Just a little bit more till to 15. Keep it up guys.
Thanks.
***
Chapter 41: The Final Meeting at the Farm
"But even so..." Shawn's face was filled with a strong sense of satisfaction. The power surging from within his body flowed through his limbs and veins. For a moment, Shawn even had the illusion that he was number one in the world, and everyone else was a distant second.
However, an illusion was just an illusion. As Shawn gradually grew accustomed to this new strength, the feeling faded. Against a single or multiple walkers, he now had no problem killing them. But against a large group, his current strength was still not enough. Not to mention facing survivors who could flexibly use firearms.
Firearms were still a problem Shawn couldn't avoid. The ability to wipe out the survivor camp in the eastern town was largely thanks to the walkers that had gone feral during the first Blood Moon. The good news, however, was that there were currently no survivor groups he needed to fight.
As for the Blood Moon...
Shawn looked at the top center of his system interface, where a row of numbers was counting down.
06:02:33:17
Days, hours, minutes, seconds. The time had doubled after the last Blood Moon, and it was still ticking away. There was now less than a week left. This meant that even if he arranged for everyone to set out for the Prison now, they wouldn't be able to reach it before the next Blood Moon arrived.
"Using the Prison to withstand the second Blood Moon is probably impossible now."
"And given the state of the Ferals, the fences at the Prison might not be able to hold them back. It would be bad if we accidentally destroyed the fences."
"I can't face the Blood Moon with the group either. They're different from me; they can't clear the virus from their bodies."
"So, the only option is to find a chance to leave along the way, split into two groups, and find an opportunity to face this wave of Ferals, then rendezvous with them at the Prison..."
As he thought, Shawn's eyelids grew heavier. Carl wasn't the only one who had been exhausted these past seven days. The three-seater bench in the back could be laid flat to serve as a bed. Shawn fell into a deep sleep.
He didn't wake up until 1 AM. When he arrived at the camp with his sledgehammer, everyone had already been waiting for a long time. They hadn't rushed to wake him, just waited quietly in a tacit understanding.
"Sorry, I overslept." Shawn rubbed the back of his head and yawned.
"Maggie said you had something to discuss with us?" Hershel asked. He represented the 5 people behind him, who were the entirety of the Farm group.
"Yeah," Shawn nodded and found a spot to sit by the bonfire. Although it was just a random spot, the moment he sat down, everyone subconsciously made him the center of their circle. An ordinary little log seemed to have instantly transformed into the main seat of a chief's council.
"Rick, you've probably already guessed what I want to talk about, right?" Shawn looked at Rick, who nodded.
"Relocating the camp is an urgent matter."
"These past few days, Daryl and Merle have been searching the woods for you and Carl, and they've also been scouting the walker concentration around the Farm."
"You should all know that the situation at the Farm is not good."
"The defenses here are too weak. The few spike traps we have were just temporary measures Shawn made when he arrived. They won't do much against a horde."
"And the week of training is over. I think it's time to prepare to move to the Prison."
Rick spoke without hesitation, directly pointing out the farm's weaknesses. It was clear he had been thinking about this problem for a long time.
"That's right," Shawn took over. "We need to move, and we're doing it this morning."
It was already 1 AM. They would be leaving in about 5 hours.
"In the time we have left, those who haven't slept well should get some rest. The others can start packing up the camp's supplies."
"Dale has repaired the RV, so it shouldn't be a problem to make it to the prison."
"The two motorcycles, plus the two small cars you guys brought, we'll travel as a convoy this time, heading for the main road in the suburbs toward the Prison."
"This way, we won't run into a lot of abandoned vehicles blocking the road."
"We have food, water, and other basic supplies in the camp. We'll drive through the day and rest in the cars at night. We'll leave as soon as it's light out and try to reach our destination as early as possible."
After speaking, Shawn beckoned to Daryl, who pulled a map from his bag.
He spread the map open, revealing a suburban planning map of the city—it was the Atlanta city map he had grabbed from the department store back then and never thrown away.
Shawn's finger traced a path down from Atlanta, bypassing the Quarry, passing the Farm, and then continuing to the very bottom.
"It's not marked on the map, but the Prison is in the southern forest, just off the edge of it."
"The road there might not be smooth sailing, so everyone needs to be prepared to deal with any sudden situations."
"Remember not to let your guard down. Even when you're sleeping, I want at least one person awake in each vehicle at night." Shawn repeatedly warned, his tone serious. The upcoming battle for the Prison would be a tough one, and he didn't want to suffer any losses before they even got there.
After talking for a long time, until his mouth was dry, Shawn finally stopped. He took a bottle of water from Carol and took a sip, then looked at the group.
"Alright, that's the basic plan. If you have any questions, you can ask them now."
"Once we're on the road, I want you all to move forward quietly."
Shawn's gaze swept over everyone's faces, which were flushed by the warm glow of the bonfire.
"You don't have the exact location of the prison?" Glenn frowned.
"Unfortunately, I only have a rough idea of that prison. I know it exists and it's in a remote location, so it's probably not been taken by anyone else. Besides that, I can't give you any more certain information," Shawn shrugged. Who the hell knew how Rick's group had managed to zigzag their way to the Prison in the first place?
"But the prison isn't small. It covers a large area and is built on a slight incline on a hill. The buildings are taller than the surrounding trees. So when we get there, I'll have to trouble Daryl and Merle. They can each lead a team to search. It shouldn't be too hard to find."
Glenn nodded and said no more. As for the others, when Shawn's gaze met theirs, they all shook their heads. Since Shawn had already planned it, there was nothing more to say. Just execute the plan. It wasn't like he was going to harm them, right?
In the end, only Hershel stood up. He didn't ask a question, just looked at Shawn and pondered for a moment.
"I still need time... I need to think about it more..."
Hershel was old. He couldn't be as decisive as Shawn, to just up and leave. Of course, the main reason was that the walkers hadn't attacked yet, and they might not attack in the future. Hershel was thinking: Isn't leaving so hastily a bit impulsive?
And this was the Hershel who had already been changed by Shawn. If it were the old Hershel, he probably would have just spat out something like 'I'll live and die with the farm'.
*****
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