Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"I am Red Center."

“In your New Austin, and in neighboring New Elizabeth, my bounty has exceeded $7000. Cheddar sees me as a thorn in his side, not because I killed his son, but because I challenged his authority.”

“If he can’t catch me, his bottom line will be tested step by step. People will think that he’s a coward for not fighting back even after his son is killed.”

“As for our situation… ha, you’ve seen it too, it’s like this.” Zhang Renfeng shrugged, a hint of self-mockery in his voice. “In the middle of nowhere, a few tents, two campfires, a few bundles of blankets. Like destitute savages, wandering in a place beyond civilization.”

"That old bastard has been throwing money at the Pinkerton Detective Agency to hunt me down. He's been chasing me like a dog that's been fed meat. Besides Alana and Ego, the other three in the gang are all carrying bounties of varying amounts. As long as I keep following him, I can't avoid any open or covert attacks. I'll be sleeping with one eye open!"

That being said, everyone else in the camp, except Evelyn and him, was sleeping soundly.

Evelyn did not answer, but she did not seem particularly surprised. She had a sense of calm about the sudden revelation of the truth, which was both unexpected and reasonable.

That day, when I was strapped to the electric chair, even though my five senses were limited, I still managed to hear some of what happened after Zhang Renfeng broke in before I lost consciousness. Apart from Hong Zhong, probably no one else had the ability to rescue me from the enemy's headquarters.

"I'm not afraid of killing anyone. I, Old Zhang, wish I could kill every evil person and demon in the world!"

"but……"

When he looked at the girl again, Zhang Renfeng's glaring eyes narrowed slightly, and his overflowing murderous aura subsided, becoming much gentler.

If it catches your eye at first glance, and you feel a connection with it, then everything about it will look pleasing to the eye.

Looking back now, perhaps it was Evelyn's initial appearance, bound by a corset and looking frail... that reminded him of his first wife.

“This is not the life you should be living.” He smiled and said softly, “It’s too much to ask of a girl who can’t even tell the difference between props and real weapons, and who can’t even use a knife, to deal with bounty hunters, Pinkerton detectives and state sheriffs.”

“I can use a knife!” Evelyn retorted, pouting and slightly annoyed. “I can just use the sharp end to stab people.”

But soon, she felt disappointed again. Clearly, according to the Red Center Gang's requirements, simply knowing how to stab someone was far from enough.

There is no stage for her here.

"I'm really curious, why would you want to join us?" Zhang Renfeng sat down by the fire, warming his hands on it, and muttered as he asked, "We've only known each other for a few days, and you've been unconscious most of the time. Logically speaking, we're not that close."

----

"I want a home."

……

When Zhang Renfeng asked the question, it was somewhat joking, but when he heard her answer, which sounded like that of a young widow who had been divorced five times, his expression froze instantly.

"As you know, my parents... well... I don't know if I should blame them or not, maybe they are right. But my etiquette training started almost as soon as I started to remember, and I never felt happy at home for a single day."

“My father burned down the house, and we had nowhere to go, so we had to live with my brother. Most of the time, my brother and I lived separately. Over the course of a year or a month, I would only speak to him five or six times.”

“These past few days, even just the time spent in the camp has felt as warm as the sun.” Evelyn lowered her head slightly, clutching her clothes tightly to her chest until they swelled up like a vortex, her eyes slightly moist. “I cannot ignore the cry of my own heart!”

Zhang Renfeng fell silent.

Whenever he thinks of his family, he can't help but think of himself.

Within the Red Center Gang, Alana is truly the only one without family ties. Born in Scar Village and raised by the village women, she has never had a concept of parents. Her situation is remarkably similar to Evelyn's; both have experienced broken families and are about to embark on a solitary journey filled with uncertainty.

Perhaps because of this, he finally made a decision after much consideration.

“In case of an emergency, we must evacuate as quickly as possible. In that case, I certainly won’t take you with me.”

"But... if you really want to join us... that's possible, but in a different form."

“Really?” Evelyn’s eyes lit up immediately. “Please tell me, anything I can do is fine.”

"Besides the members of the Red Center Gang who are responsible for combat, there are also peripheral members who do not eat or live with us but provide us with intelligence."

"If you'd like, you can pursue that path."

Chapter 155: The Fragile Vase

In a sense, Chilton's last plan was not wrong. To muddy the waters, you need a real bombshell. It should be the kind that blows all the fish upside down in the pond, so that everyone will be too busy protecting themselves to care about their own little blackfish.

For Baiju Town, this pond, Hongzhong is a bomb.

At Wendigo's behest, the police department announced the deaths of Dean Chilton and his accomplices, and stated that a small wooden plaque with dark red writing was found in the room, identical to the one found at the scene of the Nordlin family's deaths.

In other words, this murder was very likely committed by Hong Zhonggan.

In an instant, the incident caused a huge uproar. Regardless of any previous connections with Chilton, whether they were all in cahoots or on the same side, everyone suddenly became quiet. The entire judicial system seemed to have died, quickly completing its self-examination and self-purification. Chilton certainly deserved to die, but the charges against him were several times more severe than they actually were.

Tracing back to the list left by Chilton, everyone, regardless of rank, was purged! Anyone found to have engaged in any shady dealings was immediately turned over to the police station to await trial and conviction.

After all, there are precedents to follow. Those who died at the same table as Chilton were all prominent members of the judicial system, yet Hong Zhong killed them without hesitation. His 30-kill streak in the Wind and Sand had already proven that he would show no mercy even to those in positions of authority.

If there is any further favoritism, who knows if one of our dinners might inexplicably become our last?

Because of a ruthless bandit who kills without hesitation, the sword of justice was no longer just for show, but actually struck the head of the person who needed to be cut down, which sounds rather ironic.

However, for Zhang Renfeng and his group, this was a mixed blessing.

The good news is that, at least Chilton and his backers are unlikely to retaliate against Evelyn anytime soon. They are facing a thorough investigation and are too busy dealing with their own problems to care about anything else.

Worry is...

----

"...Are you the only one?" Mike stared with dead fish eyes at the oblivious newcomer in front of him. "Where's Gordon?"

"Haven't I explained it to you yet, Mr. Iran?" the newcomer said with a grin, his tone unusually excited. "It's Red Center!"

He patted Zhang Renfeng on the shoulder, "This is different from the imposter you caught last time. This time it's the real deal, the real Red Center has arrived! He skipped the trial and killed that old bastard Chilton, leaving behind a long list... Ha..."

After having his fill of excitement, the newcomer sighed, "However, everyone else in the police station is also heading towards the people on the list, regarding the Australian shrike incident..."

People are naturally fickle, and the police are no exception. Dealing with a corrupt justice system is more reassuring than the potentially life-threatening case of the Australian shrike. At least you can easily handcuff those guys instead of ending up hanging on antlers.

"It's alright, Mr. Yilan, they have a list, and we have one too!" The newcomer rubbed his eyes and handed over a list with only about ten names on it, making it much simpler. "This is what I compiled last night!"

Mike took the list, looked at the few scattered names, frowned, and felt that something was amiss.

Almost all of them were from the police station, and a few were so-called "doctors" from the mental hospital. These were all the people who had been in and out of the hospital since the incident. If the tongue really had disappeared, it must have been taken by one of them.

Considering all that had happened before, the Hongzhong Gang made another personnel adjustment – ​​there were only four people available for fieldwork, so the adjustment didn't really make a difference.

Mike and the newcomer went to investigate the tongue matter.

To prevent Evelyn from being targeted again, Alana and May accompanied her to finalize the exhibition arrangements. Chilton was dead, but the Australian shrike was still there, so they traveled in groups as much as possible, choosing areas with many people. They took her back to camp as it got dark.

As for Zhang Renfeng, according to him, he was going to check if there were any prey that might have stepped into the trap he had set the night before.

……

Walking down the street, Evelyn's strides were much longer than before, no longer the graceful shuffling of an aristocratic lady. A strange smile graced her face, and she walked as if she were floating.

"Why are you smiling so strangely?" Alana couldn't help but mutter. "I've never seen you smile like this before..."

"He agreed!" Evelyn didn't hide anything, revealing a sweet, satisfied smile, like a girl in love. "He agreed to let me join you. From today onwards, we are a real family!"

"You?" Alana's eyes widened. She cupped the girl's slender waist with her hand and couldn't help but say, "Can you manage? With such a thin waist, I'm afraid you'll fall apart while riding a horse."

Xiaomei imagined Evelyn falling apart on the saddle like a skeleton with a snap, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Mr. Red Center definitely means that Miss Evelyn should become an outsider in the gang, just like Mr. McGill."

“McGill?” Evelyn asked, her voice full of curiosity. “He mentioned him to me last night, that he’s the gang’s overseas lawyer?”

“He’s no ordinary man. He’s the one who got Xiaomei and me out of jail in Baiyang Town,” Alana said casually.

"Eh?! Ms. Marston, you've been to prison too?" Evelyn seemed quite shocked. "I'm sorry, I thought..."

----

As the girls' voices faded into the distance, Mike patted Zhang Renfeng on the shoulder and whispered while the newcomers went to fetch the horses, "Are you really going to let her join us?"

"Hmm." Zhang Renfeng, unusually, avoided his gaze, lowered his head slightly, and rubbed his nose.

"At least that cook is smart and quick-witted. Even if he did nothing in the camp and I supported him for free, I would accept it. Besides, he has skills and cooks excellent dishes, which greatly boosts the morale of our gang."

Mike narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "But... have you thought this through? Even if she's working as an outsider, she can't provide us with legal or intelligence assistance like that slippery Jimmy did."

"It's a bit harsh to say, but I have to say it because it's true—she's just a pretty face with no substance."

“I’m not saying vases are bad, especially such exquisite ones. But she should be in the city, for civilized people to handle and appreciate; that’s her destiny, not to be stuffed in a cowboy’s saddlebag, tossed about by the wind and dust, and then suddenly shatter one day. Believe me, Hongzhong…”

He lowered his voice and warned, "The Jack gang in the past was all because the boss's woman died, and he wanted revenge, which led to a series of messy events."

"No matter how big the storm, it couldn't destroy Jack's gang, but in the end, it was destroyed by its own people."

……

"what."

“I’m telling you this from the bottom of my heart, what are you laughing at?” Mike raised his eyebrows, somewhat annoyed.

"What I'm laughing at is that even a seasoned veteran like you can misjudge someone," Zhang Renfeng said with a smile and a shake of his head, full of confidence. "She's not just a pretty face."

"We...aren't the Jack Gang either."

Chapter 156: We're Competing with Brains, Not Blood

The clock tower in White Torch Town presents two completely different scenes during the day and at night. Many pedestrians pass by the clock tower, going about their lives, completely unaware that a secret that cannot be revealed is buried beneath this abandoned wasteland.

Looking around, Zhang Renfeng saw that no one had noticed the corner, so he squatted down and dug up the soil under the clock tower again. His eyes lit up. Sure enough, the Roy White antique watch that had been buried last night was gone. In its place was a small tin box, which looked like the packaging for licorice candy sold in a grocery store.

The bandit who had impersonated him said that they were only responsible for leaving the stolen goods there, while their boss was in charge of handling them and transferring the proceeds to them.

This gang has no name, no hierarchy, and rarely gathers together; they simply mimic the methods of other gangs. Like a ghost in the wind, they seem to exist, but in reality, they vanish without a trace.

If they hadn't happened to be on the same train, Zhang Renfeng would never have known that someone was using the name of the Red Army to swindle and deceive people.

Upon opening the tin box, the smile on his face froze again, for there was no money as he had imagined, nor a letter of introduction agreeing to join the organization. Instead, there was only a sketch, clearly drawn with pencil strokes. The style was extremely realistic, undoubtedly a perspective from somewhere in White Torch Town.

"hiss……"

When Zhang Renfeng saw that this thing required some brainpower, he immediately felt a splitting headache and cursed his bad luck, thinking he should have brought Igor, the gang's external brain, along with them. Unfortunately, the Red Center Gang was too small at the moment, and if even he went out, the camp would be left unguarded.

But then I thought again... what if someone else really came? What could a dwarf like him do? Pick up a gun and fight them?

They excel at using their brains, not bloodshed.

"You've had a tough time, old buddy." Zhang Renfeng patted the thick, sturdy neck of the chestnut-colored Turkmen warhorse and sighed helplessly. "Let's just take a stroll around town today and lose some weight."

----

"Bear, bear, all black and brown, covered in fur... bear! She sings, beautiful bear! Together, to the ends of the earth and the sky. Bear, bear, a beautiful young girl~~~??"

In just a few days, Ego had already worn out his notebook. There was no new evidence regarding the Australian shrike, and he didn't intend to get too involved. Humming a little tune as he busied himself with pots and pans, preparing dinner for everyone, he already felt a considerable sense of accomplishment.

Of course, he didn't forget another important thing.

“DX1245…APH1748…” Igor frowned as he flipped through the several thick, leather-bound books he had pried off the Chedel train. “Without the start key, there’s no way to even begin cracking it.”

What could possibly be placed alongside a bearer bond worth ten thousand dollars?

Igor was almost certain that this was Cheddar's secret ledger. Letters came first, followed by numbers, and the letters were arranged randomly, revealing no pattern or meaning.

"The Virginia cipher, how old-fashioned. Wouldn't it be better to use something new?" Igor muttered, tossing the books to the ground.

If it really is the Virginia cipher, then spending a year here won't do any good. Without the start key, he won't know which letter each letter actually corresponds to, making deciphering impossible. Just as he sighed and prepared to settle down and cook, the sudden sound of horses' hooves jolted him into a state of heightened alert.

"Shit...shit!"

His heart started racing instantly. He gritted his teeth and instinctively blurted out a classic Chinese curse. He reached for his belt and realized that because he had been staying in the Red China Gang's camp for so long and hadn't gone out at all, he found carrying a gun uncomfortable and had taken it off for convenience while cooking.

The only decent weapons he has now are the kitchen knife on the cutting board and the frying pan where he's frying bird eggs not far away.

He hurriedly grabbed a wooden bowl, poured the half-fried egg into it, and then poured more oil into the frying pan.

The oil fell onto the blazing frying pan and immediately sizzled and crackled. Igor was hoping that someone would come along and grab the pan, slamming it directly over Igor's head. Hot oil poured over the head is just as dangerous, enough to burn a person until their skin is torn and bleeding.

Hiding behind the rock, Ego kept his eyes closed and gritted his teeth, thinking to himself, "How could I have been so stupid!" This wasn't some scrap henchman like the Wolf Pack; this was the Red Center Gang. Their leader had bounties exceeding $7000 in two states. It was perfectly normal for bounty hunters or Pinkerton detectives to be chasing after them!

If I had known, I should have sent a few people from Varga to keep an eye on things while they were away!

The sound of horses' hooves suddenly stopped without any warning; all that could be heard was the rustling of leaves in the wind.

A dead silence.

With his physique, Igor was basically unsuitable for guard sports like horseback riding and hunting. The only activity that allowed him to obtain meat from nature was fishing. And now, he felt like a stupid, clumsy loach, unable to resist the urge to bite when others merely left the bait to rest.

Just one look... just one look!

The moment he peeked his head out slightly, a cold gun barrel emerged from behind and pressed against the back of his head.

"Don't move." The man's voice was cold and hard, like a marble statue speaking. "This is the Red Center Gang's camp, isn't it?"