Reborn in 1878: America's Number One Bandit

Chapter 53: Twenty-eight heads or one hundred thousand silver dollars!
When Jerry refocused, he saw a valley surrounded by rugged mountain walls.

The afternoon sun slanted in, illuminating the dust particles in the air clearly.

Peter was beside him.

Jerry's senses are slowly recovering from the numbness following the excruciating pain.

Soon, he saw a group of people.

Dozens of large Irish men, some sitting and some standing, were scattered throughout the valley.

Most of them had messy red or brown beards covered with food scraps and tobacco dust.

Their hands were either gripping bottles of liquor or resting on the handles of guns at their waists.

Not far away, dozens of valiant horses were tethered to makeshift wooden stakes, pawing restlessly.

On the other side of the valley, a pile of weapons haphazardly laid out on a tarpaulin immediately captivated Jerry's attention.

Winchester repeating rifle, Colt revolver, Remington shotgun...

And above that pile of steel weapons, there were four dark Gatling guns!
Jerry shuddered.

Peter, standing nearby, wasn't much better off, breaking out in goosebumps.

It's over, it's over, it's over!

The thought flashed through their minds simultaneously.

Kidnapped!

Just then, a tall, imposing figure blocked the sunlight from their heads.

Finnian crouched down and came close to the two of them. A strong smell of alcohol and sweat hit them, making them shudder again.

"woke up?"

"Tell me, are you two reporters?"

Jerry and Peter nodded frantically, like startled chicks.

"Yes, yes, sir!"

Peter pleaded, "We're just two interns running errands! We have no money, not a single cent!"

"Our editor-in-chief is a stingy bastard; he will never pay our ransom! We are of no use whatsoever, please, let us go!"

Finnian ignored their wailing.

He stood up and gestured with his chin toward a cave deep in the valley.

"Bring out all those handsome boys from Pinkerton!"

Soon, a group of people were roughly pushed out of the cave.

The two reporters stood frozen in place.

It's the Pinkerton National Detective Agency's Wolverine Squad! The missing agents!

Their hands were tied behind their backs, and ropes were around their necks. They were led in a row by the bandits like livestock.

After counting, there were a total of twenty-eight people.

Sullivan was at the very front of the line.

There were supposed to be thirty-two people, but four died on the way back.

"Your Majesty!"

One of the bandits slammed the butt of his gun into the back of the knee of the last detective in the team.

The young detective staggered, his face contorted with rage, and roared, "FUCK YOU! You bunch of Irish bastards! Go ahead and kill us if you dare!"

His response was a merciless blow from another bandit, the butt of his gun smashing hard against his forehead.

"boom!"

The young detective's forehead was immediately torn open, and he groaned as his body went limp and collapsed.

"Who the hell wants to stand up and talk?"

Finnian roared angrily, "If anyone dares to move again, I'll smash their head into a pile of mud!"

Sullivan stopped the other eager agents: "Do as they say!"

Under the captain's orders, the remaining Pinkerton agents, though unwilling, knelt on the ground one after another.

Finnian nodded in satisfaction, then glanced at Jerry and Peter.

"Now, it's your turn to work."

He pointed to the bulky camera lying on the ground.

"Set it up and take some nice photos of these Pinkerton heroes."

"Then, take the photos back to San Francisco and publish them in your newspaper, in the biggest space!"

"Tell that old bastard at the Pinkerton Detective Agency publicly! His wolverine is in my hands now! If they want them to live, they'd better prepare a ransom of 100,000 eagles!"

"Money first, release them! No money, I'll cut their heads off one by one and turn them into ashtrays!"

Jerry and Peter were stunned again. A golden opportunity!
What they are now facing is explosive news that is enough to shake the entire United States!
There are survivors from Pinkerton's elite task force!
Moreover, they became hostages!
This Irish gang actually dared to kidnap Pinkerton agents and demand a huge ransom of $100,000!
This is absolutely exclusive; there's no more exclusive news than this!

The two looked at each other!
Screw editor-in-chief Martin! Screw intern status!

If they can bring this news back, they'll be set for life! They'll win a huge prize!
Fame! Money!
And there's Annie from the editorial department with that voluptuous big butt!

"Get moving! Quickly!"

Jerry reacted quickly and immediately went to steady the camera.

Peter seemed to have been given a shot of adrenaline, and he scrambled over to check the lens and film.

Soon, the flashlight's fuse was lit.

"Stab!"

A blinding white light suddenly burst forth, forever freezing this humiliating scene on the glass plate.

After the photos were taken, Jerry and Peter were immediately grabbed by two thugs and thrown onto a horse-drawn carriage like sacks, along with their precious camera and the film.

"Go back to San Francisco."

Finnian said with amusement, "Remember my words, publish it word for word! If you dare to try anything funny, I'll personally go to your newspaper office, rip out your editor's intestines, and hang them on the gaslight!"

With a flick of his whip, the coachman sent the two young reporters bouncing out of the valley.

……

The cave was dark and damp.

Sullivan and his men were locked up again.

At the entrance to the cave, two bandits stood guard with guns.

"team leader……"

A young agent broke the silence: "Would the company really spend $100,000 to save us?"

This question also reflects what everyone wants to ask.

Sullivan leaned against the cold rock wall and slowly opened his eyes.

"Will do."

“We are Pinkerton men, we have twenty-eight brothers here, and the company will never abandon us.”

"Cheer up! Don't let these bastards scare you! From now on, try to conserve your energy and don't provoke them."

"As long as we're alive, we have a chance to escape! Do you understand?"

"Yes, Captain!"

Encouraged by Sullivan, the agents' spirits were somewhat lifted.

Silence fell over the cave once again.

But when Sullivan closed his eyes again and leaned against the rock wall, he felt a deep sadness in his heart.

Save? Ha!
He knew all too well what kind of company it was.

One hundred thousand US dollars is a huge sum of money, but that's not about the money itself.

It's a matter of face!

When has the Pinkerton National Detective Agency ever bowed down to a group of thugs?

Once the ransom is paid, the firm's credibility will be completely destroyed, and they will become a laughing stock across the United States.

Therefore, the company will not bail them out.

Absolutely not.

From the moment they were captured, these twenty-eight people were classified as losses in the company's books.

All the company can do now is retaliate!

When Jerry and Peter's carriage rushed back to San Francisco, the glass negative they brought with them immediately became a detonator that ignited the powder keg of public opinion in California.

The moment Martin, the editor-in-chief of the California Chronicle, saw the photo, his bulky frame burst forth with an agility completely disproportionate to his size.

He snatched the film and examined it repeatedly against the light.

"My God! My God!"

"Print it out! Immediately! Get all our printing presses running!"

The front page of the newspaper didn't even have any extra text to elaborate on it.

That one photo alone was powerful enough!
"Ten thousand dollars, or twenty-eight heads! The Irish devil declares war on Pinkerton!"

P.S.: Thank you so much for your monthly votes, brothers!

Regarding updates, due to the limitations of recommendation rules and the new book list, only two chapters can be updated daily during the new book period.

The author has a backlog of chapters and will release a massive update on the first day of publication at the end of the month to repay the readers.

Also, brothers, please don't let books sit unread. Daily reading is also an important indicator. Thank you!

(End of this chapter)