[T/n: Bonus Update Progress: 3/20]
Chapter 17: Wolf Clan Nemesis
Charles fell into deep thought after listening. Although Arthur didn't understand these high-minded principles, he had personally experienced the great heist of Blackwater Town.
Later, he learned from Hosea that the $150,000 was Cornwall's investment in Blackwater Town.
Seeing Charles listening intently, Johnny took the opportunity to talk even more, not missing any chance to increase their bond level.
"I once read a line in a book: 'The way of man is to take from those who have not to give to those who have.' It basically means that most of society's resources are held by a minority, and this trend only grows."
"Mr. Smith, to achieve a goal, you must first make yourself strong. Make more people willing to listen to you and willing to do things for you. Only when we become strong can we influence the will of others."
Watching Charles's contemplative expression, Johnny continued to drive slowly. The three first went to Adler Ranch to find those 14 corpses. Charles looked at one of the bodies that looked like a sieve and expressed confusion: "Arthur! What happened to this guy?"
Arthur replied as if recalling something:
"This guy was the first to push the door open, attempting to rob Mr. and Mrs. Adler, only to get killed the moment the door opened. I've never seen such an unlucky guy in my life."
Johnny silently activated his newly acquired [Western Blabbermouth King] perk: "Arthur, you better be careful. Someday, you might open a door and a burly man will tackle you to the ground and do... the kind of things Bill likes to do!"
"Shut up, Johnny," Arthur immediately retorted.
After what felt like an endless journey of driving, the three finally arrived at the place deep in Johnny's memories.
However, the scene before them was heart-wrenching. Aside from a dilapidated carriage ruthlessly overturned on the ground and the gruesome remains of a horse, there was nothing of value left.
Johnny silently walked toward the broken carriage and began searching for any leftover items. After a search, he only found a few cans of food.
Helplessly, the three worked together to dig a large pit and bury the remains of the old horse, the few remaining cans, and the bundle Johnny had brought with him.
Afterward, Johnny found a flat piece of wood and carefully carved his parents' names with a knife, signing it at the bottom—His unfilial son, Johnny.
At this moment, even Arthur, who usually loved to brag and joke, lost his usual high spirits. He and Charles stood quietly by Johnny's side, watching everything in silence, their eyes filled with deep sympathy and sorrow.
Time passed minute by minute. The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the gentle breeze whispering in their ears, making a faint rustling sound.
After a while, Johnny slowly stood up and patted the dust off his knees. Then, with practiced movements, he pulled out the revolver from his waist, opened the cylinder, and carefully checked if he had enough high-velocity bullets loaded.
After confirming everything was ready, he took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Let's go. It's time for those killers to rest in peace too!"
With that, he took the lead and stepped forward with a firm and determined stride. Arthur and Charles exchanged a glance and followed close behind. A journey of revenge thus began... Guided by Charles, Johnny and Arthur found three small wolf dens. Arthur tried his best to shoot the legs of these hungry wolves to incapacitate them, while Johnny silently vented his anger.
Finally, after Johnny personally killed 19 wolves, he stopped. The three of them worked together to put all 30 wolves onto the carriage and brought them back to the grave.
This poor pack horse was terrified. If it could speak, it would probably say: 'How much fodder do I even get a month? Is it worth risking my life like this?'
Charles and Arthur used shovels to dig a firebreak, and a fire burned the mountain of wolf corpses to ashes.
Johnny stood by, deep in thought with tears in his eyes. Before long, he stood up and quickly climbed onto the carriage: "Arthur! Charles, let's go hunt some deer or bison. The Gang's food supplies are running low."
(In the game, twenty-some people eating two hunted deer for so many days is quite ridiculous; in reality, supplies should be very tight.)
Seeing Johnny relax, the two looked at each other and said nothing more.
They silently got into the carriage. Arthur pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, gently took out three, handed one each to Johnny and Charles, and lit the last one for himself.
Amidst the swirling smoke, the three men quietly enjoyed this moment of tranquility and unspoken understanding.
Sometimes, the bond between men is just that simple and pure. No need for many words; just sharing a cigarette is worth a thousand.
During this time, Johnny wasn't idle. He was thinking about the Cobalt Petrified Wood and the mysterious Eagle Talon Talisman on the ice he had heard about in the game.
So, he went to those places with great anticipation. However, when he actually reached his destination, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
Looking around, there were only scattered corpses and trash; besides that, there was almost nothing.
The originally joyful Johnny realized then that in this world, there were no such Magical Items as the legendary trinkets and amulets.
He had originally fantasized about relying on collecting these things to quickly accumulate progress for Magical Items, but reality ruthlessly shattered his fantasy.
Although this treasure hunt didn't go as Johnny hoped, luckily they had other gains. When they returned to the camp, they brought back bountiful results for the Gang family—
A full 7 fat deer and 1 sturdy bison. Looking at the prey before them, everyone knew that the Gang members' food problem was solved for now, enough to last until they left the snowy mountains.
Pearson, who was in charge of cooking, couldn't help but show a relieved and appreciative look upon seeing so many ingredients. He said to the returning three with a smile: "You guys really helped out a lot! This cook can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
However, Uncle standing nearby wasn't happy to hear this. He rolled his eyes at Pearson and said irritably:
"Hmph, is this the reason why you've been cooking us offal stew for lunch and dinner today?" After he spoke, everyone around couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Johnny silently went back to the Stable alone, moved his items back onto the carriage, then walked to the campfire to roast the marinated wolf meat into jerky to carry with him.
"System, check my current perks."
[Red ☆ Gunsmith] (Level 1)
[As a qualified Western Philanthropist, how could others understand your most trusted weapon? perk effects: ① You can modify firearms to the maximum extent, allowing them to exert capabilities beyond their own. ② When you gift a Magical Item to its most suitable owner, you can copy that item's perk and apply it without limit to your newly modified firearms.]
[Condition to upgrade to Level 2: Own 3 Magical Items. Current progress: 1/3]
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[Gold ☆ Western Cowboy] (Level 1)
[How can you come to the West and not use a revolver? perk effects: ① Accuracy is slightly increased when the Host uses handgun-type weapons—revolvers. ② Evasion is slightly increased when the Host shoots while riding a horse, reducing the probability of being hit by bullets. ③ Accuracy is slightly decreased when the Host uses handgun-type weapons other than revolvers.]
[Condition to upgrade to Level 2: Kill 10 people using revolver-type weapons. Current progress: 4/10]
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[Purple ☆ Wolf Clan Nemesis] (Level 1)
[As a Cowboy, the most important thing is to settle scores swiftly. You now have a certain level of strength; some things can no longer be delayed. perk effects: ① Your reactions will be briefly enhanced when you consume wolf meat. ② Your reactions will be enhanced when you wear a necklace made from the fangs of a Wolf King. ③ You can give the wolf fang necklace to anyone as bound equipment.]
[Condition to upgrade to Level 2: Consume wolf meat for 30 consecutive days. Current progress: 1/30]
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[Purple ☆ Western Blabbermouth King] (Level 1)
[As a Gunslinger, your mouth can also become your weapon. perk effect: Your insults are more likely to break someone's composure.]
[Upgrade condition: Break the composure of 10 people with insults. Current progress: 1/10]
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[Purple ☆ Western Ip Man] (Level 1)
[You can still become a grandmaster in the West. perk effects: ① Every one of your melee attacks can mobilize the power of every muscle to the maximum, forming a powerful strike. ② Your Electric Cannon is 100% guaranteed to stun the opponent.]
[Upgrade condition: Stun 20 people with Electric Cannon. Current progress: 0/20]
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[Purple ☆ Western Art Student] (Level 1)
[Though you didn't fail the entrance exam, your strength is beyond doubt. perk effect: Your hands can depict the images in your mind to the maximum extent.]
[Upgrade condition: Draw 5 paintings and sell them. Current progress: 0/5]
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[Blue ☆ Trade Mastery] (Level 1)
[How could a shrewd Merchant be easily deceived by other Merchants? perk effects: ① When selling goods, you can moderately perceive and know if the other party is lowballing you. ② When buying goods, you can bargain multiple times and increase the success rate of bargaining.]
[Condition to upgrade to Level 2: Save $50 for yourself through bargaining. Current progress: 8/50]
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[Blue ☆ Lone Rider] (Level 1)
[One person can still break through a siege alone: perk effects: ① Perception and sharpness are slightly increased when you act alone. ② Strength and stamina are moderately increased when you face danger alone.]
[Condition to upgrade to Level 2: Kill 10 enemy squads of more than three people alone, or escape from 10 enemy squads of more than three people alone. Current progress: 0/10]
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[Green ☆ Harmless]
[How could someone as harmless as me be a fierce bandit? perk effect: When others interact with you, they will subconsciously lower their guard.]
[Upgrade condition: Cannot be upgraded]
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(The full effects of the perks will not appear frequently; I'll give everyone a summary occasionally.)
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