Infinity, The Arcade Age

Creak!

In a small Western town, the saloon doors creaked open. The once boisterous atmosphere, filled with cowboys drinking and chatting loudly, suddenly fell into silence.

All heads turned toward the entrance, hands instinctively resting on the weapons at their waists.

Under their tense gazes, two figures strode through the doors.

The moment everyone got a clear look at the duo, the previously tense saloon erupted into boisterous laughter.

The pair consisted of a woman in a strange military uniform and a man in an old-fashioned pirate outfit.

Of all things to wear in the desert, why a pirate costume?

Where was he planning to find a sea around here? Was he the commander of the Mongolian navy?

Despite the mockery, Qin Ming, with his arm around Kasamoto Eri, ignored the crowd as they made their way to the bar.

Hooking a chair with his leg, Qin Ming smoothly sat down and knocked on the counter.

"Milk for me, and a shot of high-purity vodka for her."

Kasamoto Eri promptly corrected him, "Make that a whole bottle."

The bartender couldn't help but chuckle.

"Vodka we've got, but no milk. This is a saloon, not a school cafeteria. You want milk, try the school next door."

Laughter erupted around the room once again.

Qin Ming adjusted the pirate hat on his head and swept his gaze around the room.

Noticing his glance, one of the cowboys stood up with a grin and sauntered over.

"Hey there, Pirate Gentleman."

"That's Captain. Pirate Captain."

"Oh, pardon me, Captain. You sure you're in the right place? Ain't no ships around here, and sure as hell ain't no milk."

The cowboy leaned in closer, sneaking a glance at Kasamoto Eri, clearly appreciating her beauty before turning his attention back to Qin Ming.

Noticing that Qin Ming wasn't carrying any visible weapons, the cowboy's grin turned sinister.

"Captain, you do realize what happens when you show up in a cowboy saloon without a gun, right? Especially when you're with a fine lady like this?"

"If someone challenges you to a duel, what're you gonna do? Fight with your fists?" He burst into laughter.

The surrounding cowboys joined in, their laughter echoing through the saloon.

But before the laughter could die down, a dull thud echoed through the room.

Qin Ming, still seated, delivered a lightning-fast punch straight to the cowboy's face, smashing it in.

With a resounding crash, the bearded cowboy collapsed to the floor, unconscious, his face caved in.

Retracting his fist, Qin Ming regarded the fallen man with a disdainful smirk.

"Yep, with my fists."

A gun-wielding fool daring to get this close to him? Absolute lunacy!

Clang!

Realizing one of their own had been taken down so easily, the other cowboys scrambled to their feet, reaching for their revolvers.

But before they could draw their weapons, Kasamoto Eri, seated calmly nearby, flashed a cold glint in her eyes.

With a smooth motion, she spun around, drawing her revolver and fanning the hammer. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Six rapid shots filled the saloon with sparks and echoes of gunfire.

The cowboys barely had time to react before their revolvers were shot clean out of their hands.

Their trembling fingers stung from the impact, their faces pale with shock.

The saloon fell into a stunned silence.

Kasamoto Eri nonchalantly blew the smoke from her gun's barrel, twirling it effortlessly before sliding it back into her thigh holster.

Without missing a beat, she resumed sipping her vodka.

The cowboys in the saloon exchanged wary glances.

One of them, noticing that Kasamoto Eri's revolver was empty and that she hadn't reloaded, hesitated briefly before swiftly drawing his gun to fire.

But his weapon barely cleared the holster before the sharp crack of gunfire filled the room.

Without even turning around, Qin Ming drew his revolver in one fluid motion and fired five rapid shots behind him.

All five bullets struck true: the first shot disarmed the cowboy, the second shattered his wrist, the third blew apart his head, the fourth pierced his throat, and the fifth struck his heart.

The cowboy stood frozen for a split second before collapsing to the floor with a resounding thud, dead on the spot.

Qin Ming coolly adjusted his aim, pointing the barrel at the bartender, giving a slight tilt of the gun as a signal.

The bartender, who had just been reaching for the shotgun under the counter, froze, his face stiffening in fear. Slowly, he raised both hands in surrender.

"A glass of milk, please," Qin Ming said calmly.

Seeing the bartender obediently comply, Qin Ming finally holstered his revolver.

Swallowing nervously, the bartender scrambled to open the cabinet and poured Qin Ming a glass of milk, even thoughtfully dropping in a sugar cube.

Qin Ming raised the glass in a silent gesture of thanks before downing it in one gulp.

Having finished, he stood up, gripping his belt with both hands as he swaggered toward the group of tense cowboys.

Scanning the room, his gaze settled on a pair—a man and a woman dressed in typical cowboy attire.

"Take off your clothes," he ordered.

"What?" the pair exclaimed in disbelief.

"Take off your clothes. I like them."

Their faces turned dark.

Though intimidated by the earlier display of marksmanship from Qin Ming and Kasamoto Eri, the two cowboys stood firm.

In the Wild West, to back down when confronted meant losing all respect and being bullied by everyone thereafter.

Even though fear gripped them, they refused to hand over their clothes and stood rigidly in defiance.

Qin Ming sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes. He slipped his hand inside his coat.

The man and woman instinctively tensed, their hands hovering over their holstered revolvers.

The atmosphere in the saloon turned unbearably tense.

The faint whistle of the wind, the gentle jingle of bells, and the heavy breathing of the cowboys mingled in the air.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the standoff.

Sweat trickled down the foreheads of the two cowboys, but they didn't dare wipe it away. Their pale knuckles clutched their gun grips, ready to draw at any moment.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Qin Ming finally moved.

He slowly pulled his hand from his coat, revealing a single gold coin pinched between his fingers.

With a smile under his pirate hat, he said, "I'll buy them."

(End of Chapter)