Although this world lacked true magical beasts, the ability to establish an extraordinary connection with ordinary animals was undoubtedly a massive advantage.
"Sigh, although God closed the door on me learning advanced magic, at least He opened another window," Louis lamented silently in his heart. "Not a bad trade."
Leading the horse, he and Rick walked to the side of the highway.
Rick first mounted the horse with agile movements, then reached out his hand, easily pulling Louis up to sit in front of him.
"Sit tight!" Rick instructed, lightly squeezing the horse's flanks with his legs.
"I haven't ridden a horse in years." He took a few experimental steps on the horse and felt no issues.
"This is my first time riding a horse." Louis shrugged. "It feels a bit easier than I imagined."
"Well, it seems you have a talent for it, little cowboy."
Rick adjusted the brim of his hat and made a joke, then pulled the reins, saying, "We're heading out. If you feel uncomfortable, let me know at any time, okay?"
Louis nodded and made an OK gesture.
Then, the brown steed let out a loud neigh, and then set off at a gallop toward Atlanta, leaving a trail of dust behind.
The horse's hooves struck the empty asphalt road, making a crisp "clack, clack, clack" sound. The wind whistled past his ears, and as Louis sat on the horse, he let out a long sigh of relief in his heart.
Fortunately, he had finally succeeded in persuading Rick to bring him along. Otherwise, the next part of his plan would have been quite difficult to manage.
After all, his strong insistence on following Rick into the city wasn't just to help out.
His true purpose was actually to see if he could save the tough guy who, in the early part of the original plot, was forced to stay on a rooftop in downtown Atlanta and eventually cut off his own hand to survive—
Merle Dixon... The sound of hooves echoed through the empty streets as Rick and Louis rode into downtown Atlanta.
However, the scene before them was starkly different from the bustling metropolis in Rick's memory.
This was a true city of the dead.
The wide roads were deserted, with only countless abandoned cars jammed together, forming a defensive line of steel.
The wind blew, swirling newspapers and trash across the ground with a "rustling" sound, adding several layers of desolation to the city.
Skyscrapers stood silently like cold tombstones, announcing the passing of civilization.
The stretch of road they just entered was exceptionally empty, with not even the shadow of a single Walker in sight.
While it was still relatively safe, Louis patted Rick's arm.
"Rick, can we switch positions? I want to sit in the back."
Hearing this, Rick looked down, somewhat puzzled.
Louis unfastened several oddly shaped, leather-sheathed homemade weapons from his waist, waved them in front of Rick, and had a sly smile on his face: "Remember? I'm here to help."
Rick looked at the special weapon in confusion.
They were several sets of items similar to meteor hammers, but the "hammer" part was a four-sided steel spike polished to be incredibly sharp.
The bottom of the steel spike was connected with tough nylon rope, and the other end was a leather loop for easy gripping. Overall, it looked like an enlarged, lethal pendulum steel cone.
This was the Walker-killing weapon Louis had devised for himself after his Levitation Charm reached Hermione's level, allowing him to cast the Levitation Charm wandlessly and silently.
He had been thinking about a problem: simply learning magic wasn't enough; he had to find a way to let magic help openly without being suspected by others.
Otherwise, always hiding and being restricted would be too frustrating.
At first, he just used the Levitation Charm to manipulate stones and sharp objects for attacks, similar to a "Falling Rock Spell." Later, he could simultaneously manipulate three steel needles to precisely penetrate a Walker's brain and then retrieve them.
And now, with this "pendulum steel cone," he could, to a large extent, "rationalize" the power of the Levitation Charm.
He would use the Levitation Charm to throw the steel spike and then use magic to retrieve it.
As long as he operated it correctly, this series of actions would, in the eyes of others, be completely explainable—he was just a "throwing genius" with wonderful arm strength, proficient in throwing techniques, and skilled at using ropes to retrieve weapons.
Although this was also far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary child, at least it was within the realm of human understanding.
After all, there were many child prodigies in this world, such as shooting athletes who won Olympic gold medals in their teens, or Go prodigies who swept the world on the chessboard.
He remembered a guy named Michael Kearney who graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in anthropology at age ten; and another named Jacob Barnett, who also entered college at ten to study astrophysics.
Not to mention the young warriors in history who fought on battlefields at a young age.
An IQ slightly higher than his peers, combined with the tempering of the apocalypse, made the emergence of a "throwing prodigy" like him seem not entirely unacceptable.
Louis just didn't want to expose something completely beyond the norm like "magic"; it didn't mean he had to be timid and do nothing.
When it was time to use magic, he still had to use it! Otherwise, wouldn't his transmigration be in vain?
He briefly explained the principle of this weapon to Rick, but it was clear that the other man didn't take it to heart.
At the same time, Rick also rejected his idea of switching positions, and this time he was very firm.
"No, Louis. You must sit in front of me so I can protect you."
"But..."
"No buts."
Louis talked until he was blue in the face, but he couldn't sway him.
For Rick, let alone the fact that he didn't believe Louis could solve Walkers alone with those strange "toys," even if Louis displayed wonderful abilities on the spot, he would never let a child go to the front lines.
Allowing an eleven-year-old child to personally face that blood and slaughter was too cruel for any conscientious adult.
Thus, Louis could only helplessly give up his initial plan and let out a silent sigh in his heart.
Fine, looks like I'll have to go with Plan B!
...Later, the two continued deep into the city center.
To avoid attracting unnecessary attention, Rick deliberately slowed the horse's pace, trying not to make too much noise.
It was still daytime, and the Walkers wandering the city weren't very dense. Occasionally, a few scattered ones were attracted by the sound of hooves and followed, but they were quickly left behind without causing any trouble.
Rick had originally wanted to continue scouting slowly like this, looking for a gas station or a usable vehicle.
However, just as they passed a skyscraper with a massive glass curtain wall, an unexpected reflection made Rick's heart leap!
It was the shadow of a helicopter! It was flashing past between two buildings!
"Louis! Did you see that!"
Rick's voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement!
"Was that... a helicopter?" Louis nodded, his eyes widening slightly, not having missed the fleeting shadow.
A helicopter!
This discovery made it impossible for Rick to remain calm. Because it likely meant the military, the government, or some powerful survivor organization was still operating here!
In this instant, most of his caution and reason were thrown to the wind.
Rick no longer hesitated; he gave the reins a sharp shake, squeezed the horse's flanks hard with his legs, and galloped with Louis toward the direction where the helicopter had disappeared!