So, there were only two options left.
First: Shawn wasn't planning on taking Aji with him, so Aji would lead the Hospital personnel, assisted by Lamson's three police officers, to transport all equipment and medical resources back to the Prison, and wait for Shawn's return.
Second: Aji would still stay behind, but the Hospital personnel would remain in place. Aji would act as their guard to protect the Hospital, and everyone would stay in the Memorial Hospital building, waiting for Shawn to pick them up on his way back to the Prison.
After much deliberation, Shawn decided to go with the second option.
This was because there were not many Walkers left in Atlanta at this time.
With Aji and his group staying behind, they could handle most crises, so staying in Atlanta for the short term was the optimal choice.
As the saying goes, it's better to stay put than to move. If they were to migrate back on their own, there's no telling what trouble they might encounter along the way.
It was better for Shawn to pick them up on his return trip.
Only then, upon their return to the Prison, would Rick Sean be able to trust them.
Otherwise, if they showed up out of the blue, they would either be killed by Sean, who would mistake them for intruders, or locked up by Rick.
Therefore, it was better to stay put; it was better for them to remain.
Finally, Shawn called Aji over, explained everything concerning the Hospital, and specifically warned him not to blindly trust Lamson.
Thus, Shawn handed over the authority to guard the Hospital to Aji.
With the Nursing Home as an example, Shawn felt very reassured about Aji.
It was evident that Aji was not lacking in external handling skills.
But at the same time, he also held sympathy and a sense of responsibility for the weaker individuals internally, making him an ideal companion choice.
In this world's environment, such individuals were becoming rare.
Hospital entrance.
The fire truck slowly started, and at the entrance, Aji, along with many patients and police officers, watched Shawn leave until the fire truck disappeared from sight.
"Alright, let's go back. From today onwards, the Hospital entrance will be sealed. Doctor Steven, please do your best to treat the injured until Shawn returns."
Thanks to Dawn's'stinginess,' the Hospital currently had abundant food and medical resources. Even if the Hospital's population tripled, there would still be plenty, which saved Aji a lot of trouble.
...
On the fire truck.
Shawn sat in the driver's seat, glancing in the rearview mirror at Columbus, who was eating breakfast, and Tallahassee, who was sucking his fingers.
"Can you not be so disgusting?" Shawn looked at Tallahassee with a disgusted expression.
"Just let him be. That's the cream pastry he's been dreaming of for two months. Aji really kept his word and found him an edible piece."
Columbus spoke too quickly, choked, and coughed until he gently thumped his chest to catch his breath.
"Good thing I didn't become the first survivor to choke to death," Columbus added awkwardly.
"Is that so?" Shawn shifted his gaze from Tallahassee and glanced at him.
"You didn't choke to death, but I've been holding back the urge to beat you two to death for a long time."
Shawn brought up the incident of the two of them 'failing to watch the car' again and thoroughly scolded them.
He even got so worked up that Shawn wanted Daryl to take over the main driving, while he went to the back row to give the two a good beating.
"What the f—!?"
Tallahassee gradually snapped out of the pastry's allure, staring at Shawn with wide eyes, seemingly annoyed by the tone of Shawn's words.
"Alright, alright, Tallahassee, you're still the toughest."
Shawn couldn't help but praise him, then had Daryl take over the main driving.
He then took a leap of faith, pulled in his abdomen, and jumped directly through the rear window.
"Perfect, time to settle the score for hitting me earlier."
"What? Didn't you ask for that?!"
"Wait, wait, don't fight!"
"And I forgot about you, didn't I!"
"...Hey, I didn't say anything, why am I getting beaten too?"
"You should have expected this day when you let the car be taken. Hehehehe..."
Daryl and Merle wisely stared at the front windshield without a sound, and didn't turn their heads to watch the two's 'digestion.' In their eyes, these two were simply too childish and indeed needed some lessons to help them remember.
Perhaps Shawn's fists would be a good choice; that thing had enough power to directly smash a Walker's head.
The entire middle section of the fire truck shook violently during the journey, only stopping after 20 minutes.
Shawn rested his left hand on one person's shoulder and his right hand on the other's, pulling the two into his embrace.
They were bruised and swollen, Tallahassee's retrieved baton lay on the ground, as an iron sledgehammer rested by Shawn's feet.
Their heads rested obediently on Shawn's shoulders, bruised but daring not to speak, a sight that made the Dixon Brothers, who glanced back from the front, unable to help but burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha—"
The mocking laughter was undisguised. Tallahassee and Columbus buried their heads deeper into Shawn's embrace; they were too ashamed to face anyone.
Let it be destroyed, this apocalypse.
Let the storm rage even fiercer!
Carefully, they looked up at Shawn. The two exchanged glances, as if by prior agreement, and quickly shook off that crazy idea from their minds.
Still looking for trouble with Shawn?
That was purely asking for it.
Columbus silently added a new entry to his 'survival guide.'
—Do what Shawn tells you to do, and never make him unhappy...
Even now, Columbus could still recall the bodies he saw in the Hospital.
Not to mention those riddled with needle marks, besides those, the remaining dozen or so bodies were all headless.
This meant that Shawn, alone, with a single knife, in their territory, had literally beheaded all of them!
Is this... really a human being?
But then, Columbus couldn't help but feel reassured by Shawn's presence.
Having witnessed Shawn's attitude towards his own people, if he could join Shawn's ranks, would that 'survival guide' then become obsolete?
Shawn was unaware that this beating not only didn't cause the two to rebel but instead brought them closer to him.
In fact, from this moment on, Columbus's mindset had already changed.
His parents were in Columbus, Ohio, but could they truly have survived?
Columbus had actually known for a long time that the probability was incredibly low. He just wanted something to do in the apocalypse, rather than aimlessly living just to survive.
Even in the apocalypse, life could still have meaning.
So, instead of that, why not...
Columbus, with his bruised eyes, looked at Shawn again. Unbeknownst to him, a seed had already been planted in his heart.
-------------------------------
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