"You should know the rules of the Prison; drinking alcohol is not allowed during missions, right?" Shawn looked at the wine bottle in his hand.
Initially, Merle, due to his uninhibited personality, drank alcohol and fired wildly during a Search mission for supplies, again incurring public wrath, almost getting himself killed.
So, although it was a rule of the Prison, this rule was more specifically aimed at Merle.
Letting Merle set an example would make others in the Camp gradually start to follow the rules.
Moreover, in this environment, alcohol was not just for recreation but also an important strategic material, very helpful for both combat and medical purposes, and it couldn't all go into Merle's stomach.
"I know, I know, buddy, don't you ever get tired of talking about this every day?" Merle frowned, his already slightly reddish complexion looking like he was angry and ashamed.
He lowered his head, looked at the wine bottle, and suddenly kissed it before reluctantly putting it down, still muttering, "I quit drinking a long time ago. If I quit drinking, how could I possibly drink? You're so strange, so interesting…"
Daryl looked at Merle, his gaze sweeping him up and down.
No, buddy, don't say we won't believe that; you probably wouldn't believe it yourself, right?
Daryl once thought he would have to force Merle with a crossbow to get him to quit drinking, but thankfully Shawn could keep Merle in check; otherwise, Daryl would have had a headache for a long time.
"Excuse me, what should we do next?"
"Should we continue to the Community you mentioned, or turn back here?" Tallahassee raised his hand and patted a box of drinks beside him, balancing on one foot and hooking his toes to strike a classic pose.
Hearing Tallahassee's words, everyone subconsciously looked at Shawn.
That's right, they almost forgot, the supermarket was a huge treasure trove, open for anyone to explore.
Did this mean that their primary goal was no longer to go to Alexandria, but to prioritize finding a way to transport these supplies back and secure them?
After all, they could go to Alexandria anytime, but these supplies weren't always available.
Before leaving the Prison, the Prison had gained dozens of new people, and food reserves were being depleted faster, so they couldn't last much longer.
Not to mention now there were Columbus and his companion, and Aji, Steven, Lamson, and other nurses, police officers, and patients from the Hospital.
So many people were a significant boost, enough to make the Prison grow rapidly, but along with that came a food crisis.
This was the most pressing and unignorable issue in the apocalypse, so the supplies in the supermarket at this moment became critically important.
And at this very moment, if one could hear everyone's thoughts, they would surely be something like this:
Daryl licked his lips—if they took it back, the Prison wouldn't lack food for several years.
Merle licked his lips—if they took it back, he wouldn't lack alcohol for several years.
Columbus licked his lips—maybe I should volunteer to take the food back; that way, I should have an easier time in that so-called Prison in the future.
Tallahassee licked his lips—why haven't we started killing Walkers today?
...
Shawn looked at the four people's varied expressions; each had their own little thoughts, and if you didn't know better, you'd think they were performing a face-changing act.
He clapped his hands, the crisp sound echoing between the shelves and then reaching everyone's ears, pulling their consciousness back to reality.
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Shawn thought for a moment, and what he said was somewhat unexpected.
Shawn went to the goods piled at the door and made a somewhat reluctant decision.
"We continue forward! We'll leave the supplies here for now."
Even if Shawn filled his backpack, there was still a large quantity of considerable supplies in the supermarket.
Shawn was naturally reluctant, but it was like Columbus's evaluation of Vechita and Little Stone.
Food was important, but there were many things more important than food.
In Shawn's eyes, people were more important than food, so Atlanta had to be visited.
Not to mention, Shawn already held seeds that ripened every two days; although they didn't have as rich a flavor as these industrial products, it wasn't difficult to feed a large group of people and keep them full every day.
Food was not Shawn's top priority, so it was not hard to understand why Shawn chose to abandon the food and continue forward.
Seeing everyone's pained expressions, Shawn added, "However, if the supplies in the supermarket are still here when we return, we'll find a way to take them all."
"We are just temporarily storing them here; we will come back to take them sooner or later."
Hearing Shawn say this, everyone's expressions improved slightly, and the look of pain wasn't as obvious.
Indeed.
For so long, this supermarket had not been discovered by survivors, which allowed Vechita and Little Stone the opportunity to occupy it.
If they went and came back quickly, they could return within 5 days. They had waited for several months, so what was a mere 5 days?
But turning to look at these supplies, Daryl still felt a bit restless.
Seeing them already packed into bags, and now having to take them out, how could he be so reluctant?
But in the end, Daryl tilted his head and sighed, "I'll listen to you."
Shawn's decisions had always been correct, and coupled with his friendship with Shawn, Daryl would ultimately agree no matter what Shawn said.
Simply put, before Shawn even spoke, Daryl had already convinced himself.
Having made the decision, everyone immediately stopped hesitating and tried to load all usable supplies onto the vehicle; the fire truck, which was already half-filled, now had no empty space left.
But even though the compartment was full, Tallahassee still dragged out an arcade machine, wanting to force it into the car.
"Fuck!"
"There's no room for food, drinks, or tools, and you want to load your damn arcade machine!" Merle cursed directly.
Merle hadn't even had a sip of alcohol himself and was currently sulking stubbornly, so he naturally wouldn't spare Tallahassee, who had delivered himself to Merle.
"Hey, it's just a whack-a-mole game, don't you have a childhood?" Tallahassee raised the accompanying small hammer and forcefully hit a mouse head that popped out.
But as soon as Tallahassee mentioned the word 'childhood,' Merle's nose instantly twisted in anger.
"You motherf—"
But before Merle could finish speaking, Columbus interrupted him.
"Put it back; there's no electricity on the road, how do you expect this machine to work?" Columbus was surprisingly firm for once, and Tallahassee's eyes widened in disbelief.
Suddenly, his eyes flickered, and he saw Shawn standing behind Columbus; Tallahassee silently shifted his gaze to the side, pretending as if nothing had happened.
Seeing this scene, Columbus, who was still in the dark, was suddenly overjoyed.
'Sure enough, I can be a tough man too!'
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