Threat to the USA

Mr. Milton's arrival caught Dutch by surprise.

According to his expectations, either the East would directly send people to deliver the final notice, followed by a massive army, or they would remain silent, not bothering to conflict with Dutch Van der Linde, who had completely seized power, over two states.

He never expected that these people from the East would send Pinkerton Detectives.

No, did they really think of him, Dutch Van der Linde, as a bandit to be encircled and suppressed?

Dutch looked out the window with a profound gaze, seeing Milton and Ross walking into the manor entrance, and felt that he must have misunderstood.

It's very likely that the people in the East haven't taken him, Dutch Van der Linde, seriously yet, and these Pinkerton Detectives might be here for other reasons this time.

Dutch put down the pipe in his hand, a smile appearing on his face, and walked out of the villa's door.

"Ah, Andrew Milton, Mr. Milton, long time no see, my dear Agent!"

"Mr. Van der Linde, it's a pleasure to meet you." A rare smile appeared on Mr. Milton's face.

After touring Saint Denis, he could clearly see the fundamental difference between Saint Denis and Washington.

That is, Saint Denis has a human touch!

The ruler here, Dutch Van der Linde, truly treats these common people as human beings, not as slaves who can be worked to death in factories, or waste materials in workshops.

This feeling of warmth captivated Mr. Milton.

He liked this life and only wanted to make America a country like this.

Perhaps working for those capitalists and politicians would make him superior, but he was still just a consumable, albeit of a slightly higher grade.

But who can guarantee that his son, his family, won't become the next low-grade consumable?

In the entire world at present, only Mr. Van der Linde dares to make such a guarantee.

Looking at the smile on Mr. Milton's face, Dutch said in surprise, "Ho ho ho, Mr. Milton, I didn't expect you to still be smiling in front of a desperado like me. Could it be that my money and status have also moved you?"

Arthur grimaced behind him.

"Dutch is indeed Dutch, Dutch is truly Dutch, completely consistent with my way of speaking! Did he learn from me too?"

If Dutch knew Arthur's current thoughts, he would definitely wring his head off.

From ancient times to the present, sons have resembled their fathers, so how did it become the father resembling the son here?

Dutch's words were sarcastic, mocking Mr. Milton, mocking these Pinkerton Detectives, for being the running dogs of the rich and powerful!

And now, seeing Dutch become rich and powerful, they changed their attitude and swarmed around like poodles.

If the old Mr. Milton had heard this, he would have surely thrown a tantrum, but the current Mr. Milton didn't take it to heart at all.

"I think so, Dutch. You know, we Pinkerton Detectives haven't had it easy lately. The gentlemen in the East have given us a final ultimatum. After this operation, the Pinkerton Detectives will be legally disbanded, and the Federal Government will establish a new enforcement agency.

So, this should be the last time Mr. Ross and I meet you as Pinkerton Detectives, Dutch."

Mr. Milton was indifferent to his sarcasm; instead, he took off his hat with a sigh and sadly wiped the dust from it.

"I still remember our second meeting, Dutch, you once told me that our era had passed.

Today, our era has indeed come to an end. Perhaps in another two or three years, when the Federal Government's official documents are issued, we will disappear into the long river of history.

This can't help but make one feel the impermanence of things, Dutch."

Mr. Milton put his hat back on his head, his posture still impeccable, gentlemanly and elegant.

"Yes, Agent, this is civilization, this is the era, this is fate! I am very glad now that I realized this, otherwise, the consequences waiting for us would be much more severe than yours. Either hanged on the gallows, or hunted down to death by you, isn't that right?" Dutch also sighed with emotion.

Whether it was the Van der Linde Gang, or Kalm and the O'Driscoll Gang, or even the Pinkerton Detectives, they were all just grains of sand swept away by the tide of historical development.

Those who do not change with the times can only face ultimate death.

"But now your consequences are also very serious, Mr. Van der Linde. Those gentlemen in the East have set their sights on you. The purpose of our visit this time is for your Veteran Club.

You know, the existence of the Veteran Club will attract the admiration of American veterans, but also their dissatisfaction.

Those gentlemen in the East do not want to increase their salaries; on the contrary, they prefer to send us to deal with your Veteran Club, so as to eliminate future troubles once and for all.

I think you should know what this means, Dutch."

Mr. Milton said to Dutch. Beside him, Arthur pulled out a box of high-end cigars from his pocket and handed them to Ross, patting him on the shoulder.

"Come on, buddy, smoke something good, damn it, your life is a bit too shabby."

Ross's mouth twitched, wanting to return the cigar, but after glancing at the cigar box, he silently pulled his hand back.

Dutch ignored Arthur's little gestures, but was very interested in Mr. Milton's words.

Listening to Mr. Milton's words, Dutch's face was full of smiles, and he said in surprise, "Oh? Then why are you telling me this, Mr. Milton? Am I to understand that you are now expressing friendliness and submission to me?

Let me think, the reason those damned powerful people in the East sent you over must be because they didn't take the changes in the West seriously.

This is very unusual, because whether it's the changes in New Hanover, or the recent fame of Saint Denis and New Hanover, these powerful people in the East couldn't have received no news at all.

And they still haven't made a move, probably because someone helped us conceal the news.

So, is it you, Mr. Milton? Is it you who assessed our threat level for them?"

Listening to Dutch, Mr. Milton neither nodded nor shook his head. He simply stood still and said indifferently, "Dutch Van der Linde, a desperado with only a dozen or twenty gang members. In Valentine, he might have some standing, and even threaten the Valentine police department due to his subordinates' strength. But in the East, he's completely insignificant!"

This damned Milton, he didn't want to actively lower his dignity and surrender to Dutch because of his pride. Instead, he used various words to highlight his own role in it, and also subtly expressed his thoughts.

Hearing Mr. Milton's words, Dutch laughed heartily.

"Hahahahaha, Mr. Milton, I'm really starting to like you now, Agent! Oh, damn it, this is crazy, I actually like someone who's always hunting me!"

Dutch laughed heartily; he completely understood what Mr. Milton meant.

This damned Agent, he always liked to put on a strong front. Even at this point, he had to use words that wouldn't make him lose face to express his desire to surrender.

Damn it, who said these Americans had no art in speaking?

Isn't this quite artistic?

He wouldn't open his mouth to say he wanted to join Dutch Van der Linde, but instead beat around the bush, engaging in a conversation with him as an equal, hinting at his intentions.

"Hahaha, oh, Mr. Milton, actually there's no need for us to beat around the bush so much.

I know you might want to maintain your dignity and your last stand, but I never care about a person's past identity or status!

I can even give a spy sent by Germany a chance to have his own life, so how could I not tolerate you Pinkerton Detectives?

I even give every pauper, disabled person, and even beggar a human dignity, so how could I insult your character?

So, Mr. Milton, Saint Denis welcomes your arrival.

Although I'm surprised by this, I'm also very pleased.

Even my former enemies have acknowledged me, which proves that I haven't made any mistakes.

This is an affirmation of me, isn't it?"

Dutch was extremely happy. He extended his hand and shook Mr. Milton's hand without any hint of sarcasm.

Listening to Dutch reveal his thoughts and his ridiculous self-esteem, Mr. Milton felt relieved but also a bit ashamed.

Looking at the smile on Dutch's face, and the smiles on Arthur's and other Van der Linde Gang members' faces, he couldn't help but tighten his collar, cleared his throat, and then explained, "I just want my subordinates to have a good place to go…"

"Hahaha, of course, of course! Mr. Milton." Dutch laughed heartily, then looked at Arthur and said, "Alright, Arthur, go tell the kitchen to prepare a hearty lunch, kid. I think I need to discuss some things with Mr. Milton."

"Alright, Dutch!" Arthur nodded.

He walked past Mr. Milton, and after only two steps, he suddenly stopped, then turned around and came back.

"Mr. Milton, we Van der Linde Gang have free high-grade cigars!"

Arthur had a mischievous smile on his face, patted Mr. Milton's shoulder, and then quickly left the scene.

Mr. Milton, who was standing still, had a somewhat darkened expression.

"Oh, Arthur, Mr. Milton didn't come here for high-grade cigars!" John also followed Arthur, shouting loudly.

Mr. Milton's face grew even darker.

That's right, Dutch indeed never humiliated anyone because he needed to set an example, but the Van der Linde Gang members loved to humiliate others the most.

Time slowly passed, and everyone enjoyed the meal.

Mr. Milton did not know that in the future, he would become one of the world's famous figures because of this meal.

However, even without this meal, given the period he joined Van der Linde, he could still barely be considered one of the founding members.

Mr. Milton's arrival made Dutch see the possibility of establishing an intelligence department.

As a senior Agent within the Pinkerton Detectives, Mr. Milton's various professional skills were extremely strong.

It would be somewhat unreasonable to make him a sheriff or military personnel, so Dutch finally decided to have Mr. Milton establish an intelligence department exclusively for the Van der Linde Gang, selecting a group of loyal personnel to form the Van der Linde Gang's intelligence network.

By then, the major departments within the Van der Linde Gang had already taken shape.

It only needed one or two, or two or three years of development to be perfected.

---

It wasn't until night had fallen that Mr. Milton and Mr. Ross, each dressed in high-grade Van der Linde Gang attire, walked out of Van der Linde Manor.

Unlike the small top hat and small suit Mr. Milton used to wear, the Van der Linde Gang's high-grade attire was a complete modification of black and white military uniforms.

Even Mr. Ross, who was plump, looked very distinguished in it, and someone like Mr. Milton, who already had a distinguished air, looked even cooler when he wore it.

As high-ranking officers of the Van der Linde Gang, both men were also issued high-grade sidearms. At that moment, standing at the entrance of Van der Linde Manor, with their legs together, they truly exuded the aura of military officers.

The Van der Linde Security Team, pick up a gun and they are soldiers!

Milton and Ross looked at each other, you looking at me and I looking at you.

After a long time, Mr. Ross was the first to speak: "This… Mr. Milton, have we really changed our identities just like that?"

Listening to Mr. Ross's question, and seeing Mr. Ross's confused expression, Mr. Milton sighed and said, "I think so, Mr. Ross.

Mr. Van der Linde has even given us the money, so I think we need to proceed with the next steps ourselves."

As he spoke, Mr. Milton himself found it somewhat hard to believe.

Dutch trusted them too much; he not only immediately finalized their future work focus but also directly handed over one hundred thousand dollars in startup funds to them.

Mr. Milton held a small money box in his right hand.

This small box was entirely filled with money, one hundred thousand dollars. Even as a senior Agent of the Pinkerton Detectives, he had never dared to imagine possessing so much money, and now, it was in his hand, at his disposal.

Dutch's trust weighed heavily on Mr. Milton's heart.

Originally, he only felt that Dutch was good to the common people and didn't perceive any charisma in Dutch, but now, he truly felt this charisma.

"Oh, I still can't believe we've become subordinates of Dutch Van der Linde.

We were responsible for capturing him just a year ago!" Mr. Ross still found it difficult to accept reality.

"This is the change of times, Mr. Ross, just as we are being eliminated by the times. And Dutch has become the manipulator of the times, so all we can choose is to change with the times!"

Mr. Milton sighed deeply, then carried the small money box in his hand and got into the carriage at the entrance.

"But no matter what, Mr. Ross, since we have chosen this path, let's walk it well.

Although we are both risking our lives for others, I think Dutch might be the best choice.

Of course, also for our own descendants."