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🕑 Added 2025-04-26 07:14:19 +0000 UTCA New Beginning From the End of the World
Chapter 114 – Collection Operation
Some time later, the Georgia Institute of Technology was taken over by Jason’s people, and soon, the base began to expand outward from that more open area. At the same time, Jason sent Sam Valdez along with a squad of two hundred soldiers experienced in eliminating walkers, while fresh troops arrived at the prison in exchange.
When these new arrivals saw the central command base they would now be following, they immediately felt reassured knowing that the chain of command remained stable. Those unfamiliar with Jason slowly adapted to his leadership.
In this way, Jason had strong control over his external bases, and they wouldn't pose problems for him later. With Sam Valdez and over thirty trusted soldiers, along with the fifty-plus troops he had left in Atlanta long before returning to the prison, his chains of command were well protected.
This time, Jason’s idea was simple: send Shane to the university in Georgia and have Sam stationed at the training shelter within the protected zone in Atlanta. This way, the leaders of the S.C.T. bases would be in good hands, and he wouldn’t have to worry about decision-making.
Sam was a trustworthy man. He and Tyler were the first to follow Jason and enter the CDC during the early days of the end of the world. Therefore, Jason fully trusted Sam’s decisions—this good man had led much in Jason’s absence.
This left the position at the university open for Shane. With Shane leading the expansion at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Jason could enjoy more freedom. In this setup, he wouldn’t need to worry about the chain of command or about betrayals and other such drama.
...
Time flew. Almost a month had passed since Sam had gone to Atlanta and Shane to the university. During that time, Shane realized he could be more useful helping Jason manage the chain of command. Rick already had a leadership role in the prison, so there wasn’t much else Shane could do there.
This time, the weather was getting colder. Most people had put on cotton clothes that Jason had acquired from Atlanta and prepared in advance. Some, inevitably, wore clothing that was either too tight or too loose.
So Jason planned to lead a team of regular people south of Atlanta to find resources not yet claimed by their group and gather more valuable supplies.
This time, the group consisted entirely of familiar faces—non-soldiers—with the exception of Michonne and Carlos, who joined later. The others, like Daryl, Rick, T-Dog, Glenn, and Morgan, were close companions from the beginning of the apocalypse.
The mood on the road was cheerful. Everyone joked with each other, enjoying a rare feeling of trust that was hard to come by these days. They reminisced about their experiences in Atlanta, including the time Jason gave Merle a beating back when he was a total jerk.
Sitting in the front row, Jason listened to all this with a genuine smile on his face. He felt inexplicably happy and very satisfied with what he had achieved.
The goal of saving these people was considered fulfilled. So now the question was: how could he maintain this safety and at the same time make his group even stronger? This particular question had always given Jason a headache.
It’s true that he knew of many groups that could be either allies or enemies, but he didn’t know the specifics of their settlements. And even if he did, he couldn’t just show up and say, “Hey, my name’s Jason. I’m here to destroy you—or maybe join forces so we can survive the apocalypse.”
If that were the case, it wouldn’t be surprising if people thought he was crazy. So ever since that meeting with all the community leaders, Jason had been wondering what to do next. But so far, he still had no idea how to proceed.
Now he had three settlements. Weapons and ammunition had been distributed. Valuable goods left behind in Atlanta had been secured. Key factories were under control. Everything was progressing fairly well.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Jason went silent and focused on what Liam was about to do. His group soon reached the outskirts of southern Atlanta, and everyone’s eyes inevitably turned to Glenn, who sat nearby. If anyone could be called a living map, it was him.
Glenn understood what they meant. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Turn left up ahead—let’s avoid the main roads!”
Following Glenn’s instructions, two cars—one in front and one in the back—quickly arrived at a small shopping center. Since the goal was to find clothes, food, and other necessities, the mall was the most convenient spot. There were also some small shops along the road.
Now, with survivors continuing to evacuate from Atlanta to the university, the influence of Jason’s community was diminishing in this area. This location couldn't be supported by Sam and his people, who were further east.
Even so, there were very, very few walkers in this area. Thanks to the massive explosion at the CDC, countless walkers had been drawn there in the early stages, and the subsequent explosion had wiped out a huge number of them.
It could be said that even large hordes of walkers had been destroyed in that blast.
“Alright everyone! Time to get to work!”
Jason snapped out of his thoughts, pulled out the machete from his waist, and addressed the people behind the car.
Several others also drew their melee weapons with practiced ease. Everyone silently agreed not to use firearms—even those with silencers—so as not to waste ammunition. They quickly took care of a few walkers. Jason was the first to approach the mall’s entrance.
With some effort, he discovered the mall doors were locked. Jason frowned, took a few steps back, and scanned the area. He examined the mall's glass windows and noticed that none were broken.
Just as he was about to force his way in, Michonne called out from behind him.
“Let me try!”
Michonne pulled a small tool pouch from her back pocket and used a special tool to work on the lock. With a soft click, she opened the door in front of everyone.
Seeing a group of people staring at her strangely, Michonne said, “Try living out there for a year—your lockpicking skills will be better than mine too!”
Several people raised their eyebrows in amusement, then walked into the mall one after another. Michonne rolled her eyes and followed the group, a little annoyed at being treated like a thief. T-Dog, walking beside her, understood how she felt. Sometimes he wondered if his friends had something against Black people… Well, Merle wasn’t even part of the discussion.
If Jason knew what T-Dog was thinking, he’d be stunned by the wild thoughts running through this big guy’s head.
Once the search began, they realized the mall wasn’t very large. It had several floors, each about 5,000 square meters.
Jason surveyed the general situation and found the mall was dim due to lack of lighting. Even though it was daytime, only the outer hallways had decent visibility. Many of the stores used to rely on artificial lighting, but now, with no electricity, the place was pitch dark inside.
“Let’s circle the first floor for now—don’t split up, let’s all stay together!”
Jason pulled out his flashlight and began walking down the hallway.
