Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Nobody can take away my good days, nobody can!

Raising his head again, Orlock had made up his mind, his eyes fierce. "Understood, Mr. Custer. I'll go and get them assembled right now. This time, even if I have to whip them, I'll make sure they meet the quota: seven logs, felled and processed—not a single one can be missing!"

“That’s more like it, Orlock, you’ve got it. It’s good for you to look down on others.” Caster nodded with a smile. “Let [Iron Bucket] go with you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Gundam figure sitting in the corner of the room suddenly stood up.

This fellow had a medieval knight's helmet upside down on his head, obscuring his expression and movements. But the two revolvers and a short shotgun strapped to his belt, along with the muscular forearms he clad in, clearly indicated that he was a formidable warrior.

"Besides this, is there anything else to report? If not, then get back to work."

Logically speaking, there really aren't any left.

Having just been given a shot of adrenaline, Orlock was now completely open and honest, as if he wanted to tear out his heart and liver to prove his loyalty.

“Yes, Mr. Custer, yes! I remember now, those damned couple, they haven’t left yet.”

"..." Caster's movements paused slightly. "A couple? Didn't you get rid of them? What if the big bosses suddenly came down to inspect and found them crying and wailing? What would that look like!"

“I tried, but only the wife left; the husband is still here. But he hasn’t done anything these past few days, just stayed in the inn without showing his face,” Orlock said hastily. “I guess he sent his wife back to White Torch Town to look for someone.”

“Find someone?” Caster scoffed. “Find whom? The sheriff of White Torch wouldn’t be foolish enough to get involved in something like this. We don’t have any bounty on us, and bounty hunters aren’t going to be involved. At this point, her only option is to hire someone… Ha…”

"Who would deliberately travel thousands of miles to do something so incredibly stupid?"

……

"Mr. Caster!" A henchman rushed in, and when he saw that Oro was also there, he paused for a moment, seemingly unsure whether he should say it in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Caster glanced at him impatiently. "We're all on the same side, so just say what you have to say."

"Someone's here." After a long silence, the younger brother finally managed to utter, "...They seem to be someone important."

Castor immediately got up and hurried out the door.

Fengxi Port is just a port, not very big, and his office is on the second floor, so it can be seen at a glance.

----

"What the hell? Has that woman gone mad? She hired a circus troupe, and what's with the foreigners and Native Americans? And two little girls too?" Orlock laughed out loud for no apparent reason, a weight lifted from his heart. He sneered, "This is what they mean by 'desperate measures,' isn't it, Mr. Custer?"

"...Mr. Caster?"

Castor fell silent.

His gaze remained fixed on Zhang Renfeng, the leader. Zhang Renfeng sat astride a crimson warhorse, one hand holding the reins, his expression calm and his bearing dignified. His decision to lead the group onto the main road instead of the side path, so blatantly announcing his presence, demonstrated extreme confidence. This was evident in his expression and demeanor.

“Overbearing arrogance…” Caster gritted his teeth, “You’re courting death!”

"Should we take them out?" Orlock asked eagerly. "Let me do it, sir. This time, I will not let you down!"

“No, that’s not right. How can you start messing with other people right away? If you’re going to do something, you have to do it step by step.” A cold smile appeared on Castor’s lips. “Let’s play a couple of rounds with them first.”

Chapter 284: There's more to this than meets the eye (Part 17)

Oh, sir! Generous, kind sir…you can’t imagine how happy I am! I’ve barely slept these past few nights; my prayers to God have finally been answered!

Thomas, the child's father, continued to persevere in this unfriendly place. He was small and thin, but he did his best to walk quickly to Zhang Renfeng's side, almost to the point of leading his horse and holding his stirrups.

“Several days have passed, and Penny still hasn’t shown up. I’ve searched everywhere I can think of, but she…”

"Get out of here! You damned little beast! Get the hell away from me!"

His expression suddenly changed, and he roared hysterically as if he had some kind of manic episode.

The reason was simple: a group of young beggars darted out from the street and circled around him like birds that had spotted bread. Thomas, who hadn't slept well for days and nights and was under immense pressure, was on the verge of collapse. All it took was a tiny spark to set him off.

With a fierce face and bulging veins, he was practically the embodiment of the word "ferocious".

The beggar children scattered in all directions.

For a moment, Zhang Renfeng suddenly felt something was wrong, as if something very incongruous flashed across his eyes.

One of the children had his right arm missing for some reason.

But when he looked closely, the children had skillfully slipped into the gaps between the houses and disappeared from sight.

"I'm sorry, I... I just couldn't control myself..."

“Calm down, Mr. Thomas. We’re here to help you. Your wife promised to pay a substantial sum, but that’s just her word,” Zhang Renfeng said in a deep voice. “I need to confirm with you about the payment.”

"No problem, no problem! If we can find Penny, I'd give you my life, let alone money, without batting an eye!" Thomas pleaded, patting his chest repeatedly. "Kind sir, let's get started quickly! I'm worried about Penny's safety if we delay even a moment longer!"

"At least let us tie the horse up first," Xiaomei pouted and said softly, somewhat dissatisfied with his repeated urging.

However, considering his current identity as a father who has lost his daughter, it seems somewhat understandable.

It would be difficult for any normal person to remain calm in such a situation.

……

"What?" Thomas's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he stared at the hotel receptionist. His face was a grim, almost desperate, ashen color, a mixture of anger and despair. "What did you just say?"

"We...we don't have any extra rooms." The owner swallowed hard, his eyes darting around. "We were fully booked just two days ago, so I'm sorry..."

"Liar! You liar! I've lived here the whole time, and no new people have moved in! Why would you do this?"

"I'm so sorry, sir, we really don't have any rooms available... This... this isn't something I can decide." The owner bowed and scraped, his smile more like a grimace. "You'd better leave now, you can go anywhere else."

“I know…you did this on purpose! You’re in cahoots with those people!” Thomas lunged at the counter, scratching the shopkeeper’s face and screaming at the top of his lungs. “All I wanted was to see Penny again! Why! Is that too much to ask? She’s my daughter!”

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, the chief stepped forward and grabbed him by the collar. The two were not as strong as they used to be, and Thomas was like a cat being held up, frantically flailing his limbs but unable to move forward.

"Now look what's happened," Alana complained. "We came all this way, and we don't even have a bed to sleep in."

Zhang Renfeng glanced at Thomas, who was emotionally distraught and crying uncontrollably, then turned his expressionless gaze to the innkeeper.

Having handled so many incidents, big and small, one should have honed this intuition by now.

Something's happened inside.

"Do you have a kid?"

“What…” The boss swallowed hard. When Zhang Renfeng’s aura was tense, it was so powerful that it was enough to make an ordinary person feel suffocated. “I don’t really want to talk about this.”

“Then you have one.” Zhang Renfeng saw through his thoughts from his reaction. “Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you were suddenly separated from your child one day, and no matter what you did, you couldn’t find him again? What would you think then?”

"..."

"Forgive this poor man; he is in such a predicament right now."

“Even so, I can only offer my sympathy. Perhaps he was just unlucky, and there's nothing I can do.” The shopkeeper bit his lip and insisted, “But here, it really is…”

“Someone doesn’t want this man to find his daughter, so that’s why you’re saying this, right?” Zhang Renfeng calmly interrupted him. “Give me a name, and you don’t need to worry about the rest.”

The shopkeeper was startled by his bluntness and quickly shook his head, denying it. "Sir, I don't know where you came from. You'd better leave quickly. The people behind them... are not people like you who can afford to offend them."

“That’s interesting.” Zhang Renfeng smiled meaningfully. “As far as I know, the person currently in charge of the Fengxi Port trading post is just an agent employed by the group, right? You mean, that guy named Caster has someone else backing him up?”

"No, no, no, I didn't say that!" The boss looked as if he had seen something, his face turning deathly pale, shaking his head vigorously. "I didn't drag Mr. Custer into this, this guy just talked on and on..."

……

The next moment, Orlock kicked open the door and led his men in, barging in without restraint.

Seeing this, Zhang Renfeng naturally understood everything.

He thought of many people like this, whose defining characteristic was that they abused their power, acting like local tyrants, running rampant and oppressing the people. Such people exist regardless of nationality, region, or even time; this guy in front of him certainly wouldn't be the last.

When Thomas saw him, he looked as if he had been slapped in the face; his head immediately drooped, his eyes darting away, and he dared not meet his gaze.

"You're still here? And you dare bring people over?" Orlock's eyes seemed to want to kill. "Didn't I make things clear last time we met?"

"Explain, explain clearly..."

"Then get lost, or I'll break your legs." Orlock waved his hand; to him, this wasn't even a threat, because he genuinely had the ability. "How much do you pay these idiots?"

“Uh… eight hundred, or a thousand dollars…” Thomas murmured, his pale lips barely moving.

“Very good.” Orlock took out a wad of bills from his satchel, pointing out a thick stack. “Here’s two thousand dollars. Take it and get out of here.”

Chapter 285: Can Money Buy Everything? (Part 18)

Money can buy everything. This is the only statement that Orlock has come to believe in after living in this place for so long. It is an irrefutable truth.

If it weren't for these outsiders causing trouble, he would have gone with Iron Bucket to deal with the lumberjack who was crushed to death.

As a representative, he would offer a symbolic sum of compensation, $50, take it or leave it. Then he would forcibly end the funeral and make them go back to work to make up for today's work quota.

Fifty dollars, that's the price of a life.

For some reason, Mr. Custer was willing to pay a much larger sum to get these outsiders to stop, rather than the paltry fifty dollars.

Orlock was puzzled by this. He thought that if the money were used to incentivize his men to surround the group of outsiders and beat them until they couldn't get up, the effect would be much better.

However, when he actually took out the money, things took a far different turn from what he had expected.

No one moved.

Neither the yellow-haired man himself nor his followers showed any interest in the stack of US dollars in his hand. He was almost losing confidence. He checked repeatedly with his eyes; the denominations were indeed $2000. Why did they act as if he were holding a stack of worthless paper?

"What do you mean, you bastard?" Orlock felt humiliated in public and retorted angrily, "Don't push your luck! Think about it, you can just turn around and leave, and you can pocket this money. What better deal is there in the world? Will you ever have a second chance like this in your life?"

……

“You might not believe it if I told you,” Zhang Renfeng said with a smile, “about a week ago, the mayor of San Quintak gave me ten thousand dollars for free.”

"Haha." Theon couldn't help but laugh out loud, not because Zhang Renfeng was telling the truth. But even if it was the truth, saying it in this kind of setting made it seem particularly amusing, sounding like a blatant provocation.

"You're asking for it..." Orlock was furious, and his right hand instinctively reached for his belt.

But before he could pull out his dagger and escalate the fight to the next level, applause came from the shop entrance.

"Mr. Castells?"

Rather than a suit, it would be more accurate to describe it as a black robe draped over his shoulders, over which a flowing vest clung perfectly to his figure, making him appear tall and elegant. Even in the stinking, dust-filled Windhaven, he seemed so noble that he almost seemed out of place.

Wearing gloves, his applause was somewhat muffled, but everyone present was still taken aback by the low clapping.

"So fast this time?"

Zhang Renfeng was somewhat surprised, because in his experience, these guys hiding behind the scenes would usually have their underlings play around with him a few more times, figuring out how to communicate with him before they would slowly and deliberately show themselves. Even someone like Tuku only appeared after Zhang Renfeng took the initiative and caused a huge disturbance in the Heavenly Palace.

The smiling man in front of me seemed to have a level of self-confidence that was different from usual.

Zhang Renfeng sensed the presence of an ambitious man in him.

“I am Castor Bellis, in short, the agent of this area. You have come from afar and have not had a proper rest. If you have time, please take the time to come and have a simple meal with me.” He waved his hand, playing the good cop, “My men are uncultured and have no manners. Please forgive them if their words offend you.”

"I hope everyone understands that this matter is not as it appears on the surface; there are unavoidable hidden reasons."

They say you can't hit someone who's smiling at you. But if someone's offering their face like that, and there's no reason why you should slap them, it's really hard to do so.

There's more to it than meets the eye.

----

"Princess?" Upon receiving the portrait, Xiaomei couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Did she get lost here too? Is there something unclean here?!"

The drawing in her hand wasn't a wanted poster, but a missing person notice. It was a sketch of a little girl with curly hair, who looked very young, no more than six years old.

The description reads: "On the day she disappeared, she was wearing a pearl-white dress, pink shoes, and had a birthmark on the inside of her right arm. She disappeared while hunting near the Pool of Elysium in the Hagen Mountains. If you encounter the princess, please take her to the nearest police station. We will offer a reward of no less than $1000!"

“But my daughter disappeared right here in town…” Thomas was thrown into panic and confusion. Amidst the turmoil, he struggled to piece together some useful information. “Could it be the same group of people? Those who specialize in abducting little girls and then selling them to other places?”

“The missing person is a princess of the Duchy of Luxembourg, and this has escalated into a diplomatic incident.” Caster sighed and carefully put away the expensive missing person poster. “After applying, Pinkerton Detective Agency has dispatched members to investigate the princess’s disappearance. They are already on their way, and all manpower and resources will be mobilized to prioritize solving the princess’s disappearance case.”

Castor emphasized the words "Pinkton Detective Agency" with barely perceptible force, then glanced at Zhang Renfeng's expression out of the corner of his eye.

Nothing changes.

This puzzled him; it was very different from what he had expected.

"Then... what about my daughter? Is she just supposed to be abandoned?!" Thomas's voice trembled. "Just because she's not a princess, because she's unimportant, because she can be kidnapped by human traffickers and bought and sold like livestock?"

“Calm down, sir. I’m just stating the facts.” Caster rubbed his forehead and said with a hint of helplessness, “This is a diplomatic incident after all, so the higher-ups will naturally pay more attention to them. Once these Pinkerton detectives arrive, they’ll need a place to stay, right? The spare rooms in the hotel have already been booked by them in advance. They’re definitely not targeting you on purpose.”

"It's just unfortunate that they all happened at the same time."

……

"Ah." Zhang Renfeng nodded, his expression impassive, accepting the explanation. "That's how it is."

“Of course I won’t get in your way. It’s only natural for parents to want to find their children. Those who go against this feeling will be punished by God! However, with the arrival of the Pinkerton detectives,” Caster first made a high-profile statement, then changed the subject, “there are some practical factors, as you all know. For political reasons, they don’t want the news of the Luxembourg princess’s disappearance to spread widely.”