The work in Atlanta had never stopped; not a single day had the workers paused their efforts, knowing they had little time to secure, clean, and seal the area.
They had spent a lot of time in this place, and now it was time to slowly take over Atlanta. The simplest and safest method, requiring minimal construction, was to transport containers from the port to the base and gradually fill them with bags of dirt once they were placed around the outskirts of the city.
With eight containers stacked high and carefully placed to form a very strong wall, additional containers were vertically inserted into gaps to reinforce the walls, making them nearly impenetrable.
As the containers were set in place, a pathway was built for the guards to easily monitor what was happening outside the wall. But this wasn't all that Dominic's organization had accomplished; several security perimeters were established long before anyone could even dream of reaching the container wall.
The city was cleared of cars, most of which were dismantled, while others were used to seal off specific areas, leaving only special routes known to the community for moving from one place to another. This not only provided security for vehicles entering the city but also allowed time to observe who approached the checkpoints.
The roads were sealed, and multiple gates were created where soldiers manned checkpoints to prevent walkers from entering the city. Taking the city little by little had been a challenge; most buildings were still unused, and thousands, if not hundreds, of walkers were incinerated to prevent infections.
Today, the most important half of Atlanta was secure, in case any infection broke out within the safe perimeter. Meanwhile, in Georgia, where Rick was in charge, much ground had been laid, prioritizing the creation of weapons, vehicle modification, and food production.
The food sent from other areas was enough to feed thousands of people, but Dominic's goal was for each location to be self-sufficient, never relying on one area for another. Greenhouses were specifically created to survive even in winter. Unused fruits were processed to last longer, ensuring that not a gram of food was wasted.
Incredible people were everywhere, contributing significantly to the organization by refining things that would later cause problems. After some hesitation, the exploration groups left signs in some cities around Atlanta, and helicopters dropped notices informing people of a safe place in Atlanta.
During this time, the general population grew to over sixteen thousand people across the outposts, and all the bases were dominated by Dominic's people outside the country. In that time, many people had to be killed, others arrested, and some punished publicly.
The strict system applied to second-rank officers, who rarely abused their authority over first-rank members and were punished accordingly if they did. There was no prison for prisoners; they were forced into labor or sent directly to the laboratories as test subjects.
Vaccines were sent to all the bases, and it could be said that now everyone would no longer turn into walkers upon death, thanks to the scientists who managed to create a dominant pathogen that could encapsulate the virus in the body at the moment of death, preventing it from spreading and turning people into walkers once human motor functions completely shut down.
During that time, the leading scientists who joined the group to find a cure discovered that the infected with red eyes, who practically ran, were humans infected with a virus called Rage, a mutated Ebola virus created by a primate research center in New York. The real purpose was to generate an antidote that would cure human rage.
According to the community's scientists, it was speculated that the virus initially was just a simple rabies, and in response, Ebola viruses were worked on to develop a cure that would eliminate rage in the human body. But when this virus was introduced into a test subject with the Wildfire virus, it mutated unexpectedly, turning walkers into a much more aggressive variant than any other virus.
Days after the virus was modified and introduced into the test subjects, no changes were seen, and these same subjects remained in isolation until the Wildfire virus altered the mutated Ebola virus, having a completely reversed effect. Instead of nullifying violence, it increased it to excessively high levels.
This could explain why these walkers practically run and are much more aggressive than normal walkers, leading to their classification as "runners" and the creation of danger levels in the alert protocols.
But here is where things get interesting: the intelligent walker that Dominic killed with great difficulty was something completely different, born from the mutation of the Wildfire virus, turning it into an intelligent walker of which there was some knowledge. Combined with the Ebola virus that turns walkers into runners, it led to the creation of an intelligent, strong, fast walker capable of sustaining itself on non-living organisms.
This doesn't mean it isn't decomposing—of course, its body can decompose because it's dead—but the process slows down to such an extent that they can last for years without their abilities and functions deteriorating to the same level as before.
However, a discovery that alarmed everyone was that saliva, a small scratch, ingesting its blood, or a bite could turn humans into infected within seconds. This was evident during the transfer of civilians at the military base in Texas, where one person got infected and ended up killing many people.
With this knowledge, the Arm-3J combat suits were redesigned and now upgraded to Arm-4J, enhancing defense, camouflage, and mobility while also aiding the user in many aspects during battlefield combat.
This new Arm-4J suit was much more fitted to the body, providing the user with greater mobility and protecting the entire body from external injuries. The gas mask was now integrated into the suit, unifying the whole system into a single unit and even reducing its weight. Firearms could be optimally attached to the body, making them more comfortable to use.
Additionally, two specific weapons were developed, ideal for facing walkers in close combat. The first was a collapsible spear that could be carried on the back of the Arm-4J suit. Once in the user's hands, it expanded, revealing spear tips at the ends through a button that activated the entire mechanism.
From this point, the Arm-4J suits were designed to adapt the user to a completely new mechanism on the battlefield. The second weapon was a sword—not just any sword, but a long knife that could be carried at the wearer's waist.
With these two weapons, an interesting combat style was developed that many were learning. It consisted of a double-line formation, where the long knife users took the front and the spear users were behind. These groups of warriors were employed solely to eliminate hordes of walkers, where the perfect formation could kill thousands of walkers without suffering many casualties.
Of course, this didn't apply to hand-to-hand combat. Right now, Rick was in an open field where children aged 5 to 15 were training with the spear or the knife. They were all facing dummies made of cardboard or recycled materials, aiming for the head or vulnerable areas like the knees.
"Switch!"
"Fua!"
"Switch!"
"Fua!"
The children, sweating under the intense training, listened to their instructor's commands and changed their movements each time they were instructed.
"We must protect these children with our lives." Rick said it with an indifferent look. The people behind him listened in silence and said nothing.
"In one of my conversations with Dominic, he said something very true: Let's protect the children now with all our strength, for they will be the ones to protect us when we can no longer do so."
Rick turned to his men and said, "They will enjoy the future we are building, so don't hesitate or do something stupid, or I will personally kill you!"
"Captain Rick, some pirates have attacked the hunting group. They are awaiting judgment before proceeding," said a soldier who had just arrived.
"You heard him; get to work!"
"Yes, sir!"
Rick headed to the outer zone of Atlanta to deal with these people. Ever since Dominic told him that it wasn't necessary to kill if salvation was possible, he gradually understood this as his group's strength became one of the most powerful in the new world.
"You're always right, Dominic."