I Am Honkai

World: The Walking Dead

Main Quest: Connect to the world's core and trigger the apocalypse.

Apocalypse Activation Time: 3 days

In the warden's office, Selene sat on a chair and took a pack of beer out of her storage space, tossing it to Merle and Daryl.

The two didn't hesitate, as beer is a rare commodity in the apocalypse. They thanked her, pulled open the tabs, and drank heartily.

"Although the camp is temporarily set up, supplies are not sufficient," Selene's words surprised Merle and Daryl, "Doesn't the boss have superpowers?"

Selene replied in annoyance, "Do you think my supplies are unlimited? We might have enough for this year, but what about the future?"

"Prepare to mark the nearby towns on the map. You two are going to scavenge supplies. No restrictions on what you bring back, the more, the better."

"Handle the details yourselves and contact me via the radio if anything comes up."

"Okay, we'll head out now." Merle turned to make preparations after finishing his drink.

...

At night, Merle and Daryl watched several military robots loading supplies onto a truck and felt a bit sentimental.

"This town sure had a lot of resources, and it's well-equipped. I heard there's even a high school in town," Merle said, pointing at the map with a satisfied grin, clearly pleased with today's haul.

Seeing the truck was already full, Daryl was also delighted, not expecting to ever have more supplies than he could carry. "Let's come back tomorrow, the truck is full."

"Yeah, let's head back to camp..."

Bang!

Suddenly, a gunshot echoed from inside the town, interrupting Merle and Daryl's "bragging" moment.

The two exchanged a glance, "Let's go!"

Meanwhile, in the open area outside the town's school, Otis was helping Shane limp along.

Behind them, zombies huddled together, chasing them with rotting mouths emitting growls.

They had obtained the medicine and respirator needed to save Carl from the medical van, but were besieged by a horde of zombies and chased here.

"Damn it, Otis, how far are we from the car?" Shane's face was grim, sweat streaming down his forehead. He was exhausted to the limit from fleeing.

Under normal circumstances, their speed should have been enough to escape the zombies, but Shane twisted his ankle when he jumped from a height to escape the school.

As a police officer, Shane usually wouldn't have had a problem with such a height, but being so exhausted, it caused an accident.

The gunshot in the school drew more zombies, and his twisted ankle put him in an extremely dangerous situation.

But he couldn't stop or die, because the medicine was urgently needed to save Carl, who had been accidentally shot.

"Not far, we must hurry; those things are getting closer." Otis supported Shane as they moved toward their vehicle, parked not far away. As long as they got to the car, they'd be safe.

However, Shane's injury meant their speed couldn't surpass the zombies, even with Otis' help.

The zombies were closing in, and their bullets were running low as they fired back at them.

Shane glanced back at the approaching horde, his expression dark. It seemed impossible to escape at this pace. His gaze fell on Otis, a struggle showing in his eyes.

He had to survive, even if it meant resorting to despicable methods. He couldn't run faster, but he could make someone else slower.

Meanwhile, Otis didn't notice Shane's expression. He was focused on helping Shane reach the back gate.

Feeling guilty for accidentally shooting Carl, Otis volunteered to accompany Shane in search of medicine.

"I'm sorry."

"What?" Otis didn't catch Shane's faint whisper.

Shane's eyes were full of guilt, but the desire to live was stronger. He quietly aimed his handgun at Otis' leg, ready to fire.

Bang!

A gunshot snapped Shane out of it, but it wasn't his gun.

Startled, he turned to see a truck barreling toward them, skidding to a stop between them and the zombies. Several robots leaped out of the truck, wielding rifles and spraying bullets at the zombies.

The gunfire merged into a continuous barrage. Under such firepower, the zombies that were about to catch them were mowed down like wheat.

"Hahaha, well, Officer Shane, you're in quite a state," a familiar, mocking voice called out, and Shane turned incredulously, "Mer… Merle, is that you?"

"Not welcome? Then I'll be on my way." Merle taunted.

Seeing the robots, Shane had no time for questions, letting out a relieved smile. At least he hadn't sullied his conscience by going through with it. "Wel… welcome, just in time, thank you, Merle."

Surviving the apocalypse is important, but if you lose your humanity, how are you different from the walking dead?

"Daryl, help Shane. We're leaving."

...

They quickly evacuated the school, and although Merle wanted to return to the prison camp, they drove to the farm at Otis and Shane's request.

"What are you doing here? What about the CDC?" Merle asked Shane as he drove.

"Carl got shot, we were out getting medicine. As for the CDC, it's gone."

Mentioning Carl, Shane's face was worried, his voice urgent, "Merle, speed up, Carl's waiting for us to save him."

Merle snorted softly, and perhaps under Selene's influence at the prison camp, his demeanor had become more polite. Seeing Shane's urgency, he kept quiet.

Daryl then asked, "And who's he?"

"Otis." Otis replied solemnly, "I'm sorry, it was me who accidentally shot the boy."

Otis looked deeply apologetic, his words hurried, "I… I was aiming at the deer, didn't see the kid… I didn't mean…"

"Enough!" Shane said quietly, patting Otis on the shoulder, "Now's not the time for that. I believe it wasn't intentional."

Hearing this, Merle, driving, asked, "Shane, what happened exactly?"

"It was an accident. That's why we ended up at Otis' farm, but… only Rick and I made it. No idea if they got there." Shane referred to Carl's accidental shooting by Otis while hunting.

After a moment of silence, Shane continued, "You were right, the CDC is gone. It's in ruins now, and we have nowhere to go, just keep wandering, looking for safety."

He glanced at the military robots beside him, puzzled, "Where's Selene? And where'd you get these machines? Did you find a safe haven?"

"I can't disclose that." Merle immediately refused.

"Out of respect for old friendships, we'll drop you at the farm. After that, we have to report back."

Merle's words cast a silence over the car. Shane didn't press further, only saying, "We got separated, and… Sophia is missing."

"What about the others?"

Everything seemed to follow its original trajectory. Carl's shooting forced Shane and Rick to temporarily leave the group for the farm.

Merle paused, then said, "We'll talk at the farm."

The farm wasn't far from the town, and within an hour, Shane and the others arrived.

With Merle's intervention, Otis survived, and Shane returned earlier.

Rick was sitting on the porch stairs, face troubled and remorseful, eyes bloodshot, clutching his head and muttering to himself, "It's all my fault, chasing the CDC, if… maybe we wouldn't have met zombies, Carl wouldn't be hurt, we wouldn't be scattered, it's all my fault…"

The engine noise jolted Rick awake, and he rushed outside.

"I got the medicine and equipment; Carl will be saved. Hang in there!" Shane ran inside, carrying a large bag of supplies, comforting Rick.

Admittedly, the mess between Shane, Rick, and Lori was frustrating, but Shane's brotherly affection for Rick and care for Carl couldn't be denied.

The commotion drew the attention of those inside. An elderly man, Hershel, emerged, taking the supplies from Shane.

He also noticed Merle and Daryl, the new strangers, but assumed they were Rick's companions, saying nothing further. Hershel had more important matters to attend to—performing surgery on Carl!