Chapter 24
"Yeehaw!!"
"Ahahahaha!! Ride, boys!!"
The Jackson Train Robber Gang was an outlaw group that made a name for themselves on the border of California and Nevada until a few years ago.
But as they became too notorious, Pinkertons, sheriffs, and bounty hunters started chasing them with burning determination...
Because of this, they had to stop their robberies for a while and lay low.
But that humiliation ends now.'
Jackson, the leader of the train robber gang at the forefront of the group, excitedly rode towards the train visible in the distance.
According to his infiltrated subordinate, there were incredibly wealthy people on that train.
Moreover, because the tickets were so expensive, even the regular passengers who weren't in first class were mostly wealthy people.
Jackson planned to rob that train with his men and dramatically turn their lives around.
"Boys! Ride faster! There's treasure over yonder!!"
"Yes!!! Hahaha!"
As he was excitedly charging towards the train with his men, that was when it happened.
Thud!
Bang!
"...Huh?"
The subordinate next to Jackson fell off his horse at the same time as a gunshot rang out.
Jackson came to his senses after the next subordinate fell.
Thud—! Bang—!
"Aaagh!"
"...!"
This time too, though barely, the subordinate fell before the gunshot sound.
If that was the case, could it be...
Are they sniping us from that train visible in the distance...?
Jackson had this thought but then shook his head.
It was impossible.
Judging the distance now, the space between them and the train was about 2000 yards.
Even a Sharps rifle with its long range and high accuracy shouldn't be able to fire at this distance.
But...
Thud—! Bang!
"Guhkkk!"
Thud—! Bang—!
"Aaaagh!!"
Then how would he explain the subordinates falling now?
It wasn’t like they were being shot by thin air!
Thud—! Bang—!
"Urgh!!"
As another subordinate fell, Jackson finally acknowledged the opponent's skill and shouted to his men with big gestures:
"S-spread out! Scatter if you don't want to die!!"
"Y-yes sir-!!"
"See you alive at the train, you bastards!"
At Jackson's words, the subordinates scattered left and right, trying not to get shot.
Thud—! Bang!
"Arghhhh!"
Of course, that didn't mean they didn't get shot.
"Damn it!"
Jackson gritted his teeth as he lost more men than expected before even reaching the train.
And he vowed.
Whoever you are, I'll tear you to shreds.
No matter how good a sniper was, numbers had power.
Originally, the Jackson Train Robber Gang had 24 members.
Among them, 6 have fallen after being shot.
Now there are 18 left, enough to take over the train...
Thud—! Bang—!
"Aaaaghhh!"
...Even with 17, they could quickly...
Thud—! Bang—!
"Guhhhh!"
...Even with 16, if they could just get close...
Thud—! Bang!
"Urghhhh!"
...15, fuck!
"Aaaaarghhh!! I'll definitely kill you! No, I'll make you beg for death!!!"
So Jackson let out a roar of anger and quickly rode towards the train with his dying subordinates.
***
The effective range of a Sharps rifle was 1000 yards.
Converting 1000 yards to meters... ah, screw it.
Why use meters when one could just use feet, yards, and miles?
After 17 years, I had already become corrupted by yards and they were more familiar to me now than meters.
At this rate, I might keep talking about feet, yards, and miles even after returning to Korea.
...Anyway, the effective range of a Sharps rifle was 1000 yards.
But the distance between me and that train robber gang was clearly over 1000 yards, about 2000 yards.
To overcome this, some modification was needed.
Actually, it was embarrassing to even call it a modification.
Poof—
First, put a small amount of gunpowder in the chamber, then load it with a paper cartridge coated with lots of gunpowder again.
Then attach the percussion cap and fire...
Boom—!
The bullet flew towards the target at high speed with a sound like a cannon firing.
This method increased the range of the Sharps rifle while allowing the bullet to fly at high speed.
Of course, there are drawbacks too.
Poof—
First, because the firepower is forcibly increased, the gun that can't handle it breaks down quickly.
...But well, this wasn't my gun so it wasn’t my problem.
Next, there was also the problem that the increased firepower severely reduced accuracy due to recoil.
But this wasn't a problem for me either.
In this game world, I was...
Bang—!
The best gunslinger in the West.
Bang—! Thud!
Ping—!
With each shot, an outlaw fell from his horse.
After successfully sniping another outlaw, I handed the used gun to Emma.
"Emma, next."
"Yes."
One of the drawbacks of the Sharps rifle was its slow loading speed.
So I brought two Sharps rifles from the weapons storage in the train and had Emma next to me load them.
Emma perfectly modified and loaded the Sharps rifles as I instructed and handed them to me, and I used them to snipe those guys.
Bang—! Thud!
Ping—!
We’ve killed about 12 outlaws with this method so far.
Roughly counting the remaining outlaws, there were just over 10 left.
Those just over 10 remaining outlaws had now reached close proximity to the train.
So I put down the Sharps rifle I was shooting and...
"Let's go down now, Emma."
I pointed downwards to Emma.
Seeing my gesture, Emma tilted her head.
"Bo—I mean Sheriff. Wouldn't it be better to finish off those guys from up here on the train rather than going down to fight?"
"I'd like to, but... the guns are already ruined. They might explode at this rate."
Poof—
Indeed, due to the heat from the gunpowder, the rifle barrels were so hot that I couldn't properly hold them.
Emma seemed to understand just from that reason, but there was actually an even bigger reason.
"And if we kill all those bastards from here, how will we do our business?"
"...Business? What business?"
"Well, shouldn't we get paid for our work instead of working for free?"
Actually, I had already received more than enough money from the first-class rich gentlemen, but...
I wasn't about to stop when I could earn more.
So I went down to the compartment below with Emma, who still didn't understand what I meant, using the ladder.
Creak—
"Eekkk!!"
"Who are you!!"
As soon as Emma and I opened the door and entered, the already frightened passengers were wary of us.
Some even took out guns and aimed at us.
Is this... the second-class compartment?
The people's clothes were quite neat and looked expensive.
I roughly gauged their wealth and then took out the sheriff's badge from my belt to reassure them.
"It's alright! I'm Sheriff Jett Gray. Don't worry and lower your guns, please."
"S-sheriff? Phew... w-we're saved."
"Sheriff! What's the situation now? What were those gunshots... and why has the train stopped...?"
People who firmly believed I was a sheriff gathered around me like clouds and started bombarding me with questions.
Well, if the train suddenly stopped and gunshots were heard with no one explaining, they must have been very anxious.
I slowly conveyed the facts with a kind face.
"...Right now, a mysterious train robber gang is attacking, and they forcibly stopped the train."
"...Good heavens."
"The staff who tried to stop them are quite injured, and currently, dozens of train robbers are approaching here."
"..."
The more I explained, the more despair bloomed on the passengers' faces.
But in desperate situations, heroes emerged.
Ching.
I held the sheriff's badge high so it would reflect the sunlight and boldly shouted to the passengers, "But don't worry at all! I, Sheriff Jett Gray, will take responsibility and protect all passengers!"
"Ohh!"
When I showed a confident appearance while even taking out my gun, the passengers looked at me with hopeful eyes for a moment.
And I seized that opportunity...
"...But you know, the bullets I shoot and all that cost money."
"...?"
"I can't protect you all at a loss, can I? Of course, I'll save everyone, but I'll protect those who pay a 'little' fee more securely!"
"...Huh?"
While everyone was confused, I put my hat upside down in the equally confused Emma's hands.
"Just put 1 dollar as a service fee in my hat here, regardless of age or gender! Then I'll protect those people no matter what happens!"
"..."
A sheriff openly demanding a service fee.
This must be a first-time experience for everyone. It was my first time too.
As everyone was wearing blank expressions, that was when it happened.
Crash!!!
"Hand over everything valuable, you bastards!!!"
"Kyaaaahhh!!"
Right on cue, the actors appeared, breaking through the compartment windows.
Dirty appearance, fierce faces. And guns too.
Seeing the outlaws who looked like the epitome of train robbers, I smiled and...
Bang—! Bang—!
"Guhk!"
"Aaagh!"
Leisurely raised my gun and took care of two of them.
"..."
"..."
There was a moment of silence in the compartment as they saw me draw my gun and deal with the outlaws as soon as they burst in.
In that silence, I pointed to my empty hat and said, "For just 1 dollar, we can definitely protect your precious life."
"I'll pay!!!"
Immediately, inquiries from passengers flooded in.
"5 dollars!! I'll pay for my whole family!!"
"Where do I pay?! 1 dollar? I'll pay right now!"
Pile.
Before I knew it, my hat that Emma was holding started to fill up with cash...
"I-I'll give you more money! So please..."
"Hoho, that's not necessary… But go ahead and put it in."
There were even people who volunteered to give more money on their own.
I smiled kindly at such passengers and secretly whispered to Emma.
"Emma, let's make a round of the whole train like this while dealing with the outlaws."
"..."
Even at that moment, money was piling up in the hat.
I guess people really should earn money by the sweat of their brows.
Unlike when I was gambling earlier, earning money while working made me feel warm-hearted and relaxed.
So, feeling the sanctity of labor, I moved on to the next compartment.