Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"Stab!"

He crouched down, grabbed the girl's right trouser leg, and tore it open with both hands.

"What...what are you doing? Don't touch me!" The girl was clearly unprepared for this superhuman strength. Startled and frightened, she fell to the ground, only repeating incoherently, "Don't touch me!"

But Zhang Renfeng tore open her pants just to confirm his guess—beneath the seemingly normal trousers was a prosthetic leg, and an exceptionally meticulously constructed metal one at that! The knees and ankles were ball joints, and even the soles, arches, and toes were replicated as closely as possible, their size and shape remarkably similar to the structure of a real human body, gleaming with a metallic sheen.

Even though Zhang Renfeng was very knowledgeable, he had never seen such a lifelike prosthetic before, and he secretly admired it.

Whether it was due to water or some other reason, the prosthetic leg detached from the girl, leaving her unable to move.

Just turning over required all her strength, leaving her breathless. Seeing Zhang Renfeng holding her prosthetic leg in his hands and examining it repeatedly, she felt an overwhelming sense of shame, as if she were naked and being looked down upon. Her grief and indignation reached their peak, and her breathing became increasingly rapid.

"This can't be used for now." After a moment, Zhang Renfeng gently placed the prosthetic leg beside her.

"Thank you," the girl said through gritted teeth, staring at him as if his words had stirred up a corner of her heart that refused to yield. "I don't need your help, and I don't need your assistance... Even if I have to crawl, I'll crawl home!"

……

Zhang Renfeng didn't say much. He turned around and suddenly launched a high, swift kick, slicing through the air in a semi-circular arc. Using his heel as a chop, he severed a branch from the unfortunate birch tree standing nearby. After doing this, he picked up the root, roughly weighed it, grabbed one end with his right hand, and ripped it off completely, removing all the twigs and thorns in one go.

With a few simple steps, a straight wooden stick that is extremely popular among boys under five years old is made.

His face was expressionless, showing no pity; he simply and calmly handed one end of the stick to the girl.

Seeing his reaction, the young woman was momentarily confused. In her relatively short life, she had never met anyone named Zhang Renfeng. Without a precedent, she had no experience, and she was unsure what he was planning to do.

“Metal prosthetics are flashy but impractical, and they put a lot of strain on the body,” Zhang Renfeng said in a deep voice. “In terms of practicality, a cane is better.”

"..." The girl looked up at the man in the rain, and through the raindrops, she saw his dark eyes. For the first time, she did not argue, but just silently bit her lip.

She grabbed her crutch to support herself on the ground, but perhaps because she had been sitting on the ground for too long, her body was weak and she could not stand up. Zhang Renfeng then helped her up.

This time, she only showed a slight expression of disapproval, but did not show any physical resistance.

Taking the cane and bracing myself against the ground, the real sense of support is completely different from the feeling of dragging one leg forward.

A smile appeared on Aliya's innocent face when she saw this.

As the heavy rain soaked his hair, the black oil stains gradually faded, revealing its original silvery-yellow color.

Despite missing an arm and being soaked to the bone like a drowned rat, the girl's smile, like her beautiful long hair, possessed a soul-stirring beauty.

Chapter 293: Once you leave, never come back.

"come in."

Although she still sounded a little sullen, the girl still let Zhang Renfeng and the other two into her house.

There were no lights in the room, and it was raining heavily outside, making it look quite gloomy.

The house stood alone on a hilltop, far from the trading post. The furnishings were simple: a table and chairs, but only a bed, which made Zhang Renfeng increasingly suspicious. Judging from the room's layout, she and the little beggar didn't seem to be family; there were only traces of her living there alone.

This is quite puzzling, because when calling Aliya's name, the word that came to her mind instinctively was "go home".

But now that things have come to this, the girl is too lazy to explain anymore.

She tossed her cane aside, slumped into a chair, and stared blankly at the ceiling. She was soaked to the bone, water still dripping from her clothes, but she ignored it, seemingly oblivious to the heat or cold.

"Are you alright?" Xiaomei wiped the rain from her forehead, took out two candles from her bag, lit them with a match, and lit them one by one. "Your leg is bleeding."

"what……"

The girl's eyes were listless, like those of a walking corpse; her pupils were unfocused and lacked any light. She glanced down.

The severed thigh, wrapped in gauze, was now soaked through by the rain. A dull, crimson red seeped through the layers of gauze, dripping onto the floor. She herself seemed accustomed to the pain, showing no outward sign of discomfort, simply staring blankly at her right leg as if it weren't part of her body.

No matter how skillfully crafted, friction is inevitable when iron comes into contact with flesh.

A single friction will cause bleeding.

“The situation is terrible.” Zhang Renfeng has too much experience in treating sprains and bruises, and he can see the problem at a glance. “If you don’t stop the bleeding and disinfect it, it will definitely get infected. If the wound doesn’t heal, more and more of it will rot, and in the future, you won’t be able to walk, you’ll even have difficulty standing.”

"..."

From the fact that she had just risked her life to stand up on her own, it was easy to see how much she cared about this. Hearing this, her expression immediately changed, and her eyes showed some fear. Zhang Renfeng was indeed reckless, but he wasn't stupid; if necessary, he could understand people very well.

“I can help you, but not for free.” Zhang Renfeng took out several bottles and jars from his satchel and placed them on the table. These were given to him by Qiu Yun before Zhu Kuilong left. In addition to the pills themselves, they also included the refining recipes for each type of pill.

"I have no money." She said this, but the girl's expression softened considerably. The other person explained the price of helping her, which made her feel much better.

"It's free. I have a few questions for you in a moment. Whether you know the answer or not, just answer me honestly. That would be a great help to me."

Zhang Renfeng squatted down, his hands, strong enough to use boulders and logs as weapons, gently unwrapping the gauze from the girl's legs.

"...Gwen."

“Gwen Swan.” She finally gave her name, but that was all. The continued blood loss from her leg was starting to make her dizzy. She raised her hand and pointed to a cabinet not far away. “There are clean bandages, gauze and medicine in there.”

Before she could finish speaking, Aliya had already run over and opened the cabinet.

----

“This…” From the beginning, Theon had remained silent, instead studying the prosthetic leg in the corner. As a gunsmith at the forefront of his time, he had a thorough understanding of firearms structure, and guns, to put it bluntly, were a type of military equipment. After nearly ten minutes of observation, the legendary gunsmith finally confirmed one thing.

The person who could make this prosthetic leg would definitely not stay cooped up in this mere Fengxi Harbor.

"Who did it?"

"What, you want to wear it too?" Gwen endured the almost burning pain on her thigh after being disinfected with alcohol, and her forehead was covered in a mixture of rain and sweat, but she still managed to force a cold smile at him. "If you like it, I'll give it to you."

"As far as prostheses are concerned, the ingenuity of this creation surpasses any previous one I have seen. The only drawback... is that it is ultimately not bone and flesh, but a piece of metal. Especially after water gets in, it will cause internal wear and tear. The designer is well aware of this, and all parts are detachable for easy disassembly and maintenance. If he develops more suitable parts, he can also remove the original parts and replace them."

"The boundless imagination, the extremely bold design, the lifelike imitation, and the meticulous craftsmanship... all blend together seamlessly, like a manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci."

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

Zhang Renfeng's impression of Theon had always been that of a somewhat quiet, technically skilled individual. Since his arrival, there was no need to worry about firearms in the camp—every time they engaged in combat, he would seize weapons from his opponents. He would then assemble them, taking parts from these weapons and creating modified versions with just the right power and feel.

Of course, when combat prowess is needed, he becomes a formidable warrior capable of slaughtering his way through enemy lines. Against the Cold Cicada Gang, he achieved an impressive feat of holding his own against multiple opponents without falling behind.

The fact that it transformed him from a taciturn man into a chatterbox is enough to show that this prosthetic leg is indeed of considerable value.

Realizing that Theon was serious, Gwen didn't mock him anymore. She just lowered her eyes and her tone became somewhat uncertain. "I don't know who that person is. They call him 'Tao.' He seems to be quite young and wears a pair of glasses with a very strong prescription."

"Tao..."

Theon repeated the name, searching his memory, but to no avail.

"'Them'?" Zhang Renfeng seized on another key word in the sentence. "Who are they? Did someone hire Tao to put this prosthetic leg on you?"

He trusted Theon's judgment; the fact that Theon praised the prosthetic limb so highly spoke volumes about its value. Something of such high value was clearly beyond Gwen's means; someone must be willing to invest heavily in her. And based on his experience, businessmen never invest for nothing; they always expect a substantial return.

But... what would a girl with only one leg possibly want from her?

Zhang Renfeng's intuition told him that they were getting close to the center of the fog.

However, Gwen chose to remain silent on this crucial issue.

"You're here to find someone, right?"

“Yes, we’re looking for a girl named Penny,” Xiaomei said quickly. “Have you seen her? She should be a dark-haired girl, about the same age as Aliya, and looks something like this…”

She opened her little notebook, about to turn to that page to show her the sketch she had drawn based on Penny's mother's dictation, but she was waved away, forcibly interrupting her.

“You helped me…even though I never asked for it…”

Gwen lowered her head slightly, looking at Zhang Renfeng who was wiping away the blood and applying ointment to her wound, and said in a somewhat complicated and awkward tone, "Thank you."

"I let you in simply so you could take shelter from the rain, that's all."

"You should leave after the rain stops."

Looking out at the heavy rain, she murmured, "After leaving, never come back."

Chapter 294: The rain was too loud, I couldn't hear clearly (Part 21)

"What do you mean by that?" Zhang Renfeng raised an eyebrow. "I'll help you, you help me, didn't we just agree on that?"

“I’m helping you.” Gwen bit her lip, seemingly annoyed by his “ungratefulness.” “I’m saving your life! Can’t you see? The waters here are deep. Bounty hunters like you are living a life of constant danger. But this isn’t even that. There are only four or five of you bounty hunters. After killing you, we can just throw you into the sea and no one will care.”

This surprised Zhang Renfeng somewhat.

Whether it's Castor or Orlock, they are both insidious threats. Since entering Windhaven, Gwen was the first person to bring the situation to the surface and explain it to him.

"Why?" Zhang Renfeng spread his hands, his tone even more incredulous. "I haven't done anything wrong. A child got lost, and I was hired by her mother to help her go home and reunite with her parents. That's just a matter of course! I don't understand why, on my very first day here, the people are making things difficult for me and even skinning the child's father alive?!"

"What's wrong with this godforsaken place?"

"..."

Gwen lowered her head slightly, glancing away. "Don't ask anymore."

"why?"

"Don't ask me that! How could I possibly tell you?" Gwen clenched her fists, tears welling in her eyes. "You have no idea what you're going to face. How long can you stay here? Five days? Ten days? At most half a month, then you'll pack up and leave, and I'll have to stay here."

“Perhaps we don’t need to.” Zhang Renfeng changed the gauze and smiled slightly. All his previous pressure was just to repeat the same trick. “Perhaps we can all have other options.”

The same two familiar business cards he used when persuading the bait shop owner.

“I know the mayor of White Torch Town and the mayor of Saint Quintak City. They both owe me favors.”

"As long as I make a call, I can arrange a place for you to stay very quickly, not one of these heavily polluted places that is almost uninhabitable."

“…White Torch Town?” Gwen’s reaction was more exaggerated than expected; her pupils dilated instantly, and her shoulders trembled heavily.

“Yes.” Zhang Renfeng nodded. “Have you been there? It’s a very nice city. If I had to compare, Saint Quintak is more prosperous, but I think White Torch Town has more development potential. I know more people there. I can ask Hargunda to get you and Aliya a house there…”

"boom----"

A faint explosion came from outside the window, breaking the conversation.

At that very moment, Gwen was so frightened that her whole body went limp, and her straight back suddenly went limp, causing her to fall straight forward.

"What's wrong with you? Are you okay?"

Zhang Renfeng could only hold her close, completely bewildered. She was perfectly fine just a moment ago, how could she suddenly become unwell while they were chatting? Looking at her, her face was pale, her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and she kept muttering something. The proud and resilient girl from before seemed to have vanished without a trace.

“Something’s wrong. That wasn’t thunder.” Theon stood up abruptly, and based on his years of absolute control over self-developed weapons, he made the judgment: “It was the sound of a grenade exploding.”

"Grenade?"

Fengxi Port is only so big. It would be too far-fetched to think that a second force would suddenly appear out of nowhere, using the same cutting-edge weapons as the Red Center Gang.

"It's the chief; they've run into the Rams gang."

Zhang Renfeng's expression changed. He knew all too well which was more important, and immediately picked up Gwen and gently placed her on the bed. This time, the girl didn't stop him. Ever since she uttered the words "White Torch Town," she seemed to have lost her soul, drifting into a completely different time and space.

He had a premonition that this place, or at least the people from this place, had caused her some serious trauma.

Perhaps it has something to do with her legs.

Unfortunately, time is of the essence now, and he has no time to delve deeper.

"Don't think about these things now, just get some rest," he said in a deep voice. "We'll talk again next time we meet."

----

Let's go back in time a little.

Side of the Hagen Mountains.

In the raccoon cave.

……

"What a disappointment. Just a few coins. I was hoping to make a fortune." A member of the Skinning Gang with a cleft lip sighed, emptied all the money from his wallet, and found not a single US dollar, only a dozen or so coins. He cursed, "Penny-pincher!"

"I bet that guy spent all his money on hiring people, right? Those five bounty hunters were hired by him."

"Ha, bounty hunters? Give me a break. Have you ever seen a bounty hunter team with this kind of setup?" someone sneered. "A yellow-skinned foreigner, an Indian, and two little girls who haven't even grown their hair yet. They'd be better off running a circus."

“They don’t get along with Custer. If they stay here, sooner or later Custer will have us deal with them. It’s best not to let Iron Bucket get involved. He likes to crush people’s heads and make things pointless.”

"Did you see her? The one with the scar on her face, that figure... tsk tsk... no amount of clothing can hide it." A smile forced onto the cleft lip, and he rubbed his hands together, saying with an air of seriousness, "Trust me, if you're going to find someone, find this kind, she'll make you feel like you're in heaven."

"I actually prefer the other one. He looks thin and small, and he has short hair, like a boy."

“Of course, Mr. Mayhew, you just love to ‘break down doors,’ don’t you?”

"Hahahaha—!!!"

……