Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

“No…no…Big brother, you’ve got the wrong person.” Igor sighed regretfully, instantly switching into the cowardly dwarf mode of the Wolf Shepherd Gang, and said with a fawning smile, “We are the interstate Elandio Circus. You see, there’s an Emerald Theater in White Torch Town, right? The leader went to talk business with the owner there. I’m a dwarf, and I would be annoying if I went, so I stayed in the camp.”

To be fair, his explanation was somewhat credible and quite consistent with his status, but it earned him the sound of a hammer being struck.

"Crack!"

Igor's heart skipped a beat.

"I want to hear the truth," the man said slowly. "I'll give you one more chance."

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes..." Igor knew very well that since he could ask this question, he must already have an answer in his heart, so he would definitely not give himself a third chance. He quickly nodded and said, "I... I am the cook of the Red Center Gang, the cook! They are not here!"

"White Torch Town?" The man sounded surprised. "You committed such a serious crime here, and you still dare to come back?"

The cold gun barrel was retracted, and this kind gesture made Igor turn around and glance at him.

His voice matched perfectly—tall and cold, with golden curly hair hanging down his forehead, damp as if he had just climbed out of the sea. The man was dressed like a typical hunter, but he carried an oversized satchel, a bullet belt on his shoulder, a long rifle and a double-action shotgun on his back, and two unprecedented pistols, looking like square boxes, at his waist.

“Theon Mislandil.” He crouched down, extended his hand to Ego, and said in a deep voice, “I’ve been following the trail of the Red Center all the way from Scarface Village, and finally, here, I’ve caught up with him.”

"Oh..." Igor immediately understood. "You're here to join the group?"

"I heard the Red Center Gang and the Thunder Gang have a feud?" Theon asked.

"That's right, what's wrong?"

“Perfect timing. The Thunder Clan and I have a family feud too; they killed my brother.” Theon gripped Ego’s hand tightly, his voice burning with vengeful fury. “I swear, I will kill every single guy with the name Zorael!”

"Uh, really..." Igor's tone was a little awkward, and his smile became stiff. "You'll definitely get what you want, ha... hahaha..."

Chapter 157: The Beginning of a Story is Always Sweet

Walking and stopping intermittently, Zhang Renfeng finally found the angle from the sketch just before noon. Standing on this muddy street, the angle of the clock tower was exactly the same as in the sketch.

From here, he dismounted and walked, adjusting the distance with his feet until he reached a perfectly aligned spot. Sure enough, there was a patch of loose soil on the ground, which was weighed down by a stone, as if it were a special hint given to him.

Zhang Renfeng didn't want to squat down and dig in the dirt with his hands, so he kicked away the soil with his toes, gradually revealing a small metal box.

"Not again?" he couldn't help but complain. "How many boxes of licorice candy do you have to eat just to play this stupid game with me?"

Open the box; inside is a honey milk candy.

The clock tower is still a landmark in this sketch, but it's closer, seemingly located somewhere in the center of town.

In addition, there was an extra sentence written on the sketch. Fortunately, the words were simple and within his reading range.

Stories always begin sweetly.

Zhang Renfeng's expression froze.

Streets, houses, and all sorts of pedestrians—memories are like the foam in beer; sometimes, just a little push is enough to bring them to the surface. Once they reach the top, they gently burst open, releasing aromas that may be mellow or bitter.

----

"Hey, you've got a face, and yellow skin at that!" A dirty little brat popped out from some street corner, grinning and patting Zhang Renfeng on the shoulder. Zhang Renfeng was squatting there, eating the beef he'd just bought. "Where are you from?"

The little brat was missing a front tooth, his clothes were patched together like rags, and he'd rolled around in the mud several times, his golden hair completely covered in mud and water. Needless to say, he probably didn't even have the money to take a bath. But he didn't seem to care, smiling brightly as if all the pain and injustice in the world were irrelevant to him, or perhaps he hadn't grown up enough to understand such things.

"My name is Oliver. From the Cactus Tavern to the Nordlin Hotel, this whole area is under my protection!"

When the little boy saw that he was ignoring him, he patted him on the shoulder as if they were old friends, opened the wooden box hanging around his neck, took out a piece of candy, broke it in half, handed it to him, and said with a smile, "In principle, it's 25 cents, but since this is the first time, I won't charge you. Let's be friends."

……

friend?

Zhang Renfeng took the candy with some skepticism, not immediately putting it in his mouth. "You do this kind of work?"

"Hmph~~ Good to know." Oliver smiled smugly. "I know all the news around here, which businesses are profitable, and which owners are mean. I've been hanging around here since I could walk, and this information is a valuable asset."

Seeing that he himself had also put the remaining half of the broken piece into his mouth, Zhang Renfeng dared to eat it with peace of mind. In any case, it's always better to be cautious about what you put in your mouth.

sweet.

The unadulterated sweetness hit him right in the head; he hadn't tasted anything this sweet in a long time, and compared to other flavors, it had a refreshing and delightful quality.

"How is it? It tastes pretty good, right? Hehe, this is called honey milk candy. Edward, the beekeeper east of White Torch Town, is a good friend of mine. He's willing to sell me the leftover scraps of honey concentrate at the original price! The silky texture is amazing, isn't it? A unique and magical flavor. One day, I'll be able to make a fortune with this stuff."

Oliver's eyes gleamed, as if he could already see himself becoming rich and enjoying endless wealth, and a smile appeared on his lips.

“…I’m looking for a place to live.” Zhang Renfeng interrupted him. “Do you know any good places to go?”

He had just come down from the Mini Traveler's Inn on Sparrow Mountain. He and the man in yellow were only temporary partners; after this job, they would naturally go their separate ways.

As for the stolen cash, since the man in yellow was in charge of the initial planning and weapons, he only received 40%, but it was still a considerable sum.

The man in yellow advised him to find a town to rest and lay low for a while.

This is the first town that's still habitable after coming down from the Snowfall Mountains.

"A house?" Oliver paused for a moment. "Do you have the money? Houses in the city center aren't cheap. I do know a few houses in other places... all in the suburbs, abandoned by who knows who. You could live there for free, but it's a bit unsafe."

“It’s alright, I have money.” Zhang Renfeng patted his bag and said calmly, “I just robbed a bank.”

……

The air after the rain was so humid and suffocating that Oliver seemed frozen in place, his eyes wide open, staring at him in disbelief.

“Hahahahahahaha——!!”

Then, he burst into laughter, laughing so hard he was doubled over, "No... I can't take it anymore, you're so funny..."

“That’s right! If you want to survive in a big city, you have to have this kind of shamelessness!” Oliver patted Zhang Renfeng’s shoulder with his dirty little paws and gave him a thumbs up. “Don’t worry about this, leave it to me! I’ll find you a house that’s close to the city and not too run-down. You can pay the landlord rent first, which is much cheaper than buying it. I know the landlord, and he’s very easy to talk to. Anyway, you can stay here for now, and we can move to another place later.”

Zhang Renfeng's gaze softened slightly. "Why did you help me?"

“Look at you, coming to this big city all by yourself, it must be tough.” Oliver patted Zhang Renfeng on the shoulder. “Especially since you’re yellow-skinned, right? It’s just… um… this…”

He rubbed his hands together, seemingly hesitant to speak, "I've recently been thinking about upgrading the hygiene of this product's production process. In other words, if it could be made indoors, it would ensure the sediment isn't contaminated, making it safer to eat. So, you see, could you do me a favor, since I introduced you to this place…?"

"Do you want to live with me?" Zhang Renfeng asked directly.

“I won’t stay for free! I can share the rent with you!” Oliver quickly said. “We can split it, for example, I can pay 30%... 20%... or even 10%, it’s up to you. Besides, you can also enjoy daily samples of the newest snacks that will be all the rage in America!”

The little devil's eyes sparkled.

Zhang Renfeng breathed a sigh of relief. At least people with ulterior motives sounded more genuine. If he had helped him today and then made no demands, it would have seemed rather strange.

“You don’t need to pay the rent anymore. You can live with me. I’ll find a way to make the money, but you have to be responsible for our three meals a day.” Zhang Renfeng pointed to the sugar cubes in his box. “I mean, besides these, you have to make other edible things.”

"Can you cook?"

"I...I can learn, I can learn!" With a place to stay, Oliver's legs seemed to have springs attached to them, and he even changed his pronouns. "Don't worry, when I become successful in the future, I will repay you a hundred times...no! A thousand times! A thousand times!"

……

The two figures gradually disappeared into the bustling traffic.

Chapter 158: I've always loved making friends

Ren Feng's breathing became heavy. Regardless of who left this sketch, this matter was more serious than he had imagined.

Someone has intruded into his memories.

Geese leave their calls as they fly by, and people leave their traces as they pass through life. A person's actions, good or bad, will ultimately leave a mark. But he never expected that these things, which should have been washed away by the rain and buried in the soil, would be unearthed—a seemingly insignificant old story that stirred a deep unease within him.

Perhaps, things weren't as simple as I thought.

"You bastard... don't let me catch you..."

He popped the honey candy into his mouth, chewed it fiercely, making a crunching sound. It still had that slightly intoxicating sweetness, even stronger than he remembered. He suddenly remembered the beekeeper Oliver had mentioned from the east side of the city. So much time had passed; he wondered if the beekeeper was still alive.

Despite the cursing, the important business still needed to be done. Now that he had a plan, Zhang Renfeng went straight for his target and quickly found it on the street.

A dilapidated wooden house that was almost ready to be demolished.

Come to think of it, it was five months ago that he caused such a ruckus in White Torch Town. The wooden house, which he remembered, had become even more dilapidated due to lack of maintenance. As soon as he stepped through the main gate, a stench of near-rot wafted out, causing him to frown involuntarily.

This place has become a den of thieves for homeless people with nowhere else to go. Even in broad daylight, these people don't go out to work; they're all lying on the ground, fast asleep.

The smell of alcohol and vomit wafted up from the cracks in the floorboards. It was winter, and Zhang Renfeng couldn't believe how disgusting the house would be in the summer. Zhang Renfeng wasn't a germaphobe, but as a normal person, he didn't want to accept the unsanitary conditions. He had to tiptoe carefully to avoid the suspicious stains, inevitably making creaking noises.

A filthy homeless man spotted him, stood up warily, and shouted, "Get the hell out of your sleep! You're sleeping like logs, you don't even know someone's at your house! Get up, all of you, get up!"

The curly-haired man seemed to have a lot of authority; despite him kicking the people around him forcefully, no one complained. They simply rubbed their eyes and slowly got up. Realizing that an uninvited guest had arrived, the men grabbed their weapons, their faces wary, and surrounded Zhang Renfeng.

"Oh, a foreigner here..." The curly-haired man walked to the front of the crowd, squinted at Zhang Renfeng, and said coldly, "You're new here, aren't you? Sorry, this place is full, and we don't welcome foreigners. Get lost!"

"Do I look like a beggar?" Zhang Renfeng asked with a smile.

"Get out!" The curly-haired man's eyes widened, and he waved his hand sharply. "What do you mean by those two words? This is our territory. If you don't want to get shot, get out of here. I don't want to see you hanging around in front of me!"

“You know what? Theoretically speaking, this is my house.” Zhang Renfeng crossed his arms and said with great interest, “Some people suggested that renting would be much more convenient than buying. But I was quite comfortable living here at the time, and it’s also close to the town center, so I bought it from the previous owner.”

“I haven’t been in Baiju Town for the past few months, and the house has been uninhabited… But I clearly remember that I locked the house before I left. You opened it without permission and moved in without my permission.”

"That's not right. I'm only staying temporarily, but that doesn't mean you can stay here as you please, and make such a mess of the place."

When I tried to reason with him calmly, all I got in return was a wave of laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha---!!"

The homeless men burst into laughter, laughing so hard they were doubled over.

"I don't understand what he means, Compo. What was this guy trying to say?"

"This yellow-haired barbarian claims that the house belongs to him, or... will soon belong to him."

The curly-haired man named Kang Bo waved his hand, and someone handed him a revolver. "You must be the dumbest person I've ever met, sir. Let's not even talk about where a yellow-skinned foreigner like you got the money to buy this house. Even if this place really is yours, so what? Didn't you see how many of us there were before you came in? Did you want to kick us all out?!"

"This is America, where every person and every piece of land is free. You think you can take it over with a few stinking dollars? You're dreaming, aren't you, boys?!"

"Alas--!!"

The homeless people rallied and supported this bullshit.

He tapped Zhang Renfeng on the head with the barrel of his gun and grinned, "On second thought, since you rarely come here, why don't you leave your valuables behind as a greeting gift?"

……

"Haha." Zhang Renfeng couldn't help but laugh out loud, "You guys are really lucky."

----

"Ouch... Ouch..."

Dealing with these hungover, unsteady-footed guys was hardly a challenge; Zhang Renfeng found it too boring and considered it just a pastime after breakfast. In contrast, the group of homeless people suffered terribly, beaten and lying on the ground, groaning and crying incessantly.

A few others who hadn't gone up earlier, seeing this miserable state, also silently lay down.

“You guys are too weak, sigh…” Zhang Renfeng sighed, with a look of unsatisfied satisfaction. He kicked away the few people blocking his way and walked towards Kang Bo, who was clutching his stomach and looking miserable. He slowly squatted down in front of him. “You were the one who shouted the most just now, weren’t you?”

"No...no...we didn't know..." Kang Bo clutched his stomach where he had been kicked, waving his hands frantically to indicate that he was being honest. "We're leaving now, we're leaving now, we definitely won't cause you any more trouble!"

The kind of camaraderie and friendship that blossoms from fighting, as depicted in martial arts novels, is rarely encountered in reality. This is mainly because such encounters demand a high level of skill and character from the opponent. In reality, the most common scenario is that one side completely subdues the other before even trying to reason with them.

Once you've won them over, offer them small favors to win them over; this will achieve the best results.

"Look at this attitude, isn't it great? If you had done this earlier, none of this would have happened." Having won the fight, Zhang Renfeng became all smiles and took out a wad of US dollars from his bag. "I'm a very easy-going person. I always want to help people in need."

"I didn't say you couldn't stay. You can stay as long as you want."

Anyway, we don't need them here for the time being, so there's no real point in kicking them out. Since it's just sitting empty anyway, we might as well let it play a role on another level.

He didn't have many expenses on a regular basis, but after hijacking the train, he had a lot of cash in his pocket with nowhere to spend it, so Old Zhang became quite generous.

"You're the one in charge, right?"

"..." Kang Bo looked astonished. His mind raced, but he still couldn't understand what was happening in front of him. He nodded.

"I don't have any other hobbies, I just like making a few friends. I beat you up today, so I guess I'm a friend too."

"Here's $50 for you. Use it to buy them something nice. You can continue living here if you want. I only have one request: please keep it clean. Is that alright?"

"No...no problem! Oh my, you're such a kind person!"

50 dollars.

For most homeless people, if they could get a share of this money, they wouldn't even blink an eye if you asked them to stab someone with a knife.

“I have other businesses to run, and I don’t come back here often, so you can stay here as you like. But I have one condition…”

“Throughout Baiju Town, in every street and alley, if you hear, see, or know anything that is obviously abnormal or obviously wrong, you must be the first to tell me.”