There's an old saying: robbery is one of the quickest routes to riches.

  Stephen finally gained a profound understanding of this saying today.

  Before this mission, the gang was short on food and clothing, at least that's how it seemed to Stephen.

  But this double-cross journey made the Van der Linde gang instantly wealthy.

  Colm not only handed over his meticulously prepared plan, but also left behind a huge camp and all sorts of supplies for them.

  The group ransacked the village, and the collected supplies piled up into a small hill in the middle of the village.

  Dutch was thrilled at the sight of these supplies. It could be said that these supplies successfully helped the struggling gang get back on its feet.

  Although Stephen wasn't a member of the gang, he had contributed a lot.

  So Dutch generously waved his hand at Stephen, telling him to take whatever he liked, without holding back.

  Stephen wasn't greedy. He only took an almost brand-new lever-action rifle and a nice silver pocket watch, plus some food and ammunition.

  As for the other money and jewelry, he wasn't interested in taking any of it.

  It wasn't that he really looked down on it, but the O'Driscoll gang members were as poor as ghosts, and those so-called jewels were probably fake anyway.

  He only found a few dozen dollars in cash. Although he wasn't rich, he really didn't care about such a small amount of money.

  But Dutch wasn't happy that Stephen didn't want it.

  He directly grabbed the scattered dollars and jewelry and stuffed them all into Stephen's arms, his generosity surprising Stephen.

  Seeing Dutch's insistence, Stephen had no choice but to accept it all.

  Skipping this little interlude, the group loaded the supplies onto their horses. With Dutch's order, they leisurely rode back.

  On the way back, except for Dutch, who was still walking behind with Arthur, muttering about something, the other three surrounded Stephen.

  Stephen showed off his skills, not only defeating the O'Driscoll gang, but also making everyone admire him, and they were also full of curiosity about his abilities.

  The older ones were okay, still knowing how to be reserved. But the young man named Lenny couldn't hold back and rode his horse alongside Stephen, asking questions non-stop.

  Stephen didn't find him annoying and patiently explained things to him.

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  Dutch walked behind, watching Stephen chatting happily with Lenny and the others, and a smile appeared on his face.

  "You seem to like this young man." Arthur, who was beside him, asked curiously, looking at Dutch's expression.

  "Of course." Dutch didn't deny it, saying, "Don't you think you're a lot like him?"

  Dutch turned to look at Arthur and said, word by word, "Like you, he is powerful and full of vitality."

  Arthur looked at Stephen's back, thoughtfully nodding, "You want to recruit him into the gang? That's a good idea. Should I talk to him?"

  "No hurry, we have plenty of time anyway." Dutch shook his head, "I still need to see what kind of person he is, to see if he fits our gang."

  "Good heavens, when did we have such rules?" Arthur said with a hint of sarcasm, "No wonder we were able to recruit talents like Micah."

  "No, that's different." Dutch waved his hand, patiently explaining to Arthur, "Although people like Micah are ugly, they are easy to understand. You can see right through them. I know what he wants, and I can control him."

  He looked at Stephen and said slowly, "But this guy is powerful and mysterious. So I need more time to observe him, until I can confirm that he won't turn around and harm us."

  After Dutch finished speaking, he urged his horse to the front of the group and said loudly to everyone, "I am proud of you. We fought a perfect battle. Not one of us fell, not even injured."

  Hearing Dutch's words, everyone except Stephen cheered loudly.

  Indeed, such a record was worth cheering for.

  "Although our situation is not good right now, hungry and cold, you have done a great job." Dutch continued loudly, "They will continue to attack us with all their strength, but we will always rally. That's who we are, that's what outlaws do."

  "Now, we're just waiting for our partners, John, Sean, Mac, Charles, even Micah, waiting for them to recover from their injuries and ride with us. I know they'll all come back."

  When he said this, Dutch's tone was low, as if he was mourning the dead.

  Stephen looked at Dutch and suddenly became very curious about him.

  Currently, this guy is good with guns, has ideas, and, most importantly, has a damn good eloquence.

  This is rare among cowboys whose average education is prenatal education.

  The words just now were obviously improvised, but coming out of his mouth, combined with his ups and downs tone and steady but slightly hoarse voice, they were very touching.

  Stephen knew from the excited looks of Lenny and Bill that they were eating it up.

  But Stephen didn't buy into it. What hadn't he seen in his previous life? Dutch was just a small fry.

  "Although we didn't catch Colm, we stole his plan, which will hurt him more than killing him." Arthur said with a smile.

  The rich harvest of this operation made Arthur, who was initially opposed to it, happy.

  "Especially when we're going to rob that train." Dutch said with a smile on his face.

  "That will make that guy come after us." Arthur still seemed a little worried.

  "Hey, even if we don't rob that train, won't Colm come after us?" Dutch immediately retorted.

  Arthur shook his head. He understood that they had an irreconcilable feud with Colm.

  "So it's simple. We just act before they find us and leave quickly, just like those stupid Pinkertons and cops." Dutch said confidently, as if everything was under his control.

  Stephen didn't know where his confidence came from. But seeing the trusting looks on everyone's faces, he understood a little.

  Thus, amidst Dutch's occasional speeches and Lenny's jokes, the group slowly set out on the road back.

  As they approached a small stream, a figure suddenly appeared ahead.

  Dutch was at the front, and he recognized the man at a glance as someone he had seen before.

  He slapped his head and immediately remembered that the man was a member of the O'Driscoll gang. He had seen him talking to Colm through his binoculars!

  "Arthur, that guy is one of Colm's men. Go grab him and bring him back." Dutch immediately ordered his most capable subordinate.

  Arthur immediately spurred his horse and charged towards the man.

  The guy, seeing Arthur charging towards him, was so frightened that he immediately jumped on his horse and ran haphazardly upstream.

  "Okay, let's go back first. Arthur will bring that guy back."

  Dutch was full of confidence in Arthur.