"I think we should reconcile!" Facing the tense Mr. Carter, the elder man leading them nodded and calmly said, "We are both anomalies, harboring genes different from humans. Hence, our dispute can only lead to mutual destruction."
Mr. Carter didn't respond, but his demeanor softened noticeably.
"We have a peace treaty, existing since many years ago. Although I'm not sure of its authenticity, our current situation compels us to cease our conflict. Furthermore... in Laredo, we never harmed anyone. We've always been ordinary people living here..." The elder man continued, extending his hand towards Mr. Carter, "My name is Robin Gustin. I hope we can become friends."
Mr. Carter didn't extend his hand in return, instead coldly watching Gustin. The vampire clan extending goodwill was somewhat unbelievable, considering the long-standing conflicts between their races.
"I know you don't trust me. But, that's okay. We're here to express our sincerity for peace, and apologize for the damage we caused. We've also brought compensation." Robin Gustin snapped his fingers, and David stepped forward from behind him.
"This is our compensation!" David, holding a cashier's check, extended it towards Mr. Carter.
"No, we don't need compensation. We've decided to leave..." Mr. Carter said, preparing to turn around and leave. He had no intention of making any deals with the vampires.
Unexpectedly, Elizabeth stepped forward, taking the check from a hesitant David. It was for five hundred thousand dollars.
With five hundred thousand dollars, they could buy a mansion far grander than their current residence. Still, Elizabeth accepted the check without hesitation but seemed somewhat unsatisfied.
David felt uncomfortable but had no choice. Currently, their situation was being suppressed, and they had to maintain a low profile. Although he looked displeased, he said nothing and stepped back behind his grandfather.
After Robin Gustin saw this, he nodded. Since the money was handed out, there was no need to mention past grievances. "Actually, you don't have to leave... There's an emotional attachment to a place where you've lived for many years. We feel the same... We don't plan to leave Laredo."
Mr. Carter didn't respond, just coldly watching them.
"Alright, I still hope we can reach an agreement. And... I promise, you won't hear any rumors about vampires in Laredo ever again." Saying this, the elder man nodded at Mr. Carter and Elizabeth, then slowly retreated to his car.
The car sped away, and Mr. Carter only heaved a sigh of relief when it finally disappeared into the distance.
"Elizabeth, remember, don't take their stuff!" Mr. Carter glanced at Elizabeth.
"Why not? We are entitled to it, it's our compensation. Their apologies are also to be compensated, it's what we deserve." Elizabeth stubbornly met Mr. Carter's gaze, yet her voice lacked confidence.
"I think Elizabeth is right!" Suddenly, Lisa's voice chimed in. She walked over and addressed Mr. Carter, "It's only fair, why not insist on it?"
Mr. Carter was about to respond, but after a moment's thought, he shook his head. As he was about to leave, he noticed a young man standing outside the iron gate of the villa - a Chinese man, Jason.
"It's Jason—" Lisa exclaimed in joy, and ran over to open the gate for him.
"I'm sorry... Jason, they've left." Lisa apologetically said to Jason, "I really wanted to ask for your help. They... they are quite strange people. Can you understand what I'm saying? Maybe you don't..."
"No, I knew it. I saw them on the road." Jason smiled. His pickup truck was parked outside, he didn't drive in.
Indeed, on the road, Robin Gustin's car had come across Jason's pickup. David, who was in the passenger seat, was startled and anxiously watched the pickup truck zoom past their car without stopping.
"I think he saw us, but... why didn't he stop?" David was shocked as the car sped past and he turned to ask Robin Gustin in the back seat, "He... I'm sure he glanced at us, I think he perhaps... maybe... didn't recognize us."
"No, he recognized us." Robin Gustin heaved a long sigh, "This just indicates that he's no longer pursuing us. That's just what I had hoped for. I hope it stays this way..."
A terrifying young man, never before seen in the many years of dispute between vampires and werewolves, although... maybe there were, but they were never mentioned or deliberately concealed. Either way, they had just barely made it through this ordeal.
"Although they've left, I still came." Jason reached out, patted Lisa's shoulder, and walked straight up to Mr. Carter.
Mr. Carter immediately clenched his double-barreled shotgun, his hand trembling. He felt a tremendous pressure inside. This pressure made it hard for him to breathe. Even when facing the vampire family, he didn't feel this way, because he thought he had a chance to fight.
But facing this young man, he didn't even muster the courage to resist. Not just him, even Sana, who was slightly weak-willed, collapsed softly to the ground, leaning against the wall and gasping for breath.
Elizabeth wanted to go over to help her, but she felt completely immobilized. Lisa screamed in horror, ran over, helped Sana up, and then looked at Jason. If she still didn't know that this was the result of Jason's presence, she would be a real idiot.
"Jason—no!" She stood up and threw herself at Jason, "You can't do this, they're good people!"
Jason reached out and caught the lunging Elizabeth, then patted her back and smiled, "Yes, I know they're good people!" After patting her back, he let go and gave Elizabeth a slight smile.
Just a slight smile, and the frozen atmosphere seemed to melt like snow, and the air surprisingly relaxed. The Carter family breathed a sigh of relief, their bodies swaying slightly in bewilderment.
"So, you're Mr. Jason?" Mr. Carter steadied himself and spoke slowly to Jason, "You know everything about us, right?"
"You felt the pressure, that's my answer. Yes, I know you, members of the werewolf family. However... I don't really care about that. What I care about is whether you've done anything to harm humans here and it's clear—"
He shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands open: "You haven't. That's what I admire most about you. And I have met Mr. Robin Gustin, just last night. I think...you should accept his apology. That's my advice, of course, the choice is yours to make!"
Mr. Carter pursed his lips, and finally nodded: "I agree!"
Jason clapped lightly and said, "I think you've made the right decision." Saying this, he turned around, waved at Lisa, and walked straight out to his truck. He started the vehicle and drove off into the distance.
It took a while for everyone to regain their senses after Jason's truck had disappeared from view. The shock that Jason brought to Mr. Carter was immense. He was silent for a long while until Elizabeth came over to hold his arm and took the double-barreled shotgun from his hands.
"What do we do now?" Elizabeth asked.
"We stay here until you go to college!" Mr. Carter took a deep breath, then nodded and turned to Lisa, "Thank you, Lisa. I think...there's no need for help here. Why don't you go to school? With Elizabeth!"