An important meeting?
Hearing Aaron say that, Shawn's first thought was, 'That councilwoman has finally come to her senses.'
But why did he need to attend the meeting, instead of Diana directly informing him of the result?
Based on his previous experience managing the Camp, Shawn instantly reacted.
Diana hadn't completely convinced them; at least a considerable number of people held opposing views.
Thinking of this, Shawn looked at Columbus.
"Daryl and the others should be loitering around the villa. You go back first and tell them I was called away by Diana."
Columbus nodded imperceptibly at the words, the dirt on his face seemingly acting as camouflage, making it difficult to discern his expression at the moment.
But Columbus knew that Shawn saying this wasn't just to let Daryl and the others 'know,' but to make them hurry over.
It's impossible for everyone in a group to be wise; one must always guard against special circumstances.
So, after understanding, Columbus agreed without hesitation and turned to walk into the villa.
Subsequently, Shawn was led by Aaron through winding paths to a small plaza.
This area was located behind the central lake of Alexandria, with an open space left between the houses.
When Shawn arrived, Diana and Reggie had already been waiting for a long time.
Looking around, there was a large crowd of people standing beside and behind them, essentially all the Community residents of Alexandria.
Gathered together, at a glance, there were at least a hundred people.
'Does Alexandria have so many people at this time?'
Shawn was slightly surprised but showed no unusual expression.
Because when Shawn appeared, almost all eyes immediately converged on him.
These people seemed to know that Shawn was the protagonist of the night.
As dusk gradually fell, a bonfire was lit in the center of the small plaza, and everyone gathered around it, either standing or squatting.
The firelight flickered, illuminating their faces and revealing a myriad of expressions.
Diana looked at Shawn, a standardized smile on her face.
"Thank you for accepting my invitation to attend the meeting."
As the host, she first expressed her gratitude to Shawn, then looked at the other Community residents present.
Her gaze swept over every person's face, and only after moving away from the last person's face did she speak loudly.
"We have held many meetings, but a meeting of all members has only been held twice in total."
"The first time was when we decided to build the wall; that concerned the life and safety of all of us."
"The second time is this time. Although there is no immediate crisis, I can tell you frankly that this also concerns everyone's life and death!"
As Diana's voice fell, there was no clamor in the crowd; they just quietly watched her.
Only the sound of wood burning came through the air; the hundred-person group was terrifyingly silent.
When Diana uttered the words 'life and death,' Shawn saw confusion and anxiety on the faces of these ordinary people.
Seeing that the crowd had no particular reaction, Diana nodded to Shawn, then turned her face to Aaron.
Aaron understood. He took off the backpack behind him and pulled out some black and white photo paper from it.
He distributed these freshly developed photo papers to everyone around, for the Community residents to pass around.
They looked at them until one person stood up.
Pete, with his somewhat bald forehead, stepped forward, holding a photo spread out in his hand.
"...Uh, I'd like to interrupt. What does this photo have to do with us?"
He frowned, his tone a bit stiff.
As Pete's voice sounded, the murmuring in the crowd began to rise. Diana raised her hand to press down, and only when all sounds disappeared did she speak.
"I am very unfortunate to tell everyone that the deep pit in the photo is in the quarry not far from us."
"And those Walkers in the photo are all real."
Hearing this, the clamor in the crowd began to rise again. They mumbled, not knowing what they were saying, even drowning out Diana's voice, forcing her to raise her volume again and again.
"We... We! Have personally been to that place and personally confirmed the authenticity of the information; this is not groundless!"
"Quiet! Quiet!!"
Seeing this scene, Shawn stood aside and shook his head.
This is the fatal flaw of 'benevolent governance'; everyone thinks they can be their own master.
Alexandria, Diana.
In reality, the seemingly unified Alexandria was internally even more loosely organized than the Mine, which had once split into two factions.
Seeing that Diana was about to lose control of the situation, Shawn slowly stepped forward.
He didn't yell hoarsely, nor did he go so far as to directly initiate physical elimination.
Shawn simply stood in front of Pete, who had spoken first; his sturdy physique, a head and a half taller than Pete, brought a powerful, subtle pressure that made Pete's heart pound.
Gradually, Pete dared not look directly at Shawn, only biting his lip and lowering his head.
Noise would gradually spread, and so would silence.
As if noticing the situation here, centered around Pete, the surrounding Community residents quieted down and cast their gazes.
Just as they had thought before—Shawn was the protagonist of the night.
Until everyone was quiet, Shawn gave Diana a look back, then he alone came to the center of the plaza and stood to speak.
"The fact is, there's a deep pit less than 20 kilometers from here, infested with thousands of Walkers, and they could come out at any time and tear you to shreds."
"Now, if you don't want things to get worse, shut your mouths."
"Even chirping birds cannot escape the Walkers' sharp teeth."
"Why should we listen to you?!"
A voice came from the crowd; Shawn could guess it was Sabins's person even with his eyes closed.
So, Shawn simply and directly clarified everything without reservation.
"Yes, you don't have to listen to me."
"But I want all of you to understand clearly: it's not you giving me a chance now, but I am giving you a chance."
"I think everyone must have heard about what I did when I first arrived at the Community."
"Let alone large numbers of Walkers and survivors, I could break through Alexandria and hold a knife to your throats in just 2 hours."
"You heard me right, two hours! Give me two hours, and I can take down your proud Alexandria!"
Shawn spread his hands, his arrogance undisguised.
Why? Because Shawn was strong enough, he had the ability.
Strong!
That's why he could be arrogant!
If the apocalypse were likened to a brand new natural ecosystem, then Shawn was the powerful predator at the top of the food chain!
And now, Shawn was willing to give the sheep of Alexandria a chance, to let them join his ranks and accept his protection. Was this not a blessing?
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