The conversation with Negan lasted more than an hour, while the members of the group outside kept busy with their own tasks, unaware of what the two were discussing inside the room.
Franklin learned that these people were preparing to deal with a group of individuals who, according to their description, seemed to be the same thugs who had kidnapped his own people.
When Negan came out, he told him about it, but he remained very calm—clearly, he already knew, having found out beforehand.
Instructing his group to help with preparations, Negan got directly into the car to accompany his wife.
The production of walker masks was still in full swing. To implement the plan, Jason didn't wait until the next day. He selected a few half-finished masks and prepared to rush the plan ahead of schedule, while the rest of the masks needed to be ready by tomorrow.
When the plan was about to begin, Jason gathered all his people and told them what would happen next.
After hearing the plan, reactions varied. Those who had come from the central base were very calm, while those who had only recently started following him were left bewildered.
After hearing the plan, a survivor from Noan's community shouted in shock:
"What? You had us make those masks just so we could bring these walkers in? You must be insane!"
"Yeah! If they find out, you'll be dead instantly!"
Raising his hands to signal everyone to be quiet, Jason picked up a mask from the ground and said:
"There's nothing for you to worry about, least of all that. I conducted experiments long ago, and now, at the central base, there are groups dedicated to diverting hordes using these masks. Long before the virus outbreak, I worked at the CDC and had access to walker behavior studies. So there's no need to worry—you'll just be doing what others have already done."
The man still looked uneasy, pointing outside. "Then let's test it first."
Michonne, standing beside him, shook her head and explained: "It's not that we don't want to give you a test. Time is running out now. Let's go straight to luring a group of walkers so you can see the effect."
In truth, she had never seen the effect of using a mask herself, but she had led two walkers among corpses for several months. With her trust in Jason, she felt the success rate of this operation was very high.
Many people still doubted in their minds. Fortunately, they didn't need to go first. People are like this, after all—while things haven't happened yet, it's easy to imagine countless risks.
Seeing that the matter was basically settled, Jason said nothing more. Time was running out, and each day of delay increased the chance of accidents along the way.
Once the people were selected, a group left the community. This time there were only five with him: Michonne, T-dog, Bob, Liam, and Glenn.
He didn't take anyone from Alexandria with him because he had various considerations that troubled him. First, he didn't want to reveal too much information about walking among hordes of walkers. If some idiot—of which there were still plenty among the newer members—betrayed him, it could cause problems. In his opinion, that group openly opposed to him was a dark spot, one he could easily eliminate, but it wasn't the right time yet.
If they made mistakes, they would be punished. If they broke the rules, they would be punished accordingly. They had no other choice but to follow the rules if they wanted to live under his protection. There was plenty of work in Alexandria that required manpower, so Jason didn't care whether they stayed in the community or went out.
And there was another reason. Thinking about it, he couldn't help but glance at Negan, who stood at the door of the RV in the distance. He hesitated for a moment, but quickly pushed those thoughts aside.
...
After selecting a car outside Alexandria and filling the tank with gas, the group set out toward their destination.
Soon, they arrived at the mine Jason had reserved—a somewhat aggressive but optimal plan originally intended to confront the Saviors. As they approached, everyone could hear the roar of a massive group of walkers and the heavy stench of corpses hanging in the air.
Even those few who were used to the smell frowned. Liam pinched his nose and said: "Ugh, this stinks like those cannibals in Texas!"
Glenn, standing nearby, looked at Liam with a bit of admiration, patted him on the shoulder, and said: "I think fresh blood smells a little better than this rotten stench. Sounds bad, I know, but it's true."
"Yeah, I went to Texas once, you don't have to believe me, but that place was hell. I still have nightmares about it."
Ignoring the banter behind him, Jason drove the car downhill and arrived at the mine's exit.
This mine was the main reason why there were so few walkers around the Alexandria community. The mine had two exits, one on each side, and both entrances were currently blocked by four trucks. Each side had two long trailers positioned so that their rear containers touched, trapping all the walkers inside the shaft—a setup likely arranged by the military.
Jason guessed that the army must have driven a group of walkers into this place and then used the four vehicles to seal the entrances. Such a simple design fulfilled the two most important conditions.
First, there must have been a group of corpses gathered here during the early days of the apocalypse. Second, the mine was very large, capable of holding many walkers that gradually found their way here.
The group of walkers could create a horde effect, drawing in walkers from the surrounding area. Because of the mine's huge capacity, more and more of the undead gathered inside. The more concentrated they were in one place, the more scattered walkers would be attracted to it. These two coincidences had formed Alexandria's unique survival advantage in the early stages.
However, these advantages had never been fully utilized.
The soldiers who had originally brought the walkers here could never have imagined that the trap they had set would later play such an important role.
At this moment, the number of walkers in the mine was estimated to be over tens of thousands. Jason looked at the five people behind him, smiled, and gave some instructions: "Make sure you remember how to communicate for a while. Otherwise, you'll be eaten before you have the chance to defend yourselves. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Alright then, let's begin!"
...
Boom, boom, boom.
One of the trucks blocking the entrance was pulled aside, and the walkers trapped behind it were instantly released. They staggered aimlessly at first, but then, seeing a few of their kind standing ahead, they immediately walked in that direction without hesitation.
The walkers had only one path forward, so the ones behind followed.
Soon, this effect caused the walkers in the mine to gather at the entrance, slowly forming a long snake of the undead.
The "walkers" at the front were, of course, disguised. T-dog, who had moved the truck, quickly jumped down, also wearing a walker mask over his head.
The six of them slowly led the way at the front, and Glenn and the others were pleasantly surprised to find that the horde was indeed following them obediently, just as Jason had said.
Though they weren't used to it—and even felt as if death itself was breathing down their necks—after walking dozens or even hundreds of meters, they gradually began to relax.
As they continued all the way to the road, they started to slow their pace, waiting for the walkers behind to catch up.
Surprisingly, the walkers behind also slowed down, like shadows, more like a flock of sheep. No wonder it was called the "horde effect."
Glenn couldn't help but speak, though he didn't dare to use his normal voice. Instead, he growled out the words like a corpse.
"This… really… works…"
"Seriously."
As the sound reached the ears of the others, the group of walkers behind didn't react at all. They simply stared blankly ahead, following closely behind.