The runner-class walkers are a real problem. There is no logic in their terrifying speed when considering the fact that they are rotting; how is it possible for them to run so fast if their bodies are dead?
There is no doubt that this could be a variation of the Wildfire virus, one where the infected are different from the base version of the virus, turning them into runners.
The special suits of Dominic's soldiers saved their lives; without them, several would likely have died. But fortunately, that was not the case, which left him much more at ease.
Clang!
When the iron door of a warehouse opened, several soldiers illuminated the interior, and there were no more infected. Most had been moved by helicopters and eliminated by the soldiers themselves.
The doors of many armored vehicles opened, and several people began loading ammunition and weapons into batches to transport them to a C5 aircraft. There were about four C5-class aircraft at this base, but half needed maintenance, which they were receiving from the soldiers stationed here.
In addition to that, there were more advanced tanks, armored vehicles, trucks, and cargo helicopters, as well as HH60s that could be carried by the C5 aircraft to the base where Dominic's people had taken control.
In a room where some soldiers were sitting silently, the bright light from the bulb illuminated the originally dark room, and a thin old woman was holding a nutritional bar. In front of her, several men sat watching her.
Dominic had an arrogant expression; his words were direct, and he expected to hear only what he wanted to know. "I am the Commander of the New Dawn World Unification Organization... You see, I need the tanks, armored vehicles, weapons, cartridges, and planes in this place. I know there are pilots here who would be very useful to me, so now I'll tell you what happened to the world."
Ben Miller, who had the highest rank among the remaining soldiers at this base, looked at Dominic and knew that this man had reformed an entire branch of the military. This armament, helicopters, and equipment could only be handled by experienced people, and only soldiers could implement it.
"The undead are evolving; we've already seen the variants, and those bastards are what took everything from us, Mr. Ben Miller. Keeping that in mind, we must protect each other."
When Dominic finished speaking, T-Dog approached with some photographs and placed them on the table: "The world was consumed by the dead, but there are still living people fighting day by day to survive. What do you think?"
Ben Miller sighed with exhaustion and said, "There's no world to return to. It was a surprise that a damn virus and not a third-world war ended our world. We've seen those infected that run; believe me, I'm very surprised by your equipment and how you eliminated them."
Dominic nodded appreciatively and then said, "It's a lot of work; I can't take all the credit for what we've achieved as a community. But if I hadn't gathered the necessary men at the right time, it would have been difficult to get this far. But that's not the question I asked: do you want to follow my people back to the bases on the US-Canada border? You must integrate into my army."
Dominic's actions were beyond everyone's expectations. Before they realized what was happening, they knew they had few options.
"Tell me, were you really in the army before all this?" Ben Miller asked Dominic directly.
"Does it matter, old man?" Daryl pointed out in a rough voice.
"No, it doesn't matter at all. My people and I are totally willing to integrate with your people and fight for a better world, against the living and the dead." Ben finally shared his thoughts on Dominic's question.
The old man's words were not something Dominic felt with sincerity, so he reiterated: "I need your people, especially the pilots, to check the C5 planes. I need them operational to move the resources from this place to a safe base."
After saying those words, Dominic took out a map and placed it on the table: "The bases and people in my community are increasing day by day, so we must open more bases and resort to many other methods of transportation."
At this moment, Eric, who had been waiting silently in the back, also listened to the conversation between the two sides. He quickly approached Ben and asked, confused, "Is everything really over? How can they trust us directly?"
"Eric, this isn't a good time to have this conversation."
Regarding Eric's words, another soldier named Todd shook his head and said, "No, sir, Eric is right. We don't know the situation on the other side, and we have the right to be informed about everything that's really happening out there."
"If you weren't trustworthy, you would have been shot long ago. We're not here for you; we're here for the resources." Dominic looked at everyone and pointed out, "I take care of my people as if they were the only thing in the world. People without evaluation like you are a latent danger, and I must take the risk."
"You've been at this base for a long time. You don't know what people have become now, especially those who are hungry. I know you all have your doubts and must be worried about your families, and it's true, I would be too."
Daryl stepped forward and pointed out: "There are thousands of people in our group. Once you reach our community, you might even find family or acquaintances like many others have."
"Then, as a pilot, I will do whatever you tell me, sir."
"Yes, me too."
"Shouldn't we consider it?"
"What the hell do you want to consider?"
Hearing the conversation among the soldiers in front of him, Dominic looked around unconsciously and realized that there might be numerous resources in this place that would take some time to be moved to the base that Rick was cleaning.
The people here were scared, which was normal. But within the range of his perception, he did not sense anyone else besides the people present; it seemed none of them would do anything stupid.
Dominic knew he shouldn't underestimate anyone and put his people in danger, so he would send the survivors from this site back to a safe area in batches.
"I need the help of all civilians and soldiers to gather all the materials and resources from this site and move them to Atlanta. I don't have enough power to keep soldiers at this base, as I haven't even fully taken over my country."
"That's fine; we have many things here, including some more sophisticated vehicles like anti-aircraft missile systems, defenses, and even a drone that wasn't transported elsewhere."
Dominic nodded, hiding his impression, and said, "Then let's get organized and start labeling the resources to embark on the journey. The most important thing is to check the state of the C5s and ensure they have no problems flying."
Just as Dominic was speaking, the sound of a radio was heard within the room, and suddenly a voice came from the speaker. "Zz... Echo the distress message. A large horde is heading towards our base. We need an extraction operation. All our C5s are down, and the helicopters have become difficult to maintain. If you're listening and have resolved your situation, we need your help."
"I think we need an explanation for that." Daryl looked deeply at Ben Miller.