Hershel quickly pulled his head back.
"How did we get here?"
"How would I know?"
Shawn shrugged, looking innocent.
But in reality, as the alcohol gradually wore off, Shawn vaguely recalled what had happened last night.
Last night, after the party ended and everyone was asleep, Shawn stumbled out of his tent, climbed up to the second floor of Hershel's house, and 'abducted' the 60-year-old man.
There was no other reason.
It was simply that the two of them had a great chat while drinking earlier, so Shawn decided to take Hershel to re-experience the fervor of youth.
Initially, Hershel didn't agree, but Shawn, relying on his enhanced physique, literally carried Hershel from the second-floor window of the wooden house to the second floor of the barn.
"If I say juice Walkers, I'll juice Walkers!"
These were Shawn's words after bringing Hershel to the second floor of the barn last night.
Remembering his 'bold pronouncements,' Shawn could only scratch his cheek, awkwardly wishing he could declare on the spot that he would never attend another party.
But after just one question, Hershel seemed to realize that Shawn had discovered the barn's secret; he sighed, said nothing, and simply led Shawn out through the entrance on the second floor of the barn.
"You saw everything?"
Walking on the grass outside the barn, Hershel broke the silence first.
"Mm."
Shawn didn't press the issue; since Hershel couldn't remember what he had said last night, Shawn decided to go along with him.
"I have my own difficulties," Hershel sighed.
"You think they are your relatives, just sick, so you want to save them?"
When negotiating with Hershel before, Hershel had already expressed this idea, so Shawn's question wasn't abrupt.
"Mm."
Hershel was silent for a moment, but he eventually nodded.
This was something he had always been doing.
Not only his family members, but also Walkers wandering nearby were locked in this barn by him.
"You're putting a ticking time bomb next to your living family members' beds!"
Shawn said without hesitation, his tone sharp.
If he didn't correct Hershel's ideology at the Farm, Shawn would refuse to let Hershel enter the Prison in the future.
Because his misguided ideology would kill everyone.
If it weren't for Shawn or Rick, he might be the first to die, followed by Maggie and Beth.
Walkers are corpses, and corpses are Walkers!
This point, for the vast majority of survivors, is a consensus that needs no further emphasis.
Facing Shawn's anger, Hershel remained silent.
"What do you think distinguishes them from those beasts that eat human flesh?"
Shawn continued to ask, but Hershel still remained silent.
It wasn't that he didn't want to answer, but ever since Shawn and his group joined the Farm, Hershel's views had been gradually changing through his interactions with them.
Especially last night—that unforgettable party.
Hershel swore that perhaps even at the moment of his death many years later, he would still remember this night.
On this night, seeing Maggie and Beth's smiles, he understood many things… but he just couldn't bring himself to make that decision.
On the other hand, Shawn.
Seeing that Hershel heard his words but kept his head down, not speaking, and just kept walking forward, Shawn didn't bring up the matter again.
It wasn't that he gave up, but he figured the time was about right.
When Rick and the others arrive at the Farm, someone will naturally 'help' Hershel face reality.
Thug Shane
Only after truly facing reality would Hershel genuinely let go of his obsession and all meaningless things.
In this man-eating world, everyone has their own journey, and everyone grows step by step into a better version of themselves on that journey.
Even Hershel, who already had one foot in the grave and could easily die from an acute illness in this apocalypse, was no exception.
Change is for survival in this world.
Change is for better survival in this world.
Change is so that when others are 'eating people,' you don't get 'eaten' by others.
Change allows you to hold the power to decide whether or not to 'eat people' in your own hands.
So Shawn needed to change, and he desperately hoped his companions would also change.
With these thoughts, Shawn suddenly realized he had returned to the Camp.
Andrea saw Shawn return and quickly came over, checking him up and down for any bite marks.
The same situation also happened to Hershel.
He was already annoyed enough, and his employees and family kept fumbling all over him.
"Alright!" Hershel angrily slapped Jimmy's hand away; he looked at Shawn.
"It's better to drink less hard liquor in the future; it's not good for us."
Shawn knew what Hershel meant by 'us.'
It was simply the cooperation between the Camp and the Farm; if the two leaders got too close, things would become unclear.
Of course, the main reason was that Hershel was struggling with himself, contradicting himself; he was just one step away from a breakthrough.
Just as Shawn and the others were chatting.
Several figures appeared at the edge of the Farm; their figures were obscured by the fire truck until they got close enough for Shawn and the others to spot them.
"Shawn?"
Rick looked at Shawn in surprise; so the Farm Shawn mentioned was here.
Rick quickly scanned the area; the Farm had an open view and very few Walkers, indeed an excellent Camp outpost.
"I met him and Carl in the jungle, so I brought them over."
Daryl was clearly biased towards Shawn, so he leaned into Shawn's ear and explained in a low voice.
"Hello, Brother Shou." Prince Carl, holding one of his father's arms, greeted Shawn clearly.
Curiosity and longing flickered in his eyes as he looked at Shawn.
For a boy Carl's age, he greatly admired ruthless individuals like Shawn, who killed Walkers like chopping vegetables.
What he longed for was for Shawn to teach him how to safely and effectively kill Walkers.
"Mm." Shawn nodded silently, but his heart was already blooming with joy.
Rick and the others' trip to the Centers for Disease Control was only about a week, but Shawn had waited for them for too long.
With the help of 'Lion' Rick and 'Thug' Shane, taking down the Prison would be no difficult task.
And thanks to Shawn's arrival, replacing Otis and Jimmy with Daryl and Merle prevented our Prince from having some unpleasant childhood memories.
"Woah, woah, woah~~"
Before even seeing the person, just by hearing the flamboyant, show-offy voice, Rick knew who it was.
Merle was seen holding an apple, taking a bite, and leaning against the fire truck, looking like a hooligan.
"Look who's here? Shawn said you guys would be here soon, and I said he was full of crap."
Rick frowned at the remark; how did Shawn know they would come?