Rick froze completely.
He stared blankly at Louis, then mechanically turned his head to look at Dr. Jenner, as if confirming whether he had misheard or if the child was playing some kind of joke.
"You mean..." Rick's voice was trembling, "He..."
"He is the only exception."
Dr. Jenner stubbed out the cigarette butt in his hand and stepped forward, giving Rick an indisputable answer:
"Rick, I tested tens of thousands of samples at the CDC. Everyone, whether living or dead, without exception, has been infected."
"Except him."
The doctor pointed at Louis, an unreal light flickering in his eyes:
"There is no walker virus in his body."
"None?" Rick's voice was dry. "You mean... Louis is immune?"
"Not immune," Dr. Jenner took a deep breath and took over the conversation, his tone solemn, "but there may be special antibodies in his blood that can resist that ubiquitous viral erosion."
"Rick, do you understand what this means?"
"It means hope."
Dr. Jenner looked at Louis as if looking at the only light in the darkness: "As long as he lives, we might have a chance to find a way to end this apocalypse."
In that moment, he finally understood why Dr. Jenner's attitude toward Louis was so special, and why this man who was bent on dying would give up suicide for a child.
However, the massive impact brought not joy, but a chill so heavy it made his breath hitch.
If it were a few days ago, he might have cheered for "humanity being saved."
But after experiencing the matter with The Believers and walking through that factory filled with sin and judgment, Rick's perception of this post-apocalyptic world had been reshaped.
The so-called "cure" and "ending the apocalypse" were too distant and ethereal for them now.
Compared to saving the world, what Rick feared more now was losing this child.
He suddenly turned his head, his gaze toward Dr. Jenner instantly becoming extremely dangerous, and he even subconsciously reached for the gun at his waist.
"Who else have you told about this?!"
Rick stepped closer, staring intently at Dr. Jenner, his voice kept extremely low, "Besides us, who else knows?!"
Dr. Jenner was startled by Rick's sudden ferocity, but he soon read a father's fear in Rick's eyes.
"No one else," Dr. Jenner raised both hands and said seriously, "I swear, besides Louis himself, you are the first to know. Even the CDC records were destroyed before I left."
Rick stared at him for several seconds, and after confirming he wasn't lying, he abruptly turned to look at Louis.
"What about you?" He crouched down, grabbing Louis's shoulders with both hands. "Have you told anyone? Anyone at all? Even Shane or Glenn?"
"No," Louis looked at him calmly and shook his head. "Besides the doctor, you are the first to know."
Hearing this answer, Rick's tense shoulders finally slumped a little.
"Do you know what this represents, child?" He knew Louis was very smart, but he wasn't sure if the boy understood the gravity of the situation.
"I know," Louis didn't avoid his gaze. "That's why I told you."
Louis paused for a moment and added softly:
"I trust you."
Rick's hands remained on Louis's shoulders, unmoving. For a time, only the faint sounds of the three people's breathing remained in the air.
He was silent for nearly ten seconds, his gaze fixed on Louis's face, and then, the breath held in his chest was slowly exhaled.
"I promise."
Then he spoke, but the light in his eyes seemed to have been washed repeatedly by something, settling from initial shock into a more complex emotion.
"As long as I'm alive, no one will hurt you."
...A long while later, Rick finally let go, his emotions having steadied.
He stood up, regaining his calm sheriff persona, and looked at the two of them seriously: "For the time being, no more people can know about this."
"Dr. Jenner, I hope you can also keep this secret for him."
"Of course, that's what I've always thought," Dr. Jenner nodded solemnly. "I didn't even plan to tell you originally."
The three reached a consensus, and just as Rick was preparing to take Louis back to rest, Louis suddenly spoke up.
"What about the other thing?"
"What?" Rick was taken aback for a moment.
"About the fact that all of us are infected."
Louis looked at Rick, "I think we need to tell the others about that."
Rick only then reacted. The news about Louis just now was so shocking that he had almost forgotten this equally heavy bombshell.
"This..." Rick frowned, showing a look of hesitation, "This matter is too heavy. Everyone has just gone through a catastrophe; if we tell them now..."
"But even if we don't say it, everyone will find out sooner or later."
Louis seemed to see through his concerns and reminded him softly, "Back at the factory, there were some Believers who turned without being bitten. Someone else might have already noticed and suspected it."
"Instead of letting them panic in suspicion, it's better to be direct. At least that way everyone can take precautions."
"In case someone gets sick or seriously injured in the future, we'll know how to handle it instead of being bitten by a dead companion while off guard."
Seeing Rick still hesitating, Louis glanced at Dr. Jenner and added:
"And while we can't tell them about my antibodies, we can give them a little bit of other 'hope'."
"For example, have the doctor tell everyone that although the virus is latent in the body, as long as there is enough equipment, he still has hope of creating some kind of serum that can delay the turning process after a living person is bitten, or inhibit the virus's activity."
"Even if it's only a theoretical possibility, it's enough to keep everyone going."
Rick pondered for a moment, a bit more moved as he looked at Louis.
"Alright," Rick nodded, "I'll find an appropriate time to tell everyone about this. As for you..."
He looked deeply at Louis: "You act as if you know nothing, just a normal child, understand?"
"Of course," Louis nodded obediently... The next morning.
At the farm's breakfast table, the atmosphere was still somewhat somber, but much better than last night.
After eating, everyone gathered in the living room and began to discuss where to go next.
"Although Mr. Hershel is very hospitable and willing to take us in for a few days."
Jacqui looked at the busy farm folk outside the window and was the first to speak, breaking the silence: "But we'll have to leave here sooner or later."
When Jacqui threw out this sentence, the others present all showed expressions of surprise.
"Why?" Rick put down the plate in his hand and glanced at Hershel, who was chatting with Maggie outside the window. "The owner here doesn't object to us staying."
"And there's water and food here; it's much better than us wandering outside."