Chapter 22: Brutal Truth
When Caesar woke, it was already afternoon, approaching evening.
The sky cycled again. Night would fall quickly.
In the valley, the temperature difference between day and night was large. At night, camp lit bonfires.
A crowd gathered again around the central campfire, voices clamoring with various opinions.
Caesar looked toward Rick and Shane, who were arguing.
"The CDC is the best destination. It has military base defenses, a complete循环 system, abundant food, tight security."
"Besides, once a vaccine appears, it'll definitely appear at the CDC first."
Rick believed deeply in his judgment, with confidence from who knows where.
"Stop your wishful thinking, Rick." Shane's attitude was extremely firm. "Even if there's a vaccine, it would appear first at a military base—Fort Benning."
"The CDC is in Atlanta. Atlanta has fallen and been bombed. There can't possibly be anyone surviving inside the CDC."
The two argued endlessly. The surrounding survivors listened to both arguments, eyes dim and dark.
Caesar took in all their expressions. They couldn't stay at camp anymore. They had to officially face this apocalypse now.
Most of them had been members of the convoy heading to Atlanta after hearing the broadcast.
They'd witnessed Atlanta being bombed with their own eyes. Whether the CDC truly had so-called food and security—they were skeptical.
Rick couldn't convince Shane. Shane couldn't convince Rick.
Rick turned to look at Caesar and asked, "Caesar, what's your plan?"
At that moment, many in camp turned their gazes toward Caesar.
Thanks to last night's deployment and command, Caesar's prestige in camp had surged considerably.
If Caesar proposed going to another place, quite a few people would follow for Caesar's sake alone.
Caesar cleared his throat twice. "Fort Benning has already fallen."
"I know quite a few soldiers escaped from Fort Benning."
Fort Benning? Fallen?
This statement struck heavily in Shane's mind. He stared, his expression stunned.
Fort Benning was the destination he'd planned for early on.
With the military's existence, safety should at least be guaranteed, right?
With safety, food and medicine could be slowly searched for.
But Fort Benning had fallen. All his plans had collapsed.
"There is a military base defending near the CDC, but the military base has no living people anymore."
"The CDC also has very few living people. Most researchers fled home during the outbreak period."
Caesar wasn't lying to them. He spoke truthfully.
After learning the specific truth about the CDC, Rick understood too—the CDC couldn't possibly have a so-called vaccine.
Naturally, there was no such thing as hope for the apocalypse.
After all, with such a terrifying virus, how could a handful of researchers possibly develop one?
The hope in Rick's eyes dimmed like an extinguished flame.
Seeing this, Lori couldn't hide the sadness on her face either, leaning on Rick's shoulder.
Quite a few people in camp had actually harbored fantasies about the CDC—what if someone developed a vaccine and the apocalypse ended...
But reality was reality. Even if the apocalypse ended, those who'd left wouldn't return, and dead corpses wouldn't resurrect.
Caesar scanned the circle—not just the crowd sitting around the large central bonfire, but also the small family bonfire groups.
Caesar stood up and spread his arms. "Everyone, I'm telling you the specific situation now not to make you wallow in self-pity."
From the crowd, dull faces lifted to look at Caesar.
"Yes, Fort Benning has fallen and can't accommodate us. The CDC lacks research capability and can't manufacture a vaccine to solve the apocalypse."
"But we're still alive! Touch your own chest—that beating scarlet heart isn't just your own life."
"It's also the lives of your family, your friends. You're not just living for yourself—you're living for all the relatives and friends you know."
Mentioning family, quite a few people began to sob. Tears welled in their eyes, and heartbeats became increasingly clear.
They felt as if their deceased family members were right beside them.
"Fort Benning can't accommodate us. If we can't find a good temporary shelter, then we'll build one."
"Our capabilities are insufficient? Then we'll first build a smaller base that can accommodate ourselves, letting us survive first."
"In the future, we can expand the base's scale and take in more people who've survived the apocalypse."
Build a base? Can we... do that?
That... would require many people...
Doubts arose in hearts, but the flame of hope in eyes seemed to ignite again—small but impossible to ignore.
Rick's stunned expression gradually became animated. Looking at Caesar, he was filled with admiration.
"The CDC doesn't have many researchers, but each researcher is precious. We can find them and have them join the base."
"Have them research the virus and manufacture vaccines. If capability isn't enough, if manpower is insufficient, then we look long-term. Have them train the next generation of children. Have our children take up the burden of manufacturing vaccines."
"I firmly believe, generation after generation, we'll eventually defeat the virus."
"One day, humanity will stand at the apex of the world again."
Caesar raised his finger. His words were forceful and powerful, carrying matchless confidence.
He believed incomparably in what he said.
Clap clap—
At a family bonfire not far away, a middle-aged man started applauding.
Sparse applause gradually grew louder and louder.
This represented their recognition and trust in Caesar.
Time to recruit people.
Caesar looked at everyone, the bright light in their eyes. The thought flashed through his mind.
So Caesar raised his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.
"Actually, everyone knows we joined camp the day before yesterday. We're not too familiar with everyone."
"But camp is about to be abandoned. Everyone truly doesn't know where to go. Fort Benning is gone. The CDC can't accommodate many people."
"Even wanting to build a base requires selecting a site and searching for food to begin."
"For now, it simply can't be done."
Caesar enumerated the various difficulties before them. Everyone's faces darkened considerably.
Right—talk all you want, forget about building a base. Right now the biggest problem was surviving.
Caesar paused for a while, waiting for everyone to brew their emotions before continuing.
"Ah, I won't hide it from everyone. I've already built a base. It can raise cattle and sheep, has basic food circulation capability."
"The geographical position is good too. It's a valley. Close the mountain pass and walkers can't enter the valley."
Caesar didn't exaggerate. He simply described the ranch's conditions.
But at this moment, even the smallest lifeline was still a lifeline.
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