Boom!
After completing their original task, everyone returned to the base through the dark streets of Texas. The report on the resources obtained from the church included some very interesting items.
In Dominic's large armored vehicles, there was no need to worry about hordes of walkers. Nothing, alive or dead, could penetrate the interior of these fortified cars.
Walkers on the road were crushed by the convoy, and everyone advanced without fear. The soldiers present were among the most battle-hardened, so Dominic had no qualms about traveling at night.
The large convoy soon reached a street where the vehicles from the church merged with the main convoy, allowing everyone to return together. Negan was in Dominic's vehicle and had learned that this man was a retired soldier and a lethal agent capable of extracting information and eliminating targets.
It was Negan who had tortured the young girl delicately to obtain the information Dominic and his people sought, ensuring she didn't die entirely. When he learned about the cult and their actions, he felt nothing upon witnessing their deaths.
At this moment, Negan realized that following Dominic was one of the easiest ways to help people. The organization, formed by a group of soldiers, had a noble purpose. Upon hearing that they had deserted Operation Cobalt, he didn't hesitate for a second.
After brief consideration, he offered Dominic his services with the sole purpose of helping those in need. This greatly benefited the group. Negan had personally seen how old Daniel tortured the girl, which made him very content to join the team.
As the light inside the cabin of an armored vehicle flickered on, it faintly illuminated Dominic's cold face, revealing a map. When Negan looked at it, he knew that the Dominic he saw in action had returned, determined not to rest until his enemies were reduced to ashes.
"Sir, have you decided what to do with the cult people?"
"Um!"
Hearing this question beside him, Dominic nodded and said, "Something about that cult bothers me, but I don't want to kill them all. I'll give the children and non-combatants a chance to retreat before we attack."
Stuart shook his head, disagreeing with Dominic's risky approach, and said, "I'll go there. Your wounds are barely healing, and you can't expose yourself like that."
"Charlie said the cult leader, Teddy, is a reasonable person and speaks with wisdom. It should be easy to communicate with him."
Dominic shook his head, sighed wearily, turned, and said, "The survivor groups here attacked a helicopter from our community and did many bad things. I must speak with Teddy, suggest he leaves before dying, and then we'll start the plan to exterminate everyone immediately."
Then he turned to look at Negan and said, "Send a message to Sam to prepare the equipment we brought from Atlanta. That will be more than enough to eliminate that group without risking much."
"Okay…"
"Zz... sir, we've been receiving survivors at the military base since it became active. What should we do with them?"
Just as Dominic finished speaking, a sound came from his radio. Upon hearing the report, Dominic said, "Keep them isolated for a while. We'll bring them over once we finish what we came to do here."
"By the way, I read the report on what the scouts found in other cities. If what they say is true, that organization forming will be a real problem for our leadership."
Dominic read a report Negan had handed him, stating that their people had eliminated some soldiers from a strange community far from theirs. These exploration groups checked the state of the cities and whether there was life in them.
An encounter with what could be the beginnings of the CRM caused urgency. After the advent of the undead, three communities established in some parts of the country had the vision to bring civilization back to the world. With the support of the armed forces, they interconnected, forming a single organization.
With the need to find more survivors fit for the powerful project they were working on, the CRM began a series of searches around the country using helicopters, operating under codes: A for people with leadership skills and a willingness to fight, and B for those who didn't.
Dominic didn't know when the CRM was created, so he was racing against time, growing as fast as possible to avoid bowing down to this powerful organization.
Negan understood what Dominic was saying, so he said, "We have enough power not to fear that organization, but we need to act quickly, clear the military bases, and take important places before they do."
"We must expand."
...
Southeast of Texas, on the outskirts of a city.
On the roof of a small, five-story building, a man named Kenny gathered his group. He looked at the people in front of him and said, "We need to wait here for the walkers to clear out, damn sons of bitches."
Then he looked at a burly man in the team and said, "Morgan, what do you think? You said Texas was a quiet city, and that's why we came here, but it seems these bastards who still live here fight like it's a war."
"This place was safe until recently. We should be able to find a safe place to survive."
Standing on the building's top, looking at the dark city, he said, "Carley, are you sure the soldiers at that military base will really help save our people?"
Carley herself wasn't sure, but seeing Morgan's eyes, she knew he was eager to head to that military base, so she said, "Yes, they will definitely help us!"
"Oh my God, look, there's a fire over there!"
While they were talking, Clementine, standing behind them, suddenly pointed in a direction and shouted.
Hearing this, both were stunned for a moment, turned their heads, and looked where she pointed, only to see a place far north, glowing with a small light.
If not for the city's relatively low buildings and their relatively high position, they wouldn't have found it.
"There's… There's a church!"
Looking at the bright light's position, Kenny murmured to himself, recalling what the soldiers had said in the call. His heart suddenly moved.
Involuntarily, he looked at Morgan and saw he was also looking at him, knowing they all wanted to head there.
"Morgan, do you think they're a bad group of survivors?"
Thinking of this, Carley turned and shouted at a middle-aged white man on the team to get ready.
Kenny nodded, picked up the binoculars hanging from his chest, quickly walked to the building's edge, and looked towards the distant church. Although the view at night was limited, the church's fire was enough for him to observe.
He kept moving the binoculars in his hand, muttering words and counting as if he were counting people, but after a few minutes, he put down the telescope, turned his head, and said softly:
"Indeed, some were taken to cars and disappeared. Those who stayed killed the others and started loading supplies from that place."
Morgan shook his head, looked at Clementine, and said, "We came from far away. We need to go to the military base and see if it's really active or not."