48 Hours a Day

Zhang Heng got both good news and bad news from Rich.

The good news was that he finally knew where Lincoln County was. The bad news was that the place was quite a distance from where he was currently. He had to go all the way south through the Gobi, and according to Rich, it would take at least two days to get to Lincoln Country on horseback, and the journey was perilous.

As for the train...

“The train hasn’t come here for a while. There was a copper mine in this place, and this small town was built at that time. The miners and their families inhabited the town, but the copper mine was exhausted after some time... I’m not too sure about that. Maybe there is still some copper left. However, one has to dig at least 200 feet before they can find any copper. It is almost an impossible task. As you can see, everyone has moved away.”

“Then why are you still here?” Zhang Heng poured himself another glass of whiskey.

“We are not from this town... We are just doing business nearby.” Rich’s eyes flickered.

“What kind of business?”

“Fur business, but the fur business is not doing well these years. Beaver skins aren’t as valuable as they used to be, and those little things are getting harder and harder to find,” Rich complained.

“So this place is your stronghold?”

“Yes, we took over this place after the miners moved away. No, it’s just this bar.”

“How many people do you have in total?”

“Seven people, you have seen, uh, I am the only one left now...” Rich’s eyes showed pleading. “Sorry, sir, I apologize most sincerely for what happened before. I made up stories about my Chinese friends. I drank too much just now, and I started to spout out nonsense...”

“Hmph.” Zhang Heng harrumphed and took another sip of whiskey. “But why did I spot eight horses in front of the bar? Don’t tell me one of them belongs to the owner. Considering his physical condition, I don’t think he can still ride a horse.”

“Um... We had eight people before, I’m sorry, nine. Unfortunately, we encountered some trouble and lost two of our companions, but one of the dead companion’s horse is still there. Please, sir. I have already told you everything I know. I know that you are a good, upright, and respectable person. We made a terrible mistake today, and we were punished for it. For God’s sake, can you just let us off the hook this once? I... I have 15 dollars in my pocket, and I can give it to you,” Rich begged.

Zhang Heng handed over half a glass of whiskey to Rich. The creases eased on Rich’s face, and he relaxed. It was a symbol of peace. He then gulped it down in one go. However, when he looked at Zhang Heng again, he saw a gun pointing at him.

Zhang Heng picked up the rifle, leaning against his feet. “No, you don’t know who I am. By the way, your answer just now was filled with lies.”

Before Rich could answer, Zhang Heng pulled the trigger.

After the gunshot, the whiskey glass fell to the ground, and the bar was finally quiet again.

Zhang Heng removed the (Oath Ring) from Rich’s body and put it back in his backpack. Although the Oath Ring was only a Grade F game item, it was unexpectedly useful, especially during an interrogation.

[The other party can perceive an oath violation]

It was basically a portable polygraph.

Zhang Heng spent some time looting the small bar, managing to find some food and a few buckets of drinking water in the storage room. After that, he made himself dinner, his first meal since entering this dungeon.

He carried a plate of bacon and potatoes, sat outside the bar, and watched the sunset as he ate. After knowing how far Lincoln County was, Zhang Heng was in no rush to get there, deciding to put up in the town for the night. After eating, he picked a rifle and inspected the nearby area thoroughly.

Rich did not lie about the town. It had been abandoned for quite a while, and apart from him and his accomplices, no one usually came around here.

sour

There are many similar towns to this one in the wild west. Most were built upon nodes of natural resources. Miners, ranchers, and golddiggers would gather at these places, bringing along their families with them. As they engaged in production, they still needed to live their lives and have entertainment. However, as resources depleted, most would naturally move to somewhere new in search of more loot. Hence, the entire city would be abandoned and reclaimed by nature.

This was now a ghost town.

Zhang Heng scouted the place quickly and found a relatively clean house on the opposite street to spend the night. When he returned to the bar the next morning, the first order of the day was a change of clothes. His complexion would bring him a lot of unnecessary attention, but his modern garments were even more of an eye-catcher. Though the short-sleeved shirt and shorts were cooling, they were not going to protect him from the sunlight. If he wanted to travel a long distance, and equipment upgrade was in store.

Cowhide boots, shirts, leather trousers, denim scarf... these were all things given to Zhang Heng by Rich and his companions. Zhang Heng found a guy of similar size to him and put on his clothes. Other than that, he grabbed two Colt revolvers and tucked them in the holster around his waist.

As for the more powerful Winchester rifle, Zhang Heng did not take them because he wanted to settle down in Lincoln County without looking for trouble. The two revolvers were enough for him to defend himself.

Ammunition, food, and water were all necessary consumables. Hence, Zhang Heng stuffed some of them into his backpack.

Besides, Zhang Heng also got the 15 dollars that Rich had promised him. Unfortunately, these guys weren’t wealthy by any means. The total sum he looted from eight people amounted to less than 50 dollars. Fortunately, it should be enough for him to live for a while.

Before leaving, Zhang Heng opened another barrel of whiskey, sprinkled it on the dead bodies and the floor, and lit up the place with a matchstick.

Soon, everything was engulfed by the fire.

After he did what he wanted to do, Zhang Heng walked out of the bar.

However, this was the beginning of his troubles.

The distance from here to Lincoln County was great. Not only would it take an insurmountable time to get there on foot, but the journey would be unpleasant as well. And it was impossible to count on the abandoned trains here. So in this era, Zhang Heng had only one option left.

He looked at the eight horses chained outside the bar. After having his dinner last night, he brought a few haystacks to the eight horses and observed them from far. The darkest black horse looked the strongest. So, Zhang Heng crossed it out. The other horses were also very vigilant when he approached them. They were constantly kicking the ground with their hoofs or shaking their heads. They did not look like they could be Zhang Heng’s friendly partner.