With knowledge of some trivial fragments of the original plot, Jason and many others who shared his views knew that the military initially underestimated the walkers.
However, the real problem was the high-ranking officials who gave those cruel orders to the army.
In fact, very few soldiers were seen after the chaos, and that was because they had been moving from one temporary base to another.
At first, the newest temporary bases were abandoned by the military, leaving behind a large amount of equipment. Just considering what was left outside the CDC, where there was a temporary base, Jason was able to acquire several Humvees, three tanks, and a lot of useful weaponry.
Many people criticized and were certain that the military had been too weak; no one could understand how the entire system collapsed because of these simple walkers. But there was a very detailed explanation: most soldiers lacked crucial information on how to deal with the infected.
Operation Cobalt caused discontent within the military, leading to deserters who, as is known, later formed the CRM.
But before that happened, when everything first broke out, the military created many shelters and established useful containment measures.
All it took was for one infected person to escape the military's notice for an entire base to be overrun by walkers. Everyone assumed they were just crazy people or victims of a virus that might be reversible, but everything spiraled out of control to a degree that, even with all their military weaponry, the soldiers had no choice but to flee.
As Jason pondered all this, several people got out of the large trucks and stood at the edge of the camp. The scene before him only reinforced his judgment.
This refuge had a large number of heavy weapons scattered on the ground, surrounded by tents that hadn't been removed in a long time.
As he approached, Jason barely noticed the dark blood at the camp's entrance, but upon entering, he discovered the ground was covered with corpses. The rotting flesh and blood gave off a putrid stench.
This proved that even at that time, the troops still doubted what was happening, mistaking the walkers for violent individuals. By the time the soldiers realized something was wrong and began to shoot, the walkers were already too close.
After confirming the situation, Jason grabbed his M4, and along with the others, first entered the camp to clear out the nearby walkers.
Once all the walkers were eliminated, everyone moved toward a tent in an open area behind the camp. As Jason had suspected, there was a lot of military equipment stored there.
Jason looked at the crates and found a large quantity of supplies, ranging from ammunition to various types of weapons. Ignoring this for a moment, he searched the surroundings to ensure there was nothing else he needed to be wary of.
"Oh! Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Jon Seda, one of the first ex-military members to join Jason, ran toward a pile of ammunition crates and lifted the lid. His eyes and body couldn't help but marvel at the perfectly stacked rounds.
"Jon, stop wasting time. We need to hurry and bring the truck as close as possible to this spot." Jason stepped out of the tent and raised his hand toward the truck.
George, sitting in the driver's seat, slowly approached, and without waiting for Jason's orders, everyone began moving, loading the ammunition crates onto the truck.
Since yesterday, Jason had been aware of everything the S.C.T. community had in its warehouses, which could only be described as an excessive stockpile of weapons and resources. Yet, to Jason, it still wasn't enough. They couldn't be sure when they would have another opportunity to acquire more supplies, so it was necessary to take everything they could while there was still time.
"Place the crates on both sides and leave space in the middle for the weapons. We need to make sure they're properly secured with ropes—we can't afford to lose any of this," Jason ordered the group while hurrying to move the supplies himself.
George, who had driven the truck to the nearest position, was the most relaxed. He stood on the truck's roof, keeping watch over the area to prevent any walkers from approaching.
After at least half an hour of moving supplies, several people were exhausted and sweating profusely. Jason finally pulled out the last weapons crate, and several others helped load the heavier weapons onto the truck.
"Brothers! Finally, all this effort was worth it!"
Jason looked at the weapons before him with satisfaction—including heavy machine guns like the M249 and M250, many M4A1 assault rifles, pistols, daggers, and even ten M24 sniper rifles!
"Ha ha ha, this feels amazing!"
Several members of the group celebrated, their faces unable to hide their joy. Jason was satisfied as well, but as a leader, he had to keep people moving. He reminded them, "Alright, let's hurry to the next location, now!"
"Yes, boss!"
Everyone got back into their vehicles and drove to the next site. After Jason and the others finished loading the weapons, the last convoy from the CDC finally arrived at the prison.
…
Prison in West Georgia
Daryl saw the modified RV from a distance and opened the prison's main gate. The large convoy was followed by several massive trucks and the last military tanks from the CDC.
Sam and the rest of the more experienced guards saw the prison in the distance and nodded in approval. This place was definitely a hundred times more defensible than the open CDC facility, which only had buildings.
Carol and Jacqui stepped forward to help the last arriving survivors. After that, they needed to assign rooms and set up special accommodations for the elderly, but thanks to the large number of people, everything was proceeding in an orderly manner.
According to the classification that had been established, the outermost unit was designated for single men, followed by a unit for families, another for couples, another for single women, and the innermost unit was reserved for the elderly and their caretakers.
Walking through the units one by one, Jacqui directed groups of people to register for a unit and begin moving in wherever suited them best.
This arrangement was overseen by everyone and was ultimately a decision made by Jason after careful consideration. This way, in the future, people could easily distinguish the basic status of each individual based on their unit.
On the other hand, it was also convenient for new survivors to live in the deepest part of the prison. Young men and couples were housed closer to the exit, which was highly practical for a quick response in emergencies where combatants were needed.
These people are mostly young and strong, and then there are the women and the elderly. To ensure the privacy of the ladies and the elderly, an effort was made to create a peaceful environment.
As for living in the innermost part of the prison, there is no need to worry about going outside. There are several exits from the prison. Even if the fence behind the prison is repaired after some time, the elderly can quickly reach the backyard through the corridor to carry out their activities.
The researchers did not follow the crowd to the living area but instead followed Carol to a separate house nearby.
Carol opened the door, and everyone entered the room.
"Jason designated this place to become a laboratory later on. It still needs many renovations, but it will be fully equipped in the future," Carol briefly explained the place to the lead scientists, Edwin and Candace, according to Jason's instructions.
The remaining researchers examined the place attentively.
"Well, it's not bad here. It's separate from the main area, but a lot of renovations will be needed according to our requirements," Candace said, standing in the middle of the room and looking around.
Overall, everyone was quite satisfied.
Carol didn't understand much about these things, but she knew that the team led by these two had developed a preliminary vaccine and had solved the problem that worried everyone. Because of this, she was very kind to them.
Moreover, these six researchers were the only ones in their group capable of at least finding some kind of vaccine to save the world from this hell.
"How are you feeling, Carol? I heard about your husband. What happened to his group was a tragedy," Candace turned to Carol and asked with concern. From what she had heard, Carol's husband had been infected by a walker during a mandatory expedition outside the CDC.
Not many details were given, only that he had died and was brought back so Carol and her daughter could say goodbye to their loved one. The group he was in had been led by Sam and had suffered several unexplained casualties.
"I'm fine. My daughter and I need to learn to endure suffering so we can move forward," Carol said with a faint smile. "Jason also mentioned he would be busy these days, so you should first be assigned your respective rooms."
The Jenners returned her smile politely and nodded before the seven of them walked toward the prison.
...
"Crack!"
At the prison gate, Daryl stared at the numerous tanks and large trucks parked not far from the entrance, his expression stunned. If he didn't know the drivers, he would have called for people to prepare to defend the prison from an enemy attack.
At that moment, a head popped out from the cab of a truck parked in front of the gate—it was Shane!
He looked at Daryl with a playful smile on his face and asked, "Surprised? Ha ha ha!"
Daryl sneered, completely ignoring Shane, and simply opened the prison gate.
Seeing Daryl's reaction, Shane showed an indifferent expression and drove the truck toward the back of the prison, followed by the vehicles behind him.
Then, Daryl noticed that about a dozen strangers got out of the back of a dump truck. Immediately, he raised the crossbow in his hand and shouted, "Who are you?"
Seeing the commotion, some nearby guards also pointed their weapons at the strangers.
"Wait, wait! I saved them!" Shane jumped down from the truck and, noticing Daryl's reaction, quickly stopped him in a loud voice.
Shane approached Daryl and explained in a low voice, "All these people were at a university on the way here. A dozen of them had been sheltering in the university cafeteria before."
"Having been in hiding all this time, the food in the cafeteria had run out. Because of this, someone suggested going outside to try their luck. Unexpectedly, while they were fleeing, they heard the sound of our convoy and chased after us. However, out of 25 people, only 16 remain in their group."
If Daryl had learned anything from life, it was never to trust strangers.