"What?"
Everyone behind the truck looked at Rick and Lori in surprise, causing Rick's expression of anger to soften.
"Is what you said true?"
Glenn also intervened: "So you still plan to leave the prison even though you're pregnant? There are medicine, medical equipment, and doctors in the prison. Where do you plan to give birth if you leave?"
In fact, Lori's mind was also in turmoil when she said those words. She simply couldn't accept that her husband had to leave the prison frequently, let alone become someone like Jason or Shane. All she wanted was to take care of her family and ensure they never had to be separated again.
Today, Jason had coldly killed two people in front of everyone. What will happen next? Will he die or continue killing? What will happen to Carl and her husband? Will they become like Jason? If her husband dies, will he be expelled from the prison by Jason's group?
All these negative thoughts and emotions intertwined in Lori's mind, making her think of things that would never happen and causing her behavior to become unstable. Now, thinking about her pregnancy only made things worse.
Rick was just an ordinary man with the sole concern of securing his family's future. He didn't have romantic words for his wife or get caught up in those kinds of thoughts. The only thing on his mind was protecting his family, friends, and those around him. Even if he were to die, that thought would always linger in his mind.
One of the most important reasons why he was so respected and loved by everyone was because he was a good leader, willing to give everything to protect his people.
Now, upon hearing his wife say that she was pregnant, Rick didn't overthink it—he was simply happy in his own way, which made him completely ignore Lori's complicated thoughts.
"We shouldn't leave the prison. There are researchers doing everything they can to create a vaccine for the virus. I'm sure the first vaccine will be available soon. This will give us a path to a better world. If what they say is true, at least we won't have to worry about turning into a walker when we die a natural death."
Rick placed his hands on his wife's shoulders, wanting to see her expression. When he saw that she had calmed down a little, he felt relieved, knowing that, for now, the matter was settled.
Looking at everyone, Rick had to say: "You might think Jason is cruel for doing all this, but I don't. I am willing, and I will certainly do the same to protect us. The reason Jason acted that way was because someone died—a good person who was determined to survive."
"He is willing to take the first step as a leader of the community, so we should respect him and feel safe with the decisions he makes."
Hershel's sorrowful expression turned serious, and at that moment, he felt guilty. If he hadn't gone out that morning, perhaps things would have been different, and Jimmy might have survived. Undoubtedly, this pain would stay with him until the day he died.
Everyone in the truck fell silent after hearing Rick's words.
Beth, seeing her father in pain, took his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. She was one of the most affected by her boyfriend's death, but she couldn't blame her father—doing so might destroy him.
At the other end of the truck, Jason opened his eyes and looked outside while listening to everyone's conversations. A moment ago, Shane had told him why Lori had left the prison.
Thinking about it, Jason could only sigh at how things had unfolded. If Lori hadn't left, Shane wouldn't have taken people to search for her, which meant they wouldn't have noticed the horde of walkers in time, and Hershel's family wouldn't have been saved. Yet, Jimmy had died anyway.
It was difficult to predict what would happen next, so he could only work with what he knew without saying a word.
But that didn't mean he would let anyone act freely. He then thought about what he should do next.
Seeing that Jason had no intention of speaking, the others began sharing stories of what they had experienced when the rest weren't around.
After a while, Jason finally broke the silence in the truck and contacted the base: "Zz... This is Jason, respond!"
"Zz... This is Marco, sir. I received your message. It's good to hear your voice, sir!"
A thoughtful look crossed Jason's face as he spoke in his usual tone: "Zz... What's the situation in the prison?"
"Zz... The situation is under control. Many people are asleep now since they stayed up after the alert about a possible walker horde."
Hearing this, Jason immediately thought of Guillermo, who had been bedridden, recovering from his wound. Upon hearing the update, Jason was relieved and asked: "Zz... Guillermo, when did you start moving freely?"
"Zz... Ha ha ha, I couldn't stand staying in bed while most people are sleeping now. I can walk again. All I can say is that this place is amazing, brother." Guillermo's voice was full of happiness. The conditions in the prison were very beneficial for the elderly, which made him very happy.
"Zz... Well, I'm glad to hear you're in good spirits. We'll be back at the base soon. See you later."
"Zz... Alright, we'll be waiting for you."
Looking at the massive convoy heading toward the prison, Jason didn't want to risk being shot by his own allies, mistaking them for enemies. The supplies they were bringing were enormous, not to mention the large number of people.
Soon, everyone still awake in the prison gathered at the main gate, and before long, they saw a long convoy slowly approaching. The walkers outside the prison were quickly eliminated before everyone arrived.
All the people in the prison stared at the large trucks, with a tank and a helicopter behind them, unable to hide their astonishment.
Several survivors stepped aside and whispered among themselves.
A young man with an excited expression said: "This is incredible! They even brought two tanks with them!"
A chubby middle-aged man also smiled enthusiastically: "Ha ha ha, this is definitely a good haul! Now the prison's defenses will be stronger than ever."
The young man suddenly leaned in and said mysteriously: "I heard something interesting from Merle. Apparently, the captain wants to completely take over a military base!"
Even though he tried to sound mysterious, his voice was loud, and many around him couldn't help but look at him.
"Really? You'd better take your lies somewhere else, ha ha ha."
The young man, named Enrique, looked at them in disgust and retorted confidently: "What do you know? All you do is clean the prison. These aren't my words; they're Merle's words."
"That old Merle? That guy doesn't seem like a good person!" The middle-aged man didn't have a good impression of Merle.
"If Merle heard your words, I wouldn't want to imagine what he'd do to you."
Suddenly, a slightly soft voice came from behind the group.
The middle-aged man's face changed as he turned around to look at a young man with glasses.
"It's true that Jason is looking for a helicopter. He wants to travel to different parts of the country and expand. Watch your words so you don't cause unnecessary trouble," Tyler said with a bored look.
"Yeah, I get it."
Enrique, on the other hand, smiled, feeling satisfied that someone had confirmed his words.
At that moment, the convoy had completely stopped in the courtyard, and everyone in the trucks jumped out.
There were many new faces, but the ones who stood out the most were the fighters—figures in military uniforms, looking at the parked tanks and the many machine guns.
This place was definitely in good hands.