The Walking Dead: Starting as a Cowboy

"You might think that even if you leave Yellowstone, you can still make a name for yourself in the apocalypse, just like me, or even become a new king."

Many people in the cowboy crowd burst out laughing, finding the thought of someone kneeling before the king hilarious.

Caesar chuckled: "Yes, it's funny that someone calls himself a king in this apocalypse, but it's the reality."

Do you know why?

Caesar asked, and the room fell silent. The cowboys looked at each other, some even scratching their heads, their eyes clear but foolish.

Well, there's really not much logic to be had with these illiterate Americans.

Caesar could only reply, "Because I also have power."

"If I fire you from your jobs, leave you without food or shelter, and even kill you, do you think you could resist?"

Upon hearing this, many seasoned, easygoing cowboys who used to live a carefree life changed their expressions. They weren't lonely men; they had wives and children.

Caesar noticed the change in their expressions and was very pleased.

"So today's test will not only select the best of you to become squad leaders, but also expel the worst performers, in order to find more fresh blood to join the cowboy group."

"Believe me, there are plenty of strong young men in town who want to take your place."

In the small town, being a cowboy is second only to being a soldier, because the benefits and treatment far exceed those of other jobs.

Many young men want to join; there's no danger like combat members, and the benefits aren't much different.

After the combination of harsh words and sweet promises, all the cowboys became much more serious, their eyes filled with murderous intent.

Rip looked at Caesar with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Caesar clapped his hands: "The first task for today is to tame this wild horse."

Caesar stepped to the side, gesturing for everyone to look at the horse training ground behind him.

The chestnut horse in the training ground was still running, neighing wildly with a high-pitched voice and a look of freedom in its eyes.

"Tame it, cowboys."

"Once you successfully tame this wild horse, you'll have a place as squad leader."

No sooner had Caesar finished speaking than a young cowboy stepped forward.

The cowboy had bulging muscles, bright and sharp eyes, and looked like a calf that had just grown up.

"Come on, let's go!"

The gates of the training grounds opened, and with the help of Rip and Lloyd, the cowboy successfully mounted his horse.

The cowboy pressed down hard on his cowboy hat, took two deep breaths, looked at Rip and the other man who had helped restrain the wild horse, and nodded: "That's enough."

Rip and Lloyd simultaneously released the wild horse, turned around, ran a few steps, and leaped out of the riding arena.

Sure enough, the wild horse that had just been released let out a neigh, its muscles tensed, and it raised its front legs, almost standing upright.

The cowboy bent down, pressed his upper body against the wild horse's fur, and gritted his teeth, daring not to let go.

The cowboys watching around cheered, some shouting for him not to let go, others offering suggestions on how to adjust his position.

Caesar watched with a broad smile.

Seeing that the cowboy hadn't dismounted, the spirited horse put its front legs down, and then the whole horse jumped wildly with its front and back legs like a seesaw.

The cowboy was violently jolted from front to back; the spirited horse was extremely powerful, and in no time, it had left the cowboy completely disoriented.

Caesar's eyes narrowed, and he called to Rip and the other man, "It's almost over, don't let anyone get hurt."

Just as Caesar had predicted, a few minutes later...

The cowboy was completely exhausted, his hands slipped, and he slid off the horse.

The spirited horse felt much more relaxed and no longer struggled to bounce. Its hooves were raised high as it aimed at the cowboy on the ground.

Rip and Lloyd were prepared. They stepped forward, one pulling on the reins of the wild horse while the other rammed it from the side.

The wild horse was knocked off balance and didn't land on the cowboy.

Rip grabbed the cowboy by the collar, slung him over his shoulder, and ran quickly toward the fence.

Caesar, on the other side, grabbed the cowboy by the back of his collar with one hand and lifted him out like a chick.

Seeing that the cowboy was safe, Lloyd and Rip released the wild horse.

The horse let out a high-pitched neigh, and Caesar could hear the horse's pride in it.

Caesar smiled and patted the unconscious cowboy.

The cowboy woke up and quickly checked himself over.

Caesar said, "Don't worry, you're fine, you're not hurt."

After calming the cowboy down, Caesar looked at the other cowboys, "Anyone else want to tame a horse?"

After the question was asked, the scene was quiet for a moment before a cowboy stepped forward.

Unfortunately, this cowboy also failed.

However, this cowboy was experienced; when he fell off his horse, he quickly got up, moved away from the wild horse, and was unharmed.

Following that, two or three more cowboys tried it, but all of them failed.

Caesar had no choice but to move on to the next project.

Besides Caesar's whimsical idea of ​​taming horses, there are three competitions that showcase one's abilities.

Bull control, lassoing, and barrel racing.

Controlling cattle involves riding a horse to control a herd of cattle and separating a single ox from the herd whose foot is wrapped in a strip of cloth.

A lasso is used to lasso the neck or feet of a running cow to restrict its movement and to tie it down with a rope.

The final barrel race involves riding a horse quickly around three triangular barrels to demonstrate the rider's control skills.

The game was progressing very quickly.

After the competition, four cowboys successfully obtained the position of squad leader, while several others were forced to leave the cowboy hut.

Rip looked terrible, and he irritably scratched his hat.

Unexpectedly, not only did the squad leader fail to recruit enough people, but there were also quite a few who were not qualified to be cowboys, which was undoubtedly a slap in his face.

It's perfectly normal that Caesar didn't comfort Rip either.

At that moment, a commotion not far away caught the attention of Caesar and his companions.

Caesar looked over and saw a large crowd gathered behind the hut, with sand and dust flying everywhere, making it look like a fight was taking place.

Rip's expression completely collapsed.

Incompetent, but a master of internal strife.

Rip left with a "I'll handle it" and strode towards the crowd, his face dark with anger.

Lloyd, however, chuckled as if watching a spectacle, saying, "Rip is furious."

"Let's go take a look," Caesar called out, and strode forward.

Rip approached the crowd, his large, rough hands pushing aside several cowboys who were blocking his way to watch the show.

The cowboy, who had been pulled away, was about to curse in annoyance, but seeing Rip's unpleasant expression, he wisely shut his mouth and obediently stood aside.

In the middle of the crowd, a tall, burly man with red hair was carrying a smaller cowboy.

The skinny cowboy was pinned against the wall by the strong man, who punched him repeatedly in the stomach, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The burly man scoffed and released his grip: "Someone as weak as you doesn't deserve to be in the cowboy team!"