The journey was long, requiring over two days of travel, and along the way, they encountered some unsavory individuals—men armed with firelocks, peddling illicit wares by the roadside.
One day, as they traversed a steep and narrow mountain path, halfway through their journey—
"Bang!" A sudden gunshot rang out, reverberating through the mountain road.
The shot startled the horses pulling the carriage, causing them to rear in panic and nearly overturn the cart. The passengers within were thrown into a frenzy, their faces contorting with anger. They all turned toward the direction from which the gunshot had originated.
Ahead of them, twelve men bearing firelocks, wearing headscarves and sporting thick beards, stood in their way, their eyes filled with malice. A sharp whistle echoed from behind them. Zhao Lun and his group turned around to find that they were also blocked from the rear. The men in the back, like those in the front, were armed with firelocks and exuded the same sinister intent.
Another whistle blew from the front, signaling a response. Soon, more gunmen emerged from both sides of the road, closing in around them.
In an instant, Zhao Lun and his companions found themselves surrounded.
The situation was grim. From the moment Zhao Lun laid eyes on these men, he knew things would not end well. His hand instinctively reached out to protect the women in his group.
No joke! The bandits were armed with firelocks! Though they had superior weapons, the sheer number of their adversaries, coupled with their ability to fire from all directions, made up for any disadvantage in arms. If they strayed too far, he would be unable to protect anyone.
Penelope, ever quick to react, had already summoned her wand. With a few swift motions, she cast a protective armor spell on the others, shielding them from any hidden shots.
The bandits, greedily eyeing the women, ogled them with unrestrained desire. Their lecherous gazes seemed to strip the women of their very flesh. Zhao Lun, however, was entirely ignored.
A man holding two revolvers, adorned with multiple earrings and a skull tattoo on his arm, swaggered up to them. He leered at the women, glanced at the carriage, and snapped his fingers. One of his lackeys hurried forward to offer him a cigar, lighting it with a flourish.
After savoring a deep drag, he exhaled a ring of smoke, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth. With an air of arrogance, he declared, "The women and the carriage stay. The men, get lost!"
Zhao Lun's group stood stunned for a moment. Was this really happening? They had never encountered such blatant robbers before, and for a moment, they couldn't quite believe their eyes.
But they were no fools. After a brief pause, fury surged through them.
"Leave the women and the carriage? Get lost, men?" How dare they! Were they to be treated as nothing more than lambs for slaughter? The audacity!
Zhao Lun's anger flared. He activated his protective shield, and the weapon in his hand materialized. His cold, unwavering gaze fixed on the bandit chief. "Leave the women and the carriage? Get lost, men? What if we don't do as you say?"
"Haha! Kid, don't say we didn't give you a chance! If you don't follow our rules—ha! Don't think you'll walk away unscathed!" The man with the yellow teeth spat, his cold laughter echoing in the air. His lackeys cheered and clapped in approval.
"The boss is right! Why waste time talking? Just grab them!" one of the subordinates barked.
"Yeah! We're short-handed back home, might as well have him do the dirty work. If he doesn't listen, we'll deal with him later!" another added.
"These women are hot! Especially the tall one—those legs will drive anyone wild!"
"No, no! Those two young ones, they're the real prize!"
"You guys have probably never had an Eastern girl! The one from the East is by far the most enticing!"
"The voluptuous one—"
The bandits began to grow impatient with their leader's hesitations, some even suggesting their own ideas. The lewd conversation intensified as they discussed who among the women they found most desirable. They all leered with hungry eyes, but none dared make a move without the leader's say-so.
Yellow Teeth took pleasure in their banter, but he also enjoyed watching the women in the carriage, his eyes never leaving them.
At first, Zhao Lun's group hesitated to draw their weapons, unwilling to escalate the situation into violence. They were not bloodthirsty savages. If things could be resolved peacefully, they would prefer it. But now, with the bandits' crude words crossing a line, they could no longer contain their fury.
"Maria, Penelope, things may get bloody soon. If you can't handle it, close your eyes," Zhao Lun warned them, then turned to face the insufferable bandits. He yelled, "To hell with your 'voluptuous'!"
With that, his weapon roared to life.
The dull sound of gunfire rang through the air, followed by a series of rapid shots. The bandits who had been so brash just moments before were struck down by bullets, their bodies riddled with holes as they collapsed, lifeless, in an instant.
Zhao Lun didn't stop. As the last of the first group fell, he swiftly reoriented and continued to fire, taking down the remaining enemies. When the gunfire ceased, the once-cocky bandits were all lying in pools of blood, save for a few who had been so frightened by the onslaught that they dared not lift a finger.
Some of them, too terrified to even hold their firelocks, collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
They had no chance to fight back. The few who attempted to retaliate found that their weapons did no damage against the invincible Zhao Lun, who was armed to the teeth. Despair quickly set in as they realized their situation.
"Get up! If you pretend to be dead one more time, you'll never rise again!" Zhao Lun barked at the cowering bandits.
Shaking, the remaining bandits slowly rose to their feet and approached Zhao Lun.
"I didn't expect twenty-one of you to still be alive," Zhao Lun remarked, though his voice carried an unmistakable edge of mockery.
The remaining men eyed him warily, their eyes darting about as though searching for an opportunity to escape.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Zhao Lun unleashed another barrage of gunfire, ensuring those who had feigned death were finished off. Only the remaining twenty-one bandits were left alive.
The realization that their act of playing dead had failed made some of them break down in terror, while others collapsed in fear.
Zhao Lun's cold voice broke the silence, "Next time, I can't promise the bullets won't find their mark."
The remaining bandits immediately ceased their resistance, shivering in fear. The thought of any further defiance vanished.
"Put away your guns, and take us to your lair!" Zhao Lun commanded coldly.
Despite their primitive firearms, these weapons were his spoils of war, and he was determined to take them.
The bandits complied, and Zhao Lun led them to their hideout.
Their lair was located high in the mountains and appeared to be quite large, with lookout posts. But these men were little more than an unruly mob, and Zhao Lun's assault was swift and ruthless. With minimal resistance, he captured the stronghold.
Inside, the lair was filthy and chaotic, with few valuables to be found.
"Where are the valuable things?" Zhao Lun growled.
"Well, only the boss knows," one of the bandits muttered, his voice trembling.
Zhao Lun, remembering the yellow-toothed leader he had just killed, pressed on. "Where is your boss?"
"Our boss, Grant, was killed by you, sir," the bandit replied.
"Then who knows where his treasure is?"
"I-I don't know…"
"Then what good are you?" Zhao Lun's tone hardened.
"Sir! I know someone who might know!"
The person who knew where the treasure was hidden was a woman—a captured victim who had been kept by Grant. She was a large, distinctly Western woman, with a figure that matched her stature. Grant had taken a particular liking to her, keeping her for himself while selling off the other women once he was done with them.
Within the hideout, they found a chest of gold coins, some antiques, and they freed fourteen innocent women, eight men, and three children.
The women were the worst off, near starvation with their bones visible beneath their skin, their bodies marked by scars. The men, too, were gaunt and weary, though their conditions were somewhat better than those of the women and children.
The innocent victims were freed, and the bandits were bound and brought before the local authorities, who had the right to judge them according to the law.
As per the regulations, the bandits were sentenced to hang, with those guilty of the most heinous crimes subjected to even more severe punishment.
Zhao Lun bore witness to their judgment.
The punishments were brutal. Some were hanged, while others were nailed to crosses, left to die slowly as crows pecked at their faces and eyes.
The suffering was immense, and the air was thick with the stench of death.