At that moment, Rick was sunbathing in the yard alongside his wife and son, his gaze fixed solely on Carl, who was playing a few meters away from him. And as a result of everything he had lived through up until now, he no longer saw him as just a little boy.
Lori, resting her head on Rick's shoulder, wore an expression of complete peace. Her belly was now quite large. She had just returned from a check-up, and the doctor had mentioned that her baby would likely be born in just a few more months.
With that news, Lori's mood was sky-high, yet she also felt very nervous. If it weren't for the existence of this place and all the doctors here, she probably wouldn't have the courage to give birth to her baby.
"Rick, have you chosen a name?" Lori looked at her husband and asked nervously.
The smile on Rick's face didn't fade. He looked at Carl and said, "We could even let Carl name the baby!"
"No, he might come up with something weird," Lori said with an amused smile.
"Then we should ask him. Carl?" As he said this, Rick motioned for Carl to come over.
Rick gently patted Carl's head and asked, "Carl, what would you like to name the baby in Mommy's belly?"
Upon hearing his father's words, Carl's curious face lit up with excitement and he shouted, "Really, Dad? You'll let me name the baby?"
After thinking hard for a while, his expression grew complicated, and Carl asked with frustration, "Mom, Dad, can you give me some time to think about it?"
"Of course, son!" Lori smiled at Carl's serious face and motioned for him to come into her arms.
"Take your time and tell Mommy when you've made your decision, okay?" Lori laughed at Carl's thoughtful look. After all, she wasn't in any hurry, so she let her son enjoy the moment.
"Rick! Come on, some survivors just arrived at the prison!" Shane suddenly entered and called out to his friend with a serious expression.
Rick stood up, kissed his wife and son, then followed Shane out of the backyard.
Shortly after leaving the yard, many people began rushing back to the main building from various parts of the general yard—most of them adult men.
Everyone was following Jason's orders. No one opposed this game he alone understood and was calmly orchestrating. The soldiers, who obeyed without question, had been taught never to doubt their leader.
The downfall of a base would begin when its soldiers started questioning the decisions of a leader who, up to this point, had been doing things better than anyone else.
Soon, only a few elderly people, women, and children were left in the main yard. Jason's gameboard was already in play, setting the perfect stage for an important scene.
Not long after, Rick brought in a female survivor from outside. She looked like a young woman, wore a cap, and Rick was holding a compound bow that had originally been strapped to her back.
Ever since she had been rescued, the woman had been scanning the inside of the refuge. Her acting was good—but not perfect. She was far too easy to read. Wasn't it odd that she hadn't shown any signs of surprise or awe upon arriving at the base?
From a distance, Jason was holding a rifle and focused on the woman's appearance. When he saw her face clearly, a cold smile formed on his lips. "No, no, no, Governor… how could you send her? You've made this far too easy. Unfortunately, this will be the blade closest to your immediate defeat."
After setting the rifle aside, Jason picked up his radio and said, "Tommy, she's a spy as expected. Treat her accordingly."
"Zz... Understood, sir!"
If he remembered correctly, the woman who had just arrived at the prison was named Karla. She had been a key figure in Woodbury and someone who helped Rick move refugees away from the Governor's grasp in the original story.
And why was that?
Because Karla had been one of the first blinded members of Woodbury who eventually saw the true face of her leader, the Governor.
When the woman reached the main yard, Nara was already silently waiting for her. Beside her stood Sam, who stared at the newcomer with a blank expression.
Though she appeared calm, the woman only watched as the girl slowly approached her.
"May I have your name?" Nara had no intention of being polite with her first words. She was direct.
"Karla. Are you the person in charge of this place?" Karla asked as she looked up, revealing her dirty face. At first glance, it seemed like she hadn't bathed in a long time, and her clothes only reinforced that assumption.
Nara stepped back slightly, her face still wearing a calm expression, and replied in a flat tone, "You could say that, yes, I'm in charge. But let's not talk about me—tell me how you found this place."
This time, they didn't follow the standard procedure used for new arrivals. When Jason reported over the radio that she was a spy, many doubts arose—but no one questioned his orders. Michonne had observed her, but hadn't been able to tell at a glance whether she was from Woodbury, so the necessary tests would be done with little discussion.
With a look of relief, Karla sighed and said, "When the apocalypse broke out, I was trapped in a small supermarket. I lived there for a long time and eventually met a group of survivors who were looking for a safer shelter."
"Without thinking much, I joined them. I used to practice archery with my dad. The group helped me find a bow. Later, after we ran out of food, we moved around for a long time. But just a few days ago, we ran into a large number of walkers."
"However... most of them died. I also got separated from my group because of the situation. After running and looking for a safe shelter, I ended up in this place."
Nara listened to her in silence and then said after she finished speaking, "We have a very strict system here. First, you'll need to undergo a full-body examination, then a more sophisticated interrogation, and that will help us decide how to place you. Can you accept that?"
"I have no problem at all! This place is amazing; it seems like people here don't understand the danger happening outside these walls." Karla was a very good actress, showing a thoughtful expression as she spoke about her life.
Karla had been sent to the prison by the Governor. She hadn't had any contact with Michonne, so her mission was to gather information about the prison and then report it back to Woodbury.
Before she left, the Governor had thought through a series of scenarios Karla might face, from her backstory to memorizing everything inside her backpack. She had studied this for many hours.
After arriving here, Karla unexpectedly discovered that everything she had prepared seemed completely useless. The young woman named Nara simply asked about her basic situation, then took her for a more sophisticated inspection, followed by a series of questionnaires while something was attached to her fingers. In the end, she was assigned to a room with a nice environment.
When she left Woodbury, the Governor had given her a radio and told her she would contact him within ten days.
So, at that time, she was expected to report on the situation at that place.
If the others took away her belongings, she shouldn't worry. He would send someone to wait for her in the woods south of the prison in half a month, and she would be able to return to Woodbury without trouble as long as she found an excuse to leave.
However, what she didn't expect was that they didn't take anything from her backpack. They just opened it to see if there was a weapon, and then handed it back to her, which secretly made her happy, although she still made several ironic remarks.
Anyway, it was just the first day, and Karla felt quite at ease. Looking around at the cell environment—aside from being a little run-down—everything else was fairly decent.
Aside from not being able to leave, even the meals were remarkable. Looking at the food delivered to her, Karla couldn't help but sigh at the difference. Most of the food here was vegetables and meat, with some extra ingredients. The food was very fresh, far from what was served in Woodbury. Karla even noticed some vitamin tablets on the side of the rice tray. She couldn't help but sigh again and began to eat.
…
In Jason's office, he was sitting silently while listening to Nara report what she had just discovered.
Nara, who was seated across from Jason, was narrating the information she had uncovered earlier.
"Just as you suspected, everything was resolved with the least amount of detail and restrictions possible. Most of the prison survivors have been working on the other side of the wall these past few days, so we'll be ready to start working on the next stages of the plan."
Jason carefully thought through the course of action. He wanted to make sure there were no gaps, so he pointed out, "Nara! I want you to cooperate with the other captains. This plan is very important, and there must be no mistakes. I don't want any complications on top of all the trouble I'm already taking."
"Well, I've double-checked it many times. Captain Rick and Shane have gone over the possibilities as well, but I still think the current plan is too complicated and annoying." Nara's brows were furrowed with concern.
"Do you have a better way? Fine, we could just kill them all right now and move on to other problems. Would it be okay if I just wipe out that entire community? It's easy—I just tell Sam to attack with everything we have, right?"
Seeing the other person's silent expression, Jason didn't want to explain any further. He looked at the information on the table and reminded Nara, "In short, don't let that woman go near the backyard, where we keep the things we usually don't use. And remember, don't have any contact with her. That's all. I'll observe things myself. Oh, and let Michonne know about the situation."
"Understood, Captain." Nara nodded with a slightly affected expression. When she heard Jason say he could kill all those people, she figured he had his reasons for taking all these precautions.