Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Hearing this, Xiaomei pursed her lips.

Her sapphire-like eyes, bathed in the cold moonlight, revealed a hint of murderous intent born of hatred.

One more week... one more week!

Finally, she could see with her own eyes what the enemy who had killed her family and taken away her life looked like! She gripped the reins tightly, her nails digging into her flesh, and secretly vowed to etch that face, and the way he looked when he died, into her heart forever.

"Relax, little girl, you're hurting the horse by pulling on the reins," Mike said gently, noticing her discomfort. He then asked, "So, what are our plans for the next week?"

After a moment's thought, Zhang Renfeng asked, "Are you sure there are really traces of mining near the banks of a tributary of the Moshui River?"

“It doesn’t matter, it’s better if it does, but it’s okay if it doesn’t,” Mike said. “The point is, is there a place there suitable for ambushes and traps? The answer is yes. I’ve fished in that area before, so I know it all too well.”

“Alright, then, Mike, go to the Ink River. I'll stay in Scar Village and try to find their secret stash. Mei, you…”

"For the next few days, just stick close to that girl named Alana. Wherever she goes, you go too. I can't take you with me when I go to check the secret stash, so it's best to stay away from Scarface Village. If she wants to leave the village, just follow her."

“Can we trust outsiders?” Mike frowned, expressing his deep concern.

"Don't worry, I'm still paying that girl's rent..." Zhang Renfeng gave a mysterious smile, "It's not for nothing."

Chapter 30: These Three Tricks Are Enough to Deal with Gang Members

Before dawn, Xiaomei was awakened by the sounds of fighting. Opening her eyes, she was momentarily confused, unsure of where she was—a feeling that had become increasingly frequent in recent days. She sat on the bed for a while before realizing that her group had crossed the Gray Wolf Mountains and infiltrated Scarface Village—the heart of the Thunder Fury Gang. Thinking about it again, it was truly unbelievable.

If Dad were still alive, he'd probably scream in terror if he knew he'd spent the night in the Thunder Gang's flea nest.

On the table was a bowl of corn porridge and a piece of smoked venison jerky, which was her breakfast.

Having just woken up, Xiaomei had no appetite and didn't touch the corn porridge. Instead, she wrapped up the smoked venison jerky, put it in her pocket, and walked towards the sound. Mike had already left to set traps downstream of the Ink River.

During the journey, he would often act as a night watchman. Sometimes, Xiaomei couldn't help but wonder if he didn't need to sleep at all. He only slept four or five hours a day, yet he still made sure to keep up with the journey in the morning; it was almost inhuman.

Behind the house, there was a large, untended wasteland, and the sound seemed to be coming from there.

----

This was the umpteenth time Alana had practiced this move. Holding a dagger in her right hand, she yanked it out, lunging forward. Worried about lacking strength, she projected her entire body weight, striving to plunge the blade deep into her opponent's body. However, just like countless rehearsals that morning, her slashing trajectory seemed utterly monotonous to Zhang Renfeng.

Even challengers from the Luo Dao Sect, who make a living with knives, can't last more than three rounds on the stage, let alone a little girl like her.

With almost no effort, Zhang Renfeng stretched out his arm and grabbed the girl's wrist, like biting a snake's vital spot, instantly rendering her right hand, which was holding the knife, powerless.

"..." The girl felt a pressure on her wrist, forcing her to let go. After resisting for two seconds, she finally released her grip, letting the dagger fall freely.

But unlike before, this time, Alana fully utilized her flexibility, bending down and catching the dagger with her left hand! A smile appeared on Alana's face. Her left hand was just as nimble, twirling the blade and making it dance on her fingers. Then she gripped the hilt and swiftly pressed it against Zhang Renfeng's throat.

A series of quick, fluid sword-switching moves brought a look of delight to Alana's face.

But the next moment, Zhang Renfeng used his heel to pin her ankle, swung her body around in the air, and then, as if by magic, gently dropped her to the ground.

The dagger fell from her hand and slid down to Xiaomei's feet.

"This...this isn't fair!" After failing all morning without a single positive response, Alana was starting to lose her composure. "I just held a knife to your throat!"

"Too flashy." Zhang Renfeng patted the dust off his hands and commented sharply, "You can't use this kind of flash-of-the-fact thing in a critical moment. When it comes to a critical moment, your mind will go blank. The only things that can really be used are the things you practice day and night—those will become your muscle memory."

"So, don't even think about taking shortcuts. Just practice the moves I'm going to teach you properly."

Alana was somewhat unconvinced. She pouted, put the dagger back into her belt, pointed at it with her fingers, and said, "Throat stab, heart gouging, lower body puncture—just three actions."

“These three moves are enough to deal with gang members,” Zhang Renfeng assured with a grin. “Once you’ve mastered them, to the point that if someone touches you, you’ll instinctively make these moves, then you can go and kill someone.”

Alana didn't understand this at all. In her view, it was like bullets—the more the better. Carrying five bullets for an assassination was a completely different concept from carrying three.

However, dawn was breaking, and Scarface Village was gradually returning to life. The good news was that they heard the sound of horses' hooves, indicating that the night patrol had returned safely. At least this morning, Tuku wouldn't go crazy and smash someone's head in.

Of course, this is only temporary... As long as that guy lives, the dark cloud will always hang over everyone.

“Don’t just stand there like an idiot, ‘Miss.’ According to him, you’ll be working for me for the next five days.” Alana smoothed her loose hair, slicking it back into a rough style, and whistled at Xiaomei. “I’m not like those women. I have serious work to do, and we have to leave now.”

"Whether he informed you in advance or not, be prepared."

After saying that, she went into the house to pack her things for the trip, leaving Xiaomei and Zhang Renfeng in the wasteland.

Although she already knew, she was still a little nervous when she realized that she would really have to spend five days with this gang girl, and subconsciously looked at Zhang Renfeng.

"It's alright, it's just during the day. During the day, the three of us will split up and act on our own, and we'll meet up here again at night." Zhang Renfeng noticed her unease and comforted her, "Going to town with her is much safer than staying alone in the gang."

Nominally, the three of them are now partners in the gallery and have gained a certain status within the Thunder Gang. Most of their underlings with brains probably wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

The problem is that the gang members who appear here have already undergone a screening process; they are all radicals who cannot integrate into society and cannot be judged by common sense. It is very likely that after drinking, lust will suddenly arise, and they will throw all rules to the wind. Leaving Xiaomei in Scarface Village is like hanging a piece of fat meat next to a pack of wolves, hoping that they will not pounce on it.

Besides, Zhang Renfeng was quite interested in this girl named Alana.

Because the rent terms negotiated with her did not involve any money; there wasn't even a single cent.

"Okay, I understand. I'll get along well with her..." Xiaomei took a deep breath, adjusted her mindset, took a few steps closer, and helped him straighten his loose shoulder shirt. "Mr. Hongzhong, you should be careful when you're alone in the village."

Zhang Renfeng looked slightly surprised; it had been a very long time since he had had such close physical contact with anyone.

Looking into those pure, deep blue eyes, one wonders who they reminded him of.

……

"Aren't you two ready yet?"

In the blink of an eye, Alana had changed her clothes—a beige plaid shirt, a dark green vest, a thick fleece coat, jeans, and tall leather boots. She wore a wide-brimmed felt hat, and two revolvers were strapped to her slender waist.

Coupled with her chic and neat short blonde hair, she looked dashing and had a unique charm.

"Hurry up, 'little lady,' we don't have a single day to be all lovey-dovey."

----

The two girls rode on the same horse. Alana's riding style was somewhat reckless; she would fly off at the slightest pull of the reins.

Even when walking on mountain roads, it's the same; it seems like either she'll run someone over and kill them, or someone will run her over and kill her.

"All right……"

Zhang Renfeng stretched his back, looked at the awakened Scarface Village, and muttered to himself, "Where should I begin?"

Chapter Thirty-One: The First Breakthrough, the Crouching Dragon Emerges from the Mountain!

"Do you really have to ride this fast?"

"What did you say?!" Alana's voice was torn apart by the wind as soon as it came out, and only fragmented words reached Xiaomei's ears.

She had to do the same, yelling at the top of her lungs, "Do you really have to ride so fast? You're going to fall easily!!"

"I'm not going down the mountain for a vacation, little lady! I don't have a whole day to spend on the road!"

Alana rode a Missouri Foxtrot, not yet fully grown, jet black, and running like lightning. Though young, it already possessed a certain air of speed. Instead of slowing down, she gripped the horse's belly with her legs, urging it to gallop wildly down the mountain path. The path was already bumpy, and Mei, sitting behind, nearly fell off. With nothing nearby to grab onto, she clung to Alana's waist, pressing her entire body against her back.

The good news is that this way, the two girls can get closer together and don't have to shout to talk to each other.

“You’ll fall, Miss Morgan! At this speed, if the horse’s hooves hit a stone, it will lose speed instantly and you’ll fall hard on the ground.” Xiaomei’s tone was a little irritated, as if she was blaming her for riding the horse so fast on purpose. “Don’t blame me for not warning you.”

“Now you and I will ride together on the same horse, little princess, you’d better remember that.” Alana tightened the reins as if showing off, making the foxtrot jump over a protruding rock. “But that’s impossible. I was born on the mountain, and I’ve walked this road hundreds of times since I was able to ride a horse, and ‘Radish’ has walked it hundreds of times too.”

"Radish?" Xiaomei asked curiously, "You named your horse?"

“Everyone names their horses.” Alana’s tone was as if she had heard something unbelievable. “Doesn’t your horse have a name?”

"I...I don't usually ride horses..."

"A lady who rarely rides horses dares to venture deep into the Gray Wolf Mountains and make a deal with the leader of the Thunder Fury Gang?" Alana mocked. "Honestly, I'm increasingly confused about what you're doing... Ah!"

The conversation was abruptly interrupted by a scream. The foxtrot had tripped over something, lunged forward, and unsurprisingly threw the two of them off.

Boom!

Just before her feet touched the ground, Alana was somewhat relieved that her legs weren't stuck in the stirrups. Otherwise, she would have been hanging in the stirrups like a hanged man, which would have been the end of her life.

She quickly curled up, covering her head with her hands and bending her legs to minimize the impact. The impact was greater than she had anticipated, and she had to roll over to dissipate the force. She felt a dizzying sensation as she slammed into something hard before coming to a stop.

"Woo..."

Despite the dizziness and pain, she forced her eyes open, for in this situation, there was no time to lose. She saw what was happening—a tripwire had been placed between the trees, tripping her foxtrot. Two ragged gunmen emerged from the bushes, and another was crouching by the bushes, retrieving the rope.

"Are you sure everything's alright?" one of them asked, still shaken. "They looked like they came down from the mountain. Could they be from the Thunder Fury Gang?"

“Idiot, look at this horse’s legs, is there a blue cloth tied around them? If not, then it’s not her,” another companion scolded. “Besides, the Thunder Strike Gang doesn’t have such a pretty young girl. They’re all old women with sallow teeth and yellowed faces. Look at those breasts, that ass… I bet she’s never been touched by a man before. I’d be honored to be the first!”

"Does she have any money on her?" Another man walked over from the side, squatted down next to Alana, and was about to rummage through her clothes when he said, "Don't act like a male dog without regard for the occasion. Check if she has any money on her first."

"My God..."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Gold! Gold!" the voice exclaimed excitedly. "This girl has a huge piece of gold on her! We're rich!"

----

"boom!"

Alana had been waiting for this moment, for them to be distracted by something, draw their guns, and pull the trigger against the first man's heart. The man's body instantly lost its strength and collapsed towards her, which Alana used as cover as she quickly got up.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

Three shots were fired in quick succession, and three bursts of blood exploded in the air. Their bodies lost their support and collapsed to the ground.

"Damn it... I should have tied the blue cloth to the horse's legs, you bunch of idiots..."

Before she could finish speaking, the man who had been shot in the chest suddenly roared, pounced on her from behind, and grabbed her by the neck!

It seems that the shot just now did not hit his heart precisely, but only caused him to bleed profusely.

In his final moments, instead of lying on the ground to await death, he became like a wild beast driven mad by the sight of blood, desperately strangling Alana by the neck, determined to take her with him.

"Ah...cough..."

Unable to turn the gun, Alana managed to pull out a dagger and plunged it into his abdomen.

laugh!

With a muffled thud, hot blood gushed out, but the man behind him showed no sign of letting go. The surge of adrenaline in his body had made him ignore the pain.

"Oh, you're not getting rid of me, you damn bitch!! Even if it's to hell, you're coming with me! I fucking..."

"boom!"

The gunshot echoed through the path strewn with fallen leaves and mud.

The bullet entered through the tip of his nose, exited through the brainstem, and instantly pierced the man's skull, rendering his face unrecognizable. In a very short time, it rendered him unable to move. Even before he had bled completely, he was a corpse, collapsing to the ground with a thud.

……

Still shaken, Alana coughed twice and looked at the person who had fired the shot.

Xiaomei adopted a shooting posture with one knee on the ground, gripping the gun with both hands. Her shoulders were still trembling slightly, but the trembling did not reach her arms—her hands holding the gun were incredibly steady. However, her expression was one of astonishment, like a child who had done something wrong, frozen in this position, not moving for a long time.

“You never told me you were such a good shot.” ​​Alana noticed that blood was seeping from her right leg and took a bottle of wound ointment from her saddlebag. “You’re injured. Roll up your pants and let me see how serious it is.”

"...He...he's dead?" Xiaomei's eyes were unfocused, her voice trembling with tears. "I...he..."

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay."

Alana first took the revolver from her hand to prevent her from accidentally firing it due to her emotional state. Then, she gently rubbed her head, comforting her like a small animal, and unusually softened her voice, saying, "You killed in self-defense, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Didn't you hear? They just said they were going to take you back. Imagine, what would happen to such a pretty young girl like you if you fell into the hands of a few armed homeless men?"

"..." Xiaomei looked at her with a complicated expression.

"Besides, you just saved me, you should be proud of that." She let Xiaomei's soft black hair flow slowly through her fingers and whispered encouragingly, "Good marksmanship."

"Then could you please stop calling me 'little lady'?"

“No, you’re still a little lady.” Alana saw that she had recovered, so she lifted up her trousers and applied medicine to her while saying emphatically, “You’ll only be considered grown up when you can think of drawing your gun and killing them all the time, just like me.”

Chapter 32: An Episode with a Strong Sense of Stealing

For the rest of the journey, Alana kept her speed moderate, and by the time the two girls arrived safely in Baiyang Town, it was almost nine o'clock in the morning. She found it amusing that they had trekked from Fengchuisha, almost crossing the grasslands, just to reach another town.

The weather was quite nice today; the winter sun wasn't too harsh, baking the town and giving it a classic glow.

The rhythmic sound of horses' hooves had already awakened it from its slumber. A few slovenly-looking young men were leaning against the birch trees at the town's entrance, watching them with strange looks.

This place is smaller than Fengchuisha. In the center of the town stands a bronze statue of a man with a thick mustache, gazing into the distance in the cold wind. The statue is clearly old; the inscription on the base is blurred. Xiaomei squinted and carefully deciphered it, only able to vaguely make out a surname.

Mislandil.

"Hey, Morgan, back to work again?" Someone who recognized her glanced past Alana and looked straight at Mei walking behind the horse. "You brought a virgin with you. What, you don't have that thing, do you want to learn from men and have some fun? How about this, you give her to me, I'll give you 5 dollars, and it'll save you the trouble of getting up early and working late to scout it out."