Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

With a major battle looming, this is the time to unite people's hearts and minds. Why is his behavior so unpredictable?

“I know…I know!” Jimmy shouted. “There’s a mechanism under the stage, a secret passage!”

In that instant, it felt as if an electric current had passed through my brain.

A chill ran through my body, rising from my heels and shooting straight to the top of my head.

Igor shuddered, the alcohol turning into cold sweat that seeped from his body and covered his forehead.

Chapter 373: Catching a turtle in a jar?

At midnight, a faint white mist swirled around the town, resembling several ghostly figures.

For the sake of concealment, Zhang Renfeng didn't carry his 70-kilogram broadsword, only some light weapons and a satchel full of grenades. He sneaked in from the side, bypassing the towering watchtowers and patrolling sentries in front, devising a route as inconspicuous as possible—passing through the farmland of Tianma Town. Under the cover of night, the vegetation became his perfect camouflage; he didn't even need to crouch. He hardly saw any patrolling sentries, and even if there were, they seemed to just make a token appearance, carrying lanterns, walking from one side to the other, and then returning the same way.

Zhang Renfeng couldn't help but wonder why their defenses were so lax. Did they have absolute confidence that they wouldn't launch a night attack?

However, with a great responsibility at hand, he didn't think too much about it and continued walking through the field, keeping his head down. Some small cracks in the soil caught his attention, and he then noticed what crops were growing in this field.

"Tobacco...tsk, these bastards..." Zhang Renfeng squatted down, picked up a small clump of soil with his fingers, rubbed it in his hand a few times, smelled it, and showed a somewhat disdainful expression, "Such good land, all wasted!"

Tobacco, once planted, rapidly depletes the nutrients and fertility of a field. A perfectly good field can be dried up in just a few years. Theoretically, after planting tobacco for one season, other crops can be planted in between to allow the soil to recover its fertility. This cycle of planting one or two seasons in rotation is the only way to ensure long-term sustainability.

The Zolael family, however, didn't consider these issues. Or rather, most plantation owners were like that, planting like madmen. After all, tobacco was incredibly profitable; if it were grown by slaves, it would be a zero-cost, high-profit business. Missing a season's planting meant missing out on a season's earnings, something plantation owners absolutely couldn't tolerate.

As for land, once one plot is exhausted, you can just find another. This is also why tobacco fields spread so rapidly.

In stark contrast to the vast expanse of farmland are the small wooden houses tucked away in the corner.

The cheaply bought slave laborers were crammed into this small wooden hut like pigs and dogs. They were thin and ragged, basically the same kind of slave laborers Zhang Renfeng had seen in the Shepherd Wolf Gang's cellar, the result of being sold to the plantation.

They are engaged in strenuous physical labor all day long, and their only entertainment and rest is sleep at night. Only during this time can they escape from their cramped, prison-like beds and their arduous lives. Or rather... for them, there is no such thing as "life" at all, only the endless cycle of labor.

"Ugh……"

Zhang Renfeng felt conflicted. He sighed and unconsciously quickened his pace, finally reaching the edge of the planting field.

On the muddy road, the deep tire tracks guided him the way.

The weight of the cannon would cause the carriage wheels to sink deep into the mud, much deeper than ordinary carriage ruts. They brought out the cannon this afternoon, and the ruts hadn't been completely covered up yet; they were still quite noticeable if you looked closely.

Now, Zhang Renfeng no longer needed to waste time searching for the cannon's hiding place; he only needed to follow the direction of the wheel tracks and walk forward.

Just to be on the safe side, he continued to run quickly between houses, switching between cover as he went. He was willing to sacrifice some speed to ensure concealment. But in fact, he felt that even walking straight through wouldn't seem to pose a problem, since there wasn't a soul on the street.

Zhang Renfeng continued his ascent, and without any suspense, at the end of the tire tracks stood a towering building that combined a fortress, a sentry post, and a mansion into one. It stood silently in the mist, like a silent giant. Zhang Renfeng finally understood why Tuku had built a fortified mansion even in this remote, desolate mountain valley; after all that, it was something he'd learned from his hometown.

The tire tracks disappeared at the doorway, and the door was tightly closed, which made Zhang Renfeng even more suspicious.

They transported the cannons into the mansion, closed the door, but what were they going to bomb?

With ease, Zhang Renfeng leaped onto the wall in four steps and gracefully vaulted into the mansion, landing silently.

"Oh my God……"

The interior was far more spectacular than imagined, almost like a medium-sized manor.

Once you get here, it's completely different from the muddy roads outside.

The lawn and stone bricks paving the ground, the exquisite cobblestone paths, the flower fields vying for attention with their vibrant colors, the fountain standing in the center of the courtyard, and the stone sculpture of a galloping horse in the distance... it was nothing short of extravagant. As if to flaunt the wealth of the Zola El family, countless details were piled up on this paradise that belonged to them.

Quiet.

It's so quiet.

Such an important mansion, yet not a single member of the Thunder Fury Gang was patrolling, not one at all.

As far as the eye could see, there were only a few cannons, standing quietly in a corner of the courtyard—they were simply arranged together in an ordinary way, without any consideration for their position, range, or angle.

It's as if they're just a few model toys, and since I didn't know where to put them, I just randomly found a spot, put them in a row, and will deal with them when I remember them.

Looking around, all I could see were cannons, but no cannonballs.

In other words, these cannons were not prepared to be deployed in battle at any time.

It seems that there is only one purpose for their presence here.

"What the hell..."

A strong sense of unease, or perhaps what could be called a beast-like intuition, sent a chill down his spine. Without any warning, Zhang Renfeng suddenly used his shoulder and neck muscles to twist his body almost half a circle, turning his neck and tilting his head to the side.

The next moment, a bullet whistled past his ear, almost grazing his temple, and shattered the stone bricks on the ground with a "bang".

----

"Oh? The rumors are actually true. Besides murderers, there are actually people who can dodge bullets..." On the rooftop shrouded in fog, Crow was only slightly astonished. He skillfully pulled back the bolt, ejected the spent cartridge, and continued to hold the gun up, muttering to himself expressionlessly, "Could it be that danger is like pain to them, something they can perceive with their senses?"

"However, it doesn't matter, Red Center..."

The gun barrel slowly extended, and the crosshairs of the scope locked onto Zhang Renfeng's head once more—he was wiping his face with his hand, his expression one of utter astonishment. It seemed that while the shot hadn't killed him, it had certainly drawn some blood.

“I thought I’d see a monster with three heads and six arms, a blue face and fangs.” Raven braced himself against the gun with his shoulder, sighed, and said with a hint of regret, “I didn’t expect that you would have neither the claws of a wolf, the hind hooves of a horse, nor the antlers of a deer, but just an ordinary yellow-skinned person.”

"I'm utterly disappointed."

Like a pianist, slender fingers gently rested on the trigger.

Just before he pressed the button, the crow suddenly sensed something was wrong. He heard a very familiar sound—a rifle bullet whistling through the air.

"boom!!"

The bullet pierced through the wooden plank, shattered the rifle in his hand, and went through his chest!

Chapter 374: What kind of demons and monsters are these?

"It missed. The bullet shattered his gun and deviated by about two centimeters, avoiding a fatal blow."

Angel Eyes didn't waste a second. After firing a shot, he decisively slid down the ladder from the top of the tallest windmill on the ranch, slung the rolling bolt rifle over his shoulder, and said, "The cannon is a trap. Red Center has been ambushed. The situation is very dangerous. We must launch an attack immediately."

……

Most people are stunned when faced with such an unexpected situation. Angel Eye, on the other hand, likes to cram a huge amount of information into just a few sentences, making it difficult for most to keep up. What most people are still wondering is, how did seeing cannons suddenly turn into a trap?

"Mr. Angel Eyes, can't you continue firing?" Xiaomei's voice was filled with anxiety, which was written all over the girl's face. "Mr. Red Center needs fire support!"

"Unfortunately, that shot wasn't fatal. The enemy sniper is still alive, which means my position has been exposed."

Angel Eyes spoke calmly. To him, the life-or-death struggle was like a game of chess. "I'm going to find other firing positions. As long as he can still move, he'll do the same. If I'm like a windmill, what awaits me is a bullet that comes from who knows where."

"So here's what happens next: I know the other side has a sniper. They also know we have a sniper. We'll be in a prolonged standoff, each trying to locate the other."

"Gunfire in the darkness is as conspicuous as mold on fruit. The moment you pull the trigger, your position will be exposed, and none of us will fire. He has already been shot, and although it's not fatal, if left untreated, the blood will keep flowing, and he will be the first to break down."

"Got it. That sniper is your problem." Mike took a deep breath, clapped his hands, and shouted, "Everyone! Attention, grab your weapons!"

"It's our turn to step in!"

----

"Доошоо, хурдан——! (Squat down, quickly!)"

That single shout instantly awakened something deep within Zhang Renfeng's memory. Memories of the Haiti era, like a summer thunderclap, struck the earth, leaving an indelible mark. Although Zhang Renfeng couldn't understand what he was saying, the pronunciation and enunciation were no different from what he remembered, and he immediately recognized the origin of the language.

"Mongolian?"

However, upon further reflection, since I'm already in the west, what's so strange about suddenly hearing Mongolian?

"Ha ha ha ha---!"

The next moment, an extremely arrogant laugh rang out from above, and a lithe figure flew out like an arrow, suddenly leaping down from the height, clearly intending to kill you head-on.

In a fleeting glance, Zhang Renfeng met a pair of incredibly crazed eyes, completely out of place in this era of gunfire and civilization.

“qi odoo minih——!! (You are mine now)”

The weapon in his hand was a curved sickle, which combined weight and sharpness. As he roared excitedly, the sickle swung down, heading straight for Zhang Renfeng's neck!

"when--!!"

"..."

Blood Guard's pupils dilated slightly.

Zhang Renfeng neither dodged nor avoided, but instead used his right palm to meet the attack, firmly gripping the surface of the sickle with a "snap".

Five iron-forged fingers clasped together, the immense grip and finger strength rendering the blade as if it had cleaved into a crack in the rock, unable to move. This was the combat method that Old Zhang had summarized after so many years of actual combat, the one most suitable for him—no matter how fierce your knife or how fast your sword, if you can't swing it, it's as if it doesn't exist.

"Do you know where the limitations of swords and knives lie?" Zhang Renfeng looked into his eyes and asked slowly, "When you have a knife in your hand, you can only use a knife."

"Boom-!!"

Zhang Renfeng didn't give him a chance to speak. He controlled the scythe with his right hand, clenched his left fist, and punched him in the face! The fist was no less powerful than the weapon, hitting the bridge of his nose and knocking the Blood Guard's head back, blood and foam flying everywhere.

"..."

wrong.

Although there was some skin damage and bleeding, but...

so hard!

The force of the punch didn't really "hurt" him; it was like a decades-old tree that only had some bark knocked off by a single punch.

An ordinary person who took that blow would be like Zheng the Butcher after being punched a second time by Lu Zhishen—his nose would be covered in sauce, and he wouldn't be able to tell which way was which. But this guy in front of me still had the strength to wink at me and give me a rather strange smile.

He still gripped the scythe tightly in his hand.

A sharp, almost piercing whistle rang out from the spacious manor.

"Dong dong!"

"Dong dong!"

……

In an instant, a strong, powerful heartbeat, accompanied by a deep, angry roar, slammed into Zhang Renfeng's ears. This surprised him greatly—he had traveled all over the country for so long, seeing plenty of animals as large as demons, including elk, grizzly bears, and even jaguars, but he had never heard such a heartbeat before. It was no exaggeration to say that it sounded like a firecracker hitting the ground.

"boom----!!"

The perfectly good wall was smashed open, and out of it emerged a colossal beast covered in armor.

Zhang Renfeng had seen horse armor before, but this thing in front of him was in a completely different weight class. It was an adult North American bison that had been completely domesticated by Old K, raised like a warhorse, a "weapon" specially tailored for the battlefield.

It was a far cry from its docile demeanor towards Igor that morning, now growling angrily. After all, herd bison are not exactly docile animals. Even when facing predators, they will fight to the death. Perhaps Old K had simply stripped away their innate bestial instincts.

A layer of solid armor covered this massive body, which was as large as a small mountain.

Its panting was like thunder, and in extreme rage, the bison charged at him!

"Ha ha ha ha--!!"

Blood Guard laughed loudly, spat out the blood foam from the corner of his mouth, released his grip, and dodged to the side. "Enjoy the dance with the monster!"

……

The muscular mountain, encased in iron armor, displayed a level of mobility completely disproportionate to its massive size. With a single stride of its four hooves, it arrived before Zhang Renfeng in almost the blink of an eye.

"Roar----!!"

The sound it made didn't sound like a cow mooing; it was closer to the low growl of some wild beast that had been provoked and was now going berserk.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Looking at the small mountain rushing towards him, Zhang Renfeng felt for the first time what it meant to feel oppressed.

weight?

speed?

power?

There is none that can compare.

Given the absolute difference in volume, it seems that no amount of skill can compensate for it.

He instinctively assumed a horse stance, trying to sink his center of gravity into the ground to withstand the impending impact.

……

"Thump—!!"

His vision receded rapidly, the surrounding scenery and objects appearing as black lines across his field of vision. Only then did he barely realize what had happened—he had been knocked away by a single blow, and this enraged, savage beast still had no intention of letting him go, charging wildly towards the direction he had landed!

A black-skinned Native American sat on the back of a bison.