Keep Moving

After recruiting these soldiers into his group, Jason felt great joy at being able to expand his military forces. Although he didn't yet know the full capabilities of these soldiers, he deeply admired them for still being alive despite being in a situation where even he couldn't imagine finding a way out.

In fact, he couldn't picture anyone escaping from such a predicament. Many in their position would have preferred to give up rather than continue suffering.

Seeing that everyone was too weak and needed time to recover, Jason sent them to the tank at the back of the truck after they had changed clothes and taken a cold shower.

The resources found in this base were enough to fill their trucks to the brim. Because of this, they decided to take two more military trucks from the camp to ensure that nothing was left behind.

Now, with the convoy growing larger, many things could go wrong. The soldiers weren't an issue—they were too grateful and weak to even consider attempting anything.

What truly worried Jason was the journey back to the base.

Even as Jason and the others began expanding the search radius for supplies, he was already thinking of different ways to ensure the group advanced safely to their next supply points.

…

Taking a closer look at the area, Rick pointed out, "We're really lucky. Since this base is located on the outskirts of the city, we can clear the area with much more ease."

Rick was right. After all, the number of walkers on the outskirts of the city was still relatively low. In just one night, their numbers hadn't increased significantly—they had only encountered a few walkers nearby.

As Jason scanned the surroundings, he walked toward the main tents and looked at the stacks of ammunition crates piled on top of each other. However, he didn't enter; instead, he continued observing everything else around him.

As the leader of this group, Jason wasn't necessarily the most charming or kind, but his strength and intelligence were always ready for battle. He didn't know why he felt that something was wrong, but even after some time, he couldn't pinpoint the cause. However, that lingering sense of unease refused to fade.

"Rick, Billy, and George, prioritize dismantling the heavy weapons. Aurelio and three others, sweep the area and gather any weapons on the ground. The rest, follow me to collect the supplies from the crates. Move quickly—I have a bad feeling about this place!"

Thoughts raced through his mind for a brief moment, but he chose not to dwell on them. Instead, he focused on loading the ammunition crates and other supplies onto the military trucks. The people behind him showed impatient expressions, wondering what was going on.

But no matter what, everyone trusted Jason's judgment. They had never seen him act so urgently before. Seeing how his behavior had changed, his tone tense and his focus unusually sharp, they too were affected by his mood. Without saying another word, they concentrated on moving the supplies.

Although their thoughts were filled with curiosity, no one asked any questions. They simply continued loading everything because they also knew it wasn't wise to stay in this place for too long.

The supplies at this base were abundant—except for water. Everyone loaded the goods onto the trucks with smiles on their faces, but Jason couldn't shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at him. The tension in his chest grew stronger and stronger.

Seeing that more than half of the critical supplies had been loaded onto the trucks, Jason decided not to wait any longer.

…

"We need to move. Get in the trucks and let's get out of here."

Relying on Jason's instinct and judgment, everyone stopped what they were doing and quickly climbed into the trucks, started the engines, and left the base.

However, before everyone was fully seated inside the truck cabs, the convoy had already begun moving forward.

Amidst the commotion and the roaring of engines, the group left the large plaza. But as soon as they turned onto the road, Jason heard exclamations behind him.

"This can't be happening!"

"God help us!"

Jason didn't look back directly. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the rearview mirror and saw a massive horde of walkers on the other side of the road. At that very moment, they were moving in the same direction as the convoy, about to close in on them.

Rick, sitting at the back of the truck cabin, observed the situation behind them and couldn't help but say, "That's a huge horde of walkers. How did you know?"

A moment later, Jason's voice rang out, "Well, I was once a hunter and a soldier. I learned to sense fear and danger, to react long before I needed to move. This instinct helps me get out of situations like this."

Everyone smiled upon hearing this, their backs drenched in cold sweat. At the same time, their respect for Jason's decisions reached a new level. George and Aurelio grinned—Jason truly possessed remarkable skills.

"Not just anyone can be a captain in the special forces…"

After traveling a few kilometers, the massive horde of walkers behind them finally disappeared from view.

Jason ordered the convoy to slow down and said, "George, you can take the wheel from here. We're going to split up—I need to check a few more locations nearby."

"Captain, we'll go with you. Just lead the way, and we'll follow," Aurelio insisted, wanting to stay by Jason's side.

"Yes, Captain, we're all in this together. We've decided to follow you so we don't weaken our forces," Billy added, opposing the idea of Jason going alone.

The supplies they were transporting this time truly required a large workforce for protection. Jason hesitated for a moment before agreeing. "Alright, we'll go together. We shouldn't have any trouble carrying what we've gathered, but I still think we should find a fifth truck."

Looking at the two long trucks packed with all sorts of supplies, Jason suddenly realized the issue. However, he figured he could organize everything efficiently without needing an additional truck.

With that in mind, he no longer hesitated. If he wanted to visit the remaining supply points he had marked before the apocalypse began, it would take much longer if he went alone.

"Let's go! Let's pack everything before nightfall and head straight back to the prison tomorrow!"

…

Some time later, four massive truck bodies were parked in front of the front yard of a residential house. One of the trucks was positioned at the front of the road, blocking the way, while the other was closer to the house's entrance.

Holding a massive elongated sledgehammer, Jason led several people into the house. Instead of heading upstairs, he walked straight toward a wall. This wall looked just like the surrounding ones.

Just as everyone thought there was a hidden door, Jason swung the sledgehammer in his hand and smashed it directly against the wall.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Within minutes, an entrance leading to the basement appeared before them.

"Jason, did you seal this off?" Rick asked, clearly confused.

Seeing Jason nod in confirmation, Rick continued questioning, his tone slightly shifting: "Did you know about the virus outbreak a long time ago?"

Jason understood what Rick was implying and saw no harm in admitting that he had known about the end of the world for a while. After all, he had prepared for this a long time ago.

But not many would understand, so Jason explained what he had discovered back then.

"A while ago, there was an information leak from a facility in France. It stated that a virus they were researching had gotten out of control."

"I'm a very cautious man, so I took precautions in case something like what happened months ago occurred. But things exceeded my expectations." His words were irrefutable—even Tyler knew it.

Most people were aware of society's flaws long before the virus outbreak. If he had announced a virus capable of ending the world, everyone would have thought it was a joke.

"An information leak?" Rick asked tentatively.

"Yes, some believed it, others didn't. Later, I met the Janners and joined the CDC. I had no choice but to keep that truth to myself, hoping a cure would be found before everything collapsed."

Jason then led everyone down to the basement, continuing as he walked: "It was good for me that I at least believed those circulating reports on the internet. But I can't say the same for others," Jason said before switching on the basement lights.

The scene that unfolded before everyone's eyes left them stunned—various supplies stacked like a hill, neatly organized into different categories.

"You call this 'being prepared'?!"

The few people present were speechless. The supplies in this room alone could sustain the people in the prison for a month, and judging by Jason's intentions, there were multiple supply caches of this scale.

"Alright, everyone, let's start loading!"