The Walking Dead: Starting as a Cowboy

"If we needed all the food from your farm, would you provide it?"

Caesar took a sip of tea and stared directly at Hershel.

Herschel's hand trembled as he picked up the teacup, spilling tea, a testament to his emotional turmoil.

Hershel's lips twitched, as if she wanted to say something.

If all the food were taken away, Hershel was certain that he and his daughter would most likely not survive.

This is practically tantamount to taking the lives of his entire family.

Herschel had a desperate, all-or-nothing thought pop into his mind. He was so old anyway, so dying together with Caesar wouldn't be a bad deal.

When Hershel looked up, he saw Maggie kicking Glenn outside the window. Maggie's face was full of disgust, and her expression was particularly vivid.

Glenn didn't hit Maggie hard; he just kept pushing her away.

Looking at his daughter, Hershel sighed and was about to agree.

Caesar suddenly said, "Let's change the terms. We don't need all of your food."

Herschel's eyes widened suddenly. He looked at Caesar in surprise, wondering why Caesar had suddenly changed his mind.

Even though the change was for the better, Hershel still had a lingering doubt.

He worried that Caesar wanted something else.

A farm? Livestock like chickens and cows? Or... Maggie?

Herschel's thoughts were churning.

Seeing that the time was right, Caesar stopped being coy, leaned forward, and crossed his hands in front of him. "We need your planting techniques, grain seeds, and some fruit trees."

These conditions are easily met for a small farm.

From demanding all the food, even at the cost of survival, to only wanting a little bit of seeds and technology.

The stark contrast between before and after heightened Hershel's vigilance to its peak.

Hershel didn't rush to agree. He sat back slightly and said calmly, "Do you have any other needs?"

Indeed, Herschel is a rare wise man.

Caesar admired Herschel's composure in his heart, and said, "There is one more condition: you need to send people to my territory to teach the planting techniques."

Hershel and her team's planting techniques are the culmination of long-term experience. They may not be as extensive as those in textbooks, but they are certainly the most suitable planting techniques for the local area.

Caesar worried that Herschel and the others were using planting books as a substitute, which was far inferior to face-to-face instruction.

Moreover, Caesar was very envious of Herschel's family.

Hershel was a veterinarian, could perform some surgeries, and knew how to use local herbs. He was very wise and insightful.

Maggie, as Herschel's daughter, is brave and skilled in battle, possesses considerable leadership abilities, and is a rare talent.

As for the others, they either died too young or were simply unlucky.

Just as expected. Hershel was furious; they were actually after his daughter.

Hershel stood up angrily. "You won't be taking my daughter away!"

"I will never hand my daughter over to you people, and I will never compromise."

"Even if you take all our food and destroy the farm that has been passed down through generations of my Green family, I will never trade my own daughter for a wretched life."

Hershel's roar came through the window and reached Maggie's ears, who looked anxiously at Hershel inside and quickly asked, "Daddy, what's wrong?"

The three people hiding in the second-floor room looked equally terrified. Beth, who appeared innocent, was actually just as brave and daring as her sister. She stepped forward to open the door and rush downstairs.

Jimmy reacted quickly, blocking the door and grabbing Beth in a tight hug. "Beth, you can't go out."

Beth, her face contorted, pushed and shoved Jimmy forcefully, trying to break free from his grasp.

Patricia's expression was also very unpleasant. Her husband was downstairs, and if any conflict occurred, her husband could be in danger.

She clutched her chest and walked up to Beth, tears welling up in her eyes with worry. Patricia whispered, "Beth, you absolutely mustn't go down there. What if you go down and escalate the conflict?"

"It's all beyond repair."

"Yes, Beth." Jimmy strictly followed Hershel's orders and said solemnly, "You absolutely cannot go down. I promised Hershel I would protect you."

Beth remained silent for a while, then stopped struggling, tears welling up in her eyes.

Seeing that Beth was no longer moving, Jimmy slowly released her, but kept his eyes on Beth, in case she opened the door unexpectedly.

Beth covered her face, lay on the bed, her body trembling slightly, and a few muffled sobs came from under the covers.

Patricia was also feeling bad, but being older, she was more patient. She gently patted Beth's back and whispered words of comfort.

……

Downstairs, in the reception room.

Faced with Herschel's roar, Caesar was somewhat speechless.

How could it have been misunderstood like this?!

Caesar extended his hand, and Morales stepped forward, blocking Herschel's path. "Mr. Herschel, we don't want your daughter."

"Instead, we need someone who can teach us planting techniques; it could be you, or it could be one of your workers."

Morales said, glancing at Otis, who stood awkwardly to the side, "He could be like that too."

"We don't care who you send, we only care about one thing: whether the people you send actually know how to farm."

After saying that, Morales stepped back, giving Caesar back the space to speak.

Caesar stood up, stomped his heel on the floor, and looked up at Hershel: "Hersher, you're a smart man, you should be able to see how much we've sacrificed to survive."

"I'm not going to sacrifice the team's interests for your daughter. Don't overthink it!"

After saying that, Caesar patted Hershel on the shoulder and said in a low voice, "By the way, I have a professional from the CDC on my turf who is developing a vaccine."

This was mind-blowing news for someone who viewed the zombie virus as a common infectious disease and harbored illusions about curing the zombies.

Herschel's eyes bulged as he stared intently at Caesar, trying to find even the slightest deception in Caesar's gaze.

But he was glad he hadn't found it.

Hershel's lips unconsciously curled into a smile as she pressed on, "Are you serious?"

Caesar looked at Hershel with a half-smile. "What do you think?"

Herschel ignored Caesar's question and kept asking about the vaccine.

"Can you develop a vaccine?"

"When will it be developed? Can the vaccine really save those who are sick?"

"..."

Herschel's series of questions left Caesar speechless.

Only Morales was managing to keep up with Hershel.