Davey genuinely wanted to bring Milton under his command.
But he knew that was almost impossible.
Milton had spent most of his life working for the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Nearly his entire career had been poured into it. There was no way he would walk away simply because Pinkerton's business was in decline.
Besides, Pinkerton treated its senior agents exceptionally well.
Unless Pinkerton went bankrupt, there was little chance of that happening.
And Davey understood clearly—though Pinkerton no longer enjoyed its former glory, it was still the largest detective agency in the United States, with the most extensive intelligence network and the best-armed agents.
Historically, it wasn't until 1999—more than a century later—that Pinkerton was acquired by a Swedish security company.
Even now, despite shrinking business and waves of layoffs, Pinkerton still maintained two thousand armed agents. It remained a behemoth across the United States.
After Milton and Ross left, Elisa asked in confusion:
"Mr. Land, are we really going to cooperate with Pinkerton?"
Davey smiled.
"Of course. This contract is only the beginning. In the future, I intend to build comprehensive and much deeper cooperation with Pinkerton."
The decision came to him suddenly.
Setting aside Pinkerton's influence, the network of connections it possessed was beyond imagination.
If Davey became one of Pinkerton's key clients, he could use them as an intermediary to connect with high-ranking officials in the East.
That would greatly increase his chances of obtaining the qualifications to establish an armory.
Pinkerton clearly had extremely close ties with the United States War Department. Nearly thirty years ago, it was Pinkerton that uncovered and thwarted an assassination plot against President Lincoln, ensuring he completed his inauguration smoothly.
That alone meant Pinkerton held considerable political resources.
The United States was a nation driven by capital—but political capital wasn't something you could simply buy.
Of course, the more immediate issue was that Davey didn't have that many dollars to throw around.
More importantly, Pinkerton's security services were genuinely necessary for Davey's factory.
For now, the primary mission of Land Security Company was still to secure Davey's position and influence in the West—
and to protect his moonshine business.
Two days later...
At Shady Belle, Dutch finally saw his opportunity. He called Arthur and Lenny over, preparing to rob the tram station.
Even though it meant committing a robbery in the middle of a city, Dutch showed not the slightest bit of hesitation. In his eyes, the so-called civilized world was no more civilized at its core.
Arthur was excited. It was his first time pulling a job inside a city.
And not just any city—Saint Denis, the most prosperous and civilized city in the West.
Lenny followed behind them, visibly nervous.
The three mounted up and rode straight for Saint Denis.
What they didn't know was that the moment they entered the city, they had already been spotted.
"Ha! That stupid Van der Linde. I knew he'd fall right into this trap."
"Brainless fools—fit for nothing but rutting with bison out on the plains."
Bronte burst into laughter as soon as he received the news.
He immediately had his men notify Saint Denis Police Chief Benjamin and arrange for officers to arrest these western fugitives.
Then he telephoned the tram station, ordering them to transfer the dollars from the safe at once.
It was a trap from the very beginning.
When Dutch went to scout the tram station, he had already been under Bronte's watch.
To better lure Dutch into action, Bronte had deliberately placed extra dollars in the safe.
In reality, the tram station's earnings were nowhere near the tens of thousands Dutch had seen.
It had all been an illusion carefully staged by Bronte.
Davey didn't interfere with Dutch's doomed robbery.
It meant nothing to him.
If he stepped in to stop it, Dutch wouldn't thank him. He'd only believe Davey had sabotaged his plan.
Once prejudice takes root, everything becomes twisted by it.
Davey had originally planned to sit back and enjoy the spectacle.
After all, in the game, it had been quite a dramatic scene.
But a report from his men left him furious.
Some of Donal's subordinates had secretly skimmed money from the moonshine sales and spent it at an opium den.
The amount wasn't large—around two thousand dollars in total.
But that wasn't the point.
It meant there were traitors.
Donal had already arrested them and brought them to Davey's mansion.
Five men, thin and sickly, knelt on the floor with their hands tied.
"What happened?" Davey asked coldly.
Donal lowered his head.
"My apologies, Mr. Land. It was a Chinese-run opium den in Chinatown."
"They got addicted. Spent all the money at home. Then they used the funds that were supposed to be turned in."
"I'll cover the loss."
But this wasn't about money.
It was about betrayal.
Davey glanced at the five gaunt men—three white, two Black.
Then he said, "Explain. What's going on with these opium dens in Chinatown?"
After the Opium War, the Qing Dynasty was forced to legalize opium, burdened by massive reparations and financial crisis. In search of revenue, local officials and civilians turned to cultivating opium.
In less than twenty years, the Qing Dynasty had shown the Western world what it meant to possess abundant resources.
Large-scale cultivation not only satisfied domestic demand but also fueled extensive exports.
With its high quality and low price, Qing opium quickly captured the global market, making China the largest exporter of opium in world trade.
The enormous profits became a major source of funding for Chinese gangs.
After all, not everyone was willing to exhaust themselves for a few dozen dollars a month while enduring discrimination.
At this time, the United States did not strictly regulate opium. There was no prohibition; it was considered a legal commodity.
Some regions imposed limited restrictions. In San Francisco, for example, smoking opium inside opium dens was illegal, but the sale, import, and other uses of opium were not banned.
In 1890, Congress took its first action regarding opium, mainly by imposing taxes on morphine and opium—but still without prohibition.
So the opium dens in Chinatown operated legally and could even register with the authorities.
"They're called 'Anliang Hall.' It's run by a Chinese gang."
"There are seven major opium dens in Chinatown. All of them belong to Anliang Hall. They don't allow other Chinese to open any…"
Donal stumbled over the unfamiliar Chinese name as he reported what he had learned.
Anliang Hall was founded in the late 1880s by Li Xiling, the first so-called "Mayor of Chinatown" and a Hongmen leader, in the Big Apple City.
Since then, every Chinatown across the United States had an Anliang Hall branch. It was also the largest Chinese gang in Saint Denis.
However, within the United States at this stage, Chinese gangs largely confined their activities to Chinatown and rarely competed with other gangs. Given the Qing Dynasty's situation, Chinese immigrants occupied a disadvantaged position in the United States.
Davey made his decision quickly.
"Donal, I'm assigning you fifty men."
"Take them to Chinatown and smash every opium den."
"Tell them this: from today onward, no one is allowed to run an opium den in Saint Denis."
...
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