One year later, Armadillo Town:
"This place bears a curse! Gentlemen."
"A person who is dying of a disease will forget the restraints of morality and make many indecent acts. The effect will be the same as that of a person who has lost his soul. So please buy some of my ginseng elixir. These rare Expensive plants can prevent you from falling into the devil's quagmire and keep you away from the entanglement of illness." A fat man who looked like a businessman shouted to two horseback riders approaching on the streets of Armadillo Town.
"If you made up these beautiful lines just to sell these grassroots, then there is no need to work hard, Mr. Fat." One of the passengers said.
"Haha, sir, this must be your first time coming to Armadillo Town. As I said, this is a cursed town. Look over there - you will understand."
The two of them looked in the direction pointed by the fat businessman. At the end of the street was the town's stagecoach. Not far away were several burning fires, with various furniture and beams burning inside.
"-and the bodies of the dead. If the west wind blows from New Mexico, their ashes will scatter in the air and dance with the yellow sand."
"What caused such tragedy?"
"Cholera has invaded the town. Gentlemen, we must burn the equipment used by the patients to prevent infection. But I think this trouble will soon be saved - the residents of the town are running for their lives."
"And you're still here, aren't you?"
"Oh...I, as my aunt said, my mission is to bring medicine to useful places and save as many people as possible."
"Thank you for your kindness, but we are not the ones who need saving."
"Before you, there was the same person who thought he didn't need salvation. His name was Arthur Morgan. He died in the wilderness with tuberculosis."
"Curse is no joke. I'm warning you one last time. Shut your damn mouth."
"Okay, okay, may I ask your name? I think I can tell the misfortunes of the two monsters to future travelers."
"Then listen carefully: sooner or later, John Coster and Miller Jedson will blow your mind." To be honest, facing this long-winded guy, John really had the urge to pull out his pistol from the holster.
The sun gradually set amidst the chatter of everyone, and the fiery red clouds turned into clouds of mist that reached the ground, and were soon dispersed by the heat rising from the ground.
"So, John, you know what's going on? I mean this town," Miller said.
"I think it's those armadillos. My father used to participate in the team to eradicate pests in southwest Texas. He told me that armadillos are the host of leprosy, and their hard armor can withstand bullets, so they are also called armored rats. .”
"John, sure! So much knowledge, but I really can't find any connection between armadillos and cholera."
"There's always a connection, just like when you think of a pistol you think of death."
"Well, let's move on. I don't want to travel for a year and end up getting cholera - like poor Mr. Morgan. You see, we went up that hillside, across the tall woods, and there we go. We’re almost here in Blackwater, and I promise we’ll be able to lie on the soft bed in Blackwater at night.”
As Miller said, you can see a few wisps of smoke rising in the distance when you go up the hillside. If John's guess is correct, Armadillo Town is a depression, and the place to the east is a plateau compared to it. The water and grass are much more abundant; to the west, it borders New Mexico, where the terrain is lower and there is endless desert.
Perhaps there was still a long way to go, so John tightened the reins and speeded up his purebred black leather horse - his beloved horse was named Black Pearl. He looked back at Miller's horse. The big dark gelding Shire horse named Gale was obviously exhausted. Being taller could never increase a horse's speed or endurance, it would only allow its owner to install a heavier saddle and become something called a pack horse, so Miller's Shire horse carried almost all their luggage.
"Wow!"
An uninvited visitor with a gun jumped out of the shadows on the side of the road and blocked the way of John and Miller.
"Let's take a look at these two poor cowboys. Where are you going in such a hurry?"
"Hush!"
John stopped his horse. To be honest, the sudden appearance of this man really startled him, followed by a hint of fear, because he saw three accomplices behind the robber, and his intuition immediately calmed him down.
"I think you are coming from Armadillo Town. The sick people there won't have the strength to rob you again, but you are lucky enough to meet us. Put all your belongings here and then leave." The leader of the gangster used a revolver Said to John.
"Oh, by the way, there are still two horses left. They are good litters, aren't they?" The man whistled and walked towards Black Pearl, who neighed in warning and shook his head to avoid the stranger.
"What are you waiting for? If my gun goes off, Sheriff Sean will have his job tonight." The gang leader threatened fiercely.
John looked at the bandit leader calmly. Anyone who knew him before would be wary of his shooting skills. He had never been threatened with a gun by anyone. At this moment, he could choose to abandon his property and horses to save his life, but facing the old guy with a white beard in front of him, he couldn't resist. He wanted to take a risk and gamble. His bet was a cowboy revolver filled with six bullets in his pocket and A mind that stays focused.
"Don't shoot, brother, of course we are willing to hand over our belongings." John said while giving Miller a look ready to fight.
"That's enough, now dismount." The bandit leader showed a satisfied smile.
John did as he was told. When he was about to jump to the ground from the left side of Black Pearl, he quickly took out his pistol and shot at the bandit leader from under the horse's belly. He then killed two more, and Miller killed one. .
"In less than two seconds, John, I can guarantee it." Miller looked at the corpses scattered on the ground with admiration.
"Save it, you've promised a lot tonight," John said.
"You search them to see if there is anything valuable. Take a rest and I will bring them back." Miller said, looking at the frightened Black Pearl and Gale not far away.
John smiled bitterly. They were originally robbed, but now they became robbers and took away four lives. In fact, he hadn't killed anyone for a long time... He picked up the old robber's body and held it with his hands. He reached into the corpse's pocket and took out an opened bottle of bitter medicinal wine and two or three pieces of paper.
"We gathered in Lexington...were not soldiers from the Civil War?" John said to himself. These papers were a few pages from the owner's diary during the Civil War.
"Miller, we might be in trouble—these guys might have been in the war," John shouted to Miller.
But Miller didn't seem to hear it, dragging Black Pearl and Gale over as hard as he could.
"Run...run, John...those are Lemoyne Raiders, and dozens of their accomplices are coming from the high woods!"
The two got on their horses and galloped in the opposite direction amidst the roars coming from the depths of the woods and the whizzing of bullets behind them.
From the direction of New Mexico, the west wind is indeed blowing, and along with it are the howls of wolves in the wilderness.
