Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

She held up one finger. "First, you'll be very hungry, very, very hungry! When you first woke up, you felt like you were starving, right? That's because the energy production valve was temporarily shut off, and your muscles consumed a huge amount of energy in a short period of time. Where there's output, there's input, and your instincts will make you frantically search for food, just like you did just now."

"At that point, it won't be as easy to suppress the hunger by eating two large bowls of mutton... This terrible hunger will accompany you for the rest of your life! In other words, you will be tormented by it for the rest of your life, constantly searching for food."

Zhang Renfeng couldn't help but shudder. In the stories his elders had told him, he seemed to have found the prototype.

The so-called six realms of reincarnation, being cast into the hungry ghost realm, is nothing more than this, isn't it?

"Second, you will become very thin. Because no matter how much you eat, the efficiency of food conversion into energy cannot keep up with the rate at which your muscles consume energy. In other words, no matter how much you eat, you will never feel full, and you will lose weight rapidly—eventually becoming skin and bones, with strong veins clinging to your skin, and your eyes bulging out of their sockets."

"Third, you will gradually lose yourself. Most of your energy will be supplied to the muscles of this body, leaving less for the brain. Before long, you will become unable to think, and your intelligence will deteriorate significantly, possibly regressing to the state of a six or seven-year-old child."

……

Zhang Renfeng finally learned what it meant to "there's nothing new under the sun."

Infinitely powerful.

Skinny.

Hunger is burning inside me.

And... a childlike nature.

Time flies, and that familiar figure has already left its mark on the scroll of history.

The thought of Li Yuanba's ultimate fate completely dispelled his idea. "In other words, next, I'll have to..."

“It’s not that you’re going to turn into Lin Daiyu, don’t be so extreme.” Zhang Tito waved his hand. “The power that your body can mobilize is much stronger than that of an average person. There will definitely be an exact number. I estimate it should be between 700kg and 1000kg. Only when it exceeds that number will it trigger that wild state.”

"As for the specific 'degree', that's up to you to determine."

It's like dancing in shackles.

Zhang Renfeng couldn't bring himself to say it, so he could only give a wry smile to indicate his agreement.

He looked at his clenched fists, lost in thought.

Chapter 387: Chess and Go

"you……"

Upon seeing Zhang Renfeng emerge from the room, the chief immediately stood up, but he hadn't yet decided what to say, as he appeared perfectly normal.

The two seemed like completely different people, unlike the wild creature who had just held a Gatling gun in his hand and swung it around like a stick.

"Did she heal you?" Angel Eyes, sitting calmly in the chair, asked casually in a conversational tone.

"Hmm, just a small problem." Before coming out, Zhang Renfeng carefully wiped his mouth and face, trying to look as energetic as possible, and forced a smile. "Is it just the two of you?"

"The others wanted to come too, but Mike stopped them. We need people to guard the main battlefield."

Seeing that he seemed to have recovered, the chief breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this gang was built around Hong Zhong, and he was undoubtedly its pillar. If something had happened to him, it would have been questionable whether the remaining members could have continued the gang, let alone finish this battle.

"He did the right thing."

"So, what did she do to you?" Angel Eyes tilted his head slightly as he looked at Zhang Tito's back. "I heard from Hummingbird that you were almost like a wild beast just now, showing a lot of destructiveness and aggression."

"I'm very curious how a woman who can't even kill a chicken managed to subdue you and turn you back to normal."

……

“There’s one more thing.” Zhang Tito gripped his wrist, her tone, eyes, and micro-expressions all conveying that she was not joking. Right now, she was even more serious than when she saw those abandoned slags in the mine’s water source. “Once we leave this room, you must not let anyone else know what I’ve said or done to you.”

"I don't want any reward, I just have one request, can you agree to that?"

In this world, we're all just strangers who meet by chance, and everyone has their own secrets.

Old Zhang's consistent principle has always been not to interfere too much in other people's secrets, and he even applies this principle to his own gang members.

Needless to say, this applies even more to a complete stranger you've just met.

Ultimately, it was someone who had done me a huge favor, and now they were asking for a small one in return. I had no reason to refuse.

Since he had promised her beforehand, Zhang Renfeng didn't answer the question. Instead, he grabbed a bottle of tequila from the table, flicked it with his finger, and shaved off the part above the bottle opening with a single stroke.

He tilted his head back and gulped down half the bottle in one go, as if drinking water. With each swallow, the intense flavor exploded on his taste buds. After finishing that sip, he felt as if he had finally returned to the world of the living; his tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed, and he let out a heavy sigh.

Angel Eyes seemed to know he didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't press the matter further.

"What's the situation up ahead? Have they taken it?"

"When we left, they had already advanced quite a bit. The Thunder Gang's defenses had been breached, and they were retreating. The town of Rongma behind them was just a small territory with very densely packed buildings. If they retreated any further, they would be retreating all the way to Mexico."

"but……"

The chief hesitated for a moment, then said, "Because you're not here, no one dares to advance. We've temporarily set up a base in that mansion, waiting for you to take charge."

“There’s bad news too,” Angel Eyes said in a low voice. “We didn’t catch Laro. That guy is cunning. He was always out of our sight, remotely commanding his men like a messenger. Realizing something was wrong, he retreated with his men before the entire line collapsed. Apparently, he left his son, Eugene Ezmond Zolael, to cover their retreat.”

"When I left, the two sides were exchanging fire, but in my experience, the other side was just a greenhorn. It wouldn't be long before Il-Ilan led his team to take him down."

"call……"

Hearing this answer, Zhang Renfeng felt a mixture of joy and worry.

Overall, everything proceeded smoothly even in my absence. There was no situation where the entire operation collapsed immediately upon the general's departure.

Sadly... this Thunder Angry Gang is far more difficult to deal with than I imagined.

Zhang Renfeng had absolute confidence in the gang members he recruited; they were a veritable "gathering of talents," none of them were just there for show. With this fighting force, they should be like a sharp knife, piercing straight to the enemy's heart, killing them instantly.

In contrast, the Zolael family's "star fighters" in terms of force were nothing more than Rancho, the bald brothers, and the four mercenaries from the Golden Company, all of whom had already been dealt with one by one. Under these circumstances, the Thunder Fury Gang was able to maintain the stalemate for an entire night before finally surrendering Tianma Town and retreating to Rongma Town.

To use an imperfect analogy, the pieces under the Red Center Gang are like chess pieces, each with its own unique purpose. But the pieces under the Thunder Gang are like Go pieces, with no distinction of rank or status. Laro, relying on his masterful control of the terrain, divided the battlefield into small sections, creating opportunities to outnumber the enemy.

They'll surround you and eat you up!

With his superb understanding of tactics and strategy, Laro managed to stay calm and collected throughout the night through skillful maneuvering.

"How many of them...are left?"

“It’s impossible to verify.” Angel Eyes shook his head slightly. “However, we can roughly estimate the number of people we’ve lost. The Thunder Fury Gang has some more advanced weapons, so the casualty rate is higher than we initially estimated.”

"In that case, there's no time to waste." Zhang Renfeng frowned slightly, and without wasting a second, decisively waved his hand, "Let's go!"

----

"What do you think?" Mike asked, hiding behind a bunker in the corner, holding binoculars and carefully observing the mansions not far away.

Just minutes earlier, a barrage of gunfire had erupted from inside, raining bullets down on them. Those were the Thunder Gang's rearguard, and to be on the safe side, Mike didn't charge in again. Instead, he instructed everyone to set up camp and rest where they were.

A seasoned veteran, he knows exactly what to do and when.

Even without statistics, he knew that the casualty rate in this battle at Chongtianma Town had subtly exceeded what people could accept. Even though everyone had made solemn promises when they joined, whether morale could be maintained in this life-or-death situation depended on that one moment.

These people were originally from ordinary backgrounds, and their fighting spirit wasn't particularly strong. If they were forced to continue charging forward, they might just be crushed under the pressure.

They need to be given time to rest.

The other side seemed to know this too, and deliberately left some men behind to cover their retreat, attempting to use "firepower" to force them to retreat.

But just minutes ago, the gunfire and bullets suddenly stopped. Separated by a cloud of dust, the other side was utterly silent; not a sound could be heard.

"Maybe they've retreated?" Calaway lit a cigarette, leaned against the wall of the bunker, and skillfully covered his face with his hand to prevent the firelight from revealing his position. He said, "They're just covering the rear. There's no one to supervise them, so they can just do a token gesture."

“I have a bad feeling. Even so, they should have retreated gradually, not suddenly going completely silent like this. That Laro is very particular about his troop deployment, but he caused us a lot of trouble. He wouldn't make such a basic mistake…”

……

"Mr. Mike!" Just then, Mei's voice came from behind, "Hurry up, something's happened at the camp!"

Chapter 388: Let them all explode into the sky!

“I know her. Back in Numa Town, wasn’t she the sidekick who was always hanging around Rancho?”

"This woman is from the Zolael family, we can't trust her! How dare she come here?!"

"Rancho's lover!"

"Kill her, avenge our fallen brothers! Kill her!"

……

The angry shouts came like a tidal wave, making Amy almost lose her balance, and her hand instinctively went to the gun handle.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of the soldiers that Hongzhong and his gang could recruit were civilians from Numa Town. These people already harbored resentment towards the violent rule of the Nulei Gang, and had witnessed the deaths of many of their comrades during the attack on Tianma Town. All of this resentment would ultimately be attributed to the Zorael family. Coming alone to the Hongzhong Gang's camp at this time was already a very risky decision.

Amy could feel the burning hatred emanating from these people, a hatred that was utterly genuine. If they could, they would not hesitate to pounce on her and tear her to pieces.

Theon remained at the stronghold to guard it. Facing this woman who had once worked for the Thunderfury Gang, he barely suppressed the urge to pull out his gun and blow her head off.

He was usually a very calm person, but in this matter, he clearly lost control of his emotions. He lowered his voice and repeated, "Tell me what's wrong first, the result will be the same."

“No, this is too important. I have to tell Hongzhong in person!” Amy shook her head and insisted.

"To her face?" Theon narrowed his eyes, lowered his head, and lingered his gaze on her swift rapier and revolver for a moment before sneering, "I really want to advise you not to do anything foolish, but... never mind. You want to die, and that has nothing to do with anyone else."

"What?" Amy quickly realized what was happening and denied it, "No, no, I didn't come here to kill him."

“Kill him, and it will all be over. Isn’t that perfect for you?” Theon looked at her with a half-smile. “If not, what are the sword and gun on your belt for?”

"Of course it's for self-preservation. Walking on the battlefield without a weapon is truly courting death." Amy's tone was somewhat agitated. "I don't expect you to trust me, but at least give me a chance to see Hongzhong, okay? It's really important, it's related to your comrades. You've traveled thousands of miles to come here, isn't it to save those two comrades?"

If two parties don't trust each other, continuing to talk will only lead to the same result. It's basically a matter of each side saying their own thing.

In truth, no one was at fault. Theon simply couldn't trust someone who had been working for Rancho just two or three days prior. Especially since her identity wasn't ordinary. If she were just a regular member of the Thunderfury Gang, it might be a little easier, but she was Rancho's confidante. Her appearance at the stronghold at this time—who knew if it was another of Lalo's schemes?

In situations like these, it's necessary for experienced individuals to step forward and make the final decision.

“Come here,” Mike beckoned to her. “If there’s anything you need to talk to me about, then let’s talk.”

……

"Explosives?" Calaway raised an eyebrow, as if there was a fire pit under his feet, and jumped up. "Is this guy crazy? This is his own house!"

“If you continue to push forward, that won’t be the case for long. In fact, in the past two days, the Zolael family has already lost a lot of territory. What they can’t have themselves, they won’t let you have either.” Amy sighed. “In short, I don’t want to become a victim of your two-way battle, to be blown up into the sky without knowing anything. I guess many others wouldn’t want that either.”

Theon paused for a few seconds, then his expression softened.

This explains why she only said it was extremely urgent and that she needed to see the Red Army, without explaining why. If the other civilians involved in the war knew that they were standing on a bomb that could explode at any moment, they would surely panic.

She quickly recounted everything she had seen and heard over the past few days, including how Jimmy had outwitted the crowd and left Hector speechless, and how she had become acquainted with this fast-talking lawyer. Upon learning that Ego and Jimmy were both alive and well, and even had delivered a resounding slap to the Thunderfury leader in enemy territory, everyone smiled lightly, especially Theon, whose grin was practically splitting his jaw.

"It's a pity I didn't witness this scene with my own eyes," he sighed sincerely.

"So, you know where our top lawyer is being held?" Calaway asked.

“I know, but what difference does it make?” Amy shook her head and said in a deep voice, “If we don’t get rid of those explosives, we, and everyone outside, will live in Laro’s hands.”

"When will he send the signal... Igor told me it's probably something like a signal fire or fireworks, and his henchmen will detonate the explosives without hesitation! Even if we get Mr. McGill out first, he'll still be blown to pieces."

“The girl is right. We must prioritize and not overlook the important points.” With the lives of hundreds of people on his shoulders, Mike’s expression was extremely serious. He nodded. “In that case, we must postpone our attack. At the very least, we need to clear the explosives under our feet.”

"Okay, Xiaomei, you come with me, just the two of us, to do the reconnaissance. The rest of you, follow this girl and search the surrounding underground area."

"This is of utmost importance; act immediately. Don't overlook any small detail."

----

Tianma Town.

Underground tunnel.

In this dark, damp passageway, lush green moss grew in the cracks between the bricks. Amy led the way, walking first, though she herself had rarely been to Tianma Town, let alone underground. She could only compare the buildings above ground; indeed, in places where crowds easily gathered, there were corresponding underground spaces.

It's hard to imagine what the Zolael family would do to dig out such a complex network of tunnels.

To avoid detection, the group carried no open flames. After a night of fighting, everyone was exhausted. Before descending into the tunnel, Calaway gave each person a box of chewing tobacco from the Great Valley, saying that chewing it and then spitting it out was quite effective, and veteran sharpshooters almost always relied on it.

……

They went dozens of meters deeper, and could feel themselves going further and further, yet there was still no sound. The entire mine tunnel was as if it were dead, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing in the darkness.

Finally, after nearly fifteen minutes of agonizing torture, they found a mountain of bundles of explosives in an empty basement!

"This is it!" Calaway gasped. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have imagined such a thing could happen..."

“I’ve seen this kind of explosive in Scarface Village. Just two sticks are enough to blow open a train door. Tuku and his gang often used it when they hijacked trains.” Alana swallowed hard and backed away slightly. “These huge boxes are enough to blow the whole town to smithereens.”

“Inhuman and ruthless,” Theon said coldly.

“Something’s strange…” Amy looked around and muttered, “Where are they? Where did the person guarding the explosives go?”