Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

“…That’s right, they’re gone. Now it’s my turn to manage this town.” Wendigo paused slightly, as if to give the other person time to think, and said with a smile, “I’m a bachelor, I have no family, no offspring. Going back further, the Lecter surname isn’t exactly well-known. As long as I find someone I think is suitable, I will do my best to place them in the right positions.”

"Gordon Jansen is a good example."

"And at this moment, I see a unique quality in you."

----

"According to you, if you wipe out the entire Shepherd Wolf Gang...wouldn't that cause a lot of trouble?"

As a newcomer who joined the group later, Zhang Renfeng didn't send Theon to town for the time being. The Red Center Gang had already committed three people to the Orient Shrike incident; adding more wouldn't make much difference. However, the camp's own defenses definitely needed strengthening; at the very least, they needed someone who could fire a gun to oversee the operation.

Theon sat in front of the fire, picking at a can of yellow peaches, and said casually, "According to what you said, once the Wolf Shepherd Gang is gone, the supply chain will be broken. Once the supply chain is broken, it will be easy for other gangs to take advantage of the situation, like those bastards from the Thunder Fury Gang."

"Ha...haha...really? I don't think so." Every time the topic of the Thunder Fury Gang came up, Igor would subconsciously shudder and say with a wry smile, "Regardless of who the EU is, where there is demand, there is market. That's an irrefutable truth."

"As long as they have the money, they will find another shepherd to take charge of this slave transportation chain."

"unless……"

“Unless what?” Theon tilted his head back, gulped down the last bit of air from the can, and complained, “Why do you always only say half of what you mean?”

"Unless this flawed form of slavery can be completely eradicated in White Torch. But judging from the current situation, Mayor Wendigo doesn't have that kind of iron-fisted approach."

“We need a new mayor… someone with guts, decisiveness, who doesn’t care about the existing vested interests at all, and even terrifies them… Only if he speaks will it work, and only then can we fundamentally stop this chaos.”

As he spoke, Igor sighed, returned to reality, and continued to fiddle with the condiments in his bowl. "What a pity, Theon, what a pity, Red Center doesn't have that concept yet."

Theon wasn't interested in grand principles, but he was a very stubborn man. To avenge his brother, this man was willing to abandon his life in White Poplar Town without hesitation. He would travel thousands of miles just to join the Red Center Gang.

Prior to this, he knew absolutely nothing about gang life.

……

"You're thinking too much," the arms dealer remarked.

“Not enough is not enough. In fact, the time left for all of us is not as plentiful as we imagine…” Igor sighed and murmured.

----

"This is a win-win-win deal for you, for me, and for that distributor overseas. All you need to do is work with your current team to regularly ship a shipment to the location I designate."

Wendigo asked with a smile, "Did you understand what I meant?"

"Goods?" Zhang Renfeng asked.

“Goods.” Wendigo nodded and chuckled softly. “That’s what they call goods in the industry. They’re disposable, have minimal cost, but can generate a lot of profit.”

"These are the most coveted goods by the mine owners down here. They can make money by buying them. The more they earn, the more they share, and the wealthier the town becomes. When the town is wealthy, your fixed salary and share will definitely be more lucrative than what you're currently doing in this industry. This is a solid and tightly integrated industrial chain that has stood the test of time and is absolutely reliable."

"However, right now, I need someone equally reliable to help me manage this entire line. What do you think, Mr. Zhang?"

……

What do you think?

Zhang Renfeng could only recall the pairs of numb, desperate eyes he had seen in the dungeon.

Chapter 172: The Elephant Enters the Porcelain Shop

Before the F-word could even be uttered, Gordon rushed over, his face filled with anxiety, as if something terrible had happened.

Wendigo seemed to have discerned Zhang Renfeng's decision from his micro-expressions, so he subtly shifted his gaze and attention away, avoiding further contact, and raised his voice, "Sheriff Gordon, is there something you need?"

"Ah!" Gordon paused, taken aback. He'd arrived in such a hurry that he hadn't even noticed Wendigo standing right beside him. He hesitated for a moment, seemingly struggling with whether or not he should inform the mayor. But in the end, he sighed and said truthfully, "It's like this, Mayor Lecter, one of our officers, the new recruit who's always hanging around me..."

"Mr. Sean?"

"You know him?" Gordon asked, somewhat surprised.

“He’s a very talkative young man,” Wendigo said with a gentle smile. “He left a very deep impression on me.”

"Oh, it's that guy." Zhang Renfeng remembered him when the newcomer was mentioned. "So that's his name."

“That’s right, Sean didn’t come to work today. I went to his house, but I didn’t see him either.” Gordon opened a small notebook he always carried with him and said in a deep voice, “Judging from the testimonies of those around him, he didn’t go home last night. After the investigation was completed, he went somewhere and hasn’t returned yet. I’ve been busy with other things these past few days. He’s been handling the case in the Shrike area of ​​Australia. In other words, the last person to see him yesterday should have been my old captain, Il Ilan.”

“It hasn’t been 24 hours yet, has it?” Wendigo said with a smile. “Besides, it’s a trained armed officer. I think you don’t need to come looking for him yourself. It’s too much of a fuss. Let your subordinates look for him. You can go and do other things.”

"No, Mayor...this absolutely won't do!"

Gordon's eyes widened, and he said righteously, "Have you forgotten? Just seven months ago, something similar happened. A sheriff suddenly disappeared. At first, we didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it wasn't time to treat it as a missing person case."

"As a result, two days later, all that was left for us was a mutilated corpse. In the time we were being lazy, he had been cruelly killed by the Australian shrike."

"As the sheriff of this town, I have a duty to ensure that this tragedy never happens again!"

“Well then, I’ll go check with Mr. Ilan first… Mayor.” Gordon nodded slightly to Wendigo as a greeting, then hurriedly entered the Outer Light House’s exhibition hall.

……

“What an admirable sheriff, isn’t he?” Wendigo remarked meaningfully. “With him around, I can save a lot of effort.”

"By the way, I'm planning to host a banquet tonight, and Ms. Dietersdorf is on my invitation list. It's truly an honor to be able to appreciate such a timeless art exhibition, and it would be unfair not to reciprocate. However, I'm not entirely familiar with your Eastern tastes, so if there are any ingredients you'd consider in advance..."

“No need!” Zhang Renfeng stared into his eyes and said bluntly, “I have no intention of being your dog, so your invitation is a waste of money.”

In Zhang Renfeng's eyes, there is no such thing as superiors or inferiors.

A towering cliff stands firm because it is free from desires; Zhang Renfeng, having no desires, was able to refuse so frankly.

If a metaphor had to be used, Game of Thrones was, to him, like a fine porcelain museum. And he himself was like an elephant.

If Igor were handling this, he certainly wouldn't refuse outright. He would have to go through the motions, like shuffling cards, three or four rounds, before finally getting the decision to Wendigo through someone else. That way, although he would refuse, the relationship between the two sides wouldn't be too strained, and things would still appear amicable on the surface. Because "refusal" itself is already a hostile attitude.

But Lao Zhang is different. He doesn't play these fancy games. He goes straight for the elephant in the porcelain museum and crushes it to pieces!

……

Wendigo paused slightly, having been mayor for so long, this was probably the first time he had ever seen this type of person.

But his composure was not to be underestimated either. After his initial surprise, he regained his composure and laughed, "You are truly a straightforward person, Mr. Zhang."

"Then please forget what I just said and just consider this a thank-you dinner."

"Thank you?" Zhang Renfeng asked suspiciously, "Thank me for what?"

“You helped me take down Dean Chilton in one fell swoop. He was a very dangerous person, both to me and to the other residents of the town. Now that you’ve made such a fuss, I have a reason to thoroughly investigate his illegal activities and the network of interests behind him… I haven’t properly thanked you for such a valuable achievement yet.”

This reason sounds much more reasonable.

Wendigo is the mayor, not a bandit. Facing someone like Chilton, already entangled with the legal system, he has no leverage and can't easily intervene. That's how the game of power works; many power struggles occur in the shadows, hidden from view, and certainly not to be subject to gossip.

However, Old Zhang once again stormed into the porcelain museum, trampling them all to pieces.

This mental hospital is merely Chilton's "face" to the outside world. Once the face is ruined, the rotten interior is exposed and made visible to the world.

Now everyone knows what Dean Chilton is up to, and Wendigo, on the other hand, reaps victory and praise, achieving a great triumph. Even if he can't bring Zhang Renfeng to his side, he should try his best to win him over and prevent their relationship from becoming too strained.

……

Zhang Renfeng wasn't stupid; after sorting things out in his mind, he understood what he needed to understand.

“If you don’t mind, you can come with Ms. Dietersdorf, and bring your colleagues as well.” Wendigo smiled as he saw that Wendigo’s expression had softened. “Remember to make time and prepare your appetite. I won’t let you down.”

"I have other official business to attend to, so... please forgive my rudeness."

He said nothing more, nodded slightly, and turned to leave.

He walked with a steady gait, his steps showing no sign of faltering. He said he was handling official business, but his gait and demeanor made him look like he was going hunting in the wild.

"What a formidable guy..."

----

Mike's level of concern for this matter far exceeded Gordon's expectations. After hearing the whole story, a rare look of fear even appeared on his face.

Like.

so similar.

Both were police officers, both suddenly disappeared... and the circumstances surrounding his own son's murder were exactly the same!

"Don't worry, Mike, let's help look for him together." Zhang Renfeng could tell he was being emotional, so he comforted him, "It's not your fault."

“No, I… I was thinking about where he might go.” Mike quickly calmed down and analyzed, “I’ve partnered with this kid once before. From what I’ve observed, he doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink, and doesn’t gamble. Although he’s a bit of a chatterbox, he’s a really good guy.”

"Even if the investigation didn't go well, he wouldn't go to a tavern or anything like that. More likely... he would have to investigate the things he didn't understand during the day from beginning to end again. Perhaps, something unexpected happened on that journey."

Chapter 173: Identifying the Real Culprit

“If someone goes missing, we should hurry up and look for them. There might still be time. Based on past criminal investigations, from the time a victim is murdered to the time their body appears in the public eye, it usually takes at most about 24 hours. Our time is extremely tight!”

Perhaps it was the sight of the scene that stirred up memories of his son's experiences, but Mike became somewhat agitated and no longer as calm as he usually was.

In particular, when Zhang Renfeng led them to this dilapidated wooden house, their confusion and bewilderment reached their peak.

"Haven't you figured it out yet, Mike? The police don't want to get involved with anything related to the Australian shrike. Besides, they were all off duty and home when the new recruit went missing, so there was no way they were paying attention to what was happening outside."

Zhang Renfeng tied up the horse and explained unhurriedly, "Although Baiju Town is called a 'town,' it has developed very rapidly in recent times, almost equivalent to a small city. With just the four of us, asking our way through street by street, the possibility of finding his whereabouts is practically zero."

“We have to give it a try!” Mike insisted.

“What I mean is… there are people who make a living outdoors all day long. For them, this place is just a place to sleep. With walls and a roof, they are content.” Zhang Renfeng stepped on the wooden door and laughed. “The mud, streets, alleys, and main roads outside are their home.”

----

It must be said that if you want others to listen to you, simply serving tea and water is not enough; you also need a little bit of "forceful criticism."

Pushing open the door, the difference between what I saw and what I had seen before was like night and day.

The log cabin itself was old and dilapidated, so some wear and tear was inevitable. But it no longer had that messy, smelly feeling of a pigsty. Everything that needed cleaning and washing had been done properly. Zhang Renfeng sincerely sighed, "What is truth? Truth is what applies everywhere. The carrot and stick approach is a bit old-fashioned, but it works."

The two little girls looked around curiously. Before this, no one would have thought that Hong Zhong, who wandered the world, would actually have a house of his own in Baiju Town.

"Sir, sir!" Upon seeing him enter, Kang Bo quickly jogged over, his face beaming with a fawning smile, clearly indicating he had received a substantial sum of money. "What can I do for you?"

"Where are your brothers?" Zhang Renfeng asked softly. "I need your help."

……

"Wake up, everyone! Get up, get up—!!"

As soon as Kang Bo turned around, he immediately displayed the authority of a manager. He circled the makeshift beds on the floor, shouting and clapping his hands to wake up those who were still sleeping early in the morning.

"When did you..." Mike found it unbelievable, and his gaze towards Zhang Renfeng became even more astonished. "With so many informants, you can keep track of the entire movement of White Torch Town... This is an incredible long-term investment!"

"How did you convince them?" Alana asked curiously.

"It's not really about persuading or not, it's just..." Zhang Renfeng cleared his throat.

"What persuasion? Mr. Hongzhong wouldn't persuade anyone." Xiaomei raised her two little fists and said with a smile, "He'd probably just beat them up and then give them some benefits or something."

"You've really figured me out." Zhang Renfeng smiled and shook his head, not going into any further discussion about the background.

A moment later, a large group of homeless people gathered together. Seeing that the God of Wealth had returned, they were all very welcoming.

"I have two things to say."

Zhang Renfeng wasn't intimidated at all. He stood directly on the steps, adopting the air of a true boss. He raised his hand and casually pointed behind him, saying, "In the future, it won't just be me; these people might also show up from time to time. Remember what they look like. When you see them, treat them the same way you would when you see me. If they ask you something, answer if you know the answer, and if you don't, say you don't know. Do your best to cooperate."

The two girls had never seen anything like this before. They looked at each other and couldn't help but want to laugh.

It's so darkly humorous to see a group of middle-aged men bowing and scraping to two 14- or 15-year-old girls.

“The second thing is that we’re looking for a missing sheriff, it happened last night…” He glanced at Mike.

“After 5 a.m. last night,” Mike continued immediately, “after we parted ways, he went towards the police station, and I haven’t seen him since. Red hair, medium height, and his appearance…”

Xiaomei pulled out her notebook and pencil from her small handbag, quickly sketched something, and showed the notebook to them, saying, "It should look something like this."

Zhang Renfeng leaned closer to take a look and was immediately astonished. Although it was a simple sketch, it was drawn exactly like reality!

"Huh? Really?!" Alana exclaimed in surprise, "You have this kind of talent too?"

“My father taught me how to draw portraits of wanted criminals…” Xiaomei blushed easily, feeling a little embarrassed. “Whether it looks like the person or not is not the point. The most important thing is to capture the essence of the person.”

With this sketch, which was about 70-80% accurate, the floodgates of everyone's memories were opened. They chimed in, pieced together a rough outline. As this outline narrowed down, Mike took out the list and compared it to their residences one by one, but something felt off.

None of the people on the list lived nearby.

"How could this be?" Alana's mind was starting to go blank. She asked in confusion, "Could it be... that he didn't continue investigating the case after we parted last night?"

“Judging from Gordon’s description, that’s not possible,” Mike said coldly. “The Australian Shrike is still in this city, and he’ll always leave some clues. It’s hard to guarantee that he won’t be found out. Maybe this time, the newcomer is very close to the truth, or maybe he has a new suspect who is not on this list.”

"Maybe……"