A quiet forest.
Thick fog permeated the air, making it impossible to see more than 3 meters ahead.
The sunlight filtered through the dry branches, but it couldn't penetrate the vast white mist.
Suddenly, several figures emerged from behind the dense fog.
Slightly swaying, they gradually approached, stepping out of the mist to reveal faces obscured by the decayed skin of Walkers.
Their attire was predominantly dark, and their movements were stiff, bearing the rigidity of muscle memory.
The sunlight and sun could not penetrate the thick fog, and naturally, they would never shine upon them.
However, when these figures stood still, it was not the end; other dark figures were still approaching from all around.
They gradually surrounded the first few individuals who had arrived, acting as if they were true Walkers besieging survivors.
When they were 2 meters away, they stopped, emitting unconscious growls.
Both sides responded with growls, as if to confirm whether the other was one of their own.
This situation only paused slightly when a seemingly slender figure appeared from the thick fog.
The slender figure walked out of the thick fog, a stiff figure slowly moving forward, dragging its calves, but after passing behind a large tree, it suddenly became upright.
Even its walking posture became much more normal; at first glance, it no longer looked like a Walker, but a normal person.
But the strangeness lay here.
Although being human was the most fitting identity for him, when he looked like a human, he appeared even more peculiar.
Coupled with a body as flexible as an ordinary person's, it was as if… as if he were a vibrant corpse.
He came to the center of the corpses, looked around, and met the gaze of every 'Walker' that was growling.
The moment they met his gaze, they couldn't help but avert their eyes, and their growls grew softer and softer until they completely disappeared.
It seemed that at this moment, they were Walkers, obeying their inherent instincts.
When all sounds vanished and the foggy forest returned to silence, the slender figure placed his seemingly rough hands on his own face.
Then, in front of everyone, he slowly peeled off the face, revealing a pale-faced, bald appearance.
If an outsider had been present, they would surely have exclaimed in surprise and wonder, "This is actually a woman?!"
The bald head combined with dark circles looked even more eerie, but it was undeniable that she was indeed a woman.
She was slender, but just one look from her could make all The Whisperers submit.
Alpha
Her control over The Whisperers was beyond imagination.
"They… haven't returned yet?"
Her voice was hoarse, not much better than an old broken fan that had been used for ten years.
It was cold and bone-chilling; once heard, it could not be forgotten.
It seemed that because she had long been making Walker-like growls, even her original voice had been affected.
Not only had it become low and hoarse, but it had also become cold, devoid of any emotion.
"No~~!"
Someone responded.
He did not remove his Walker skin mask; instead, remaining in his Walker disguise, he spoke with the growl of a Walker.
His understanding of Walkers was integrated into every detail of his body, meticulous to the extreme.
If others heard him, they would only be greatly alarmed, thinking that Walkers had evolved the ability to speak, and would not believe that someone was impersonating a Walker.
"Alpha?"
A tall and robust figure behind her slowly moved half a meter forward, his tone questioning.
He wore a long black leather coat, his yellowish hair and beard falling loosely, and when he spoke, a few golden strands could be seen between his lips and teeth.
Beta
The woman called Alpha remained silent.
She knew that Beta's purpose in calling her was certainly not because he was worried that those few people couldn't return.
Beta was merely asking how to proceed if they couldn't return.
Yes, he was completely loyal to her; whatever her decision, he would execute it without hesitation.
However, this also indirectly exposed his weakness—an extreme lack of independent thinking ability.
"Continue to drive the horde of Walkers towards the target location, and remember to conserve our group resources."
Alpha slowly spoke.
The group resources she referred to were precisely the Walkers.
At least in Alpha's eyes, Walkers were not as repulsive as the world claimed; the mention of Walkers and the Walker horde did not inspire great terror or cause people to change color.
She viewed the Walker horde as a new era, a type of resource.
Moreover, for The Whisperers, Walkers were actually the most important resource, surpassing food, energy, and housing.
For this, she could abandon everything else.
Under the guidance of this ideology, The Whisperers were no longer confined to traditional Camps or settlements.
They had no main base, only territory and resources.
After receiving Alpha's approval, the surrounding 'Walkers' slowly turned around and departed in all directions towards the distance, their figures gradually disappearing into the thick fog, just as they had arrived.
Alpha watched them leave expressionlessly, then cupped the Walker skin mask in her hands, skillfully placing it back on her face.
Beta was behind her, but if Alpha didn't speak, he wouldn't speak either.
In contrast to normal leaders, Alpha was surprisingly indifferent to the deaths of her subordinates.
One could even say that she wanted them to die.
The Whisperers had not been established for long, but Alpha had recently keenly sensed that some members of the team had developed disloyalty.
It was precisely for this reason that she had sent those few people with the Walker horde to spearhead the advance to the target location.
Whether they lived or died, it wasn't the most important thing.
The most important thing was that anyone who violated the rules established by The Whisperers had to be punished.
She stood still for a while, until the thick fog dissipated a little and the stumbling figures of Walkers began to appear in the distance.
Alpha spoke, "Among us, no one can have a true name, right?"
Beta replied without hesitation, "Of course."
Alpha: "Very good."
Alpha's movements began to stiffen as she and Beta slowly walked towards the approaching horde of Walkers.
It must be said.
In this world, there are truly few people who can do better, or resemble Walkers more, than this group of The Whisperers.
They seemed to have abandoned their human identity from the inside out, actively throwing themselves into the Walker Camp instead.
So it wasn't just that their actions were indistinguishable from those of Walkers; they completely regarded themselves as Walkers.
No names, no emotions, no relatives, instead treating Walkers as their own... they only considered survival as their sole purpose, and for this, they were willing to pay any price.
They, too, gradually disappeared into this vast expanse of fog.
It was as if they never existed in the first place, and what existed were only a Walker named Alpha and a Walker named Beta.
…
The Prison
This morning, Shawn discovered something strange.
The Zealots, who had originally been lifeless and only became energetic when they saw him, had actually taken the initiative to leave their cells and appear before everyone.
When Shawn saw them, they were dispersed, seeking out every person in The Prison.
They would ask everyone they met questions like 'Do you need help?'.
As soon as someone said yes, the nearby Zealots would gather around, smile at him, and then spare no effort to do the work for him.
When there was nothing left to do, they would disperse again and continue to ask the next person.
"That's strange, did they change their personalities overnight or something?"
Shawn scratched the back of his head, somewhat bewildered.
But before Shawn could find Elynn to ask, he saw Beth running from the distant gate, with Glenn following behind her.
Beth ran while excitedly waving at Shawn, speaking breathlessly.
"It's born… it's born…"
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