On the ground floor of the building on the west side of the prison, Merle stood in front of an iron door, the expression on his face as if he had seen a ghost.
The silver-grey door was embedded in a grey concrete wall; if one didn't look closely, one wouldn't notice it at all.
The red and white umbrella logo on the door shimmered in the dim corridor, like a half-closed eye.
"This place..."
He looked back at the hidden door that had appeared after the wall was blown down, scratching his head: "Does it really have Umbrella Corporation stuff?"
He reached out to push the door, but it didn't budge.
He pulled it again, and the door hinges made a soft sound as it slid open.
Inside was a pitch-black passage, and a cool breeze blew out, carrying the scent of concrete and metal.
He stood at the entrance, hesitating for two seconds, then stepped inside.
His subordinates behind him raised their guns and followed, the beams of their headlamps swinging wildly in the passage.
The passage wasn't long; after a few dozen steps, they reached the end.
Then everyone froze.
A large, circular hall with a high dome; lights turned on from all directions, illuminating every corner brightly.
In the center of the hall were two train tracks.
The tracks extended to both sides; one end disappeared into a black tunnel on the other side of the wall, and the other end led to a deep, dark tunnel, pitch-black and endless.
On the wall was a huge Umbrella Corporation logo, red and white, hanging from the dome down to the ground.
Merle stood by the tracks, looking down at the concrete sleepers, then looked up at the tunnel, muttering a curse.
He finally understood.
No wonder the Boss told him to come to the prison.
This wasn't a randomly chosen place.
There was Umbrella Corporation stuff here—an underground transit station, a secret railway, leading to who knows where.
If that wall hadn't been blown down, this door would still be hidden inside; he could have searched for a lifetime and never found it.
"Captain Merle, where does this railway go?"
A subordinate asked.
Merle shook his head. After taking his men back to the surface, he unslung the high-power walkie-talkie from one of his men's backs and tuned it to Wu Fan's channel.
"Boss, we found it. Under the west building of the prison, there's a transit station, tracks, a platform, Umbrella Corporation logos, just like you guessed."
There was a two-second silence on the walkie-talkie, then Wu Fan's voice came through, very calm, as if he had known all along.
"Understood. Guard that place, don't let anyone in. I will send people to handle it later."
Merle turned off the walkie-talkie and glanced at that deep, dark tunnel again.
He suddenly felt that this Umbrella Corporation was much bigger than he had thought.
On the third floor of the CDC, Wu Fan put down the walkie-talkie and leaned back in his chair.
The entrance to the transit station had been found.
The subway entrance at the prison had been activated.
Next, he needed to send people to guard it and build it into a real outpost.
Just as he picked up his pen, there was a knock at the door.
Amy poked her head in: "Boss, Rick wants to see you."
"Let him in."
When Rick walked in, the expression on his face was strange.
It wasn't his usual calm, composed look, but rather a bit... embarrassed?
He stood in front of the desk, not knowing where to put his hands, finally pressing them straight against the seams of his trousers.
Wu Fan looked at him, waiting for him to speak.
"Boss..."
Rick cleared his throat: "The prison... I want to go there."
Wu Fan raised an eyebrow but didn't speak.
Rick, fearing he wouldn't agree, hurriedly added: "I know the base is short on manpower, and I know you have plans for me, but Lori, she..."
He paused, as if organizing his words: "She doesn't sleep well every night. Every time I go out on a mission, she is terrified. The prison is a fixed place, with walls and doors; it's safer than running around outside, so I want..."
He stopped, not continuing.
Wu Fan knew the instigator was Lori. It would be good to let her go to the prison; otherwise, Rick and Shane would sooner or later be stirred up by this woman to fight.
He opened the drawer, took out a pack of cigarettes, and tossed one to Rick.
Rick caught it, a bit stunned.
Wu Fan lit one himself, stood up, and walked to the window, turning his back to him.
"In my heart, you have always been a candidate."
Wu Fan exhaled a puff of smoke, looking at the construction site outside the window: "Calm in the face of trouble, having leadership ability, and experience in commanding battles; the prison needs someone like that."
Rick opened his mouth.
"Go! Take Lori with you! Didn't she say she was terrified every time you went out? The prison has been cleared and is safe. This time you take her there. I will have Amy pick up Carl and take him to her home to look after him. Of course, you two should also come back to see him occasionally."
Wu Fan turned around and flicked the ash: "Work hard, don't let me down."
Rick was dumbfounded.
He had prepared a belly full of words, various reasons, various persuasive arguments, and even prepared several plans—what to do if the Boss didn't agree, what to do if the Boss wanted to keep him.
As a result, none of it was used.
He just agreed, just like that?
He stood there, forgetting to smoke the cigarette in his hand.
Wu Fan watched him, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Is it strange why I agreed so quickly?"
Rick nodded.
Wu Fan walked back behind the desk and sat down, extinguishing the cigarette in the ashtray.
"You don't owe me anything."
Wu Fan's tone was as flat as if he were talking about today's weather: "I saved you from the hospital, not to have you work your life away for me. You have ability and ideas, so you should go to a more suitable position. I trust you with the prison."
Rick stood there, the cigarette in his hand had burned to the end, burning his fingers, and only then did he come back to his senses.
"Boss..."
His voice was a bit hoarse: "I won't let you down."
Wu Fan waved his hand: "Go! Go back and tell Lori she can sleep well now."
Rick turned and walked out. When he reached the door, he stopped and looked back.
Wu Fan was already looking down at the map, his pencil scratching on the paper, as if nothing had just happened.
Rick opened the door and walked out.
The corridor was very quiet. He stood at the door for a while, then smiled.
He had met many people in his life, good ones and bad ones, sincere ones and hypocritical ones.
Wu Fan was different.
This man never talked nonsense, never made empty promises, but every word he said was grounded, and every decision he made commanded respect.
He walked downstairs, his footsteps much lighter than when he came.
The office door knocked again.
Amy poked her head in, her expression a bit strange: "Boss, Carol wants to see you."
Wu Fan's pen stopped.
Carol?
He looked up, the image of the woman who always kept her head down flashing through his mind.
When that waste Ed was expelled, didn't Sandra settle him with a shot because he was foul-mouthed?
He didn't care whether that small fry lived or died.
After being forcibly divorced, she lived alone with her daughter Sophia in a small house in the corner of the family quarters.
He seemed to remember that she had filled in "housewife" on her application form, and was later assigned to farm work.
"Let her in."
When Carol walked in, Wu Fan almost didn't recognize her.
It wasn't that her appearance had changed, but the feeling she gave off was different.
She wore a washed-out shirt, her hair tied neatly, and her back held very straight.
But her hands were trembling, clutching a corner of her clothes, her knuckles white.
"Sit."
Wu Fan pointed to a chair.
Carol sat down, only sitting on the edge, her bottom hanging off, as if ready to stand up and run away at any moment.
Her voice was very small, almost inaudible: "Boss, I want to go to the prison."
Wu Fan looked at her without speaking.
"Not as an administrator..."
She hurriedly added: "As a Soldier. I signed up to be a Soldier. I can learn to shoot, learn to fight, I can..."
Her voice grew lower and lower, and her head hung lower and lower, like a flower hit by frost.
Wu Fan didn't interrupt her, waiting for her to finish.
There was a long silence.
Carol kept her head down, staring at her knees.
She felt like a joke.
A forty-year-old woman, ex-husband was scum, she only knew how to sew, cook, and plant vegetables, yet she ran to the Boss and said she wanted to be a Soldier.
She bit her lip, preparing to stand up and say "Sorry to bother you."
"You can."
Carol jerked her head up.
"I will have Amy pick up Sophia and take her to her home to look after her."
Wu Fan's tone was as flat as if he were arranging a daily chore: "There are empty houses in the family quarters. Let her live with Amy for a while. You also need to come back to see her regularly. If it's too long, the child won't recognize you as her mother."
Carol's eyes turned red.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but her throat felt blocked by something.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, drop by drop, hitting her knees.
"Thank you... thank you Boss..."
Her voice was trembling uncontrollably.
Wu Fan reached into the drawer, took out a pack of tissues, and pushed it over.
Carol took one, covered her face, and her shoulders shook.
She cried very restrainedly, without sound, just tears couldn't stop.
She remembered those days hoeing in the fields, bent over, the sun baking her back, blisters forming on her hands, the points she earned only enough to buy the cheapest wheat and bread.
Sophia wanted to eat meat, she saved points for three days to trade for a small can of luncheon meat, the child ate until her face was covered in it, she watched, and her heart felt like it was being squeezed by someone.
Now that the crops and farms hadn't yielded yet, the base was saving resources.
She remembered the day Ed was driven out.
He stood at the base gate, cursing at the guards, saying he would bring people to raze this place.
Sandra walked over and shot him with one hand.
Ed's head exploded like a watermelon stepped on.
She stood in the crowd, watching the corpse fall, feeling no sadness, only a kind of empty relief.
Like a burden she had carried for a long time was finally put down.
From that day on, she knew she couldn't go on like this.
She couldn't just live by farming, washing clothes, and sewing.
She wanted to protect Sophia, let her daughter eat and dress warmly, let her go to school, play, and grow up like before the apocalypse.
She needed more points, needed a better job.
She wiped away her tears and stood up.
"Boss, I will work hard."
Her voice was still trembling, but the look in her eyes was different.
That cowardly, evasive thing was gone, replaced by a light Wu Fan was very familiar with.
He had seen that light, in Merle's eyes, in Sandra's eyes, in the eyes of those who had crawled out of the ruins and decided not to run away anymore.
"Go report to Sandra."
Wu Fan said: "She will arrange for you to start by training on shooting and maintenance."
Carol nodded and turned to walk out.
When she reached the door, she stopped and looked back.
Wu Fan had already lowered his head, continuing to look at the map.
She stood at the door, her lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing and closed the door gently.
The corridor was very quiet.
Carol stood outside the door and took a deep breath.
She touched the application form in her pocket, which had been soaked wrinkled by sweat.
She folded the paper, put it back in her pocket, and walked downstairs.
Her footsteps were light, but steady.
~~~~~~
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