"You, like Rick, have received professional training."
"But compared to Rick, you are actually the best candidate for tactical execution in the Camp."
"You asked me yesterday, what exactly should you do?"
"Stop fighting Rick to the death… Shane, come be my Deputy Warden."
"Protect anyone you want to protect in a more mature way."
"The future Prison will definitely have a place for you!"
This time, Shawn made no secret of it.
He didn't have time to deal with the ethical question of whether Lori's child was Rick's or Shane's.
With the current equipment, it was impossible to tell anyway.
So as long as Shane believed it was his child, then the one in Lori's belly could be his child.
Moreover, Shawn had made it very clear yesterday, whether it was Shane's love for Lori, or Lori's love for Shane.
In fact, they were just temporary acts of mutual warmth and reliance in the apocalypse.
Now that Lori had clarified her thoughts, Shane also needed to clarify his own thoughts.
Constant confrontation and struggle would only lead the team to gradually disintegrate.
Ultimately, it would lead to the complete destruction of everything they wanted to protect.
So far, the signal Shawn was sending to Shane was:
Joining my team = being able to protect loved ones + becoming a winner in the future apocalypse + realizing self-worth.
Finally, all the words converged into one sentence.
"Shane, join me!"
Hearing Shawn say this, Shane subconsciously touched his chest.
The big stone that had been pressing there seemed to loosen.
The words Shawn spoke last night still seemed to echo in his ears.
Lori's face suddenly appeared before Shane's eyes, watching her smile, Shane suddenly felt relieved.
Shawn was right.
He had been fighting!
But to put it bluntly, he was always fighting for two things—power and women.
And when Rick, the former Deputy Sheriff, appeared, Shane's heart was almost entirely filled with the desire for power.
For him, vying for Lori was also part of vying for power.
Shane was unwilling!
He was obsessed!
But after experiencing so much, especially having just faced life and death, Shane suddenly had an epiphany.
What he once thought was most important was not as indispensable as he had imagined.
The feeling of exhaustion then struck him, and he plopped down onto the ground.
Shane raised his head, took off his helmet, and looked at Shawn solemnly.
"Listen, I can't stand Dale's saintly theories; he'll only get everyone killed."
"I also want to arm the entire Prison with heavy weapons and sturdy steel; in the future, I will train an army."
"And at least… at least for now, my bottom line is still Lori."
"I can stay away from Lori, but you must ensure Lori's safety."
Shane stared directly into Shawn's eyes, saying a long string of words he had already thought out.
He wanted to train an army, the subtext being that he needed power.
However, it was good that Shane was no longer just revolving around Lori; other people in the team appeared in his eyes.
That's why he would say something like 'arm the Prison'.
At least for now, Lori was his bottom line…
Shawn could tell that Shane's focus was changing.
It was Lori now, so why add the words 'at least'?
What on Lori had a time limit, and what would Shane be interested in?
After thinking for a moment, Shawn could only turn his gaze to the 'little brat girl'.
This was Lori's daughter; in Shane's eyes, this was also his child.
Shane was making concessions; he was no longer extreme.
Shane started to propose conditions, which was good news.
Thinking of this, Shawn's face broke into a smile, and he extended a hand to Shane.
"Deal."
For Shane's personality, this was already the best outcome.
Otherwise, given Shane's temperament after his darkening, even if he joined Shawn's command, he would definitely say to Shawn:
"With our strength, we can completely join forces to rule the Prison."
"Rick is my brother, I can't bear to; you help me get rid of Rick, I only want Lori and Carl."
"As long as you give me these, I'll work for you!"
"Then you take the position of Prison Warden, and I'll clear out those disobedient stragglers for you!"
After all, when Shane said he was going to do something, he really did it, without any hesitation.
Being a 'leader' might not be the best choice, but as an 'executor', few people were more suitable than Shane.
Pulling Shane up from the ground, Shawn personally helped him put on the tank suit helmet.
"The Prison is our future reliance; everyone can live safely here."
As his words fell, Shawn smiled and patted Shane's shoulder.
Shane didn't respond, he just nodded heavily.
Because the words that reached his ears had clearly transformed into 'your child can live safely here in the future'.
Shane tightened his grip on the machete, the big stone pressing on his chest completely fell away, and he felt an unprecedented lightness throughout his body.
The long-held resentment was finally released, and Shane instantly seemed like a changed man.
"Since that's the case, I'll leave the second floor to you. Check it carefully; I'll go to the third floor to take a look."
Shawn picked up the remington, loading it with 20-gauge shotgun shells as he spoke to Shane.
The 20-gauge shells were also given by Rick.
With a caliber of 15.6, equivalent to the diameter of a 1/20 lead ball, it could hunt prey that wasn't exceptionally large.
It was just right for taking down prey weighing over a hundred pounds.
Putting away the hammer, Shawn carried the shotgun and walked up the stairs leading back to the third floor.
Moving lightly, Shawn reached the third floor and found that this floor was also silent.
But Shawn, who was deeply familiar with the nature of "seven days to die", knew it like a mirror in his heart.
The quieter such a place was, the more likely a bunch of Walkers would suddenly appear.
There was once a joke in the circle:
It seems that this building is made of metal and concrete, but in reality, it is filled with Walkers.
Because they are everywhere.
…
Shawn looked around.
"The third floor was originally where the Prison Warden and Deputy Warden worked."
The entire third floor space, compared to the compact lower two floors, appeared much more spacious.
The original purpose of this floor was actually just to satisfy the rest and privacy needs of a very small number of people.
The translucent office windows offered an unobstructed view.
In the left corner of the entire third floor, there was an elevator that had stopped running, leading directly to the outside of the first floor.
However, both the Prison Warden's and Deputy Warden's offices had one characteristic: there was no sign of Walkers whatsoever, and they were unusually clean.
Shawn stood outside and waited for a while.
He tried stepping his left foot in, then quickly pulled it back.
The low growl of the Walkers did not sound, and everything remained as it was.
"Could it be that seven days to die has changed its nature?"
Shawn was full of questions, then strode into the office.
The Prison Warden's and Deputy Warden's offices were separated by a wall.
But when Shawn entered the Prison Warden's office, he was surprised to find a '1/4 open oil painting' sized transparent window on the wall of the Prison Warden's office.
The window faced directly into the Deputy Warden's office, and with one glance, everything could be seen.
And when Shawn went around to the Deputy Warden's office to look, this side was just a simple mirror.
"Ho—"
"This Prison Warden must be a man, right?"
Shawn revealed a smile that everyone understood.
-------------------------------
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