"Tsk—" Shawn looked at Hershel's retreating figure.
Hershel would have to face the barn situation sooner or later, and being forced to make a choice was not a bad thing.
It was better to dispel Hershel's idea of raising Walkers early, so that when they arrived at the Prison, no one would feel awkward.
At least protecting Maggie and Beth was far better than protecting those corpses he called 'family'.
"Shawn!"
Carol jogged over, opened her arms, and hugged Shawn.
"Thank goodness you're back!"
A hint of gratitude in Carol's eyes was well hidden; upon seeing Shawn, her lips curved slightly upward.
"In this damned apocalypse, 'thank goodness' doesn't do much good."
Shawn readily accepted the embrace.
"I'll go make something for you and little Carl; you must be starving after being out there."
With that, Carol blinked her slightly reddened eyes and turned to jog back to the Camp.
But unexpectedly, a hand was suddenly gripped.
"No need to rush for food, Carol. Carl and I brought back some water and food. You can take them to help move some down."
Shawn pointed to the fire truck behind him.
"Hey, Shawn, you're back!" A bright voice rang out as Andrea and Amy rushed over.
However, as expected, both of them were also roped in by Shawn to be laborers.
Shawn opened the lid of the red overlord's water tank and then climbed inside, handing out items one by one.
"Enough, enough, man, are you trying to work me to death?"
T-Dog started speaking in his strange tone again, holding two buckets of water in each outstretched hand.
"Who told you your hands were big enough." Shawn chuckled, scolding him.
The resources brought back this time weren't actually that much; for the entire Camp, it was less than two weeks' worth of provisions.
But when they saw the small cakes, everyone's faces couldn't help but break into smiles.
These unspoiled and delicious foods were hard currency in the apocalypse, comparable to cigarettes and alcohol.
High in sugar and calories, besides the small portion sizes, they were much better than canned goods.
Glenn put down the last bucket of water, took a breath, and then stealthily leaned towards Shawn.
"Shawn, next time you go out, can you help me find some instant noodles?"
"Any brand, any flavor, it doesn't matter, as long as it's instant noodles."
Seeing Glenn's embarrassed look, Shawn finally realized that Glenn was indeed from the 'Instant Noodle Nation'.
"It must have been tough for you to hold out for so long before asking."
Shawn patted Glenn's shoulder, his voice filled with emotion.
At least in his impression, people from the 'Instant Noodle Nation' felt uncomfortable if they didn't eat instant noodles for a day; instant noodles were the highest national banquet for them.
About half of the resources from the vehicle had been moved out, with the other half remaining inside as backup storage.
Back at the Camp, Shawn went to Rick's side.
At this moment, Carl's quiver had been removed by Rick, and he was quietly sleeping soundly in Rick's arms.
"The little guy was exhausted these seven days."
Rick looked up at him when he heard this, said nothing, and just lowered his head again.
"Rick, you're not angry, are you?" Shawn asked with a half-smile.
Rick certainly had the right to be angry; Shawn asked this only because he didn't want an awkward silence. 'Silent Rick' was clearly not Rick's most rational version.
Rick's eye twitched when he heard Shawn's question, and he finally spoke.
"Originally, I was thinking if you came back and Carl didn't, I would use a knife to slit your throat and use your blood to honor Carl."
Rick didn't look at Shawn, just turned his head slightly, his eyes somewhat calm.
"Later, when I saw Carl, I just wanted to punch you hard for taking Carl into this Walker-infested apocalypse for a whole 7 days!"
"Do you remember what we agreed upon? I thought you would at least bring him back once along the way!"
Rick instantly showed signs of losing control, but he still forcefully suppressed his tone, not wanting to wake Carl in his arms.
"But when I saw Carl, his eyes met mine, and I rubbed his calloused palms…"
As Rick spoke, his fingers brushed over the traditional bow that Carl had been holding tightly, refusing to let go.
Feeling the rough texture from it, Rick let out a sigh of relief, his tone no longer stern or angry.
Rick looked directly into Shawn's eyes and said seriously.
"At least from my perspective… I have to thank you."
"Thanks, Shawn, although I don't know what Carl went through, I can indeed feel that he's different now."
Hearing Rick's thanks, Shawn was about to wave his hand, then silently accept the credit; he was not one to easily gloat.
But the next second, he heard Rick's voice again.
"But!"
"You left with Carl for a whole week. Lori was so worried about Carl that she couldn't eat anything and often woke up startled at night."
"In just a few days, Lori's condition rapidly deteriorated, and now she's still unconscious, lying in the tent."
"Shawn, you don't owe me, you don't owe Carl, you don't owe anyone in the Camp, but you do owe Lori an apology."
Rick frowned, looking directly at Shawn without backing down.
These past few days, Rick had already had a vague guess about Shane's actions.
But no matter what, Lori had no choice at the time; she was at least a good mother.
Rick loved Carl, and Lori's love for Carl would only be more, not less.
Shawn taking Carl for seven days was like directly stripping Lori of half her life.
Coupled with Shawn's attitude towards Lori back then, Rick said these words.
"Understood."
Looking at Rick, then at Carl lying in Rick's arms, Shawn thought for a moment and nodded slightly.
He turned and walked a few steps but suddenly stopped.
"Prepare to settle everything in the Camp. Whether Hershel and them are willing to come with us or not, at least we should set off."
Leaving that remark, Shawn walked straight towards his own tent.
Shawn had originally given his tent to Rick's family, and now Lori was lying there.
When Shawn arrived at the tent, he saw Shane, who was wearing a dark brown, form-fitting short-sleeved shirt.
His hair had grown longer and was combed straight back by Shane, which, combined with his rugged face and strong physique, made him look increasingly like an unrestrained 'thug'.
"What's wrong with you?!"
As soon as Shane saw Shawn, he immediately stood up from outside the tent, suppressing his anger.
"Do you know that because you took Carl and didn't come back, the Camp was practically in chaos?"
"Watch your tone when you speak to me."
Shawn's tone was leisurely, showing no fear.
Indeed, as Rick said, he owed Lori, but that didn't mean Shawn would swallow his anger when facing Shane.
It was just leaving the Camp for seven days.
Shane actually couldn't tell the difference between the big and small kings anymore?