That kind of heavy drinking was bound to get to Stephen, and it did.

  Even though he was strong and recovered fast,

  his talent clearly didn't extend to holding his liquor.

  So, naturally, he needed to rest up in Camp for a few days.

  For the next while, Stephen stayed put in Camp, recuperating.

  The folks in Camp were good people, and he passed the days bullshitting and having a few drinks with them. It wasn't a bad life.

  The only downside was the lack of entertainment, which made things a bit boring.

  Looking for something to do, he rummaged through the gang's supply wagon, hoping to find something to keep him occupied.

  Now that he was part of the gang, he had every right to look around.

  The wagon was full of all sorts of odds and ends: worn-out knives, scattered gun parts, and dice and chips from the casino.

  Just a random jumble of stuff. Stephen couldn't figure out what any of it was for.

  Just as he was about to give up, he lucked out and found a few decks of scattered playing cards in the back of the wagon.

  Now, that was something. Stephen's eyes lit up.

  He quickly sorted through the cards and managed to put together a complete deck.

  That gave him something to do. He roped in Lenny and Bill, who were just as bored, and got ready to play a few rounds.

  Lenny suggested they start with blackjack. Bill, with his thick head, couldn't wrap his mind around it.

  After losing a few hands, Bill started complaining and demanded they switch to something less brainy, like Texas Hold'em.

  Stephen didn't know much about that game, but then he had an idea and decided to teach them something fun.

  Let's play斗地主! Here is comes!

  At first, Lenny and Bill thought it was too complicated, but after a couple of rounds, they were hooked.

  More and more people joined in. Stephen wasn't great himself, but he had a few years of experience.

  He took advantage of his experience and cleaned up while everyone else was still learning, making a decent chunk of change. This unexpected windfall had him grinning from ear to ear.

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  But it all came crashing down with the arrival of a calculating old con man.

  Hosea was back.

  He followed the wagon, bringing Mrs. Sadie, and slowly rolled into Horseshoe Overlook.

  Hosea saw Stephen's game and, intrigued, sat down to play a few hands.

  He lost a few at first, but after thinking it over, he figured out the basics.

  Then, he started playing it safe and ended up winning quite a bit from Stephen, leaving Stephen stunned.

  Luckily, not everyone in Camp was that sharp. Most of the folks were pretty simple.

  Like Lenny the airhead, or Uncle and Reverend Swanson, those two never used their brains for anything.

  Anyway, in the end, Stephen still came out ahead.

  Of course, these lazy days couldn't last forever, and Stephen wasn't going to stay idle for long.

  One morning, Javier found Stephen hitting the snooze button.

  "Hey buddy, fancy going out to make a score?"

  Javier shook Stephen awake and said with excitement.

  "Make a score? Where to?"

  Stephen rubbed his eyes, dazed, and said, "Too much booze last night, a little muzzy."

  "Looks like you're fitting in well around here, I wasn't sure if you'd adapt." Javier sat down next to Stephen and handed him a glass of water. "Drink some water, that’ll help you clear up."

  The cold water snapped Stephen back to reality.

  "Uncle got his hands on some good whiskey last night and insisted we all drink together, and you know the result."

  Stephen said helplessly, "You guys are too enthusiastic, it's a bit much."

  "Haha, that's just how we are, you'll get used to it." Javier laughed, seeing Stephen's disheveled appearance.

  "Never mind me, where have you been these last few days? All hush-hush, I feel like I haven't seen you in ages." Stephen rubbed his face and asked curiously.

  Javier had been out busy the last few days, sometimes not even coming back at night. Stephen wondered what he'd been doing.

  "I've been scouting out a promising target."

  Javier grinned mysteriously and pulled a map from behind his back.

  He spread out the map in front of Stephen and pointed to a spot circled in pen. "I've been hanging around Valentine these last few days and heard about a soft target in this area."

  A soft target? So Javier was asking him to come along on a robbery?

  Stephen stared at the map, confused. This was the most unusual invitation he’d ever received.

  Curious, he took the map and looked at where Javier was pointing. "Damn, that's a long way off. You sure your intel is solid?"

  The place Javier was talking about was called Chez Porter. It looked like a rural farm.

  Looking at the map, it was very close to the Wapiti Indian Reservation, a pretty secluded spot.

  That place was a long way off, and the roads weren’t easy. It would probably take two or three days just to get there and back.

  "It's the remoteness that makes it worth our while, don't you think?"

  Javier spread his arms wide and smiled at Stephen. "A family hides out there, robbing travelers. Just like the Murfree Brood you and Arthur took care of."

  "I've heard about a few people who were robbed by them in Valentine, some lucky ones who got away, but plenty of others have died."

  "So, I think this is the perfect target for us, what do you say?"

  A family that robs travelers and merchants, huh? Just like the Watons family that he and Lenny had taken out.

  Stephen nodded. It sounded like a good deal.

  Hitting those who were criminals , making a fortune, and doing a little bit of good along the way.

  Stephen immediately perked up. He jumped to his feet.

  "We leaving now?"

  He smiled at Javier and said, "To be honest, I've been in Camp too long. I feel like my bones are getting soft. It's time to get out there."

  Seeing that Stephen was willing to go, Javier said happily, "Let's pack up our gear and head out soon!"

  "It's quite a distance, so it will probably take us a few days, so we'll need to prepare ourselves well."

  "No problem, I’ll just quickly get my stuff and come."

  Stephen replied decisively, then started packing his bags and getting ready to leave!