Four of the ten men, including Mark, were hit one or two times with rifle butts, leaving them bruised and swollen. Dick, who was quicker, had his right hand shot as soon as he drew his revolver, blowing a hole through his palm.
Among the four women, only Chris was brutally struck twice with a rifle butt because she couldn't bear to part with her family heirloom sapphire necklace, enduring immense pain while forcing herself to hold back.
This train car was cleverly sectioned off with various partitions, and although the central aisle was winding, it was still connected.
Aside from a bed at one end of the car, all other seats were comfortable, adjustable calfskin recliners.
The partition for the bedroom had also been fully opened.
An adult man standing up could see from one end to the other.
Sheriff Henry collected the six bandit corpses from the guard car—taking their wallets and weapons—then jumped off the car, pulled out a corpse, and threw it into the last car.
"Bang, bang, bang!" The corpse was mercilessly riddled with bullets, sending blood splattering.
Sheriff Henry immediately threw out another corpse, again drawing concentrated fire, and repeated the process continuously.
After five corpses, the door was riddled with holes. Sheriff Henry immediately jumped onto the connecting platform at the car door, simultaneously producing a corpse and gripping its arms tightly as he charged into the car.
"Bang, bang, bang!" The corpse still drew concentrated fire, but it wasn't as dense as before, with only three shots, as a revolver's capacity is only six rounds.
Many bandits had pulled the trigger more than once on a single corpse just now.
Quick loaders hadn't been invented yet, and reloading a revolver took at least twenty seconds.
Sheriff Henry released the corpse, activated his Super Reaction Talent, and simultaneously produced two double-action revolvers in his hands behind the corpse, rapidly firing at three nearby bandits.
"Bang, bang, bang!" After six shots, the Younger Brothers' lineage was cut off.
The bullets almost grazed the hostages' bodies as they struck the Younger Brothers, and as they staggered into fuller view, a second bullet followed, sealing their fate.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang." After four shots, one bandit who had revealed himself was shot in the left eye, released Chris, and fell to the ground. Another bandit, Frank, had his right ear shot off by a bullet that grazed Cathy's body.
Terrified, he immediately ducked down, hiding behind Cathy and the partition.
Seeing his brother Frank's face covered in blood and suffering immensely, Jesse pressed his pistol against Consuelo's body and shouted, "Who are you? Don't shoot again, or I'll kill this girl! She's the only granddaughter of the current head of the Vanderbilt Family, the railroad magnate. You won't fare well if she dies."
Sheriff Henry said coldly, "I am Sheriff Henry. Who are you?"
"We are the Jesse Brothers of the James Gang, Henry. Who are you?"
"Jesse, you don't know how lucky you and Frank are. Any bandit who has dared to attack me has already gone to meet Satan."
"All sixty-eight bandits in your gang, besides you two, have been killed by me. You two won't escape either. None of the more than three hundred bandits I've dealt with have ever survived. You brothers should throw down your guns and surrender. This is your only choice to live."
Jesse felt immense pressure. The other party was indeed an unheard-of marksman—in less than a second, the Younger Brothers were dead, Charlie was dead, and Frank would have died too if he hadn't hidden well.
To think that they were all elites in the Southern Army's sharpshooter corps!
Only Jesse himself had escaped death because he was reloading his gun.
"If we surrender, we'll be even less likely to live. Even if you don't shoot, other officers and officials won't let us go. Henry, if you force us, I will kill these three high-society ladies and one gentleman beside me."
"Tell me your thoughts, Jesse, on the condition that you cannot touch any of the valuables or people here. I warn you—your time is running out. The police will arrive soon, and the high bounty on your heads will make them desperate."
"Let my brother Frank walk out of the car first; he's already injured. I will hold this girl and walk out of the car, placing her on the link. Then I'll say 'start,' and Frank and I will take turns, one aiming at her, one running backward for a distance to retreat. Only twenty seconds, Henry, and you can come out and rescue her. I promise not to shoot."
"Jesse, you are a bandit. Your promise is worthless. I am a sheriff. My credibility is far more reliable than yours. Although I don't know the gentleman and ladies here, I am willing to let you go this once for their sake."
"You release the lady in your hand and the lady in front of Frank, then Frank can leave. After that, you can half-crouch, pointing your gun at the remaining hostages, and retreat. This way, you can cover each other. As long as you don't shoot, I will not pursue you. This is my promise."
"No, the lady in my hand is the most important. I can release the other two."
"Jesse, I believe all gentlemen and ladies here are equally important. It is precisely because you say she is the most important that I demand you release her first. This is how you show your sincerity. In fact, if you dare to harm anyone right now, I will not negotiate with you."
"Believe me, if I were to pursue you, you definitely wouldn't escape."
"Jesse, cherish this chance to escape. Not everyone would give up a ten thousand us dollar bounty for strangers. This is my final offer."
Sheriff Henry finished speaking and said no more.
Immense, invisible pressure fell upon the Jesse Brothers.
Jesse and Frank exchanged glances. Jesse saw that his brother's head was bleeding profusely, and if he didn't leave and get it bandaged soon, he might faint.
He thought about his elderly mother and the more than eighty thousand us dollar in cash and jewelry he had hidden.
"I need your guarantee, Henry," Jesse said loudly.
"Very good. It seems you've made a wise choice, Jesse."
"As long as the Jesse Brothers release the two ladies I mentioned, I will let Frank leave first, followed by Jesse. As long as they do not shoot or harm anyone today, I—Sheriff Henry—guarantee I will not pursue the Jesse Brothers today."
"Remember your words, Henry. Don't push two sharpshooters too hard. You can go." Jesse said, signaling to Frank.
Consuelo and Cathy were released.
Both were overjoyed and quickly walked out of the partition, rushing towards Sheriff Henry.
After they ran out and were a few meters in front of him, Sheriff Henry gestured for them to hide behind the tables and chairs on both sides.
"Very good, Frank can leave."
Just then, Chris shrieked, "Give me back my sapphire necklace!"
"Give it back to her. Life is more important than anything. Jesse, I told you, you cannot touch any of the valuables or people."
"Give it back to her, Frank," Jesse said.
One step back naturally leads to every step back.
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