Stephen always believed in fulfilling a promise.

  The next morning, he packed his gear and set off on horseback.

  As he stepped out of the hotel, he saw Sheriff Malloy sitting alone by the entrance.

  "Hey, you here to see me off?" Stephen walked over, patting him on the shoulder.

  He then noticed that the Sheriff looked exhausted, as if he hadn't slept all night.

  "I got something for you." Seeing Stephen, the Sheriff stood up immediately and handed him a small box he had been sitting on.

  Curiously, Stephen opened it to find a box full of dynamite!

  He looked at the Sheriff in surprise, who gritted his teeth and said, "This is some good stuff I got from the army. If you can, use it to blow those sons of bitches to kingdom come!!"

  "Remember, don't let this stuff get out, or we're both screwed."

  Stephen nodded, placing the box securely on his horse, and tying it down with extra rope.

  "Don't worry, if I get the chance, I'll strap it to those guys." Stephen said solemnly.

  "Then go, I'll be waiting for good news."

  The Sheriff reached out and patted Stephen on the shoulders before turning and leaving.

  Watching the Sheriff's dejected figure, Stephen felt a pang of sympathy.

  This man was practically the second most powerful person in Strawberry. But when his family died, he was still lost and heartbroken.

  This world is unfair, but it is also fair.

  Having finished his reflection, Stephen turned, mounted his horse, and trotted off towards the northern forest.

  No matter how you live, you have to go to the crime scene first. You might find something.

  Following the trail north, along the mountain path. Until he passed through a dense forest, arriving at a vast grassland.

  The scenery was truly beautiful, with a clear stream flowing quietly across the land.

  The ground was covered in a variety of flowers, exuding a captivating fragrance.

  Various wild animals frolicked by the stream, and in a short while, Stephen saw white-tailed deer, antelope, and even elk.

  A fiery red fox chased a plump rabbit across the front of their horse, making Stephen want to draw his gun and test his marksmanship.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  In the distance, on the hills, Stephen also saw a massive brown bear.

  The bear glanced at Stephen on horseback, decided he wasn't worth the trouble, wiggled its backside and disappeared into the forest.

  Even though it wasn't his first time here, Stephen always felt an immense sense of tranquility when he came to this grassland.

  Stephen took a deep breath of the fresh air and fragrant flowers, and couldn't help but stretch.

  He had arrived. Next, he just had to continue a bit westward to reach Valley View Overlook.

  Stephen rode his horse, slowly walking along the mountain path.

  The forest became increasingly dense, and the narrow trail could only accommodate one horse at a time.

  The surrounding woods were filled with the howls of wolves, signaling that there were far too many beasts here.

  Stephen carefully took out his weapon, fearing that a beast would jump out from the bushes.

  Finally, at a bend in the road, a patch of blood on the ground caught Stephen's attention.

  "If I'm not mistaken, this should be it." Stephen crouched down and examined it carefully.

  Unfortunately, because the police had already been here, all traces had been destroyed.

  Footprints, hoofprints, tire tracks – everything that could be tracked was gone.

  That's why Stephen often said that the police were more of a hindrance than a help.

  "Since that's the case, there's only one way." Stephen stood up, muttering helplessly.

  Since he couldn't find the killer directly, he would have to find someone who might know the killer.

  Stephen only knew of one place where he might be able to find the killer.

  But going there was expensive...

  However, he believed that Sheriff Malloy would be more than willing to cover all his expenses.

  Just as Stephen was about to lead his horse away, a wolf howl in the distance stopped him in his tracks.

  "Damn it, I knew I wouldn't be that lucky." Stephen cursed under his breath, and quickly tied the white horse securely to a nearby tree.

  No matter how brave the white horse was, it would still run when faced with predators.

  If he didn't tie it up, Stephen would have to walk home.

  As soon as he tied up his horse, more and more wolf howls echoed around him.

  The white horse immediately became nervous, pawing at the ground, trying to leave.

  Seeing this, Stephen quickly pulled out his Pump-Action Shotgun and fired a shot blindly into the woods.

  With a piercing scream, a coyote fell into a pool of blood.

  Seeing the coyote in front of him, Stephen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

  Luckily it was a timid coyote; if it had been a wolf, he would have been in serious trouble.

  At that moment, the nearby forest came alive.

  Seven or eight coyotes burst out from all directions, lunging straight at Stephen.

  "Eat lead!" Stephen roared, raising his Pump-Action Shotgun once again.

  Although its range was short, its spread pattern was wide, he wasn't overly concerned with accuracy.

  Stephen held the Pump-Action Shotgun at his waist, his right hand clamped down on the trigger. As he pulled back on the slide, five continuous shots took down four overzealous coyotes.

  His bullets depleted, he swung the Pump-Action Shotgun. His weapon connected with an unlucky coyote attempting to flank him.

  Dodging another leaping beast, he drew his knife and drove his blade deep into the attacking creature's heart.

  Drawing his Schofield Revolver, he finished the fight by dispatching the final challenger.

  The coyotes, seeing the heavy casualties, no longer dared to approach. All retreated, their forms retreating.

  The pack began their hasty retreat after their leader commanded them with an ear-splitting howl.

  These creatures had retreated as quickly as they came, with the fight lasting just moments but felt long.

  Not daring to relax, Stephen quickly reloaded his Pump-Action Shotgun.

  After waiting a while to confirm that the beasts would not return, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

  "Fighting these things is much harder than killing people." Stephen puffed out a few breaths, muttering helplessly.

  In such complex mountain forests, a pack of coyotes could sometimes be more terrifying than bandits.