Arms

As Dutch, Arthur, and Hosea stepped into the Shady Belle's main hall, Mr. Randy, who was hunched over, meticulously loading gunpowder, startled. His head snapped up, his eyes darting nervously towards the doorway.

For the past two days, he'd heard the name Dutch countless times, a whispered legend of ruthlessness. And after Davey and the others returned, boasting of seventy men cut down in a single night, the pressure associated with Dutch's name swelled to unbearable proportions.

The boss of these ruthless devils? How utterly, unimaginably brutal must he be!

The very moment Dutch stepped into the room, Mr. Randy's heart hammered against his ribs. He stole a quick, cautious glance at Dutch's face, then instantly, instinctively, lowered his head, a gesture of profound subservience.

Although Dutch lacked the chiseled handsomeness of Arthur or the serene wisdom of Hosea, he possessed a strange, almost magnetic charisma. He exuded an undeniable aura of leadership, a presence that commanded attention. Even those who had never met him would feel, upon their first encounter, a peculiar, captivating charm.

This feeling was magnified tenfold under the immense pressure Mr. Randy already felt, causing him to instantly perceive Dutch's powerful leadership aura and to feel a crushing weight of expectation. He even harbored a chilling premonition: Mr. Dutch, he feared, would likely begin their conversation by subtly oppressing or perhaps mocking him, a calculated assertion of his terrifying status as the boss.

Sure enough, when Dutch spotted Mr. Randy, hunched over his work, his face contorted with tension, his body trembling ever so slightly, Dutch immediately spoke.

"Oh, Mr. Randy, hello!" A voice, brimming with genuine, almost startling joy, rang out from the doorway, making Mr. Randy, who sat with his head bowed, jump in his seat. He was so startled, he didn't even register that he was being addressed.

However, before he could even process the words, Dutch was already in front of Randy, personally bending down, grasping the bomb-maker's hands with both of his own, his smile radiating warmth. "Mr. Randy, don't be nervous, my dear sir. I am Dutch Van der Linde. It's a profound pleasure to meet you, sir. And I am very grateful that you are willing to work for me. Davey, what is Mr. Randy's salary?"

"Fifty dollars a month, Dutch," Davey replied from the side, a note of slight pride in his voice. This was the generous salary he had promised Mr. Randy.

Upon hearing the amount, Dutch's brow furrowed, a flicker of feigned disapproval. "No, Davey," he said, his voice laced with concern. "This salary is too low. Mr. Randy's work is very dangerous, so it requires high returns to reward his efforts. How about this, Mr. Randy, I'll pay you seventy-five dollars a month, sir. Also,"

Dutch's eyes widened, feigning astonishment, "I heard Davey say you developed a new type of bomb? My goodness, dear Mr. Randy, you truly are a genius! I've decided to give you a fifty-dollar bonus as encouragement and reward for your brilliant research!"

Dutch's words, delivered with such practiced warmth and genuine-sounding appreciation, were like a potent elixir for Mr. Randy. In a few short sentences, his previous tension and fear melted away, replaced by an intoxicating wave of ecstasy and excitement. When he heard that Dutch was giving him a fifty-dollar research reward, he was utterly, completely stunned.

"Oh, Mr. Van der Linde, Mr. Van der Linde!" Randy stammered, incoherent with joy. He quickly, nervously, stumbled to his feet, excitedly trying to decline the reward Dutch was offering. "I, I, I didn't do any professional research, sir! I just, I just wrapped some pebbles in paper outside! That's not research at all, sir, I can't accept this reward!"

In reality, a salary of fifty dollars had already made him deliriously happy. Working for the Lemoyne Raiders, if he managed to scrape together fifteen or twenty dollars a month, that was considered their great mercy.

And Mr. Davey raising it to fifty was precisely why he had chosen to stay, rather than making a desperate run for it. But he never, in his wildest dreams, expected that this terrifying – oh no, this respectable – Big Boss would, upon his very arrival, immediately raise his salary again, directly to seventy-five dollars, and then, as if that weren't enough, bestow upon him a research bonus!

This was something he had never, in his entire half-century of life, experienced! This terrifying gang leader was offering him a salary twice as high as those damned capitalists! This was simply unbelievable, and it utterly shattered his deeply ingrained, terrifying filter for "gang members."

Seventy-five dollars a month for him! Damn it, what gang members? Mr. Dutch and Mr. Davey were clearly gentle and refined gentlemen, true moral paragons.

Those damn capitalists who only paid him twenty-five dollars a month, those greedy bastards, they were the real gang members! They should be strung up from lampposts and have their asses thoroughly poked with thorny branches!

Watching Mr. Randy's utterly ecstatic expression, seeing him instantly transform from abject fear to profound, tearful joy, Dutch threw his head back and burst into hearty laughter:

"Hahaha, Mr. Randy, I have always believed in one sacred principle: the higher the income, the more motivated the workers! So the salary I give you is what you deserve, it is your honest work income! And the research bonus is a reward to praise your diligent efforts in research! So please, Mr. Randy, accept it. Your lives are already difficult enough; there is no need for me to make your lives even harder for such a small gain!"

Dutch's words were like a gentle, warming sun, spreading through Mr. Randy's entire body, melting away years of cold, hard cynicism. Listening to Dutch, he was utterly astonished. My goodness! How can there be such a good person in the world? God, listen to what he says! These few short sentences have almost moved me to want to dedicate my entire life to him!

Mr. Randy stood trembling, his lips quivering slightly, his face filled with genuine, heartfelt admiration and profound, overwhelming joy. "Oh, Mr. Van der Linde, oh, sir, I, I don't know what to say! Sir, I will work hard from now on, sir, I will give my all for you, sir... sir, I have never been treated like this before!" Mr. Randy even shed tears, his face crumpled with emotion.

In this brutal era, there were no labor laws, no protective regulations; the lower class possessed no extra human rights. Especially with the relentless rise of capital, people were systematically skinned alive, their bones picked clean, their very souls sucked dry.

So, individuals like Mr. Randy had truly never encountered someone like Mr. Dutch. Even if there were a few "better" gentlemen out there, at most, the treatment would be slightly less brutal, but still not much better.

And certainly not like Dutch, who wielded both tangible benefits and captivating rhetoric, a powerful one-two punch designed to attack their hearts, meticulously establishing his persona, and ultimately, winning their unwavering faith.

So Mr. Randy's profound emotion at this moment was undeniably genuine and heartfelt. In fact, to spontaneously express his surging respect and gratitude for Dutch, he proactively began to offer some valuable information, directly addressing Dutch's earlier, unspoken desire.

" Mr. Van der Linde, you want to produce firearms, right?" Randy blurted out, tears still streaming down his face. "The place where I used to work, sir, had a firearms production line! And I have a very good friend there! I think I might be able to contact him and have him create some opportunities for you, sir!"

Just as the old saying goes, when mountains and rivers block the way, a new village appears around the bend. Dutch, who was currently grappling with the immense challenge of acquiring firearms, now had the solution delivered directly to his doorstep, for free!

Moreover, from Mr. Randy's excited words, it was clear he could even ensure that Dutch and his men could steal some vital firearm production equipment!

Damn it! This was Dutch's unparalleled charm! This was the raw power of loyalty! This was the ultimate, strategic move! When Dutch treated these workers, these forgotten souls who labored for him, with genuine sincerity, he was bound to gain their true, unbreakable loyalty!