"Zz… Squad AA-1, we're approaching the breach on the southern side of the military base. How much longer until you arrive?"
The walkers were slowly being drawn toward the breach by the helicopters, luring them away from the military base to avoid wasting energy, ammunition, and time eliminating them directly.
Everything was going perfectly. There had been no complications, and most of the walkers were being gradually led away. It could be said that this idea of gathering the walkers using low-flying helicopters was brilliant—though nowadays, few could pull it off.
"This is incredible. How did you come up with something like this?"
Morgan was genuinely impressed by everything he'd been seeing since arriving at Jason's position. Everything Jason was involved in was on another level compared to what they had seen back in the prison, and now Morgan regretted not using this tactic when the horde had attacked a second time.
"This is mostly thanks to the pilots' skills. One single mistake, and we'd be ground beef. At least it's comforting to know we wouldn't feel any pain."
"That's a load of crap."
Daryl glanced over at Jason, observed him for a moment, and then asked:
"What the hell are we even doing here? If it's about saving people, we're putting ourselves at way too much risk. Did you already forget those damn cannibals we ran into recently?"
"No, I haven't forgotten. But this isn't about the people, or some bullshit heroism. You know I'm doing this for the resources. This military base could have everything we'll need down the line. We can't afford to waste time if we can do something now."
Criticized by Daryl, Jason fell silent for a moment. Then, with complete honesty, he explained the true purpose of the mission. After thinking a bit more, he patted Daryl on the shoulder and said:
"Don't worry. I'm sure I can protect you."
"And who's going to protect you?"
That single question was enough to silence Jason.
"I'm getting dizzy…"
Seeing the two fall silent, Morgan smiled faintly, then looked at Elias—who stood quietly beside him—and asked:
"Elias, what do you think about what Daryl said?"
"Anything could happen, honestly. We've come a long way, but if among the people we save there are pilots, it could make a huge difference later on..."
Upon hearing this, Jason nodded and added:
"That's right. Just like doctors, pilots—whether they fly planes, helicopters, or even tanks—are incredibly rare nowadays. I used to think doctors were the hardest to find, but I've changed my mind. Once we drive the walkers out of this base, we'll know if the risk was worth it."
Morgan looked at Jason and fell silent. After reflecting, he better understood the reasoning behind coming here despite the dangers. Still, he didn't say anything more—not wanting to pile onto what Daryl had already expressed.
Besides, they still weren't safe in this area, and dwelling on what could go wrong would only hurt group morale. As long as they acted together and carefully, the chances of trouble would drop significantly.
He didn't fully agree with Jason taking so many risks, but someone with Jason's vision could truly change the course of the future.
"Zz… Squad AA-1 approaching the breach in the base."
…
The operation took more than half an hour to complete. After all, the walkers had to be guided far enough away to ensure they wouldn't return and cause problems.
According to Ian Dietrich, commanding captain of Squad AA-1, all soldiers had been brought under control without major complications and were separated from the civilians to manage the situation more efficiently, given their limited manpower.
High above the military base, three CH-47 helicopters slowly descended and landed near Squad AA-1, which had just finished clearing out the walkers. Driving away the bulk of the horde had been a smart move—now only a few remained.
Dozens of men disembarked from the helicopters and began finishing off the remaining walkers with ease. The path to the rest of the base was quickly cleared.
At that moment, Jason felt something strange, but chose not to focus on it. However, Elias, standing beside him, noticed his expression.
"Sir, is something wrong?"
"It's nothing important… just a string of unsettling thoughts."
Elias raised his rifle and continued firing at the walkers trying to climb the fences. Jason looked at him and asked:
"Do you think I'm a bad leader?"
Elias made a dismissive gesture with his hand, then raised his pistol and shot a walker approaching from the path. He replied:
"Maybe some of your decisions put lives at risk, but I'm sure we couldn't ask for a better leader."
Jason nodded silently. In hindsight, he had made several poor decisions—especially when he eliminated the Governor's group. He knew he could have handled that better, but it didn't matter anymore.
"Notify Squad AA-1. Intelligent walkers are appearing right beside them. Tell them to stay alert."
Just as Elias was about to respond, a distress call came through two radio channels simultaneously:
"Walkers spotted in area D1! Many are runners—some jumped over the wire fence! We're falling back, but we need immediate support!"
As soon as Jason heard the call for help, he was on high alert. He looked to one side and spotted several soldiers retreating in the distance. He ran in that direction and ordered:
"Grab the abandoned vehicles with machine guns! If you can get them running, you know what to do. Everyone who can, head to area D1. We need to wipe out those fast walkers completely."
"You handle that, Morgan!" Daryl shouted, running after Jason and the other soldiers.
"This is…"
Morgan stared in disbelief at Jason's back as he ran off. He held the radio and let out a deep sigh. He knew it was now his responsibility to instruct the rest of the team. He started thinking about what needed to be done.
He had led people before back at the prison. He always spoke directly when something needed to be said and took great care of those who followed his lead. But these were soldiers. It was different.
Even so, he couldn't ignore the task. So he set his doubts aside. Morgan closed his eyes and shouted at the soldiers who still didn't know what was going on:
"What are you standing around for?! Move now! Squads AA-2 and AA-3, follow Commander Jason. You'll be reinforcement in area D1. Don't let any runner-class walkers escape!"
"Squad AA-4, find more armored vehicles. If you don't know where they are, ask the soldiers from this base. The rest of the squads, stay on alert. We could be attacked from other directions."
"You soldiers—follow me…"
Morgan ran toward area D1. The cold wind didn't seem to bother him. His heavy military boots pounded the pavement, followed by the other soldiers.
Area D1 wasn't far. He reached it in under five minutes. Besides regular intelligent walkers, he saw several runner-class walkers with red eyes. Further ahead, soldiers were fighting them off.
Jason ran toward the gunfire. He saw five heavily armed AA-1 squad soldiers falling back while shooting at dozens of runner-class walkers charging at them at high speed.
The soldiers were working together efficiently and managing to retreat without major injuries. The walkers weren't getting too close, and many were being eliminated in the process.
One of the soldiers spotted Jason, and upon recognizing him, his face changed. He shouted anxiously:
"Sir, watch out! There are strange walkers in that warehouse! They're standing still!"
Swish!
Just as he finished speaking, a dry, black figure launched itself from the dark corner of the warehouse, shrieking with rage. It was a runner-class walker, and it pounced on the first soldier it saw.
Bang!
The soldier froze in fear. But a shot exploded the walker's head into a cloud of blood.
Wasting no time, the soldier kicked another nearby walker hard. Its chest collapsed, and it flew backward.
Jason, relieved, raised his weapon and started shooting at the walkers closing in on the group.
Rooarrr!
Boom! Boom!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Walker bodies slammed into the warehouse's half-open door, falling one after another in a pile.
"Fire!"
Boom!
The walkers charged like wild animals, red-eyed and fearless. But the group's aim was flawless. Trained for a long time—and with Morgan's support and the arrival of vehicles—every runner-class walker was eliminated.
Whoo… Hoo… Hoo… What the hell were those things!?
Jason leaned against an armored vehicle, breathing heavily. Some soldiers were unharmed thanks to their suits, but their faces still showed signs of fear.
At the same time, reinforcements were making sure the walkers on the ground were finished off. A team of ten soldiers shot the heads of any still moving.
Jason grabbed the radio and reported:
"Zz… Stay alert. There could be walkers in the warehouses. Don't move alone. Operate only in full squads until the area is secured. Prioritize gathering food and ammunition. There must be all kinds of trucks in this base. Use whatever is necessary."