The next morning.
When Shawn walked out of the villa with Daryl and the others, a group of people had already gathered outside the door.
Looking around, all these people were Community residents, carrying all their luggage, staring timidly at Shawn.
In their eyes, Shawn could see unease and anxiety, which was uncertainty about the future.
They couldn't determine if following Shawn was the right choice, they just knew they couldn't stay here and wait to die.
They also had some worries, perhaps concerned that they had entrusted everything to Shawn, worried that things would become even harder after stepping out of the Community's gate.
Many people's hands were tightly gripping the straps of their luggage, their knuckles slightly white.
Some subconsciously gritted their teeth, as this was the only way to slightly alleviate the deep-seated tension and anxiety within them.
Upon seeing Shawn, the first few people forced a smile, greeting Shawn with increasing reverence in their words.
Shawn nodded in response to their greetings, then looked at Reggie, who was standing beside a small car.
"Where's Diana?"
Shawn scanned the crowd, but didn't see Diana.
"Everything's packed, but she still has a few last things to deal with... some family matters."
Reggie offered a somewhat awkward smile.
Shawn nodded at his words, then turned and looked in the direction of Diana's villa.
At the same time, a hysterical argument was unfolding in the living room on the first floor of the villa.
Diana looked at her son, who was recklessly smashing furniture, and felt increasingly that the person in front of her was a stranger.
Spencer's late-night visit yesterday led to an argument about 'whether or not to leave Alexandria', which lasted almost half the night, until dawn.
"You and your father are nothing alike."
Diana murmured in disappointment, collapsing weakly onto the sofa, her right hand pressing against her forehead.
"I..." Sabins was momentarily speechless: "I just want us all to be better."
Even now, Sabins still believed he was acting from everyone's perspective, exhausting himself for their sake.
"You wanted to stay, didn't you? I agreed." Diana suddenly looked up at Spencer.
She looked at him particularly carefully, as if she wanted to engrave every detail of Sabins's face into her mind.
Sabins's face immediately brightened at her words.
"I've always said, we'll be fine here, we can live very well here."
"Food, weapons, high walls... we lack nothing at all, and we don't need anyone else's help."
But to Spencer's surprise, Diana only tightened her jaw.
"My point is!"
"Since you want to stay, you can choose to remain here with the rest of the people, while Reggie and I leave with Shawn."
Spencer suddenly turned stiffly to look at Diana, but before he could speak with an incredulous tone, Diana had already made herself clear.
"You always think you're strong enough, that you've seen all the dangers in the world." Diana's voice held a hint of determination.
"Don't think I don't know what you've been telling the people who follow you in private."
"The Community will be yours sooner or later, won't it?"
Spencer opened his mouth to retort, but looking at his mother's eyes, he felt a lump in his throat and couldn't say anything.
Diana's eyes reddened, but her voice grew colder.
"In that case, why don't you stay here? From today on, Alexandria will be your Community."
"You can sit in my office, you can freely allocate the resources and weapons you find, and I will not have a single complaint."
"Mum..."
Spencer drew out his words, sounding annoyed.
He still seemed to think he was a baby, and that a little whining would make his mother change her mind.
But looking at Spencer, Diana only felt that disappointment had filled the void in her heart; even without Spencer, she still had people she cared about by her side.
Without saying anything more to Sabins, Diana walked away, dragging her suitcase.
Spencer's heart skipped a beat; he then belatedly realized that Diana wasn't joking, and quickly stepped forward, trying to grab Diana's hand.
But as Diana walked out the door, and Spencer's hand was about to touch her dark plain clothes, a hand reached out from the side and suddenly gripped Spencer's forearm.
Pain instantly swept over him, causing Spencer to instinctively step back, trying to pull his hand away.
But Shawn just looked at him, letting him move, standing still, unmoving.
It was like an adult holding a child's hand, appearing remarkably docile.
Watching Spencer jump around like Batman's arch-nemesis, Shawn tilted his head, let out a bored 'Tsk', and slightly loosened his grip.
Spencer fell with a 'thud' to the ground, clutching his wrist, which had been bruised purple by Shawn's grip.
Without another glance at him, Shawn spoke softly as he passed Diana.
"Time to go. It's time to take you all back to see your new home."
Diana looked at Shawn's back, dragging her suitcase, and followed him.
After everyone was in the cars, Shawn had Daryl lead them slowly forward, while he himself went to the villa entrance, which was boarded up with planks of varying widths.
The moment Shawn opened the villa door, the Zealots, who had been covered in shadows, heads bowed and lifeless, suddenly perked up.
They were like Shawn's pets left at home, only feeling joy when their eyes were filled with Shawn.
Shawn walked forward with heavy steps, came before the bald man, and reached out to pull the black neck ring from his body.
Shawn gave a brilliant smile to everyone in the room.
"Interested in believing in a 'God' more powerful than God?"
...
Ten minutes later.
The red overlord rumbled out of the open Community gate, incidentally crushing the Walkers near the gate into pieces.
Spencer frantically dragged his suitcase and ran towards the door, only to see the dozen or so Community residents who had chosen to stay behind.
They heard the commotion and looked at Spencer's panicked face, then at the suitcase he was clutching, and the atmosphere became somewhat solidified.
Spencer hid the suitcase behind him, his expression changed, and he yelled, putting on a brave face while being inwardly weak.
"Close the gate! The Walkers are about to get in, you fools!"
Having followed his mother, who was a councilwoman, Spencer naturally knew that the common people were foolish.
But he overlooked one thing—he himself was nothing but a fool.
Looking at their new leader of the Community, those who had chosen to stay suddenly felt some regret.
But when they looked out beyond the Community gate, the dark red fire truck, stained with Walker blood, was already out of sight.
At this point, if they were willing to chase after it, they might still catch up with the main group, but no one did so.
Just as they feared change and were unwilling to leave.
If they had the courage to face reality, they wouldn't have chosen to stay in Alexandria in the first place.
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