Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"..."

These words caused Ali's pupils to dilate instantly. He looked up in disbelief at the older brother who was a few years older than him.

Normally, his brother was known as an honest man who was good at "enduring hardship." Because of this, he thought that this secret could be kept hidden forever.

"You...how did you..."

"Are you out of your mind? The company already stated a few days ago that the 'Ramoon Raiders' are clearly defined as a rebel organization! Anyone associated with them will be executed on the spot, no questions asked! At this time, you still want to get involved with them? Are you really courting death?"

"So what!" All the secrets were exposed, and Ali's face contorted with barely suppressed rage. "At least they dared to rebel against the company, and that's enough. Unlike you guys, you've practically been squeezed dry, and when the whistle blows, you're expected to risk your lives for them! The Lamon Raiders, they're the real men. I'm incredibly proud to work with them!"

"Working together... Ha, 'working together'?" The older brother shook his head with a sneer. "You really think you're some big shot? You try it. One day, when you really fall into the company's hands... Don't bother arguing with me. As long as you keep doing this kind of thing, that day will come sooner or later! When that time comes, let's see if those new friends will come to your rescue from hell and high water, or kick you to the curb!"

Ali's face turned from red to ashen; his brother's words were like a knife stabbing into his heart.

He desperately wanted to deny it.

However, his experience of struggling at the bottom of society had already taught him the truth.

“How could you associate with those kinds of people, and risk your life time and time again for them, playing a game of chivalry with your life on the line!” the older brother said earnestly. “If Father and Mother were still alive, seeing you like this…”

“They’re dead.” Ali suddenly raised his head, his tone stiff. “Do I need to remind you how they died?”

"..." The older brother remained silent.

The light from the kerosene lamp cast the shadows of the two brothers, which flickered on the wall like a comical shadow play.

"Three years ago, the mine collapsed, burying my father underneath. They couldn't even dig out a single finger. My mother was already in poor health... all because of this toxic air and water! After that, she became depressed and soon passed away... Oh, by the way, since we're on the topic, do you remember how much money the company compensated us?!"

Ali's tone grew increasingly agitated. This was a shared wound between the two brothers, but in the heat of the moment, having already arrived here, he no longer cared.

This young man was completely consumed by anger and extremism.

"0! Zero! It's actually zero! Do you remember their reasoning again?"

“Force majeure. The mine collapse was force majeure, so they didn’t pay a single cent. You went to Lagras to ask for your money and got a beating! Joffrey Osborn didn’t care at all. In his eyes, we’re not even dogs… Those guys with playing cards pinned to their chests are the dogs. We’re just ants. He could crush us with a single step!”

"The company killed our father and mother, and you still want to speak up for them? Between the two of us, who is the real bastard?!"

……

……

……

His outburst of anger unleashed a torrent of emotions that had been building up inside him for so long.

In return, he received a long silence from his elder brother.

The light and shadow continued to flicker. Looking at his brother's haggard face, Ali gradually calmed down. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt, realizing he shouldn't have used their shared wounds to attack his only child.

But the next moment, his brother's words almost froze his blood.

"What does this have to do with you stealing other people's things?"

“I…” Ali glanced at the wallet in his hand and gritted his teeth, “I didn’t steal this for myself; it was for the Lamon Raiders’ operating funds.”

"Is there a difference?" he continued. "Did the owner of this wallet also agree to give his money to those bandits?"

……

"As far as I know, there shouldn't be."

Another voice came from outside the door. Ali turned around abruptly and saw that familiar face again. His expression changed rapidly. He rubbed his eyes, even wondering if he was dreaming.

"Yo." Zhang Renfeng smiled at him. "We meet again, kid."

----

After stealing someone's belongings, thinking you've gotten away with it, you find yourself followed all the way home by the victim. When your eyes meet, the awkwardness is indescribable.

Ali wasn't shameless enough to be completely oblivious. Seeing Nina again, he didn't know what expression to wear, so he pulled down the brim of his baseball cap to avoid eye contact. He clutched his wallet tightly, pressed himself against the wall.

"I'm so sorry, it's my fault for not disciplining him properly, which led him to do such a stupid thing."

After clarifying the cause and effect, the older brother stood up first and apologized to Nina, but his eyes remained focused on Zhang Renfeng. It seemed that he could also sense from the atmosphere that this yellow-skinned man was the one who could truly make the decision in this matter.

"Excuse me for asking, but what was our conversation just now...?"

“I heard everything.” Zhang Renfeng didn’t hide anything. “Originally, I was going to kick the door open, but seeing how intense your conversation was, I didn’t have the heart to interrupt.”

"As long as he returns the wallet intact and apologizes to the lady, this matter will be settled with me. I can only express my deepest regret for what happened to your family."

"I'm so grateful!" The older brother stood up abruptly and said sincerely, "This is enough..."

……

Ali stood there for a while, head slightly lowered, teeth clenched tightly, and made the most important decision of the night.

Turn around and run.

He was very agile and familiar with the layout of the house. He simply climbed out the window and came out from the other side of the house, leaving his brother's shouts behind!

To hell with morality, responsibility, and even a shred of shame!

He took off running, not caring about the consequences, and ran along the edge of the village towards a thicket of bushes deep in the mountains. He ran through a large patch of bushes, his cheek was scratched and bleeding from small branches and tree trunks, but he didn't care. Finally, he saw a few wisps of light in a cave not far away.

"Who?" The sentry on night watch quickly noticed him and raised his gun to question him.

"It's me! It's Ali, the new recruit!" Ali shouted, holding up his wallet. "I got some supplies!"

Chapter 487: I Don't Talk Morally to Animals

As things have progressed to this point, Nina feels that the final ownership of the wallet is no longer really her concern.

She, the true master, was more like a spectator, following behind Zhang Renfeng and witnessing tonight's incredibly wondrous and real journey.

The scene before her made her quite nervous.

Several people emerged from the cave, some carrying rifles, others pistols, occupying higher positions. Although they didn't utter any threats, they stared menacingly at the scene. There were more than ten people in total, and the firelight cast a fierce filter on their faces, as if they would start a massacre at the slightest provocation.

“Um… Mr. Zhang…” Looking at the gleaming weapons in their hands, Nina subconsciously swallowed, tugged at Zhang Renfeng’s sleeve, and whispered, “If it really comes to it, why don’t we just let it go? Let’s just pretend it was stolen by a thief. Don’t let it all go to waste on this little bit of money…”

"There's no such logic. What's rightfully yours is yours. He stole your things, that's his fault, and you don't need to back down."

Zhang Renfeng squinted and, by the firelight, saw the last man to emerge from the cave. His eyebrows relaxed slightly—this was Otto, who had been riding at the very front of the group, leading the charge, in front of the bridge during the day! It seemed that he was the most valued person by Meteora among the Raven raiders; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to lead a group of people to camp here alone.

They weren't just saying they'd make Roanoke Fuel Company pay for this during the day. Judging by their demeanor, they're about to take action.

……

In any case, having someone you know in this situation would definitely make communication easier. His subordinates were whispering something to him, probably telling him what had happened, and Zhang Renfeng waited patiently.

Ali had already stood among the Ramorn raiders, his expression complex, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

almost.

"Otto—!!" Zhang Renfeng raised his voice slightly, calling out his full name, "You know about what happened, right?"

Ali shuddered and turned around in disbelief to look at the de facto second-in-command of the Lamon raiders.

“Hmm.” Otto was surprisingly calm. He took the torch from his subordinate, stepped down from the jagged rocks, and looked at Zhang Renfeng. “So, how do you plan to resolve this…”

"【Red Center】?"

……

"What's that?" Nina found it increasingly interesting, her bright eyes almost sparkling. "Mr. Zhang, is that your nickname? That's amazing! Being recognized by your nickname is just like something out of a cowboy novel!"

It was obvious at a glance that she was a pure northern noblewoman, and had absolutely no concept of the intimidating power of the title "Red Center".

In contrast, Ali's reaction was much more genuine—his knees buckled and he knelt on the ground with an unprecedented look of fear on his face.

His mind had grasped the concept, but his reason hadn't; subconsciously, he didn't want to believe it was real. But when he looked at the crowd for help, he only saw equally tense faces. Ali realized that tonight, he had escaped death's clutches countless times.

With various versions of the propaganda, it's no exaggeration to say that the name "Hongzhong" can stop a child from crying at night.

……

"Let it be as it is." Zhang Renfeng turned slightly to the side, revealing Nina behind him. "The things belong to them, so return them to them. Let's leave it at that."

“This might be difficult to handle.” Otto picked up the small, exquisite wallet and glanced at it casually. “Just one minute before you arrived, Ali, one of the official members of the Lamon Raiders, handed over this wallet and the money inside to me as our operating funds. In other words, it is now the property of the Lamon Raiders.”

"Is there any reason to return property that has entered the gang's possessions?"

“It wasn’t there before, but it’s here today.” Zhang Renfeng took a step forward, his expression calm. “Ask that kid how he got this.”

“Tell me, Red Center…” Otto didn’t answer the question, but continued, “When you robbed Cheddar’s train, stormed the Italian’s mansion, and took over the Zola El family’s plantation, did you consider whether it was ethical to do so?”

“I don’t reason with animals,” Zhang Renfeng replied calmly. “If you have the ability, go and rob the Roanoke Fuel Company, and I’ll applaud you.”

“That’s right, destroying the company is our ultimate goal. But to achieve this goal, we need money. With so many brothers, you can’t just let us all starve, can you?” Otto smiled, ignoring the sarcasm in Zhang Renfeng’s tone. “Money doesn’t grow on trees. I thought you understood such a simple principle.”

“I only understand one thing.” Zhang Renfeng took a step forward, looked directly into Otto’s eyes, and said in a deep voice, “To me, money is money, and people are people. If you’re willing to do anything to make money, resorting to cheating and deception, what’s the difference between you and the company dog ​​you’re talking about?”

"I'm only giving you face because of our brief meeting this morning. If you keep babbling on and on, it won't be as simple as just getting your wallet back."

These words were like a starting gun; as soon as they were spoken, the Raven raiders all raised their guns, looking down at him.

“Watch out, Red Center,” Otto warned meaningfully. “Where did you leave your Volcano Pistol?

"Heh." Zhang Renfeng chuckled with amusement. "You can give it a try."

……

That's pretty much the end of what I can say.

A silent standoff ensued, but the oppressive atmosphere was quickly broken when a panting figure emerged from the bushes. Covered in leaves and looking quite disheveled, he used a cane and walked with a noticeable limp, likely due to an injured right leg.

"elder brother?"

Ali hesitated for a moment because he had been talking to his older brother who was sitting down, and his mind was not on this at all, so he did not notice anything unusual.

Is his right leg injured?

"Enough, Ali! Aren't you ashamed enough already?!" Under so many eyes and gun barrels staring at him, his teeth were chattering, but he still mustered his courage and squeezed out these words in a trembling voice, "Come home with me!"

"No!" Ali straightened his neck and insisted, gritting his teeth, "I am one of them. No matter what happened today, I will..."

……

Perhaps it was because the series of shocks he had suffered that night had caused such a huge emotional upheaval that the thin man felt a tightness in his chest, a feeling of suffocation. He first squatted down, leaning on his cane, then knelt on the ground, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

"Brother!" Ali exclaimed.

----

“…Give the wallet back to them,” Otto said casually after witnessing everything.

Ali looked somewhat frightened. "But...but, Mr. Otto! I used so much effort to..."

“I will remember your contribution. As for what to do with this wallet, you heard it too, return it to them.” Otto waved his hand. “Two men, move his brother into the cave.”

Chapter 488: Back View

“What a farce tonight, Red Center.” Otto handed over his wallet with a smile on his face. “Fortunately, it’s all over. No one was hurt, no one bled, and everyone was very respectable.”

Zhang Renfeng did not reach out to take it, but instead stared at him with a slightly suspicious look.

It seems too easy.

After such a long stalemate, a sudden and unexpected concession often serves as a prelude to the next round of confrontation.

Zhang Renfeng squinted at the man and suddenly realized that the other man was not the complete brute he had stereotyped him as. "What do you want?"

"This morning, your partner said a lot that impressed me. I have to admit he's right. Before this, many of our actions lacked planning. Even if we steal more company dogs, it won't do much damage to the company itself. This level of effort is far from enough to make them truly feel the pain!"

The hatred in Otto's eyes shimmered with a scorching light, like lava erupting from a volcano.

“Mr. Meteora believes that we do not yet have the resources to declare a full-scale war on the company, but he agrees with my opinion.” Otto clenched his fist and made a swinging motion in the air. “No matter how many of these skirmishes come, they are not as effective as a real head-on blow.”

“A head-on blow…” Zhang Renfeng’s tone was somewhat regretful. “I came to this city on business. I also have my own considerations, and I’m afraid I can’t join you all in your fooling around.”

“I know that, and I didn’t really expect to be able to get a master like you to come out of retirement.” Otto suddenly changed the subject, “But tactical guidance shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

"guide?"

“No one has more experience in this matter than you.” He suddenly stood up, bending his waist to almost ninety degrees in a very standard posture, at least in terms of his actions, showing his utmost sincerity. “Please guide us!”

……

"Wait for me here." Zhang Renfeng smiled. Although he had been tricked, he didn't feel too much annoyance.

Otto couldn't have foreseen that he would chase Ali all the way to their lair. In other words, this tactic of feigning retreat was something he devised in a very short time, while simultaneously negotiating with himself verbally.