Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"The first time I saw her, she was kneeling in the street, saying she was selling herself to bury her father, and she couldn't even write. I paid for her father's funeral. At the funeral, when no one was around, she suddenly hugged me, crying and saying she wanted to come with me. I was only 20 years old then. To be honest, any normal man would have been unable to resist such a thing..."

Just as they were getting to the crucial point, Zhang Renfeng's expression suddenly changed, and he looked into the distance with considerable vigilance.

"somebody is coming."

The rapid sounds of pile driving were mixed with the chaotic clatter of horses' hooves.

Xiaomei frantically tried to put out the campfire, but Mike stopped her, saying, "It's pointless. It's getting dark, and the campfire and smoke will be very conspicuous. We've already been exposed."

The girl swallowed hard; the brief moment of warmth had been shattered, and she was once again cast back under the cold, starry sky. Fortunately, the two experienced men beside her remained calm, which gave her the courage and hope to persevere.

She stammered, "Are they... coming for us?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Zhang Renfeng drew his Volcano Pistol and fired a shot into the sky without hesitation.

"boom--!!"

----

……

After the gunshots, the sound of horses' hooves did not stop, but became clearer and clearer.

“Looks like we have visitors.” Mike then stood up, pulled a well-maintained Sharps carbine from his luggage, and asked, “Can you shoot?”

“I…I went rabbit hunting in the Olive Plain with my father. He said I was a very accurate shooter, that I could hit the target every time…”

It was a somewhat irrelevant answer, but it did provide a partial response to his question.

Mike tossed her a revolver and instructed, "You hide behind the rock and watch me! Don't draw your gun until my hand touches it. When I fire, don't worry about anything else, just keep shooting at them, don't hesitate, understand?"

Xiaomei had mentally prepared herself for this before setting off; she was just a little late because she had a feeling about it. She gathered up all the mental preparation she had done along the way and nodded emphatically.

“We need to agree on a signal.” Mike quickly chose his position, nestled among tall grass—there was no better place to snipe. “If you sense something’s wrong, give the signal, and I’ll provide backup.”

"Firing a gun is the signal."

With that remark, Zhang Renfeng, carrying a kerosene lamp, climbed the rock with one hand, like a nimble monkey, and quickly reached the top of the rock.

He drew his two Volcano Pistols and waited quietly.

The light cast his shadow on the stone, making him appear like a colossal statue rising from the earth. His coat, hat, boots, and even his leather belt gleamed.

Amidst the interplay of light and shadow and the lush sea of ​​grass, the sound of horses' hooves grew ever closer.

Getting closer!

Chapter Nineteen: Goodbye, friend, goodbye

"No! No! No——!!"

Before the person arrived, the sound came first, and it was exceptionally shrill. Hearing this, Zhang Renfeng was startled, but he remained vigilant until the figure became clearer and suddenly burst out of the hay. It was a panicked man, his hands tightly wrapped around the reins, his face contorted with extreme fear.

The light from the kerosene lamp made it impossible for him not to notice Zhang Renfeng standing on the rock, and the two gleaming Volcano Pistols in his hands. But he kept repeating one word, "NO," while waving his other hand up and down to indicate that he posed no threat.

"Wheeling—!!"

The horse he was riding was startled, reared up, and threw him off its back.

Seeing that he was about to be trampled to death by his own horse if things continued like this, Zhang Renfeng put away his two pistols, leaped, and landed squarely on the horse's back. Despite the saddle, it was still a hard impact, meaning his groin hit the horse's back directly. As a fellow man, Mike gasped in shock.

So what Zhang Renfeng said earlier was true; his thing really is as hard as iron!

"Whoa! Whoa~~~!"

Zhang Renfeng was also skilled at taming horses. He first tightened the reins, then clamped the horse's belly with his legs, forcing the horse to raise its head. Then, he made strange noises, which seemed to be a horse-taming method from across the ocean. Strangely enough, the frightened Tennessee trotter actually calmed down slowly under this strange soothing method.

“You’ve exhausted it.” After confirming that there was only one person, Mike, still carrying his rifle, no longer pointed it at the person, and slowly walked out of the bushes. “This horse needs to eat something.”

After training the horse, Zhang Renfeng demonstrated what it meant to be in perfect harmony with the horse, deftly dismounting and beckoning to Xiao Mei, who was hiding in the shadows. The latter understood immediately, opened her luggage, and handed him an apple.

Where are you from?

“…Uh…Uh…” The man was very thin and small. He gestured with his hands for a long time before saying hesitantly, “Leon, Leon.”

His fingernails were full of black grime, and his jeans were worn through at the knees.

Zhang Renfeng saw this and stuffed an apple into the hungry horse's mouth to satisfy its hunger. He glanced at the saddlebag—it seemed to contain something heavy.

It was because of its excessive weight that the horse couldn't support itself. Besides, there were some digging tools in the bag; the shovel handle couldn't be hidden and was sticking out.

“Leon, aren’t you from this country?” From his broken English, Mike probably realized something was wrong, but looking at the horse’s legs, there was no blue sash. “What are you doing here?”

"Money, money..." Leon smiled ingratiatingly.

“He’s a gold prospector,” Zhang Renfeng said casually.

"Jah! Gold, gold!" He clapped his hands excitedly. He only recognized the word "gold," but because he hadn't been exposed to it for so long, he needed someone to remind him before he could remember it.

Zhang Renfeng stared at him for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Sind Sie deutscher? (Are you German?)"

Not only was Leon stunned, but Xiaomei and Mike were also taken aback. This Asian face suddenly spouted a string of gibberish. The fact that he could speak fluent English was magical enough in itself; it just goes to show that Old Zhang's skills were truly peculiar, always surprising people in the most unexpected ways.

“Ja! Ja! (Yes, yes, that’s right!)” Lyon’s excitement was palpable. He grabbed Zhang Renfeng’s hand, not even surprised that someone who was clearly not Western could speak the language he knew best, “Sir, sprechen wir in der Sprache des Imperiums! (Sir, let’s communicate in the language of the Empire!)”

……

“How could anyone invent such a language, babbling and babbling…” Xiaomei couldn’t understand what the two were saying at all, but could only infer from Leon’s excited tone that he was very happy. “Speaking of which, Mr. Hongzhong is really versatile. He can even speak other languages.”

“Don’t forget, this is ‘another country’ for him too, so English is definitely not his native language,” Mike remarked. “If he really is from across the ocean, that’s amazing! I’ve heard that Eastern languages ​​have almost nothing in common with ours. To be able to master English so fluently through rote memorization alone, he’s a real talent even if he doesn’t become a ruthless gangster.”

“Mr. Mike, don’t you speak German? 'Reinhardt' is a German surname, isn’t it?” Xiaomei turned her head, her eyes sparkling with a thirst for knowledge.

“You little rascal, you know quite a lot.” Mike was somewhat surprised by her knowledge and laughed. “Unfortunately, you guessed wrong. This isn’t my real name. I did have ancestors with the surname Reinhard, but that was many generations ago, perhaps my grandfather?”

Everyone chatted amongst themselves for a while, and then Zhang Renfeng brought Lyon over, seemingly having reached some consensus.

“This fellow is heading to Baiyang Town, not far from here, but he’s out of supplies. He wants to buy some things from us and spend the night with us, so this poor little horse can get some rest,” Zhang Renfeng asked. “Here’s the price he offered.”

A bright gold coin lay open in his palm, gleaming with an irresistible luster. Compared to gold bricks or ingots, it wasn't particularly large, but it was enough for dozens of wandering gunmen to fight tooth and nail for it.

Xiaomei took a deep breath and exclaimed, "God!"

Mike behaved more skillfully, though his pupils still dilated involuntarily, a normal reaction when extremely excited.

No wonder people say that gold prospectors are trading time for money; they either don't make any money at all, or they make enough to live on for a year!

With gold, everything was fine. Before they set off, Chuck provided them with ample logistical support, packing three of each type of canned food—the optimal ratio he and Zhang Renfeng had determined after discussion. Saddlebags weren't four-dimensional pockets, after all; they couldn't hold more. Even after deducting the supplies needed for the return journey, there were still surplus to distribute.

It wasn't far from Baiyang Town, at most a day's journey. Zhang Renfeng gave him a day's worth of food: a can of white peaches, a can of beans, a bottle of water, and a carrot.

With ample logistical supplies secured, Leon smiled with relief. He seemed eager to share many things with the others, but the language barrier and the fact that the three weren't particularly interested in it meant he had to give up. Leaning against a rock, he soon fell into a deep sleep, passing a peaceful and uneventful night.

----

Perhaps it was a habit she developed at her aunt's house, but Xiaomei's sleep was even lighter than that of Mike, the real old man. The slightest rustling sound would wake her up.

At dawn, just as the first light appeared on the horizon, Lyon was already packing his bags, preparing to set off. After a night's rest, the horse had regained its strength and stood obediently in place, letting him manipulate the reins and adjust the saddle.

Seeing that Xiaomei was awake, he clasped his hands together apologetically, "Sorry, sorry..."

"Are you leaving already? It's still early." Xiaomei lowered her voice. "It's okay to stay a little longer."

Lyon understood what she meant, but shook his head and pointed in the direction of Poplar Town in the distance, "Home."

His eyes were filled with joy when he said the word.

"I see, you're going home..." Xiaomei said with some emotion.

Gold prospectors who wander far from home still have a home to return to, but one's own home... can never be returned to.

Thinking of this, the urge for revenge surged up again. She knew very well that no matter what she did, she could not take back her former life, but at the very least, she couldn't let those bastards continue to roam freely on the mountain!

Suddenly, something heavy was thrown at her feet, interrupting her thoughts.

"Gold nuggets?! Lyon, you..."

“Present…” he said, uttering what were probably the few English words he could remember, looking at Xiaomei and smiling at her, “Goodbye, friend, goodbye.”

Chapter Twenty: The Early Bird Gets Eaten

"That's fine. We have our own destinations, and he has his. Getting too entangled together is never a good thing."

As Mike rode through the mountains, he said, “Gold prospectors are a very aggressive group. They don’t know each other and fight over territory like dogs. Besides, judging from this, he’s struck gold. When he gets back to Aspen Town, he’ll be like a wind-up toy, constantly bragging about his adventures over the past few days, and he might even drag us into it.”

"The less contact we have with him, the better for us."

"Wow, this is great! We can come out and come back with a full load of gold." Xiaomei took out the heavy gold nugget, squinted her eyes, and examined it closely in the sunlight.

The gleam of gold, in her eyes, was both intense and blissful. At that moment, she finally understood why so many people were willing to fight tooth and nail for it.

"If only I could dig gold out of the ground like him..."

“Stop dreaming, little girl.” Mike sighed. “The gold rush business is nothing but a gamble. For most of the year, they are no different from poor beggars.”

"They dug and panned along the riverbank, and interestingly, everyone felt that they were special and would be blessed by Lady Luck. But for a gold prospector, the worst thing was to be lucky and actually find gold."

"Why?" Xiaomei asked, puzzled. "Isn't it good to find gold? We can sell it anywhere and make a lot of money, right?"

"Have you ever seen a gambler who can save money? When money comes in too much and too fast, a person's head gets carried away and he squanders it all in no time. Even so, he won't think about finding a proper job. Instead, he'll pick up a shovel and pick up a spade and gamble on his luck again. His life goes back and forth between extravagance and poverty until he can no longer swing a shovel."

Mike said with certainty, “I’ve seen a lot of gold prospectors, and they’re all basically like this.”

……

The "Grey Wolf Mountains" are, of course, more than one mountain.

Stepping into the forest, even the rhythmic clattering sounds vanished silently. Weak sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting dappled shadows, and the surroundings were as still as if asleep. January was the dead of winter, and almost all animals, except humans, were in hibernation.

Only the murmuring river water flows past the tree roots, and even that sound seems to carry a chilling coldness.

"What's that?" Xiaomei asked curiously, pointing to a round wooden object hanging among the bushes. "It looks like someone hung it there."

It was a circle I'd never seen before, about the size of a dinner plate, hollow in the middle, and surrounded by a net-like pattern, like a spider web hanging on a tree branch.

“Ah, this is…” Mike paused for a moment, then surprisingly sighed. “This is a dreamcatcher. Some Native American tribes hang these on tree branches, believing that they can catch nightmares like a spider web.”

"These guys have really gotten us into trouble."

"Are there still Native American tribes active around here?" Zhang Renfeng's tone suddenly became wary. "If so, we'll probably have to assign some people to keep watch."

"Don't worry, they were driven away a long time ago. Most of them were leftovers. This is Thunder Fury Gang territory; they have guns and men. They wouldn't dare linger here. Unless..."

At this point, Zhang Renfeng, who was walking at the front, suddenly pulled on the reins and stopped.

Previously, no matter what situation he encountered, his expression had always been relatively relaxed, but at this moment it was ashen.

Tick, tick.

The sound was exceptionally clear in the silent woods.

On the moist, black earth, saturated with the stream's water, a startling crimson hue spread out.

The blood was still flowing, meaning the murder hadn't happened long ago, and an ominous premonition was already creeping into Zhang Renfeng's heart. Following the direction of the falling blood, the three looked up and saw the "fresh" corpse hanging from a tree branch, its worn coat and jeans stained red. The crow had already smelled the death; it perched on the branch, silent, quietly waiting for its blood to cool.

"crunch..."

"crunch..."

Besides the dripping blood, there was another sound: the twisting of ropes. It was naturally turning around from its position with its back to the three of them. No one spoke first; Mike's deadpan eyes drooped as he lit a cigarette.

Finally, the corpse in the cold wind turned to face up.

"Ah—!!" Xiaomei cried out briefly, but she quickly covered her mouth—there were executions of criminals in Fengchuishan Town, but compared to what she was seeing, it was on a completely different level.

“That poor guy probably got caught by gang members returning from patrol…” Mike sighed, feeling a little sorry for him. “Everyone says ‘the early bird catches the worm,’ but no one ever mentions what happens to the early worm.”

Lyon's face was bloodless, as pale as wax, like the dead.

His throat had been slit open, and blood was almost draining from it. Therefore, it looked very thin, like a loofah hanging from a vine, swaying in the wind. This poor early riser had become the plaything of the wicked bird.

"..." Xiaomei's breathing became heavy. She finally realized how savage a person could become when they were away from towns and civilization.

Just hours ago, people were eager to go home and share joy with their families, but now they are being slaughtered like animals, their bodies hanging in the wilderness. And this is merely an ordinary silhouette in the wild and chaotic wilderness.

"..." Zhang Renfeng silently drew his gun and aimed it at the sling.

“Wait a minute.” Mike pressed his arm down and said in a deep voice, “Calm down. The gang members may not be far away. If we shoot now, we’ll attract them. Besides, we don’t have the extra energy to deal with the bodies right now.”

Zhang Renfeng stubbornly shook his head, "When a person dies, they should be laid to rest."

“We don’t even have a shovel. Are we supposed to dig with our hands? Let’s be realistic, Red Center. We still have a mission to complete.” Mike calmly pointed out the team’s difficulties. “Don’t waste your energy on things that aren’t part of the plan.”

What's most disheartening is that deep down, Zhang Renfeng knows he's right.