In the vast Gobi Desert, a group of people were riding horses. They had been wandering in the wild for a week, and everyone looked travel-worn. However, they were getting closer and closer to their final destination, Yi Ning.
However, when they arrived at their destination, they found that it had already been engulfed by the fire, leaving only charred wreckage on the ground.
Matthew dismounted from his horse and stood in the middle of the town. Looking up, there were broken walls everywhere, and no living creatures could be found.
"I told you, they all died in the fire."
If Zhang Heng were here, he would definitely recognize the person who spoke. It was the bailiff named Morton whom he met by chance on the first night he came to this quest. However, the latter did not look too good now. His eyes were bruised, his nose was broken, and he had lost four or five teeth. Tied to a horse, he could barely speak.
"I don't believe your story about a mysterious oriental gunman … I've lived in Lincoln County for so long, and I've never seen such a person." Matthew frowned.
"As I said, if I hadn't met him that night, I wouldn't have believed that there would be such a strange person in this world. He is like a mysterious ghost. No one knows where he came from. After that, I followed the direction he came from and asked the nearby towns, but no one had seen such a person. It was as if he suddenly appeared in this Gobi Desert, killed seven good men in the bar, and left with forty kilograms of gold and what you are looking for. When I met him, I did hear him say that he was going to Lincoln County."
"Then let's go to Lincoln County too," the hunchbacked old man said.
"No, I won't go to Lincoln County with you." Matthew shook his head. "Don't think I don't know what you are planning, Cook. In Bliss, you deliberately revealed my name to the people in town. When you rob this guy, "Matthew pointed to Morton on horseback," you must bring me with you. Do you want to use this method to get me in touch with the Cook Gang? "
"You are a member of the Cook Gang, and one of its founders," the hunchbacked old man said leisurely.
"No, I have nothing to do with your gang, and Lucky Horseshoe has nothing to do with the Cook Gang," Matthew said. "Are you putting on a show for me, Cook? You and this Morton guy, you actually made an appointment, didn't you? You went around in circles just to trick me into going to Lincoln County with you. "
"You think too highly of me, child." The hunchbacked old man took out a box of chewing tobacco. "I'm not like those people from the Union Pacific Railroad who can make the bailiffs work for me. I have been thinking about how to get you to come with me to Lincoln County, but it seems that the problem has been solved by itself now. This is probably fate's choice."
"I don't believe in fate," Matthew said.
"I didn't believe it either. But if it weren't for fate, we would be sitting together in your house now. You holding your son, and I holding my granddaughter. We would be drinking beer and talking about the trivial things of life that aren't worth mentioning at all. And Mary … Mary is in the kitchen preparing dinner." Cook paused.
Cook paused, "But you're right. There's no such thing as fate in this world. It's the law of the jungle. I don't regret establishing the Cook Gang, but I regret realizing it too late. I let the happy life I once had blinded me, just like you now. But sooner or later, the cruel life will wake us up. I heard that you married another woman in Lincoln County and gave birth to a daughter."
"This is between us. Don't involve them," Matthew warned.
The hunchbacked old man smiled, "You should not worry about me, but the fate you speak of. Aren't you worried that what happened to Mary will happen to them?"
Matthew fell into silence after hearing this.
"Look, your so-called happiness is so fragile. There are too many big shots in this world like the director of the Pacific Union Railroad. Matthew, you are just an ant under their feet. You don't know when that boot will fall on your head. Do you know where I went after the three of us parted ways?"
"Where?"
"I took a train to the East Coast."
"Then why did you come back?"
"What? Do you think I'm going to New York to retire?" I was going to kill the director of the Pacific Union Railroad. I was ready to be caught after I succeeded. I lost Mary, and I didn't want to live anymore anyway … Things went smoother than I thought. I slipped into the target's house without much effort. The guys on the East Coast are different from us. They are hardly vigilant. I even had a chance to enjoy his wife in front of him before I killed him. Then I noticed the way he looked at me. He was so frightened and helpless, like a puppy in the rain. It was at that moment that I suddenly realized that I had become his fate. "
"What are you trying to say?" Matthew frowned.
"My point is that if you want to get rid of this endless cycle of tragic fate, you have to become fate itself," Cook said. Cook said, "Join us, Matthew. Don't be a pawn at the mercy of fate. We have more than forty brave and fearless men. They come and go like the wind, and their marksmanship is excellent. The whole west is our hunting ground."
"Since you already have more than forty men, why do you still want me to join you?"
"Because you are my family, Matthew. I have always treated you like a son, because your bloodline was not welcomed in town. It was I who accepted you, taught you how to use a gun, how to ride a horse, and married my daughter to you. You are just like me when I was young. Join us, and I will continue to guide you."
"Guide me to where? Accompany you to hell?"
"This ending is not too bad. If you and I work together, even if we go to hell, we can still kill Satan." The hunchbacked old man looked at Matthew expectantly.
Cook shook his head. "No, Cook, I still have a wife and daughter. I can't be a bandit with you. The revenge is over. We killed an entire town. It's over. I love Mary as much as you do. Because of this, I'm sure that she doesn't want to see you become like this. You're just inflicting the pain you've suffered on others. What's the difference between you and Reuben in the past?"
"I'm stronger than him. That's why I survived," the hunchbacked old man said. "In this land, only the strong can win the right to live for themselves. It's a pity that you are not strong enough, Matthew, but it doesn't matter. You will soon become stronger. Come on, son, let's welcome a new future together."
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