Everyone stood by the fence, heads tilted back, watching that grey-green Puma rise from the distant woods and fly toward them.
"It's back!"
Someone shouted.
The helicopter drew closer, the roar of its rotors growing louder.
It swept over their heads and flew toward the distant woods—that was where it had taken off from.
"Why isn't it landing here directly?"
Someone asked.
Merle stood on the door of a humvee, a cigarette in his mouth, squinting as he watched the direction the helicopter disappeared.
He jumped down and said to the driver beside him: "Drive, we're going to pick people up."
Three humvees started up, carrying fully armed Soldiers, and drove toward the woods.
In the woods, the Puma had already landed on that concealed lifting platform.
Hans, Dawn, and fifteen newcomers stood on the platform, looking at the surrounding environment with bewildered expressions.
This is a forest? Why is the ground made of metal?
Dawn crouched down and tapped the ground with her hand.
It was metal, hollow, with an echo underneath.
"There's… something under here."
She whispered.
Hans noticed it too.
This patch of woods was too strange—the surrounding trees were real, but the clearing beneath their feet was clearly man-made.
A massive metal platform, seamless joints, and those mechanical devices hidden in the bushes.
Before they could figure it out, the sound of engines arrived.
Three humvees drove in from outside the woods and stopped steadily at the edge of the platform.
The doors opened, and a group of fully armed Soldiers jumped out, standing neatly to the side.
Wu Fan poked his head out of the helicopter, cigarette in mouth, and shouted: "Is Merle here yet?"
A sleazy-looking figure walked out from the crowd, saluting with a grin: "Boss, what are your orders?"
Wu Fan pointed to the newcomers: "These are all here to join the base. I'm leaving them to you; go through the procedures—quarantine, registration."
Merle glanced at the group and nodded: "Understood."
Wu Fan pulled back into the cabin and said to Shane and Glenn: "You two, come with me."
Shane was stunned: "Where else are we going?"
"To pick up Rick and the others."
Wu Fan started the engine: "There are still a few people on the hospital roof."
Right!
Glenn climbed onto the helicopter, and Shane followed him up.
The Puma took off again, flying toward Atlanta.
Inside the cabin, Shane looked at Wu Fan and asked: "After picking up Rick, where else are we going? I don't believe you're just out for a joyride."
Wu Fan smiled: "Smart, we'll look around nearby to see if there are any refugee camps or something similar."
"Refugee camps?"
"Yes, the kind built by the military to evacuate civilians."
Wu Fan piloted the helicopter, eyes fixed on the sky ahead: "There are plenty of people in there—Soldiers, police, doctors, all kinds of talent. If we can find them, we'll take them all in."
"Take them all?"
Shane frowned: "You'll take anyone?"
"Not idiots."
Wu Fan said: "The selfish, dead-weight types, we won't take them, but we'll take normal people."
Shane nodded and didn't ask further.
Grady Memorial Hospital roof.
Rick and the remaining few were waiting there.
Seeing the helicopter fly back, they breathed a sigh of relief.
The Puma hovered and lowered the rope ladder.
Rick and the others climbed up.
"Is everyone here?"
Wu Fan asked.
Rick nodded: "Everyone is here."
"Sit tight, we're continuing."
The Puma turned and flew toward the other side of Atlanta.
Just after flying a few blocks, Glenn suddenly pointed down and shouted: "BOSS, look!"
Wu Fan looked down.
On the roof of an office building, someone was burning something.
A pile of debris had been set on fire, billowing thick black smoke, which was particularly eye-catching under the grey sky.
Beside the black smoke, several people were frantically waving their arms, jumping and shouting, signaling the helicopter for help.
Wu Fan didn't speak and kept flying forward.
Rick walked to the window and looked at those people.
They were getting further away, smaller and smaller, but that waving motion, that desperate posture, stabbed into his heart like a knife.
"BOSS."
He spoke up.
Wu Fan didn't turn around.
"Can we…"
Rick hesitated: "Can we go down and help them? They're surrounded by Walkerss, they're desperate."
Wu Fan turned to look at him.
"You want to help them?"
Rick nodded.
Wu Fan thought for a moment and said: "How about this, you go down and lead them to the CDC base, how's that?"
Shane stood up abruptly: "Rick, don't—"
He grabbed Rick's arm and lowered his voice: "Think about Lori! Think about Carl! What are you doing going down there? Leading a group of strangers through Atlanta? That's suicide!"
Rick looked at him, his eyes complex.
He looked down again.
Those people were still waving.
A woman was kneeling on the ground, hands clasped together, begging the helicopter.
The people beside her were crying, cursing, or already sitting paralyzed on the ground in despair.
Rick took a deep breath.
"Fine."
He said: "I'll go down."
Shane's eyes widened: "Are you crazy?"
"I'm a cop."
Rick looked at him: "This is what a cop is supposed to do."
Wu Fan looked at him, silent for two seconds.
Then he pulled the joystick, and the helicopter turned around.
The people below saw the helicopter turn back and instantly erupted.
They hugged each other, crying and laughing, frantically waving their arms and running toward where the helicopter was landing.
The Puma hovered above the roof.
The rope ladder was thrown down.
Two fully armed people slid down the rope ladder—Rick and Shane.
As soon as they landed and unbuckled the rope ladder, the helicopter lifted off.
"Hey!"
A man shouted: "Why did the helicopter leave?"
He ran up to Rick, face full of confusion: "What's going on? Why did it leave? Wasn't it here to pick us up?"
Rick looked at him and said calmly: "From now on, the two of us will lead you out."
The man was stunned.
The few people behind him were stunned too.
"You?"
Another woman shrieked: "Just the two of you? Are you kidding?"
"Yeah! Where's the helicopter? Why didn't it take us?"
"Are you lying to us?"
"I want to get on the helicopter! I want to get out of here!"
A barrage of questions poured in.
The man rushed to Rick and grabbed him by the collar: "Are you fucking kidding us? Letting the helicopter leave? Do you want to get us killed?"
Shane couldn't watch anymore.
He punched the man in the face.
The man grunted and fell to the ground, clutching his nose, blood streaming through his fingers.
"Shut up."
Shane said coldly: "One more word, and I'll throw you down to feed the Walkerss."
The people instantly quieted down.
Rick glanced at Shane and said nothing.
He crouched down and helped the man up: "Sorry, but the helicopter can't carry that many people. We two will lead you to a safe place, if you're willing to trust us."
The man covered his face, wanting to curse but not daring to, only able to glare fiercely at him.
Rick stood up and said to the others: "Those willing to leave, follow me. Those who aren't, stay here and wait for the next helicopter—if there is one."
He turned and walked toward the stairwell, but no one followed him.
Only Shane followed behind him, whispering: "BOSS was right, your kindness is better fed to dogs than wasted on trash like this."
Rick smiled bitterly: "There will always be a few with manners, let's go."
On the Puma.
Wu Fan looked through the window, watching the two figures disappear into the stairwell on the roof.
He pulled the joystick, and the helicopter continued flying forward.
Glenn asked softly: "BOSS, will Rick and the others… be able to come back alive?"
Wu Fan didn't answer.
He just looked at Atlanta outside the window, at the dense clusters of buildings, the grey streets, and the countless Walkerss.
A protagonist, the durable Rick, and a Shane who quickly adapted to survival in the apocalypse…
"Let's hope so."
He said finally.
The helicopter continued flying forward, heading toward the outskirts of Atlanta.