Chapter 58: Blood Debt!
After Valerie finished listening, she didn't hesitate for a moment and quickly put the money away.
Then, she nimbly flipped onto her horse. Just as she was about to whip it to depart, she seemed to remember something important. She pulled the reins, turned the horse's head, and slowly approached Johnny.
She took an exquisitely made business card from her pocket and handed it to Johnny.
Although the card looked a bit rough, her contact information and main business scope were clearly printed on it.
One had to know that a commission like this—where no guns were fired and all extra expenses were covered—was extremely rare.
At least for Valerie, she rarely received such a generous job through a middleman's introduction.
Usually, those middlemen would prioritize giving such lucrative jobs to their confidants; how could it ever fall to an outsider like her with no background?
Johnny took the business card, looked at the information on it, and nodded thoughtfully.
When he looked up and followed Valerie's receding figure with his gaze, his brow suddenly furrowed slightly as if he realized he had forgotten something vital.
"Damn it! I actually forgot to scan her perk!!!"
Johnny cursed in a low voice. However, a moment later, he breathed a small sigh of relief:
"Forget it, she also forgot to take the lasso with her... I'll handle it all the next time we meet."
Afterward, Johnny turned and walked toward the still-sleeping Micah. He picked him up effortlessly and threw him into the nearby dilapidated shack like a sack of flour.
Immediately after, he skillfully closed the door and locked it, ensuring the person inside couldn't easily escape.
After doing all this, Johnny mounted his horse and galloped toward the camp.
Since this place was quite close to Horseshoe Overlook, it didn't take long for Johnny to arrive outside the camp.
Johnny took a deep breath and carefully opened his ancestral pocket watch.
The golden hands rested steadily at the 12 o'clock position, which was close to the time he had previously estimated.
This operation was vital and involved the matter of Dutch's prestige within the Gang.
Therefore, Johnny knew he had to keep the number of people who knew about this to a minimum to avoid unnecessary trouble and chaos.
Long before he left the camp, he had already calculated carefully.
According to the rotation schedule, John had been responsible for standing guard this past week.
While John sometimes couldn't keep his mouth shut, at least at a critical moment like this, he wouldn't be as loose-lipped or clumsy as some of the younger members.
Of course, aside from him spreading the news of Arthur's death everywhere... Just as Johnny was secretly pondering, a low, raspy shout came from ahead:
"Halt! Who is it?" It turned out John had noticed someone approaching.
"It's me, Johnny!" Hearing the familiar voice, Johnny quickly dismounted and walked briskly toward John.
When he reached him, he deliberately lowered his voice and said:
"John, I have an urgent situation to tell Dutch, but it's best if the others in the Gang don't know. Can you help me ask Dutch to come out for a moment?"
John was slightly stunned upon hearing this, but he reacted quickly.
He looked at the solemn Johnny in front of him and thought that this young man was usually steady and reliable, so the situation must indeed be serious for him to be so urgent.
Without another word, he turned and ran toward the camp to find Dutch.
Before long, Dutch stepped out of the camp at a leisurely pace, a cigar dangling from his mouth.
However, when he caught sight of Johnny standing there alone, a look of confusion immediately surfaced on his originally calm face.
"Little Johnny, I remember you said you were going to rescue Micah! It's been several days now, so why have you returned alone?
Did you encounter some accident on the way?" Dutch asked suspiciously.
He stared intently at Johnny, as if trying to catch a clue from the other man's expression.
However, Johnny didn't say a word. He silently handed over the crumpled letter and a wanted poster with Dutch's portrait on it.
Dutch was momentarily startled, but he quickly regained his composure.
He slowly reached out, took the items, and lowered his head to read the letter carefully.
At first, his expression was normal, but as his gaze moved down, his face gradually became incredibly grim, as if a storm were imminent.
Standing to the side, John hadn't seen Dutch make such an expression in a long time since they left the Snowy Mountains.
At this moment, a strong sense of curiosity welled up in his heart. He couldn't help but crane his neck, desperately trying to steal a glance at the letter.
Just then, Dutch suddenly slammed the letter and the wanted poster against John in a fit of rage, shouting harshly:
"What are you looking at!" Then, he turned around, crossed his arms, and fell into deep thought.
A moment later, a series of past events that occurred in Blackwater Town flashed through Dutch's mind.
Details that had seemed ordinary now appeared exceptionally suspicious in his eyes.
Especially when he thought of the scenes where Micah repeatedly proposed going back to Blackwater Town for the money, and the many anomalies like him going out for information but being late to return, Dutch felt more and more that a massive conspiracy was hidden within.
Perhaps even Micah's rescue mission for him was nothing more than a trap carefully designed by the Pinkerton Detectives... Meanwhile, on the other side, John slammed the letter in his hand onto the ground with a face full of fury.
Accompanied by the sound of the letter hitting the ground, he quickly drew the pistol at his waist and shouted at Dutch with great emotion:
"Dutch! Let me go kill that bastard animal!!!"
After speaking, he began looking around frantically like he had gone mad, while repeatedly questioning Johnny about Micah's specific whereabouts.
Dutch, who had been immersed in thought, was pulled back to reality by John's sudden actions.
He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
After some thought, he realized that since Johnny had managed to get these two key items, Micah himself was likely already being held in secret.
Dutch slowly stepped forward, walked to Johnny's side, patted him on the shoulder, and asked in a steady but urgent tone:
"Son, tell me the truth. Do you know exactly where Micah is right now?"
Hearing Dutch's question, Johnny's expression instantly became serious.
He stared into Dutch's eyes, nodded without hesitation, and then answered in a very earnest and solemn tone:
"Dutch, that damn rat is in a dilapidated little wooden shack not far from our camp.
However... the real thorny issue right now isn't executing him, but you!
Dutch, if this matter becomes known to the other members of the Gang, I'm afraid it will cause great damage to the prestige you worked so hard to rebuild in the Snowy Mountains!
So, I want to ask you: for this matter, do you want only the three of us to know the inside story, or are you prepared to make it public?"
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