Chapter 59: Blood Feud! (Part 1)
John was shocked to hear this, but he quickly calmed down.
He knew all too well that the Gang had only recently managed to escape the shadow of the Blackwater Town heist; if everyone found out about this, they would likely fall back into a state of deep fear.
So, he kept his lips sealed and didn't say another word, simply standing quietly beside Dutch and watching him, conveying his support with a firm and trusting gaze.
By now, Dutch had completely regained his composure. After a brief moment of reflection, he looked up, his gaze sweeping over the two men before him, and then spoke in a low voice:
"Listen, I have a plan. John, head back to camp immediately and bring Hosea, Arthur, Susan, and that O'Driscoll boy to the horses.
Lenny will take over your post for today."
With that, Dutch turned to Johnny and continued his instructions:
"Johnny, come with me to wait for them at the hitching post. We'll move out as soon as they arrive!"
Before long, John arrived at the horses with three others who still looked a bit sleepy-eyed, as well as Kieran, who was shaking like a leaf.
Kieran thought they were taking him out of the camp to execute him elsewhere, but he noticed that everyone who came along was a key member of the Gang. It seemed he wasn't about to be executed after all.
When Arthur and the other two saw only Johnny returning alone, their hearts skipped a beat, sensing that something unexpected must have happened.
So, the three of them immediately rushed to Dutch with anxious faces, clamoring to know what was going on.
However, Dutch remained exceptionally calm in the face of their rapid-fire questions.
He simply waved his hand dismissively, signaling for them not to worry, and gave a brief command:
"Just follow Johnny. You'll understand everything once we get there." After saying this, he was the first to mount his horse and ride ahead.
Seeing this, the others, though still full of doubt, followed obediently behind Dutch.
The group galloped along, and before long, a slightly dilapidated Lucky Cabin came into view.
Dutch was the first to stop at the cabin door. He pulled a letter and a bounty poster from his coat and handed them to Hosea.
Then, he turned back and whispered to Johnny, "Go, unlock the door to this cabin!"
Hearing the order, Johnny stepped forward without a word.
At the same time, John, who had been standing by silently, quickly followed suit. The two of them approached the wooden door together.
Johnny reached for a key at his waist, inserted it into the lock, and opened it with a gentle turn.
Then, he and John pushed open the double wooden doors.
Meanwhile, Arthur, Hosea, and Susan gathered together, staring intently at the bounty poster and the letter with serious expressions.
Arthur in particular had his thick eyebrows furrowed, his gaze piercing as if trying to see through the secrets hidden behind the portrait.
Not far from them, Kieran stood as still as a statue, a look of utter confusion on his face.
A moment later, anger spread like wildfire among the three who had read the letter.
Ms. Grimshaw even racked her Pump-action Shotgun, declaring that she would personally execute the traitor.
As the seven of them entered the cabin one by one, the already cramped space instantly became even tighter.
Everyone looked at Micah on the floor and the stranger beside him, wondering why there was another person there.
Johnny calmly explained to everyone that this was the executioner he had invited, a professional.
Once they saw everything inside the room clearly, even these worldly people felt a wave of nausea. From the information gathered, Kieran guessed this trip was for executing a traitor.
When he realized what was in the room, he instantly understood the other purpose of this trip, and his pleas for mercy became constant.
"Shut up! We'll deal with you later!" Dutch barked angrily at Kieran.
Kieran shut his mouth instantly, not daring to say another word for fear of becoming the target of Dutch's venting.
Seeing this, Johnny went over and gave Little Edmond a physical wake-up call.
"Mr. Lowrie! Forgive my rudeness, but I really need your help with something right now. I'm sure you won't refuse, right?"
As he spoke, he drew his lemat revolver and used his thumb to flick the hammer.
Seeing this, Little Edmond naturally agreed immediately; he had seen this model of handgun in Saint Denis.
If he wasn't mistaken, it had just been switched to shotgun mode. If he took a shot from that, wouldn't he be blown to bits?
Seeing how cooperative the man was, a satisfied smile appeared on Johnny's face. He skillfully spun the gun in a beautiful flourish before stylishly holstering the revolver.
Then, he leaned down and began to carefully untie the ropes bound around the man.
Arthur, standing nearby, watched all this and couldn't help but feel a bit speechless. He muttered to himself:
"Who ties someone up like that? This guy clearly has some kind of weird fetish."
However, if Johnny could have heard what Arthur was thinking, he probably would have rolled his eyes and retorted:
"You think everyone is like you, just tying hands and feet and calling it a day? What if he breaks free? Even if there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, you can't be careless!
After all, what's the difference between a 9,999-in-10,000 chance and failure?"
All the necessary people were gathered; all that was missing was the final, crucial main course.
Arthur didn't hesitate to rush forward, raising his foot to deliver a powerful War Stomp.
Poor Micah was stomped hard in his sleep, letting out a sudden wail of pain.
But because his vocal cords had been severely damaged previously, the only sound he could make now was a faint whimper.
The people around them looked at this scene with expressions of confusion, all turning their eyes toward Johnny as if waiting for a reasonable explanation.
Johnny quickly spoke up to explain to everyone:
"If I hadn't used these means to keep Micah quiet, he would have kept babbling incessantly.
You know, because we killed so many Bounty Hunters in Strawberry, the place is crawling with police and Bounty Hunters now. If he were allowed to make a scene, it would have caused unnecessary trouble.
It might have even prevented me from leaving that place smoothly."