Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

During the day, I saw him charging at the front of the team, looking fearless and undaunted. I never expected him to be such a strategist.

As long as it didn't conflict with his principles, Zhang Renfeng quite appreciated this quick wit, perhaps because he himself didn't usually like to use his brain much. He took out his pocket watch again and checked the time. It was about seven o'clock in the evening. As for the return trip, even if he rode back slowly, it would only take about twenty minutes.

"I'll only stay for forty minutes."

“That’s enough.” Otto waved to his men, signaling that they could lower their guard. “There are lights in the cave, please come in.”

----

"...It looks like an acute fainting spell. He's in very bad shape, and his right leg is injured, perhaps due to malnutrition. But I'm not a doctor, so a more detailed diagnosis wouldn't be possible..."

……

The incessant chatter roused the man from his unconsciousness. Staring at the unfamiliar cave, he paused for a few seconds before realizing what had happened to him. He struggled to sit up, supporting himself on the ground.

"Brother, your right leg..."

"It's nothing serious, I'm almost better," the man said straightforwardly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ali felt a tightness in his chest.

“What’s the point of telling you?” His voice was tired. “It’s just a minor injury I got on my way home from work. I’m not so effeminate as to emphasize this insignificant injury over and over again as if I’ve suffered a great injustice. That’s just how it is to make a living.”

"Why aren't you eating?" Ali choked, but surprisingly didn't retort. The physical condition of his only relative made him lower his head, his eyes filled with suppressed pain. "Could it be... that those company dogs are now even skimping on their food?"

"It has nothing to do with anyone else. I just couldn't eat, so I didn't eat much."

"Why?" Ali persisted, "Are you sick?"

"...If you really care about me, stop doing this kind of thing and come home with me."

"Why do you have to act like this every time I try to talk to you about something serious?!" Ali scratched his hair furiously, lowering his voice, "Please look at this situation. I've already joined, how am I supposed to go back? This was my own choice, why do you have to discourage me?"

“Because if you go down this road, you’ll end up getting shot!” His voice was equally menacing. Leaning on his cane, he struggled to his feet, glaring at his brother as he demanded, “Do you think you’re the only one who’s special? Let me tell you, you don’t have that earth-shattering talent, and you’re not cut out for this. While there’s still time, cut ties with them!”

"And then what? Like you, working from dawn till dusk, risking your life to make money for Joffrey?" Ali roared. "I'd rather die than..."

……

"Um... excuse me just a moment..."

Nina's voice cut off the brothers' argument at just the right moment. Ali was stunned for a moment, unsure how to respond, so he simply lowered his head and remained silent.

But she didn't care about any of that. Instead, she took a nicely packaged can of beef from another unopened pocket, held it in both hands, and handed it to the thin man in front of her.

Upon seeing this, Ali suddenly raised his head and looked at her with the eyes of someone looking at a monster.

"For me?" The man's eyes widened in disbelief. After confirming several times, he solemnly accepted it. "Oh, ma'am, you have no idea how I can express my feelings..."

“Let’s not talk about that now.” Nina casually pulled out a very rare, pointed, cone-shaped dagger from the side of her belt.

From the outside, it looked like a screwdriver, gleaming with a cold, sharp light. She plunged the screwdriver in and pried open the can lid. "Try the beef inside first. Can you taste it?"

……

The man took a bite, chewed a few times, his furrowed brows relaxed, and he nodded.

Nina's expression, however, became very serious, completely losing her girlish charm.

----

"Ta-da! Ta ...

The shrill sound of the bell echoed through the town, attracting Zhang Renfeng's attention.

In the small town, lights came on in every house, and shouts of anger mingled with footsteps as people began to walk toward the direction from which the bell rang.

"Immediate mobilizations are common. I guess they're not meeting their targets and need to add more work." He didn't say much, just sighed, then leaned on his cane. Before leaving, he turned around and said directly to Otto, "Sir, please rest assured, I won't say a word more about you or this place."

“You’re very smart,” Otto said, his tone almost devoid of emotion. “But how can I be sure of that?”

“My brother is still in your hands,” he replied, which was almost the most appropriate answer in this situation.

Otto smiled, and thus he passed the test.

Ali's expression was one of astonishment, as if only now did he realize that tonight's meeting was bound to end this way. Before these far greater wills, he was nothing more than a tiny, insignificant ant.

“…A very good reason.” Otto glanced at his right leg. “You’re already like this, do you still want to go?”

“They will call roll. If I don’t go, I’ll have worked for nothing all month. Someone has to earn money to support the family.”

“…Thank you for the canned food, madam. It’s the best I’ve had in a long time.” He said to Nina in a very sincere tone. “May God…remember your kindness and love and bless you.”

He glanced at his younger brother one last time, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

He turned around, leaning on his cane, leaving behind a limping figure.

Chapter 489: Time and Opportunity Are Not as Plenty as We Think

"Your brother may have a problem with his sense of taste."

"?!" Ali hadn't wanted to have much interaction with Nina, but hearing her sudden question, he couldn't help but be shocked and confused. "What did you say... How could this be? He was perfectly fine before..."

"The damage that neurotoxins inflict on the human body is a gradual process that cannot be achieved overnight."

Seeing his still confused expression, Nina stopped explaining and changed her tone, using a more easily understood explanation: "Simply put, during the mining process, without any awareness of safety precautions, they inhaled polluted air mixed with heavy metals, which damaged the nerves related to taste."

"No matter what I eat, I can't taste the original flavor anymore, and the texture has changed, like chewing sand."

"So...that's why he can't eat?" Ali finally understood, his expression twisted, and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Not entirely. He said the canned food I gave him was delicious, right? That canned food was prepared by my family; you can't buy it in regular stores. It has thinly sliced ​​beef with sliced ​​chili peppers and tarragon leaves, giving it a spicy flavor. Eating a piece at night will warm you up from head to toe."

"This is a very dangerous sign, because spiciness isn't a taste, it's a sensation of pain. He can't taste anything else besides spiciness anymore. Well, if possible, leaving this terrible environment would be best for him..."

Ali looked at the girl with a very complicated expression. Even if he was a reckless person, he knew that a can of beef like this would definitely not be cheap.

He didn't know how to start the conversation.

How did you know about all these... 'things'?

"I want to be a doctor. I've taught myself all of this. I've even operated on a rabbit." Nina's smile remained as trusting as ever, even a little proud, much like when they first met at the bar.

But soon, her bright smile was clouded with gloom, and she said with some distress, "But my family doesn't think so. They think that I should be like my sister and mother and do the same things as them. I don't want to do that."

……

Ali would never encounter such trouble in his entire life. His feelings were complicated and mixed, and he didn't know how to look at her.

"Th...thank you..." After hesitating for a while, he finally spoke in a muffled voice, "Thank you for everything...even though I stole your wallet, you still helped my brother get medical treatment. You are such a good person."

“No, it’s nothing to worry about.” Nina shook her head and said softly, “Have another good talk with your brother.”

“I’ve talked to him so many times, and it always ends up like this… You saw it too, right? It’s like we’re from two different worlds. We talk, and then we end up arguing.” Ali looked very sad. He couldn’t get the understanding of his loved ones for what he was doing. It was a bitter pill to swallow. “I’m pretty much tired of it too.”

“Yes, we’re family, relying on each other, so why can’t we say the important things?” Nina murmured. “But even so, let’s try again. Because…”

"Time and opportunity may be far less than we imagine."

----

“If it were me, I'd probably just charge right through the entrance. I generally don't make any plans if the enemy has fewer than 20 people,” Zhang Renfeng said in a deep voice, pointing to the sizable mining site on the map. “However, your goal is probably to inflict as much damage as possible on the company, right?”

“People can be replaced if they die, but if mining facilities are damaged, we’ll have to pay real money to replace them. So I suggest we focus the whole effort on destroying the equipment, or even just destroying the mine. Once it’s destroyed, everyone should evacuate immediately through the pre-planned escape routes.”

"You mean, sneak in without fighting?" Otto frowned. This was quite different from what he had imagined—a fierce battle with the company's henchmen, with gunfire flying everywhere.

"That depends on your thinking. Do you want to just kill to your heart's content, or do you want to give the company a good beating?"

"If it's the latter, then making full use of your advantages is the most important thing. The key to being a Ranger is the 'swimming' part. You need to be like slippery eels, so that even if someone grabs you, you can wriggle your body and escape."

……

Meanwhile, Zhang Renfeng's amazing classroom was still in session.

The raiders in the cave gathered around him, listening attentively to the lesson alongside Otto. Their actions and expressions clearly showed that each of them was taking it very seriously. Although their style was completely different from the Red Center Gang, the core team cohesion they displayed was equally strong.

Zhang Renfeng was very happy to guide such a group of people, even though his exceptional individual combat skills meant that he didn't need to consider tactics much in normal times.

In routine operations, Mike, the tactical strategist, would handle everything. He only needed to utilize his talent to break through the enemy's formation first. The Red Center gang also had several sharpshooters who could easily take down those terrified enemies.

But not using it doesn't mean he can't.

The 40 minutes, packed with valuable information, was exactly the length of a class and ended quickly.

……

"It's unbelievable!" Otto had always admired "Red Center" quite a bit. In the past, it might have been simply because of Red Center's impressive record against powerful families, but tonight, in this cave, he was completely convinced.

"Are you really the leader of the gang?" He looked Zhang Renfeng up and down as if he wanted to get to know him again, and exclaimed in amazement, "I've never seen such a skilled gang of tacticians before, apart from Mr. Meteora."

“The martial arts champion exam doesn’t just test kung fu skills; there are also academic subjects, like Sun Tzu’s Art of War, Wu Zi’s Art of War, and the Six Secret Teachings… I can only remember the gist of it now.” Zhang Renfeng then stood up and dusted off his knees. “No matter how good the tactical plan is, there will always be unexpected situations on the spot. At that time, you will have to really adapt to the situation.”

“Thank you for your guidance, Red Center.” Otto rolled up the map and put it into his satchel, saying, “We will make good use of it.”

"Then I wish you all the best." Zhang Renfeng turned around and said, "Nina, we should..."

----

"boom-------!!!"

A loud bang suddenly echoed through the calm night sky.

Whether it was a collapse or an explosion, it was impossible to tell at the moment. The flames and shadows in the cave were shaken by the loud noise, which vividly reflected the different expressions on everyone's faces.

“The mine,” Otto immediately realized, his expression filled with astonishment. “The sound is coming from the direction of the mine.”

Ali paused for a moment, perhaps because of those words, he immediately realized what was happening and, without hesitation, stepped out of the cave and ran wildly toward the mining site.

Chapter 490: The Savior of Mortals

"Clap!"

As soon as he stepped on the ground, he sank in, and Zhang Renfeng immediately sensed something was wrong.

water?

The ground was so soft, like a sponge soaked in water; every step brought forth a gush of moisture. The moonlight was sparse tonight, making it difficult to see clearly, and he didn't have time to turn on the waist lamp that Tao had given him. He could only sense several trickling streams winding around tree roots, grass, and mud, spreading further into the distance.

An ominous premonition arose in my heart.

----

"ah----!!"

"Help!!! Help! Someone help me! My son is down there!!"

"Oh God... no—!! Judith!"

"Run! They're doomed. The water level keeps rising and it'll swallow this place up soon! Throw away everything you're carrying and run!"

"My God—!!!"

……

When faced with a disaster beyond human control, this desperate and sorrowful cry is more moving than any musical instrument.

Perhaps because he was more familiar with the terrain, Ali's running speed was even faster than Zhang Renfeng's. Due to work requirements, the mine and the town could not be too far apart. Pushing aside the last leaf blocking his way, he finally saw the current situation in the mine and was immediately frozen in place, motionless, like a sculpted stone statue.

“This is…” Otto and the others followed closely behind, and were equally shocked by what they saw.

The mine was already a mess, and in a sense, their plans could be called off. Anyone with eyes could see that this mine would soon be swept into the dustbin of history, having no value for mining.

The floodwaters had filled the mine pit, and the water level was rising higher and higher. Just moments ago it was up to knee level, but in the blink of an eye, it had reached waist level, and the entire mining camp was submerged.

Seeing the situation was dire, some miners struggled to wade through the floodwaters, trying to escape to higher ground. The water, like a silent demon, coiled around them without warning, slowly draining their strength until they were left to drown in agony, their last bubbles escaping from their lungs.

There are also many families of miners in the town, such as Ali and his brother.

More and more family members, hearing the terrifying commotion, rushed over with Zhang Renfeng and the others. Seeing this utterly despairing scene, they were all on the verge of collapse. Those who could still pray at this point were considered to have relatively strong spirits… most simply remained silent, kneeling on the ground, their hearts still beating and their breathing still present, yet they were as good as dead.

"My God!" Nina exclaimed as she arrived at the very back of the group.

“It has nothing to do with God, it’s a blowout!” Zhang Renfeng stomped on the ground. Even though they were standing on high ground, the overflowing water vapor still rose up, making the soil very soft.

"It must have been that when they went down into the mine, they dug through an underground water source, and the water flowed back up, flooding the mine shaft. It then used this as a channel to gush out from underground."

“Then…those miners who have already gone down into the mine…” Nina glanced at Ali, who stood there listlessly, and regretted asking the question.

Zhang Renfeng shook his head.

He had already personally experienced what the underground mines dug by this company looked like in the Fortress Mountains.

Narrow and dark, it's no exaggeration to say it's a man-made rat hole. Of course, this has nothing to do with the company; the technology of this era could only support the digging of such a mine. To minimize costs, not much money would be invested in maintaining the stability of the mine; as long as it didn't collapse immediately, it was fine.