Preparations

In the room, there was a dead silence, and everyone was lost in thought. They had all heard about the supposed thing in that abandoned military camp.

But they had all seen walkers, touched their corpses, and cut off their heads. There was nothing left that could truly scare them; what really worried them was that it might be a trap.

"Why do I feel like these people are lying to us?"

Feeling everyone's eyes on him, Jason thought for a moment, then said after a few seconds, "It could be a trap... but it also might not be."

That military camp had suddenly become a very dangerous place, so extreme caution was required. Fortunately, Jason's group had the right equipment to safely figure out what was really in that place.

After hearing Jason's words, everyone fell back into thought. If it were a trap, Jason's words would likely have revealed it. But it seemed he didn't think Ferdinand was lying.

After all, Jason's observation skills and cautiousness were extremely meticulous. Everyone knew that, so they could only listen to his words and follow through with the plan.

"Don't tell me you actually believe them—there's definitely something they're not telling us," Daryl said, clearly not in agreement.

"That's exactly why those two will be going with you two..."

Jason pointed to the map and continued, "The red zone is where Ferdinand's group led the walkers; the blue zone is where the military camp is, and there are still walkers there. But now we have the green zone, which is where we're located."

"Looking at the danger areas, our group without combat experience should stay close to the blue and green zones, while our team will push through the blue zone to reach the military camp."

Everyone paid close attention to Jason's more detailed words. According to his plan, it was simple enough that everyone could understand it after hearing it explained.

"We'll split into two teams. The first team will be led by Daryl, and the second by Merle. Jon, George, Billy, Liam, and Elias will come with me to clear the military camp. If there's an animal, a walker, or an ambush—we'll take it down."

The group Jason had chosen was made up of experienced soldiers. They had all been in the army before the world ended. Except for Liam, who joined after the events at the hospital, they had originally been part of the group Jason led out of the prison.

"I agree with killing them. They're a nuisance, and nowadays, I don't trust anyone but myself," Merle said with a grin.

"Surprising you trust even yourself…" Michonne said, feigning shock.

"We have to be careful. We can't let the enemy catch us off guard again."

Looking seriously at Daryl, Jason nodded and said, "You're right. We need to make sure we're not surprised by another group of people. But we can't rule out any possibilities, so we have to be ready for anything."

Seeing that everyone agreed, Jason said, "Alright. Let's organize the teams and get ready to head out as soon as possible. We need to take advantage of the daylight—this cleanup needs to be done quickly so we can resume our journey."

After everyone left, the group Jason had chosen remained in the room, waiting for any further orders.

"So, are we going up against something seriously dangerous?"

After going over the mission details and once everyone except the selected group had left the room, Jason approached them and listened to their thoughts.

"Come on, Liam, I guess it's because you don't know the boss that well yet, but let me tell you—nothing will go worse than last time," George Burcea said with a grin.

"Well, last time really was a surprise we didn't see coming…" Jon agreed. If they had been prepared, he was sure no one would have given them trouble.

Walking near this five-man team, Jason said quietly, "It might just be some variant walker, like the ones Edwin told us about. It shouldn't be a big issue. Another thing is that something in that place might be causing hallucinations, so we'll be moving in with gas masks."

"That makes sense. What walker doesn't rot over time?" Billy nodded as he listened.

Elias sighed and said, "Either way, we need to be careful. Just over a year ago, we couldn't have imagined anything like what we're dealing with now. At this point, we can't rule out any scenario."

"You're nervous, Elias. I guess that old man really got in your head," Liam said with a playful grin.

Hearing this, Jason paused for a moment, looked at Elias beside him, and said, "You're a good sniper—you can support us from a distance and gather intel with Sasha."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sudden feeling of danger surged up from deep within his chest. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt something wasn't right, and his body was telling him to run.

But when Jason felt this sensation, he knew he was heading into a dangerous place. That fact alone made him curious. The last time he had felt this way was when he looked at Andrew; at that moment, he knew there was danger.

Looking at the familiar faces in the room, he explained the plan once more.

"This time, the operation to secure all the resources in that military camp is a top priority. We have to move fast and watch our backs like we always have."

Jason looked at everyone's anxious faces and said, "For this mission, we'll be equipped to face any kind of situation. If the devil himself comes at me, we'll fire back with everything we've got."

"That's what I'm talking about, boss," George whistled with excitement.

"Don't be so loud," Billy grumbled.

Jason smiled at this group, then nodded and said, "Alright, let's gear up."