Chapter 90
No Life Left
Unlike the bustling center of the ranch, the edge of the ranch is like a secluded, cold, and dark place.
On a large tree, Daryl sat on the trunk, stuffing a blade of grass into his mouth and chewing it without much interest.
Not only him, but also many figures were seen in the surrounding trees; they were all members of the combat squad who had no family.
In the afternoon, Caesar asked them if they wanted to attend the bonfire party, and if not, he arranged for them to patrol that night.
Caesar was worried that the defenses would be weak during the bonfire party, which could lead to a surprise attack from Leon Ranch or other mindless ranches.
Daryl volunteered to lead the patrol team that night.
Unlike Daryl, Moore was still enjoying the queuing and chasing girls at the bonfire party.
In the dark woods, Daryl could hear the sounds of a campfire party. He would occasionally pick up his binoculars and look outside the ranch, trying to see if there was anything unusual.
Thankfully, nothing happened that night.
Suddenly, a soft, rustling sound came from behind, and Daryl immediately became alert.
Daryl looked toward the source of the sound, raised his crossbow, and heard a familiar voice.
"Daryl? Come out quickly, I brought some food."
It was Carol's voice. Daryl relaxed his tense body, grabbed the tree trunk with his hands and feet, and slid down the trunk.
Carole was carrying a fragrant plate piled high with chunks of meat and vegetables.
Daryl climbed down from the tree and suddenly appeared in front of Carol.
Before Daryl could speak, a pistol was pointed directly at his face. Daryl tilted his head and looked at the grinning Carol.
"I've checkmated you!"
Daryl took the food with a huff, not caring whether his hands were dirty or not, and stuffed the food into his mouth.
Carol pointed out, "There's a fork."
But Daryl clearly wouldn't listen to her, so Carole reluctantly put down her fork and called out, "Come down and have some food, all of you."
After the rustling sound, several people emerged from the woods; they were all scouts in the vicinity.
"These are for you. I've arranged for someone to deliver food to the others."
Daryl ate very quickly, and after he finished eating, he handed his plate to the others. Carol also handed out her fork as she wished.
The two slowly walked to the side. Carol looked Daryl up and down, then looked up at the moon, a mature smile spreading across her face: "The night is beautiful tonight, how about we do it?"
Daryl: "?"
"What's wrong?" Carol shrugged, saying nonchalantly, "Just a physical need!"
"Shut up."
Daryl rolled his eyes at Carol, leaned against a tree, and licked his fingers, which still had food stains on them.
After a moment of silence, Daryl suddenly asked, "How's Sophia doing lately?"
Carol thought for a moment and said, "Sophia is much happier than before. She has many friends now, and she doesn't have... that bastard Ed's domestic violence anymore. She's very happy."
"I'm just very busy now, and I spend much less time with her, which often makes her a little sad."
Daryl didn't know how to deal with this kind of childish question either, and after listening, asked, "Is there anything I can do?"
"A teddy bear." Carol glanced at Daryl, whose face was obscured by the moonlight, but whose eyes shone brightly. "She treasured her teddy bear, but lost it on the way."
"Black Pine Valley is full of cowboys, there are very few children, and I haven't seen any dolls or anything like that."
Daryl nodded in response, "I understand."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the patrol members had finished their food.
They returned to their posts one by one, and Daryl said to Carroll, "I'm going upstairs."
"That would be wonderful. What a novel experience!" Carol smiled, raised an eyebrow, and started driving.
Daryl said a few words and walked away.
"Shut up!"
Watching Daryl's retreating figure, Carol carried her tray back to the ranch.
The bonfire party at the ranch went very well.
At Leon Ranch, a dinner party is also taking place.
However, compared to the bonfire party at Caesar's Ranch, this dinner was much smaller in scale.
On a large square table, there was a lot of roasted meat, a little bit of vegetables, and several bottles of wine.
Ford, who was sitting in the main seat, stood up and looked at Gordon and the others in front of him.
These were the people who refused to surrender to Caesar's Ranch this morning.
It's your own fault for being so tactless, so don't blame me!
Ford smiled gently, tapped his glass, and noticed that everyone at the table was looking at him.
Ford picked up a bottle of wine and said, "These are the fine wines I stored up before the apocalypse."
"Today, we'll drink until we drop!"
"We won't leave until we're drunk!"
Everyone present was a heavy drinker, their eyes gleaming as they stared at the bottle of liquor beside Ford, secretly swallowing their saliva.
"Boss, let's start drinking!"
"You seem to be in a hurry." Ford pointed at the person who had spoken, his smile widening.
"Come on, let's drink."
"I've been saving up for so long, and you're still making me drink? But I've already brought out the alcohol, so you're not allowed to skip it. You all have to drink until you're passed out today!"
Ford refused to give the bottles to others, insisting on pouring drinks for everyone and dismissing the service staff.
Place each glass of wine in front of each person, and pour out just the right amount of wine from one bottle.
Ford, without batting an eye, took a bottle of wine from under the table and poured himself a glass.
No one suspected anything. After Ford filled his glass, they all raised their glasses together.
Amidst laughter and cheerful conversation, under the warm yellow lights, glasses clinked and toasts were exchanged.
Ford made sure everyone had drunk their share before handing them the bottles so they could pour their own drinks.
The food and wine on the table were quickly consumed, and Ford sipped his wine while watching the others at the table laughing and joking.
They were talking about something and laughing heartily.
Ford was also laughing heartily. He didn't know what the others were saying, but he knew very well that what made him happy, these people certainly wouldn't be happy either.
The noise around the dining table grew louder and louder.
The group drank more and more, their movements became exaggerated, their faces flushed, and their hands and feet became somewhat unresponsive.
Until, amidst a burst of laughter, someone knocked over the floor, chair and all.
People around him pointed at him and laughed, but he still didn't get up. One of the people closest to him staggered and kicked him, but he still didn't move.
"Oh dear, he's drunk. Let him sleep. You all keep drinking. I have plenty of wine here!"
Ford waved his hand dismissively, indicating that they should continue drinking.
It's common for people to pass out after drinking too much, and their brains are often numbed by alcohol, making them unaware of what's wrong.
The laughter resumed, growing louder and louder.
Not long after, the laughter gradually faded away, accompanied by a few crisp cracking sounds, and then there was no more life.