Swoosh—.
About 10 members of the Redbeard Gang are looking down at us from above the canyon.
Among them, not only the gang leader Edward Wild, aka Redbeard, but also other gang executives are visible.
Everyone has a Sharps rifle on their backs, but…
Only Redbeard is pointing his gun at us.
‘Stay calm.’
Earlier, Redbeard tried to chase us away, saying this was private property and we shouldn’t be here.
Of course, this isn’t their private property.
But the reason they’re insisting on calling it private property and trying to chase us away with words is…
‘They’re being cautious. They’re on the run, so they don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.’
If they knew I was a bounty hunter who came looking for them, they would’ve shot me right away.
They have no idea who I am… or what happened to the gang members who went to Justice Town.
So, I confidently shouted back at him.
“Private property? What are you talking about! There should be a mine my father used to operate further inside!”
“……”
The Redbeard Gang definitely set up camp in an abandoned mine.
I was pretending to be a family member of the mine owner.
“This is strange, this canyon is clearly our family’s land, so why are you calling it private property? I’m confused!”
“……”
Suddenly, someone claiming to be the real owner appeared, and they seemed too shocked to respond immediately.
I seized the opportunity and gestured to Redbeard, shouting.
“You with the red hair, you’re the leader of that group, right? It’s annoying to talk from a distance, so come a little closer!”
As I said that, I subtly moved my hand closer to my holster.
They were in a favorable position, taking cover in case something happened.
Looking at the terrain, we’re at a huge disadvantage.
But if Redbeard lets his guard down and steps forward even a little…
I planned to shoot him immediately and use the chaos to take out the rest of them.
But…
“…Rather than me going over, why don’t you come here instead?”
‘Hoh…’
Redbeard, being more cautious than I thought, called me over to his side instead of coming to me.
From the looks of it, there are two of us and about ten of them. Plus, they’re all armed with rifles…
He probably thinks he’s safer with his subordinates around.
But…
“Alright! I’ll come over!”
I readily agreed to his proposal.
“Joe, move forward.”
“N-Noah…! What are you planning…!”
“Don’t worry, just go. And…”
I whispered to Joe, who was making a fuss.
“If a shootout starts, hide in the wagon.”
“…!”
As I pointed to the wagon, Verdi was there, trembling in a panic ever since the Redbeard Gang showed up.
“……”
Seeing Verdi like that, Joe also started trembling, as if he expected something bad to happen.
I patted Joe on the shoulder and grinned.
“Joe, you know making big money isn’t easy, right?”
“……”
“If you understand, move forward.”
“…Yes.”
Joe, though his hands were shaking, finally grabbed the reins.
His face was pale, but there was a spark in his eyes.
The truth is, this is why I brought Joe along.
If he were just an ordinary driver, I would’ve come alone, no matter how annoying it was.
But during our time in Justice Town, I saw that Joe had this fighting spirit.
I trusted that even if things went south, Joe would stay calm and handle it well.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
The wagon moved forward, and the Redbeard Gang members came down from the canyon to meet us.
The distance between us was closing… and the cover that had been hiding the Redbeard Gang was slowly disappearing.
‘Good… just a little more…’
I also started moving my hand closer to the holster, prioritizing who to shoot first.
First, the leader Redbeard, then the other executives with rapid fire.
Once I ran out of six bullets, I’d use the other pistol to take out the remaining four.
‘I brought the Sharps rifle just in case, but I guess I won’t need it.’
I didn’t expect things to go this way, but it worked out better.
I planned to quickly take them out, then head to their camp and take the bank money they stole.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
‘Good, just a little more…!’
And… just as the distance closed and my plan was about to be completed…
“Ahhh! I was wrong! Boss!!”
“…!”
…An unexpected person jumped out.
It was Verdi, the youngest member of the Redbeard Gang, who had been trembling in the wagon.
“You, you…!”
“Youngest!”
“Verdi!!”
Suddenly, as Verdi appeared from the wagon, the Redbeard Gang stopped approaching…
Click.
“You bastard!”
“Who are you!”
…And they raised their guns.
‘Damn it…’
There was no time to regret the sudden turn of events.
The distance was still too far, and their guard was now fully up.
If a shootout started now, the odds were against me.
After quickly assessing the situation…
Swoosh—.
“…Huh?! Why are you…!”
I grabbed Verdi and tucked him under my arm…
Click.
“Hey, you bastards! If you move even an inch, I’ll shoot your youngest!”
I pulled out my pistol and cocked the hammer.
“…!”
“…That bastard…!”
As expected, with Verdi as a hostage, they couldn’t easily shoot.
Most gangs are made up of blood brothers or long-time comrades who’ve been through thick and thin.
For these guys, who live by loyalty, shooting a comrade held hostage isn’t easy.
But…
“……”
When I saw the look on Redbeard’s face, I immediately whispered to Joe in the driver’s seat.
“Joe…”
“…Yes.”
“When I shoot, just run.”
“Huh? Oh…! Yes, sir…! I’ll do that…!”
I spoke in a language only Joe could understand, just in case they overheard.
Joe, clearly understanding, nodded while trembling.
Finally, Redbeard, who seemed to have figured out the situation, pointed his rifle at us and asked.
“You bastard… you came here for us, didn’t you?”
“……”
“Are you a sheriff? Or a bounty hunter? You wouldn’t come here alone… where are your comrades?”
It was a bluff.
“I’m the sheriff of Justice Town…”
“Sheriff Jet Gray-!”
“……!”
I said that and pulled out Jet’s sheriff badge from my pocket, which I had stashed away earlier.
When I mentioned the sheriff and showed the badge, Joe and Verdi were the first to flinch.
Still, they didn’t show much reaction and stayed silent.
“The Willy Merikess gang, who dared to barge into Justice Town without fear, have already been captured! And around here, there are 30 members of the Justice Town security force and the Lincoln County security force combined!”
“What…?!”
“Boss Willy got caught?”
“30 security forces?”
“Dammit…!”
My bluff-filled words started to stir up the gang members.
Good, it’s working.
“If you don’t want bullets in your heads, drop your weapons and surrender now!”
The best-case scenario here would be the scared guys surrendering on their own.
Of course, the chances of that were slim…
‘Let me try to get away with doing nothing for once.’
I hoped for some miraculous luck to make that impossible miracle happen.
But then…
Bang-!
“……”
“……”
Contrary to my expectations, a gunshot rang out.
The one who got shot was…
“Ugh… Big bro… Why…?”
Verdi, the youngest of the Redbeard Gang, whom I was holding hostage.
Redbeard, the gang leader who shot him, coldly snapped as he lowered his rifle.
“…So our youngest here sold out his brothers to the sheriffs to save his own skin.”
“……”
“You all know it. Traitors deserve only death.”
Click.
Redbeard reloaded his gun and shouted at his underlings.
“You all-!!! Think about what’s behind us-! And fight-!! Whether it’s 30 or 300 government lackeys, we’ll stand against them to protect what’s precious to us-!”
“Waaaah-!”
“Let’s fight-!”
Inspired by Redbeard’s shout, the other gang members raised their guns and yelled.
And in that moment…
“Yah-!!!!”
“…Huh?!”
Joe whipped the horses pulling the carriage, and we sped off.
As we suddenly charged forward, the gang members’ confused voices echoed.
“H-Hey, boss?! They’re running away!”
“They’re heading towards our camp-!”
“Shoot, shoot-! Don’t let them get away!”
They fired shots to stop us, but…
Bang-!
Bang-! Bang!
“Dammit…!”
“It might be a trap, so search the area and pursue them slowly!”
They couldn’t stop the carriage that had already sped off.
The guys on the cliff couldn’t immediately follow us.
Having escaped their encirclement, we raced forward as if we didn’t care about what was behind us.
“Joe, go-! Just go like hell-!!”
“Yes-!!”
Joe’s sudden move to speed off the carriage wasn’t a random act.
Only Joe, being of Spanish descent, could understand what I said.
‘Cuando dispara, simplemente corre.’
‘When they shoot, just run.’
I said it in Spanish so the others wouldn’t catch on and find it suspicious…
And Joe understood and executed it perfectly.
“By the way, Noah! How did you know they’d shoot and give the order in advance?”
“It’s obvious if you think about it.”
Gang members usually value loyalty.
But the Redbeard Gang was a bit different from the start.
‘They didn’t care much even if their underlings died.’
The Redbeard Gang acted more like soldiers with a clear mission rather than a typical gang.
I figured they wouldn’t care much about one gang member’s life.
“Noah, how’s Verdi doing?”
At Joe’s question, I looked down at Verdi, who was lying there bleeding.
He hadn’t been breathing for a while.
“He’s dead.”
Redbeard’s bullet had hit Verdi’s heart perfectly.
‘His shooting skills are impressive…’
The Sharps rifle is military-grade.
Handling a Sharps rifle that well…
‘Maybe the Redbeard Gang really are former soldiers…’
Thinking it might be possible, I closed Verdi’s eyes, which were still open in death.
“Tsk tsk, I really wanted to save him, but why did he have to act up?”
I didn’t resent Verdi for messing things up.
He paid the price with his life.
I planned to exchange Verdi’s body for a bounty later and moved him to the back of the carriage.
Then I patted Joe’s shoulder and urged him on.
“Joe, go faster before they catch up.”
“…By the way, Noah. You said to go forward, but where exactly are we heading?”
“You said there’s a Redbeard Gang camp ahead. We’re going there.”
The Redbeard Gang has about 20 members.
We took out 7 in Justice Town, and there were 10 at the canyon, so there shouldn’t be many left at their base.
What’s in their camp?
Probably the cash they stole from the Wells Fargo bank.
And…
‘You all-!!! Think about what’s behind us-! And fight-!! Whether it’s 30 or 300 government lackeys, we’ll stand against them to protect what’s precious to us-!’
Thinking back on Redbeard’s words, I felt there might be something else hidden besides the cash.
“By the way, Noah, when did you learn Spanish?”
“Ah, that was when I was in New Mexico… …That’s private, so don’t ask and just drive the carriage faster.”
What are they hiding?
Taking over an empty base without a fight is more fun than anything.
Excited about what might be in the Redbeard Gang’s camp, Joe and I raced forward.
