A bloodthirsty Berserkers surged within him, seeking to be soothed by the blood of the Walkers.
That's right, counting from the departure time, tonight at 12 AM would be the Blood Moon.
And now, most of the time had already passed; it was almost 8 PM.
The Blood Moon in the sky grew larger and larger, and Shawn even worried he might lose control of himself.
There were many reasons why Daryl and Merle weren't responding to the radio.
Perhaps they encountered a horde of Walkers, or survivors, or maybe the heavy rain simply disrupted the radio, so they needed to rest outside for a night before returning…
But whatever the reason, Daryl and Merle's silence was a good reason for Shawn to leave the convoy.
Just one night would be enough… If he stayed in the Camp to face the Blood Moon under these circumstances, something would definitely go wrong.
Rick and the others had no experience dealing with Berserkers, and they would suffer greatly when facing them.
Furthermore, this was the second wave of the Blood Moon, and the Walkers attracted would only be more numerous than last time.
Shawn could almost certainly conclude that if he continued to stay with the convoy, someone would definitely die at the mouths of the Berserkers.
"I'm going to find them!"
Shawn picked up the Stone Hammer from behind him, and the veins on his arms bulged like coiling dragons!
His body showed a faint tendency to swell.
Turning his head, Shawn glanced at Rick's surprised expression.
"I'll go find Daryl and Merle, and I'll also check out a nearby gas station to see if there are any parts that fit the RV."
"You guard the Camp well. I'll be fine."
Shawn's voice was hoarse and deep, and thin wisps of hot air emerged from his mouth when he spoke.
After speaking, Shawn gripped the hammer and was about to open the door and jump out.
But the next second, Rick directly shoved something into Shawn's arms.
"Take the radio. I wrapped it in a thick layer of plastic, so it shouldn't get wet from the rain."
"Whether you find Daryl and them or not, you must come back at dawn. If you don't come back, I won't let everyone wait for you."
Shawn stared at the radio in his arms for a moment, then grinned and directly jumped out of the car.
As soon as he touched the ground, Shawn's combat uniform was soaked by the rain.
Shawn put his hand in his arms and silently transferred the radio to his system backpack, ensuring it wouldn't get wet at all.
With his back to the astonished gazes of the rest of the convoy, Shawn, carrying the Stone Hammer, rushed into the pitch-black jungle like an Agility leopard.
"Dad, why did Shawn go out?"
Carl asked Rick, looking out from the rear window, a hint of unease on his small face.
He worried about Shawn getting into trouble, and also worried about the convoy getting into trouble without Shawn…
And this feeling was not only in Carl, but also in the hearts of the other people in the convoy.
Shane leaned against the car window, looking at Shawn's departing back, his eyes dazed.
Inside the car where Glenn and Maggie were, Hershel and Beth also turned their heads with them to look, but could only see a pitch-black expanse of jungle.
Andrea touched Amy's hand, looking at Shawn's fleeting figure in the rearview mirror, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.
Jim and Otis were slow to realize, repeatedly asking those around them after learning that Shawn had left the convoy.
…
Shawn traversed the dark jungle.
An ordinary person here would see nothing without light; the tall trees blocked the last sliver of light.
But in Shawn's eyes at this moment, his entire vision was tinged with red, and he could surprisingly see everything in the jungle clearly.
Even a Walker playing dead on the ground could not escape Shawn's gaze.
It wasn't until he passed through the entire jungle and faced a large open area that Shawn finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"If nothing goes wrong, I'll be back by dawn."
"But with only Rick here, I don't really need to worry about the convoy; he'll react naturally."
Shawn wouldn't think that Rick's talk of 'leaving' was just a joke.
The Prison was not far from their current location, and if it really came to that, Rick would definitely leave for the Prison.
In Rick's view:
One: Shawn didn't need them to worry; he was even more suited for apocalypse survival than Daryl.
Two: Waiting would only infinitely increase the probability of convoy losses. If searching for Shawn led the convoy into a worse predicament, wouldn't it be more trouble than it was worth?
And the most core reason for making the decision, of course, was Rick's personality.
Old Dale and Shane were not dead, so Rick didn't have to act according to Old Dale's ideas, and Rick was also influenced by Shawn and Shane.
Rick prioritized the interests of the majority of the convoy, which was not difficult to understand.
Not to mention Lori and Carl were still in the convoy. If nothing unexpected, Rick already knew Lori was pregnant, but he never proactively mentioned it in front of everyone.
However, after settling everyone in the Prison, Rick would still turn back to look for Shawn and Daryl, among others; this was the most rational judgment.
"Trying to find Daryl now is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"He and Merle left on motorcycles; finding them is too difficult."
"So… it's better to figure out how to get through the Blood Moon first, and then think of a solution."
The bloodlust in Shawn's eyes intensified as time passed minute by minute.
Even if Shawn wanted to find them, he had to deal with the second wave of the Blood Moon first.
Otherwise, bringing a large wave of Walkers enraged by the system to find them, would he be trying to save them, or take them all down in one go?
"It's uncertain how many Walkers the second Blood Moon will specifically attract, but it's estimated to be no less than 30, calculated by doubling, just like the Blood Moon duration."
"I can use the advantage of building terrain and the heavy rain to cover my tracks, and take on this wave of the Blood Moon!"
"I remember on the map… there's a village nearby."
Shawn's eyes lit up, and he immediately changed direction, running towards the village.
An hour and a half later.
Shawn passed through a muddy, winding path. The heavy rain 'splashed' against his body, causing some sharp pain.
His progress was slowed by the heavy rain, making it significantly harder to move than usual.
By the time Shawn reached the village, he felt his sweat and rainwater had almost merged.
"The village isn't big, and the living creatures that could be bitten quickly ran out. After the villagers turned into Walkers, they would gradually disperse outwards."
"To estimate generously, there won't be more than 20 Walkers in the village now, scattered in various corners of the village."
"With the cover of the heavy rain, the Walkers that have left the village should not be re-attracted back."
Shawn lay on a small hillside outside the village, carefully observing the settlement.
The United States has no shortage of land; the actual size of the entire village was comparable to a medium-sized town.
It's just that the village lacked key facilities like a Hospital, police station, fire department…
Without these critical basic resources, even the largest village was still just a village.