wind. Those eyes, which always carried a hint of sharpness and pride, were now burning with a raging fire.
It was Andrea who fired!
She had made her sister, Amy, hide inside the relatively safe RV while she grabbed a weapon and rushed up.
"Stay away from us, you sons of bitches!"
The fact that her sister had almost been bitten just now had clearly ignited Andrea's long-suppressed emotions.
Gritting her teeth, she fired another shot at the remaining Walker!
Unfortunately, due to anger, tension, and unfamiliarity, this shot missed. The bullet whistled past the Walker's shoulder and vanished into the darkness behind it.
The Walker seemed further stimulated by the gunshot. A raspy groan escaped its throat as it quickened its pace, rushing toward the RV.
Just as Andrea was frantically preparing to fire a third shot, a swift black shadow was thrown violently from beside her like a javelin!
Puchi!
A metal mop handle, with a sharp dagger firmly taped to the front, cleanly pierced the Walker's skull and pinned it dead to the ground!
The one who acted was Jacqui.
The short-haired Black woman who was the only one brave enough to give Merle the middle finger back in the department store, a former employee of the City Zoning Department.
"Ugh... these things are just too disgusting!" Glenn retracted the bat he had intended to use, complaining with lingering fear. "Good thing we didn't let them get close."
He looked at Jacqui and gave her a thumbs up. "Great job!"
Dale, who had been silently keeping watch with his shotgun, walked over to Louis's side.
He silently lowered his gun and reached out his large, calloused hand to gently pat Louis on the shoulder.
"Kid," his voice was raspy but carried a reassuring strength, "we've got this handled. Go inside the RV, don't stay out here."
Louis opened his mouth, wanting to argue a bit more, but Jacqui, who had just pinned the Walker, also walked over.
"I heard from Glenn that you used an alarm clock to make a trap in the city and drew those things away."
Jacqui didn't look down on Louis just because he was a child. "You're smart, better than those guys who only know how to use guns or act recklessly."
Her gaze swept over the chaotic battlefield below: "If you have any better ideas to help us reduce casualties or deal with these things faster, tell us."
She paused and added, her tone incredibly firm: "We trust your judgment."
"Yes, little guy," Andrea also came over. She wiped the dust off her face; though she was still pale, her eyes were determined.
"Even though my marksmanship is... cough, not quite reliable yet. There's always something I can help with."
Glenn was even more direct, half-jokingly saluting Louis on the spot: "At your service, Commander!"
Dale looked at these three determined 'young people' and smiled helplessly.
He didn't object further, only adding earnestly: "However, no matter what you want to do, child, remember that your own safety always comes first."
Louis's eyes widened slightly. Although he had a plan before, he really didn't expect to win their trust so quickly, even becoming a temporary commander so smoothly.
This was undoubtedly the best situation for him, and it couldn't help but move him a little.
He took a deep breath, temporarily casting aside the unnecessary acting and disguises. At this moment, the situation was urgent and allowed for no affectation.
He nodded, his deep blue eyes flashing with a focus beyond his years under the firelight.
"Alright, then next..."
The battle entered a fever pitch. Walkers flooded toward the camp wave after wave, their numbers far exceeding everyone's previous estimates.
But this time, the situation was entirely different from the original plot.
On the roof of the RV, Louis observed the movements of the entire battlefield with his binoculars and keen perception, while calmly issuing commands.
"Rick! Ten o'clock, near that pickup truck, three of them are grouped up! Watch out for an outflanking maneuver!"
"Glenn! Andrea! That patch of woods to the left of the RV! Something is approaching fast! More than one!"
Of course, relying solely on precise warnings wasn't enough. The battlefield changed in an instant, and unexpected accidents always occurred.
In the shadows where the firelight struggled to reach, and in the blind spots of their vision, some unexplainable 'coincidences' were quietly taking place.
A Walker baring its fangs and claws as it lunged at a survivor was tripped by something unknown, stumbling to the ground and giving the person nearby a perfect opening for a finishing blow.
A survivor caught in close combat and on the verge of being overwhelmed reached out desperately and happened to find a heavy crowbar dropped by someone at their feet, allowing them to fight back and escape danger... All of this happened extremely inconspicuously and 'naturally.'
In the chaotic battlefield where gunshots, roars, and human shouts intertwined, no one noticed these tiny anomalies.
Everyone was immersed in the adrenaline-fueled combat, simply feeling that their luck tonight seemed exceptionally good.
Only Louis knew that he was holding his wand beneath his oversized coat, utilizing his internal magic to the fullest to cast spells at critical moments, securing fleeting chances of survival for his companions on the brink of death.
Time seemed to lose its meaning in this state of high tension.
No one knew how much time had passed.
When a sliver of white finally appeared on the eastern horizon and the last Walker was pinned to the ground by Daryl's bolt, the entire camp finally fell completely silent.
Only heavy breathing, the smell of gunpowder from gun barrels, and the silence of survival remained.
Everyone gathered around the campfire, looking at the Walker corpses littering the ground and the grass stained red with blood, their faces etched with exhaustion.
They began to tally the losses and check for casualties.
Soon, an unbelievable fact threw everyone into a state of immense surprise—
Though tonight was perilously dangerous and several people were injured and bruised, under Louis's early warnings and everyone's concerted efforts... not a single person had been bitten by a Walker!
All survivors!