'Rescue'

Outside Washington, on the train tracks.

Three extraordinary trains, like steel beasts, rumbled past.

Each section on top of the dark steel train had a semi-enclosed Maxim gun mounted, and at the front and rear of the train were train-specific cannons developed by the Van der Linde Technology Research Institute, used to blast open obstacles ahead or directly kill distant enemies.

Of course, the main purpose was to clear the way on the tracks, as their train had no special registration or timetable, and might very well collide with other trains.

At this point, cannons would be needed to interrupt the routes of other trains.

Each of the three trains had twelve carriages, totaling thirty-six carriages. Each carriage had six small openings on both sides for the gunmen inside to fire, resulting in a total of 432 firing ports.

However, each carriage actually carried two thousand gunmen, to facilitate the intrusion into Washington, to completely control the United States Congress, to drag all officials of the United States Congress to the west to mine, and to cause the Federal Government to collapse directly.

This way, subsequent troops could attack each state individually.

Without the coordinated management of the Federal Government, it would be impossible for the states to unite.

This is America. It could split completely like the Soviet Union at any time due to some unexpected events.

The train passed the crossing marked Washington. Arthur, who was driving the train at the front, looked up, then said to John beside him, "Marston, you go directly to the rear engine in a bit. When I get Dutch out, start adding coal!"

"Sure, Arthur." John Marston was wearing a black-and-white VDL Party general's uniform, and he looked quite handsome.

Arthur was wearing a major general's uniform. It wasn't that his rank was inferior to John's, but because he thought the major general's uniform was cooler.

For these core members of the Van der Linde Gang, mere official positions could not restrain them; they wore whatever they wanted.

Even if Arthur wore a common soldier's uniform, he could still manage two batches of Van der Linde Gang generals and three batches of lieutenant generals.

He could even say now that he wanted Dutch to abdicate and let him, Arthur Morgan, lead the gang, and Dutch would actually step down.

As for whether he would lead well, don't worry about that; in short, this was a symbol of status.

The two of them drove the armored train through so many large states along the way, and not a single state government dared to stop it.

Let alone stopping it.

The people of Ambarino and several nearby states, where Mr. Van der Linde's reputation had long spread, were all beaming with joy when they heard it was Mr. Dutch Van der Linde's armored train.

Great, Mr. Van der Linde is here.

Mr. Van der Linde is here, and they will have a better tomorrow.

And in the larger cities closer to the east, those city governments and police officers dared not make any moves after seeing these three terrifying armored trains.

Armored trains already existed in this era, and they were even used in the American Civil War.

But so many years have passed, and America has been stable domestically. Their own armored trains have long been dismantled or broken, and the troops have been disbanded or crushed. To this day, the Federal Government only has twenty thousand troops, and state defense forces are even fewer. How could they fight these three terrifying armored trains?

Moreover, Mr. Dutch Van der Linde's internal warfare was considered an American civil war. They had not yet seen the situation clearly and did not know who to join, so everyone maintained the idea of waiting and seeing.

Although America developed quickly in this era, at this point in time, for the states, they still had no loyalty to America.

After the American economic crisis in 1899, in order to regulate banks and guarantee the wealth of most people, the Federal Government was deliberating on introducing the Federal Reserve. The American state governments feared that the Federal Government would use the name of this central bank to expand its scope of power, so they formally entered a semi-cold war period from their honeymoon period. (America actually established the First Bank and Second Bank to ensure that the economy would not be manipulated by Europeans and that the people would not be exploited by capital, which shows that there were indeed some patriotic factions within America who did practical things)

With the right timing, geographical advantage, and popular support, how could Mr. Van der Linde not win?

Washington.

As the capital of America, Washington was extremely prosperous in this era.

The most striking features were the tall buildings, cement-paved roads, various standardized street layouts, and elegantly dressed pedestrians coming and going on the streets.

Loud and dirty things like train tracks were generally set up in the city's slums.

Washington was no exception.

The arrival of the armored train did not attract the attention of the ladies and gentlemen in the city, but instead caused a sensation in the slums it passed through.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble…" The shaking sound of the train passing initially did not attract much attention.

This place was near the train tracks, and trains passed by constantly every day, so there was nothing worth paying attention to.

A man lying on the street, too hungry to move, paid no attention to the rumbling train behind him, even though its sound was astonishing.

However, strange exclamations sounded not far away.

"What is that?"

"An armored train! I've seen it, I've seen it! In the newspaper!"

"Damn it, is there going to be another war?"

All sorts of panicked voices caught the man's attention, forcing him to turn his head and look at the tracks behind him.

A steel beast, like a black giant dragon, surged past, and the terrifying oppressive feeling even made him feel suffocated.

"Ahhh! There's going to be another war, there's going to be another war!"

Frantic screams echoed in place, but the figure had already disappeared.

At Washington Train Station, eighteen train tracks showcased Washington's prosperity.

Train station staff patrolled the platforms as usual, and the station was already filled with passengers waiting to board the next train.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble…"

The roar of the train sounded in the distance, causing the platform staff to frown.

"The next train isn't due yet! This one's over an hour early!"

The staff's brows were furrowed, and the passengers waiting on the train platform were also extremely puzzled.

"Sir, is this our train? The timing doesn't quite match!"

"Yes, that's why my wife went to the restroom, because I saw the time. You guys… sh*t! An armored train, why would something like this pull into Washington Train Station?!"

The passengers' confusion on the platform instantly turned to surprise with the arrival of the train.

Before their eyes, three dark steel trains, like ferocious beasts, sped in from the distance.

"Damn it, I didn't hear anything about a war!"

"Is it Mr. Van der Linde from the west?"

"Hard to say, possibly. Oh no! I feel like Washington is going to be in chaos. Run, go home first!"

But fortunately, these people from big cities were ultimately knowledgeable.

Although surprised and with some guesses, most people were not overly panicked. Apart from some who had already begun to retreat home, quite a few still stood on the train platform watching.

"Choo-Choo-Choo…" The train's whistle roared.

Accompanied by intense braking sounds, the three trains stopped one after another in the train station.

While the crowd at the train station was still watching.

The steel doors of the newly stopped black steel trains pulled open from the inside, and then soldiers, each carrying a Marko rifle and wearing unified black-and-white military uniforms and bulletproof vests, jumped off the train with extreme speed.

The soldiers who jumped off first then received equipment carried out by the soldiers remaining in the rear carriages.

These included portable individual cannons, somewhat like the Japanese grenade launchers, as well as various new individual equipment developed by the Van der Linde Research Institute, including small submachine guns developed by referencing the principle of automatic cycling of Maxim gunpowder gas, and various new cannons. In addition, steel soldiers wearing steel armor, like ancient knights, even jumped out of the armored train.

"Booming…" The sheer momentum of this group even caused some tremors.

"Surround the United States Congress and rescue Dutch!"

Arthur jumped off the train, instinctively reaching for his face covering, but he didn't grab it, then remembered what he was there for.

He raised his arm and shouted, then a group of steel soldiers raised steel shields at the very front of the formation, forming a steel defense line. The soldiers behind them, carrying rifles and cannons, marched mightily towards the United States Congress.

"Mr. Van der Linde. I knew there was no need to communicate with you damn Western barbarians, because you don't understand my position, nor do you understand what a century of accumulation means, let alone the difference between people.

Even now, you are still immersed in your own fantasy.

I will show you the gap between us, Mr. Van der Linde. I can shatter the Western Eden you built with just a word!"

Looking at Dutch's calm face, which still held a hint of madness, Mr. Forsa not only didn't mind but even leaned in close to his face with a smile and whispered.

Dutch's expression didn't seem to change because of his threat, which greatly displeased Mr. Forsa.

You, a lowlife, a commoner, why aren't you shocked to hear about my family? Why aren't you honored to meet me?

Perhaps Mr. Forsa was too rich and could no longer find anything to stimulate his nerves, so he now had a somewhat pathological feeling.

Seeing Mr. Van der Linde completely unconcerned by his intimidation, he became even more deranged.

"Do you know how I will deal with your kingdom, Mr. Van der Linde? I will crush it directly with economics!

I will directly inject a large amount of capital to impact your market, causing all your prices to collapse, and making those people you incited lose everything! They will pay the price for their foolishness."

Mr. Forsa roared, his veins bulging on his face, which was twisted with a ferocious expression.

However, his expression immediately returned to normal, and he looked at Mr. Dutch Van der Linde's face with interest, as if trying to discern some reaction from him.

"Are you an idiot?"

Dutch looked at him, acting strangely.

"Fuck!"

His previous words failed to break Dutch, but Dutch's simple words easily broke Mr. Forsa.

Mr. Forsa was furious, snatched a pistol from a nearby bodyguard, and was about to press it against Dutch's head.

However, the next moment, accompanied by a sharp pain in his palm, the pistol he had just turned instantly appeared in Mr. Dutch Van der Linde's hand.

"Bang bang bang…"

Four shots in one second.

Just as the thought of vigilance arose in the heads of Mr. Forsa and his four muscular bodyguards, four bullet holes appeared on the foreheads of his four muscular bodyguards.

The still-hot muzzle was pressed against Mr. Forsa's head, and the heat of the muzzle caused a burning sensation on his skin, which finally brought him back to his senses.

And only then did the bodies of the four muscular bodyguards, who had been shot dead, slump to the ground.

"Bang…"

The sound of the four muscular men falling was not small, but it completely shook Mr. Forsa's heart.

Damn it, can anyone shoot that fast?

As a wealthy man from a super family, the gunmen he recruited were naturally not ordinary masters. In fact, there were an absurd number of death matches similar to octagon cages; for example, Charles worked as an underground bare-knuckle boxer in Saint Denis during the epilogue.

And these four bodyguards Mr. Forsa recruited were all genuine world-class underground boxing champions and crack shots trained by those underground companies specializing in bodyguard training. These four men could even withstand a wild boar! He had seen it with his own eyes!

But these four super masters were shot dead by the Dutch Van der Linde in front of him within a second?

Mr. Forsa's eyelids trembled, and his terrified gaze slightly shifted to look at the Mad Dog King, Jet, Demon Robin, and Jack the Ripper Ethan lying on the ground, feeling a chill in his heart.

You guys didn't say you were this bad!

"This… this, what kind of marksmanship is this?" A blood blister had been scalded onto Mr. Forsa's forehead by the hot muzzle, but even so, he didn't utter a sound, didn't retreat an inch, and asked Mr. Van der Linde with a sheepish smile.

"You don't need to know, Mr. Forsa. Don't worry, I won't kill you.

Only by making people like you work day and night in the mines, only when the supervisor's whip lashes your tender back, will you understand why your century of family accumulation cannot compare to my two years of struggle."

Dutch sneered.

"What beautiful dream are you having? Dutch, do you think you can truly control America? With your management style, I guarantee you won't be able to sustain it for three years!

I will plunge your West into war, but not the kind of war you imagine. Of course, if you let go now…"

Mr. Forsa, who had just been afraid and wanted to admit his mistake, immediately changed his attitude and became arrogant again when he heard Dutch wasn't going to execute him.

However, he had only spoken half his sentence.

"Boom…" Accompanied by a huge explosion and piercing screams, a turbulent cloud of dust immediately erupted from the basement entrance, followed by a badly mangled corpse that was blown in by the destructive force of the explosion.

Mr. Forsa's words came to an abrupt halt.

"Dutch!" Arthur's shout rang out from the basement entrance.

"Here! Arthur." Dutch called out loudly.

To Mr. Forsa's horrified eyes, two steel soldiers, holding weapons he had never seen before, burst through the blown-open gap in the basement, even smashing the door to pieces.

With the explosion of the door, the outside scene could already be seen through the broken wall.

Gunsmoke had already risen in the Capitol building in Washington, and screams and gunshots never ceased for a moment.

Dense ranks of steel soldiers advanced relentlessly with their equipment, and continuous artillery shells exploded on the Capitol building, leaving it scarred and full of ruins.

The high-ranking officials in the Capitol trembled, and many had already prostrated themselves on the ground to express their willingness to surrender.

The VDL Party's Guard, dressed in black and white uniforms, rushed madly into the Capitol, raising the slogan of popular uprising.

Gunsmoke had already filled the room.

Mr. Forsa looked at the armored soldiers who had broken in, then suddenly turned to Dutch and said seriously, "You know, Mr. Van der Linde, I am actually a peace-loving person. I once won the European Peace Ambassador award for three consecutive years… Hmph!"

Mr. Forsa hadn't finished speaking when a gun stock smashed into the back of his head.

With a muffled grunt, Mr. Forsa fainted.