Chapter 76
Betrayal
The ranch's iron gate was open, and a dozen pickup trucks sped through.
Caesar sat in the back of the lead pickup truck, holding a map of Blackpine Valley. He drew a line from the locations of Leon and Horus's ranches, marking the direction they would be heading.
The two lines intersected in a grove of trees, and Caesar looked at the grove, finding it somewhat familiar.
Caesar looked at Lloyd sitting beside him and handed him a map. "Lloyd, you know Blackpine Valley much better than I do. Do you know what's in this forest?"
Lloyd took the map, and after recognizing the grove of trees, he exclaimed with sudden realization, "Boss, I know why they went here!"
"This forest is low-lying and rarely visited. All the ranchers around here have died, and there's a hunter's hut in this forest."
"The hunters built this hut for safety and seclusion; they probably chose it as their meeting place."
Horus, Leon, and Caesar are currently locked in a conflict, and a mishap could trigger war.
Although Horus and Leon have decided to form an alliance, they will not go near each other's territories now, as that would be tantamount to entrusting their lives to others. Choosing such a neutral location is very appropriate.
Caesar nodded and gave the order to head in that direction.
Meanwhile, Moore drove his pickup truck quickly to pick up Daryl, Carroll, and some other team members.
Caesar had confirmed that neither side had brought their full force; for the sake of speed and secrecy, they had only brought their most trusted confidants, with a few men on each side.
Caesar was not worried at all about how to eliminate them when a battle broke out.
Caesar was only worried that he might have come to the wrong place.
The wheels rolled on, and the pickup trucks stopped at the edge of the woods, where they found some large branches to cover the vehicles as much as possible.
Caesar donned his bulletproof vest, mounted his gun, and walked in front of the group. He glanced at them, his confident expression inspiring his teammates.
"Walk!"
Daryl and Moore have separated and are now leading separate squads, each with a small team. Daryl's squad now has five members, with Carol beside him.
Moore's team consisted of thirteen men, each with a fierce appearance and ruthless methods; they were clearly good candidates for prison.
Fortunately, their fighting power is needed now, otherwise they would only be able to work in the cowboy industry, which requires violence.
Besides these two squads, there's Caesar's own direct squad, which, thanks to Morales' recruitment efforts, has grown to twenty members.
As their captain, Caesar often led them on training exercises, honing their marksmanship, and maintaining the highest level of discipline.
Each of the three men led a small team, with the three captains charging ahead like the tips of spears, piercing through the entire forest as they rushed toward the hunter's hut.
Lloyd shifted his body slightly; the bulletproof vest was a bit uncomfortable for him, and after all, he was getting old and couldn't run very fast.
In addition, he had suffered many serious injuries when he was young, so he would be out of breath after running only a short distance.
Caesar noticed his situation, glanced back at him, and heard Lloyd wave his hand and say, "You go first, I'll be right there."
"I'm not old yet, I'm sure I can catch up with you."
Caesar smiled, turned around and continued forward, with his team members following closely behind.
Ryan glanced at Colby and Tite, whose eyes were burning with fighting spirit, and said with a smile, "You two should hurry up and go with the boss. I'll stay here and take care of Lloyd."
This enraged Lloyd, who retorted, "Go to hell, Ryan! You're the one who needs taking care of me! I'm perfectly healthy. I don't need your help!"
Although Lloyd said that, Ryan didn't take him seriously and said it twice before Colby and Tite left.
The three teams quickly disappeared from sight. Lloyd rested for a while before continuing on his way.
Unexpectedly, Ryan simply and forcefully picked Lloyd up and carried him forward slowly...
As we ventured deeper into the forest, the surrounding moss grew thicker, the leaves became more lush, and the dappled sunlight filtering through the countless green leaves became increasingly scarce.
Caesar paid no attention to the changes in the environment, but instead noticed the hoofprints on the ground.
The humidity in the woods is high, there are often puddles, and the soil is always wet, so you can leave a mark as soon as you step on it.
Caesar knew from the fresh, messy marks on the soil that he had found the right direction.
Daryl, who was standing nearby, had already noticed it. He compared the direction of the horseshoes and confirmed that it was the hunter's hut.
Once they received confirmation, everyone's confidence soared, and they even quickened their pace.
……
A hunter's cabin in the woods.
Sunlight streamed through the glass windows, illuminating the floor covered in a thick layer of dust. As people moved around, the dust particles danced in the light.
"Cough cough cough!" Horus covered his mouth and nose, looking with difficulty at the dilapidated wooden furniture in the room. "Old man Leon, look at the place you chose, it's so run-down!"
"Fuck, it's either dusty or old wooden chairs and tables that are about to fall apart."
Horus spoke in a very irritable manner.
"You look like you're in a bad mood, Horus!" Old man Leon sat in a clean wooden chair, looking at Horus slowly.
Contrary to Horus's opinion, Horus suffered some losses in the battle against Phil and was also extorted by Caesar.
With Phil gone, the old man Leon's cohesion on the ranch reached an unprecedented level, and everyone on the ranch was loyal to him.
Old man Leon was in a good mood and even looked several years younger.
He suffered no losses, so naturally he wasn't in a hurry.
Horus swung his arm away, glared at old man Leon, and said sternly, "Old man Leon, it's time for you to fulfill your cooperation."
"Hmm!" Old Man Leon took the tea handed to him by his subordinate, closed his eyes and drank it before slowly saying, "The cooperation was agreed upon long ago. You kill Phil, and I'll help you kill Caesar."
"Of course I'll keep my promise. But..."
Old Man Leon immediately gave a look that things were not going to go smoothly. Seeing Horus's face growing increasingly gloomy, he stopped being coy and said...
"I definitely want to help you fight Caesar. You know how strong Caesar's men are. You understand the difference in weaponry better than I do."
"And they have bulletproof vests. Do you know what that means? With their equipment, even if you and I combined had twice the manpower, we might not be able to defeat them."
Old Man Leon had gained considerable benefits from this incident, but going against Caesar was too risky, and his desire to back down grew stronger.
"Heh heh~" Horus lowered his head and let out a chilling laugh.
The laughter made old man Leon a little uneasy.
"Old man Leon, you have betrayed our agreement."
The next moment, Horus's laughter stopped, and he looked up at old man Leon, his eyes filled with resentment. "You don't believe I'm capable of anything."