The bear-like man called himself Ricky.
Zhang Heng got a piece of good news and bad news from Ricky.
The good news was that he finally knew where Lincoln County was located in the main quest. The bad news was that the place was quite far from where he was now. He had to keep going south, through the Gobi Desert.
According to Ricky, it would take him at least two days to get there by horse, and it wasn't very safe along the way.
As for the train …
"The train hasn't come here for a while. There used to be a copper mine here, and this town was built at that time. The town was basically inhabited by miners and their families, but the copper mine was mined out … I'm not sure. Maybe there's some left, but it's estimated to be 200 feet below the surface. It's very difficult to dig. As you can see, the people in the town have moved away."
"Then why are you still here?"
Zhang Heng poured himself another glass of whiskey.
"We're not from the town … we run a small business nearby." Ricky's eyes flashed.
"What kind of business?"
"Fur business, but it's hard to run a fur business these days. Even beaver pelts aren't as valuable as before, and those little things are getting harder and harder to find," Ricky complained.
"So this place is your stronghold?"
"Yes, after the miners moved away, we took over this place. No, it's actually just this bar."
"How many of you are there?"
"Seven people. You've seen all of them. Uh, now I'm the only one left …" Ricky's eyes showed a hint of pleading. "I'm sorry, sir. I sincerely apologize for what happened earlier. I made up the story about our friends in China. I was drunk at that time, and my mouth was full of nonsense …"
"Uh-huh." Zhang Heng took another sip of whiskey. "But why did I see eight horses at the entrance of the bar? Don't tell me one of them belongs to the bar owner. Considering his physical condition, I don't think he can still use a horse." "Well … there were eight of us before.
"Well … there were eight of us before, no, nine of us, but we ran into some trouble and lost two of our companions, but one of them still has his horse. Please, sir, I've already told you everything I know. I know that you are a good and honorable person, and we only have ourselves to blame for what happened today, but we've already received the punishment we deserve. For God's sake, please let this matter end here. How about … I still have fifteen dollars in my pocket, I can give it to you," Ricky begged.
Zhang Heng handed over the half-filled glass of whiskey in his hand.
A glint of joy flashed in Ricky's eyes, and he quickly took the glass of wine that symbolized peace and downed it in one gulp. When his eyes fell on the black muzzle in front of him, however, he saw nothing but a black hole.
Zhang Heng had already picked up the lever rifle leaning against his feet. "No, you don't know who I am. By the way, your answer just now was full of lies."
After that, without waiting for Ricky to answer, he pulled the trigger.
After a gunshot, the glass fell to the ground, and the bar finally fell into complete silence.
Zhang Heng took the Oath Ring from Ricky's body and put it back in his backpack. Although it was only an F-grade item, it was surprisingly useful, especially during interrogation. The "oath violation" feature could be detected by the other party, making it a portable, small lie detector.
Zhang Heng spent some time searching the small bar, found food and a few buckets of drinking water in the storage room, and made himself his first dinner since he came to this quest.
After that, he took a plate of bacon and potatoes, sat outside the bar, and watched the sunset as he finished his meal. Considering the distance between Lincoln County and him, Zhang Heng was not in a hurry to continue his journey. Instead, he decided to rest for another night in this empty town. After dinner, he carried his rifle and thoroughly patrolled the nearby area.
Ricky did not lie about the town. It had indeed been abandoned for quite some time. Other than him and his accomplices, no one usually came here.
There were many similar towns in the west. Most of them were built on the resources nearby. Miners, ranchers, and gold diggers gathered together with their families. While they were engaged in production, they also needed to live and entertain themselves. However, with the depletion of resources, people had to move to new places to make a living. The original town had become desolate and empty.
It was now a completely empty town.
Zhang Heng quickly completed his patrol and found a clean place to sleep in a house on the opposite street.
The next morning, when he returned to the bar, the first thing he did was to change his clothes. His skin color was already a little eye-catching, but the clothes he wore were even more eye-catching. Although short-sleeved shirts and shorts were cool, they couldn't withstand the scorching sun. If he was going to travel a long distance, he would need to update his equipment.
Cowhide boots, shirts, leather pants, cowboy scarves … These were all contributed by Ricky and his companions. Zhang Heng found a guy who was closer to him and changed into the guy's clothes. Other than that, he also took two Colt revolvers and put them in the holsters around his waist.
As for the more powerful lever rifles, Zhang Heng did not take them, considering that he was going to Lincoln County to settle down there and not to look for trouble. Besides, he already had two revolvers, enough for him to defend himself.
Bullets, food, and water were all necessary consumables. Zhang Heng stuffed some of them into his backpack.
Other than that, Zhang Heng also received the 15 dollars that Ricky promised him. Unfortunately, these guys were not rich. The eight of them contributed less than 50 dollars. Fortunately, the money added up should be enough for him to live for a while.
Before leaving, Zhang Heng opened another barrel of whiskey, sprinkled it on the corpses and the floor, and drew a match on it.
Soon, everything that happened here would be engulfed by the fire.
After doing all this, Zhang Heng walked out of the bar.
However, his troubles had only just begun.
It was quite a distance from here to Lincoln County. Not only would it take a lot of time to walk there, but it would also be very uncomfortable under the scorching sun. Since this place was already abandoned, it was obvious that he couldn't count on the train anymore. In this day and age, Zhang Heng only had one option left.
He looked at the eight horses tied outside the bar. After dinner last night, he brought them a few bundles of hay for dinner. While he was at it, he observed them. The darkest black horse looked the strongest and most lively, so Zhang Heng eliminated them first. The other horses were also very vigilant when he approached them, constantly pawing the ground with their hooves or shaking their heads. They didn't look like friendly partners.
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