death of hope

Chapter 194 "Corporate Warrior" (110) El Paso

Under the huge and towering trident cactus, there was a rare shade, and the guide sent by the governor was standing there waving.

"I haven't agreed on the password yet, so why...you can see that it's us? It's still easy to reveal your secrets with this outfit."

"The old man has been following us for a long time. He watched us park the car, watched us change clothes, and then walked to the predetermined place and waited leisurely. This guide is a thieves. It's a good thing, everyone Hopefully the partners are smart people."

After chatting and understanding,
The guide's name is Kane, a skinny little old man in his sixties,
His beard and hair were already grey, but his spirit was still hale and hearty, his blue eyes were shining brightly, his spine was straight, and he was not hunchbacked at all.

Mr. Kane is a retired colonial patrol ranger. He also worked as a cowboy and bodyguard when he was young. His rich resume and experience are exactly what Lynch and others urgently need.

The rule in New Vegas is that you can’t ask for help empty-handed. As a gift, Lodayev handed over two Camel cigarettes and a classic Zippo lighter with a small can of kerosene.

Seeing the gift, Mr. Kane trembled with excitement, and the flame of the lighter also dangled.

It took several seconds to light the cigarette, take a deep breath, close your eyes and pass your lungs, and then puff out the clouds, with a face full of happiness.

In the colony where supplies are scarce, the old smokers roll their own shredded tobacco with straw paper and light it with a match.
In New Vegas, machine-cut and packaged filter-tipped cigarettes are high-end products, and only people with status like the Governor can afford them.
The gift is not precious, but for an old smoker like Kane, it happens to be exactly what he likes. It feels cold to the touch, and the Zippo lighter with the brushed metal shell hits his weakness.

The old man felt like he had found a treasure, and after smoking one, he was reluctant to continue. He stuffed two Camel cigarettes into the bottom of the dilapidated backpack,
The lighter was buckled on a cowhide sash, and next to him was his polished sidearm, a Colt cavalry-style long-barreled revolver, the standard issue of the New Vegas Rangers.

The mercenary Oleg whispered to Johnny:

"It's just cheap filter cigarettes and lighters, and the reaction is exaggerated."

"The industrial products that are insignificant in our eyes have become treasures in the eyes of this old man."

"Look at him! I can't wait to suck the butt of the cigarette into my mouth... I have decided to give him all the remaining cigars after the mission is over."

"Every time I come to this remote planet to perform a mission, I can refresh my understanding of poverty."

"Newspaper reporters didn't come to take pictures. There are still so many people in a state of severe material deprivation, and people in big cities don't know."

"You think too much. The paparazzi are all filming celebrity gossip. Filming folk suffering is neither profitable nor pleasing."

"Follow up quickly, this old man is walking quite fast."

·
no doubt,

Mr. Kane can be regarded as an excellent guide, and there is nothing in the local area that he does not understand.

There are not many livable places on the entire planet of New Vegas, and hundreds of villages are scattered here and there. A small town like El Paso can actually become a trade center.

The governor said that the forces of several major gangs are all about to move around the town, and the relevant witnesses and clues are also the same, so it is perfect to use this place as a base of operations.

The town of El Paso is roughly divided into two major sections,
East Street is an old block built by the first batch of pioneers, with a complete water supply and sewer network system,
Residents of East Street are engaged in traditional occupations, such as painters, musicians, engineers, cowboys, farmers, millers, farmers, hotel owners, chefs, and barbers.

At a glance, the eastern part of El Paso is full of classic old-fashioned houses built with metal frames and wooden partitions. After half a century of wind and rain erosion, they are much stronger than they look.

The inclination angles of the roofs are all consistent, and there are pattern carvings on the edges of the tiles, which shows the pursuit of traditional crafts by the older generation of craftsmen.

The people living on West Street are all later new immigrants. If it weren't for the jingle of poverty, they would not have immigrated to a place like New Vegas, where land is cheap and cheap.

The houses on West Street completely ignore the aesthetics. The bricks are covered with a layer of concrete, and some of them don’t even have windows.

The newcomers had little property, and most of them worked in the waste recycling industry. Several huge dumps were just west of the town.

Pioneers and new immigrants, these two groups of people often clash, and today happened.

At an intersection where the east and west blocks meet, two men stand thirty yards apart and confront each other. The one on the east is dressed in denim, and the one on the west is wrapped in a windbreaker. At first glance, they look like scavengers picking up rubbish.
The two pressed their hands on the holsters, watching each other's movements.

The residents who watched the excitement watched from afar, consciously making room for them.

"What are those two people staring at?" Asked the mercenary Ashley.

"Duel," Kane replied.

"Huh? Did I hear you right? Are there still people fighting duels these days?"

"You urbanites are rare and strange. This is the case in New Vegas, and this is especially the case in El Paso. Some grudges must be resolved with a duel."

"The sheriff will just watch and leave it alone?"

"Even if you are a magistrate, you can't break the local rules. When I didn't retire as a ranger, I was a witness for several duels."

"My God... your place... is really simple and honest."

"Isn't there a saying, Vegas is simple and simple, and the safe town of El Paso, where more than a dozen people are murdered every week, a duel is considered fair."

"What are these two brothers doing there? Their legs are numb, and they still haven't fired. It's really ink."

"Boy, you know what a fart. You have a lot of knowledge about duels. You have to patiently test the opponent's guts and judge the best time to draw your gun."

"Isn't this... the technique known as the modern Iai slash, the Vegas spear drawing technique?"

"Hmm, if you want to learn, I can teach you."

"It's interesting, it's really interesting, and I'm starting to love this town."

"I bet one dollar, the cowboy wins, and that kid looks cruel at first glance." Mercenary Hammond said.

Shaft took out a coin: "I followed, and I bet on the scavenger, because his posture is cool enough."

"Who is that white-bearded old man next to him? He's more nervous than a duelist. Is he the father of one of them?"

"Haha, you guessed wrong." Kane said: "That is the coffin shop owner. He hopes that the two of them will die together, so that two coffins can be sold."

"Fuck, it's really no business and no crime."

At this time, the gun rang out, and the crowd panicked.

The two drew their guns almost at the same time, not looking at the sights, but shooting entirely by feel.

Scavengers to the west fell.

Hammond jumped up happily: "Hey, win, bring me a dollar!"

"Wait, don't worry."

Shaft handed out all the one-dollar steel coins, and put them back in his pocket. The cowboy on the east side shook twice, couldn't stand still anymore, and fell down suddenly, his back was already soaked in blood.

"To die together, the marksmanship of the two is indistinguishable."

Only then did the duelist's relatives emerge from the crowd, weeping bitterly.

The owner of the coffin shop pretended to be very sad and went to comfort him in spite of the ecstasy in his heart.

"Let's go around, it's not far from the hotel we're going to stay in," Kane turned around and said to everyone:

"Now that you know how the locals do it, you'd better stay out of trouble and welcome to El Paso."

(End of this chapter)