novelSusiti Chapter 16 Gunfight
Chapter 16 Gunfight
The news that Tom was going to have a gunfight with Ennis spread like wildfire, instantly igniting the entire pioneering team!
"Captain, who should we bet on?" Thomas spat out the blade of grass from his mouth and asked Shay.
Shay squinted his flint-like eyes, swirling his pipe in his mouth. "Hard to say. Moving target, that kid...too green!"
Thomas knew perfectly well that he was referring to that weirdo who always rode that stubborn mule.
James silently spurred his horse forward a few steps, his boot heels lightly tapping the horse's belly, his gaze pressing down on the center of the duel like an anvil.
Under the tree, Wade suddenly yanked the rope on the branch!
Clang—!
The whiskey barrel lid swung wildly back and forth like a dying hare.
"Start!" Wade roared, and charged forward!
Ennis yanked the reins hard at 55 yards (about 50 meters)!
The horse reared up, neighing loudly and tearing through the air, raising dust like a yellow dragon.
He remained as steady as a rock on horseback. This distance was the death line for the sharpshooters of the wasteland. To hit two out of three targets was enough to earn him bragging rights in the tavern for a whole year!
The swaying bucket lid, like an elusive will-o'-the-wisp, can easily dazzle the eyes!
Ennis took a deep breath, his right hand hovering half an inch above the gun handle, his muscles taut like a rattlesnake poised to strike.
"Swoosh!" The sharp, piercing sound of a gun being drawn was deafening!
boom! boom! boom!
The three shots were fired so fast they almost overlapped! Before the smoke from the gun muzzles had even dissipated, three muffled thuds, "thud! thud! thud!" echoed from the wooden cap in the distance, followed by the sound of spiderweb-like cracks spreading.
Wade had already spurred his horse forward, his face almost pressed against the trembling wooden target.
The moment his gaze fell upon the bullet holes, he gasped. The three dark bullet holes looked as if Death had driven iron wedges into the heart of the wood!
The two closest holes were about the width of a palm apart, but what was fatal was their placement: one hole was right in the center, piercing through the mottled red paint of the bull's eye! The other two holes seemed to have eyes, precisely nailing themselves to the extreme edges of the wooden lid's left and right swings!
"Three!!" Wade roared, turning around abruptly. His rough voice cracked with shock. "They're all fucking nailed to the 'dead spot'!"
A thunderous cheer erupted from the convoy!
Captain Shay nodded slightly, while Elsa's eyes lit up and a proud smile appeared on her lips.
Ennis slowly sheathed his gun, but his fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly.
He wiped his sweat and adjusted the brim of his cowboy hat in Elsa's direction.
Sunlight fell on his sweat-dampened blond hair; at that moment, he seemed to be the radiant sun nurtured by the West.
"So accurate, what am I supposed to do?" Tom said with a grin, looking at Ennis.
That smile was radiant, but his eyes held the chill of Siberia!
He then raised his hand, removed the large scarf from around his neck, and, to everyone's astonishment, covered his eyes!
"Tom! You're crazy!" Elsa screamed, her voice cracking.
Tom smirked, a muffled chuckle emanating from beneath the blindfold: "It's a competition, there's no rule against adding a little fun!"
"Wade!" he shouted.
Wade snapped to attention, scrambled off his horse, and deftly replaced the whiskey barrel lid with a brand new one.
"Start!!!" The roar was broken.
Tom moved.
Tom suddenly took three big steps back, spun around sharply with his back turned, and then turned around abruptly!
boom! boom! boom!
Twelve gunshots rang out, as densely as popping beans!
"Snap—Splash!"
The brand-new bucket lid shattered with a crash, sending splinters and wood chips flying like rain!
Twelve gunshots rang out! Dense like rolling thunder, they swept across the wasteland!
The echoes of gunfire still reverberated across the wilderness, and the entire camp was plunged into a deathly silence!
Tom's final move deeply shocked everyone!
Wade, as if his soul had been ripped out, staggered towards the pile of smoking wood chips, his fingers frantically digging through them, his voice dry and cracked like sandpaper: "Ten...twelve eyes? No...twelve...light-transmitting holes!"
He suddenly looked up at the blindfold covering Tom's eyes, as if he had seen a ghost.
Ennis remained frozen on his horse, his face as pale as a freshly painted whitewashed wall.
The momentum from when he reined in his horse and charged under the tree had completely vanished.
He stared intently at the largest fragment on the ground, on which were embedded three twisted and deformed bullets, forming a perfect equilateral triangle!
This means that Tom was able to control the bullet's impact point to form geometric shapes while blindfolded and spinning!
A chilling despair crept up his spine and spread throughout his body; for the first time, his hand holding the gun felt utterly powerless.
Elsa covered her mouth, her azure pupils dilated with extreme shock, reflecting the wood chips and dust dancing in the sunlight.
James, in the distance, was lost in deep memories!
The reins were tightly wrapped around Margaret's pale fingers, but she felt no pain whatsoever.
After a heavy sigh, Captain Shay took off his greasy cowboy hat, wiped his face vigorously, and revealed a deep, expressionless face, with only a turbulent undercurrent in his eyes.
As Captain Shay's most loyal subordinate, Thomas's mouth was agape, wide enough to fit a fist, his face filled with disbelief.
The convoy members looked at each other in disbelief, almost unable to believe that what they were seeing was real.
Amidst the stunned silence of the crowd, Tom rode his mule toward Ennis.
"Sharpshooter," Tom grinned, a smile that seemed particularly dazzling in the sunlight, "I won the match."
"...Yes!" Ennis's throat went dry, and disbelief surged in his heart. How could a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy have such superhuman marksmanship?
Tom, of course, wouldn't tell him that in his mind, the trajectory of the swaying barrel lid was so clear that he could even see the dried whiskey stains on it!
"How...how did you do that?" Wade finally couldn't hold back and shouted in a hoarse voice.
His mind was buzzing. He had clearly seen that Tom's last few steps back were tricky, and the distance was definitely more than 70 yards (more than 63 meters)!
Blindfolded!
Twelve shots were fired in quick succession!
Every shot bites into the flesh!
Is this guy even human?!
Faced with Wade's persistent questioning, Tom merely curled the corners of his lips into a smile, but his gaze, like a cold knife, sliced through Ennis again, a chilling intent emanating from his smile: "Want to... have another rifle duel?"
Ennis shuddered and almost instinctively shook his head violently: "I'm not playing!"
This reaction clearly pleased Tom.
"You've had enough rest!" Captain Shay's deep voice rang out at the right moment, dispelling the stagnant air.
"Everyone, disperse and get back to work!"
His gaze swept over Tom, and he casually tossed out, "Tom Dutton."
The name struck Ennis like a bullet.
He looked up abruptly, staring at Elsa in shock.
"My brother." Elsa took a deep breath, her chest heaving.
If she still doesn't understand Tom's intentions now, she'll be incredibly stupid.
Without saying another word, Elsa suddenly pulled on the reins, turned her horse around, and galloped straight towards the herd of cattle.
"If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to ask!"
After saying that, Tom ignored the group of people who were standing there, spurred his horse, and chased after Elsa.
"Captain, who exactly is this kid?" Wade stared at Tom's departing figure, his brows furrowed in worry.
He was clearly asking for more than just a name.
Shay took out his pipe and slowly filled it with tobacco, the smoke blurring his deep eyes.