Chapter 2: Buffalo Pass
Caesar stood up, his expression solemn. "About this trip."
"First, we need to close Buffalo Pass. That's essential—no one objects, right?"
He looked around the table.
Old cowboy Lloyd was first to nod. "No objections from me."
The others voiced their agreement one after another.
"Good. Second, we're making a trip to Alexandria. Rip's girlfriend and Jimmy's grandfather are both in Alexandria."
Rip clenched his fists. His cowboy hat shadowed his face, making his expression unclear, but Caesar could feel his emotions stirring.
Young Jimmy suddenly jumped to his feet, looking at Caesar with delighted surprise. "B-Boss, I... I don't even know what to say to thank you!"
He stepped forward and hugged Caesar, muttering repeatedly, "Thank you... thank you, boss."
Caesar patted Jimmy's back gently, then his nose wrinkled and he quickly pushed Jimmy away. "Fuck, Jimmy. Do you sleep in the cattle pen every night? Please take a bath!"
"Hahaha—"
Laughter erupted around the dining room. Jimmy's pale face turned red instantly. His hands dropped to his back pockets, rubbing together nervously.
"I-I-I'll wash tonight when I get back."
Jimmy was still young after all—even light teasing easily embarrassed him.
After accepting Jimmy's gratitude, Caesar continued his inquiry. "Lloyd, what about your family? If anyone's in Atlanta, we'll bring them back too."
Lloyd's white beard was coarse and unkempt. It moved as he spoke.
"An old man like me with one foot in the grave doesn't have any family left."
"Most of my relatives are in prison, or about to be. Whether they're alive or dead, I don't know." Tate's tone was careless, though her expression darkened.
The mature and steady Ryan and Colby shook their heads.
"Alright, then tomorrow we leave. It'll be me, Rip, Jimmy, and Tate going. The rest stay behind to guard the ranch."
"Be very careful. Someone might try to sneak into the ranch while we're gone. If you find anyone, leave no survivors."
"Lloyd, you understand what I mean, right?"
Lloyd met Caesar's eyes. He felt the killing intent radiating from him and nodded.
Lloyd had high standing among them. When Caesar left with Rip, he'd be in charge of managing the others.
The ranch had abundant food stores, and dinner was enough for everyone to eat their fill.
Flavorful beef brisket, roasted in the oven for hours until the outside turned black. Cut it open and you could see the tender pink meat inside, rich meaty aroma floating through the air.
Paired with macaroni and garlic mushrooms—not many dishes for dinner, but plenty of portions.
After the cowboys ate and drank their fill, they returned to their respective quarters.
The ranch only had a few habitable buildings. Caesar's stone house was the largest and most comfortable, big enough for a family but occupied by Caesar alone.
Then there was the small cabin where Rip lived, and the bunkhouse where Lloyd and the others stayed.
Beyond those, there were two or three vacant houses.
All of this had come with the ranch when Caesar originally bought it.
That night, lying in bed, Caesar stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
He got up and went to his study, pulling out a yellow notebook to write and sketch in.
Caesar knew clearly that his greatest advantage was knowing the plot—the information gap.
Knowing certain factions existed, their weaknesses and problems, and how to defeat them.
Defeating them would yield extremely rich and substantial rewards in personnel and supplies.
Caesar's plan was to harvest these factions to strengthen himself.
After thinking through all this, Caesar stopped writing and tore out the plans he'd written.
He struck a match, lit the flame, and tossed it onto the papers.
In the burning flames, a smile curved Caesar's lips. From the fire, he saw clearly the scope of his own ambition.
...
Cowboys rarely slept in. They rose early to tend the cattle, sheep, and horses.
Usually the youngest, most junior cowboy would be first to arrive at the stables to clean out manure and feed each horse.
Jimmy was accustomed to rising early. He grabbed his tools, cleaned the manure, and set out the feed.
Just as he busied himself with work, Caesar suddenly appeared. "Why aren't you resting a bit longer today?"
"We're about to leave."
Jimmy turned and saw it was the boss. He grinned foolishly. "Rip says the ranch took me in, so I should get up earliest and work the most."
"Alright, you got your things packed? We're leaving soon."
Jimmy froze, pointing at the horses behind him. "Aren't we riding horses?"
Caesar was speechless. "Atlanta's an hour and a half drive away. You want us to ride horses there? Even if you don't feel bad for the horses, I do."
With that, Caesar strode out of the stable, his tall and imposing figure receding.
Jimmy stared after him for a long while.
Food for the road, weapons, clothing, and walkie-talkies for communication—everything was loaded into two pickup trucks one by one.
Caesar and Jimmy took one truck, Tate and Rip the other.
Jimmy touched the vehicle excitedly, unable to hide the smile on his face. His mouth corners kept rising as he ran his hands over it constantly.
Seeing him like this, Caesar got a headache. "You're not a beginner, are you?"
When Caesar asked the question, he already knew the answer in his heart.
But after getting confirmation, Caesar still couldn't help his headache.
"I'll drive."
After forcibly switching seats, Jimmy tried to argue and explain his driving skills.
Caesar raised one hand, immediately stopping Jimmy from speaking.
Tap tap—
Rip knocked on the window and adjusted his sunglasses so he could see clearly.
Caesar rolled down the window. "You all set over there?"
Rip nodded. "All done. Leaving now?"
"Yeah. On the road, let's keep as low a profile as possible. Take more hidden routes to Buffalo Pass."
"Oh, and call Lloyd over here. I need to tell him a few things."
"Got it."
After giving all his instructions, the two black pickups drove out of the ranch.
The trucks had been simply modified—crash bars, wire mesh on the windows, and so on all installed.
In Black Pine Valley, the ranches were widely spaced with various trees blocking the view. As long as they were careful, no one would notice vehicles passing by.
Traveling along the road, walkers occasionally burst out from the trees on both sides. Most were dressed fashionably—clearly not cowboys from the valley.
Occasionally they also saw some cowboys. Jimmy was noticeably agitated and uneasy.
Well yes—after all, having people you knew turn into these terrifying creatures was different from complete strangers becoming monsters.
Caesar spoke calmly. "The most common thing in life is the unexpected."
"Accept what's in front of you. We still need to rescue your grandfather."
Hearing Caesar's words, Jimmy took a deep breath and forced himself to stare directly at the cowboy walkers by the roadside.
Fortunately, there weren't many walkers on the road. After the pickup drove for nearly an hour, they were finally approaching Buffalo Pass.
Inside Buffalo Pass was a ranch very close by, with a scale similar to Caesar's ranch.
Caesar slowed down and lowered his blood-spattered window, looking toward the distant ranch.
Jimmy subconsciously followed his gaze.
That ranch was eerily quiet. No cattle or sheep moving about, no signs of cowboy activity, not even any animal sounds.
Caesar's eyesight had clearly improved considerably. Even at a fair distance, he could still see the several wooden cabins on the ranch.
The cabin windows were shattered. He could see a person lying back across a window frame, half their skull destroyed, surrounded by spray patterns of blood.