Chapter 38: The Stagecoach Heist
"Don't shoot, don't shoot!"
"Help me, for God's sake!"
Johnny and Arthur were walking on the wide road when they suddenly saw two members of the ODriscoll Gang robbing a stagecoach ahead.
The stagecoach driver was desperately begging for mercy, but the others were getting closer with their guns drawn.
"Bang! Bang!" After seeing the situation clearly, Johnny pulled out his gun and dealt with them. After all, as a Great Philanthropist of the West, how could he stand by and watch someone die?
The driver, lying on the ground with his eyes closed and playing dead, heard the gunshots and thought he was about to meet God.
After a while, when the pain hadn't come, he slowly opened his eyes to see what was happening.
"Get up! You're in luck. You ran into us two Great Philanthropists of the West. You're saved, mister!" Johnny teased.
The man struggled to his feet and hurriedly bowed in thanks, muttering:
"Mister, I really don't know what to say. Much obliged! Thank you for saving me from those dire straits."
He then pointed to the chest at the back of the stagecoach, saying they could take whatever they wanted from the safe. He would report it to the Stagecoach Company as a loss from the robbery, so taking the stolen goods wouldn't count as theft.
Arthur hadn't expected to make a small fortune on the way to rescue the Reverend. After taking the items from the safe, he kindly advised the man to turn around and leave immediately if he saw anyone suspected of being from the ODriscoll Gang; that way, he might survive.
Hearing this, the man nodded repeatedly in haste, a look of fear on his face, indicating he fully understood the situation.
Then, he leaped onto the carriage in one stride and lashed the horse's back hard with his whip, driving the steed to gallop away like an arrow from a bow, disappearing at the end of the road in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, Johnny and Arthur were in no hurry to leave. They exchanged a look and walked in sync toward the corpse of the unlucky fellow lying in a pool of blood.
Johnny skillfully crouched down and began to carefully search the body.
Before long, they had a decent haul—including the safe, they found 4 cans of food, 3 full boxes of ammunition, 2 exquisite gold pocket watches, 30 dollars in cash, and two worn-out Cowboy revolvers.
However, just as Johnny was about to continue stripping the clothes off the deceased, Arthur suddenly spoke up to stop him.
"Enough, Johnny!" Arthur said with a frown. "Look at this damn weather; it's hot enough to roast a man. These ragged clothes are of no use to us at all. Don't waste any more time."
Hearing Arthur's words, Johnny stood up somewhat reluctantly but followed his advice nonetheless. Then, Arthur let out a long sigh and began to distribute the loot.
After some thought, he decided that they would both take all the ammunition and canned food. As for the remaining valuables, they would be divided fairly: twenty-five percent for each of them and fifty percent for the camp.
(That's the rule: if Arthur takes you on a robbery, he'll give you a fair share even if you don't fire a single shot.)
In the end, Johnny received 10 dollars in cash, two boxes of ammunition, a delicious can of food, and, of course, those two worn-out Cowboy revolvers that Arthur looked down upon.
Both were satisfied with the distribution, packed their respective shares, and set off on their return journey together.
[Ding! Successfully completed the Stagecoach Heist mission! Estimated share: $40! Actual share: $10! Elite Challenge completed! Bonus: two boxes of ammunition!]
(Just kidding)
After a short while, the two arrived at Flatneck Station as Hosea had mentioned. They quickly hitched their horses to the posts and began searching the rooms one by one for the Reverend.
Finally, they found Reverend Swanson playing Texas Holdem in a cluttered warehouse.
"Mr. Morgan! I took your advice!"
The man kept repeating those words, as if they were the only ones left in his mind.
Seeing that the man was so drunk yet still playing cards—which was basically charity for the others—Arthur intended to take him back to camp.
After that, the Reverend seemed to have learned new words:
"I have forcibly broken free from the embrace of the God of Sleep! I will sink no more! I am free! I am free!"
At that moment, the Reverend's two poker companions seemed extremely dissatisfied with Arthur's attempt to take him away. They roared angrily:
"Sit down! Reverend, this hand isn't over yet!"
Hearing this, Arthur's anger was instantly ignited. These two guys dared to be so arrogant; did they really think they were someone important?
He snorted coldly, his hand instinctively reaching for the pistol at his waist, ready to teach these two ignorant fools a lesson.
However, just as Arthur was about to pull out his Great Equalizer, the man opposite him, whose eyes had been cloudy, suddenly seemed to snap out of it. He looked at Arthur in terror and said with a trembling voice:
"Don't... don't be impulsive! Big brother, I just wanted to finish this hand, nothing more!"
Seeing the standoff and the atmosphere growing increasingly tense, Johnny stepped in to act as a mediator. With a smile, he said:
"Mr. Morgan, how about this? Let me take the Reverend's place and keep playing with them while you take him back to rest?"
Saying so, Johnny quickly sat at the table and reached for the cards.
Seeing Johnny sit down and get into the game, Arthur's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and he slowly withdrew his hand that had almost reached his holster.
Then, he turned to leave with the Reverend, but something unexpected happened.
The Reverend, who had clearly been sitting there just a moment ago, had vanished without a trace, as if he had evaporated!
Arthur rushed out the door in a panic, his steps hurried as he searched for the Reverend's trail. On the other hand, Johnny remained exceptionally calm and composed.
He nonchalantly took the High Roller Revolver out from his system space and carefully placed it in his satchel.
Then, with practiced movements, he drew the lemat revolver from his primary holster and slammed it onto the table in front of him without hesitation.
Having done all this, Johnny quickly and accurately completed his weapon swap, successfully equipping the High Roller Revolver.
At this moment, Johnny appeared leisurely and unhurried as he began to organize the chips on the table.
Meanwhile, with a smile on his face, his gaze slowly swept over the two men across from him as he said softly:
"Don't get the wrong idea, you two. For a Cowboy like me, it's only normal to carry two guns when out and about!"
Hearing this, the two exchanged a look, forced a faint smile, and agreed, "Reasonable... reasonable."
They were secretly lamenting their bad luck. They had just managed to get rid of that fierce-looking fellow who was clearly not to be trifled with.
Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, another one would arrive—this one smiling on the surface but actually an unpredictable smiling tiger.
Johnny didn't seem to notice their thoughts and continued talking to himself:
"Heh, you know, revolvers can be a bit unstable sometimes. If one accidentally went off in my pocket, that would be no joke!
So, I think it's safer to leave it out in the open."
With that, he continued his movements and soon had the messy chips neatly organized.
However, when he took a closer look, he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy—it turned out his hand was actually quite strong!
Thus, without a word, Johnny decisively chose to go all-in. Then, looking at the two men with a triumphant expression, he laughed loudly and said:
"Hehe, let me tell you, there's an unwritten rule when playing cards with me: as long as one of us still has chips, no one is allowed to leave early. Otherwise, you're just not giving me face!"
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