Chapter 96
Compensation
Caesar stopped in front of them and looked them over.
His face was rosy, his eyes were dazed, and he was wary but did not take any actual action.
Hmm, it seems to be a post-apocalyptic giant baby being fed with abundant resources.
Caesar made a mental judgment, then held out his hand. "Who's in charge?"
The group looked at each other, exchanged glances, and then their gazes fell on the wooden house with a large hole in it.
Uh, I get it, the person in charge is dead.
Caesar calmly withdrew his hand. "Want to talk?"
Caesar extended an invitation, but before they could accept, he casually walked toward the largest house.
That house was also built of wood, but its scale and design were far superior to those other simple two-story wooden cabins.
Caesar entered the house, and Glenn and his team automatically dispersed, gripping their hands tightly, pistols pointing downwards, and quickly surveying the interior.
Jimmy and several of his teammates also helped the men into the house.
Caesar entered the living room, where there was a long table with a vase of fresh flowers on it.
The floral fragrance was delicate. Caesar took a sniff and walked to the main table.
Morales, ever perceptive, stepped forward and pulled out a chair. Caesar sat down, nodded to Beth, and gestured for her to take the lead.
Caesar glanced at Morales, who understood and left the living room.
Jimmy and his team then led the men into the living room and forced them into chairs.
They sat in a row, their expressions filled with fear and unease.
Beth, in her high heels, took two steps forward, approaching the group. "Do you remember me?"
One of the women in the group, with blonde hair braided, looked at Beth and a sense of familiarity washed over her.
Beth noticed her gaze, turned her head to look at her, and said, "Oh, it seems you remember me."
Beth slowly walked behind the blonde woman, placing her hands on her chair. "My name is Beth, and we're from Caesar's Ranch."
Upon hearing "Caesar Ranch," the group's pupils constricted sharply, and they turned to look at the blonde woman, their eyes filled with shock and questioning.
The blonde woman froze, cold sweat pouring down her forehead, too afraid to turn and meet her companion's gaze.
"Oh~ what did you say to your companions? They're giving you a weird look!" Beth was very close to them and naturally noticed that something was off.
The blonde woman opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Instead, another woman with dark hair and triangular eyes angrily accused, "Of course she wouldn't dare say that. If she hadn't been whispering in Luther's ear, we wouldn't be in this situation now."
The blonde woman glanced back at the triangular-eyed man, initially wanting to explain how she knew Caesar Ranch was so domineering.
But when her gaze fell upon the people standing around her, and Caesar sitting opposite her, she shut her mouth.
Seeing that the blonde woman didn't scold her, the woman with triangular eyes suddenly became more energetic.
"Let me tell you, it's all her fault. She looks down on your Caesar Ranch, saying that other ranches joining you are just slaves to you, while she owns a piece of land and can even negotiate a higher price with you."
The blonde woman couldn't hold back any longer. Looking at the triangular-eyed man in disbelief, she pointed at herself and said, "Is this all my fault?"
"Didn't you vote against joining first when we voted? Now you're blaming me?"
The blonde woman, feeling shirked responsibility, began to show no mercy, pointing out the hypocrisy of the man with the triangular eyes.
Triangular Eyes noticed the gazes of Caesar and Beth, swallowed hard, and tried to explain, but was interrupted.
"And you lot, haven't you made a decision yet? You're just sitting here silently, assuming all the responsibility is on me, right? Fine, let me tell you, if I die today, none of you will live either."
As the blonde woman spoke, her anger grew, and she stood up, glaring at her companion. It was clear from her eyes that she was not joking.
Her companion remained seated, but looked extremely uncomfortable, sweating profusely, and glanced fearfully at Caesar and Beth.
When the blonde woman erupted, Beth took two steps back to better observe the two sides turning against each other.
The ranch manager died, and the core leadership broke apart.
This is a good thing!
Caesar raised an eyebrow at Beth, signaling for her to speak.
Beth understood, strode forward, and stood directly between the blonde woman and the woman with the triangular eyes. "Are you two done arguing?"
"Now it's my turn to speak. We want your ranch. Name your price."
"Of course, don't try to ask for too much. We have a certain valuation, and if it exceeds that, we will choose another way to acquire the ranch."
"I'm sure this is completely different from the kind treatment I've shown you before."
Beth pursed her lips, pretending to think, and said, "Right, just like your supervisor, he experienced it before you did."
Beth's threats were effective; after all, they had just killed someone, and their threat of force was quite convincing.
The blonde woman clenched her fists tightly; she understood that the situation was completely different now than before.
Previously, it might have been possible to feign a change of heart and raise the price slightly, but now that the two sides have completely broken off relations and the other party has even committed murder, it has come to the point where it must be sold.
Moreover, she couldn't ask for a higher price.
Triangular Eyes wasn't stupid; she could figure these things out. She glanced back at her other, somewhat dim-witted companions.
Their eyes, clear yet foolish, clearly showed they were still wondering what they wanted in return.
Beth moved aside, crossed her arms, and stood next to Rip, watching the others exchange glances.
Although the triangular-eyed man and the blonde woman didn't get along, when it came to a life-or-death situation, this conflict was nothing.
The two women reached an agreement and suppressed the opinions of their other companions.
Finally, the blonde woman forced a smile, stood up, and bowed to Caesar and Beth. "Thank you for understanding our foolishness, Caesar Ranch. We are willing to dedicate our ranch to Caesar Ranch."
"Oh~" Beth gave a strange laugh, "Are you sure?"
The blonde woman nodded emphatically without comment, and her companion next to her nodded in agreement.
Nonsense, although they are stupid, they are at least obedient, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to live for so long.
"However, we hope to join Caesar Ranch and contribute our own strength to Caesar Ranch."
The blonde woman's expression was very devout; one might mistake it for a scene where a blonde woman and her companions had come to seek refuge.
These words were spoken in a humble manner, but they certainly made Caesar feel very comfortable.
Caesar nodded almost imperceptibly.
Beth understood Caesar's meaning and said, "That's no problem, but are you sure you don't want any other compensation?"
That's what the bassist said, but the blonde woman heard it as something else entirely.
Are you sure you don't want to die? I can send you to your deaths for free.