Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Chapter 100: Unresolved, Unresolved Death

Halfway up Sparrow Mountain, the cold railway tracks lay there, radiating a chilling metallic luster.

Only after seeing the railway tracks with his own eyes did Igor's expression become somewhat complicated. "So you guys were serious? The Wolf Shepherd Gang has more than twenty people, and they wouldn't dare to do something like this. You only have four people..."

"How many people in this gang would be considered a lot?"

Mike carefully placed the bundles of explosives he had carried along under the rails, making sure they were pressed together and firmly attached to the sleepers so they wouldn't fall off.

Among the Red Gang members, only he had relevant professional experience. The other three were on the hilltop checking the condition of guns and ammunition, like students checking their stationery for ink leaks before a major exam.

Even though you know it's probably a waste of time, you can use this method to relieve tension and make final preparations.

"Actually, hijacking a train is similar to robbing a bank; both emphasize speed. You have to catch them off guard, leaving them no time to react, or out of fear, too afraid to resist. You quickly grab what you want and then immediately retreat without leaving a trace. But we have too few people. We must ensure that every available fighter is on the front lines, so..."

"You want me to detonate the bomb?" Igor quickly understood what he meant.

“Smart.” Mike attached the fuse to the explosive, pulling it out bit by bit like laying a telephone cord, explaining, “That wooden box over there is the detonator for the bomb. It’s already directly connected to the explosive through the fuse. When that train passes by, you press the lever down hard, all the way down! And then… bang!”

He clenched his fist and then released it, making a very abstract gesture.

"While they're still figuring things out, we quickly board the train and take control of the situation. If all goes well, that's it."

“If ‘everything goes well?’” Igor understood the unspoken meaning in his words.

“A long time ago, I robbed a train, and it didn’t end well.” Mike cut the excess fuse with his knife as he spoke. “Back then, trains weren’t as fast as they are now; you could easily catch up on horseback. We heard that the freight cars were loaded with high-end goods—Red Apple cigarettes, Summer Red, and some Kosky cigars… When we opened them, dozens of bounty hunters were lurking in the cars, waiting to ambush us. It was a trap; we were fooled from the start.”

"In short, the first time you try to book a train ticket, you're likely to encounter some unexpected situations. When that happens, just be flexible and adapt to the situation."

After reconnecting the wires, he patted Igor on the shoulder and instructed him, "After the explosion, don't worry about anything, just run deeper into the forest. We'll come pick you up when everything is over. You'll definitely get a share of the profits then."

"Profits?" Igor raised an eyelid.

“Of course,” Mike laughed. “You don’t think we’re just fighting for fun, do you? You’d have to have money to fight for it.”

"But……"

Ego muttered something, lowered his head slightly, his brown curly hair obscuring his eyes, and the height difference made it impossible for Mike to see his expression.

How did you know there was money on this train?

……

A rumbling vibration came along the tracks. Mike's expression changed, and he quickly wrapped his face mask around his neck, giving a final instruction: "Remember, you can press it when the locomotive passes by!"

----

"Is everything settled?" Zhang Renfeng took out his pocket watch, checked the time, and it matched the departure time given by Jimmy.

Mike, who had returned on horseback, nodded. They were now standing on a secluded hillside, waiting for Igor to successfully detonate the explosives and sever the rails before they would swoop down as fast as they could.

It is currently unknown how many resistance fighters are on the train. Therefore, before they recover from the shock of the bombing, the four of them must create an overwhelming force to control the situation.

For safety reasons, Zhang Renfeng didn't show his face as usual during this train hijacking operation, and like the other members, he wore a mask. Or rather... a triangular face covering. He unusually remained silent, simply staring at the rumbling, shaking tracks and looking into the distance.

Xiaomei, on the other hand, remained calm, sitting steadily on her horse without uttering a sound, waiting for the train to come into view. Since bidding farewell to her past life, she had nothing left to lose, thus stepping into a completely new state of indifference.

The first person she killed was a bandit she encountered on her way down from Scarface Village. She felt a jolt of fear and guilt for a long time. But just a few nights ago, she fired several shots in quick succession, accurately eliminating members of the Wolf Shepherd Gang, without even a tremor in her hand.

In contrast, Alana was more nervous, because in her mind, a big job like hijacking a train required the entire Thunder Gang to be mobilized. Although the Red Center Gang was powerful, its lack of manpower was a significant weakness.

Will it really go as smoothly as we imagine?

……

“I thought you never knew what nervousness was,” Mike teased Zhang Renfeng. “At this point, your bounty is basically at the maximum a normal person can reach. Even if you hijack another train, it won’t go up any further.”

“No,” Zhang Renfeng murmured, “I’m thinking about other things.”

“At this moment? You must be joking!” Mike warned half-jokingly. “If you want to live to count your money, you’d better get serious. We still have a train to rob! Once we have the money and are back at camp, you can lie on the grass and nobody will care about you.”

Zhang Renfeng nodded, but his expression was not visible because he was wearing a face mask.

The two remained silent for a while, and the vibration of the railway tracks grew louder and louder, but the locomotive that carried everyone's hopes did not appear.

“…So,” Mike suddenly spoke up, “what are you thinking?”

"Mule."

“Mule?” Mike paused for a moment, then took a while to retrieve the key information from his memory. “The lawyer mentioned him, was it that new guy, Zola El? He has no connection with us, why are you thinking about him?”

“No…we can’t say that. He and we have already crossed paths in places we can’t see.” Zhang Renfeng murmured. “Before Sandor died, he told me that the one who planned this kidnapping was Mule from the very beginning. Those two coachmen were his men. If the plan succeeded, those three unfortunate children would also go through his channels to get the ransom, and he would take 70% of the money.”

"But isn't it strange? The Zolael family is Cheder's black glove; they have an intertwined relationship of interests."

"Cheder and Mesvid partnered to open banks in White Torch and Windblown Sand, intending to plunder the wealth of the people. They were natural allies. With shared interests, it was impossible for Cheder to betray Mesvid at this crucial juncture."

"Moreover, among the three people kidnapped by Mule, there is an arms dealer and a sheriff's daughter. Once this matter is exposed, it will inevitably trigger a large-scale investigation by the sheriff and the police, and it is entirely possible to expose the money-transfer relationship between Chedel and the Thunder Gang."

"Indeed, if they can get the ransom, it will be a lot of money. But from his perspective, it is a lose-lose situation, and may even lead to a complete loss."

"Why did he do this?"

----

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The locomotive, like a slowly moving giant beast, burst into everyone's view.

Chapter 101: The Process Was Completely Wrong, But the Result Was Completely Right?

"boom----!!"

The belated explosion rang out, and the shockwave swept across Mike's face, causing him to frown.

Just as he expected, the large number of laymen involved in this vote easily led to all sorts of problems.

The very first step went wrong—Igor did detonate the explosives, but he probably misjudged the timing, and the train had almost passed the detonation point before he blew up one of the rails.

The most crucial locomotive was unaffected and continued to move forward. Only the last two carriages were affected, blown off their main body. The enormous inertia kept them moving forward, sparking as they rubbed against the rails, producing an extremely piercing and sharp sound.

"The bombing was too late. The train didn't stop, and it lost some weight. The horses won't be able to catch up soon." In situations like this, experience is especially important. Mike instantly assessed the situation. "We have to find a way to stop the locomotive!"

"Red Center—!"

Zhang Renfeng displayed remarkable decisiveness; almost the instant Mike called him, he had dismounted and galloped towards the other side of the hill. On the other side of this mountain path lay the tunnel from which the train had emerged; the locomotive was undamaged and still moving forward, leaving him with only a few short seconds of respite.

There's no time to ride a horse, because the horse can't jump off with the rider; you have to dismount and perform this difficult maneuver yourself.

A muffled, thunderous tremor sounded beneath his feet. Zhang Renfeng ran quickly to the end of the mountain path and, without hesitation, leaped into the air!

……

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

He could see every detail clearly, including the dust particles scattered in the air, the weak sunlight filtering through the branches, and the drifting clouds on the distant horizon. The moment he jumped, he heard his companions scream from behind, quickly torn to shreds by the wind. The thrill of weightlessness made him feel a long-lost surge of adrenaline and a racing heartbeat.

The sky was a deep blue, adorned with a white eagle.

"Boom--!"

Time returned to normal, and he slammed heavily onto the roof of the car, immediately using a roll to absorb the impact and stand up again, deftly drawing his Volcano Pistol. The swaying carriage became an unobstructed road, leading straight to the front of the train.

As the saying goes, "Before learning boxing, one must first practice stances for three years." When laying the foundation, Zhang Renfeng first practiced stances on the ground, then on wooden stakes, and finally on a dazzling array of moving stakes resembling plum blossoms. In addition, he favored hard techniques, developing an iron stance that allowed him to be firmly rooted to the ground.

The train carriage was shaking violently, but he walked as if on flat ground and ran towards the front of the train!

Alana dismounted a little too slowly, and by the time she reached the edge of the path, the last carriage of the train had already passed beneath her, just separating from her. However, she still witnessed the entire scene of Zhang Renfeng jumping onto the train and was utterly astonished.

Jumping from that height without even thinking is something only a truly ordinary person could do.

"It's a success! Hongzhong is on the roof!" Her voice was more tense than excited. "I saw him running towards the front of the car."

Mike nodded, tightened the reins, turned his horse around, and prepared to rush to provide support immediately.

"Wait a minute!" Xiaomei suddenly exclaimed, "Look!"

Not far away, the two abandoned carriages stirred. First came the frantic banging, then the sound of bullets hitting metal. Moments later, a large hole was blasted in the door, which was then kicked open. Guards dressed in black emerged one after another, like ants swarming from a nest.

There are no seat belts on the freight cars of the train, so when most people climb out after such a sudden collision, they inevitably have some injuries.

“I’ve seen people dressed like this many times in Windblown Sands. After Colin was hanged, besides the sheriff, it was mostly people dressed like this patrolling the streets.” Xiaomei’s tone turned cold whenever it came to anything related to Cheddar, making it hard to reconcile her current voice with that of a fifteen-year-old girl. “They’re all Cheddar’s dogs!”

"Because the detonation was a little later than expected, it missed the locomotive and blew up the last two freight cars. Did it inadvertently isolate the security personnel on the train from the cargo they were protecting...?"

Mike muttered to himself, his eyes quickly sweeping across the crowd, and with a single glance, he roughly determined the number of the black-clad guards.

About twenty or thirty people crawled out of the two carriages.

Even if the wealthy and capricious Cheder is incredibly rich, the number of people under his command cannot be infinitely increased.

From New Elizabeth to Australia, a bank's armored wagon would typically have five or six armed guards on a single trip, which was considered a high-level arrangement. The fact that he could muster twenty or thirty guards perfectly reflected the wealth of this business tycoon. Judging from their concentration in the last two carriages, Mike believed this was all the men he had.

"We can't let them affect Red Center." Mike decisively dismounted and put the revolver, which he had prepared specifically for close combat on the train, back into its holster.

A seasoned veteran like him naturally knew to choose weapons with varying levels of accuracy depending on the engagement distance. When the plan changed, he pulled a long-handled Springfield rifle from his saddlebag. "The three of us will stay here and snipe them, buying time for Red Center. Remember to find good cover so they don't spot us too quickly."

Xiaomei had been eagerly anticipating this moment for a long time. Without a word, she drew her Sharps rifle, found a rock of suitable height as cover, and fired in a kneeling position. She used the hardness of the rock to offset some of the impact on her shoulder.

"What about Igor?" Alana was still worried about the half-human chef, or rather, she was concerned about the dishes he made. "Will it be okay to leave him there alone?"

"boom!"

“Don’t worry.” Mike had already fired the first shot, easily ejected the spent cartridge, and casually tossed the chewing tobacco from his pocket into his mouth, saying, “That guy is much smarter than he looks.”

----

"Gunshots?!"

The faint sound of gunfire caught Zhang Renfeng's ear, and he was startled, but he quickly realized that there must be people in the last two carriages.

That's understandable—with half of the carriage blown off and such a huge commotion, not a single person came out to check. The security personnel on this train were probably all huddled in the last two carriages, and by sheer coincidence, they were separated from the group by Igor's bombing.

The freight car soon reached its end. Zhang Renfeng lightly leaped onto the car specifically used for storing coal, and stepped into the pile of coal, making a cracking sound under his feet.

Hidden within this is the unique sound of fearful breathing born from taut nerves.

Realizing this, the instant he turned the corner, Zhang Renfeng immediately drew his Volcano Pistol and pressed it against the man's forehead!

Every time a train departs, an engineer accompanies it to handle any unforeseen circumstances along the route. But clearly, the current situation is not within the scope of the contract he originally signed.

"No...don't, don't kill me...I still have children to raise..."

The engineer was so frightened that he trembled all over, and the coal shovel he was holding fell into the coal pile.

The whistling wind whistled past his ears, like tiny knives, seemingly reminding him that he didn't have much time to make this choice.

He touched his face; the ugly face mask was still on, which relieved him and made him breathe a sigh of relief.

"Boom!"

With a backhand slap, he struck him squarely on the chin with the butt of his rifle, knocking him unconscious. He collapsed sprawled out in the coal pile, falling into a deep sleep.

……

The engineer was killed, leaving only the train driver, and they stared at each other.

"...No, I know, I know!" Seeing that his companion could get a way out of the masked man, the driver also saw hope. He waved his hands repeatedly and pulled down the brake lever with all his might.

Chapter 102: You really should have run away

laugh----!!!"

With a screeching sound, the train finally came to a stop, but Zhang Renfeng didn't rush to pry open the carriages. Instead, he grabbed the driver by the collar and dragged him off the locomotive. He then pulled a rope from his satchel. This was a substitute for the rope used to tie a saddle; it wasn't very long, but it was enough to tie his hands behind his back. He tossed it aside, making sure the train wouldn't run away.

Is there anyone else on the bus?

"There are... there are two or three city people, the other guards are in the last two carriages, I don't know anything else..." To save his life, the driver spilled all the information without reservation, "Please don't kill me, I'm just a nobody, I know nothing..."

"Stab!"

Zhang Renfeng tore a piece of cloth from his clothes with his bare hands and tied it over his eyes, making him unable to see anything.

"Whoa—!!"

With a whistle, a chestnut-colored Turkmen warhorse leaped out from the trees. He stepped into the stirrups, swiftly mounted the horse, and galloped away along the railway tracks like a dark red lightning bolt.

----

To describe it as a scene strewn with corpses would not be an exaggeration at all.

Mike and his men launched a surprise attack, waiting for their prey to come to them. The enemy was completely unprepared and, being in a relatively open area next to the railway tracks, was caught off guard.