Chapter 27
Libero, drunk on excitement, grabbed a bottle and swayed his body here and there.
At first, the customers who had been disgusted now seemed amused and enjoyed their drinks using him as entertainment.
When a few female customers grabbed Libero’s hands and spun around with him, the band that had been hiding in the corner began playing even faster.
Anything done with sincerity carried power.
Having gained 250 dollars in an instant, even if a bullet were lodged in his head right now, Libero wouldn’t stop dancing.
Jaei, too, was watching the chaotic bar while crunching on snacks.
“Hmm, Mr. Kim Jaei?”
If not for the sudden unwelcome guest, that is.
A man who seemed unfamiliar yet oddly familiar pulled out the chair next to Jaei and sat down.
James and Jaei exchanged glances at the same time.
Do they know each other?
“Who?”
“I’m not sure. Do I know you?”
“We met in the wasteland two days ago.”
“Ah. Pinkerton?”
“Heh! Yes, well. Thank you for remembering.”
The man gulped down the beer he had brought.
Jaei naturally placed his hand on the revolver at his waist, and James, pretending to cross his arms, grabbed the gun inside his coat.
“But I don’t recall telling you to sit here. If there’s no seat, drink outside.”
“Oh dear, no need to be wary. I came to make a very good offer to you, Mr. Jaei.”
“If it’s something like gold investment, I’ll pass.”
“Seems some washed-up scammer tried that on you? I’m not like that.”
As the man burst into loud laughter, James frowned.
“From the looks of it, you don’t seem like you’ll be staying in Mollibay, am I right? Letting such a large sum rot in a backwater like this would be quite a pity.”
“I’ll be direct since you don’t seem to understand indirect speech. I don’t want to talk, so please get up.”
“We can escort you. To California or wherever.”
As he said that, he pulled out a badge proving he belonged to Pinkerton.
Though the plating was worn off in places and looked shabby, the eye-shaped emblem was striking.
Jaei, who had been about to ignore him, turned to him in disbelief.
“······Escort?”
“Yes. 150 dollars per person. There are about twelve of us. All are fairly well-known gunslingers in California. You won’t regret trusting us.”
James glanced at Jaei with a look that said, “Would you look at that?”
What they were doing wasn’t an escort offer—it was essentially extortion.
You won’t regret trusting us?
That meant if you didn’t trust them, you would regret it.
A veiled threat—pay 150 dollars each, and they wouldn’t touch you.
‘The only nearby major city is California, so our paths will overlap with those returning there. No one knows what might happen in the wasteland. And since these guys specialize in tracking people, slipping out of Mollibay quietly won’t be easy either······.’
Moreover, the problem was that on the surface, their proposal didn’t seem wrong.
Pinkerton employees were supposed to uphold company rules for its honor, one of which was maintaining social order.
Whether that was truly followed was questionable, but outwardly, even Pinkerton headquarters wouldn’t be able to punish this behavior easily.
Even if Jaei died mysteriously in the wasteland, without evidence, it wouldn’t be easy to hold them accountable.
‘Did you get it?’
James wondered if Jaei understood their intentions.
Looking at the eleven men snickering under the stairs, Jaei showed no change in expression.
“150 dollars, huh. I heard escorting a Wells Fargo stagecoach worth thousands only paid 70 dollars. Prices have gone up quite a bit.”
“With fewer people, our share increases.”
A miraculous calculation.
Jaei let out a small laugh, and the man lowered his voice.
“The wasteland is full of mad Indians, starving outlaws, and beasts. There aren’t many people in Mollibay worth hiring as escorts. At best, postmen. Compared to them, we’re better. Pinkerton always completes its missions successfully.”
James twisted his lips in amusement.
So that’s how you got wrecked by those Tomdiz dwarfs?
Well, it didn’t matter.
If things went this way, it was actually an opportunity for him.
If Jaei planned to go toward California, he would want to avoid conflict with Pinkerton.
“Jaei—”
Want me to handle this for you?
In any way?
In exchange, he planned to demand half of what Jaei would’ve been extorted—900 dollars.
But Jaei was faster.
He raised his hand as if to tell him to stay out of it.
“It’s fine. I’ll handle it.”
What was he thinking?
Jaei sipped his tea and pondered briefly, then nodded.
“Are all of you heading to California?”
“Well, we might split up, but for your safety, we’d gladly stick together. Oh, and you’ll have to cover food during the trip.”
“Hmm. I see. So you expect I’ll be in danger without an escort.”
“Of course.”
“Almost certainly?”
“Without a doubt. You’ve gained great fortune at a young age—you wouldn’t want to lose it all over a small mistake, would you?”
If you refuse, we’ll crush your skull in the wasteland.
Jaei interpreted his words perfectly and smiled.
“Alright. Before that, I have a few proposals as well.”
‘This idiot!’
James slapped his forehead and groaned.
He should’ve just given half to him and let him handle it!
What kind of fool pays 150 dollars each to twelve people?
That’s 1800 dollars!
Did he miscalculate? Did he think it was 180?
“Hey, Jaei.”
“You all claim to be Pinkerton, but honestly, I have doubts about your skills. Especially after what I saw two days ago.”
“That was also—”
“Yes. An unexpected ambush. You expected armed outlaws at best—who would’ve thought bombs would go off? But isn’t that what makes it an ambush? Regardless of the opponent, I need some level of trust to hire escorts.”
Jaei gestured to the men watching from afar to come closer.
They approached awkwardly and tapped the seated man’s shoulder.
A signal asking what was going on.
“Thank you for the offer. I just need to confirm something. Libero!”
“Huh?”
“Stop dancing and clear the wall. Ask the customers for a bit of space.”
“The wall?”
The moment their eyes met, Libero immediately understood Jaei’s intention.
He set down the bottle, moved the women behind Jaei, and asked the customers leaning against the wall to step aside.
“What? No way. Too bothersome.”
“I’ll buy you another drink, seriously.”
“Well, that changes things. Fine. Where?”
“Over there, to the back! And if possible, stay close to Jaei!”
The walls of <Maktanota> were stone.
Though it was the first floor, it was half underground.
Jaei dipped his finger in sauce and poked a spot in the middle of the wall.
“For whoever hits this spot, I’ll pay 200 dollars instead of 150. But those who miss will only get 50 dollars. How about it?”
“What? 200 dollars!?”
What was going on?
The drunken Pinkerton employees grew excited and rushed to go first.
The crowd began to buzz, and James watched with his chin resting on his hand, annoyed.
“I’ll go first!”
“Move, idiot! Jaei, how many shots?”
“Take your time. Use all the bullets you have.”
“Really? Hahaha! As expected of someone successful at a young age! Just watch!”
Use all your bullets?
James’s eyes slowly widened.
He realized what Jaei wanted.
Click!
“Here I go!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Pinkerton employee fired wildly after loading.
Each time a shell casing flew out, his body swayed heavily.
Even trying to control the recoil, the alcohol made it difficult.
Click!
“Huh?”
“If you’re out of bullets, move!”
“Wait, lend me some.”
“Stop clinging! Move aside!”
The target was as small as a fingernail.
Even sober, it wouldn’t be easy—but they were all drunk.
No one succeeded easily.
They wasted bullets meaninglessly, until finally—
Bang! Bang!
“Oh! I hit it!”
“He hit it!”
Only one person succeeded.
Jaei clapped as if impressed.
“That’s amazing. And without even using all your bullets. How many shots did it take?”
“Five! Two left! Hahaha! 200 dollars!”
“Damn it, wait. I’ll borrow bullets and try again.”
“Ah, no. Please wait a moment.”
As they tried borrowing bullets from customers, Jaei lightly stopped them.
“I still have the rest of my proposal.”
“The rest?”
“Yes. I’d like you to escort me without guns.”
“W-what?”
“Going into the wasteland without guns. That’s my proposal. If you accept, you get 200 dollars. The rest get 50 each. You’ve been there—you know that unless you’re unlucky, the journey is surprisingly dull.”
“What the hell is he saying?”
“Without guns······.”
Going into the wasteland unarmed.
It meant that just as they planned to deal with Jaei there, Jaei could deal with them.
And very easily.
“I’ll send the contract regarding this through a postman to Pinkerton headquarters.”
Even if all Pinkerton employees died in the wasteland and only Jaei survived, he had an excuse.
They weren’t carrying guns.
On the other hand, if only Jaei died, things would become very complicated.
Unarmed Pinkerton employees survived, but Jaei died?
That would definitely trigger an investigation.
“You crazy bastard! How dare you—!”
They realized.
Whether 200 or 50 dollars, the money didn’t matter.
It was bait to lure Pinkerton agents into the wasteland without weapons—and at the same time—
Click!
A trap to make them use up all their bullets.
In anger, a Pinkerton agent pulled the trigger at Jaei.
But it only clicked.
Jaei quickly drew his revolver and blew off the head of the man beside him.
Bang!
He killed the one who still had bullets first.
Jaei tilted his head toward the people and asked.
“Did you see them attack first?”
“Uh, uh?”
“Report it to the guards. Say the Pinkerton agents are causing a disturbance. And if anyone here helps me subdue them, I’ll reward you.”
The Pinkerton agents drew knives and rushed forward—but couldn’t take a single step.
The moment James heard Jaei, he fired his gun.
Then the onlookers also began drawing guns one by one, aiming at the Pinkerton agents.
“Y-you think you’ll get away with this!? I’m Pinkerton! Damn it! If the company finds out, you’re all dead!”
Jaei tilted his head as if puzzled.
“The dead tell no tales. How would the company know?”
Bang!
It wasn’t Jaei.
Starting with James, the townspeople began firing indiscriminately at the Pinkerton agents.
They collapsed, coughing up blood.
Jaei ended the situation using just a single bullet.