America 1883: The Western Homeland

Chapter 61 The Migration Team Faces a Life-or-Death Decision

They had clearly spotted Tom's ambush point as well. How dare four people break up their formation? It was blatant contempt for them!

"Kill them!" the cowboys roared, their enraged horses kicking up clouds of dust.

The guns in their hands spat fire, and bullets rained down like an angry swarm of bees on the hollow where Tom and his men were hiding!

"Da da da da—!"

The rapid sound of horses' hooves was like a death knell, pounding hard on Zach and Simone's hearts!

The two men turned pale, their fingers gripping the guns stiffened, and the triggers felt as heavy as a thousand pounds; for a moment, they even forgot to pull them!

However, at this critical moment!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—!"

A series of precise, steady, and rhythmic gunshots suddenly erupted around them! Like death calling their names!

Then, something happened that left Zach and Simone speechless, and then overjoyed!

The thirteen charging steeds seemed to have their front legs struck simultaneously by an invisible hammer!

"Hiss—!"

Amidst the mournful neighing, the horse at the forefront stumbled and tumbled to the ground!

The immense inertia slammed the rider on his back and sent him flying!

The horses behind couldn't stop in time and crashed into each other, causing chaos and disarray!

The once-fierce and aggressive torrent collapsed in the blink of an eye!

"Charge! Take them down!" Tom roared, like lighting a fuse!

Like arrows released from a bow, Zack, Cooper, and Simone gripped their revolvers and pounced on the cowboy who had fallen flat on his face!

Thirteen cowboys crashed to the ground. Three were knocked unconscious, and only ten managed to get up!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Gunshots rang out instantly! Zach, Cooper, and Simone fired almost while the cowboy was lying on the ground, the muzzle flashes blindingly bright!

Simone fired both guns simultaneously, emptying the magazines instantly! The scorching barrels flew from her hands and smashed into the dust, but she didn't even look. With lightning speed, she drew a new gun from her waist and joined the exchange of fire!

"Clap clap clap clap—!"

Bullets rained down like a storm! The muffled thuds of bodies being pierced and screams of agony rang out one after another!

The fierce firefight didn't last long. Soon, the last standing cowboy was covered in blood and collapsed to the ground.

The battlefield fell into a deathly silence, with only the smoke of gunpowder filling the air.

"Clean up the battlefield! Finish them off one by one! Leave no one alive!" Tom's roar was as cold as ice.

He strode up to the three unconscious cowboys and pressed the gun to their foreheads.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three crisp, clean gunshots heralded utter death.

Despite their discomfort, Zach and Simone gritted their teeth and fired frantically at the still-moving body on the ground!

Of the three, Cooper remained relatively calm, while Zach and Simone were completely relying on adrenaline to stay afloat, facing numerous close calls!

"How is it?" Tom asked, looking at the pale-faced Zack and the seemingly composed Simone.

Zack's lips trembled, and he couldn't speak.

Simone suddenly exhaled a breath of stale air, forcing a blood-stained, somewhat distorted smile: "That's powerful!"

This unexpected answer made Tom's lips curl into a slight smile: "Simone, you said you didn't want to be tossed around like merchandise anymore? Now, the gun in your hand is your chance to change your fate!" His gaze swept over the revolver she was gripping tightly.

“Zack,” Tom turned to him, “you want land that’s truly yours? See? This West only recognizes this!” He patted his holster. “Bandits don’t reason with you. If you want to keep your land, it’ll speak for itself!”

Zach looked at the corpses strewn all over the ground, his eyes gradually shifting from fear to ferocity, and nodded forcefully.

Tom finally looked at Cooper, his eyes sharp as knives: "Cooper, do you still want to kill me now?"

Cooper trembled with fear, shaking his head vigorously: "No! I won't do it again! Boss Tom!" Zach next to him stared at him nervously, while Simone's hand holding the gun bulged with veins.

"You're lucky, you're Zack's cousin." Tom's voice was unreadable. "Alright! Clean up the mess! Don't leave a single valuable thing behind!"

Tom ignored the scattered spoils and led the group to drive the recovered cattle and horses to rejoin the anxiously waiting family caravan.

Seeing that Tom and the others had returned safely, bringing back the crucial herd of cattle, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Shouldn't we head over and rejoin the main group?" The cook was most concerned about the itinerary.

James nodded: "Let's go immediately!"

Captain Shay was in a terrible mood!

But when he saw the cook's wagon, laden with food, miraculously return, and when he saw the vast herd of cattle behind Tom and his men, which had been lost and found, Shay breathed a long sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Welcome home!" he exclaimed from the bottom of his heart. The cattle Tom brought back were a true lifeline for this collapsing convoy!

Cheers erupted from the crowd, a sound a testament to the relief of survivors.

It's fortunate that no one was injured or killed in the tornado. Now that the food crisis has been resolved and the cattle have returned, hope seems to have been rekindled.

However, the brief pleasure was quickly torn apart by the cold reality.

The caravan suffered heavy losses in the storm; most of the wagons were reduced to pieces, and little supplies remained.

Captain Shay was forced to gather all the immigrants and announce the harsh decision: "Listen! We only have eight wagons left to complete this journey! To carry as many supplies as possible, only children and the elderly can ride! Everyone else, you either walk or find your own horses!"

He glanced around at the weary and desperate faces: "Our luck is terrible! If all goes well, we won't reach Laramie until October! That means we either have to cross the Rocky Mountains in a blizzard, which is suicide! Or we have to spend the winter in Laramie, lacking food and clothing, which is also a near-death experience!"

“There’s another way,” he raised his voice, “to Denver! It’s only six weeks away! There are fertile valleys there, a great place to settle down!”

Joseph the translator relayed his words to the immigrants.

Uneasy whispers arose from the crowd.

Joseph couldn't help but press, "Is Denver's land...unclaimed?"

"Yes!" Shay answered readily.

"So, are we going to work as miners or maids? How will that be any different from before?" Joseph's voice was bitter.

"But at least we can survive!" Shay said decisively. "Survive! And next spring, if we want to go back to Oregon, we can go again!"

Joseph fell silent, his eyes filled with confusion.

"And what about us?" Margaret looked at her husband, James.

James looked at Tom, his eyes resolute: "We'll continue north!"

Tom nodded slightly, offering no objection.

James turned to face all the immigrants, his voice booming, "I'm heading north! Anyone wanting to go to Oregon, feel free to come along! I have plenty of fat, good horses and lots of beef!"

"But let me make this clear first! Come with me, I won't be serving you like babysitters! You'll have to take care of yourselves and not fall behind!" He glanced at the group, "Because I will never go trespassing that damned Rocky Mountain in the dead of snow! Nor will I stop halfway and wait to die!"

"James! You'll get them killed!" Shay roared in fury.