Reborn in 1878: America's Number One Bandit

Chapter 20: Building the house begins.

The children stared at the iron objects in their hands, bewildered.

Finnian walked between them, took one of the boys' hands, and taught him how to release the safety and how to aim.

"It's simple. See that bad guy? Aim at him, pull the trigger here, bang! Your revenge is done."

Abel roared at the top of his lungs, "You broke your promise! You just promised not to kill us!"

Finnian let out a deafening laugh.

"Old man, I didn't break the contract."

“I only said that ‘my brothers and I’ would not do it. But I never said that they wouldn’t do it.”

He pointed to the group of Native American children holding weapons.

Suddenly, an Indian boy raised his gun and pulled the trigger at Abel's leg.

"boom!"

Abel screamed in agony as blood gushed from his legs, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud.

The other children also raised their guns and frantically pulled the triggers on Abel and his family.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sound of gunfire echoed through the cabin.

A few minutes later, the shooting stopped.

The farmer's entire family was riddled with bullets.

Finnian walked up to them and threw a bag of jerky and several water pouches on the ground.

"You are free."

"Go north, cross that mountain, and you'll reach your tribe's settlement. Go back now."

After saying this, he led his group of silent, wolf-like brothers, mounted their horses, and disappeared into the morning mist.

Their mission is complete.

Not long after, a crumpled piece of parchment was delivered to Lawson.

It was that IOU worth $30,000.

Lawson spread it out on the table, looked at Abel Clark's signature on it, and smiled with satisfaction.

With this item, the apple orchard with its perfect water source was basically his for the taking.

In this era of America, the law places great importance on debt relationships.

According to the Estate Law, if a person has debts during their lifetime, the first priority for repayment of their estate is to the creditors, not their legal heirs.

Debts outweigh inheritance rights.

Only after all debts have been paid off will the remaining property be inherited by the spouse and children.

With the entire Abel Clark family wiped out, he naturally had no direct heirs.

According to legal procedures, his estate and all his property will be liquidated and publicly auctioned by the county court.

This huge IOU, with its date a year earlier than expected, will become the largest of all debts.

When the auction comes, Lawson can use this IOU as proof to send his henchmen, acting as the creditor, to legitimately acquire the entire farm without paying any additional cash.

A perfect closed loop.

Meanwhile, Strawberry Sheriff Barnes, along with several officers, rushed to the crime scene at the apple farm.

When Barnes saw the horrific scene inside the cabin, even he, who was used to seeing death, felt his stomach churn.

"FUCK!"

He kicked a chair by the door aside and let out an angry roar.

"These damned thugs, why are they targeting our Strawberry Town so much!" Barnes grabbed his hair in frustration.

In that short period of time, Coleman Parker's leg was broken and the manor was looted.

Now, Abel Clark's entire family has been wiped out!
Where does that leave the face of this sheriff?
"A two-hundred-dollar bounty is nothing to these desperados!"

He gritted his teeth and said to his deputy, "Let's go! Come with me to the county! We must persuade those officials to raise the reward amount! Raise it to one thousand! No, two thousand US dollars!"

While Barnes was racking his brains trying to catch the culprit, Marlene O'Dell's farm was experiencing a completely different day.

Today is the day she pays the bet with Lawson.

Marlene got up very early, still thinking about the absurd bet from the night before.

When she opened the door carrying a basin of freshly washed potatoes, she froze on the spot.

The wooden basin in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, and potatoes rolled all over the floor.

The sight before her made her think she was still asleep.

A large group of people had gathered in the open space in front of the farm. There were at least twenty or thirty strong white men, dressed in clean work clothes and looking very energetic.

Some people were unloading goods from several huge four-wheeled wagons; bundles of red planks were neatly stacked in a corner of the yard.

Others set up temporary tents and stoves in the open space.

When these people saw Marlene come out, they all turned around and nodded to her with friendly smiles.

Some people even took off their hats to show their respect.

Marlene was dumbfounded.

At that moment, Lawson stepped out from the crowd, walked up to Marlene, picked up a potato that had rolled to her feet, and waved it in front of her.

Good morning, Mrs. Marlene.

He laughed and said, "It seems I've won our bet."

"these people……"

Marlene pointed to the group of burly men, then to the mountain of timber: "They are all..."

“That’s right,” Lawson said. “They’re all my friends. I mentioned them to you yesterday.”

Marlene then realized that what Lawson had said yesterday was true.

He really made so many friends.

Moreover, these were all white people, and their eyes were full of respect when they looked at Lawson.

This is incredible.

"Okay, stop spacing out."

Lawson clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention: "Guys, before we start working, let's settle our temporary accommodations first."

He pointed to several horse-drawn carriages that had been converted into covered wagons and said, “The three of us will live here until the house is built. It has a kitchen and all the necessities.”

Marlene looked at the well-prepared carriages, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

Next, the work officially began.

The twenty-nine British assassins demonstrated astonishing efficiency.

They quickly moved all the furniture and miscellaneous items out of the cabin and neatly categorized them for placement in the temporary camp.

Once the house was emptied, demolition work began.

The old wooden house that held memories for Marlene's family was razed to the ground in less than two hours.

Marlene and Lucy stood at a distance, watching all of this.

After the old houses were demolished, new construction began immediately.

Following the blueprints they had drawn up beforehand, they began digging the foundation on the original site.

It was a two-story Victorian house with a wide porch and beautiful bay windows, much larger than the original house.

The entire construction site was bustling with activity.

The saying "Many hands make light work" is perfectly exemplified here.

These dedicated carpenters, each with their own role, worked together seamlessly, achieving astonishing efficiency.

The workers pulling the cables, digging, and transporting the waste soil were all working together seamlessly.

As per Lawson's specific requirements, their first major project was to dig a large basement.

Lawson stood aside, watching the assassins wielding shovels, digging out large chunks of soil at lightning speed, and couldn't help but laugh.

For his henchmen, digging was practically an innate talent.

After all, their birth originated from the soil.

They dug quickly and well, making rapid progress.

Soon, a huge crater formed on the spot.

Next, the basement was immediately given moisture-proofing and reinforcement treatments.

The professional procedures and meticulous attitude left Marlene speechless.

At the same time, a steady stream of building materials, such as timber, bricks, and hardware, were being transported over in truckloads.

Three Dogs once again demonstrated his hunting skills.

As evening fell, they returned, dragging two plump elk and a wild boar.

The rich aroma of meat quickly filled the campfire at the campsite.

This is a good opportunity to give these suicide soldiers an extra meal.

(End of this chapter)