American Horror Story, Starting from Falls Town

Chapter 279 Map Cannon

At 8 p.m., in the banquet hall on the top floor of the Santiago, hundreds of well-dressed men and women were chatting in groups.

The long table was laden with exquisite dishes, but no one seemed particularly interested in them; most just chatted while holding a glass of wine.

Roy was disgusted by this blatant waste of food. Since he hadn't had dinner yet, he started eating heartily at the long table, oblivious to everyone else.

This action aroused the curiosity of many people, who were curious about who would do such a low-class thing in such a social setting.

Serena felt somewhat ashamed about this.

The whispers and pointing fingers at Roy from the surrounding high society felt like they were pointing directly at Serena's face, so she had no choice but to tug at Roy's arm.

"Roy, you look terrible like this!"

"Serena, I need to eat something, or I'll lose my mind!"

Roy wasn't joking. Hunger would make his physical instincts take over, and his willpower would continue to decline. He didn't know what would happen in the end.

Roy was already feeling like he was starving.

"Couldn't you wait until the party is over before you eat? This is really embarrassing!"

Roy was speechless. If Serena hadn't kept dragging him to choose clothes, he wouldn't have been this hungry.

Just as he was about to refute Serena, he heard a familiar voice.

"How shameful, Serena!"

Nate, who had previously appeared at the America athletes' party, showed up again, but this time he was accompanied by a middle-aged man who bore a striking resemblance to him.

It must be Nate's father who came.

Upon hearing Nate's voice, Serena immediately shifted her anger. She couldn't bear to be angry at Roy, but she could only be angry at the meddlesome Nate.

"none of your business!"

This attitude displeased the middle-aged man next to Nate.

"Serena, isn't that a bit impolite of you? Is this how Charles taught you?"

The middle-aged man was burly and had a fatherly air about him. Although he was trying to help his son Nate out of a predicament, Nate's expression looked constipated, suggesting he had probably been scolded like this by the man at home quite often.

Serena's face darkened considerably after hearing those words; she wanted to retaliate but was afraid of making things even worse.

After all, this luxury cruise ship belongs to Serena's father, and making it too ugly would inevitably affect Charles's business plans.

"How I raise my daughter is none of your business, Howard Archibald!"

At this moment, Charles came out with a young and beautiful female companion, looking at Nate's father, Howard, with an unfriendly expression.

Howard raised his head arrogantly, looking at Charles and Serena with disdain.

“I just want your daughter to learn some basic etiquette of high society. After all, this isn’t rural Texas, and the guests here aren’t those rude Dixie people.”

Dixie people refer to the people of the southern states of America, in contrast to Yankees, who refer to the people of the northern states of America. This reflects a regional discrimination and hierarchy unique to America.

This is mainly because the Yankees were the first group of Mayflower descendants to land in the New World, and they considered themselves founding fathers, while the Southerners were mainly farmers.

In addition, the famous civil war in history led to America's North and South being divided into two sides that despised each other, despite their similar ethnic structures.

So Howard's words were basically a direct insult to Charles, and Charles's face immediately turned bright red.

Judging from this, Charles and Howard must have had conflicts before, and their attitudes weren't solely due to their daughter and son.

I just don't understand why Nate would still pursue Serena when his parents had conflicts.

However, Howard's insults, while he was hurling insults, also included Roy in the discussion.

Roy is a native Texan, how could he let Howard insult him like that?

So Roy put down the food and stood up.

"Heh! You Yankees are all talk and no action. When it really matters, we Dixie people are the ones who have to defend this country. Without the Dixie people, this country would have been finished long ago!"

Yes, America has always been most inclined to enlist in the military from conservative Southern states, especially Texas, which is always among the top choices, followed by California.

However, California does not belong to the Yankees' faction, and the West Coast is also part of the Yankees' hierarchy of contempt.

Of the thirteen states that America founded, only Virginia could salvage the Yankees' reputation. The problem is that Virginia is home to the Pentagon and America's largest naval base. How many of those are native Virginians?

Roy looked at Howard with disdain. It's just regional discrimination, isn't it? Anyone can do that.

Moreover, Roy wouldn't be offended by the other person's insults about Texas, since he didn't consider himself a Texan at all.

Howard was verbally abused by Roy to his face, his expression turning pale and then red before he launched into a tirade of insults.

"You little bastard, you weren't even born when I was a naval captain! What right do you have to say that?"

This guy is actually a retired naval captain? No wonder he's like this.

"But it's much easier to deal with someone from a military background," Roy thought, recalling Nate's actions at the last party, and then he put on an angry and embarrassed expression.

"How dare you insult me! I challenge you to a duel!"

Nate challenged Roy to a duel at the party last time, but he chickened out. Roy, however, is not going to back down.

Roy's duel request was useless to everyone else, since Howard was a former Navy captain.
Surely a naval captain can't back down?

Howard's eyes were filled with anger, and just as he was about to agree, his son Nate quickly explained Roy's identity to him.

The newly crowned Olympic heavyweight boxing champion is a force that no one, unless they are a special forces soldier with exceptional combat skills, could possibly defeat.

Don't overestimate the overall capabilities of soldiers; many athletes are definitely better than special forces soldiers in their respective specialties.

Otherwise, why don't special forces soldiers participate in the Olympics? Is it because they don't want to?
Howard's anger was instantly extinguished; he felt as if he had almost fallen for Roy's trick.

If I were to get really angry at Roy and end up getting beaten black and blue, that would be incredibly embarrassing.

However, Howard was still a bit angry and wanted to teach Roy a lesson.

"Hmph! A duel is fine, but I'll duel you with a gun!"

The surrounding crowd erupted in commotion, and then more and more people gathered around.

Watching a spectacle is a popular pastime among the masses, regardless of age, gender, or social class.

Serena looked at Roy with a worried expression. She began to regret her impulsive actions, which had led to the situation spiraling out of control.

Charles, however, noticed the confidence in Roy's eyes and leaned over to ask him in a low voice.

"Mr. Black, are you confident?" "Don't worry, Mr. Weyland, I'm a fine Texas cowboy!"

These words put Charles at ease. If it would make Howard lose face in public, he certainly wouldn't refuse. Besides, even if he really lost, it wouldn't be him who lost face.

"Mr. Black, I believe you. Let's teach him a lesson!"

Of course, Charles couldn't allow Roy and Howard to have a real gun duel, even though the Santiago was now in international waters, and given the Santiago's place of registration, a real gun duel wouldn't pose any legal risks.

The problem is that Charles still wants to go back to New York, so he has to be careful about the impact.

So Charles brought out two replica revolvers and made sure they were filled with blanks before letting the two begin their duel.

"Kid, I was the Navy's shooting champion back in the day. It's not too late for you to surrender now!"

Amid the cheers and jeers of the crowd, Howard clearly regretted his words, which is why he said them.

Roy sneered. He wasn't afraid of anything, not even the world shooting champion, let alone the Navy's shooting champion.

“That’s perfect. I’m the best cowboy in Fallstown. Let me see what the Yankees are all about today.”

Howard was caught in a dilemma and had no choice but to begin the duel.

The referee wasn't Charles; Howard didn't trust him, so he found a member of the Rifle Association to act as the referee.

A large space was cleared in the banquet hall, and Roy and Howard stood facing each other fifty meters apart. The referee began to explain the specific rules.

"Gentlemen, I am holding a ball. The duel will begin when the ball hits the ground. Firing beforehand is prohibited, as is attacking the eyes or groin. Anyone who violates the rules will be disqualified."

Although it was a blank, it was still quite dangerous to hit certain places. The referee didn't want to take the risk, so he chose the safest rule.

Roy and Howard both nodded to indicate that they understood the rules.

Then, the referee picked up the ball and tossed it up.

Roy and Howard simultaneously placed their hands on the gun handles, ready to draw their weapons.

The moment the ball hit the ground, it was noon!
Howard had barely drawn his gun when Roy had already fired all the blanks from the revolver's magazine.

One bullet hit Howard's finger, causing him to drop his revolver. The remaining five bullets all struck Howard in the chest, hitting the same spot.

By the time Howard came to his senses, Roy was already showing off by blowing on the muzzle of his gun.

"Heh, a naval captain is nothing special! You didn't become a naval captain because of your family background, did you?"

Although military nobility was quite common in America, Roy's use of the term was a blatant insult.

Howard's face turned as red as a boiled crab, and he turned to leave, but Charles stopped him with a smile.

"Howard, why are you leaving already? You haven't forgotten the procedure after the duel, have you?"

Murder, but also punish!

Charles really hates Howard. He doesn't give him any face at all and wants to embarrass him in public.

Howard gritted his teeth, but in the end he didn't dare to cheat, otherwise his reputation would be ruined, and he wouldn't be able to do business in the future.

Finally, having no other choice, Howard had to go to Roy, bow his head, and admit his mistake.

"Mr. Blake, I'm sorry."

After a rapid-fire apology, Howard slapped Nate, who was still in shock, and pulled him away.

Howard didn't want to stay in that banquet hall for even a second longer. If possible, he even wanted to jump into the sea and swim back to America.

The guests felt that the trip was worthwhile and that they had a great time.

Charles put his arm around Roy's shoulder and looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at a son-in-law, making Roy feel uneasy.

"Oh, Roy, may I call you that? You are the pride of Texas! I wish you were my son!"

Charles looked at Roy, then at his daughter, seemingly encouraging Serena to try harder.

For these upper-class figures in America, it was perfectly normal for a man to have several lovers. Some couples who were particularly promiscuous would each have their own affairs, but sometimes they would even have affairs together.

As long as the person you marry is fine and there are no problems with your offspring, everything else is a minor issue.

Charles now desperately wants Serena to win over Roy.

However, Serena was completely unaware of Charles's gaze. She was looking at Roy with adoration. Roy had just been so handsome, as dazzling as the sun god Apollo.

"Then I'll call you Uncle Charles. If Uncle Charles wants a son like me, he can always try harder. I think your health should be fine."

Roy glanced at Charles's beautiful female companion with an ambiguous look, making Charles burst into laughter.

"Forget it! I have one daughter, Serena, and that's enough. All I want now is to find her a good enough husband who can protect her when I'm not around."

Serena seemed a little shy when the topic came up.

"Dad, what are you talking about!"

"Alright, alright! I won't say anymore! Roy, the charity auction is about to start, is there anything you want to bid on?"

“I’ll take a look later! Uncle Charles, don’t worry about me. I have some spare money, so I’ll just take a few pictures later.”

The list of items for the charity auction had been sent to the guests long ago, but Roy had absolutely no interest in the auction and didn't even look at it.

Charles, seeing Roy's expression, realized he wasn't just putting on a brave face, and then gave Serena a look.

"Alright then, I need to make preparations in advance, please excuse me for a moment."

Charles left with a female companion.

Serena immediately grabbed Roy's arm, almost leaning her whole body against him, her eyes blinking as she looked at him.

"Roy, your marksmanship is amazing! Do you often practice shooting at shooting clubs?"

"It's probably more due to my talent; I haven't been to gun clubs that many times."

Roy really wanted to say that his other gun was even more powerful, but his relationship with Serena hadn't reached that point yet, so it wouldn't be appropriate to say that.

“Indeed, I occasionally go to shooting clubs, but none of the instructors there can do what Roy does. You must be an exceptionally talented sharpshooter!”

Serena stared intently at Roy, feeling his strong heartbeat and masculine hormones.

Well, if it weren't in a public place, Serena might have wanted to make a move.

At that moment, the charity auction officially began.

Or Queen S
(End of this chapter)