Survival in the apocalypse, day…
if he remembered right, day twelve.
There were no walker night raids today, and nothing unexpected happened.
The effect of Luck 4 was immediate.
Master Luke took advantage of this rare peaceful day to get a few things done.
First, he made the blueprints he had on hand.
His first choice was the radio repeater.
This blueprint was blue-tier rare, and its material requirements were much higher than a green blueprint: copper wire, capacitors, crystal oscillators, an antenna mast, soldering tools, and a small circuit board.
He had already gathered most of the materials while looting the hardware store and police station.
The only thing he was missing was a circuit board.
Luke Li had Marcus pull one out of a scrapped car radio.
He found a corner and spent two hours assembling it.
The finished product was a shoebox-sized metal box, with a foldable antenna sticking out from the top and power supplied by the portable generator.
Its function was simple: amplify and relay radio signals, extending the effective coverage radius from the walkie-talkies’ two or three kilometers to fifteen kilometers.
Together with the hand-crank radio, Luke Li could now monitor emergency broadcasts and military frequencies.
He set the repeater on top of the lookout platform and secured the antenna with wire.
Dale watched him work with curiosity.
“What’s that?”
“A signal booster.
It gives the walkie-talkies about ten more miles of range.”
Dale pushed up his fishing hat, his eyes full of admiration.
“How many things do you know how to do?”
“Not many.
Just little gadgets.
Easy to make.”
After powering on the repeater, Luke Li scanned through the frequencies with the hand-crank radio.
Most of the bands were dead, filled only with white noise.
The NOAA emergency channel was still looping an automated recording.
“…All survivors, please proceed to the CDC headquarters in downtown Atlanta.
Repeat, please proceed to the CDC headquarters in Atlanta…
The military has established a safe zone in the area…”
CDC.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Luke Li knew exactly what that place was like right now: an underground fortress on the verge of self-destruction, with only a mad scientist and a pile of ticking bombs left inside.
That was where season one of the original show ended.
He had no intention of leading everyone there to die.
Still, the broadcast was useful.
At the very least, it proved the radio repeater was working properly.
The second thing was training.
This time, Glenn wasn’t the only one taking part.
Luke Li had expanded the lessons.
Glenn kept practicing push, stab, and turn for one hour a day.
It was already his second day, and his movements were much smoother than yesterday.
T-Dog had been pulled in as well.
The big man had plenty of strength, but he got too tense when fighting walkers up close.
He swung an axe like he was chopping firewood, all power and no method.
In the original show, his death had been one of the most careless.
A few walkers grabbed him, and he died with his guts torn open.
Luke Li taught him two moves: a body check that made use of his weight advantage, and a low horizontal sweep aimed at a walker’s knees.
As for the hunter Danny, there wasn’t much to teach.
He already had a solid foundation.
Luke Li only helped adjust his instinctive reaction when encountering walkers, getting him to stop reaching for his gun right away.
The biggest surprise was Andrea.
The blonde woman came to him on her own.
“I heard from Glenn that you’re teaching close combat.
I want to learn too.”
Her expression was so serious that it clearly wasn’t a joke.
Luke Li glanced at the buffs above her head.
[Unease – Suppressed]
[Desire for Self-Validation – Strong]
[Protectiveness – Toward Amy]
Andrea was the kind of woman with an extremely stubborn will.
The apocalypse had magnified her insecurity, and the only way to suppress that unease was to make herself stronger.
“Sure.” Luke Li tossed her a wooden stick.
“But women are at a disadvantage in raw strength, so your training focus will be different from theirs.”
“What focus?”
“Speed and precision.
You don’t need to fight walkers head-on.
You just need to drive a blade into the temple, using the least strength to get the biggest result.”
Andrea tightened her grip on the wooden stick, her expression hardening with resolve.
“Please teach me.”
An hour later, blisters had formed on Andrea’s palms, but she did not make a sound.
This woman had a ruthless streak that suited the apocalypse well.
She just occasionally acted a little too reckless.
In the original show, Andrea had nearly gotten Daryl killed early.
Luke Li glanced above her head.
[Desire for Self-Validation – Strong] had grown brighter.
Beside it, a new buff appeared: [Respect – Initial].
Andrea was not someone who trusted others easily.
Her respect meant a lot.
Then there was Merle.
The guy had been holding it in for a while, and finally couldn’t resist causing trouble.
That afternoon, a minor conflict broke out in camp.
T-Dog had returned from fetching water by the creek.
As he passed Merle’s tent, his bucket accidentally knocked over a liquor bottle Merle had left on the ground.
Most of the liquor spilled.
Merle shot out of the tent, looking like he wanted to eat someone alive.
“You goddamn…
ni…”
Merle’s voice was so loud that the entire camp heard him.
T-Dog’s face turned livid, and his fists clenched tight.
If he hadn’t been so even-tempered, he would have gone over and beaten Merle to death.
“Merle!
Enough!”
“Get out of my way, Shane, this damn ni…”
“I said enough!”
Shane stepped in front of T-Dog, his hand resting on the holster at his waist.
His stance made his meaning clear.
Merle looked at the gun on Shane’s hip, cursed under his breath, and ducked back into his tent.
T-Dog stood where he was, his chest heaving violently.
Daryl sat nearby the entire time, sharpening bolts without saying a word.
Luke Li watched everyone’s reactions.
The conflict wasn’t big, but it exposed a key problem: Merle’s racism was like a time bomb.
Sooner or later, it would go off.
In the original show, Merle beat up T-Dog on a rooftop in Atlanta, forcing Rick to handcuff him to a pipe.
But Luke Li didn’t want to wait until things reached that point.
He waited ten minutes, until the mood in camp eased a little, then walked over and sat down beside Daryl.
Daryl was still sharpening bolts, but his movements were a little sluggish.
“Your brother’s temper is going to get him killed one day,” Luke Li said.
Daryl’s knife paused.
“That’s his problem.”
“What if he really gets into it with T-Dog?
Shane won’t stand by and watch.
When that happens, whose side are you on?”
Daryl fell silent.
That was the most painful thing for Daryl.
He and Merle were brothers, blood was thicker than water, but Merle was digging his own grave.
Luke Li didn’t force him to answer.
“I’m not asking you to go against your brother.
I’m just giving you some advice.
Before he loses it next time, take him out hunting.
Get him away from camp and let him cool down.”
Daryl looked up at Luke Li.
“You telling me what to do?”
“I’m helping you keep your brother alive.”
Daryl stared at Luke Li for a few seconds, then lowered his head and continued sharpening his bolts.
“I’ll talk to him.
Don’t worry.”
Luke Li glanced above his head.
The [Trust – Budding] buff had brightened a little more.
That night, Merle really did leave camp with Daryl, claiming they were going raccoon hunting.
In truth, Daryl had dragged his brother out to cool off.
The camp stayed quiet all night.
…
After that, Luke Li began preparing for Glenn’s trip to Atlanta.
By his estimate, Rick should be waking up soon.
Luke Li called Glenn over to the pickup and spread out a map of Atlanta.
“Over the next few days, the camp might organize a supply run into the city.
No matter who brings it up, volunteer for it.”
Glenn frowned.
“Why?”
“Because you know Atlanta better than anyone else in camp.
You’re the only one who can lead a mission like that, and it’s time you gained a little say around here.”
“Lead the team?
Me?” Glenn pointed at himself.
“I can’t even…”
“You’ve gone into the city with me twice already.
You know the routes better than anyone.” Luke Li patted him on the shoulder.
“And you have a gun.”
Glenn instinctively touched the Glock 19 hidden at the back of his waist.
“Once you’re in the city, pay attention to this frequency.” Luke Li handed him a slip of paper with a string of numbers written on it.
It was the emergency frequency from the hand-crank radio.
“If you hear someone calling for help in the city, don’t hesitate.
Go help him.”
Glenn took the paper, his face full of confusion.
“Why are you so sure someone will call for help?”
Luke Li looked him in the eyes.
“Intuition.”
Glenn opened his mouth, still wanting to ask more.
But he saw something in Luke Li’s eyes…
a kind of certainty.
So he didn’t ask.
He put the paper in his pocket.
“If someone really is trapped in the city…
do you think I can get them out?”
“You definitely can.”
Luke Li’s tone didn’t sound like encouragement.
It sounded like he was stating a fact.
Glenn took a deep breath and nodded.
That night, Luke Li lay in the truck bed with the hand-crank radio beside his ear, the volume turned all the way down.
The NOAA recording was still looping.
“…proceed to the CDC headquarters in Atlanta…
safe zone…”
The mechanical voice sounded especially hollow.
Luke Li turned off the radio.