Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"To whom?" Reed shrugged, somewhat helplessly. "Mr. Warrior, you're oversimplifying things. In the eyes of the people in this town, Newman isn't even human; he's a savior of suffering. If you don't believe me, just ask any few people on the street, and you'll get the same answer."

"This child is probably very confused... From childhood to adulthood, the 'Newman' she heard about from her surroundings was always a spotless good person. She probably still can't tell whether Newman did something bad to her."

"Are you kidding me?" Ren frowned deeply. "According to you, she didn't even know it was a bad thing, so why did she ask Nymeria for help? She..."

As they talked, Ren's slow-witted mind finally caught on, and he showed an expression of sudden realization.

Immediately, the anger on his face became even more obvious.

"Even if we did speak up, practically speaking, probably no one would care. Ultimately, whether something is illegal varies from state to state. In New Elizabeth, the law allows it, but it doesn't prohibit it either. There's a huge gray area."

Tao's argument is relatively more sober: "Considering Newman Ruttenburg's dominant position in the town and the vast network of connections he cultivated in the North through the inn... it is almost impossible to deny the legitimacy of this matter through legal means."

"However, this also explains why she was so eager to apply for the job despite having no interest in the research direction at all—in this way, she could avoid close contact with Newman. Although it's not a long-term solution, it might be the best way for an immature girl."

"I fucking refuse to believe that no one can control this bastard!" Ren gritted his teeth and roared, "Hey, why haven't you said anything yet? You're not the kind of person who can tolerate this kind of thing!"

……

Since learning the news, Zhang Renfeng hasn't said a word. He just sits in a chair, looking up at the ceiling with a blank expression.

But no one would think that he was indifferent to this matter.

"hold on."

Faced with Ren's questioning, he finally spoke, and behind his calm voice, a storm seemed to be brewing.

----

Finally, the door to the room was pushed open, and Wolf, Silverfrost, and Tito, three women, walked out, none of them looking too good.

Vivian stayed in the room, seemingly talking to Aurora to avoid making her too nervous. Tito was the last to come out, closing the door behind him.

"How is it?" Zhang Renfeng asked.

“Not good.” The wolf shook his head. “Tito did some tests on her, to be honest…”

"The tear was very severe, you could see it was done very roughly, and some wounds did not heal and became infected."

……

These words had a greater impact on Zhang Renfeng than a bullet to the chest.

Tito's tone was somewhat heavy, "We can't determine when it started, but... she was probably in so much pain that she couldn't bear it anymore, which is why she asked us for help."

"In short, I used the available medications to give her some emergency treatment, but she still needs to rest well."

Chapter 445: The Mob

Perhaps thinking he should overwhelm the other party with his presence, Butcher, with a cigarette in his mouth, turned around, glanced at the gazes of the people behind him, and began to knock loudly on the door.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Hey, you inside! Open the door now!"

It was nearly midnight, and the neighbors who had come to demand their money were incredibly aggressive, each holding a torch aloft, forming a circle around the laboratory's main entrance. Their overwhelming presence made it seem as if a single wrong word would raze the place to the ground.

There weren't that many people to begin with, but as they traveled, more and more townspeople noticed them. After inquiring about their story, some joined them, causing the group to gradually grow.

Newman's name was still too useful in this town. As soon as people heard that this was an action authorized by Mr. Newman, they assumed it must be good and correct. A group of people swarmed around him, eager to get started, even though most of them didn't really understand the cause and effect, but they didn't care.

Mrs. Tuden was swept up in the crowd, and no one asked for her opinion. Rather, from the moment she stepped out of the door, she herself became less important.

The main gate was opened, but the wolf was not frightened by the large number of torches. Instead, he looked at Butcher calmly and said softly, "It's no longer the time for negotiations. If you are interested in business cooperation, please come to discuss it after 8:40 a.m. tomorrow."

“We’re not here to talk business.” Butcher stepped forward and quickly surveyed the laboratory.

After eliminating the two yellow-skinned men, only two remained. Intuitively, he ruled out the tall Reed and successfully confirmed Tao's identity.

“You’ve hired a girl here, haven’t you? Aurora Tuden. She’s been staying here all night, and her mother is very worried.” Butcher waved his hand, and two men grabbed Mrs. Tuden’s arms, pulled her out of the crowd, and brought her to the front of the group.

"No matter what the reason, you have no right to forcibly separate a twelve-year-old girl from her family."

“Uh… well…” Mrs. Tuden’s tone was somewhat unnatural. Even with so many people standing behind her to “support” her, she couldn’t straighten her back. “Excuse me, my daughter…”

Tao sat behind the lab table and said in a cold, calm tone, "The specific working hours and content are already specified in the contract I signed with her. You can see it anytime if you want."

"She served as my temporary laboratory assistant, handling miscellaneous tasks in the lab until Miss Zhang Tito returned. I did not force her to stay overnight; it was her own request, so I provided her with a temporary bed."

This blunt statement was like a bomb dropped into the crowd, instantly igniting their emotions.

"Nonsense! Are you saying a twelve-year-old girl would rather stay in this desolate, barren place than go home?!"

"Who the hell are you trying to fool? You're the one who doesn't want to let her go!"

"Stop wasting time talking to this weirdo, let's just rush in and get the person out!"

……

The crowd was filled with righteous indignation, their faces illuminated by the flames of justice, making them appear exceptionally imposing. With no cover on the mountain, the angry shouts formed a thick wall of sound, rattling the windows and creating the impression that if Tao didn't back down, they would storm up and demolish the laboratory.

Ren leaned against the wall, his face gloomy, his right thumb pressing against the hilt of his knife.

……

Zhang Renfeng, who had remained silent all along, took a deep breath and opened his eyes wide!

"Order!!! (Silence)"

Despite the different language systems, the parts of the body used for vocalization are largely the same. Zhang Renfeng first focused his energy in his dantian, then suddenly unleashed a technique called "Lion's Roar."

In fact, different schools of martial arts have different requirements for the art of "roaring." For example, Hung Kuen is the most typical example, where the hands strike while the mouth shouts, allowing for better power generation amidst a chorus of "hey!" and "ha!" Millions of years ago, human ancestors began using roars to intimidate prey; Zhang Renfeng simply revived this innate skill of his ancestors.

His voice was exceptionally powerful; with a roar he uttered with all his might, he shattered the windows on the first floor instantly. The torches near the laboratory were also extinguished by the deep, resonant sound emanating from his lungs.

Butcher was undoubtedly the most unlucky one. As the representative chosen by the crowd, he was closest to the scene and was shocked to the point of numbness.

In an instant, all other voices were drowned out, and people looked at the yellow-skinned man who slowly walked out with eyes full of astonishment or fear.

The tense atmosphere seemed to have undergone a slight, subtle change.

……

"Are you Aurora's mother?" Zhang Renfeng ignored Butcher and walked slowly to Mrs. Tuden, asking in a deep voice.

“…Yes, yes.”

"Does your daughter usually communicate with you?" Zhang Renfeng's gaze was frighteningly cold. "I mean, if she encounters difficulties or troubles, does she come to you to complain?"

Mrs. Tuden thought for a long time before shaking her head.

“Alright, your daughter is in the room. Go in and see her yourself.” Zhang Renfeng stared at her with a scrutinizing gaze for a while.

……

"Since when has it become the turn of some barbarian to call the shots?!" one of the young men in the group shouted angrily. "We can't be fooled by him! We should call that child out and question her in front of everyone. That's the proper way..."

“It’s alright.” Instead, Butcher raised his hand to calm his agitated men, staring intently at the woman caught in the middle. “She knows exactly what she should do.”

"Right, Mrs. Tuden?"

----

Mrs. Tuden had a vague premonition that something must have happened. In fear and unease, she was led by Silverfrost to open the half-closed door.

……

"ah----!!!"

Not long after, everyone heard a rather shrill scream.

When she emerged from the room, her legs were unsteady, and she could barely stand. She needed Yinshuang's support to keep from fainting. Tito brought her a chair to sit and rest, but she waved it away.

"Mrs. Tuden, what's wrong?" Butcher sensed something was amiss and raised his voice. "You should have told her, shouldn't you? Mr. Newman takes this matter very seriously..."

"Don't you all find it a bit strange? Why is he, an outsider, so concerned about other people's family affairs?"

Zhang Renfeng gritted his teeth and said angrily, "Let me tell you why. He does care about Aurora, that's true, but not out of concern or goodwill... but because he has been raping this girl! That guy's evil deeds have caused her very serious physical and psychological trauma!"

He turned to the bewildered crowd and shouted, "You just said that it was outrageous for Tao to force a twelve-year-old girl to work for him, right?"

"The reality is that the person you admire is not what you think at all. He did something a million times worse to this child! This child had no one to turn to for help, and this was the only way for him to escape that beast!"

"If you don't believe me, come with me. I'm going to town right now to get an explanation from that beast!"

Chapter 446: I've Changed My Mind

"No!"

While everyone else was still thinking and confused, he had already thought of many things. In an instant, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was panting heavily.

Zhang Renfeng watched them coldly.

Inside and outside the door, it felt like two different worlds.

“Butcher?” The tailor shop owner hesitated. “I think, no matter what, Mrs. Tuden wouldn’t lie about something like this. Mr. Newman might… really have feelings for Aurora…”

"No! You idiot, are you out of your mind?! So what if it's real, so what if it's fake? We can't let them go, absolutely not!" Butcher shouted at everyone in an almost screaming voice, "Do you know how many people are in town right now? They're all tourists from out of town who came to attend the exhibition!"

"If this news gets out, what a blow it will be to the hotel and to Mr. Newman's image! Use your brains and think about it carefully. What have we relied on to live such a good life in recent years? Is it our own ability?"

"You, Smith, your fish stall... shouldn't some of the fish be directly supplied to the Newman Hotel? Don't fucking tell me no, I run a butcher shop, I know exactly what I'm doing!"

"And you, Tommy, your tailor shop. I won't even mention the clothes, but with so many tourists, you must have a dozen people coming here just for haircuts. You know exactly how much extra money you make off them in a year."

“You, Marco, think back carefully. Before Newman’s Inn came, how many customers did your shabby pub get a day? And what happened? They’d order a 50-cent drink, grab a seat, and play poker all day. They couldn’t afford any higher-stakes games anymore. Those were the days. If I remember correctly, Mr. Newman even gave you special permission to open a high-end bar? Let me make this clear: New Elizabeth has a prohibition law, and in some places it’s already in effect. These kinds of drinks were supposed to be completely off-limits!”

"Ha, needless to say... Scarint, since you couldn't do anything before, it was Mr. Newman who approved that house for you to run a hotel, right? I heard that in just these past few days, the hotel has been packed with guests."

"And you, you, who can honestly say that their family has never received even the slightest favor from Mr. Newman? Step forward and let me see!"

He looked around, and all those he called out lowered their heads, unable to utter a single word.

When faced with self-interest, right and wrong become less important.

"Do you really think such good days just fall from the sky for no reason? Blackheart Dover has only been dead for twenty years, and what kind of life have we been living in these twenty years... Have you all forgotten? If Mr. Newman's business is affected by this farce, he can simply walk away, but what about us? What are we going to do?!"

……

"You..." Ren was deeply shocked, his pupils trembling slightly, "Are you even human?"

Zhang Renfeng raised his hand and pressed it down slightly, signaling him not to interrupt.

Now that things have unfolded to this point, he's actually curious to see how things will turn out.

"Mrs. Tuden!" After reaching an agreement, Butcher and his group quickly came over and surrounded the bewildered woman in the center.

Butcher crouched down, his eyes filled with urgency, and advised, "You must stay calm at a time like this. Don't let these outsiders lead you by the nose!"

“But… but…” Tuden shrugged, his voice weakening, “My daughter, indeed…”

“It’s not a big deal,” Tommy, the tailor, advised. “Aurora will be 13 next year, right? In Granite State, 13-year-old girls are old enough to attend weddings. If all else fails, Mr. Newman can formally marry her, wouldn’t that be better?”

"Yes, yes, that solves all the problems."

“Mr. Newman only did this because he loves Aurora too much. I’ve heard that many important people have done similar things. He didn’t mean any harm, so why did he have to escalate things to such an unmanageable point?”

Smith, who runs the fish stall, said earnestly, "Besides, objectively speaking, Mrs. Tuden, your family... has also received a lot of help from Mr. Newman, hasn't it? That subsidy was applied for on your behalf by him."

"Yes, that shows that he still loves the child."

Marco's tone was stiff and commanding. "Making a scene now will only damage Mr. Newman's reputation. You'll still be living here anyway. What good will it do you or the child? Don't forget, most of the people in this town depend on the Newman Inn for their livelihood."

"If you take away their livelihood, won't they fight you to the death?"

……

You say one thing, I say another, your words are a mix of barbs and threats, a combination of coaxing and intimidation.

Let alone a middle-aged woman who has never received an education and grew up in this environment, even a well-read and eloquent person would find it incredibly difficult to even open their mouth to speak, let alone argue, if suddenly thrown into this situation.

Tuden's eyes were filled with fear and unease. Amidst the incessant chatter of the crowd, her defenses crumbled easily. She lowered her head and avoided eye contact with them.

"So, that's the situation now. You are the child's mother, and as long as you don't speak up, no one can say anything. After that, we can go to Mr. Newman and ask him to let your daughter marry him properly and become his wife."

"In that way, all the problems will naturally be solved, won't they?"

----

Would someone whose money, status, and connections far surpass his own really marry the daughter of a poor commoner? Or would he treat her as a troublesome plaything and kick her aside?

Even assuming they do get married, with such a large age gap, can Aurora's life truly be anything but "happy"? Could this brutal approach lead to her death soon afterward?

……