"I'll take you to the Camp. I hope that nigger has cleaned his neck," Merle rasped, his low laughter sinister.
Shawn walked ahead, nodding inwardly as he heard Merle's words.
"As expected of Merle. One moment he's almost getting eaten, the next he's ready to grab a weapon and fight. A true action-oriented tough guy."
"Although his methods are a bit extreme, he also has a long list of good qualities."
"I don't know if it's genetics or something, but the Dixon Brothers seem naturally suited to survive in the apocalypse."
"The older brother is ruthless, and the younger brother is incredibly skilled."
Leaving the mall, Shawn casually picked up a city planning map from the municipal bureau.
"I'd really like to go back to the Camp with you, but I still have some unfinished business."
Shawn glanced at the bottom left corner; the countdown was already approaching one hour. If he didn't act quickly, there would be no future to talk about.
"Are you going to use your big hammer to smash some clueless idiot?"
Merle laughed, his words a familiar formula.
His gaze lingered on the Ma Bone Warhammer behind Shawn, his eyes oily, wondering what he was thinking.
"Actually, you're right." Shawn tapped the unfolded city planning map, his fingertip landing on the 'Rhodes Home' Nursing Home nearby.
"I want to trade some guns for something, and I need your help."
As Shawn finished speaking, Merle was already fiddling with the guns in his gun bag.
Click—
With a crisp sound of a round being chambered, Merle held up a sniper rifle and looked at Shawn, a bloody grin on his face.
"What are you waiting for?"
...Ten minutes later.
The countdown had officially shrunk to within one hour.
Shawn and Merle cautiously approached the outside of the 'Rhodes Home' Nursing Home.
"Watch my movements in a bit. If we can't negotiate, kill the leader and leave quickly. You can only fight back if you're alive."
Shawn meticulously instructed, afraid that Merle might impulsively charge out with his gun and get shot to death if things didn't go his way.
"Got it. Are you the leader of a summer Camp scout troop? You're so long-winded."
Merle picked at his ear, a bit impatient.
Shawn even suspected that if anyone else had said that to him, Merle would have already erupted.
"Alright, I'll go knock."
Shawn, with the Ma Bone Warhammer on his back and a gun bag (now only a third full) in his hand, arrived at the dilapidated gate of the 'Rhodes Home' Nursing Home.
"One more step, and I'll shoot!"
A low growl sounded when Shawn approached within about 5 meters.
Shawn looked up and saw a round head peeking out from above, a dark muzzle aimed directly at him.
Shawn threw the gun bag forward and smiled at the person above.
"Is this how you treat guests? I want to see Aji."
Aji was the leader of the Atlanta Nursing Home Camp. Before the apocalypse, he was a security guard at the Nursing Home. After the infection outbreak, he decided to stay and protect the elderly residents of 'Rhodes Home.'
The person showed no intention of releasing the trigger. He merely peeked out, glanced at the gun bag, and then withdrew.
In less than 2 minutes, the Nursing Home gate opened, and 6 or 7 figures quickly emerged. The front three all held firearms.
The short-haired man leading them, holding a silver pistol, was Aji.
He walked up to Shawn, nudged the gun bag with his foot, glanced at the few common model pistols and ammunition exposed inside, and then looked back at Shawn.
"I don't recall inviting you, or a… soldier?" Aji tilted his head and squinted his eyes.
[Nursing Home]Aji
"Don't be nervous. It's just a simple trade. I need Antibiotics, and a small quantity is fine. You can take all these guns and ammunition."
Shawn raised his hand, indicating he posed no threat.
"Are you all still alive? Why aren't you still fighting?"
Aji raised his pistol, the muzzle subtly pointing at the clothes Shawn was wearing.
Shawn understood that 'you all' in Aji's words referred to the army. It was because he was still wearing that combat uniform; everyone he met asked him about it.
"I'm sorry, the army is almost non-existent now. This is just a transaction between you and me."
Shawn looked at Aji and replied without changing his expression.
"Then why should I give you medicine? Can't I just take it from you?"
As Aji said this, the 6 people accompanying him burst into laughter.
The harsh laughter made a vein throb on Shawn's forehead. He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but he thought he saw the reflection of a sniper scope. If Aji continued to speak like this, Merle might lose his patience.
"Is that so? What if I told you… my teammate is currently aiming a sniper rifle at you…"
"Don't move! Take one step back… Bang~~"
Following the law of conservation of smiles, a smile appeared on Shawn's face, and the smiles on Aji and the others' faces disappeared.
They watched Shawn cautiously, looking around.
The overall combat strength of the Nursing Home Camp was not very low, but apart from a few firearms, all their weapons were cold weapons, which was why they urgently needed guns to arm themselves.
Aji's smile faded. He looked at the gun bag at his feet, then back at Shawn.
"What are you still hesitating about? I give you what you need, and you give me what I need. Like I said at the beginning, this is just a simple transaction."
"There are still elderly people in the Nursing Home, aren't there?"
Shawn stared intently at Aji.
Aji swallowed. At least at this moment, the combat uniform Shawn was wearing was very convincing.
One had to know that here, that uniform did not represent friendliness.
"Wait!"
Aji put away his pistol, glared at Shawn, then turned to look around but found nothing.
After pretending to glare fiercely at an imaginary enemy, he bent down, picked up the gun bag, and retreated.
About 5 minutes passed.
Just as Shawn watched the capsule countdown tick by, becoming a little restless, Aji came out carrying a small, translucent plastic bag.
"Three boxes of Antibiotics. I hope you don't come near here again."
Aji took a deep breath, his brown eyes meeting Shawn's. Shawn read a hint of pleading in Aji's eyes.
"They are all hedgehogs, with soft hearts beneath their quills." Shawn sighed inwardly.
"Deal achieved."
Taking the Antibiotics, Shawn left without looking back.
Feeling the gazes cast from behind him, Shawn was quite moved.
"They are just a group of ordinary people putting up a strong protective facade, bad but not rotten to the core. They are the hardest to survive in this apocalypse."
"However, with my current abilities, I can't help them. There are too many elderly people who can't move, and the Quarry Camp might not agree, Rick might not agree."
"Especially… Rick after he sees his family."
Collecting his thoughts, Shawn walked towards Merle.
Merle balanced the sniper rifle behind his neck and gave a rascally whistle.
"You've got guts! To face a team of people alone, much more guts than those cowards in the Camp."
It was not hard to hear Merle's satisfaction with Shawn in his tone. Perhaps in Merle's eyes, Shawn was already one of them.
Shawn opened a box of Antibiotics and swallowed two pills.
[Antibiotics have been taken]
[Antibiotics are taking effect]
After two prompts, the capsule icon in the bottom left corner suddenly turned green, followed by another countdown, but only for half an hour, which was the total time for the Antibiotics to take effect.
Looking at the system prompt, Shawn breathed a sigh of relief; the real-world medicine indeed worked.
Meeting Merle's questioning gaze, Shawn pointed to the bloodstain on his lower back.
"It seems the graze won't get infected. Let's go to the Camp you mentioned; we should go home."
Merle walked beside Shawn, side by side, moving forward into the gradually setting sunlight.