At this moment, after placing the radio on his vest, Jason looked at everyone in the bus crowd and slowly prepared the words he wanted to express. During this time, he knew that this new group of survivors was truly exceptional. There were experienced soldiers, police officers, and skilled firefighters—there were even doctors, which was highly beneficial for the community.
Jason, standing before everyone, silently observed the numerous somewhat dejected faces and said, "My community and all the people protected by soldiers, good police officers, scientists, doctors, and civilians fight every day to welcome more people from the outside. No one will be expelled from our refuge, and all will be welcome."
"But you must know from experience that there are people who want to destroy the refuge we are building with great effort—a home for children and the elderly who only seek to live their first and last days in peace. That's why I need your help. We must take up arms and fight."
As he spoke, he pointed to the wound on his shoulder and said in a powerful voice, "Look at this wound! I received it while trying, in good faith, to save a civilian! Needless to say, they don't seek to be saved, and now the moment has come for you to decide: will you move forward and fight against those who want to see us perish, or will you just stand aside and watch?"
Looking at everyone's expressions, Jason understood that his words had influenced them. There was no hesitation, and even the elderly felt emboldened. Whether it was Jim or Kenneth, who had been saved by Jason, the soldiers that Elias had rescued from the clutches of those survivors, or the civilians helped along the way to this place, they all held weapons, ready to face the world.
"We will kill whoever is necessary to save those who want to be saved. I would like to believe that there are more good people than bad in this world, but right now, the situation is telling me otherwise."
"I will create a new world and teach all of you how to survive. I won't deny that we will encounter obstacles along the way, but I assure you, this will only be the beginning of a new order."
Seeing that Carlos had his mouth open but seemed to be thinking that he could do nothing, Jason was truly intrigued by him. Lowering his weapon temporarily, he took a step forward and said, "The cure for this virus has not been found by our community's researchers, and it very likely never will be."
When Carlos heard Jason's words, he still couldn't believe it. After thinking for a moment, he realized what Jason was truly telling them and said, "If that's how it is, I'm ready to fight by your side to hold on to the little world we have left. I admit I still have some fear of the walkers, but I assure you that at some point, I will be ready to protect what little remains for us."
"That's what I like to hear. And as long as we keep fighting, there will be a path to a better future." Seeing Carlos' remarkable words, Jason felt truly satisfied. He raised his hand and pointed to a box behind the group. "Inside that box are weapons and ammunition. Soldiers, distribute a weapon to everyone for self-defense. You won't have to fight, but if you need to protect yourselves from what we cannot shield you from, you will know what to do."
Then, he turned his head toward George Burcea and asked, "How much time do we have left before we reach the group under attack?"
"At least five minutes, sir, no more," George Burcea responded with a cold expression.
"Good."
Hearing George's answer, Jason nodded with satisfaction. If they were still too far away, he would be truly anxious about what might happen to Shane's group, who were inexplicably outside the prison.
"Sir, should we eliminate all the enemies outside?" A soldier approached Jason, wearing a characteristic green uniform, and asked with a calm gaze.
"Yes, no one outside should be left alive. They are possibly gang members or groups like the ones we encountered in Atlanta, so we must show no mercy," Jason expressed his thoughts naturally.
"Understood, sir."
Jason nodded and approached Daniel, who was sitting with the other civilians, and said, "This time, you'll be in charge of the convoy's security. Leave the rest to us."
As if thinking of something, Kenneth looked at Jason and said, "We will take care of keeping this place safe. But sir, if I may say, if situations like this arise again, you can count on Jim and me."
Jason patted Kenneth's shoulder and nodded. He then walked over to George Burcea, who was driving at high speed, and picked up the radio as he contacted Shane.
"Zz… Shane, what's your situation? We'll be there in less than three minutes!"
"Zz… We're holding out, but we won't last long in this disadvantageous position, Jason. You should know there are a lot of enemy fighters—you have to be careful, some of them are on the roof!"
"Zz… Don't worry, we have plenty of people too."
In the bar, Shane put the radio aside again and started to savor what was about to unfold, occasionally glancing at the dumpster. Deep down, he was eager to take down that bastard hiding like a rat.
Since becoming a police officer in King County, he had never been in such a complicated situation as this. Even when Rick was wounded, it was nothing compared to now. With deep resentment and anger, he killed one of the men outside. From time to time, Shane fired toward the dumpster to suppress the enemies.
Three minutes might not seem like much in this situation, but it was definitely not enough. Right after Shane fired a few more rounds, the roar of numerous vehicles was heard in the distance.
Not even a second later, the people inside the bar heard bursts upon bursts of gunfire not far from their position.
Boom!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"It's the military!"
Many of the trucks advanced forward, followed by a series of rapid gunfire exchanges, continuous bursts firing from all directions.
Although Shane couldn't clearly see what was happening around him, he was sure there were people hiding behind the dumpster.
But at that moment, several men in green military uniforms advanced with their weapons raised. Behind them, Jason walked calmly.
"Jason is here! Let's move out now!" Shane rushed out of the bar only to see Jason turning around and walking toward it, followed by several unfamiliar figures.
There were more than thirty men dressed in black and green uniforms… They were definitely military.
Shane looked closer and realized they were all wearing army uniforms. Observing the military ranks of these people, some were higher than others.
But Shane couldn't look any longer—Jason had already reached the bar's entrance, and Jimmy's body lay there, making Jason's face darken.
"I want the ones who are still alive here!" Jason shouted with a voice full of authority. Elias and Rick, along with another pair of soldiers, slowly approached while holding two people.
"Move, damn it!"
In a matter of moments, two people were thrown in front of Jason. Without wasting time, he drew his weapon and looked at them with a calm gaze.
With weak legs, the men kneeling on the ground looked at Jason with a complicated expression. Their cloaks lay on the floor as they breathed in an unnatural rhythm.
"Ah... eh!"
But just as they were about to scream with their mouths open, Jason ejected the pistol's magazine, then shoved the entire barrel into the mouth of the kneeling man. He lifted his leg and kicked the man in the chest.
The body immediately fell backward, the back of the strong man's head slamming hard against the ground. His entire body went limp, lying motionless on the floor.
This scene happened swiftly and brutally. The people behind Jason were left stunned, but when they saw his gaze, their slightly trembling bodies felt a chill, and no one dared to make a sound.
As the seconds passed, Jason turned his gaze to the thin man beneath him, who was already turning purple and seemed about to die. He released his grip on his neck before striking him with the butt of his pistol.
Crack!
"Cough... cough... cough!!!"
The thin man's body went still on the ground, his breathing becoming more labored. He clutched his neck and took a deep breath, though he wasn't fully conscious, then coughed repeatedly due to the pain.
"Hey, your turn will come too, so start thinking of a special way for me to let you go." Jason turned to the other man beside him, who was trembling in terror at the sight of how his companion was being treated.
Tapping the forehead of the thin man beneath him, Jason asked calmly, "Give me what I want, or you won't be so lucky next time. How many accomplices do you have, and where are they hiding?"
"I... cough... I don't know!"
"Thanks for your answer."
Receiving an answer he didn't want, Jason aimed his silenced pistol, and under the thin man's horrified gaze, he put a clean bullet through his head.
Bang!
Leaving the lifeless body of the strong man aside, Jason walked toward the second man and said, "You're out of luck. It seems your friend didn't want to talk."
"Tell me! How many people are in your group, and where the hell are they?" Jason's tone was ice-cold, and even Rick and the others could feel the killing intent in his words.
The man, who had just watched his companion be killed by Jason, had no intention of answering.
"Go to hell, you damn bastard...!"
Sash!
Jason drew a dagger with his left hand and stabbed the blade directly into the man's left hand without hesitation.
"Ahhh!!"
The man screamed in pain before he could finish his words, and Jason choked him with the knife.
"One last question: how many companions do you have, and where are they?"
"I... I know, please, don't kill me!"
Hearing these words, the man's body finally began to tremble. He immediately lifted his gaze to meet Jason's, this time fully realizing he was about to be killed.
Everyone remained silent. Elias and the others only looked at the man with indifference. They had suffered too much from people like him, trusting individuals who ended up betraying them.
The one who remained silent received another stab from Jason's knife, this time in his other hand. Seeing that he still wasn't getting what he wanted, Jason was about to get rid of the problem immediately.
"I told you, I know!! Ahh!"
"I want an answer. Stop spouting nonsense!"
Good or bad, people had rarely—if ever—encountered soldiers like these, ones who didn't hesitate to wipe out an entire group without showing emotion.
"We have a temporary hideout west of the city! I swear, if you let me go, I can take you there! Ahh! Why are you still hitting me?"
Hearing these words, Jason loosened his grip on the man and let him go. He sheathed his dagger and looked at everyone.
"I just wanted you to tell me where the hell they are. My people and I are sick of bastards like you. This is a fucking disgrace."
It was the same answer they had gotten before from the group that ambushed them. Jason didn't want to waste any more time with people like this. So, when he heard where they were from and what they were worth, he stopped bothering.
"Alright, let's head back to our shelter."
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Jason drew his silenced weapon from his waist. Under the stunned gaze of the man, a bullet pierced his forehead before he could utter a single word of protest.
The man's expression went pale, his body stopped moving, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Elias, have someone collect these people's weapons, and if possible, find out more about their group. They could be a danger if our people run into them later."
"Understood, sir."
After hearing Jason's orders, Elias signaled for a group to search for the weapons and any important resources these people might have.
Glenn and the others looked at Jason with strange expressions. The people present, except for Rick, Shane, and Daryl, felt that torturing and coldly executing these men was too much. After all, the apocalypse had only just begun, and they hadn't seen anything like this before—much less the darker side of what Jason was capable of to protect his people and their future.
Jason paid no attention to them. He simply ordered a few people to retrieve Jimmy's body and bring it back to the prison. At the very least, they had to give him a proper farewell.