Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

“…” Standing behind him, a tall man with burn scars on one side of his face remained silent. After glancing at Hector, he stood still and did not act rashly.

"Calm down, nephew," Igor mocked nonchalantly. "My dwarf head will be hanging around my neck for a while longer, maybe even longer than your fancy little head."

"What?! You—how dare you insult the next head of the Zolael family!" Eugene's anger flared, and he pointed a vicious finger at Igor. "I'll get you sooner or later..."

"Quiet," Hector said menacingly. "This is a meeting of the Zolael family, not a place for the two of you to bicker."

Igor nodded slightly, put his hand to his mouth, and made a zipping gesture to indicate that he should shut up.

"Is that all? He just admitted he was a traitor!" Eugene protested, "Grandpa..."

“Who’s your grandfather here? How many times have I told you, address people by their titles at work,” Hector interrupted him impatiently. “What should you call me?”

Eugene was startled by him, as if only then realizing his fear, and stammered, "Lord Hector."

"Aren't we going to emphasize blood ties now?" Igor thought to himself, mockingly.

"Eugene accuses you of leaking information, hiring assassins, and sabotaging one of his moonshine breweries." Having settled the disciplinary matter, Hector continued, "What do you say?"

"Who did I hire?" Igor asked calmly. "What good would it do me to do this?"

He was confident that, given Old Zhang's skills, none of them would come back alive to report him. The brewed bootlegging had also been completely wiped out; with no one to testify, even if Eugene wanted to suspect, he couldn't pin the blame on himself. The Thunder Gang had many enemies; why couldn't it have been someone else who did it?

Hector stared at him for a long time, seemingly intending to use the same methods as Tuku, relying on silence and eye contact to conduct a human lie detector test.

……

“The family thanks you for your contributions, Mule.” Hector, with the absolute authority of the family patriarch, finalized the matter directly. “Your work ends here. Finish what you’re doing, pack up, and prepare for the handover.”

----

Igor's pupils dilated slightly.

"What did you say?"

“Watch your tone, Mule. You’re speaking to the patriarch of the family.” Hector smirked, whether from an instinctive muscle reaction or mockery, “You’re doing this for the long-term benefit of the family.”

"...To whom should I hand it over?" Igor tilted his head, looking at Eugene, who couldn't hide his smile and clearly already knew about the decision. "This kid who's not even 20 yet, and hasn't even grown his hair yet?"

“Uncle’s information is far too outdated.” Eugene finally seized the opportunity to be sarcastic. “My father, Laro, has already closed a big deal in Mexico and returned home like a hero.”

Igor was caught off guard by this unexpected news.

Many of the arrangements were disrupted by Laro's sudden return!

“Eugene is just an assistant. He will take over the family business sooner or later. Learning from his father is better than learning from others.”

"As for you..."

Hector raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and said somewhat impatiently, "Now that the White Horse has returned, the Mule can step back from the limelight."

“The death of Tuku has already greatly damaged the family’s reputation. I don’t want outsiders to think that such a large family as the Zolael family has to rely on a dwarf mule to maintain its image!”

Volume: Horses and Mules

Chapter 277: Are you even human?! (Third update today!)

Looking at the bait placed not far away, Alana felt an itch in her heart; something just didn't seem right. She couldn't resist reaching out to part the grass and take another look at where the bait was, but a strong, powerful hand gently pressed her hand down.

"Don't be so anxious," the chief said softly. "It'll be alright."

“I think the hole I just dug is too deep. If it’s covered with soil, the smell won’t be able to escape, right?” Alana said worriedly, her face full of hesitation. “Let me check it again, just once more.”

“…Be quick, Miss Morgan.” The chief frowned, took out a bow and arrow, and made sure the arrow was nocked and ready to be fired. “No need for too many adjustments. Bears have a better sense of smell than you think. It’s made of rabbit meat; just carve out a corner.”

Alana nodded and tiptoed towards it. She was very light and walked carefully on the mountainside, avoiding rocks and branches, making almost no sound. They had been tracking this large creature for almost a day and a night, and judging from the footprints, claw marks, droppings, and other clues left along the way, this should be their closest approach yet.

Last night, the chief hunted a rabbit. After processing the edible parts, he prepared the rest and made a bait bag for predators. With his superb hunting experience, the chief judged that the prey was close at hand, so he instructed Alana to bury the bait bag in the ground.

“Hmm… one cent, one cent…” She took out her dagger and dug the bait packet out of the sand.

A strange tremor came from the ground, and dewdrops on the flowers and grass fell to the ground, shattering into eight pieces. Alana was still hesitating when she heard a beastly panting sound. Her body and movements froze instantly. She stiffly turned her neck and saw only a fluffy gray ball of fur darting back and forth between the trees and grass.

Suddenly, it stood up like a person!

Seeing a massive wild beast making human-like movements is incredibly intimidating. This enormous grizzly bear, when standing, is at least four meters tall, much larger than the average grizzly bear. Its fur is a glossy gray-brown, and there's a healed scar near its nose that looks like a bullet wound.

"Ah...no..." Alana's mouth was half open, her mind blank.

"Too close... Don't turn around! Don't turn your back to it!" The chief suddenly raised his voice, giving very clear instructions. Then, he deliberately stood on the boulder, exposing himself to attract the grizzly bear's attention.

“Whoosh!” “Whoosh!”

Bend the bow and nock the arrow.

With lightning speed, two arrows were fired in quick succession. One pierced the grizzly bear's left eye, while the other, slightly off-target, struck its large nose. The fact that two arrows hit its head and killed it only enraged the jungle monster, causing it to swing its massive claws and let out an angry growl.

However... from the other end of the bushes and trees came a sound that was no less impressive.

"ah----!!"

Suddenly, Zhang Renfeng charged out, his expression contorted with rage, perhaps to intimidate the enemy. He swung his arms wildly, his movements so exaggerated that leaves fell from his shoulders.

It's hard to imagine what natural predators a North American grizzly bear of this size would have in the wild. But if they did exist, they probably wouldn't be much different.

Zhang Renfeng's charge was so fierce that even the grizzly bear was stunned. Halfway through its roar, it carefully observed Zhang Renfeng with its remaining single eye. After confirming that its target was smaller and lighter than itself, it regained its original rage and swung its claws to meet the attack.

"Thump—!"

The impact was so fierce that Zhang Renfeng only took a few steps back, while the grizzly bear was knocked off balance. This was partly due to the loss of half its vision; with two arrows stuck in its head, it was impossible for it to be unaffected.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhang Renfeng moved to the bear's side. Due to his physical limitations, Zhang Renfeng couldn't grab any part of the grizzly bear. However, its thick fur was a good place to strike. He casually grabbed two pieces of fur, assumed a stable stance, and with a roar, demonstrated what it meant to use sheer force. He executed a perfectly executed over-the-shoulder throw on the four-meter-tall grizzly bear!

"Boom!"

Soil and leaves splashed up, and with that slam, the two arrows pierced even deeper, causing the grizzly bear to howl in pain. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Renfeng subconsciously reached for his belt, only to find it empty. He then realized that he had given the Volcano Pistol to Theon for maintenance, but he had brought other substitutes.

He took the elephant-hunting rifle that he hadn't used in a long time from behind his back and pressed it against the grizzly bear's head.

"boom--!"

If they could hunt elephants, grizzly bears were no match for them. With just one shot, a grizzly bear would lose all its strength and become a lump of meat to be slaughtered.

“No matter how many times I see it, your strength is still amazing.” The chief took out a short dagger, squatted down skillfully, and ran it back and forth on the grizzly bear. “In my old tribe, a man as strong as you would be fought over by women like prey.”

"It wasn't just my doing." After taking down this behemoth, Zhang Renfeng didn't feel relieved. Instead, he smiled easily. In a sense, he was more like a monster than the grizzly bear. "You coated both of your arrows with aconite, didn't you?"

"What a pity..." The chief chopped off the bear's head in a few swift movements. "We damaged its head. Otherwise, we could have sold it to hunters and made a bear head fur hat. It would be so warm to wear in winter."

……

"Alana, are you alright?"

"I..." Alana, still shaken, was deathly pale. After a long pause, she managed to nod. "I'm sorry, I messed up..."

“For your first time hunting such a big creature, you actually did a very good job. Last night, you even learned how to use a bow and arrow and hunted your first rabbit, so that’s a success.” The chief comforted her while efficiently processing the prey. “Remember to stay calm and take your time in the future. Animals are animals after all. Compared to them, our greatest weapon is actually our brains. Learn to use them.”

The grizzly bear was simply too large to be carried back on horseback like ordinary prey. But the chief handled it skillfully, quickly skinning the bear and removing the meaty parts and valuable internal organs.

Ten minutes later, all that remained was a pile of skeletal remains of animal flesh. According to the natural cycle, it would become a meal for vultures.

"Oh, right, Zhang, there's something else..."

As they mounted their horses, the chief suddenly remembered this incident, took out a yellowed map from the bottom of his satchel, and tossed it to Zhang Renfeng from a distance.

"What's this?"

Upon opening it, I found a very abstract map, covering a vast area that included several nearby states, and decorated with various animal images.

Zhang Renfeng noticed that there was a standing grizzly bear drawn in the spot where he was standing.

“When I was young, I traveled all over the states… In fact, in many places, there are monster-level giants like that guy just now.” The chief sighed. “I’m old now, Zhang, especially in recent years, I’ve aged even more. This kind of activity is too exciting for me.”

"This map will be more useful to you."

"Ha, ha... Interesting! Thanks, Chief~~" Zhang Renfeng's tone immediately brightened as if he had found a treasure, "There will be plenty of delicious food in the camp!"

Chapter 278: I stand beside you, yet it feels like we're separated by the Milky Way.

"I played a trick on that guy once, haha, I still laugh when I think about it!"

Calaway took a big gulp of strong liquor. He was already a little drunk before the party even started. "Back then... his bounty was $2000. It wasn't as much as Red Center's, but it wasn't a small amount either. I played the bounty hunter, and he played himself. I took him to the police station."

"Then they would hang him. In those days, executions were very casual. Most towns didn't even have a proper gallows. What did they do? They would put the prisoner on horseback, find a tall tree, put the rope up there, and slap the horse's rump. As soon as the horse ran away, the man would be suspended in mid-air and hanged."

"I'll cover my face first, and then, during the execution, I'll shoot from a distance... one shot!"

He suddenly pulled out his revolver, assumed a hip-fire stance, and added his own voiceover, "Bang! That was incredibly accurate, it cut the rope in two. A few more shots later, and he knocked off the sheriff's hat."

"I have that ability to only shoot hats, not kill people. They knew there was a master, so they didn't dare to pursue the matter and let my partner ride away on horseback."

"In this way, we got $2000, plus a horse, which will allow us to live a carefree life for a while."

"This..." Evelyn hugged her knees, listened attentively to his story, and asked with some curiosity, "Is this considered fraud?"

"No doubt about it, young lady, it's a scam."

While grappling with his gun, Theon replied in a serious tone, "During that time, his pockets were fuller, but life was tough for the bounty hunters."

In front of him was a clean white cloth, on which the parts of the volcano pistol were neatly arranged.

The pistol's construction was so outdated that the gun oil, specifically designed for revolvers, couldn't be directly applied to the inside of its barrel. Theon had to disassemble it, carefully clean and maintain it, before reassembling it.

For him, putting a disassembled gun back together is something he can do entirely by relying on muscle memory. The real challenge is restraining his desire to develop new technologies and not adding anything new to this outdated lever mechanism.

Although he knew that adding some new parts would help improve the accuracy and range of the pistol, there was also the issue of "feel" involved.

Weapons that have been used for a long time will gradually become one with their owners, becoming an extension of their limbs. He believed that the two volcano pistols were no exception.

When it comes to guns, accuracy is the most important thing; everything else can come second.

"You don't know where the best part is, let me tell you..."

“Every time he escapes, his value increases,” Mike’s voice came from not far away, casually adding, “Next time we play this game, he’ll make even more, right?”

"Hey! Elan!" Calaway was immediately annoyed. It felt like being spoiled when you were telling a story and someone had given away the ending. He turned around and snapped, "I finally got to build up to..."

"HOLY!"

He started speaking but then turned into a vulgar curse.

Because Mike was carrying a string of fish on his shoulder, the top one of which was dark gold and looked very big, creating a visually stunning effect.

Mike rarely showed a proud expression. Besides being a gang shooter, strategist, and former mounted police officer, he had another identity.

That's the fisherman.

And this identity has left a deep imprint on him.

"Haha, how did you know? I caught a 3-kilogram brown catfish today! Oh, I love catfish!"

"Fish, meat... what a grand welcome party, Elan!" Calaway burst into laughter.

"Before the chief came, the food at the camp wasn't this plentiful." Xiaomei looked at the venison and deer legs hanging on the branches of the trees in the camp that were still not finished and drying in the wind, and exclaimed sincerely, "It's so good that there are people in charge of the food."

“The amount of food needed is also more than before,” Igor reminded. “With the two of them, the number of people permanently stationed in the camp has increased to eight.”

“I’m a dwarf, so let’s say I’m half a dwarf… that makes seven and a half.”

"That means we need to prepare enough food for at least seven and a half people every day. At present, it is definitely not enough to rely solely on hunting. There are also ammunition, medical resources, etc. Someone needs to be specifically responsible for this, so that the camp can become a safe and convenient supply station."

At the same time, Zhang Renfeng and his two companions, laden with their spoils, also led their horses into the camp.

They brought back all the bear meat they could cut off and hung it securely on either side of the horses.

Despite having three horses, they were exhausted. Alana's foxtrot, in particular, was known for its speed but had limited endurance and load-bearing capacity, and it was panting heavily. When they were almost at the camp, they simply dismounted; it was only a few steps, and they could manage on foot anyway.

A cheer erupted in the camp, and Calaway was especially excited, raising his bottle.

"Is that a bear skin? Haha~~~ Bear meat and fish, looks like we're really going to have a feast tonight!"

----

With the top-quality ingredients in place, it was time for Igor's performance.

The deer the chief had hunted before were all top-quality, but compared to this legendary grizzly bear, they were 30% weaker.

The weakness of this 30% isn't in the taste, but in the "experience"—chasing a deer and taking it down with a single shot; challenging a giant bear and blowing its head off with a single shot—the level of skill involved is completely different. Naturally, people would consider this hard-won bear meat to be more delicious.

Igor started work on all four sides.

First, cut the bear meat into pieces the size of steaks. Then, slice the prepared orange peel and small chilies, crush a few cloves of garlic, and add them to the pan. Place the pan on a grill. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill until it sizzles.