New Gods of North America

Many things may seem similar on the surface, but their underlying logic can be vastly different.

Take, for example, law enforcement officers and bounty hunters.

They both appear to be doing similar things—combating crime—and some may even share similar styles and temperaments, but they are fundamentally different.

When facing bandits,

a law enforcement officer has ample reason to act as soon as they appear within the town's boundaries. Their goal is to maintain the town's security and prevent threats to the safety and property of the townspeople.

Bounty hunters, on the other hand, might wait and see, paying attention to who's on the wanted list and considering when to act to maximize their profits.

The criminals are the same people before and after committing a crime, but the rewards for dealing with them can be worlds apart.

Just waiting a little while for the criminals to be put on a wanted list can rapidly increase their 'value,' like land.

Moreover, robbing civilians is a crime, but robbing criminals isn't much of a problem.

You can even silence them along the way—I'm just a bounty hunter, how would I know where those criminals hid their loot or money?

This is one reason why some bounty hunters are looked down upon by law enforcement. They often choose to let criminals have the opportunity to commit crimes, sitting back and watching before 'combating crime.'

Afterward, bounty hunters might be hailed as 'more effective than the local police' or 'great heroes' for apprehending heinous criminals,

while law enforcement officers, who diligently prevent heinous crimes, might be seen as only dealing with small-time crooks.

After all, they're not on any wanted lists.

Therefore, compared to 'hounds,' many bounty hunters are more like 'vultures' gathering at the scent of rotting flesh.

Wayne II's education didn't quite support him choosing to allow crimes to happen.

Uncle Benjamin was smarter and more decent in this regard. He would take care of passing, well-known wanted criminals and promptly stop potential crimes in town.

He gained fame and trust while also upholding his principles, which was a relatively better solution.

After discovering the bandit gang's large group, the detective agency and others maintained a distance where they could barely follow with binoculars, gradually approaching the steam train route.

The detective agency's members currently all have bounty hunter experience.

After understanding some of the detectives' views, Wayne also took the opportunity to unify opinions internally:

"Our detective agency currently has partnerships with the church and some local police forces, and we're in this for the long haul, so maintaining the detective agency's integrity is crucial.

"'Avenging' criminals afterward may seem more satisfying to outsiders, but to potential major clients, it's essentially a dereliction of duty, which isn't conducive to long-term business.

"Everyone needs to think long-term. Sooner or later, the overall security of various places will stabilize, bandit gangs will become increasingly unsustainable, and ultimately 'security' will be a larger market.

"Therefore, my requirement is that whenever we are aware of something beforehand, the detective agency must stop the crime at the scene at the latest, striving to prevent clients or ordinary people from suffering harm and loss. As for some short-sighted clients, we can choose to put them on a list and publicly declare that we will not accept their commissions at certain times."

Inesa rarely expressed her views proactively under most circumstances, but this time she gave Wayne public support, which was a rare occurrence.

With two out of the three partners in agreement, the detectives took it as the detective agency's decision and expressed their acceptance and support.

Lina felt as though she was being dragged onto a pirate ship. "The detective agency is becoming more and more like a hunter association branch… At this rate, I feel like I'm getting further and further away from becoming a rich woman…"

"Actually, it won't."

Wayne knew that Lina's brain was fully functional, but she tended to choose the more profitable approach:

"That day is still far away. The wanted criminals who have already committed crimes in various places are enough to keep us busy for a long time. What the detective agency needs to do now is to promote this concept of 'preventing crime' and create a 'crime nemesis' brand first. When the time comes, the deposits we receive just for accepting commissions may be much higher than others."

Lina didn't have much of an opinion on their decision, but she didn't listen to the man's nonsense either. "Hmph, I'll see the results when it's time for the dividends. If the detective agency goes bankrupt, I'll let Peter bite you."

Peter, who was inexplicably mentioned, wasn't trying to put on an act next to Lina at the moment. He was lying on the birdcage, teasing Doug's newly raised crow, deliberately stretching a leg down to shake it, and pulling it back before it could be pecked, as if he was 'fighting evil with evil,' punishing the crow for pecking other people's tails.

Wayne's detective agency wasn't the only one to notice the "wolf pack." Chris's team, like tagalongs, soon reappeared.

Chris was quite frank. "We don't have enough manpower to deal with such a large gang. Mr. Daggett and others only plan to defend the town and won't cooperate with us in taking the initiative to attack. So our plan is to wait for some large teams to make the first move, and then chase down any escaped wanted criminals depending on the situation. Your team is one of our main focuses at the moment."

"One of? Are there other teams around?" Wayne asked.

Chris pointed in one direction. "One team has already gone around from that side in advance and should be lying in wait near the steam train route, waiting for the gang to commit the crime before finding an opportunity to launch an ambush. I'm here to understand your plan so that we can avoid the directions where large teams are ambushing and not compete with you for spoils."

Wayne thought for a moment and first gave Chris a heads-up. "Our team may attack them before they commit the crime."

"That's against the rules. This area doesn't belong to any town's territory."

Chris was slightly stunned. "If the attack is launched too early, everyone's income will be affected. Even some gangs know that as long as they don't attack the town, they are relatively safe before launching an attack. Basically, no one will try to stop them in advance except for some mounted police."

Wayne glanced at Chris. "Did you forget? Mr. Russell's commission also includes 'preventing the crime from happening,' and his company will pay a fee after assessment."

Chris was also very realistic in this regard. "The fees assessed by the capitalists may not be much. Everyone prefers the tangible bounties and spoils."

Wayne patted Chris on the shoulder, expressing his understanding. "Don't worry, I know what to do."

Anyway, once the gunfire starts, many things are beyond anyone's control.

Wayne couldn't really predict the income that Mr. Russell might pay.

However, Wayne was willing to use this as a pilot program. If this path works, then he can also send away some competing teams along the way.

If the pilot program fails a few times and is found to be completely unworkable, the detective agency can eventually change its model and become 'vultures.'

If the market is incompatible, then cater to the market. It's just a simple matter of 'fattening them up before slaughtering them,' not exactly rocket science.

After following the "wolf pack" for another two days, they were getting closer and closer to the steam train route, and the other party's pace gradually slowed down.

Perhaps the gang members weren't completely unaware that some teams were following them in secret, but their pace still seemed orderly, which may have been mixed with some 'fearlessness' based on strength and calculation.

Coincidentally, someone wanted to be a 'reckless fool' this time.