Charles and Owen were both very grateful, vowing in their hearts to guard the camp well, as they knew Henry had voluntarily taken on most of the danger.
Henry left on foot, without a horse. With his walking speed, he could reach Death Valley in just over 20 minutes.
He also didn't want to ride a horse, so as not to alert the bandits.
When a gunshot travels more than 1500 meters, its sound level typically drops to around 60 decibels, making it indistinguishable as a gunshot.
If one considers the attenuation of sound in the atmosphere, buildings, and trees, the gunshot would be even less audible at that distance.
Therefore, Henry did not hear the gunshots from Richard's earlier ambush.
When Henry walked onto the mountain road this morning, he found that his eyesight had indeed greatly improved—he could see farther, higher, and clearer. Even the details on eagles flying high in the sky were perfectly visible to him.
As Henry reached the entrance to Death Valley on this side of the mountain, he saw a valley that looked as if a god had cleaved it open with a thick-backed, thin-bladed axe when creating the world. He couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of nature's creation.
Moreover, the peaks on both sides were roughly the same height, covered with dense fir forests and shrubs.
According to Charles, the two peaks were about 2400 feet, or approximately 720 meters, high.
Based on the information Henry gathered, it was difficult to cross to the other side of the mountain by going through the middle or over the top of the peaks, as there were some difficult-to-cross ravines and dangerous areas.
Local natives who were very familiar with the area might be able to cross, but they certainly couldn't carry a large amount of supplies.
When large caravans passed through, there were often people on the opposite side to meet them, who would inspect the mountain peaks on both sides in advance.
Therefore, there weren't many bandits who would ambush passing guests here during normal times, because their targets were either large caravans, or they would wait a long time without any guests passing through. If there were any, they would be very small caravans or even lone travelers, offering little profit and potentially being very tough to deal with.
Only when there was specific intelligence, like in this ambush on Henry, would a powerful bandit gang come to carry out a planned ambush.
So, if there really were people from Denver setting up an ambush here, it would most likely be on their half of the valley, because they would also worry about being ambushed by other bandits if they set up an ambush on this side.
Therefore, there was no need to hide his figure too much on this side. If a bandit gang ambushed Henry here and attacked him, it would save him the trouble of reconnaissance.
Henry strode towards the mountain peak on his right-hand side, beginning to climb.
At this moment, Jim on the other side of the mountain said to Frank, "Boss, if that girl's family can't afford the ransom this time, then she's mine."
Jim thought for a while and decided to act first, greeting Frank to prevent other strong competitors in the gang from interfering once they returned.
Although Frank was a terrible gambler and his gambling ethics were indescribable, he was an excellent shot and kept his promises—which were considered invaluable qualities in the West—so his subordinates trusted him more.
Frank immediately turned his cross-eyes towards Jim and said coldly, "A noble girl is only valuable when she's intact. I warn you—you absolutely cannot touch her before the ransom is negotiated!"
Jim was a bit intimidated by the cross-eyed stare and stammered, "Of course, I won't. I was just saying if her family refuses to pay the ransom."
"We'll talk after I've seen her. At the very least, you need to perform well when you ambush Henry later, then I can make this decision." Frank's expression softened.
"No problem, Boss, just watch me. I'll chop off Henry's head alive in a bit." Jim grinned, showing his rotten teeth, and thumped his chest loudly.
On the other side, after being tied up for more than half an hour, Richard was stiff and sore all over. He said to the young bandit guarding him, "Can you loosen me up a bit? I promise I won't run."
The bandit smiled gleefully and said, "Money can do it, no money, no talk."
Richard said, "All my things have been taken. I'll give it to you when the ransom is paid later, okay?"
The bandit chuckled, dismissively.
"When the ransom is paid, what's it to me? But I think your wife is quite good. How about if she just has a quickie with us two brothers behind the tree, in turns?"
The other young bandit also looked over excitedly.
Richard immediately felt Madeline's hand tighten and quickly said, "No way."
The two young bandits pouted, their gazes lingering on Madeline, moving up and down, but ultimately said nothing more.
Madeline and Edith, who was beside her, both felt as if ants were crawling all over them, and goosebumps rose on their skin.
Madeline was now extremely regretful—she had been too mischievous, using her coquettishness and 'silk-binding' technique to completely subdue Richard, actually agreeing to come out west with him on business.
And she had dragged her cousin, Edith, who had come to visit her, into this mess as well.
Edith was a treasure on whom the family had placed high hopes.
Edith also felt that she had made an extremely foolish decision.
The air in the West was not only free and wild, but also even more barbaric and bloody!
"I think you should keep him in better condition, loosen him up a bit, lest something goes wrong. He has a congenital heart condition. Even when selling goods, you have to ensure the goods are in the best condition to get a good price, right?" Edith mustered her courage and spoke loudly to Russell, who was playing cards.
Russell immediately looked over and asked, "Congenital heart condition? Are you sure?"
Edith said with a Frank expression and the most sincere tone, "Of course, otherwise why would my sister come to such a remote place to take care of him?"
Seeing the beautiful woman's sincerity, Russell chose to believe her and ordered, "Bick, loosen him up a bit and let him breathe."
Bick, the young bandit who had wanted to have a quickie earlier, unhappily loosened Richard's restraints, leaving only those on his hands.
Richard gratefully thanked Edith with his eyes.
Madeline also smiled happily at Edith.
Edith smiled and said to Bick, "Thank you."
Bick, who had just wanted to have a quickie with Madeline, was somewhat overwhelmed by her dazzling smile and said awkwardly, "You're welcome, he has a heart condition, after all."
Edith maintained her sweet smile and softly said, "When my family comes to pay the ransom, I will definitely give each of you two 10 us dollar, so you can drink to your heart's content at the bar."
Bick and the other bandit exchanged glances. This time, he wasn't aloof and said with a smile, "Thank you, Miss, you clearly are a young lady of status."
Edith continued softly, "I've been waiting for a long time, and I'm so bored. Are you just waiting for Henry? Can you tell me what kind of person he is? Just to pass the time."
Faced with the beauty's soft voice and charming smile, Bick's heart suddenly became incredibly soft.
Thinking that it wasn't a secret, and besides, even if they knew, they couldn't do anything, Bick whispered, "I heard it too, it seems our Boss said it. That Henry is the new sheriff of Fresco Town, he killed…"
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
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