Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

The sound of wind.

The sound of cave creatures crawling on the rock walls.

And... a faint heartbeat lurking not far from the corner of the cave. The person had already sensed their presence, held their breath, and pressed their body against the rock wall, trying to use the coldness and thickness of the rock to make themselves feel safe—this is also one of the subconscious survival instincts of humans. If they were in the wild, wild beasts might pounce from behind, so a sufficiently sturdy cover, such as trees or rocks, would help prevent an attack from behind.

There are actually people at the bottom of a pitch-black mine?!

"do not move!"

Zhang Renfeng roared, immediately drew his Volcano Pistol, strode forward, kicked aside the broken wooden crate blocking his way, and rushed past the corner of the tunnel.

Zhang Tito leaned against the rock wall, curled up like a little hamster, a veil covering his mouth and nose, looking at him timidly.

Chapter 340: Well then, wish your descendants good luck.

"You're also surnamed Zhang?!" Zhang Renfeng's expression changed several times, first his mind went blank and his mouth opened slightly, then he was astonished, and finally he was pleasantly surprised, "Really...?"

"Shh—" The assistant held up a finger, making a shushing gesture, and whispered, "Keep your voice down. The mine's structure is very unstable. If you shout here, something might collapse."

Zhang Renfeng then realized that this place was different from the surface; a shout here could echo for a long time in the mine, the echo lasting for several minutes. He was afraid that the sound would really cause a collapse, so he quickly covered his mouth, but the excitement and pleasure in his eyes still lingered.

In such a secluded place, encountering someone to talk to is already something to be happy about. Not to mention, this person even shares the same surname as him; the probability of such a coincidence is beyond Old Zhang's ability to describe.

For a while, he was a little worried that the girl in front of him might be a figment of his imagination because he was too lonely.

After all… when I was practicing, my master had taught me the “method of visualization.” Simply put, it’s about constructing things through imagination to aid in your cultivation. For example, when running, imagine a wild beast like a lion or tiger chasing you from behind. My master once remarked that my visualization abilities were “beyond ordinary people.”

But he quickly dismissed this doubt, because one can imagine anything except knowledge; one cannot imagine knowledge that one does not even know.

Do you have a mask or similar item on you?

"Yes, why?" Zhang Renfeng looked curiously at the face mask on her face. "We're not here to rob anyone, why are you wearing this?"

“You really didn’t prepare at all before coming down here…” Zhang Tito shook his head helplessly and explained, “The arsenic content in the mine air is too high, it’s toxic.”

"what!"

Zhang Renfeng quickly took out his red mask and put it on his head to keep the poisonous air out of his mouth and nose. "What... amount?"

His vocabulary is more than enough for everyday spoken communication, but he struggles with technical terms.

"Arsenic. Realgar, you know? It's also found in arsenic trioxide, and it's a deadly poison to humans."

Zhang Tito took out a lamp hanging from his waist, turned on the knob, and emitted a strange and clear light that was different from that of a kerosene lamp. "I asked many people in town, and their symptoms were similar—their hands and feet felt weak from time to time, they felt dizzy and couldn't pinpoint where they felt uncomfortable, and many people had skin problems. These are all precursors to varying degrees of arsenic poisoning."

"Such a large-scale arsenic poisoning incident can only be caused by the water source. I investigated the nearby water sources, and the river originates in this mountain, probably an underground river or something similar. I wanted to investigate further, so I started from the entrance of the mine tunnel... Ah!"

The girl intended to jump over the crevice in front of her, but because it was too high, she slipped and her left foot was swallowed by the crevice.

At the critical moment, Zhang Renfeng grabbed her wrist and pulled her up steadily.

"Phew... thank you..."

On the surface, it might just appear to be a small crack, but if no one catches it in time, it could be enough to send the girl plummeting through. The dark space below filled the girl with dread and lingering fear.

Just a little bit.

It was just a fraction of a second away from being swallowed whole by that enormous monster.

"Would you like to rest for a while?" Zhang Renfeng glanced at the pocket watch he carried with him and suggested, "We don't know how deep it is down there yet."

"No, no need..." The girl composed herself, grabbed the rock wall, and stood up with some difficulty. "The longer we stay here, the more harmful it will be to our bodies. Let's hurry down to the bottom, find out the cause of the pollution, and get out as soon as possible."

----

"The flame inside that lantern you're carrying doesn't flicker at all." On one hand, being underground and finally having someone to talk to amplifies the urge to confide. On the other hand, Zhang Renfeng is genuinely more curious about these strange and unusual things than others. "How does that work?"

“This is an electric light,” Zhang Tito said softly. “It’s different from a kerosene lamp.”

Zhang Renfeng was stunned for several seconds, then stammered, "Electric...light?"

"Yes, the light bulb," the assistant said with great confidence. "Soon, this invention will definitely change the whole world."

"Science is wonderful..."

For Lao Zhang, this was an entirely new and unfamiliar term. Because in his hometown, there was absolutely no fertile ground for it to take root and flourish.

As for the name "Tao," he did have a vague recollection of it; Gwen's incredibly beautiful and lifelike prosthetic leg was made by him. And right now, this lantern, shining like a small sun in the mine, further enhanced Zhang Renfeng's impression of him.

What's it like being a scientist's assistant? Is it tiring?

"Sigh, don't even mention it." Mentioning it only made things worse. The assistant sighed, her voice tinged with a hint of complaint, "I feel like I'm a tuning fork, you know? He vibrates once, and I have to vibrate too. Basically, he asks a question, I answer it, and then based on my answer, he asks another question, and I answer that too..."

"By the time I've had all that knowledge left in my body and I'm left in an awkward position, he'll have pretty much figured out the problem."

"And another thing! I had to help him raise funds for his lab. For that little bit of money, I drove all the way from Granite State to New Austin, pulling strings and begging, and finally managed to get some money, which he then spent in a week! I... I can't even wash my own clothes, I drink coffee like it's water, and I'm tinkering away all night long. He doesn't sleep while I need to get some rest! And last time, I asked him to make me a bowl of curry, and he mixed up the sugar and salt! My God!! The thing he made was just..."

At some point, the description of the job turned into a constant stream of complaints about the employer.

Zhang Renfeng deduced that this "Mr. Tao" was probably a very intelligent person, but not very good at life.

However, although the girl's words were full of complaints, the smile in her eyes did not lie.

“That’s great,” Zhang Renfeng exclaimed. “Whether it’s science or anything else… being able to do what you love, just that alone puts you ahead of 99% of the world’s population.”

Zhang Tito couldn't help but laugh out loud, jokingly saying, "You sound just like my dad; he often says the same thing to me."

“But… my grandfather didn’t think so. He always felt that my journey was too far, too far, too far from home.”

----

As someone who had also left his hometown, Zhang Renfeng deeply understood this feeling.

Blood ties require constant communication; even if blood is thicker than water, kinship can gradually fade when separated by an ocean.

“Don’t blame your grandfather, he just…” Zhang Renfeng didn’t know whether he should judge other people’s family affairs, but since he had already started, he might as well say it all, “This is just the love between grandparents and grandchildren, he loves you too much and doesn’t want you to leave.”

"Grandparental love?" Zhang Tito suddenly turned his head and stared at him for a while.

Under the bright lights, the girl's figure, for some reason, became somewhat elusive.

"And you? Are you like this too?"

"I'm not at the point where I need to think about such things yet," Zhang Renfeng said with a smile, shaking his head. "Don't even mention grandchildren, I don't even have a son. I'm almost thirty, isn't that a bit of a failure?"

By the standards of that era, it was more than just a failure; being thirty years old and still without an heir was practically unfilial. However, the things Old Zhang did were so astonishing that they couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.

In comparison, the fact that he had no offspring at thirty seemed insignificant, and he just casually mentioned it as a joke.

However, the girl's expression beneath the veil didn't seem to suggest she was taking it as a joke.

Her expression was extremely serious, as if the fate of the entire world had reached a turning point at this moment. "No matter... what kind of person he is, will you love him without reservation?"

"of course."

For Zhang Renfeng, this was more like a casual promise. Before having a child of his own, he couldn't truly understand the responsibilities that come with being a "father."

However, upon hearing those two words, Zhang Tito sighed with relief.

It seemed that something had truly settled down in her heart.

"Then... I wish your descendants good luck."

Chapter 341: Miss Zhang, the Designated Flag Bearer

"Boss, are you sure it's okay for us to just come in like this? I heard... over in Gaoshu, there's a group of Native Americans who practice a kind of magic called 'voodoo.' Just like the pharaoh's corpse in the pyramids, the explorers who came out of there were fine at first, but after a few months, they started dying one after another, and the ways they died were all bizarre and gruesome!"

The younger brother looked around nervously, shrinking his neck. The room's decor was already somewhat eerie; there were no gas lamps, and all lighting came from natural light. Add to that the lifelike deer and wolf head specimens on the walls, and it sent chills down his spine.

Even adults would be terrified if they came into this room, let alone these little ones.

"What if, I mean, what if, this Native American happens to be this type..."

"Shorty, sometimes I really have to admire you. You're so scared, why did you still dare to come along?"

At least among these children, Leo certainly had the air of a great leader.

She appeared calm and collected, rummaging through drawers and cabinets, searching for things in the room, while still having the energy to soothe her companion's emotions in a slightly teasing way, "I thought that besides being a big talker, you were a person with real skills."

"Of course I have real skills!" the dwarf said somewhat indignantly. "But... how can you be so sure that what we're looking for is here? Besides, what are we looking for if we break into someone else's house?"

Leo rolled his eyes and said irritably, "If you could act as fast as you talk, we'd be on our way back already."

……

She couldn't answer the dwarf's question in detail because she herself wasn't entirely sure of the answer.

As for going down into the mine, Leo knew very well that he didn't have the ability, and he figured Zhang Renfeng wouldn't agree to take him along.

But besides the mine, the only other thing mentioned in last night's conversation that seemed rather strange was this village. She wanted to come to this village to find possible clues to prove that the health problems of the town's people were indeed related to water pollution.

Interestingly, upon arrival, I discovered that the village was very different from what I had imagined. Not only were there no people, but there wasn't even a sound from animals; it was quieter than the darkest corner of a dark alley.

Every household had its doors tightly shut, and a strange, putrid stench wafted from the ground.

These children are too young to understand what death tastes like. The idea of ​​life withering away, slowly rotting and dying in a neglected corner, is still far, far away for them.

In such an environment, the only source of sound becomes particularly clear—it is a cry for help that is extremely weak.

Following the sound, Leo found a man with his hands and feet bound in the backyard of a very fancy house.

He was the hunter that Zhang Renfeng and his group rescued at the very beginning.

Since the "exorcism" ceremony last night, he had been left in this house, where the Native Americans were supposed to provide further calming treatment. However, the sudden appearance of a pack of rabid dogs caught the master off guard, and no one came to his aid.

This guy was tied up, starved all night, and the hunger brought him back to his senses from a semi-mad state.

Leo shared some food with him, and he was moved to tears, revealing everything he knew: the curse, the disease, the sudden visit of Zhang Renfeng and others, and the true owner of the house, including his "treatment" of him last night.

After listening, Leo immediately realized that there was definitely something wrong with this Native American!

"What if you're overthinking it?" the dwarf continued rambling on. "What if he's just a tribal wizard with magical powers who can see into the past and future..."

Leo interrupted him rudely, asking while searching for something, "If you had $5 in your pocket, but I'm sick and need that $5 to buy medicine, would you give it to me?"

"Of course!" the short man said with a fawning smile. "For the boss, I'd go through fire and water, no matter what..."

"What if it's someone you don't know at all? Like in a dark alley, where you can see snotty-nosed kids who'll cut your pockets with a knife and steal coins. If they're sick and need the money, would you give it to them?"

"Huh? What a joke!" The short man immediately panicked, clutching his pocket tightly, as if he were really going to use his meager savings to help others in the next second. "I don't care if those little bastards live or die."

"Look, here it is... This Native American has absolutely no connection with the locals. Even if what he says is true—cursed land, dark forces, the eyes of demons in the forest, blah blah blah—why should he offer to perform free exorcisms for the people of this village? This place is dirt poor; there's no way they can pay him, is there?"

The dwarf looked thoughtful.

"Logan often tells me that the first thing a scammer says is often 'It's for your own good.'"

……

“Boss!” Kalai, the unfortunate little boy whose hand was pecked and throat struck by Zhang Renfeng’s eagle yesterday, called out in a still hoarse voice, “I found… a box under his bed!”

"bump!"

None of them had any proper lock-picking skills, so Leo simply pulled out his dagger, embedded the tip of the blade into the corner of the box, and forcibly pried it open.

The box didn't contain US dollars or bonds, but a neat stack of manuscripts.

“Come on,” Kalai gave the dwarf a push on the back. “It’s time for you to step up.”

"Let me make this clear first, I don't know many words, and this thing looks pretty professional..." Despite saying this, the short man still took the papers, pointed at them with his fingers, and identified each word one by one. "This looks like an agreement, the kind that needs to be signed. I've heard my dad mention that signing it means transferring all power."

"With Laro Ezmond Zolael as my fair witness and guarantor, I hereby express my sincere condolences regarding this... collapse incident, and its subsequent impact on physical health... what? Including, but not limited to, skin damage, tissue alteration, nerve... burns?"

"...abandoning all related responsibilities, and expressing knowledge and consent to the construction of coal mines and factories downstream, and willing to transfer all rights related to the land to the relevant parties free of charge..."

----

"Roannock Fuel Company?"

Deep in the mine, Zhang Renfeng finally found a trace left by human intervention: a wooden box lying on the ground. The writing on it was already blurred, but after wiping it, it could still be barely made out.

"It's a mining company that specializes in excavating coal mines..."

Zhang Tito squinted and muttered, "That makes sense. This wasn't an accident at all; it was a man-made disaster."

Beside the two, in the quietly flowing underground river, lay several similar boxes. Unlike the broken wooden box on the bank, these were filled with coal mine slag.

The water flow washed over them, and the originally clean stream instantly became extremely turbid!

"These bastards..." Zhang Renfeng had never felt so angry. He clenched his fists so tightly that they cracked, and strode forward to move the boxes out of the underground river.

"Snapped!"

Unwittingly, Zhang Tito's attention was also drawn to the wooden box in the river. Without paying much attention, he instinctively grabbed the man's wrist and pulled him to a stop.