NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15: Chapter 15
Chapter 15: This Is Brilliant
Everyone was stunned by Arthur's announcement.
What kind of operation was this?
Javier, who had just arrived, quickly explained to the others, "We ran into the O'Driscolls on the way. Arthur and I took care of them, and then Arthur came up with a brilliant idea."
Javier, while explaining, assigned a small task to Charles. "Do this later, it'll be fine, no problem."
Then, Javier quietly explained the plan to everyone. After hearing it, they all looked at Arthur by the carriage, dumbfounded.
Could this really work?
Meanwhile, Arthur was skillfully striking a match with his boot, calmly lighting the fuse of the dynamite attached to the door, and then casually walking back. These matches were incredibly flammable.
Dutch, looking at the dynamite, asked, "Is this dynamite from the O'Driscolls? What are you planning?"
Arthur nodded. "Yes, courtesy of the O'Driscolls, along with some other goodies we can take back to camp on the way."
"As for what I'm doing, just watch and see."
Dutch was a bit worried if the dynamite would actually work, especially since they hadn't heard it go off when they tried to use it to blow up the tracks earlier.
The dynamite they got from the O'Driscolls had particularly long fuses, probably meant for mining. Arthur estimated the fuse had burned enough and shouted towards the carriage, "You'd better stay close to the door and pray you get blown up! Otherwise, you're in for a rough time."
The people inside quickly moved away, no longer eavesdropping on the outside commotion.
Arthur had politely warned them about the impending explosion. If they didn't get far enough away and got hurt, it wouldn't be his fault. He exchanged a glance with Javier to confirm everything was in place.
Javier nodded affirmatively. On the way here, Arthur had explained the entire plan to him, so when they arrived, Javier had immediately started setting things up.
In short, he had placed the bodies of the O'Driscolls they had killed around the train, arranging them to look like they had been killed in a fierce battle with the guards. Javier had done a meticulous job, even shooting the bodies a few more times to make the blood splatter look more convincing.
Though it was his second time doing this, Javier swore he wouldn't do it again if there was a next time.
***
"Boom!" The dynamite easily blew open the iron door.
In the smoke, Arthur led the charge, shouting inside, "Get down here and lie on the ground!"
Three people came down from Cornwall's private carriage, hands raised, offering no resistance.
It was a dangerous situation! Very dangerous!
Facing a group of ruthless bandits, without the iron door to protect them, the three had no intention of resisting. They didn't even dare to look at the bandits, their eyes darting nervously. As they obediently lay on the ground, praying to God for salvation, they wished they could bury their heads even lower.
Nearby, Micah eagerly boarded Cornwall's private carriage to start looting. Dutch signaled Arthur and Lenny to join in, urging them to hurry, and then stood still, enjoying his cigar. Whether it was Dutch's imagination or not, the cigar tasted even better after the iron door was blown open.
As Arthur stepped into the carriage, he was awestruck by the luxurious decor. It was like a small palace built on a train. Exquisite interiors, fine ornaments, and a huge portrait, likely of Cornwall himself.
Micah couldn't stop marveling, "Look at this place, it's a palace."
Yes, Arthur thought so too.
Although impressed, Arthur didn't forget what he needed to do. He said to Lenny, "Stop staring and find the safe. I'll check the other side. Hurry up."
Micah chimed in, "Yes, yes, the safe. Don't space out, kid. Is this wealth too overwhelming for a young black man? Go pour me a glass of brandy. You can do it. I'm thirsty after all this work."
Lenny grumbled, "Shut up and work. Hosea and I are doing all the heavy lifting."
Indeed, Micah hadn't chased after anyone jumping onto the train. Micah waved his hand, saying, "Alright, alright, I admit you worked hard this time."
The group fell silent and began searching. The three of them turned the carriage upside down, taking anything of value.
After a while, Micah complained, "Damn it, all I found were a bunch of papers—mining companies, exploration companies… railroad contracts… invoices, blah, blah, blah… Lenny, did you find anything good?"
"Not yet. I found a bunch of sugar imported… and it looks like he ordered some nice new ships from Europe."
Micah reflexively muttered, "Don't mention ships. I'll never rob a ship again."
While listening to their banter, Arthur continued searching and soon found a small locked safe box casually placed in the right cabinet of the desk. He put the box on the floor, stomped on the lock to break it, and opened the box.
Inside was a thick stack of bearer bonds.
Arthur called out, "I found it. Let's go."
Micah dropped the pile of papers he was holding and said, "Thank God, let's go!"
After securing the bonds in his bag, Arthur didn't forget to check the desk drawer. Inside were a few dollars, which he pocketed—about twenty-five dollars.
When he came down from the carriage, Arthur told Dutch that he had found the bearer bonds he mentioned, a thick stack.
Dutch merely nodded and said, "Good job."
This surprised Arthur a bit. He had expected Dutch to be happier. But this wasn't the time to dwell on it. Arthur signaled to everyone that it was time to leave.
Javier swiftly blew a long whistle, and soon there were two short whistle responses from nearby.
Hosea quickly counted the group to confirm everyone was there, and they all mounted their horses. Arthur rode over to the Cornwall employees still lying on the ground, estimating the time, and slowly drew his gun.
"When you meet God, tell that old man that Colm O'Driscoll sent you up," Arthur said, aiming his gun at them.
The gunshot didn't come immediately, and Arthur was thinking of saying a few more threatening words.
At that moment, Charles finally rode up, firing two shots into the air and then shouting some unclear phrases, probably in Indian.
Arthur didn't care what he was shouting and immediately called out, "Someone's coming! We got everything. Let's go!"
"Consider yourselves lucky. Tell my regards to Cornwall."
The last words trailed off as they rode away, leaving the Cornwall employees looking at each other in disbelief. They were saved? They couldn't believe it. Thank God.
On the way back, Dutch thought Arthur's actions were unnecessary. He believed in killing everyone to ensure safety. Hosea, however, thought Arthur's approach was good. They were only after money, and unnecessary bloodshed was best avoided.
Overall, everyone was happy on the way back. Lenny gave Hosea a gilded pocket watch he found on the train, and Micah and the others started drinking the high-end whiskey they had taken.
As for Arthur, he replayed the entire event in his mind, feeling there were no loose ends. He didn't care what Dutch said. He didn't mind how fake his role was, as long as it served its purpose. The O'Driscoll bodies left behind, the lazy investigators, and the Cornwall employees who messed up would piece the story together.
"Giddy-up!"
Under the setting sun, the Van der Linde gang rode off, leaving long shadows behind.
***
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