Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

“I…I must remind you…” After a long silence, Zeta’s tone became a octave deeper than before. She glanced at Zhang Renfeng standing beside her, “This is not a wise decision. Especially after you’ve deduced my background. In the end, it could be a lose-lose situation for both me and you. Are you prepared for that?”

Tao didn't answer him, and the atmosphere became tense, filled with the smell of gunpowder.

The wolf, having risen sometime earlier, stood on the edge of the stairs, its hands resting on the second-floor railing, looking down at the two intruders. Its emerald eyes were wide and bulging, its expressionless face fixed on them, as if it would pounce and tear them to pieces at the slightest provocation.

……

“Okay, I understand.” Zeta diffused the awkwardness with a warm smile. “Where you go and who you work for is your own business, and I have no right to interfere.”

“It’s still an honor to know you, Mr. Tao.” Zeta extended his right hand to him and smiled. “Leave this wretched place and go change the world.”

"..." After hesitating for a moment, Tao still reached out and shook hands with him.

Chapter 467: You bastard, your charm stat is a numerical monster too, huh?

Zeta's appearance served as a wake-up call for everyone; no matter their motives, they could no longer stay here.

After discussion, Zhang Renfeng decided to move Tao and the others to Baiju Town first, where at least he could be 100% sure that it was territory he had conquered himself.

At times like this, he would inwardly sigh with gratitude that he was fortunate to have recruited Igor as his strategist, who helped him take over White Torch Town and turn it into the Red Center Gang's headquarters... Otherwise, with money but no territory, he would be completely helpless in this situation.

I can't let Tao do what I do, sleeping in the open and conducting experiments in a tent in the wild.

Going to Numatu wouldn't be a bad idea, but firstly, it's too far, almost right on the southern border of the state of Nova. Secondly, that area, after Hector's extensive travels, is basically still in the Middle Ages; the infrastructure is absolutely terrible.

Tao hoped to have the conditions to begin research immediately after landing, which placed high demands on the town's production capacity. After careful consideration, White Torch Town best met the requirements, as it was not far from the modern city of San Quintak, where there were factories and any parts needed could be purchased there.

With the location settled, the next step is to prepare for the move.

"Is this the last one?"

Zhang Renfeng casually lifted the engine over his shoulder and placed it on the carriage.

This single action left Reed, who was already panting heavily from carrying a large bundle of tightly packed arithmetic manuscripts, speechless with astonishment.

But when he thought of his many peculiarities, he felt relieved. He gritted his teeth, picked up the stack of manuscripts as thick as bricks, and slammed it down on the ground with a "bang," exhaling as he said, "Yes, yes... can a horse pull these things?"

“The snow has melted long ago, and the mountain road is easy to travel.” Ren stepped on the soil on the ground. “We just need to get it to the train station, then we can load it onto the train and drive it directly to Baiju Town.”

"That's the heart of the Red Army; it'll be safe once you get there."

Safety.

Perhaps Ren himself didn't realize that, subconsciously, he believed that they were now in a very "dangerous" situation.

Should we say it was a blessing in disguise?

Tao, unable to raise funds, naturally couldn't create anything on a large scale. Of all his creations, the heaviest, besides this engine, was the now-fragmented Icarus. After salvaging the vital components, what remained was nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.

What was truly important were the calculation processes condensed on paper, manuscripts, and design drawings. Zhang Renfeng didn't overlook a single one of these, even pressing them down into thick bricks, and loading them onto the carriage piece by piece.

In contrast, to reduce weight, the stone statues originally carved by Reed were naturally discarded, and the two statues of the goddess of justice, one large and one small, stood there at the entrance.

If government officials come to search the lab later and see these two things, I wonder what they'll think.

"This trip was really tough. I was hoping to take this opportunity to participate in the exhibition and maybe pick up a couple of fares..." Reed wiped the sweat from his brow. He was surprised when Zhang Renfeng suddenly tossed him a cigarette and quickly caught it. "Ah, thanks!"

Zhang Renfeng also offered Ren a cigarette. After finishing their hard work, the three men leaned against the carriage and, as if they had developed some kind of tacit understanding, did not speak, but took turns puffing out cigarettes.

For a fleeting moment, Zhang Renfeng closed his eyes slightly, feeling that he was no longer Hong Zhong, but an ordinary laborer.

He felt inexplicably relieved.

However, this relief from all of this lasted for less than a second.

“It’s alright, we’re already so familiar with each other, you can work for me from now on,” Zhang Renfeng said with a smile. “When we get back, I’ll introduce you to the mayor of Baiju Town. If there’s any job that needs your skills, I’ll have him consider you first.”

"Really?!" Reed's eyes widened instantly.

This fantastical journey, which shattered his worldview time and again, ultimately brought him a very real benefit in the very end.

That's the town mayor, the mayor of a small town!

Normally, how famous would someone like me have to be to be qualified to associate with such a person?

“Those aren’t the big ones, they’re stone statues, carved chess pieces.” Ren took a drag of his cigarette and suddenly asked, “Can you do this kind of work?”

“Chess, you mean international chess?” Reed hesitated for a moment before boasting, “but I’d like to give it a try.”

“That’s fine. There’s a strange, wealthy guy in Lagras who’s into chess pieces—carving them from all sorts of stones. If you’re interested, I’ll have someone contact him. But let’s be clear, let’s keep things separate; we still need to get the job done…”

……

Inner room.

Regardless of age, the girls slept in the same room, and on his last night there, Tito was naturally filled with emotion.

It's impossible to say there's no melancholy.

“Mr. Tao is completely captivated by him. This is the government, and they dared to refuse him…” Her tone was full of emotion.

“Mr. Zhang has that kind of charm, isn’t he? He’s powerful and reassuring, isn’t he?” Silver Frost said with a hint of teasing. “Miss Namelia?”

"?!" Although the wolf didn't speak or even move, her surprise was palpable in the atmosphere.

"Speaking of which, Little Wolf and Mr. Zhang, you used to live together, right?" Titu rolled over and asked curiously, "Was he like this before?"

"Before..." the wolf murmured, "I've almost completely forgotten what happened before."

“Liar~~~~” Silver Frost chuckled softly, “Look at his eyes, they don’t look like he’s forgotten everything at all.”

Aurora was too young to join their conversation; she simply stared wide-eyed at the blonde girl in the darkness.

Her breathing seemed a little disordered.

“I saw it all~~ When you went crazy, you calmed down immediately just by hearing his heartbeat.”

"And the way you look at him, it's just..."

……

"No!" the wolf initially denied loudly, then shook his head and muttered in a very low voice, "Senior brother already has a wife..."

"oh---"

Everyone exclaimed "I understand" in unison. Anyway, it was the last night, and no one could fall asleep. Titu's gossip fire was ignited even more fiercely.

"So... Little Wolf, when did you start to have feelings for him?"

----

“Дурак?”

"Hmm." The blonde girl couldn't help but laugh when she heard the strange tone, and covered her rosy cheeks with her hands.

"This is an insult?" Zhang Renfeng scratched his head. "When you say it, it sounds so weak."

“That’s it.” The wolf’s smile was very bright.

"Swear words... also have different levels, right? Some are annoyed, some are angry, and some are furious. What level is this word?" Zhang Renfeng swung his legs and asked casually.

“Hmm…” Wolf’s emerald eyes darted around. “Let me tell you, one day, my senior brother asked me to go out and play, but I overslept. It was snowing heavily outside, and my senior brother stood there for an hour. I finally woke up, slowly pushed open the door, and walked out.”

"What will you be thinking when you see me, senior brother?"

Zhang Renfeng looked at her, tilted his head slightly, and said very seriously, "Of course I want to see you."

……

"..."

The girl was a little surprised.

Sunlight shone on her exquisitely beautiful face, raising a blush like that of peach blossoms.

Volume 1: The Cicada's Cry

Chapter 468: Zhang Renfeng in Confusion

"What the hell is this?"

Zhang Renfeng looked at the packaging on the bottle. The packaging paper was light yellow, and a large "中" (zhong, meaning "middle") was written on it in red ink.

Under the candlelight, the liquid inside the glass bottle appeared a clear, golden yellow.

Not only that, but the words "the red one" were also openly displayed on the side, and at the bottom it read "Produced in Sanma Town".

“【Red Center Brand Snake Oil】.” Igor’s smile seemed somewhat malicious. “This is a sample we just made. We discussed it and it seems feasible to make this stuff. It just so happens that there are too many people in town who don’t know what to do. If we’re going to make this kind of genuine snake oil, starting with snake farming, we can create a lot of jobs.”

"Using this as a complementary byproduct is a source of income."

“Red Center brand…” Zhang Renfeng couldn’t help but frown. “Would anyone actually buy it?”

“Old Zhang, I’m telling you… do you have some misunderstanding about your current reputation?” Igor put the snake oil on the table with a clatter and said seriously, “In the past two weeks, while you were on vacation in Dover Hill, the story of ‘Red Center Gang’s great victory in Three Horses Town’ has spread to every tavern in New Orleans.”

Vacation?

Vacation!

First, he fought a ruthless old monster who had lived for decades, then he got involved in the local power network, and so on. Finally, he wielded a four- or five-meter-tall metal machine and smashed the local boss into mincemeat. After that, he also killed about twenty other stubborn people. If nothing unexpected happens, his bounty in New Elizabeth State will probably double again.

What a wonderful vacation!

Zhang Renfeng wanted to refute this, but he didn't know where to begin, so he could only laugh awkwardly twice.

“Gunslingers, cowboys, gangsters, vagrants, newsboys… even street thugs and beggars worship you like a god. For the past decade or so, the Thunder Gang has infiltrated every corner of New Orleans, and with just eight men, they ended Hector’s dominance and wiped the Zola El family off the map in one fell swoop.”

"In addition, the good reputation you've built up is gradually spreading."

"Reputation?" Zhang Renfeng was somewhat confused, because in his mind, he had always been involved in murder and arson.

“Windhaven, didn’t you save a lot of young girls? It has now been found out that most of them were abducted or tricked into going there. Originally, there seemed to be a special organization responsible for finding them. But after you killed Caster, it disappeared.”

"Those people were sent home one after another, and the stories they told were all similar—when they were in despair and hopelessness, a super strong Asian man rescued them from that living hell and sent them home."

One of the characteristics of human beings is that they are willing to believe the stories they hear from others.

The more people who spread it, the more it resonates with them.

Influence and power are like two sides of the same coin, inseparable. In White Torch Town, both wielded by Hong Zhong are converted into wealth with maximum efficiency. Many have already begun to genuinely regard him as a kind of "faith."

"Look at this, what a great story template it is, it doesn't need any embellishment. Letting it circulate will do us good."

Igor's tone clearly showed his immense satisfaction. "In this way, people will know that the Red Center Gang and the Thunder Gang, and indeed any gang in history, are different. The order we establish will not be filled with violence and intimidation. On the contrary, we strive for a win-win situation to the greatest extent possible, so that both sides can benefit."

"Plus... this."

He pushed the bottle of snake oil back in front of Zhang Renfeng.

Under the light, the clear fluid looked incredibly beautiful, like liquid amber.

"Snake oil?" Zhang Renfeng tilted his head, puzzled.

"A brand. Trust me, you'll be the spokesperson for this brand, and it will quickly become a sensation throughout the entire south. Compared to 'Jack the Laughing,' your fame and popularity are far greater. It would be a waste not to make good use of this."

Igor looked at it as if it were a sparkling diamond, and said softly, "When people mention Red Center, they think of this snake oil and the story behind it, instead of gangs and murders, we'll have almost succeeded."

To be honest, Zhang Renfeng didn't quite understand what the "success" he was talking about actually meant, or how it could be related to this little bottle of snake oil.

But no problem.

At least he understood very well that he shouldn't offer unsolicited advice in areas where he couldn't get involved. A qualified leader only needs to be able to readily provide funds when subordinates need them, and to decisively salvage situations when subordinates mess things up—that's enough.

As for the rest, everyone has their own expertise, so let the specialists handle it. Just as he wouldn't interfere with how Theon manufactures weapons, how Tao tinkers with new inventions, or how the chieftain hunts, he wouldn't interfere with Ego's business plans.

"Speaking of money..."

"My biological father really left me a huge sum of money."

Looking at the upturned corners of Igor's mouth, Zhang Renfeng knew that the number must be exaggerated.

However, when Igor wrote the exact number in his palm, it still made him gasp.

"Huh?! So much! He... oh right, he seems to be capable of robbing banks, but this amount is still a bit much..." Zhang Renfeng drank the ice water in front of him in one gulp. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but his left eyelid started twitching wildly.

A twitching left eye means good fortune, a twitching right eye means bad luck. This wave of immense wealth is about to hit the Red Center Gang!

“Old Zhang, shut your mouth. You’re grinning like a serial killer who just finished a five-kill streak.” Igor shook his head helplessly. “Don’t be fooled by the decline of the cross-sea business these past few years. Thirty years ago, it was like picking up money from sacks. They’ve tried their best to spend money, but their wealth is like water, accumulating in their own pool.”

"The common people of Sanma Town, even if they all came together, wouldn't be able to get more than a few sips of soup."

It took Zhang Renfeng a lot of effort to suppress his smile. "Now we have money to pay everyone's salaries, right?"