Mu Yang spread his hands and leaned back in his chair. "I don't want to start by losing money."
The man across from him simply repeated the same line.
"You looked at the cards. Now you have to play."
"What if I refuse?"
The cold-eyed man stood up. He was a full head taller than Mu Yang.
Everyone nearby quickly moved out of the way. Some even shot Mu Yang looks of pity.
The man flipped open his coat. Clearly, this true outlaw hadn't bothered to follow the hotel's rules either. He was still carrying his six-shooter.
"I said you have to play this hand. Do you understand me, you little bastard?"
Faced with the threat, Mu Yang remained perfectly calm.
"No one can force me to play cards. Least of all you, old bastard."
The man didn't waste more words. He had clearly recognized Mu Yang — the unarmed Mu Yang. He drew his gun and aimed it straight at Mu Yang's stomach.
"Buster Scruggs?"
The saloon music stopped abruptly.
"Looks like you know me. My nickname is Songbird…"
Still with a gun pointed at him, Mu Yang slowly stood up and raised both hands in surrender. At the same time, his mouth kept moving.
"I hope you'll store your weapon at the gun check by the door. Hiding a gun on your person like that doesn't seem to follow the saloon's rules. Wouldn't that be a little disrespectful to local customs?"
The man found it amusing. "And what if I refuse?"
Mu Yang lifted his foot and stomped hard on one end of the wooden table. The other end flipped up and struck the man's elbow.
Bang bang bang—
Every shot the man fired went straight into his own head…
[Okay, okay, using talking to distract him — classic.]
[There's an option like this??]
[This table really carried the scene.]
Mu Yang walked over to the merchant. "Gentlemen, I'm not usually a sneaky person. But when you're unarmed, your countermeasures have to be a little extreme."
The merchant, blood still on his face, could only force a smile. They had set up this trap to scam people. They never expected to run into someone this tough. Now even their boss was gone in an instant…
Mu Yang simply patted his shoulder, as if to say he didn't mind being set up.
Then he walked around the saloon, composing a new ballad on the spot about the dead outlaw — Gambler Old Joe. The pianist had quick wits; the music that had stopped when the guns came out immediately resumed.
This move saved his life.
In the lyrics, Mu Yang loudly mocked Gambler Old Joe's embarrassing deeds. Many people here were his subordinates, but they still wanted to live. So everyone could only sing and dance along with Mu Yang.
Not everyone, though.
The man who had earlier given up his seat for Mu Yang came back, looking grief-stricken. He was Old Joe's younger brother.
He grabbed Mu Yang. "You killed my brother, you coward! You bastard! You ambushed him when he wasn't paying attention!"
Mu Yang told him to calm down. "I can overlook the slander because you're grieving. But you should know — Buster Scruggs never attacks from behind."
"Buster Scruggs? You're that idiot quick-draw artist?"
"I'm guessing you meant to say Songbird."
"Call yourself whatever you want. I want you outside. Bring your gun!"
The scene cut.
Outside the hotel.
Mu Yang retrieved his gun belt.
"Things just keep escalating one after another. Still, I should be able to deal with this old bastard's little brother pretty quickly."
"Buster Scruggs! I challenge you to a duel!"
Mu Yang replied leisurely, "Hold on, brother. I need to tighten my belt first."
In reality, he had already been ready for a while.
"Are you ready?" Mu Yang asked.
"Ready."
"Really ready?"
"Ready."
"Want me to count down?"
"No need, sir."
Bang—
Mu Yang shot the man's index finger clean off.
[This isn't game content, right? 12+]
[This is ridiculous. I won't be able to sleep tonight (laughing)]
[Mu Yang is such a dirty player. He keeps asking if the other guy is ready while already pulling the trigger.]
[Now that you mention it, the guy answering was always half a beat late.]
[The other guy was an idiot too — answered "ready" three times.]
[Being too honest will get you killed like this.]
"Using any other finger makes it hard to pull the trigger, but…"
Bang bang bang bang—
Mu Yang still fired four more shots…
[Damn, aiming with the eye of death like that.]
Shooting off the finger had already been Mu Yang giving him a chance. The man still didn't understand and tried to draw with his left hand.
"Looks like no one ever told him when to stop…"
Mu Yang held out his palm. "Five fingers. One bullet for each…"
He turned toward the camera.
"I only have one bullet left now. I hope I don't miss."
With victory in hand, Mu Yang pulled another trick. He took out a small mirror to use as a rearview mirror. He was going to shoot the man while facing away from him.
"His heart is on the left, but in the mirror it's on the right. We're facing the same direction and I'm holding the gun backward, so…"
"I'd better not overdo it…"
Bang—
The younger brother, who had just drawn his gun, collapsed on the spot.
[I'm dizzy. So which side did he actually hit?]
[I don't know either. I suggest aiming for the head.]
[It even involves physics. This is unbeatable.]
"Reflection principle."
Mu Yang holstered his gun and walked forward. "At a time like this, let me sing a triumphant song…"
"Hm?"
A melodious harmonica tune drifted over from the distance.
[There's another expert?]
[They're coming one by one, huh?]
[The harmonica is the real war god instrument of the West.]
Mu Yang was momentarily stunned.
A blue-haired woman on a black horse appeared.
(She begged Lingyuan for a long time.)
Her entire outfit seemed deliberately chosen as the opposite of Mu Yang's white clothes. Mu Yang's outfit was black and white with more white. Hers was the exact reverse.
She rode up to Mu Yang at a leisurely pace and finished her tune.
"Buster Scruggs?"
"That's me. Your music is lovely. That makes you a bit like me."
"That's high praise coming from the Songbird," the woman said. "Someone told me I had to defeat you — a singing quick-draw artist."
The duel began.
The coffin seller was collecting the body of the younger brother from earlier.
Mu Yang loaded bullets while muttering, "Another young person trying to prove themselves. At this rate I might have to start an undertaker business on the side."
"No more of this fighting and killing work. It's always benefiting someone else."
"Besides, black clothes probably don't suit me."
Mu Yang complained to the camera for a while.
The woman across from him spoke. "Would you like a countdown?"
"No need, sir." Mu Yang answered on instinct. The next second, his smile froze.
She was using the exact same trick.
He took out his small mirror and checked.
There was a small bullet hole in his hat…
In the stream chat, Guinaifen was full of question marks. "Huh?"