Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

This emotionless gaze, as if it weren't directed at a living being, made him feel a tightness in his chest and shortness of breath, as if all the blood in his body had turned cold.

"See those horses over there?" he asked, forcing himself to speak. He pointed to the dozen or so horses tied to the stakes, emphasizing their hooves.

All the horses had indigo ribbons tied to their legs.

"We are from the Thunder Fury Gang, affiliated with the Zorael family in the south... You've offended the Thunder Fury Gang, they will..."

"Do you know who I am?" Zhang Renfeng asked expressionlessly, raising the muzzle of his gun slightly.

"boom!"

The bullet and the question were delivered to his mind almost simultaneously.

Chapter 198: A Blessing in Disguise

"Thunderbolt Gang bastards." The remnants of hatred still flickered in Theon's eyes, bursting forth from his mouth, "They deserve to die!"

"On the other hand, these gangs are really like ants, there are nests here and there, and they can never be completely eradicated."

Zhang Renfeng took out a roll of map from his pocket, and after unfolding it, he saw many circles marked in bright red, mostly surrounding Shengkuntak City, with multiple locations. He exclaimed, "There are so many places just for brewing illicit liquor."

"The Thunder Gang, well, anyone who can breathe, can shoot a gun, can ride a horse, and dares to kill can join." Alana had lived in Scar Village for so long that she saw things very clearly. "Conversely, the gang leader doesn't care about his subordinates at all. Apart from the gang's second-in-command, you can hardly name anyone, at least not Tuku."

"These underlings are often the ones who are 'burned down' the fastest—when something happens, the newly joined underlings are responsible for covering the retreat, just like wheat, they are replaced one after another, and new people join the gang... Anyway, in this day and age, there are people everywhere who would kill for money."

The Red Center Gang, on the other hand, took the completely opposite approach. It was small but highly skilled, and included members completely unrelated to combat, such as Igor and Jimmy. Since the gang's inception, Zhang Renfeng had never considered expanding its membership, adopting a hands-off approach.

In fact, he believed that he was perfectly capable of handling most fighting and killing tasks on his own. It would be best if others could fight, but if they couldn't... it wouldn't matter much.

“Speaking of which, what’s the background of our gang’s cook?” Theon couldn’t help but ask. “Don’t you find it strange that these moonshine breweries are such a vital source of income for the Thunder Fury Gang? How did a cook manage to get his hands on such important information?”

"..."

Xiaomei and Alana remained silent; one continued counting the money, while the other dusted off her knees and pretended to look at the scenery around her.

Everyone's smart enough to notice something was off about Igor.

Especially after the death of the Shrike of Auzhou, a brief power vacuum emerged in White Torch. He managed to gather all the town's votes and, with an overwhelming majority, install a puppet mayor chosen by the Red Center gang. Undoubtedly, if he were truly a circus dwarf, he could never have accomplished such a feat.

“Everyone has their own secrets, that’s normal.” Zhang Renfeng didn’t think much of it, waving the map in his hand and laughing, “At least the information is accurate, isn’t that enough?”

“That’s true.” Theon nodded, no longer dwelling on it. “As long as I can personally kill those bastards from the Thunder Fury Gang, I’ll do anything else…”

"ah----!!"

A sharp roar suddenly erupted from behind, and a small, agile figure darted out of the bushes and pounced on Theon. The attacker was very thin and had crept up from behind the carriage, perfectly positioned in the blind spot of everyone's sight. With this pounce, he clung tightly to Theon like a water monkey.

There are only wrong names, not wrong nicknames.

His teeth were unusually sharp, like serrated edges, and these were his strongest weapon. He preferred to tear apart his opponent's flesh with his teeth rather than use guns or knives. He would leap onto his target like a facehugger, then skillfully bite open the carotid artery on the side of their neck. Most people couldn't react to this combo before they even understood what was happening, and their lives were over.

However, this time, he did not get his wish.

"boom----!"

A gunshot rang out from deep within the bushes. The bullet pierced his skull the instant he lowered his mouth, exploding into a cloud of blood mist on his body.

Fang's body stiffened for a moment, his hands instinctively loosened, and he fell off Theon, his eyes vacant, slumped to the ground.

"Mr. Theon!" Xiaomei quickly took out some spare bandages and disinfectant from her handbag. "Are you alright?"

"Damn it!" Theon clutched his bleeding neck, furious. "That beast bit me!"

"Ugh, this guy... his teeth are so sharp!" Alana walked up to the sharp teeth and was disgusted by their unusually dense arrangement. "Did he grind them down himself?"

Whether he was or not, this man has already disappeared from the world.

Thanks to him, Zhang Renfeng realized that there might still be some survivors hiding, and immediately began a search. In no time, he caught Bobby, who was trying to escape.

"Ah! Ah—!! Ah—!!"

A large man weighing over 70 kilograms was now screaming pitifully, like a pig about to be slaughtered. He had been dragged along by the scruff of his neck by Zhang Renfeng, his legs thrashing about, and he was covered in mud.

"If you don't want your trachea to be cut open with a knife, shut your mouth and answer whatever I ask."

The warning after the massacre proved remarkably effective; Bobby covered his mouth with his muddy hands, his eyes gleaming with undisguised terror.

"Who were these wines originally intended for?"

“This…I…” Bobby’s lips trembled, and the black mud on his body made his face look even paler. “To be honest, I really don’t know. The carriage is to be taken to Saint Quintak City. We are only responsible for taking the carriage to the designated place. Someone will come to collect the goods and pay. As for the other party’s background…at our level, it is impossible for us to know anything.”

Zhang Renfeng thought about it again and realized that it made sense.

Just knowing that the trading partner is in San Quintak is enough to make a profit.

He pointed to a group of horses not far away, all tied with blue silk ribbons, and casually asked, "Are you all mule drivers?"

“A mule?” This time, it was Bobby who was confused. “No, sir… the mule’s men don’t tie anything to the horse’s legs.”

This was the first time Zhang Renfeng had heard of such information, and he couldn't help but frown. "Why?"

"Nobody knows, very few people have ever seen Mule in person, he's so low-key... and I've heard that he's only heard of him..."

Right now, in order to survive, he'll dig up anything, even gossip he heard a year ago, let alone "heard" about it.

"His relationship with Lord Hector has never been very good. This position was originally intended for Tucus Zolael, and Lord Hector did indeed send him to New Elizabeth for a period of time to gain experience. I heard from them that, apparently, a temporary camp was set up in the mountains, and everything was supposed to be going smoothly..."

"However, the sudden emergence of Red Center disrupted all the original plans. His Excellency Hector's most favored eldest son went to Mexico to negotiate business, and for a time, the important tasks of these two states had to be temporarily handed over to Mule. But, but... he always had reservations about Mule."

"He preferred to entrust the bootlegging business here to his grandson, Eugene Zolael, rather than let the mule get his hands on it."

“Eugene Zolael.” Theon silently memorized the name. To him, everyone in the Zolael family was on his kill list; it was only a matter of time.

"It seems that the relationship between Mule and the Thunder Gang is more complicated than we imagined," Xiaomei sighed. "If I were him, I would be extremely grateful to Mr. Hongzhong."

"If Tuku were still alive, he might never have had a chance to rise in society."

Zhang Renfeng shook his head and sighed, "This is a classic case of 'a loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.'"

Chapter 199: A disgusting place, still just as disgusting.

“We’ve searched the whole area, there’s no one else here.” Mike slung his rifle over his shoulder, his gait still a little unnatural, and he looked like he was limping. He waved to Theon. “Sorry, I didn’t notice him earlier. That kid is very cunning; he crept along the carriage.”

Xiaomei was treating Theon's wound. Simply put, she first unscrewed the bottle cap and poured a bottle of alcohol directly onto the wound. Fortunately, the bite wasn't deep; before his jaw muscles could really engage, Mike shot him in the head, leaving only a superficial wound. After disinfecting with the alcohol, Xiaomei half-squatted down and patiently bandaged the wound, completing the emergency treatment.

He shook his head, indicating to Mike not to worry, "If it weren't for your shot, my neck might have been bitten through, that damn guy..."

With his right neck injured, it was somewhat inconvenient to hold the gun with his right hand. So he pulled the revolver from his left belt, gave it a quick shake in his hand, gripped it, pressed the hammer down with his thumb, and aimed it at Bobby from a distance.

"boom!"

Without any hesitation, he displayed his ruthless nature, blowing the man's head off with a single shot.

"What's wrong?" Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Theon didn't seem to care and put the revolver back in its sheath. "He could expose all of us, wouldn't he?"

"I'm planning to pry some more information out of him." Zhang Renfeng rubbed the bloodstains with his toe and sighed inwardly.

To be honest, he hadn't had a proper talk with Theon yet. The ruthless man's outstanding performance in battle gave him the illusion that there was no need to talk to him about anything. He single-handedly took down the Cicada Gang, which outnumbered him ten to one, by holding a blind spot—a result of his superior weaponry and tactical thinking.

However...on second thought, what's the point of saying more about a blood feud?

If it were me, and someone stood by and pointed fingers while I was avenging my family, I'd give them a good beating.

"Just to be on the safe side, let's get this wound treated at a nearby clinic." Zhang Renfeng also put away the Volcano Pistol, leaving only the map roll—in the center of those red circles stood a huge city. "From here to Saint Quintak City, it only takes twenty or thirty minutes on horseback."

“Saint Quintak?” Little Mei suddenly realized something and became excited. “That’s where Evelyn mentioned in her letter, where their theater troupe performs, right? Father mentioned it to me before; it’s a really big city, with lots of chimneys that spew black flames!”

"Big cities..."

San Quintucker, as shown on the map, is the largest, most prosperous, and most civilized city in New Austin.

When Wendigo fled, his original destination was San Quintac. In his view, it was the most suitable place for him to settle down—a city of factories and machines that roared 24 hours a day, where even an Australian shrike staying a little longer seemed insignificant. The black smoke billowing from the chimneys was enough to shroud this insignificant evil.

“I’m not going. Someone has to transport the bootlegging back to White Torch Town. There are two whole wagons involved. Selling it back won’t be a small fortune.” Mike lit a cigarette, rubbed his still-healing back, and stared with his dead fish eyes. “Besides me, we need another person.”

“I’ll do it,” Alana volunteered. “I’m not really interested in big cities. You guys have fun. Give my regards to Evelyn.”

It wasn't that she was compromising; Alana, born in Scar Village, subconsciously preferred a chaotic and disorderly environment. Compared to the orderly metropolis, she preferred living in the loose Red Gang camp. The conditions didn't matter; the feeling of sleeping under the open sky and on the ground was what she truly loved.

“Oh, right, Red Center, I almost forgot to mention…” As he got into the carriage, Mike stretched out his right hand and drew a circle around a wooden post not far away, “These guys’ horses, if you want, you can take them to town. There are more than ten horses here, you can go to the stables in the big city and sell them. I estimate they won’t fetch much money, around $50 in total.”

"If you find it troublesome, then forget it. It's not a big deal. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

"YA—!"

The carriages were pulled by large Shire horses, with thick hides and tough flesh, requiring vigorous swinging of the reins to get them moving.

Two wagons, fully loaded with all the proceeds from the raid, slowly drove out of the swamp, splashing up huge piles of mud. The group finally understood why the bootlegging camp had been set up here: not only was the location remote and the roads difficult to navigate, but the nearby Blackwater Lake was also home to crocodiles. Even if they knew someone was brewing bootlegging here, few sheriffs would be willing to come.

“Okay…” Zhang Renfeng stretched his neck a couple of times, and under Xiaomei’s expectant gaze, announced, “Go and bring those horses over.”

"Huh? Are we really going to sell them?" Xiaomei asked in surprise. "Mr. Mike said the income would only be $50, and considering we'd have to take care of them on the way, the costs wouldn't be enough..."

“Money isn’t important, identity is,” Zhang Renfeng reminded him. “Don’t forget, there’s a $7000 bounty on my head in Australia. Just barging in openly without any disguise definitely won’t do, will it?”

His words reminded Xiaomei of the situation—they had been having an easy time in Baiju Town, and the new town mayor was about to be taken down. But that didn't change the fact that the Red Gang was still being hunted by multiple forces.

If one enters the city as a horse merchant and acts discreetly, it provides an extra layer of security.

Although... based on Xiaomei's understanding of Zhang Renfeng, disguising himself as any identity would be useless. Whether he sold horses, guns, or alcohol, he would eventually end up fighting with others. Because the person is still the same person; he won't change just because of what kind of skin he wears.

"Hopefully, this time, we won't run into any unexpected trouble along the way..."

----

San Quintak city center.

Even before entering the city, one could see black plumes of smoke billowing from the chimneys in the distance. They seemed to pierce the heavens and earth, reaching directly into the clouds, making the city appear somewhat hazy.

As you approach, the houses gradually become denser, and the streets are no longer the bumpy, muddy roads, but rather proper stone-paved paths. The horses' hooves clatter crisply on them, a sound completely different from that of Windblown Sand, Scarface Village, and White Torch Town.

The way pedestrians looked at them, especially when they saw them leading a large horse around the street, was filled with disdain and contempt, as if they were looking at something dirty. But this had its advantages; at least they could travel a long distance alone, avoiding the crowded streets where they had to jostle shoulder to shoulder with other people.

Trees of similar height line the street, adding a touch of uniformity to the cold, steel forest.

For some reason, seeing these trees confined to this small piece of land always gave Zhang Renfeng a feeling of oppression. He now understood why Alana was so adamant that she had no interest in big cities.

"Big cities..."

Seeing Xiaomei's excited and hopeful expression, he kept the second half of his sentiment to himself.

Disgusting places remain disgusting.

Chapter 200: You kowtowed to her twice, so you'll repay her with two hundred kowtows (Chapter 200 Commemoration!!)

"Young man, what bit you that caused this wound?"

In the clinic, the doctor squinted and gently pressed around Theon's wound, looking like he'd never seen anything like it before.

“Just think of it as a mad dog,” Theon said irritably. “I was doing my job perfectly fine, and suddenly a mad dog jumped out and bit me.”

"Ah, I see, what a mad dog..."

The doctor wasn't stupid; he knew exactly what dog bite marks looked like. The size and number of teeth marks were more like human bites, but a human jaw doesn't have the same biting force as a wild animal. To be able to bite such a wound directly onto the neck—what kind of situation did those two people have… it was truly unimaginable.

Fine, the customer is king, so whatever the king says goes.

"Doctor, is everything alright?" Xiaomei asked with some concern. "To be on the safe side, I poured a lot of alcohol on the wound... My father once told me about a strong young man who, just because someone coughed in his face, soon started coughing incessantly and died quickly."

"In that case, it was most likely caused by tuberculosis infection. The person who coughed at him already had tuberculosis and transmitted it to that unfortunate guy through droplets. The situation is completely different now. You are this patient's...?"

The doctor had him lie flat on a chair, removed the bandages, and cleaned the wound on the side of his neck with water. Then, he soaked cotton swabs in medicine and applied it to the wound.

Zhang Renfeng and Xiaomei were stunned for a moment, not knowing how to answer. They couldn't very well say that they were from the same gang, could they?

“Family members,” Theon said in a deep voice, “both of them are.”

“If it’s the family, then that’s easy. Here’s a bottle of highly effective healing medicine. The ingredients are yarrow, ginseng, and yarrow leaves. After applying it externally, skin wounds like this will heal very quickly.” The doctor took out a full glass jar and placed it on the table with a thud. “Remove the bandage every day and change the dressing. Remember to keep it dry before going to bed. Based on my experience, it should take about a week…”

With a bang, the clinic door was pushed open without warning, and a panicked girl tripped over the threshold and fell to the ground. The fall was quite hard, but as if she were being chased by tigers and wolves, she frantically grabbed the ground with her hands and scrambled into the clinic.

The girl looked very young, about the same age as Xiaomei. Her hair was covered in nearly dried black mud, which couldn't hide the blood on her face. The wound must have been inside her hair; blood was gushing out uncontrollably, staining part of her face red.

He crawled a few steps into the clinic, using both hands and feet. Before he could even speak, several more young men burst in. They were equally dirty, reeking of metal and machine oil, and all wore light-colored work clothes. The one in the lead wore a dark gray baseball cap, and his hair was messy, seemingly deliberately unkempt.

Upon seeing them, the girl's face grew even more desperate. Before she could even stand up, one of the pursuers stepped out, grabbed her hair, and dragged her backward like an animal.

"Run! Aren't you supposed to be a fast runner?! Run some more!"

"The entire city of San Quintak is 'Italian' territory. Where can you run to? Set up a shack in the swamp?"

Xiaomei finally saw the girl's wound clearly. On her scalp, there was a very large gash, as if her head had been pressed down and hit on a hard object. The wound was about the length of a finger and was constantly oozing blood.