A Night War

Three months after leaving the prison, Jason had managed to gather a new group of over seventy people, most of whom had great combat skills. They were not only police officers but also former soldiers, and all of them had chosen to follow him.

A few days later, outside a building, the captains of many squads under Jason's command gathered for a meeting, gripping their weapons tightly.

Everyone surrounded Jason with expectant eyes. Each of them had recently joined his group, and they were slowly realizing that this man was someone worth following. His plans would undoubtedly push them toward a better future.

Among the well-equipped group, Jeffrey stood to the side with the fighters from his survivor group, who now followed Jason's direct orders. They all placed their trust in one man, and Jason was undoubtedly confident he could solve this problem as soon as possible.

Jason observed this experienced group, all dressed in black tactical gear. Some had uniforms combined with protective armor on different parts of their bodies. Holding weapons in their hands, they stood firmly in place, fully armed and ready for war.

Jeffrey, a leader guiding the members of his group, looked at the slowly setting sun and said, "Has everyone been informed about what we're doing today?"

Elias, who stood beside him, watching the situation from a different angle than Jason, lowered his gaze slightly and said, "Our people are at least well-informed, but in short, today we're going to wipe out an entire community that has recently gained influence in this part of the city."

"We've all discovered that they take many people prisoner in the building they've claimed as their base. Among us, there's no need to mention what their intentions are, right? As our leader said, tonight will be easy, and after this, incredible things await us all."

"Very well!"

Jeffrey nodded in satisfaction. The first time Jason arrived at his refuge, he thought it was just another group like Dmitri's. But he was both surprised and doubtful when he heard that Jason was uniting the nearby communities in Atlanta to begin implementing a plan to restore some semblance of hope to humanity.

A new future—with researchers, a large army, ample supplies, food, and weapons to fully equip an army. Jeffrey undoubtedly trusted Jason and said, "So, are there no changes to our preparations?"

"I thought we would have more than a hundred and fifty people to eliminate the enemy group. Even though our strength is great, we shouldn't underestimate the enemy's power—it's something to seriously consider."

At that moment, Jason, who had been silently observing the situation from a corner, spoke: "We never underestimate our enemies. It doesn't matter if they're five or a hundred. If we're attacking tonight, there's no need to keep considering their strength, am I right?"

"You are absolutely right, sir!"

At those words, Jason's cold and authoritative gaze swept over everyone as he said, "I found you, I reached out my hand to you, and now you're here. Many of you lost your wives or suffered in ways similar to what those bastards are doing to all those people right now. I've always told you—walkers aren't the only thing we should fear."

"People have been forced to make decisions based on their hearts. We've made ours, and if we compare them, it's clear that the future is on our side. I don't justify the blood on my hands—I have never regretted anything I've done up to this point, and I hope you haven't either."

Hearing these words, the expressions of all Jason's followers—except for Jeffrey's people—reflected a shared sentiment. They had all suffered and bled in this world that was suddenly destroyed, and they were willing to give everything to be the ones to rebuild it.

"We're with you, boss!"

"Let's take those bastards down!"

Jason's eyes turned cold. He looked at everyone with a smile and said, "Since we're all ready, let's get rid of some pests that have no place in our future."

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone began boarding the vehicles. Jeffrey was amazed by Jason's ability to communicate with his followers. Without quite understanding how, he also felt that following him was the right path forward.

…

Outside, in a large building—a massive refuge filled with armed men—people were celebrating the great haul they had gathered that day. They laughed and shouted without fear of attracting walkers, as they had sealed the streets with metal fences and large buses behind them.

"Ha ha ha! I don't know which damn psychopath alerted all the walkers in the city, but we should be thanking him," a bearded man remarked.

"Yeah, if it weren't for that son of a bitch who lured all the walkers away, we wouldn't have been able to loot all those supplies and weapons the military left behind!"

"It sucks that we have to stand guard outside the refuge tonight. Right now, I'd rather be enjoying all the wonders life has to offer."

"Ha ha ha! You're just a bastard who thinks with the wrong head. Stop talking nonsense."

Meanwhile, in the distance, figures were slowly closing in on the refuge from all directions.

Once everyone was in position, a sound broke the silence of the city. It echoed over a kilometer away, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

This type of sound immediately caught the attention of everyone in Dmitri's shelter. Instinctively, they all grabbed their weapons and scanned the surroundings, unsure of what was happening.

"Everyone, stop wasting time and get ready!"

At that moment, an elderly man dressed in a military uniform approached quickly. He looked at the stunned crowd around him and waved his large hand to give an order.

This powerful command snapped everyone out of their daze, and they immediately began preparing according to the previously arranged defense plan.

Just as everyone in the shelter was getting ready, hundreds of walkers suddenly appeared on the least protected main street of the refuge, inexplicably drawn directly toward their location.

"Undead up ahead!"

"This is impossible! How the hell did they get past the fence that was supposed to keep them away?"

Shouts of surprise erupted from all around the outer zone of the building. No one could understand how these walkers had bypassed all the defenses set up in the street to prevent them from advancing this far.

"I told that damn Dmitri that a metal fence was a fucking bad idea! You, piece of shit, go tell Dmitri that we're being invaded by walkers," the elderly man in the military uniform barked.

"Yes, sir!"

Back at the scene, about thirty men grabbed a series of shields and stood in front of the walkers, ready to take them down without wasting ammunition.

"Come on, let's get rid of these sacks of meat!"

The elderly man in the military uniform observed his people's swift movements and nodded in satisfaction. No one in this group was afraid of walkers, and that pleased him. However, something among the horde caught his attention.

Among the crowd of walkers, several figures stood still. When he looked closer, his blood ran cold.

In the middle of the small horde, about a dozen figures were holding rifles in their hands. Slowly, these rifles were raised and aimed at their enemies. Before anyone realized it, they were ready to open fire.

From an unknown location, Jason lifted his radio and said, "Attack team, start eliminating the enemies!"

"They're not all walkers—there are people among them!"

The voice of the elderly man in the military uniform roared like thunder, and the people lined up to eliminate the walkers were left completely stunned.

"What did you say?"

However, there was no time to react. From within the crowd of walkers, gunfire erupted. The bullets, like meteorites, tore through the walkers in the middle and roared toward the people preparing to fight them.

But as the bullets flew toward them, the people holding ballistic shields in the front managed to block them. Sparks flared instantly as the rounds struck the metal. Although a single bullet couldn't do much against these sturdy shields, a dense barrage of gunfire rained down, and the ballistic shields in their hands were slowly pushed backward.

As they struggled to withstand the bullets in confusion, more than a dozen figures fell to the ground in a mist of blood. In mere seconds, numerous people were taken out without much effort.

Meanwhile, the remaining group holding ballistic shields had no choice but to stop and crouch down. They huddled together and immediately began advancing toward the shooters, preparing to return fire.

But as the distance closed, the power of the bullets intensified. Although the processed metal shields were tough, they couldn't withstand such a relentless assault, and cracks started to form.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With another barrage, one of the shields failed to withstand the continuous impact, and soon, shrapnel pierced through it. Before many could react, multiple bullets tore through them, and their lifeless bodies collapsed to the ground. Some still clung tightly to their shields even in death.

Soon, more people emerged from the building, carrying large ballistic shields draped over their coats, and began counterattacking the enemy.

Seeing this, the people among the walkers took a step back, and another line of similarly armored figures covered their bodies to shield them from harm.

In this tense standoff, there were now two lines of ballistic shields—one from Dmitri's people and the other from Jason's group. Bullets rained down along the street, cutting down numerous walkers in the crossfire.

Everyone inside Dmitri's shelter was bewildered. Walkers had clearly entered their refuge, but how the hell could these walkers be holding weapons?

However, someone behind Dmitri's group quickly began giving orders, and soon, they started returning fire against the attack team. Although Dmitri's men held their formation, many were being taken down with precise headshots.

Even so, Dmitri's people were clearly well-prepared. They began emerging from different sides of the building, and not a single one of them retreated—just like the suicidal assaults they had launched before.

Jason's small group of twelve people clearly couldn't withstand the relentless attack from the large number of enemies pouring out of the building, and they slowly began to fall back.

Vehicles started emerging from the underground parking lot of the building, and the machine guns mounted on the trucks opened fire, aiming at the attack team.

Just when the situation seemed to be turning in Dmitri's favor, far in the distance—on a building more than five hundred meters away—a team of snipers lined up, wielding anti-tank rifles. They took aim at Dmitri's men.

Jason gave the order, and the anti-tank rifles unleashed their devastating fire.

"My condolences—accept your fate obediently!"