Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Upon closer inspection, Kobyin's physique wasn't particularly burly, but rather very lean and wiry. A scar between his eyebrows divided his right eyebrow in two, making his face appear even more menacing.

"You know I'm Red Center?"

“Everything a person does in this world inevitably leaves a trace. And these traces will inevitably be discovered,” Koby said calmly, his eyes never leaving him. “It’s the same for everyone.”

“So…” Zhang Renfeng didn’t waste any more words. He picked up the six empty boxes and shook them in his hand. “What does this mean? You’ve dug up all this old stuff. What, are you going to write a book for me?”

"...Have you thought about the last question I'm giving you?"

Koby didn't answer his question, but instead paced slowly, his expression calm. "What is the most terrifying weapon you possess? Is it those two volcano pistols, one black and one white? Is it your fists? Is it the strange weapon you used to kill Mark Durand in the wind and sand? Or is it a throwing knife, a dagger, or poison?"

"neither."

"Your most terrifying weapon is 'will.' In fact, because of one of your thoughts, the fates of many people have been changed." Koby changed the subject, "And now, we're going to add the last vestige of the Dietersdorf family to the list."

“Evelyn?” Zhang Renfeng’s tone was very unfriendly. “If I remember correctly, just a few seconds ago, you admitted to killing her brother.”

“If it wasn’t me, it would have been someone else,” Koby said in a deep voice. “Do you really think the ‘short-lived muse’ is some kind of family curse?”

……

After a few quiet seconds, the cemetery finally returned to its original deathly silence. Zhang Renfeng felt a loud booming sound in his ears, as if firecrackers had exploded right next to him.

He finally grasped a bit of what it meant to "hear thunder in silence".

“What do you mean?” Zhang Renfeng’s right hand rested on the gun handle as he warned, “If you tell me that I have to go to seven or eight more different places to piece together the answer to this question… maybe the next moment, a hole will be punched in your forehead.”

“There’s no need for that. You’ve already been to the places you needed to go, the meditation room under the clock tower.” Kobiin’s mood was very stable, with a kind of easygoing, “whatever” attitude. “You’ve seen the paintings on the wall, haven’t you?”

"That disgusting eye?" Zhang Renfeng recalled the horizontal pupil embedded in multiple geometric shapes. Since things had come to this point, he didn't hold back and said whatever came to mind. "I've seen it. What's wrong?"

“Remember this mark, the red center, it’s called the ‘Eye of Truth’.” Koby emphasized, “Given your style, it’s only a matter of time before you run into those people.”

"Only insects hiding in the shadows would use such a magnificent name in an attempt to conceal the despicable and insidious nature of their methods..."

"【Illuminati】"

----

“Virgin… what?” Theon was completely confused. “Aren’t you a cook? Why are you looking at this stuff?”

"You'll understand later. This gang is great in every way, except they're all muscle and no brains." Igor pointed to his head, half-mockingly saying, "My head is so big, wouldn't it be a waste not to use it here?"

Theon smiled politely, his attention quickly returning to the ledger, because Ego had told him it was stolen from Cheddar's train. Cheddar was the financier behind the Thunderfury, and Theon paid close attention to anything related to him—even though he was completely baffled by it.

He could only watch as Igor held a pen and paper, writing and drawing incessantly, his brow furrowed, at a loss for what to do.

"Not going too smoothly?"

"Well... this is the Virginia cipher. Look at these letters and numbers, don't they seem strange? Actually, there is a set of corresponding decryption rules. This A is not A. In the decoding system, it may be other letters, numbers or symbols. Only by mastering the decoding system can it be cracked."

He threw down his pencil, looked at the densely filled white paper, and sighed, "I've almost given up. I don't know how long I'll have to keep going with this exhaustive search."

"These cunning bastards," Theon muttered as he removed his heavy gear piece by piece.

“No, no ordinary person would think of using this kind of code… A normal person would find a sturdy safe and lock up the real ledger.” Igor, however, held these massive volumes of secret ledgers, lost in thought. “Moreover, the Virginia cipher is extremely complex to create; it requires highly skilled professionals and a considerable amount of time to produce such a book. And here are seven volumes in total…”

"As far as I know, the organizations still using this kind of code are all very old ones. The Knights Templar, the Hawaiian Alliance, the Greek Friendship Association, the Trinity..."

He counted the names on his fingers, and when he got to the last one, his expression changed slightly, becoming somewhat solemn: "The Illuminati."

"What?" Theon sensed something was wrong. "What's your connection to this Illuminati?"

“To be honest, they invited me before.” Igor snorted and shook his head with a smile. “Rich and powerful guys get together to play the game of secret societies, have meals together, sing hymns, and hold all sorts of wild parties… at least that’s how it appears on the surface. They intentionally create this atmosphere to lull outsiders into a false sense of security.”

"Perhaps even a rich fool like Cheddar will be drawn into the Illuminati under their banner. Every Sunday, he'll be naked in a white robe, meditating in some underground cave!"

……

Ego's words were so blunt that even a reckless man like Theon, who didn't like to think things through, understood what he meant. "But actually, isn't that how it is?"

"..."

The dwarf's eyes turned serious, and his joking expression disappeared.

"Please allow me to ask you a question, Theon..."

"There are three people in the room: a bishop, a king, and a tycoon. In addition, a mercenary stands between them. Each important figure has demanded that the mercenary kill the other two, promising him a reward. In the end, who dies and who lives?"

Theon thought for a while, "Shouldn't this be decided by the mercenaries?"

"Why?" Igor shrugged. "He has neither divine favor nor vast wealth, nor the authority to command the state apparatus, does he?"

“He has a sword.” Theon drew his revolver, placed it on his fingertip, and twirled it. “A sword can decide who lives and who dies!”

"Since the power of life and death rests with a specific 'individual,' then who should be held responsible for Louis XVI's death?" Igor continued, "The National Convention, or the executioners who carried out his execution?"

Theon was completely dumbfounded. He thought to himself, "As expected of the Red Center Gang, they are full of talented people. Even a cook could stump me."

"Power does not exist objectively; it resides in the hearts of everyone. It only exists when people believe in it. When everyone stops believing, the shadow fades, and Louis XVI is sent to the guillotine. It's like the shadow that moves across the wall in the light."

"And the Illuminati..."

"We are trying to use the greatest light to cast the greatest shadow, to envelop all of humanity."

Chapter 166: The Hermitage of Xunshan (Part 51)

Seeing that the other party had no intention of taking the money, Zhang Renfeng found a dead tree to lean against, lit a match, and lit a cigarette with practiced ease.

"hiss……"

After taking a deep drag, he picked up another cigarette and handed it to Kobyin beside him.

"..." Koby looked at him speechlessly, then waved his hand, "Thanks, I won't smoke."

“In my hometown, this stuff isn’t just cigarettes, it’s a matter of face. It’s called ‘gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, and humility.’ The word ‘humility’ in particular has a lot of meaning.”

Zhang Renfeng wasn't annoyed. He simply raised the cigarette in his hand a few inches higher, his expression restrained yet subtly sharp. "For example, if I'm smoking now and there's someone I don't know very well standing opposite me, I'd offer them my cigarette. 'Want to have a couple of puffs?'"

"Whether the other person can smoke or not, they have to accept the invitation; otherwise, they're disrespecting me."

"Forensic doctor, would you like to take a couple of puffs?"

The hand holding the cigarette was already extended in front of him, but Kebiin didn't take it. Instead, he stared intently into Zhang Renfeng's eyes.

Old Zhang's composure was not to be underestimated. When practicing the basics, he would stand on the plum blossom stakes for hours on end, carrying heavy stones on his shoulders and balancing fish tanks on his head. The weight of a cigarette was practically negligible. He maintained this cigarette-offering posture, as if he were an old monk in deep meditation, completely still, and even the smile on his face never left his face.

Breathing, eye contact, and smiles all became silent struggles.

The wind rustled through the trees, and hundreds of upright crosses, along with the ants crawling across them, silently witnessed it all.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

After a perfunctory, almost mechanical exchange of pleasantries, Koby accepted the Red Apple cigarette, but he had no matches on him.

then……

"laugh---!!"

To the keen senses, the sound was particularly loud.

Zhang Renfeng's smile vanished instantly. He struck a match, but this time, he didn't immediately light Kebiin's cigarette. His shoulders spread wide like a drawn bow, his right foot touching the ground, first drawing a perfect circle on the ground, and with this single movement, he stretched his body like a bowstring.

With his body slightly tilted to the side, he picked up the lit match with the index and middle fingers of his right hand, changed his grip from overhand to backhand, and aimed it at Koby's jaw. When it was still a few inches away from his skin, he slowly stopped, close enough to transmit the burning sensation of the flame to his skin.

"..."

Sweat dripped from Kebiin's forehead.

He picked up a cigarette, reaching out several times, only to stop midway. After a few attempts, his eyebrows furrowed, and his expression lost its earlier composure.

The two fingerprints remain stationary.

The flames flickered in the air, about to be blown out by the wind.

Finally, he made his choice. He too turned his body to the side and approached cautiously, as if he were touching not a match, but a bundle of explosives that could explode at any moment. He turned to the side, his toes touching the ground, putting only a small part of his body weight on his front. He held the cigarette in his right hand, while his left hand covered his right, leaving Zhang Renfeng only a tiny space to light the cigarette.

"hiss……"

Finally, the cigarette-lighting operation, which resembled bomb disposal, was completed. The tobacco was successfully ignited, and he shook his hand to extinguish the match before casually letting it go.

"call----"

Koby took a drag of his cigarette, quickly exhaled, and suppressed his wildly pounding heart. "So, have I passed your test?"

"It's so-so, a little bit of a stretch," Zhang Renfeng commented. "Well, as long as it works, that's fine."

"By the way, what would happen if I were to hold out my cigarette to you without warning?"

“In the slang of the underworld, this move is called ‘One Red Dot.’ If you’re not careful, the match will poke into your eye.” Zhang Renfeng calmly recounted the terrible consequences, then stomped on the still-lit match, extinguishing it completely. “However, your reaction at least proves part of what you said…you have indeed undergone a certain level of martial arts training.”

"That secret society you mentioned should really exist. That's enough for me. You can't hide forever. If you dare to lie to me, I know where to find you."

Koby wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and gave a rare, bitter smile.

He would have dismissed such remarks from others, but the person in front of him was absolutely right.

Tracing Hong Zhong's crimes required starting with the smallest clues and traces, and the more he looked, the more unbelievable it seemed. At times, he couldn't tell whether he was tracking a person or a monster in human skin.

"So, where were we?" Zhang Renfeng leaned back against the withered tree, squinting as if he really came to listen to a story. "The part about abandoning darkness for light?"

……

Who is in the dark and who is in the light may not be so easy to define.

This world is very real; it's like a spring—the harder you press it, the more likely it is to bounce back violently.

The Hermitage of Xunshan is such an extremely secretive organization. Its antagonism towards the Illuminati stems from profound reasons that cannot be explained in a few words. The battle between the two organizations has extended to almost every relatively developed town, escalating over decades without ever ceasing.

The forensic pathologist in front of us, Kebiin, is a member of the Hermitage of Mount Sumeru.

"Having discovered the dark secrets within the Illuminati, old Dietersdorf was terrified. He desperately wanted to extricate himself, but the waters here were too deep, and he couldn't get out even if he wanted to. So, he had no choice but to turn to us, hoping to exchange these secrets for the protection of the Hermitage of Mount Xun."

"The old nobleman wrote a letter, but he underestimated the Illuminati's intelligence network. The letter failed to be sent smoothly and was intercepted by the Illuminati after being transferred through multiple layers. They realized this pawn had betrayed them, which was a pity..."

“Those people absolutely do not tolerate betrayal. Once you join the Illuminati, it’s for life. If your superiors in the organization give you an order, you cannot refuse or leave.”

"What the hell? Isn't this just a gang?" Zhang Renfeng couldn't help but curse as he listened. "Why bother with such a fancy name?"

"In almost a year, members of the Dietersdorf family were purged one by one by the Illuminati. Their methods were very clever, and they all had a unified story, pretending to be insane and committing suicide. Gradually, even those in the family who were not sick before were scared into becoming sick."

"Poor old Dietersdorf, unaware that the letters he sent had already fallen into the hands of the Illuminati, was still anxiously waiting for our reply. In the end, this family with an ancient reputation was completely wiped out of history by a great fire set by the Illuminati."

"His only two children were unaware of the family's history with the secret society, and thus escaped unscathed. But the Illuminati will not let them go, which is why, after I freed him, I hung him on the antlers. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

----

The man was undoubtedly killed by an Australian shrike—nine and a half out of ten people would think that after seeing this murder scene.

In this way, the Illuminati would not investigate further and would not know that Theodore had contact with this member of the Hermitage of Mount Sumeru during his lifetime.

At least for now, barring any real hostility from the Australian shrike, Evelyn is “relatively” safe.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Chapter 167: You have unlocked the location "Black Market" (Part 52)

"A deal," Koby said succinctly, uttering just those two words.

"Haha." Zhang Renfeng chuckled, flicking the remaining cigarette butt from between his fingers, and said half-jokingly, "You wouldn't be thinking of joining us, would you? My little temple can't accommodate such a great god as you."

"Moreover……"

His expression suddenly changed, as if his previous joking demeanor had never existed. His expression was as dark and oppressive as the sky before a thunderstorm. "According to the principle of equal status, if we really want to talk about cooperation, it should be your boss talking to me, right?"

Koby felt a tightness in his chest from the pressure of Red Center's aura, but he held on and maintained his poker face, showing no sign of weakness.

“Strictly speaking, in this transaction, I only represent myself and have nothing to do with the Xunshan Hermitage.” He took out the Reutlinger watch from his pocket and waved it in front of Zhang Renfeng. “Where do you think these kinds of things are exchanged for money?”

Zhang Renfeng's furrowed brows finally relaxed, and his expression became less frightening.

"Hey, so you're in charge of the black market in this town!" He slapped his thigh and laughed, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

“To dare to cooperate with you, Red China, one must have some foundation.” Kebin responded calmly and respectfully.

……

According to Zhang Renfeng's experience, because the capacity for public security management is ultimately limited, the better a city is developed, the more likely it is to develop an underground market.

Many cowboys and homeless gunmen find a slightly secluded alley, cover their faces, and pretend to be robbers, asking passersby for money. In this world where everyone has a gun, the roles of robber and victim can switch at any moment, because a passerby might pull out a gun and shoot them dead. Regardless of who wins in the end, they'll both have their pockets emptied.

Coins and banknotes are readily accepted. Sometimes, others may have other valuables that can be exchanged for money: necklaces, earrings, rings, and pocket watches. Some ruthless individuals might even strip off their belts. These items end up on the black market, and because they are secondhand goods of dubious origin, both the buyer and seller are well aware of this. They will buy these items at prices lower than the market value and then resell them.