James Bolton collapsed breathlessly into the weeds, looking at the endless forest, feeling both amused and helpless. Just a few days ago, he was still in another world, and in that world... he still had a project...

　　Henry Cooper had already come over, and Edward Smith had shown impatience many times, but it was always Henry Cooper who persuaded Edward Smith to hold back. He was the peacemaker, believing that the three brothers should value harmony above all.

　　However, even here, his expression was still a bit dark. Thinking of James Bolton's past wastefulness and his status as a live-in son-in-law, he had a rather ominous feeling.

　　So Henry Cooper pulled James Bolton aside and whispered, "Jingyi, why do I feel like, out here in the wilderness, it's basically impossible for us to find any William Carter?"

　　James Bolton replied earnestly to Henry Cooper, "Second brother, you need to have confidence in yourself!"

　　Henry Cooper's face instantly turned completely black, wishing he could strangle James Bolton on the spot. He desperately suppressed the evil thoughts in his heart and said, "What are you talking about? Wasn't this your idea?"

　　"Ah..." James Bolton scratched his head, looking apologetic. "I'm really sorry, I actually forgot this was my idea. You should have confidence in me instead!"

　　Seeing Henry Cooper's dumbfounded expression, James Bolton shrugged and said, "Alright, from now on, we'll start digging traps here... here, and here..."

　　A temporary worker nearby... no, a follower, couldn't help but come over and ask, "Digging traps? What for? Weren't we supposed to be out here for an outing?"

　　So James Bolton looked at Henry Cooper, who seemed a bit embarrassed and quickly told the follower to get lost, then whispered, "When you're in front of them, absolutely do not mention anything about William Carter. If they find out we're here to catch a thief, they'll probably run off without a trace. We just say we're here for an outing."

　　James Bolton more or less understood now why these underlings were all temporary workers.

　　No future at all.

　　"I get it, thanks for the tip, second brother. Then I'll just tell them we're digging traps to hunt rabbits."

　　Actually, at this point, James Bolton was already starting to feel a bit worried.

　　He didn't know if William Carter would actually show up.

　　Although this was a place to hide treasure, who knew when William Carter would come back after stealing something to hide it again?

　　What if, by bad luck, he only came once a year?

　　On the other hand, most of the helpers he brought were a bunch of misfits. Edward Smith and Henry Cooper could be relied on—after all, brothers are the best partners for fighting tigers—but the others could at best just lend a hand.

　　If William Carter brought along seven or eight helpers, with the ferocity of these bandits, their small group would almost certainly be no match.

　　Of course, he still believed that a cunning bandit like William Carter would never easily trust others. This was his treasure, belonging to him alone.

　　For now, there was no better plan, so all they could do was wait!

　　So James Bolton had everyone dig large pits nearby, set sharpened wooden stakes inside, poured water to keep the pits damp, then covered them with a layer of vine nets, topped with loose soil and dead leaves.

　　James Bolton stood by, surveying the terrain, his eyes fixed on the spot where the little stream used to be. He thought of the lakeside from his previous life, and it all felt like a dream—returning to an old place, but hundreds of years had passed in a single dream.

　　He couldn't help but wonder, just how much wealth had William Carter accumulated in this treasure hiding place by now?

Chapter Three: Killing the Thief

　　But James Bolton still managed to restrain his greed. This treasure couldn't be taken in haste. Right now, his own strength was still too weak. Even if he took the treasure, he'd just be a child flaunting gold ingots in the street.

　　Edward Smith and Henry Cooper, on the other hand, looked very uneasy.

　　They were only going along with James Bolton's antics to keep him steady, planning to take him to Jiangnan to hide once he gave up.

　　As for catching any William Carter, they had absolutely no expectations.

　　At this moment, what worried them more was their adoptive father, Charles Bolton.

　　This guy James Bolton was really heartless—his own father had been taken away, yet he was still fooling around here.

　　They had no idea how their adoptive father was doing now. The court was full of intrigue, and the struggle between the secret police agencies was fierce.

　　The Eastern Depot wanted to pin the blame on the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the only one in the Guard who could take the fall was their adoptive father.

　　Their adoptive father was an honest man. In the context of this power struggle, he was bound to be crushed to pieces.

　　The two of them had already figured it out: it was their adoptive father who took them in and raised them. Whenever James Bolton had meat to eat, so did they—they were never treated unfairly. If their adoptive father was executed, the two of them would take their third brother and head to Jiangnan to make a new life.

　　The two of them, panting as they dug pits and set traps, glanced over and saw James Bolton lying in the grass, wiggling his butt and rustling around. After a long while, he finally poked his head out, picked a bunch of azaleas, plucked the flowers, and stuffed them into his mouth to chew.

　　Edward Smith was so angry he was about to explode, and couldn't help but curse under his breath, "Look at him—is this even a son? Our father is about to be gone."

　　Henry Cooper just sighed and said, "Keep your voice down. Our adoptive father has shown us great kindness. Now is the time to repay him. Third brother is his only flesh and blood..."

　　"Exactly because he's the only flesh and blood, seeing him act so badly makes me want to slap him over."