The Decision of a Good Leader

"Jason, what do you think we should do with these two people?" Shane looked at Jason, sensing that he had already made a decision and that showing them the information now was just to help everyone understand his reasoning behind the outcome of this issue. That was all, and the truth was that he respected that.

"What to do with them?" Upon hearing this, Jason raised an eyebrow, looked at everyone in front of him, and said, "These two people will be executed, and the remaining three will be isolated under observation for an indefinite period."

Sensing the coldness in his tone, Rick and Morgan looked at Jason. Even though they had a premonition about this, when they heard Jason say it himself, it still felt strange. They asked, "Are you really going to execute both of them?"

As for the expressions of the others, there was no change. Shortly after, only Merle's voice was heard: "Well, even though I agree that these two shouldn't stay, it's still not appropriate to execute them right away..."

Halfway through his sentence, Merle stopped speaking, subtly glancing at Rick and the others. Then, he whispered, "Why don't you pretend to let them go and then... crack... huh?"

Merle picked up the fork from the table and dragged it across his neck. Everyone understood what he was implying, but no one responded immediately.

Before anyone could say anything, Jason made a sound against the table and said, "I know this decision is hard for everyone, so I will give the order and handle it myself. No one else has to get their hands dirty with these two."

Although Jason spoke in a calm tone, the severity in his voice and the way he tapped his fingers lightly on the table showed that he was completely serious.

Some people here still had noble values. Jason would undoubtedly prefer to let them go so that those who still had nobility in their hearts—or pretended to—could learn from their mistakes. But this was definitely not the time to experiment and waste time with these foolish games, so he would solve this problem quietly, without anyone except the leaders knowing.

"No, this should be a decision we all accept..." Morgan said with a nervous look.

Looking at Morgan, who was still struggling internally, Jason could immediately tell that he didn't agree with these decisions and, if given the chance, would rather not kill anyone. But Jason paid no attention to these trivialities and made it clear that he would handle it fairly.

Jason turned his head toward Shane and asked, "Shane, Merle, you two probably have strong opinions on this matter, right?"

"Huh?" Shane looked at Jason, stunned. He didn't quite understand what the other was getting at.

Merle grinned, his expression beaming: "Of course! I've been feeling anxious about this. This group I'm part of is overcomplicating things for something so stupid that could be solved in a simple way. Sure, we could let them go and see if they survive outside the prison, but Thomas and Andrew should be able to stay with us."

Shane's eyes lit up when he heard what Merle said, and he also understood the message he was trying to convey to everyone in the cafeteria.

Jason glanced around and noticed that everyone was listening to the conversation. He slowly lowered his voice so that only a few could hear.

Then, seeing that everyone was waiting for his words, he said, "You and Shane should act normal. Talk to them after taking them out and see what they think. If they make a mistake, I'll personally take care of it once you bring them to me."

After speaking, he made a gesture across his neck, just like Merle had done. His movement made Rick and the others understand a little more about what Jason meant.

Jason was definitely someone decisive when it came to his enemies.

When no one had a solution that could resolve everyone's doubts, Jason's method became the only option.

Then, Jason sat down with the two of them and carefully discussed the plan. About half an hour later, the three of them had a strategy, and Shane and Merle left the cafeteria.

…

At one in the morning, in the cell where the prisoners were being held...

Thomas, who was lying on the bed, was tossing and turning. The words of the man who seemed to be the group's leader before leaving were still echoing in his mind. He knew very well that once they found out he and Andrew were murderers, the situation they would face would be dire.

"Damn it!"

Suddenly, Thomas heard two soft knocks on the cell door!

He lifted his head cautiously and could only see a figure standing in the shadows outside. Startled, he couldn't help but growl in a low voice, "Who's there?"

"Shut up, you idiot! Don't make a sound! Come here, quick!"

Thomas hesitated. The figure's deep, raspy voice sent a chill down his spine, but his curiosity still led him toward the door.

He slowly walked toward it, and the dark figure moved slightly closer. Thomas could now see this person more clearly and immediately recognized him. He was one of the men who had stood behind the group's leader in the cafeteria. One was a white man, and there was another person beside him, but it was too dark for Thomas to see them clearly.

"What's going on, buddy?" Thomas asked tentatively. He really couldn't think of any reason why the other party would stay awake in the middle of the night just to find him.

"Hey, hey! Kid! Do you want to live or die?" This person was, of course, Merle. At that moment, he was dressed in dark clothing and looked at Thomas in the cell with a playful expression.

Thomas was shocked when he heard this! He suddenly realized that this might be his lifeline, but he still asked cautiously, "What do you mean?"

Merle's tone became a little impatient. "My time is limited! If you keep talking nonsense, I'm leaving! Let me remind you, your case has already been decided by that idiot leading these people. Do you really think they'll let a murderer go free? Ha, ha, ha, what a fucking joke."

After hearing Merle's last words, Thomas finally realized the gravity of the situation, and without thinking further, he walked to the edge of the door and asked, "What do you mean? Are you saying you want to rescue me? Why?"

Suddenly, Thomas heard the man beside him whisper, "Come on, Merle, this guy's an idiot! Are the two of us enough?"

Merle sneered, and an indifferent voice reached Thomas' ears: "Forget it. At first, we planned to take you before we left this place, but we didn't expect things to turn out like this."

After Merle finished speaking, he turned around, about to leave, but Thomas grabbed onto his clothing through the door.

"What? Having second thoughts?" Merle, feeling the tug on his clothes, stopped moving and turned back to look at Thomas.

"Get me out! You won't regret it. I know the prison, I know exactly where to go. Once we get out of here, the more people we have, the better our chances, right?"

Merle stared at Thomas for a moment, then turned and whispered something to the man behind him. Then he told Thomas, "Alright! But listen carefully—we don't need cowards. You'd better not be one! Otherwise, you don't want to know the consequences, got it?"

Thomas quickly nodded. From his perspective, the situation was clear. These two were unhappy with some things in their group and were planning to leave.

They were afraid that the rest of the group would find out, so they chose the perfect moment—deep into the night—to escape.

Thomas could guess that there would be very few people outside, but even so, two weren't enough to handle the situation, which was why they came looking for him to escape together.

Deep down, Thomas secretly despised both of them and intended to escape on his own once they were out of there.

"Let's go…" Merle opened Thomas's cell door and made a quiet sound.

Thomas quickly stepped out, patted his chest, and said, "I'm Thomas! Who are you?"

"Merle. This is Shane! Stop wasting time, let's go!" Merle said impatiently.

"Wait, let's take Andrew with us! He's strong too, he could be useful!" Thomas stopped them before they could leave and pointed at the cell door next to his.

"Are you kidding? I could crush that little runt with one hand. Is he really useful?" Shane asked Thomas angrily.

His reaction made Shane next to him grow even more impatient.