Night.
Lemoyne State, along the Lannahechee River.
The Grand Korrigan—this was the name of the luxury cruise ship.
A lavish gambling vessel, it was famous for hosting high-stakes games, drawing gamblers and thrill-seekers from all over.
It was known as the Queen of the Lannahechee River.
At the mayor's banquet some time ago, the Van der Linde Gang had learned about this ship from a wealthy businessman.
That was when Josiah Trelawny devised a plan targeting the luxury gambling cruise.
Dutch, however, showed little interest. His attention was entirely focused on robbing the tram station.
To ensure that plan went smoothly, he frequently gathered intelligence about the tram depot.
The game didn't highlight this much, but in reality Dutch acted with considerable caution.
The operation against the gambling cruise ship was jointly planned by Strauss and Trelawny.
Trelawny had Arthur change his clothes, get a haircut, and rent a carriage.
They had already selected their target in advance.
A wealthy businessman named Desmond Blythe, who made his fortune in the hosiery trade. He was rich and loved gambling.
He was also a regular guest on this gambling cruise ship.
Under Trelawny's arrangements, Arthur would board the ship disguised as an oil tycoon and join the games.
Trelawny had already bribed the dealer, with Strauss secretly providing support.
The plan was to bleed Desmond Blythe dry and force him to wager the Swiss-made Reutlinger Pocket Watch he had pawned to the ship.
According to the plan, after winning Desmond Blythe's Reutlinger Pocket Watch,
Arthur would ask to take a closer look at it.
Then, together with Javier Escuella disguised as a guard, they would force the casino manager to open the safe and loot the cash and valuables inside.
The result had been a success.
In the end, they walked away with six thousand dollars and the valuable Swiss-made Reutlinger Pocket Watch. All in all, it had gone smoothly.
But this time, things were different.
"Trelawny, what's going on? Why are there so many people?"
"If it's like this, how are we supposed to move?"
At the dock, Arthur handed his gun to George, the coachman and a friend of Trelawny's.
Then he noticed the area beside The Grand Korrigan crawling with security personnel.
"Oh, shit. That's Davey's security company."
"Sorry, Arthur. I didn't learn about this beforehand. The casino owner actually hired Davey's Land Security Company to handle security. This is going to cause us serious trouble."
Trelawny took a closer look and quickly recognized the men in black combat uniforms.
He had dealings with Davey before and was familiar with how his people dressed.
But the sight of them made his stomach sink.
He knew exactly how capable Davey's men were.
The casino's original guards wouldn't have been much of a threat, but Davey's employees were elites.
"So what do we do, Trelawny? Call the whole thing off?"
Arthur didn't want to clash with Davey's men either, even though he trusted his own shooting.
But he wouldn't be allowed to bring a gun inside. That would make it a completely uneven fight.
"Let's go in first and see, Arthur."
"Strauss and Javier Escuella should already be inside. We'll have to adapt as we go."
Trelawny spoke with resignation.
Something unexpected had come up, but there was no turning back now. They could only push forward.
They presented their invitations and submitted to the weapons check.
They were just about to be let through.
Suddenly, one of the employees murmured something to a colleague nearby, then stepped forward.
"Sorry, gentlemen. Please wait a moment."
Trelawny smiled faintly. "Oh? Is there a problem with our invitation?"
He wasn't worried. The invitation was genuine, and gamblers were always welcome. Getting one hadn't been difficult.
"It's not the invitation. It's something else."
"I'm sorry, but you can't enter just yet."
The employee's tone was firm.
"Why?" Arthur snapped. "I want a proper explanation."
The employee didn't back down. Other guards nearby immediately moved in.
"Easy, easy, sir."
"We're guests here. Just guests here to gamble, right?"
"Is this how the Queen of the Lannahechee River treats her guests?"
Trelawny held back the increasingly irritated Arthur and smiled at the guards.
"I'm sorry, sir. Please wait a moment."
The guard repeated the same words, signaling several others to cut off their retreat.
Surrounded by armed personnel, Trelawny and Arthur felt something was wrong.
Trelawny even began to suspect something had gone wrong on Javier Escuella's end.
According to the plan, Javier Escuella was supposed to incapacitate a guard and take his place.
Had he been exposed—and sold them out?
Just as the tension reached its peak,
Mac stepped out from the ship.
He spread his arms and laughed loudly. "Well, if it isn't you two. Trelawny, Arthur."
"My friends, seeing you here really makes me happy."
"Cartman, that's enough. They're my friends."
Hearing this, Cartman nodded to the surrounding guards.
They immediately dispersed.
"My apologies, gentlemen. Sorry about earlier."
Cartman's voice was calm.
Trelawny frowned. "Sir, what you did just now was extremely rude."
Cartman didn't bother replying. He simply turned and walked away.
His arrogance left both Trelawny and Arthur seething.
Mac chuckled. "Ignore him. Germans are like that. You get used to it."
"Come on, old friends. Welcome aboard The Grand Korrigan."
Cartman recognized Trelawny and Arthur,
though they didn't recognize him.
Back when Trelawny and Arthur had dealings with Davey, Cartman had been responsible for Davey's personal security.
That was how he knew they were members of the Van der Linde Gang.
He was well aware of the gang's reputation—a group of wanted outlaws causing trouble across the West.
Even though his boss, Davey, had once been one of them.
Seeing them show up on the cruise ship immediately put Cartman on guard.
The Van der Linde Gang was notorious for robbery, after all.
So he chose to stop them first and have someone notify Mac inside.
Land Security Company employees enjoyed high pay, but they also underwent intense training, including strict security protocols.
If a security operation failed, there would be thorough reviews and accountability afterward.
Under normal procedures, dangerous individuals like the Van der Linde Gang would have been barred from boarding altogether.
But given their complicated relationship with the boss, Cartman decided to inform Mac—at least that way, responsibility wouldn't fall on him if something went wrong.
"Mac, what are you doing here?"
"Is it because Land Security Company took over security here?"
Arthur asked curiously.
"No, Arthur. That's only part of it."
"I own a share of this gambling ship."
"Oh—and so does Davey."
"So, Arthur, and Trelawny, I know you're planning to stir something up here."
"Maybe you've already got a solid plan."
"But I'd advise you to keep things calm. Davey and I are running this place now."
"Of course, as long as you don't go too far, it won't be a problem."
The moment Mac saw Arthur, he knew the Van der Linde Gang had their eyes on the casino.
He'd once been one of them himself and knew their habits well—and this ship was loaded with cash.
There was no way they'd suddenly decided to quit robbing and take up gambling instead.
Trelawny and Arthur exchanged glances, both at a loss.
It was clear their plan was probably doomed.
Once inside the ship, they also spotted Javier Escuella and Strauss, both wearing helpless expressions.
...
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