RDR: NO REGRETS - Chapter 344: Stirring Up War (Patreon)

“Are those the ones?”

Stephen lay flat on the roof, cautiously poking his head out and peering through his binoculars at the church in the distance.

Dusk was falling. Through his binoculars, Stephen saw two groups approaching the church, one from either side.

Kevin, beside him, lowered his voice. “That's right. It's them.”

He pointed to the party coming from the left. “Those are the Del Lobo Gang men. The one in front is their second-in-command, a fellow who calls himself Brandy the Slaughterer.”

The Slaughterer? What kind of ridiculous Western fantasy nickname was that?

If somebody stuck Stephen with a nickname like that, he'd be too embarrassed to go out in public.

How humiliating.

Stephen rolled his eyes and raised his binoculars. He wanted a good look at the fool who'd given himself a name like that.

In the gathering darkness he could just make out the man's bald head gleaming in the light of his followers' torches.

He was built like a wall and carried an enormous axe, the broad-bladed kind that looked as though it belonged to a Viking.

This was the age of firearms, and the man was still lugging that thing around? Stephen muttered, “He's just showing off with that axe!”

Kevin glanced at the blade strapped to Stephen's back. “Don't you carry a knife yourself?”

As far as Kevin was concerned, a knife and an axe weren't so different.

“How can you compare the two?”

Stephen looked aghast. “I'm not foolish enough to drag an axe that big onto a battlefield.”

“But he doesn't know this is a battlefield yet, does he?”

Kevin smiled faintly. “I imagine he carries it to frighten people.”

“Maybe you're right. Those two gangs don't look especially friendly with each other.”

Kevin pointed to the armed men. “Look. They're watching each other like hawks.”

That’s for sure. Even though the two families were still quite a distance apart, the gunmen on both sides had already spread out in all directions, with one side completely surrounding the church.

“Hey, I’m actually pretty curious, why do they have to come all the way to town to make a deal?”

Stephen asked with a look of curiosity. “Why don’t they just find some random spot out in the open? Why go all the way out here?”

“I can understand why the Del Lobo Gang wants to meet here. They still think Tumbleweed belongs to them. But why would the Crocodile Gang agree?”

Kevin shrugged. “How should I know? Maybe it’s because there’s a train here, and it’s convenient?”

“Maybe.”

Now wasn’t the time to quibble over such details. Anyway, once they’d taken care of those guys, they could just grab one of them and ask.

“Shame we don't have more explosives. We could have blown the whole lot of them up at once.”

Stephen watched the men entering the church and patted the planks beneath him. “We'll need to stock up on explosives when we can.”

It all came down to money. If Stephen could afford it, he'd pack enough explosives beneath the church to bury everyone inside.

Once everyone was inside, a single “boom” would solve every problem.

What a shame...

“By the way, are your men in position?”

Stephen turned to Kevin. “There must be fifty or sixty men down there. If this works, we can wipe out the leaders of both the Del Lobo Gang and the Crocodile Gang at once.”

Gangs weren't tightly organized. Kill more than half their leaders, and even if the boss survived, the organization would start falling apart.

Even the Van der Linde Gang, for all its capable fighters, would have been in trouble without Hosea holding things together. John and Stephen alone couldn't have kept everyone else afloat.

If that was true of the Van der Linde Gang, known for its loyalty, other gangs had even less chance. The Del Lobo Gang's leaders didn't appear to inspire much devotion.

And the men taking part in this deal had to be the backbone of both gangs. Even the guards outside were probably among their best. Once those men were gone, neither gang would be able to cause much trouble again.

“Don't worry. Everything's ready.”

Kevin spoke solemnly. “Just as you asked, I have my men waiting outside town. As soon as they get the signal, they'll come in.”

“Then we'll surround the church and wipe them all out!”

“Good. Now let's watch Charles and John put on their show.”

Stephen smiled, lowered his binoculars, lay back on the roof, and closed his eyes.

Kevin couldn't help admiring him. Stephen could relax enough to close his eyes at a time like this, while Kevin's palms were slick with sweat.

Partly from nervousness, and partly from excitement.

Old grudges and new would all be settled today.

...

The church blazed with candlelight. Men from the Del Lobo Gang and the Crocodile Gang stood on opposite sides. Beneath the cross at the center, a white-haired old man was praying.

The man who called himself the Slaughterer swaggered inside. When he saw the figure beneath the cross, he gave a contemptuous snort.

“Mr. Chen, are you actually afraid of going to hell?”

Such disrespectful words immediately drew furious glares from the Crocodile Gang members, but he showed no concern, his eyes fixed straight ahead on the old man.

“Heh heh, Mr. Brandy, what do you think?”

The old man surnamed Chen lowered his hands, turned around, and looked at him quietly.

“Oh, I think I do.”

Brandy grinned broadly. “After all, you betrayed your brother first, and then your nephew. To be honest, I really don’t know what you’re after.”

“Hmph, you don’t need to know.”

A faint smile crossed the old man Chen’s face. “After all, I don’t need to explain much to you, do I?”

“Enough. I never thought dealing with you was a particularly good idea.”

Brandy shrugged, looking unconcerned. “After all, for someone like you who betrays people all the time, integrity is really a luxury.”

“Oh? Do you bandits even have integrity?”

“Of course. Loyalty is something we value highly.”

“Haha, so you’re a truly loyal person, then.”

Old Man Chen’s tone was rather sarcastic. Brandy, standing across from him, furrowed his brow, unsure what this rambling old man was up to.

“Enough. I don’t feel like wasting my breath on you. Did you bring the money and supplies?”

Brandy waved his hand impatiently, and one of his henchmen behind him walked forward carrying a chest.

When the lid was lifted, the chest was packed with gold, glittering in the firelight.

Old Man Chen nodded in satisfaction at first, but then furrowed his brow and asked, “The quantity’s off. There should be two chests.”

“Just one chest this time. We’ll make it up to you next time.”

Brandy said irritably, “What? Do you really think the Del Lobo Gang would renege on a deal?”

“Haha, well then, I’ll only give you half the supplies.”

Chen didn’t respond, but continued on his own, “We agreed from the start: cash on delivery.”

He, too, waved his hand, and a henchman nearby walked over carrying three large chests.

The crates were opened one by one: one full of rifles, one full of ammunition, and the last leather suitcase was packed with loose change.

“That’s all for now.”

“Damn it! We traded all that gold for this junk???”

It was no wonder Brandy was furious. After all, the gold he’d brought was top-quality. Even unrefined, it couldn’t possibly be worth so little.

How much could a crate of rifles and a crate of bullets possibly be worth? And that crate full of loose bills, how much was that worth?

If they'd traded that gold elsewhere, they could have gotten at least three times what Chen was offering!

Brandy was immediately livid. He pointed his thick finger right at Old Man Chen’s nose and shouted, “You old bastard, do you really think we in the Del Lobo Gang are idiots?!!!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than his men behind him raised their weapons.

Meanwhile, the Crocodile Gang on the other side also raised their guns in a standoff, and the tension in the church became incredibly thick in an instant.

“Haha, well, you’re free to go find someone else to trade with.”

Chen answered calmly. “Your black market has been raided twice in just a few months, with plenty of people killed. You can barely trade for anything now, can you?”

“The Blackwater lawmen are still hunting you down, and New Austin isn’t safe either. I heard you’ve been robbed several more times recently???”

“Heh, don’t try to tell me these are just minor issues, you can’t fool me.”

Clearly, Chen was completely unafraid, having made up his mind to pull a heist on the Del Lobo Gang.

He was betting that the Del Lobo Gang was in a bad spot right now and would have no choice but to grit their teeth and swallow their pride.

In fact, how could he possibly have come here with just this little bit?

The Del Lobo Gang was short of manpower, limiting the amount of gold they could mine each month. If they had brought plenty of gold this time, it would have shown that they'd dealt with the raiders and regained their strength.

In that case, Chen would have handed over everything he’d brought without hesitation, and might even have given them a discount.

But as it stood, not only had they failed to take out the robbers, they even looked rather disheveled.

So don’t blame Chen for being so confident.

Brandy was grinding his teeth in fury, but he couldn't bring himself to give the order to shoot.

It wasn't that he was afraid. A killer like him would never admit to fear.

But just as Chen had said, the Del Lobo Gang was actually having a really tough time.

Although they had a fearsome reputation, one that made most people in New Austin tremble at the mere mention of their name, they were really just an empty shell.

The gang had recruited a large number of new members, and not only did these new recruits need to be fed, but they also couldn’t go out and rob people right away.

Besides, New Austin was vast and sparsely populated. Where would they find enough travelers to rob?

Food was in short supply, and so were the weapons and ammunition they needed for their raids.

They had grown too fast. With so many mouths to feed, their supplies were disappearing at a terrifying rate.

The gang produced nothing for itself, yet had to keep rewarding its followers to hold their loyalty. Its finances were a disaster.

Although they recently raided MacFarlane's Ranch, they didn’t storm it head-on. They succeeded only by turning MacFarlane’s guards against him.

To turn those guards, they spent a massive amount of money and gold, they even promised to give them half of the ranch’s loot.

As a result, they didn’t manage to loot enough to fill their own shortages and are still starving.

If it weren’t for those raiders who’d recently popped up out of nowhere, they would’ve even planned to attack Armadillo to make up for their shortfall.

But Armadillo isn’t that easy to take. Without an inside man, they’d be crazy to launch a direct assault on a town.

It’s all because they’re broke.

Gold was wonderful, but it couldn't fill a hungry stomach or quench thirst. It only had value once someone was willing to buy it.

Brandy furrowed his brow, his eyes fixed intently on Chen in front of him.

“Add one more wagonload of food, canned goods or whatever, and this deal is settled.”

After pondering for a while, he finally said this, though reluctantly.

“Very well, it’s a good deal,” Chen immediately agreed with a smile.

He couldn’t drive the price down too hard, or else these bandits would truly be driven to desperate measures.

Brandy waved his hand, signaling his men to haul everything away, then placed the crate of gold in front of Old Man Chen.

“Want to count it?”

“No need. I don’t think you’d have the guts to pull any tricks at a time like this.”

Chen said leisurely, “I still need to stay here for a while. You guys can go.”

Brandy didn’t think much of it. Muttering under his breath, he prepared to head back.

It was always like this, after every transaction, Chen would stay in this church for a while. Who knows why.

Brandy pursed his lips, then turned and walked toward the main entrance.

“Bang!”

Suddenly, a loud gunshot echoed throughout the church.

Everyone froze.

Brandy froze. Slowly he lowered his eyes to the enormous, bloody wound in his chest.

He remained standing in disbelief for a moment, then collapsed.

The entire church fell deathly silent in an instant. Everyone stared blankly at the body on the floor, speechless.

No one had expected it to end like this.

Who fired the shot???

“They killed Brandy! Avenge Brandy!”

A high-pitched male voice suddenly roared in anger, followed immediately by several more gunshots, the bullets flying straight toward Old Man Chen.

Archbishop Chen, who had been in control only moments earlier, was hit as well. Luckily for him, the bullet struck only his thigh.

Several of his henchmen rushed forward and surrounded him, and in an instant, the entire church descended into chaos.

“Those Del Lobo Gang members struck from the shadows! Take them out!”

“Those Crocodile Gang bastards are out to devour us! Take them out!!!”

Chaos. Utter chaos.

Gunfire erupted throughout the church, and everyone was caught up in the fray.

The fight turned vicious almost immediately. Both sides were furious, and the church, for all its size, offered almost no cover.

Soon the men on both sides were standing in the open, shooting at one another as though they were lining up for execution.

The casualties were appalling. Men were dying almost every moment.

Chen wanted to lead his men out, but the church had only one exit, the main door, and that was right in the thick of the fighting.

His men dragged him behind the cross, which at least offered some protection from the bullets.

“Someone’s there! Someone’s targeting us!”

From where he stood, Chen was among the first to realize something was wrong. He shouted for everyone to calm down, but it was too late.

Too many people had already died.

He closed his eyes in agony. He knew it was all over.

Anyone capable of arranging this ambush would surely make certain neither group got home to tell the tale.

And even if they did manage to get back, what good would it do? Would the Del Lobo Gang listen to their explanations?

Once the Del Lobo Gang and the Crocodile Gang went to war... No, at this point, war was inevitable.

One wrong move could bring down everything...

But hadn’t their men already searched the church? And this was the Del Lobo Gang’s turf, where on earth had those people been hiding to ambush them???

Chen only wanted an answer before he died. He didn't want to go to his grave without knowing who had set them up.

“Hahaha! Looks like your plan worked!!!”

Kevin clenched his fists and pounded the roof in excitement, hard enough that he almost broke through it.

“Hey, hey, hey, take it easy. If we fall down there, we’re in big trouble.”

Stephen pursed his lips. “Take it easy. A little fight like this gets you that excited?”

Seeing Stephen’s nonchalant expression, Kevin was thoroughly impressed.

This guy was too good, he’d managed to pit the two gangs against each other so easily.

Kevin watched the fierce battle raging at the church, and his heart burned with excitement.

Go on, keep fighting. Let those bastards tear each other apart. The more of them died, the easier it would be to move in and finish off whoever remained.

“Looks like the Del Lobo Gang is on its last legs.”

Stephen leisurely watched the battle through his binoculars. He noticed the Del Lobo Gang members falling in droves, while the Crocodile Gang on the other side was growing more aggressive by the minute, looking set to wipe out the Del Lobo Gang entirely.

“They started it, and their weapons are better, so they have the upper hand.”

Kevin couldn’t stop grinning. After all, who wouldn’t love to see their enemies get their comeuppance!

“We'd better lend the Del Lobo Gang a hand.”

Stephen said casually, “There are still more than twenty Crocodile Gang men down there, and I'd rather not fight all of them myself.”

He picked up his rifle, chambered a round, took aim, and fired at a Crocodile Gang gunman.

The bullet caught the man in the head, killing him instantly.

Stephen was pleased with his shot. John had taught him to shoot, and regular practice was steadily improving his aim.

At this rate, he might soon become a real Sharpshooter.

Stephen worked the bolt and dropped another gunman with a single shot. “Juan, bring Sadie and John in with their men. Let's finish them all at once!”

“Mayor Kevin, send your men in to clean up.”