At the card table six meters away, three men immediately dropped their cards and stood up, drawing their revolvers from their holsters.
"Bang, bang, bang!" With three consecutive gunshots, Billy the Kid shot the pistols out of the three men's hands, causing them to cry out in pain.
The three miraculous shots made the bartender understand the situation, and he immediately put the 10-us dollar coin back on the counter.
"We have real bourbon, it's on me," the Fat Man bartender said, sweating profusely, looking at Billy the Kid, not daring to move.
Seeing Billy the Kid's gaze growing increasingly unfriendly, the Fat Man shouted, "I have information about a high-value bounty! Ten thousand us dollars!"
Billy the Kid's eyes flickered. He slowly holstered his gun and said, "Two bourbons first, then tell me the details."
The Fat Man struggled to squat down, used a key to open the cabinet door below the bar, pulled out a bottle of Maker's Mark bourbon whiskey, and turned to pour two glasses for Billy the Kid.
Billy the Kid downed the glass again, and this time his expression softened—he could finally clear his head.
He indifferently glanced at the Fat Man, making the Fat Man shiver, and he quickly said, "It's Henry Bruce, the Sheriff of Fresco, a former gold rush town outside Denver, he—"
The more Billy the Kid listened, the brighter his eyes became—this was the opponent he had longed for!
Listen to this!
He alone was like an army, killing dozens of cavalrymen; he killed six people in an instant upon drawing his gun!
As an orphan since the age of twelve, Billy the Kid had no anchor in his life since the death of his only warmth—his former employer.
So Billy the Kid didn't know what he would do next.
Since his gun skills reached mastery over a year ago, he had never met an opponent—among them were renowned marksmen and quick-draw artists, but all had fallen under his gun.
Henry truly piqued Billy the Kid's interest!
Only a duel with a true master could revive his withered heart!
Billy the Kid decided to set off today.
It was only 115 miles to Denver and 172 miles to Fresco. If he maintained his stamina, he would arrive by tomorrow afternoon.
Billy the Kid picked up the second glass of bourbon with his left hand and chugged it!
Happy!
Billy the Kid smiled broadly.
The Fat Man, who had been anxiously observing his expression, felt a sense of relief.
Billy the Kid's right hand gripped and drew the gun from his waist!
"Bang, bang, bang, bang!" The Fat Man bartender and the three gambling toughs were instantly shot in the forehead. Scarlet blood and white brain matter splattered out, and they fell to the ground powerlessly.
Happy to kill!
Anyone who could recognize him must die!
Billy the Kid would not allow anyone to disturb his impending sacred duel.
He went around behind the bar, grabbed a large handful of banknotes and coins from the drawer, and then, with one hand, picked up the bottle of bourbon whiskey from which he had just poured two glasses, and walked away.
—
After checking the bounty wanted list, Henry found that one of the eight bandits from last night did indeed have a bounty in Denver.
Since it wasn't in this town, there was no need to mention what happened last night.
"Pete, go to Linda's and guard her. Intelligence suggests that bandits might target her and the two children recently. If anything happens, fire a warning shot," Henry instructed Pete.
Pete heard the news, became anxious, and hurried to Linda's place.
"Luke and Maddie, you two go notify the applicants that shooting assessments will begin at 3 p.m.," Henry continued to give orders.
"Yes, Sheriff!" The two acknowledged and left.
At this time, in George Town, over twenty miles from Fresco Town.
A train slowly came to a stop, and a tall, thin man named Kallenberg, dressed in a tailcoat and wearing a high silk top hat, slowly stepped off the train.
He held an exquisite walking stick in his left hand and a textured calfskin briefcase in his right.
Kallenberg was a famous Western assassin, but few living people knew his true identity.
He had no cowboy spirit, practicing quick-draw and quick-shot gunmanship only to fire a shot before others. His greatest pleasure in life was to shoot others when they were caught off guard or from behind.
His favorite thing was to see powerful enemies die in frustration, their brains splattered.
Soon, Kallenberg rented a carriage and headed straight for Fresco Town.
—
Meanwhile, at the Denver train station, a burly, brown-haired man with graying temples slowly walked out.
"Mr. Barrett! Please follow me, the Boss is waiting." Dylan, the McKinley Family's receptionist, quickly stepped forward to greet him.
Barrett followed Dylan and took a carriage to McKinley's estate.
At this time, the butler Elent was reporting to Brendan at the estate.
"Jesse James and John Gale are temporarily unreachable. Kallenberg has accepted the commission, and Barrett is on his way to the estate. He needs to retrieve the token before he begins his operation."
"Additionally, at least two groups of assassins have targeted Henry, but he single-handedly killed them all with lightning-fast dual-gun skills. Our preliminary assessment is that he is a super gunman on the level of Barrett or Billy the Kid."
Brendan asked with some uncertainty, "Can Barrett reach Billy the Kid's level? He hasn't made a move in a few years, it seems."
Elent respectfully replied, "I personally witnessed him in action with the Master twelve years ago. He instantly killed six enemies 40 feet away using a Colt M1860 Army revolver. Over the years, he has killed over two hundred challengers."
"Moreover, during the North-South War, he was a Northern scout and spy, achieving remarkable military feats. He is best known for his unparalleled extraordinary gun skills, his reputation far exceeding Brian of the Southern Army," Elent added.
Brendan nodded and said, "Then is there a way to keep the token? We can offer more money or other conditions."
Elent replied, "Probably not. Barrett has only given out five tokens over the years, and his only two actions in recent years were to retrieve tokens. Ours is the last one."
Brendan stopped speaking, stroked his chin, and fell into deep thought.
—
At Mayor William's house, private detective Raphael was reporting to William.
"The assassins who attacked the cemetery and the bar yesterday afternoon were all here for Henry's black market bounty. Ten thousand us dollars is simply too high."
"I believe various assassins will continuously flock here during this period."
William asked, "Can you find out who posted the bounty?"
Raphael replied, "Not yet, but it should be the mastermind behind these two attacks on the town."
William pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you think Henry knows about this bounty?"
Raphael replied, "I heard that after he killed the assassin at the bar last night, he met secretly with Drummond for over half an hour, so he should know. And as a top gunman, he should be able to sense that these assassins are targeting him."