On the prairie, the sheriff, Zhang Heng, Wendy, and the deputy sheriff were sitting on the ground around the campfire.
On both sides of them were the miners and farmers of Bliss. Although the two sides had decided to move together, there was a clear division between them. There was no communication at all. Each of them did their own things, and the eyes they looked at each other were full of hatred.
A look of worry flashed across the sheriff's face.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Heng asked.
"We still have too few people, and we lack combat experience. There are also internal conflicts. If we fight the Cook Gang in this state, I'm afraid we'll be in trouble."
Zhang Heng did not answer the sheriff's question. Instead, he asked, "Do you know a lot about Cook?"
"No, most of it is the impression I had of him when we lived in the town. He looked like an easy-going person, just like his wife and daughter. His family were devout Puritans. We were the first group of people to arrive in the town in a covered wagon. I was only six years old at that time. It's probably hard for people today to imagine the difficulties and dangers we encountered along the way. There were bandits, Indians, and people with bad intentions everywhere. We went through many tough battles, and Cook was the best marksman among us. It's hard to imagine a gentle man like him fighting so fiercely."
"He was the best person among us. He was a born leader, a marksman, and he cared about everyone at the same time. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have made it to the settlement. When the town was first established, we unanimously decided to elect him as sheriff, but he refused. He was a man who put his family first. After he opened his own ranch, he wanted to spend the rest of his time with his wife. So, we chose Old Thompson as sheriff."
"He was also a good man worthy of respect, but unfortunately, he didn't even stay in this position for a year. He went to help the town's widow to collect her debt, but he was ambushed by the debtor and his two brothers. They shot him dead, and one of them was later caught and hanged in the next town. The other two are still missing. Some said they fled to Japan, some said they encountered bandits and were killed. Others said they changed their names and joined the army. In short, they are nowhere to be found."
"Then there was Morris. Morris worked for four years. He was blinded in one eye when he was fighting with a group of bandits who fled to the town. Miraculously, he survived, but two years later, he retired from the sheriff's position. Then there was Thompson Jr., the son of Old Thompson … During this period, Cook had two children. The first was a boy, but unfortunately, he didn't survive. Then there was a girl, Mary. I think the Cooks gave their daughter their love for their first child. "
"Cook originally wanted a third child, but in the end, his wife died in childbirth. Cook was depressed for a period of time, but fortunately, he still had his daughter. Mary helped him successfully walk out of the shadows and embrace life again. Then there was Matthew. Matthew's father was an Apache Indian, and his mother was a British immigrant. His birth was an accident. Because of his Indian heritage, the people in the town didn't like him.
"When he first came to the town, I even fought with him. At that time, I was just a young man, and I couldn't tell right from wrong. I just beat him up because I didn't like him, but I didn't expect that after the fight, we would become friends. Matthew said that he came to the town to find a job, but I was just a poor boy at that time, so I recommended him to Cook because I knew that if there was anyone in the town who was generous enough to accept him, it would be Cook.
"Sure enough, although Matthew didn't know anything at that time, he was diligent and eager to learn. I could see that Cook liked him very much. Not only did he teach him how to ride and shoot, but he also invited him to eat at his house from time to time, treating him like his own son. Most people in this world are blind fools. Only a few people can see through a person's gender, race, and appearance to see the shining points in the depths of a person's heart. Cook has such an ability.
"You all know what happened after that, so I won't talk about it anymore. Cook married Mary, and then that unfortunate thing happened. Until now, I still don't know if what we did that night was right or wrong." The sheriff paused. "But when I thought about it later, I don't think it was a coincidence that things went out of control that night. At that time, most of us decided to avenge Mary on impulse. With Cook's intelligence and meticulousness, it was impossible for him not to know what we would face after killing Reuben's men. So, he must have made up his mind to kill everyone in the town from the beginning.
"At that time, he was probably full of disappointment with the townspeople. Considering that he had done so much for the town, the townspeople should have supported him. However, when Mary was killed, few people were willing to stand by his side. This gave him a taste of betrayal." I heard what happened after that.
After the three of us parted ways, he went to the East Coast alone and killed the director of the Pacific Union Railroad Company. After that, he came back and founded the Cook Gang. For more than a decade, the Cook Gang has been the most powerful and the most terrifying gang in the West. They robbed trains, looted towns, and even fought head-on with the Rangers. Of course, they also suffered heavy losses. Some people even thought that they had disappeared, but it didn't take long for them to emerge again, becoming more ferocious and powerful.
"Except for those larger towns, small towns like Glenn live in fear of the Cook Gang," the sheriff looked into Zhang Heng's eyes. "I tell you these things because I want you to know how terrifying Cook is. Once a man with all kinds of good qualities like him decides to do evil, the damage he can cause will definitely be much greater than the average robber. I don't know what happened to him after the three of us parted ways, but we have to stop him." "If he was only obsessed with revenge at the beginning, then everything he did after that has long gone beyond the scope of revenge.
"If he was only obsessed with revenge in the beginning, then everything he has done since then has long gone beyond the scope of revenge. His hands are stained with the blood of innocent people, not just those of those big shots, but more of ordinary civilians. God knows how many children have lost their fathers, wives have lost their husbands, and even entire families have been slaughtered by him. What happened in Bliss is not an accident. If we let him go on like this, I don't know how many more crazy things he will do," the sheriff said with a solemn look on his face.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
