As time ticked by, the Livestock town Valentine started heating up.

  Stephen and Javier galloped along on horseback, the cool wind on their faces a welcome relief.

  They chatted as they rode, Javier recounting stories from his past.

  Stephen shared some amusing anecdotes from his time as a bounty hunter.

  It was early morning the next day when they arrived at Chez Porter.

  "Ready to do this now?"

  Stephen eyed the distant farm, smoke curling from its chimneys. "I count at least four of 'em, all men, and all armed."

  "Let's tie the horses in the woods and sneak closer."

  Javier pulled out his binoculars, carefully surveying the scene. "They seem to be arguing. Let's get close enough to hear what they're saying."

  They tethered their horses at the foot of a small hill, each grabbing their weapon of choice and cautiously approaching the farm on foot.

  The farm was small, consisting of just three buildings and a small storage shed-like structure.

  Stephen and Javier crouched behind the shed, straining to catch snippets of the conversation.

  In the yard, an older man was yelling at a younger one, two others trying to hold him back.

  Stephen struggled to understand what they were saying, but couldn't make heads or tails of it.

  "What are they speaking, some kind of local dialect?" Stephen whispered to Javier.

  "Nah, these folks have been out of touch with civilization too long. It's a language they've made up themselves, but it similar like a dialect."

  Javier pondered for a moment, then pointed to a large boulder to the right. "You get behind that rock. I'll set a fire to distract them, then we open fire."

  Stephen scanned the surrounding area, deciding the location was indeed advantageous.

  "Alright, I'll wait for your signal."

  Stephen patted Javier on the shoulder, then quietly moved to the boulder, carrying his Bowie Knife and Winchester rifle.

  There weren't many of them, so Stephen only brought his Bowie Knife, Winchester and his trusty revolver.

  Using the tall grass for cover, he reached the boulder and waved to Javier, signaling he was in position.

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  Seeing Stephen ready, Javier pulled out a book of matches from his satchel.

  He carefully lit a match and tossed it onto a pile of dry hay a short distance away.

  Afraid the fire wouldn't catch quickly enough, he pulled out a pre-made Molotov cocktail and emptied the bottle of fuel onto the hay.

  Fueled by the gasoline, the flames quickly grew into a roaring fire.

  Seeing the fire, the men rushed toward it, yelling unintelligible words and scrambling for water to put it out.

  Javier didn't hesitate. He took aim at a young man running towards the fire with a bucket of water, and squeezed the trigger without mercy.

  His shooting skills were certainly impressive. Stephen had witnessed it in the Grizzlies East.

  His carefully aimed shot was deadly accurate, leaving a gaping hole in the young man's skull.

  The gunshot caught the remaining men by surprise, and they instantly realized they were being robbed.

  The older man started screaming and firing wildly in Javier's direction.

  The doors of the other buildings flew open, and several women, armed with rifles, came storming out, looking fierce.

  Seeing they all had guns, Stephen wasn't foolish enough to rush in.

  Their attention was currently focused on Javier, their backs mostly turned to Stephen.

  He wasn't about to miss such an opportunity. He raised his Winchester, taking aim at their backs.

  Time for a cleanup crew!

  With a rapid series of deafening gunshots, Stephen emptied all six rounds from his rifle.

  When the last shot echoed out, the first few people who had charged out were already lying dead on the ground.

  Javier finished off a wounded man struggling on the ground with a shot from his own gun.

  Stephen was about to step forward when a sudden prickling sensation shot up his spine.

  Without hesitation, he threw himself forward, rolling away just as a bullet tore a hole in the spot where he'd been standing.

  Stephen glanced toward the direction of the shot, noticing it came from the second floor of the stable.

  The shooter wouldn't get a second chance. As soon as his shot rang out, Javier stood up.

  His rifle boomed, and the shooter fell lifelessly to the ground, his body plummeting from the second floor.

  "You're damn fast on your feet."

  Javier smiled at Stephen. "How did you know someone was aiming at you?"

  Stephen slowly stood up, dusting himself off. "Maybe it's just that legendary sixth sense."

  "Wish I had that ability, sounds useful," Javier said enviously.

  Stephen had no explanation. He chalked it up to being one of the perks of being a time traveler.

  Javier quickly searched the bodies on the ground, finding only a few coins.

  He looked up at the buildings, then pointed to the stable. "I think those things protecting that stable, seems like they are guarding somethings. Let's have look. "Alright, I'll check out the main house over there."

  Stephen drew his revolver and cautiously entered the main house.

  A strange smell hit him the moment he stepped inside – the stench of garbage that had been festering for ages.

  Stephen pinched his nose and took a quick tour of the house, discovering it was filled with loot.

  Food, liquor, even some medicine, along with other odds and ends.

  The origins of the items were varied, clearly plundered from different places.

  Stephen didn't hesitate, grabbing a burlap sack from a corner and stuffing it with anything useful.

  Canned goods and jerky were excellent supplies to take back to Pearson.

  Stephen might not enjoy Pearson's cooking, but the others in the Van der Linde gang needed it to survive.

  Uncle, for instance.

  The house also had a small bedroom. Stephen pushed the door open, revealing several beds.

  Above the beds was a small platform made of wooden planks, holding a few boxes.

  Based on the principle of leaving no stone unturned, Stephen climbed up and took a look.

  There wasn't much of interest, just various odds and ends, but in the corner he found a well-preserved Pump-Action Shotgun.

  It was a decent weapon, albeit a bit rusty from lack of maintenance.