With the sentry taken care of, the rest became much easier.
Stephen had already observed the place carefully during the day.
There were four occupied rooms in total, and the one at the far end housed a woman.
If these people were truly decent, then Sadie Adler should be inside.
He moved along the wall, making his way toward that room.
Just as he was about to reach the window, a burst of commotion came from behind the house.
“I mean, your husband’s already dead.
What’s wrong with spending one night with me?” A lewd, arrogant voice rang out.
The moment Stephen heard it, his heart jolted, and he hurried toward the back.
A man and a woman stood there.
The man wore a black coat, his belly bulging, reeking of alcohol.
He had clearly drunk a lot.
As for the woman, Stephen recognized her instantly.
It was Sadie Adler.
A surge of joy hit him.
He had found her just like that, without any effort.
Sadie Adler looked devastated.
She seemed not to hear the man at all, wrapped in a blanket and quietly crying.
When she gave no response, the man started getting handsy.
Stephen could not tolerate it any longer.
These people were clearly no saints.
In that case, there was no need to hold back.
He quickly assessed the surroundings.
The area was open, and just a few steps uphill were the tied horses.
If he dealt with this man quickly, he could escape with Sadie Adler.
Stephen took a deep breath, drew his long knife, and charged.
The distance between them was short.
His movement was fast and decisive.
The man was completely caught off guard, his small, rat-like eyes widening in shock.
At the last moment, the man reached for his waist, trying to draw his revolver.
Stephen did not give him the chance.
His left hand shot forward, pressing down on the man’s gun hand and forcing the half-drawn revolver back into place.
At the same time, he reversed his grip on the long knife and drove the hilt upward into the man’s jaw, cutting off his scream.
Several teeth flew into the air.
The blow was so heavy it knocked out most of his teeth.
Stephen pivoted immediately, slipping behind him, clamping a hand over his mouth while drawing the blade across his throat, ready to cut.
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Instinct took over.
Stephen grabbed the man and pulled him to the side as a shield.
A muffled scream followed.
Stephen glanced down and saw a black arrow embedded firmly in the man’s shoulder.
Cold sweat broke out across his back.
If he had reacted a fraction slower, that arrow would have hit him.
Another arrow came, this time aimed straight at his head.
Stephen kicked the man aside, knocked the arrow away with his blade, and charged toward the archer.
“Sadie, it’s Stephen!
I’m here to get you out.
Run, I’ll cover you!”
As he rushed past her, he shouted for her to run.
Sadie Adler stood there, staring at his back, still stunned.
Now that he had been exposed, there was no reason to stay hidden.
Stephen drew his revolver with his left hand and fired twice at the heavyset archer.
The man looked bulky, but he moved quickly, rolling aside to avoid both shots.
“Damn it…” Stephen muttered.
In the darkness, the man was hard to make out, and those shots had been little more than guesses.
But he was already close.
As the man dodged, Stephen closed the distance.
He raised the long knife and brought it down in a powerful strike.
The man was still crouched.
He drew a dagger and caught the blow with both hands, barely managing to block it.
Even so, the impact forced him down onto one knee, the blade nearly reaching his shoulder.
Stephen did not linger.
He pulled back and struck again.
The man gritted his teeth and managed to block three consecutive strikes.
That gave Stephen pause.
In the two years he had been here, he had never met anyone who could take three of his blows.
Without hesitation, Stephen leaned back and drove both feet into the man’s stomach, sending him flying.
Using the recoil, he rolled backward and sprang up, turning toward the other houses.
There was no time to get tangled up here.
He needed to buy Sadie Adler time to escape.
As he passed the fire, he grabbed a burning log and hurled it toward the nearby buildings.
He needed chaos.
Two men rushed out of a house.
Stephen kicked one to the ground, then knocked the other, who was raising a gun, unconscious with a punch.
He was just about to finish them when a sharp sense of danger hit him.
He rolled aside instantly.
Gunshots rang out, more than one.
A man stood across from him, revolver raised.
The firing speed was terrifying.
Stephen glanced back.
Three bullet holes lined up neatly on the wall behind where he had just been standing, almost perfectly straight and only a few centimeters apart.
This man had incredible control.
“Kid, don’t move.
Next shot, you won’t be so lucky.”
The man casually twirled his revolver, a faint, provoking smile on his face.
“Oh?” Stephen replied, studying him.
A blue coat, a black cowboy hat, and an ordinary revolver.
Nothing about him stood out.
When did someone like this show up here?
A man with that kind of skill could not be unknown.
“Want to try your luck?
That last one was just luck.
Next time…”
Before he could finish, Stephen moved.
He lunged forward, firing at the same time.
Against someone like this, hesitation meant death.
He had to act first.
The two shots were deliberate, one to each side of the man.
A marksman like this could read the angle of a shot instantly.
The man understood and chose not to dodge.
He fired back.
That was exactly what Stephen wanted.
If the man dodged, there would be nothing to strike.
A burning bullet tore into Stephen’s left arm.
Blood burst out instantly.
He clenched his teeth and took the hit, his blade steady as it came down toward the man’s neck.
The man realized too late.
He raised his left arm, trying to block, willing to sacrifice it to survive.
But Stephen’s strike had been committed the moment he chose to take that bullet.
The blade reached his neck before his arm could.
“Stephen, stop!”
A hoarse female voice cut through the moment.
Stephen froze on instinct.
The blade stopped just against the man’s neck, grazing the skin.
A thin line opened, and a drop of blood slid down.
A fraction deeper, and it would have been fatal.
Sadie Adler rushed over and grabbed his arm.
“You’ve got it wrong.
They saved me.
They’re not the enemy.”
…