Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

“I didn’t want to become like that. That’s why I taught myself to be a locksmith. I can open any lock that’s related to money, from the big padlock on the front door to the brass lock on the safe and the rotary lock on the bank counter. They saw my value, which is why they gave me this house and treated me relatively well.”

……

Despite verbally refusing, once the conversation started, the girl seemed to have her floodgates opened and kept talking.

Living an unconventional life within a gang undoubtedly comes with pressure.

Her assertive style and short, masculine haircut are both ways she copes with stress.

On this mountain, the law of the jungle has become an ironclad rule etched into our genes. The weak will be skinned and gutted without mercy, devoured whole, bones and all. She has no choice but to appear strong.

Until recently, the woman who was beaten to death by Tuku became the last straw that broke Alana's back.

"Never thought about leaving?"

"...I..." Alana was startled when her thoughts were exposed, and quickly shook her head in denial, "Don't say things like that anymore, you don't understand!"

“Tucus will not tolerate traitors. Those who sneak away will not only be wanted by the police, but also hunted down by the Thunder Gang. No matter where you are, one day, perhaps on a day when you think your life has settled down, an assassin will come knocking and inflict the cruel ‘Columbian Tie’ on you.”

"What tie?" Zhang Renfeng asked curiously.

"It's like cutting open the throat, pulling out the tongue, and letting it hang down on the neck like a tie." Alana's expression was slightly moved as she described this scene.

Because her task for herself was not only to escape successfully, but also to kill Tuku before that.

If it doesn't work out, and I get caught...

She shook her head, trying her best not to think about it.

“That’s how gangs are; once you’re in, you can never get out,” Alana sighed and said with a wry smile. “I was even less lucky; I was born into this situation.”

----

"when!"

Inside the room, Zhang Renfeng placed a kerosene lamp on the table, illuminating the dense text on the paper.

"On November 3, from St. Quintak Station in New Elizabeth, bound for White Torch Station in New Austin. Train number D1315, carriages 8 and 9, carrying premium Red Apple cigarettes, 'Great Valley' premium brandy, Reynolds premium chewing tobacco, and Havana cigars. It will pass through the Tinglan Prairie no-man's-land between 4 and 5 p.m.."

"November 20, from Mount Hoffman Station, Granite State, to Sandstorm Station, New Elizabeth State, train number K1365, third carriage..."

Xiaomei quickly glanced through it, and after confirming, nodded and said, "It's all similar content, including the goods on the train, the time, the places along the route, and the corresponding numbers and carriages. It's very detailed."

Zhang Renfeng immediately understood the value of this piece of paper; to the robbers, it was practically like having X-ray vision. The security on the train was negligible; every train became a lamb to the slaughter, depending entirely on their appetite that day.

"Something's not right." Mike, returning from hunting, frowned, sensing a conspiracy. "The train company shouldn't disclose what cargo is on board; it's top secret. And now, a gang knows these secrets so precisely... What does that mean?"

"Do they have an inside man at the train station?" Zhang Renfeng speculated.

"No, not only that. Look at these shipments, they've crossed state lines, and they're still managing to be so precise. It couldn't be done by just bribing one or two ordinary employees. There must be someone at a higher level passing the messages to them."

The inner workings of the Thunder Angry Gang suddenly became shrouded in mystery again. However, this didn't matter to Zhang Renfeng; he was more concerned with the details of the Circular Plan.

"How's the trap setup coming along?"

“Proceeding in an orderly manner.” Mike’s answer was always reassuring. “I walked along a tributary of the Ink River and actually found the pits left by the gold rush. As for whether they were left by Lyon, I’m not sure.”

"I plan to tie red ropes to the trees on the riverbank to mark them, and then place some guns near the bushes. In case of an unexpected situation, I won't be unarmed and at the mercy of others."

“Good idea.” Zhang Renfeng folded the paper again and put it in his pocket. “But, did we bring that many guns?”

“The nearby town of Poplar is famous for its weapons; the quality of its firearms and ammunition is among the best in the entire New Elizabeth.” Mike had already considered this point. Turning to Xiaomei, he instructed, “Perfect timing, little girl. Aren’t you going to town with Miss Morgan during the day? Buy some things on the way back. It will definitely be short to medium-range combat, so just buy some revolvers and pistols. Don’t forget to buy ammunition too.”

The plan was being implemented step by step, and success was getting closer and closer.

Xiaomei nodded, filled with excitement for the upcoming tomorrow.

Chapter 35: A Mighty Man Falls From the Sky (Ten consecutive chapters have ended! Please continue reading and click!)

The roads in Baiyang Town were still filled with dust as usual.

This time, Alana changed into an inconspicuous work uniform, with her baseball cap turned backwards on her head.

Unlike Xiaomei, her body curves were not as prominent, and with her short hair, at first glance, she would be mistaken for a thin man. In this dusty town, no one would pay much attention to what such a person was doing, which was exactly what she wanted.

"Alright, little lady, it seems we're really going to have to do this today." Alana looked at the ordinary-looking wooden house standing in the southwest corner of Baiyang Town, took out her notebook, and flipped through her records. "I've been observing this house for several days. It seems that the owner of this house is the owner of the town's weapon shop. He should have quite a few weapons at home."

“The gang needs these things too. If I sneak in and get a few guns, I can at least give Tuku a satisfactory answer.”

"Do you still have to pay him tribute?" Xiaomei complained. "He's not the emperor..."

"On that mountaintop, in Scarface Village, he was the undisputed Julius Caesar. Anyone who defied him would be executed, so that people would not dare to rebel..."

"His smugness won't last long!" Alana thought to herself, without uttering it aloud.

"Anyway, I'm going in to pull off a heist. I know you don't like it, so you don't need to get involved. Just stay outside and keep watch for me."

Weapon shop owner.

The idea that there might be many guns and ammunition in the house tempted Xiaomei. She remembered Mike's instructions, and for her, this was an opportunity to complete the mission. Guns and ammunition weren't cheap, and their money was running low. They still had a considerable amount of gold, but it couldn't be used directly as currency.

After considering everything, Xiaomei shook her head.

"No, I'll go with you."

----

"Little lady, be more natural." Alana couldn't stand it anymore, so she reached out and gently patted Xiaomei's bottom with a "smack." "Don't be so nervous, nothing will happen."

"I...I felt perfectly natural." Xiaomei was startled and turned around, her face flushed, looking at her reproachfully, "Why did you suddenly hit me?"

“To put it simply, I mean you shouldn’t walk with your hands and feet moving in unison. Keep your shoulders up straight and stop sneaking glances at others. The way you walk, anyone would think something’s wrong with you.” As she spoke, Alana had already reached the door and taken out two lock picks from her handbag—one straight and one curved.

She put it in the keyhole, fiddled with it for a bit, and opened the door in less than two seconds.

Any skill, when mastered to its fullest potential, can become like magic.

Xiaomei's astonished expression said it all.

“It’s open…” Alana wasn’t surprised at all, and put away her lock-picking tools. “Hopefully, the weapons in his house are better than the locks in his house.”

……

The furnishings in the house were even neater and cleaner than I had imagined.

Alana was clearly not new to this kind of work; she began to skillfully pull open the drawers and search for what she needed: guns, weapons, ammunition, and the like.

Several decent-looking revolvers were hanging on the wall: a gold-plated Colt M1860 Navy revolver, a La Matt revolver with an oak grip, and a rather strange-looking gun.

The magazines of other firearms are cylinders, but this one is a small, square box, the purpose of which is unclear.

Opening the drawer, Alana saw rows of round metal spheres, 81 millimeters in diameter, roughly the size of an apple, each with a metal pull ring. They lay quietly in the drawer, and the sunlight reflecting off them shimmered with a cold light as they were brought into the light again.

"My God, what are all these things?"

She didn't know what it was, but her intuition told her that it was best not to touch it carelessly, otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble might occur.

Want to take two?

……

Xiaomei began to look around. Her mind was racing in this tense and exciting moment, and she started to analyze things on her own initiative.

The plates and cutlery showed signs of washing, but there was only one set, indicating that the homeowner lived alone.

Everything was neatly categorized and organized, showing that the homeowner was a cautious and meticulous person.

The fact that the blanket was folded into a square suggests that he may have had military service experience.

She tiptoed and reached up to wipe her hand high on the fireplace. There was no ash on her hand, indicating that the homeowner might be a clean freak with unusually strict requirements for hygiene.

The fireplace was still quite warm, indicating that the homeowner had probably been gone for less than 20 minutes.

However, his coat was still hanging on the chair, and his hat was on the table, neatly and meticulously arranged.

Xiaomei walked over, reached into her pocket, and surprisingly pulled out a pocket watch. This was rather strange: why would someone so meticulous and rigorous forget her coat and hat when leaving the house? This didn't quite fit the characteristics observed so far.

unless……

Xiaomei gasped, and before she could speak, she heard voices coming from outside the wooden house.

"Can it really fire more than 20 bullets in one go? If it is, doesn't that mean all those revolvers are obsolete? Hahahaha!"

“The sample is at home. I’ll demonstrate it to you personally when we get to the firing range,” a calm and experienced voice said.

“Mr. Theon, I knew you could do it! We have to join forces and make a fortune together, hahaha…”

----

The sound stopped abruptly, as if someone had suddenly cut it off.

Xiaomei peeked through the crack at the bottom of the door and saw the shadow of a pair of feet moving briefly outside.

Alana, meanwhile, continued searching through the living room, completely unaware.

"Alana, Alana!" she quickly lowered her voice, calling her name repeatedly while pointing to the door to indicate that the situation had changed.

At the same moment, the light that was shining through the bottom seam was blocked by something.

It could be a piece of clothing or a scarf; in any case, this action made Xiaomei's hair stand on end, and almost every strand of her hair stood up straight.

Discovered? !

The person outside the door possessed an absolutely appalling level of counter-surveillance ability! Alana hadn't used brute force to break the lock, leaving almost no trace of intrusion, yet he discovered the break-in immediately. He also instantly realized that his feet would slip through the gaps in the floor, allowing the person inside to anticipate the situation outside, and quickly patched up the breach.

Some of the confrontations had already begun before they even met. Xiaomei's heart sank, and she knew that something bad was about to happen.

"Boom--!"

The wooden door was kicked open.

Her verbal warning finally alerted Alana, and in an instant, she drew her gun faster than the person opposite her and aimed it at his head.

"No, no!" Xiaomei screamed, trying to prevent innocent people from dying because of her.

"..." Alana hesitated, and in that second of hesitation, the other side had already drawn their gun, pressed the firing pin, and pulled the trigger.

"when--!"

The bullet struck the revolver in Alana's hand, knocking it away without injuring anyone.

"boom!"

"boom!"

He wielded two Smith & Wesson revolvers and fired one shot from each.

One bullet knocked Alana's baseball cap off, while another grazed Mei's hair, neither of them getting hurt. But they firmly planted their legs in place, rendering them completely incapable of fighting back or even trying to escape.

"Alright, ladies, calm down. I won't hurt you." The tall, deep-set man with gilded curly hair pressed the firing pin with his finger and said in a deep voice, "Immediately! Get out of my room and don't touch anything."

Chapter Thirty-Six: Slippery Jimmy

“Bang!!”

Inside the police station, the temporary prison gates were closed. Xiao Mei was pale and her mind was blank.

He's in jail...

He's in jail!

He's only fifteen and he's already in jail! He must have lost his mind. It would have been better to stay outside and avoid the wind, why did he have to go in and steal? Or did he subconsciously think that stealing guns and ammunition and stealing valuables are not the same thing, so he didn't care?

What would a father think if he knew that his daughter was in prison seven months after his death?

Thinking of this, pain and regret filled her chest. Ignoring the lewd greetings from the other prisoners, she huddled in a corner of the prison, sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face. "Waaah...waaah...waaah..."

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault." In contrast, Alana seemed much calmer, even having the energy to gently comfort her, "Don't cry, prison is the last place you should cry. The town is full of Thunder Gang members, it won't be long before someone bails us out..."

"Boom-!!"

Before she could finish speaking, the police baton slammed against the railing with a loud bang, startling Xiaomei so much that she tensed up like a stressed kitten.

"Who gave you permission to whisper? This isn't a women's tea party, miss." The sheriff crouched down, looked at Xiaomei, and smiled slightly. "Burning down a house, that's no small crime. While it might not warrant hanging you, transferring you to a much larger prison would be more than enough. Do you realize your situation, miss?"

"Boom--!"

He slammed his fist on the railing again and roared, "Speak!"

“There’s no need for this.” The tall man, whose hair seemed to be wet and hanging over his forehead, who had personally escorted the two into the police station, frowned slightly, seemingly disgusted by the sheriff’s behavior. “If you have any questions, just ask them properly.”

“Heh, Mr. Theon, you’re an expert at making weapons, but when it comes to catching thieves… you just don’t know anything about it.” The old sheriff with the mustache took off his hat and hung it on a hook on the wall. He pointed at Alana, who was silent, and laughed. “This girl is no cheapskate. She’s broken into houses more than once or twice. We suspect she might be a member of a local gang.”

"So, things are simple now, little girl."