The next one hundred hours, Gray remained completely inside his RV, fully immersed in The Walking Dead series, mapping out every future threat while his passive gold worked flawlessly in the background. He kept his system interface constantly open, systematically buying out every single massive passive income upgrade the absolute second the gold criteria hit his profile.
Hour 29, His gold surged past 5,048,397,261 Gold. He instantly unlocked the next Upgrade.
[New Upgrade]
(5B Gold) 95,400,000 Gold/Hour
[New Hourly Rate]
345,237,233 (191,798,463) Gold/Hour
Hour 58, Another 29 hours ticked by, pushing his wealth over 10,060,277,018 Gold. He slammed the next purchase.
[New Upgrade]
(10B Gold) 190,800,000 Gold/Hour
[New Hourly Rate]
688,677,233 (382,598,463) Gold/Hour
Hour 60, Exactly two hours later, he opened the multiplier tab and bought out the next four.
[New Upgrades]
(60M Gold) +0.05x
(120M Gold) +0.05x
(240M Gold) +0.05x
(480M Gold) +0.05x
[New Hourly Rate]
765,196,926 (382,598,463) Gold/Hour
Bringing his total multiplier to a clean 2.00x.
Hour 99, After another grueling 39 hours of Gold accumulation, Gray's balance shattered all records, sitting at an astronomical 30,380,311,598 Gold. He immediately purchased the next available upgrade.
[New Upgrade]
(30B Gold) 381,600,000 Gold/Hour
[New Hourly Rate]
1,528,396,926 (764,198,463) Gold/Hour
Gold: 380,311,598
Gray finally closed his laptop and stepped out of his RV into the cool evening air. It was exactly 8:35 PM. As he began a routine security sweep around the perimeter walls, his mind started reminiscing about the entire television series he had just finished watching. He thought deeply about all the tragedies, brutal betrayals, and tragic deaths, but also about the legendary survivors who would eventually join Rick's core group.
He recalled how the Governor would eventually completely lose his mind, slaughtering his own Woodbury residents in a fit of manic rage, only to form a secondary militia months down the line to launch a desperate, final assault on these very prison walls. He remembered the dark path toward the Terminus cannibals, knowing that they had actually been a completely normal, peaceful community before a group of raiders violently broke them.
He thought even further down the timeline, thinking about the massive network of communities that Rick's group would eventually discover or conflict with. He envisioned the fortified walls of Alexandria, the agricultural community of The Hilltop, the theatrical roleplayers of Ezekiel's Kingdom, and the brutal, industrial tyranny of Negan's Saviors. He even pictured the massive, highly advanced Commonwealth city from the final season, a sprawling civilization of thousands of people that managed to bring back a semblance of the old world, even the corruption of the higher-ups.
Gray looked up at the stone walls he had built, an ambitious resolve setting into his chest. He thought to himself that once he fully completed this prison project, ensuring it had infinite automated water, perfect green energy, a flawless food supply, and defenses so absolute that the community could comfortably stand on its own without a single shred of input from him, he would leave the compound in Rick, Daryl, Hershel, Carol, Merle, and Shane's capable hands. Armed with his powers, he would take out onto the open roads and explore the rest of the changing world to see what else was out there.
All of those events were still months away from even happening in this reality, and at the absolute, god-like rate he was accumulating gold right now, those canon threats wouldn't even matter by the time they arrived. He could buy a literal army before then.
Speaking of specialized gear, Gray opened the shop, the clock on his dashboard turned to 9:00 PM, and he purchased a legendary weapon he had been eyeing for a very long time, a Purple Phasesaber from Terraria for 500,000,000 Gold.
Curious to test the new weapon, Gray reached into his inventory and pulled out the ornate hilt. He pressed the activation switch.
VROOOOOOM-HUMMMMM.
A brilliant, hyper-dense blade of pure, crackling purple light erupted from the hilt, casting a vivid, mystical violet glow across the entire concrete courtyard. The weapon vibrated with a powerful, mesmerizing low-frequency hum that cut through the silence of the night.
Glenn happened to be walking out of the main cell block entrance at that exact moment. The second his eyes locked onto the glowing violet blade, he froze, his jaw dropping instantly as he ran across the courtyard with unbridled, childlike excitement. "Dude! Is that a lightsaber?!" he yelled, his eyes sparkling.
Gray chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "Close. It's called a Phasesaber. It doesn't rely on Kyber Crystals, it comes from an entirely different universe."
"Damn, that is so sick!" Glenn breathed, taking a cautious step closer, completely fixed on the humming purple light. "You look like a total Jedi right now, man."
"Yeah... I've wanted one of these for a while now," Gray replied, twisting his wrist to watch the light trail slice through the darkness. "Figured it would help me effortlessly clear out walker hordes while looking incredibly cool doing it and not having to worry about blood getting on me."
With a quick flick of his thumb, Gray deactivated the weapon. The brilliant purple blade retracted instantly into the hilt, and he stashed it safely back into his inventory. Seeing the lingering awe on Glenn's face, Gray smiled. "If you want one, I can easily get one for you in a few days."
Glenn's face lit up with a massive, ecstatic smile. "Really? Man, that's a promise! I'm holding you to that!"
Just then, the metal door to one of the closest guard towers clanged open, and Merle Dixon came strolling down the stairs. Over the past four days, Merle had been up on those towers using his newly transferred Deadshot marksmanship to completely drop every single walker that dared to move within 200 yards of their walls. He had even asked Gray to borrow his silver M16A2 to test out a different rifle with his new aim-bot skills, and Gray had happily lent it to him since he was busy inside the RV anyway.
Merle slung the silver rifle over his shoulder and walked over, a cocky grin on his face. "Well, look who finally decided to come out of hibernation! You've been glued inside that trailer for days, kid. You done with whatever secret voodoo project you were running in there?"
Gray gave a nod as he adjusted his boots. "Yeah, I'm done. Now, we can finally get right back to work."
Merle crossed his arms, leaning his shoulder against the side of the guard tower. "What kind of work we talking about anyway, kid? What's next on the menu?"
"Expansion," Gray stated simply.
Merle frowned, his brow furrowed as his eyes aggressively scanned the massive, reinforced courtyard. "Expansion? Kid, we've already got more damn space than we can realistically use."
Gray nodded. "Yeah, for our current numbers, this is more than enough. But I'm planning for the future. In a few days, I'll have the resources to build massive infrastructure, apartment complexes, medical centers, and deep-underground bunkers for absolute security. I want to leave the current prison cell blocks exactly as they are."
Merle raised an eyebrow. "And why the hell would we do that?"
"For future criminals," Gray replied. "We're going to cross paths with bad people, Merle. Rapists, murderers, cannibals. When we capture the truly irredeemable ones, we'll lock them in those cells. Dr. Jenner will need fresh human samples to study the virus and develop a cure. We can use those criminals as his test subjects."
Gray locked eyes with the older Dixon. "Yes, it's deeply inhumane by the old world's standards. But the old world is gone. Their sacrifice will directly serve the survival of humanity. It's a win-win."
Merle stared at him for a long moment, completely stunned. A slow, deeply impressed grin crept onto his face. "Damn, kid. I didn't know you were that ruthless and cold-blooded."
"I'm not cold-blooded, Merle. I'm just logical," Gray shot back. "Besides, I was always in favor of executing the worst criminals anyway. There was never any point in wasting tax money to feed monsters before the world went to shit, and there's definitely no point now. We make them useful."
Merle let out a chuckle. "Well, can't argue with that. You're the boss."
The following morning, right after breakfast, Gray gathered the entire community in the newly lit common room to officially organize the workforce. He needed the community to run like a well-oiled machine.
First, he stepped up to Rick and Shane, offering his hands. As they initiated a firm handshake, Gray engaged his Skill Transference mechanism, deducting the funds from his astronomical balance to copy Deadshot's Marksmanship directly into both of their minds. Rick and Shane both clutched their temples as a sudden, intense wave of ballistic mathematics and muscle memory settled into their brains. Within a minute, their eyes snapped open, filled with absolute amazement as they looked down at their hands, instantly realizing their capabilities with a firearm had become superhuman.
Next, Gray walked towards Carol. "Carol, since you handle the cooking around here, and I'm getting too busy to prepare my own meals, I'm giving you an upgrade," Gray said. He shook her hand, transferring Joichiro Saiba's Cooking Skills straight into her consciousness. Carol gasped, her mind suddenly flooded with thousands of god-tier culinary techniques, flavor profiles, and knife skills. She looked at the kitchen counters with a sudden, brilliant spark of creative energy.
With the specialized gifts distributed, Gray stood before the rest of the group. "Listen up, everyone. The prison is stable, but we need to assign permanent, dedicated roles to keep this place thriving in the long term. We need ranchers for the livestock I'll be getting soon, farmers to manage the crops, security, and a medical team. Speak up for what you want to do."
Big Tiny stepped forward first, raising a massive hand. "I'll take the ranching. I can handle the livestock."
Beth and Otis stepped up right behind him. "We want to be on the medical team," Beth said confidently, with Otis nodding in agreement.
Oscar stepped forward, adjusting his bulletproof vest. "I want to help protect the prison. Keep my family safe."
T-Dog and Glenn raised their hands immediately. "Same here. Security."
Morales cleared his throat. "I've got some solid construction experience from the old days. I want to help keep the physical infrastructure running smoothly."
Hershel stepped forward, looking a bit lost. "Well, son... I'm a veterinarian by trade, but you already told me the animals you're bringing in won't ever get sick. I'm not entirely sure what my place is now."
Gray gave the old man a reassuring nod. "Don't worry about it, Hershel. Take some time to think it over, we aren't in a massive rush. But since you already have a medical background, I'm going to give you advanced medical skills later today. It never hurts to have more qualified doctors around."
Hershel smiled. "Thank you, son. I appreciate it."
Carol stepped up, wiping her hands on her apron, a newfound confidence radiating from her. "With these new cooking skills running through my head, I can comfortably handle the entire kitchen and meal prep by myself. You won't have to worry about food."
Off to the side of the room, Lori remained completely quiet, still sulking aggressively about her past arguments with the group and choosing to stay entirely out of the conversation. Gray ignored the attitude and kept moving down his checklist.
"I still need dedicated farmers to manage the fields," Gray announced, his eyes scanning the crowd before landing on the remaining choices. "Axel, Maggie. You two are in charge of the crops."
Maggie immediately crossed her arms, a heavy pout forming on her face. "I want to be on the security detail, Gray. I want to protect the prison, not be stuck digging around in a dirt patch all day."
"Once we start bringing in more survivors and our numbers grow, we can swap roles," Gray explained calmly but firmly. "But right now, our circle is small, and we need every single hand helping where it matters most. We need food infrastructure first."
Maggie sulked for another second, letting out a frustrated sigh, but she nodded. "Fine."
Jim stepped forward. "I was a mechanic before the turn. I can keep the vehicle engines and any heavy equipment running perfectly." Gray gave him a nod of approval.
Young Jimmy eagerly jumped into the gap. "I want to learn how to shoot, Gray! Let me help protect the walls!"
Gray offered a small, patient smile. "You're still a bit too young for the main security wall, Jimmy. But don't worry, advanced shooting lessons will be available to everyone in the community very soon. For now, keep helping Hershel around."
Finally, a quiet, hesitant voice spoke up from the very back of the room. Dale stepped out from the shadows of the corridor. He looked around at the faces of the people he had put in extreme danger. "I've spent the last few days under house arrest thinking deeply about the reckless actions I took," Dale said, his voice trembling slightly with genuine remorse. "I am incredibly sorry. I apologize to every single one of you for putting this place at risk out of my own stubborn pride."
Gray stared at the old man for a long, quiet moment before he finally spoke. "As long as you've genuinely learned your lesson, Dale, it's fine. The slate is clean. Just never do it again."
Dale let out a massive, visible wave of relief, nodding quickly. "I won't. Thank you."
Now that he had a complete, finalized roster of everyone's designated jobs, Gray laid his massive regional map out on the central table, gathering his core fighters and construction team around it.
"Alright, here is the plan for the prison expansion," Gray commanded, pointing directly to the open grids surrounding their current stone walls. "We are going to divide the outer sectors into clear, specialized zones. I want one massive, heavily fortified area completely designated for agriculture and farming, and an entirely separate, secure sector dedicated solely to livestock ranching. We start clearing the boundaries today."