Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

More importantly, Zhang Renfeng wasn't entirely making things up; he genuinely participated in the stories he fabricated.

The Wolf Shepherd Gang had no means of verification; they could only deduce based on common sense: Hong Zhong had been on the carriage from the very beginning. He not only disrupted their kidnapping plan and killed their men, but also sent those three fat sheep back to White Torch Town…

Yes, I see. He was actually that young master's bodyguard!

If they don't pay, who would come to the snowy mountain for no reason and get involved in this mess?

They suddenly realized that if Hong Zhong was someone's hired thug, it seemed to explain a lot of things.

"And then?" The wolf shepherd's expression changed slightly, and the apprehension in his eyes deepened. "What are you trying to say?"

“You kidnapped his son, and he couldn’t ignore you, so I came.” Zhang Renfeng shrugged and laughed. “The child may not be very smart, but his father is a smart man… a rich smart man. He figured out your gang’s business without much effort.”

“I’m referring to the business you’re ‘really’ busy with, aside from burglaries and highway robberies.”

……

The advantage of information asymmetry is fully demonstrated at this moment.

Zhang Renfeng had already thoroughly investigated the Shepherd Wolf Gang, while they knew nothing about his background, which gave him a great deal of room to maneuver.

“Mr. Mesvid has invested in several local mines, where the demand for slave labor is also very high.”

"That's why he's very interested in your business and hopes to join in and make full use of your transportation line."

Chapter 91: A Calm Face, a Thunderous Heart (Remaining Bounty 18)

“We kidnapped his son.” The wolfherd narrowed his eyes. “You’re telling me he still wants to cooperate with us?”

"Oh, brother, it seems you've never dealt with these rich people before." Zhang Renfeng waved his hand with a smile. "Don't even mention his son. As long as it helps them make more money, they'd sell even their own parents. Besides, isn't there a 'professional' like me to protect his son all the way?"

Sandor's tone was full of disdain and contempt. "You really enjoy being a rich man's toy, don't you?!"

“Heh…haha…can I give you some advice, Sandor?” Zhang Renfeng laughed from the bottom of his heart. After laughing, he advised in a very serious tone, “If your little brain can’t understand what’s happening right now, then you might as well shut your mouth. At least that way, you’ll look a little bit wise.”

He was mocked again, and the veins on his forehead almost burst, but the boss didn't move. No matter how angry he was, he could only swallow his anger.

“Mr. Mesvid believes you are a rare talent. It’s a real waste to continue doing lowly work on the snowy mountain with a bunch of insects.” Zhang Renfeng’s tone was full of contempt. He raised his chin and glanced at the henchmen around the Wolf Shepherd. “I mean, look at them… short-sighted, violent, and lacking in strategic thinking. They can’t think of any way to solve problems except by killing.”

"Speaking of killing, how much better are you than them?" The Wolf Shepherd narrowed his eyes and questioned, "You wiped out five generations of the Nordlin family. How audacious does Mesvid have to cooperate with a madman like you?"

The implication was that he still didn't fully believe Zhang Renfeng's explanation. With such a bloody past, how could any powerful family possibly hire him? Weren't they afraid of dying?!

"Hahaha, are you really ignorant or just pretending?" Zhang Renfeng laughed instead, cleared his throat, and began to spout nonsense in a serious tone, "If I don't destroy the Nordlin family, White Torch Town will be in their hands. No matter what industry we're in, we'll have to pay tribute to them and let their people get a share of the pie. And opening a bank... even if it's successfully opened, they'll drain us dry."

"Now it's all good. Mesvid can open a bank without any restraint and no longer has to worry about being drained of his lifeblood by parasites who want to reap without sowing."

Subjectively speaking, Zhang Renfeng did not mean that.

Objectively speaking, the massacre of the Nordlin family did create many direct and indirect beneficiaries, with the Mesvid family being one of them. Given this, he simply reversed cause and effect, obscuring his motives. A half-truth, half-lies often appear most credible to outsiders. After his explanation, while most of the Shepherd Gang still looked at him with hostility, they had begun to believe he truly was a representative of the Mesvid family.

This idea has been deeply ingrained in their minds.

Realizing this, Zhang Renfeng's tone became even more forceful, actively applying pressure, "Now, are we going to continue spouting this useless nonsense on this snowy ground... or are we going to sit down face to face like men and have a proper talk about 'business'?"

----

Unlike last night, this time, Zhang Renfeng was "invited" in through the main entrance in a dignified manner.

He surveyed the interior of the fortress from all sides, his expression calm and revealing nothing of his thoughts.

At the enemy gang's headquarters, facing a group of Shepherd Wolf Gang members who wanted nothing more than to tear him apart, he remained unusually calm, as if he were at home. He dismounted his horse quite naturally, even tethering it to a wooden stake, and casually instructed one of his men that his horse had already been fed hay and didn't need to be fed again.

This indifference, however, was like a needle, deeply piercing the hearts of most members.

Gangs, like politicians, are groups that maintain their presence through saving face. Without face, they lack respect and therefore have no deterrent effect. If a gang cannot inspire fear, there's no point in it continuing; bounty hunters will swarm in and tear it to shreds.

They sensed no fear from this man; he treated them as if they were invisible.

"My place is in the back, in that detached wooden house..." The wolfherd dismounted, raised his voice, and shouted, "Half-man—!"

Igor, dragging his shorter legs, ran quickly over and immediately saw Zhang Renfeng tying up his horse. He froze, rooted to the spot.

"This gentleman is from out of town and is here to discuss some matters with our camp. He's staying for lunch, so please prepare a couple of dishes for him." After giving the order, the Wolf Shepherd turned back and explained to Zhang Renfeng, "Don't let his half-human appearance fool you; he's a very good cook. I'm keeping him here specifically."

----

It's less like a gang leader's residence and more like a hunter's lodge.

The walls are covered with animal skull specimens: moose, elk, fox, pronghorn... all sorts of them. Being looked down upon by these lifeless eyes creates a strange sense of oppression.

Upon entering, they found the house to be quite empty, with no tables or chairs in sight, only a bed and a few bundles of straw. Judging from the traces, Zhang Renfeng even believed that he spent far more time sleeping on the straw piles than on the bed.

"They say you were raised by wolves, is that true?"

When asked this question, the wolf herder's ears twitched slightly, and when he turned around, his head moved first, and his body turned little by little. Zhang Renfeng suddenly remembered an idiom called "eagle's gaze and wolf's look," and he had imitated it quite well.

"...Do you think I'm a monster?" the werewolf asked in a sinister tone. "If so, I should have pounced on you and bitten your spine the moment we met."

"Or perhaps, it's not too late now."

Zhang Renfeng was taken aback, sensing an unusual killing intent. Ordinary people usually kill for various reasons: anger, despair, pain, greed... because their desires are not satisfied, they resort to violence. It's rare to see such pure killing intent! It's as if they are killing for the sake of killing, just like eating and drinking, something so normal that it couldn't be more so.

Turning his head, he saw several gray wolves had somehow slipped into the house, tails down, limbs tense, emitting menacing growls. He immediately understood why the house was so empty, without even the most basic furniture; it turned out this wasn't his room alone.

That's strange. Thor gave himself the nickname "God of Thunder," yet he's never actually seen lightning strike from his fingertips. But this "Wolfherd" can truly connect with the wolves, as if he were one of them.

"Since you say you want to talk business, then let's talk business. But let me make this clear from the start: Red, I'm not a domestic animal." The shepherd's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear amidst the low growls of the wolves. "Don't think you can get away with this so easily."

"I understand. You're a beast, and the only one with any brains among this bunch of trash."

Surrounded by wolves, Zhang Renfeng suddenly felt no fear, and simply smiled and said, "Back then, on the carriage, only you understood my meaning. Choosing to lead the retreat shows that you are a cautious person."

"Only those who are prudent can achieve great things."

Chapter 92: Turning Swords into Plowshares? (Return of Bounty 19)

“Here’s the condition: you’ll get a contract—yes, don’t make that face. We live in a civilized society now; you need a contract for everything.” Zhang Renfeng’s words flowed smoothly and convincingly. “Considering your long experience in this industry, Mr. Mesvid has great confidence in your professional abilities and has therefore offered you a one-year contract.”

"For this year, you will be transporting slave laborers for him, and only for him. His investments are spread throughout Australia, and there will be many places that need manpower. He hopes you can send them over continuously... The number of transports per month will not exceed three. Once it is done, the monthly salary will be this amount."

Zhang Renfeng made an "eight" gesture.

"eighty?"

“…Eight hundred.” Zhang Renfeng smiled and looked at him. “Eight hundred a month, that’s nine thousand six hundred US dollars a year.”

"??!" The wolf shepherd was utterly shocked, his pupils widening in disbelief.

A bandit leader who spends most of his time in the mountains, avoiding contact with society, and who was raised by wolves, has virtually no understanding of the monetary system in human society. Earning a few hundred or a few thousand is considered a huge fortune for him!

Even if that attempted kidnapping had actually succeeded, the Wolf Pack would only have received $6000 based on a 30/70 split.

And now, the other party has offered a massive order of $9600, a stable payment. This enormous sum even made his breathing a little erratic. For a fleeting moment, he seemed to understand why Hong Zhong worked for the Mesvid family—they really had a lot of money!

"Ah……"

That's why they say money is the best glue. Upon hearing the amount, the tense atmosphere instantly softened, and the wolf shepherd couldn't help but smile. This smile was absolutely genuine, because the gray wolves at his feet sensed his change in mood. They stopped baring their teeth and turned around, pacing around the house as if taking a leisurely stroll after dinner.

"That's quite extravagant, Mr. Mesvid. He's not just looking to buy out the slave laborers themselves, but also the entire transportation route for them, isn't he?"

The Wolfman quickly grasped the subtext in Zhang Renfeng's words: "If we accept this deal, my twenty men and I can no longer trade with other masters. This route from Sparrow Mountain is essentially bought out by him, is that right?"

Just as he was feeling smug, thinking he had seen through the banker's tricks, Zhang Renfeng dropped a bombshell on him.

"Sorry, Alpha Wolf, you probably didn't understand."

"Your underlings are not included in Mesvid's contract; he only has eyes for you."

"..." The wolf shepherd was stunned for a moment before he understood what Zhang Renfeng was talking about. His face revealed his true meaning. "You mean, you want me to abandon my wolf pack? Abandon what I depend on for survival?!"

But this time, the wolves around him did not show any hostility towards Zhang Renfeng.

He was not a real wolf after all, but merely a savage in wolf's clothing. Faced with such a large sum of money, his resolve inevitably wavered.

“Mr. Mesvid’s principle is that he’s not afraid to spend money, but once he’s spent money, he only works with professionals. You are the professional he’s looking for—calm, cautious, and meticulous—but your subordinates are not. They’re just a bunch of bandits and brigands; they’re not qualified to be Mr. Mesvid’s clients. He doesn’t trust his business with people like that.”

"However, he also knows very well that you can't accomplish such a large task by yourself. He will send other trustworthy employees to help you. They are, like you and me, a small and silent part of this vast business network. Like the foundation stones of a huge building, they are hard, strong, and very reliable."

Zhang Renfeng observed the changes in the Wolfman's expression, secretly delighted but outwardly calm, and continued to add, "Simply put, it's like this: $9600 is your salary alone, you don't need to share it with anyone. The condition is that you have to use the people he arranges to do the work. These people are absolutely reliable and absolutely loyal, you just need to tell them what to do."

one person……

one person? !

one person!!

When he uttered that word, the Wolfman couldn't hear anything else. He was calculating in his mind how long $9600 could last him if it all came into his possession.

Even if you only work for this one year, you'll basically have all the money you need for the rest of your life!

A complex thought flashed across his face, and his expression immediately became complicated. "...Does that mean the Wolf Shepherd Gang will become history?"

"That's up to you. You can forcibly disband the gang, or, like civilized people, give them a severance package. In any case, these people cannot be an obstacle to business, which is also Mr. Mesvid's requirement."

"..."

The wolf shepherd looked conflicted. Even he knew that once such an opportunity was missed, it would never come again in his life.

But taking on this job meant transforming from a "savage" into a "civilized man," leaving the wolf pack, and abandoning his long-held beliefs. Simply put, it meant going from a free wolf to a domesticated dog. Everything he had previously upheld would become a colossal joke the moment he nodded.

Seeing the struggle on his face, Zhang Renfeng couldn't help but smile with pleasure, but he quickly suppressed it, still determined to finish the act. "Regardless of the final outcome, Mr. Mesvid instructed me to make sure his message was conveyed. That is—he harbors no ill will towards your group, especially towards you."

“You kidnapped his son, and he made me kill all the kidnappers. That’s the end of it.”

As he spoke, Zhang Renfeng began what was arguably the most crucial step in the entire plan.

"Crack!"

He took off his belt, along with two Volcano pistols holstered in their holsters, and tossed them to the Wolfman.

Taking the belt, the Wolfman was completely bewildered. In his mind, sidearms and belts were things gunmen considered as vital as their lives. He had heard of a crazed gunman who, in order to retrieve his two revolvers, went on a killing spree, wiping out half a town. In the West, where gunfights could break out at any moment, this thing on the waist was the last line of defense for survival.

And now, that red-haired guy is actually handing over his black and white twin pistols, along with his entire belt... all at once?!

Don't understand...

It's completely incomprehensible what he's thinking; that's the kind of guy who's the most terrifying.

"In my hometown, there is a saying, 'turn swords into plowshares,' which means handing over weapons to the other side to show one's sincerity."

Regardless of whether the idiom actually meant that, they had no way to cross the sea to confirm it anyway, so Zhang Renfeng just blurted it out, "As long as you wear this belt, our two families will not have any conflicts and will only talk business. I am now handing over my own gun and knife to you as a way of expressing my wish for peace."

A vision of peace...?

The wolf-woman remained silent for a moment, then fastened the belt around her waist.

It's best to avoid conflict with a guy like that, which aligns with his consistently cautious nature.

The two had slightly different waistlines; Zhang Renfeng was a size larger than him. The belt hung loosely on him, but at least it wouldn't slip off.

"No rush. This is a big deal, so you'd better think it over carefully... I'll be waiting for your reply by Lake Annabelle."

Chapter 93: The Counter-Espionage Scheme (Return of Bounty 20)

A wolf's nose is far more sensitive than a human's. Before they finished their business, the gray wolf stood up from its lying position, sniffing the air incessantly, its tail slightly raised. It seemed that even for them, the time that followed was quite enjoyable.

"Dong dong!"

After knocking twice as usual, Igor rammed the door open with his body; he was only half the height of an average person, making the movement incredibly difficult. The gray wolves, however, seemed to recognize his scent and rushed over, eagerly devouring the raw meat prepared for them on the tray.

The wolf shepherd glanced at the raw meat on the plate, which was devoured by the gray wolves in just a few bites. His tone revealed his dissatisfaction, "Why is there so much missing? Where's the meat?"

"They said they've had bad luck these past few days and haven't caught many prey. They picked out the good parts to make soup, so..."

As he spoke, Igor's voice softened. Given his position, he naturally couldn't afford to offend anyone in this large gang.

But his growing dissatisfaction was also evident in Igor's increasingly cold gaze. Whether it was simply bad luck or a lack of effort on his part, it was hard to say.

"I won't disturb your meal any longer." Zhang Renfeng picked up his bowl of stew and walked out of the house as if it were a matter of course. "Think carefully about what I just said."

----

"Seriously, how did you do that?" Igor's expression was filled with confusion, bewilderment, and surprise, and he even spoke faster. "Because I saw with my own eyes that you rode into this fortress through the main gate and you weren't killed by their wolves!"

"That's a long story..."

Zhang Renfeng quickly glanced around the hall, bustling in and out, and had been busy for almost half the morning. It was almost lunchtime, and not many people paid any attention to this place.

“Igor, I told you before that I would take you out, but now is not the time.” He said in a deep voice while stirring the soup in his bowl, “There is one thing that only you can do here.”

“Me?” Igor pointed to himself, his tone clearly self-deprecating. “What, do you want me to poison their soup?”