Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Chapter 159: What can you buy with 25 cents?

To turn enemies into friends, you either need to give them money or other benefits.

Zhang Renfeng employed a two-pronged approach: he would provide the money, and the homeless would continue living in the house. This demonstrated his commitment, which naturally won over the homeless.

Not only will people not hold a grudge against the beating, but they will also think that the person is too awesome and too unassuming. The beating will become part of the favor bestowed upon them by their superiors.

Dean Chilton's affair served as a wake-up call for him: the city's network of relationships was far too complex. Even without a monopolistic tycoon like Childer, the internal judicial system was no exception. These people certainly couldn't be bought off; the only ones he could bribe were the lower classes—homeless people, cowboys, and homeless gunmen.

However, things should be viewed from two sides; news on the street may not necessarily be slower than news on high-end stationery.

If used properly, these homeless people might become one of the eyes he left behind in White Torch Town.

……

Regardless, having accepted what had to be accepted, Zhang Renfeng could finally settle down and search for what he was looking for. He walked around the house and finally found a perfectly matching angle for the painting in front of the window. From here, he could also see the side of the clock tower in the city center. He stepped on the floorboards; they were uneven and had obvious gaps. While wondering why this guy always liked to bury things in the ground, he pried open the floorboards and, sure enough, found the third tin box of licorice candy.

"Boss, what is this thing?" Kang Bo was quick-witted and realized that Zhang Renfeng was probably not a legitimate person, so he called him "boss." "Let's make this clear first, this wasn't put here by our people, no matter what you find inside..."

"There must have been people in this house all along, right?" Zhang Renfeng suddenly remembered that there were so many eyewitnesses at the scene, and he might as well make use of them. "Besides the homeless man, has anyone else been here?"

"Come here, all of you!!" Kang Bo waved his hand, and the homeless people below swarmed over.

After a flurry of chatter, Zhang Renfeng pieced together their descriptions to form an image: a man wearing a trench coat, a brown hat, and rain boots, of average height and unremarkable appearance. The man stood by the window for a while, then groped around on the floor a couple of times before leaving.

The message was provided by an older homeless man with a thick beard and a strong smell of alcohol; his beard was practically soaked with the smell of liquor that had leaked from the bottle while he was drinking. He claimed he saw it in a half-dreaming, half-awake state, and couldn't say for sure whether it was true or not.

"Boss, who are you looking for?" Kang Bo patted his chest, assuring everyone, "We'll find them for you! If you're all alone, running around the streets and alleys, how long would it take you?"

"No, no... this isn't about finding someone, it's about playing a game. That guy is leaving bait, trying to lure me somewhere."

Zhang Renfeng smiled and opened the iron box directly. "I'd like to see what tricks he's going to play on me."

As expected, it was another sketch, with the clock tower as the reference point. This time, the perspective was a bit off, making it look like it was taken in a street.

The accompanying text reads: "[Longing for home, endlessly repeating the cycle]."

A round, crisp biscuit slid out of the tin box and he caught it with his hand.

Looking at the round almond oat cookies, Zhang Renfeng paused, lost in memories he couldn't let go of.

----

"Mid-Autumn Festival?" Oliver, wiggling his little feet, wiped the mud off his clothes and asked curiously, "What's that?"

"It's a festival in my hometown. On this day, the moon is the roundest of the year, hanging in the sky like a giant silver plate. Even the craters and dark spots on it are clearly visible."

Recalling the Mid-Autumn Festival in her hometown, Zhang Renfeng smiled slightly. "For us, this day has a very special meaning; it's a day for family reunion. No matter where we are in the world, we'll try our best to get home to eat something called 'mooncake.' In the evening, we'll watch the moon together in the courtyard. That moon is so round... just like..."

"...like..."

After trying to find a suitable adjective for a long time, the smile on his lips gradually faded.

He realized that he and his hometown were separated by a sea.

Festivals are made up of people who celebrate them.

For those who don't celebrate holidays, tonight is just another ordinary night.

The moon, hanging high in the sky, seemed shrouded in a layer of mist, appearing exceptionally cold and desolate. Zhang Renfeng sighed, a rare occurrence, turned over, and hastily ended the conversation, "Maybe I remembered wrong... I don't have a calendar with me, but judging from the lunar calendar, it should be around these next couple of days."

"Eh...is that so?"

Oliver tossed the blanket aside, flipped himself up from the floor with a somersault, rummaged through his bag for a while, and said, "Here you go!"

A round cookie was tossed over, and Zhang Renfeng caught it steadily.

“This…” he squinted, “isn’t it the kind of oat biscuits you use to feed horses?”

"No, that's not it! This is a new recipe I designed, almond oatmeal cookies. The process is quite complicated, and I even added two whole tablespoons of milk."

Oliver puffed out his chest proudly and explained, "Do you know Old Becca from south of White Torch? He's the one who makes baking supplies. Old Becca is very easy to talk to, and he even agreed to let me use their ingredients to make this new product. If it works well, it should be available in the market in a few days."

"Crack!"

The texture was very crispy upon first bite; it was more like a small baked pie than a biscuit. He didn't know how he managed it, but it even had a hint of scallion flavor. The oat cakes were originally intended for feeding the horses, but after a few bites, he felt it was a bit wasteful.

"Isn't it delicious?"

Zhang Renfeng gave him a thumbs-up.

"Well, that puts my mind at ease. Happy Moon Festival!" Oliver yawned. "You wanted a round mooncake, right? This is perfect. By the way... there's a clock tower in the city center. The stairs are blocked, so we can't go up, but the view from there is really expansive, and there aren't many houses around. If you want to see the moon, you can go there."

"I can't stay up any longer, I'm going to sleep now."

……

Zhang Renfeng lowered his head slightly, looked at the oddly shaped pie in his hand, and chuckled to himself. The lingering melancholy he had felt earlier seemed to gradually dissipate amidst the aroma of oats and milk.

"That's not necessary."

He took out a bottle of sweet wine, leaned lazily against the window, and drank it down in large gulps as if it were water. With a slight buzz, he half-closed his eyes and gazed at the moon hidden behind the thin gauze.

"...Well, it doesn't matter where you look at the moon."

----

A busy roadside.

Zhang Renfeng barely looked at the sketch, but he had already roughly guessed where the person behind the portrait wanted him to go.

Since Wendigo took office, White Torch has been renovated considerably, and turf and greenery have been laid down in the middle of the road. At the base of a large tree, Zhang Renfeng found the fourth iron box. As expected, upon opening it, he found a sketch of the fifth location and a 25-cent coin.

This time, the message on the sketch was written in blood, giving it a somewhat sinister feel.

What can you buy with 25 cents?

Chapter 160: If nobody cares, I will.

The sky was overcast, and a light drizzle began to fall.

Normally, Zhang Renfeng would really enjoy the sound of rain. Lying down and taking a nap in this kind of weather would make him feel very at ease, and he could sleep soundly until dawn.

Today, however, he had a very bad feeling. The air outside was cold and damp, and it was already six o'clock in the morning. It was getting dark, and Oliver still hadn't returned.

With the stove and pots cold and no one lighting a fire, the house felt less lively.

"Tsk..."

He grabbed a few cans of food, hesitated for a moment before reaching for his belt, but ultimately took both Volcano pistols with him and stepped out of the room.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier. Zhang Renfeng ran around to all the places where he usually sold honey, but he couldn't find anyone.

"Excuse me, sir, I'm so sorry..."

“Have you seen a little boy? He was about knee-high, with a red lacquered wooden box hanging around his neck, and it was full of candy.”

"Yes, they sell honey milk candy, and recently they've added some cookies and other snacks."

"His name is Oliver, which may not be his real name, but anyway, he's a bit of a troublesome little brat. He's missing a front tooth, always grinning like an idiot, and has emerald green eyes."

……

After searching around, most people waved him away impatiently when they saw his yellow skin, telling him to get lost.

But a few kind people told him Oliver's route: start in the east of White Torch in the morning, walk straight to the west, then bypass the wealthy people's residential area, head to the Emerald Theatre, which is the most bustling place during the day, then to the Cactus Tavern, and then take the road in the middle of town, all the way to the Nordlin Hotel.

It's just the usual route.

He followed the road without finding anything unusual, except that a few dozen meters from the Nordlin Hotel, on the central avenue, he saw a red lacquered wooden box. The honey inside had spilled all over the ground, long since run over by horses and wheels, covered in a layer of muddy patina. The wooden box itself was also crushed, lying forlornly on the ground.

Zhang Renfeng's pupils contracted slightly, and he felt his heart sink suddenly. He quickly stepped forward and squatted down.

There seemed to be bloodstains on the ground, yet there didn't. The heavy rain had smeared everything in the mud, making it all blurry and indistinct.

……

He stood there in the rain for a while, then suddenly got up and walked towards a narrow alley not far away. As expected, under a dilapidated shed, he saw several kids wearing baseball caps. They were squatting on the ground, taking shelter from the rain, and idly playing a card game called "Drawing the Ghost King" in this rare patch of dry ground. When they saw Zhang Renfeng walking quickly towards them, they all showed disdainful expressions.

"Hey, you foreign devils are here?" One of the freckled, tall boys stood up, adjusted his baseball cap, put his hands in his pockets, and looked at him provocatively. "Here to pick up your lover to take home, you blond little rascal?"

"Look at this guy, he looks like a dog!"

"Ha ha ha ha--!!"

……

Children are often said to be the most innocent and beautiful things in the world, but that's not entirely true. They are like mirrors reflecting the world around them. As the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black." If you associate with something dark, you will naturally become muddy and filthy yourself.

Theft, robbery, extortion—this gang has done everything.

"Heh, you yellow-skinned bastard, get this straight. That little rascal never paid us any protection money. What happens to him is none of my business."

The tall, thin, freckled boy pointed a finger at his chest and sneered, "Even if I knew where he was, I wouldn't tell you."

"Unless you're willing to pay up, how about $1000?" The thugs behind him chuckled again. "It all depends on how much you love that skinny little monkey. But you'd better decide quickly, or you might end up with only a burnt bone or two in the trash!"

"..." Zhang Renfeng looked at him calmly, "Besides you, was there anyone else who saw it?"

“Yes, all of us brothers saw it.” The freckled boy pointed to his buddies behind him. “Don’t bother asking around. No matter who you ask, it’ll be the same price. You’d better…”

"boom--!!"

His head slammed against the wall, and blood splattered everywhere.

Zhang Renfeng pressed down on his head and slammed it against the wall, causing it to bleed profusely. Even so, his iron-like fingers did not loosen their grip, like eagle claws, intent on merging his head with the stone wall. The words he had just spoken were instantly cut off in his throat, leaving only an instinctive gasp. Blood beads streamed down, dripping with the rain and soaking the only dry patch of ground.

"crunch..."

The sound of flesh rubbing against stone was enough to make your teeth ache.

"I don't want to waste any more words." In the dark alley, Zhang Renfeng's eyes widened, revealing the truly terrifying nature of Huanmu. "Anyone can tell me what happened, and I'll leave without bothering any of you."

He released his grip, letting the tall, thin thug fall to the ground with a thud. The force of the impact had fractured his skull, and blood was everywhere. His limbs twitched uncontrollably, and his whole body trembled as if he had been electrocuted.

The rainwater reached his ankles and knees, as if it were slowly drowning him.

"But...if you insist on..."

"No, no, no! I'll talk, I'm willing to talk!"

Normally, Zhang Renfeng might have tried a gentler approach, such as breaking his arm or crippling a few of his fingers. But tonight, the bad feeling had reached its peak, and he was almost losing his patience.

What he was thinking was that if one more person didn't answer, he would kill everyone here, leaving only one alive to question them.

Thank goodness! This guy who spoke up in time saved everyone's lives.

……

“Uh, what we understand is this!” The boy wiped his face and hurriedly began to recount, “This afternoon, Oliver was selling honey candy, right? There was this very young guy, about fifteen or sixteen years old, I think… anyway, he was dressed very flamboyantly and had his hair slicked back. They had just returned from hunting in the snowy mountains; their prey was a silver fox, tied to its horse…”

"When the young man passed by, he took a piece of honey from Oliver's box, but did not pay for it, and just walked straight ahead."

"Oliver chased after him and asked for money. I heard it clearly, I think it was 25 cents a piece... The man spat the candy in his face, then ordered a group of burly men, I think they were their bodyguards, to snatch Oliver's wooden box, crush it with horses' hooves, and then..."

"He pulled out his gun and shot him dead."

……

"boom!"

Gunshots rang out, and blood mist dissipated.

The boy lay on the muddy ground, his pupils gradually becoming unfocused. He probably would never understand, even in death, how he could have lost his life on such an ordinary day when he was just doing ordinary things.

“I heard them cheering and laughing on horseback, saying they had caught another ferret… He tied Oliver’s body with a rope, rode his horse, and dragged it away.”

----

Tick.

Tick.

The sound of rain or dripping blood was indistinguishable.

Zhang Renfeng suddenly felt a deep silence, so quiet that he couldn't utter a single word.

"Nobody's doing anything?" he asked. "Where's the police station?"

"No... I later found out that Oliver offended the fourth son of the Nordlin family... Finbar Campbell Nordlin. They're a fifth-generation noble family; everyone in White Torch depends on them for their livelihood!"

……

"Alright." Zhang Renfeng kept his promise and didn't make things difficult for them any further. He turned and left.

"If nobody else cares, I will!"