The convoy slowly approached the CDC.
At the intersection, two fully armed Soldiers raised their hands, signaling for them to stop.
Sandra poked her head out of the humvee and handed over a list.
The Soldier glanced at it, nodded, and waved inside.
"Let them through!"
The convoy filed in and came to a stop in the parking lot.
The people from the mine jumped off the vehicles, gathered in a group, and curiously looked at everything before them.
A two-meter-high wire fence tightly enclosed the entire CDC.
The top of the fence was equipped with barbed spiral wire—it had been added later, something Wu Fan had people scavenge from a hardware store.
There was a guard post every few dozen meters, with Soldiers in black uniforms patrolling, their guns gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
"Th-this place..."
T-Dog opened his mouth, unable to speak for a long time.
Dale touched his RV, feeling a bit reluctant to part with it, but feeling more anticipation: "At least it's safer than the mine."
Morales held his wife Miranda tightly, the two children hiding behind them, though their eyes were curiously looking around.
"Don't just stand there."
Sandra walked over and gestured with her chin toward Andrea: "Take them to the temporary tents, have them shower and disinfect, change clothes, and then arrange for quarantine rooms."
Andrea nodded and shouted to the crowd: "Follow me! Everyone take a set of temporary clothes, soap, and shampoo. You must shower and disinfect before you can go in—those are the rules!"
The crowd followed her toward the temporary tents.
Lori held Carl's hand, observing her surroundings as she walked.
Everything here was so... normal.
Normal buildings, normal people, normal order.
Unlike the mine, unlike the crazy world outside.
"Mom, this place is so big."
Carl whispered.
Lori looked down at him and smiled: "Yes, it is, very big."
The temporary tents were set up next to the parking lot, a huge inflatable structure divided into male and female areas inside.
Hot water flowed down from the pipes, and steam filled the air.
Lori stood under the shower head, letting the hot water wash over her hair, her body, and the exhaustion and fear of the past month.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
It's good to be alive.
After showering, she changed into clean temporary clothes—a simple T-shirt and sweatpants, but they were clean and smelled of laundry detergent.
Lori dried her hair and walked out of the tent, chatting and laughing with several other women who had also finished showering.
"Lori!"
A voice came from ahead.
Lori looked up.
Then she froze.
Not far away, a man in a gray T-shirt was walking toward her.
He was much thinner, his cheekbones prominent, but those gray-blue eyes—
Those eyes, she was too familiar with them.
Rick.
It was Rick.
The towel in Lori's hand fell to the ground.
She froze for a second, then rushed over.
The two hugged each other tightly.
Rick held her, kissing her hair, her forehead, and her lips.
His arms were so strong, as if he wanted to knead her into his own body.
"I'm sorry..."
His voice was hoarse and trembling: "I'm sorry, I was in a coma for so long... I'm sorry, for leaving you alone..."
Lori couldn't speak; she just shook her head, just cried, and just held him even tighter.
For a long time, Rick let her go, pressed his forehead against hers, and whispered: "I missed you so much."
Lori nodded, choking back sobs: "I did too... I did too..."
"Dad?"
A small voice came from the side.
Rick turned his head and saw Carl standing not far away, his little face full of surprise.
Standing beside him was a man—Shane.
Rick let go of Lori, squatted down, and opened his arms.
"Carl, come here."
Carl threw himself into his arms.
Rick picked up his son, pressed his forehead against his little head, and said with a smile: "Hey, little guy, long time no see, did you miss Dad?"
Carl nodded vigorously, his eyes bright: "I did! I missed you every day! Mom said you would definitely come back to find us!"
Rick looked at Lori, his eyes full of tenderness.
"Of course Dad would come back."
He said: "Dad will always come back."
Shane stood by, watching this scene, his heart filled with mixed feelings.
His good brother, his partner, the man he had left in the hospital—was really alive.
Living well.
And himself...
"Hey, man."
Rick put Carl down, walked toward Shane, punched him on the shoulder, and grinned: "Didn't expect you to still be alive!"
Shane squeezed out a smile, the smile somewhat forced: "If you didn't die, how could I possibly die?"
The two smiled at each other and hugged.
Rick didn't notice how stiff Shane's smile was.
He was too happy, too happy to overlook every detail.
"By the way..."
Rick let him go: "You all know about the quarantine, right? Three days, you have to go back to the quarantine room to sleep at night, but you can move freely around the base during the day, as long as you don't have a fever or a cold."
Lori walked over and took his arm: "That's not bad, I thought we would be locked in a small room for three days and couldn't come out."
Rick smiled and put his arm around her waist: "This is good. I heard from Amy that the groups that came in the last few days not only had to be quarantined for three days but also had to have blood drawn for testing. You guys are lucky, you caught the policy when it relaxed."
Shane raised his eyebrows, teasing intentionally: "Doesn't that mean those guys should thank us? If they had come a few days earlier, they might have been driven crazy from being locked up."
Everyone laughed.
Carl held his dad's hand, looking up with his little face, and asked: "Dad, are there any comic books here?"
Rick looked down at him: "There should be, right? I'll ask for you later."
"Great!"
Carl jumped for joy.
The group chatted and laughed as they walked toward the assigned quarantine rooms.
Everyone received their own room—not big, but clean and tidy, with a bed and a window, and even a small TV.
Although it could only receive a few internal channels of the base, at least it could kill time.
After settling down, people started walking around the base, getting familiar with the environment.
T-Dog and Jim gathered together, discussing the modified vehicles they had just seen.
Dale was looking for a place to refuel his RV.
Morales's family of four sat on the lawn, enjoying the rare sunlight.
"This place... is really nice."
A voice sounded.
Everyone turned their heads and saw Merle chewing on a piece of hay he had found somewhere, leaning against the wall, squinting his eyes as he looked around.
"Much better than the mine."
He continued: "Good food, good housing, hot water, and so many pretty little chicks..."
Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by the sound of high heels.
Click. Click. Click.
Everyone looked toward the stairs.
A young woman was walking down the stairs.
She was wearing a professional suit—a pencil skirt, a white shirt, and high heels.
Her hair was meticulously pinned up, her face was lightly made up, she held a folder in her hand, and her gait was elegant and confident.
It was Amy.
Merle's eyes went straight immediately.
He whistled and put on that annoying smile: "Wow—isn't this Amy? Dressed so nicely, are you here to see yours truly, Merle?"
Amy's footsteps stopped for a moment.
She turned her head and looked at Merle.
Those eyes looked him up and down, then moved away, like looking at a bug on the roadside.
Then she continued walking forward, completely ignoring him.
Merle's smile froze on his face.
Amy walked to the center of the crowd, opened the folder, cleared her throat, and began to speak:
"Dear new employees, welcome to the Umbrella Corporation. I am Amy, the BOSS's life secretary. Now, let me briefly introduce the benefits and work arrangements here."
Her voice was clear and pleasant, but carried a business-like sense of detachment.
"First, during the quarantine period, three meals a day will be provided, delivered to the door of your quarantine room on time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you have special dietary needs, such as vegetarianism, allergies, etc., please register in advance."
"Secondly, after the quarantine period expires, work positions will be assigned based on each person's expertise and wishes. During work, points will be issued monthly. Points can be exchanged for daily supplies, improved living conditions, or even applications to move to the negative first floor of the Hive—where there are safer residences and perfect school facilities."
"Third, and most importantly—"
She looked up, her gaze sweeping over everyone: "This is not only your shelter, but the last hope for all mankind. On the negative first floor downstairs, over a dozen doctors are researching a virus vaccine. All work is ultimately aimed at supporting their research to develop a vaccine as soon as possible and save humanity."
She paused, emphasizing her tone: "Therefore, I hope everyone will abide by the rules here. Do not damage facilities, do not interfere with scientific research, and do not do anything that endangers the safety of the base. Only by working together can we survive and return this world to what it was."
The crowd was silent for a few seconds.
Then, everyone subconsciously looked at Merle.
Merle became annoyed by being watched.
He threw away the hay in his mouth and yelled: "What the hell kind of looks are you giving me? Do you think I, Merle, am someone who doesn't understand the bigger picture?"
No one spoke.
But those looks clearly said: Yes.
Merle was even more annoyed: "I'm telling you! I don't want to be a sinner against humanity! I will definitely follow the rules that need to be followed!"
Amy glanced at him, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, said nothing, closed the folder, and walked away with a click-clack of her high heels.
Leaving a group of people looking at each other.
"Can he really follow the rules?"
T-Dog muttered in a low voice.
"God knows."
Jim shook his head.
Merle had sharp ears, heard it, turned back, and glared at them: "I heard that!"
T-Dog and Jim quickly turned their heads, pretending to look at the scenery.
In the distance, outside the wire fence, a wandering Walker staggered by.
A patrolling Soldier raised his gun, and with a bang, the Walker's head blossomed, and it fell to the ground.
Everyone watched this scene, silent for a long time.
Then Merle spoke, his voice unusually serious: "At least here, the ones killing them aren't us."
No one answered.
But everyone knew in their hearts that he was right.