Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Below the water's surface was a completely unfamiliar world to him.

No matter how much force you unleash, the omnipresent water can gently envelop it and render it invisible. He had never fought underwater before, and his training in swimming was limited to a few times when he was seven or eight years old, splashing around in the river. One time, he lost his footing, and the icy river water poured down his throat without warning.

He tried to touch the riverbed with his toes, jumping up and down again and again, barely managing to stick his head out of the water. He didn't even have time to spit out the water before he had to quickly breathe.

With his extraordinary jumping ability, young Zhang Renfeng barely made it back to the shore. The moment he got ashore, he vomited up all the cold water that had been swallowed.

The sunlight was still warm, filtering through the foliage and falling on him.

The breeze in the forest was still gentle, mixed with the clear chirping of birds, echoing through the mountains and forests.

His playmates were frolicking not far away, and the stream that had just swallowed him was still flowing steadily and gently. If it weren't for the water droplets dripping down his body, it seemed that nothing could prove that what had just happened had actually occurred.

He suddenly realized that this calm water was actually terrifying! It was like a monster pretending to be docile, nuzzling against people and observing their weaknesses. Once it caught you, and there was even a moment of relaxation, it would swallow you whole with its gentle tongue and teeth.

Since then, Zhang Renfeng has lost interest in any recreational activities that require direct contact with rivers, lakes, or the sea. His already limited doggy-paddle swimming skills, without practice, have naturally become virtually nonexistent.

……

A chilling, suffocating feeling rose along with the memories. Zhang Renfeng's brows furrowed slightly. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said in a deep voice, "I..."

A bright flash crossed my eyes; soft and light, it was Nina's fluffy dress.

"Nina?" Zhang Renfeng was also taken aback, turning his head around. "What are you doing..."

----

His second half of the sentence was abruptly cut off.

The young woman removed her flowing, elegant gown and top hat, placing them on the muddy ground. The magnificent outfit, when worn, completely concealed her figure.

Only now did Zhang Renfeng notice that the girl's figure was a very standard "streamlined" shape, with remarkably defined and firm muscle lines. For a woman, especially a petite and slender one like her, developing such well-proportioned muscles is extremely difficult.

This doesn't quite match her innocent, animal-like, adorable face.

After taking off her dress and gown, she was left with only a stiff-collared white shirt on her upper body and shorts on her lower body, which she didn't bother with. She simply took off the ruff collar around her ankles and piled it together with her clothes and hat.

After removing everything she could from her body, Nina lifted her right leg. Her thigh was probably one of the only two parts of her body that were still considered plump. Her fair thigh appeared firm and muscular, and her white skin was as soft and smooth as mutton fat, delicate and tender, as if it could be broken at a touch.

If it were at a different time or in a different place, it would probably attract a lot of men's intense gazes, right?

She took off her socks and boots, revealing her bare white feet, which landed directly on the muddy ground.

“Nina, you…”

“…Give me the rope.” Nina sighed, grabbed her bow tie with one hand, and with a flick of her finger, the bow tie slipped gently off her fair neck. “I’ll swim over, hang them on the tree trunk, and then come back, just like that.”

Her tone was tired, as if she had been enjoying a wonderful vacation when a job offer suddenly came knocking on her door.

"it is good."

After the initial shock, Zhang Renfeng remained true to his principles, respecting other people's secrets and their stories.

He didn't ask any questions that weren't his responsibility, but instead directly shoved one end of the lasso into the girl's hand.

"Yes, Nina isn't my real name. I... wait?!"

The girl, who had instinctively taken the rope, was stunned. She had prepared an explanation, but the other party's unpredictable approach had caught her off guard. Her expression was somewhat bewildered, and the way she looked at Zhang Renfeng seemed to require her to re-evaluate him.

"You only have one life. If it's really too much, don't force yourself." Zhang Renfeng took a lasso from her hand and, without saying a word, tied a knot around the girl's slender waist.

"Wait... what are you doing?!" The unexpected close contact caused Nina's face to flush slightly. She subconsciously looked up, only to find that her face was almost touching the other person's forehead.

Ignoring the girl's slightly reproachful embarrassment, Zhang Renfeng tugged at the rope to make sure it was secure, then said in a deep voice, "If you feel anything is wrong, tug the rope twice. That's a distress signal. I'll pull you ashore with all my might."

Having witnessed him uprooting trees with his bare hands, this promise felt exceptionally reassuring.

After a slight pause, Nina smiled.

She tied her long hair into a braid, leaving the rest to fall smoothly over her forehead, creating an adorable jellyfish hairstyle. Combined with her soft and cute face, her smile made her look like a pampered, innocent little princess.

Under the light, the girl turned her back, took a step forward, and faced the surging, turbulent undercurrent.

"Don't worry about me, Red Center..."

"I was born to do this."

With a light touch of her toes, she moved with the elegance of a ballet dancer on stage.

She was like a nimble silver dolphin, only briefly touching the ground before silently returning to the water without making a splash.

Chapter 493: Some things, you can't tell until you weigh them.

"Mr. Genos, Mr. Genos!"

A henchman dressed as a foreman slammed the tavern door open with his shoulder and tumbled in. The atmosphere inside the tavern was quite lively, with rough laughter echoing throughout the room, just as bustling as ever.

It was as if he, the intruder, had suddenly burst in and disrupted the atmosphere. But at this moment, he couldn't care less about that; he slid to his knees and rushed to the largest table in the very center.

With so many miners gathered in one town, there must be someone to supervise and manage their work. One person simply cannot manage it all; it takes a group of people.

Genos Osborn, a member of the Osborn family, is a distant relative of Roanoke.

His position clearly indicated he wasn't a close relative; otherwise, he wouldn't have been assigned this position, which was neither too far nor too close. He was a middle-aged man in his thirties, balding, dressed like a hunter who had just returned from a hunt. At this moment, he was enjoying himself with his men in a tavern, as he did every night.

This tavern, located in the southwest corner of town, a short distance from the miners' quarters, was usually off-limits to them. Only the overseers under Genos had the privilege of finding some amusement during the long nights. It was naturally far inferior to Lagras's place, but...

"Look at how flustered you are." Genos didn't stop what he was doing, playing a pair of Aces as he asked, "What's up?"

"The mine...the mine..." The foreman swallowed hard, his eyes darting around, seemingly pondering how to report such a big incident to his superiors. "Something's happened."

"Hmm." Genos continued playing his cards, asking casually, "And then?"

"At the scene... there were two teams of miners who had already gone down, but suddenly a huge flood came, and more than sixty people haven't come out since. The mine camp was also flooded, and a lot of equipment hasn't been moved out yet. Many miners' families are gathered at the edge of the camp. I was afraid something might happen, so I came to find you as soon as possible..."

"What about the last batch of ore that was mined?" Genos interrupted his narration, not mentioning any casualties, but asking coldly, "It's been transported away, hasn't it?"

“Uh, the last batch…” The foreman hesitated for only a moment before Genos’s cold gaze followed him, making him shudder. “It’s been moved! As per your instructions, all the valuables were transferred yesterday.”

Then, the cold gaze disappeared, replaced by a warm, gentle smile.

"Hahaha, well done, kid." Genos patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "The big boss doesn't care about accidents, as long as he knows this, that's enough."

……

Seeing the relaxed demeanor of everyone around him, and then seeing Genos's smiling face, the supervisor relaxed and smiled along with him.

When a person relaxes, the tension in their heart is released.

He subconsciously, with a hint of flattery, said, "So, Mr. Genos, you... already knew."

……

Genos's expression changed instantly.

"What do you know? Who knows? Knows what?"

He slowly rose to his feet, looking down at the overseer with an air of superiority that permeated his voice, movements, and gaze.

The foreman realized he had said the wrong thing, his face turned pale, and he quickly lowered his head to avoid his gaze.

"I'm warning you, many things will go unpunished, and people will just turn a blind eye and let it pass."

"If we really investigate this, it's no small matter. It would probably take two people to die to settle this score. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand! I understand!" The foreman nodded vigorously.

“Good that you understand. I don’t think you’re that stupid.” Genos changed his expression again, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile, “Don’t be afraid. Most of the sixty-odd miners who went down into the mine are probably dead, with only some family members left.”

"Alright, guys, that's the end of our entertainment time for tonight!"

He clapped his hands twice and shouted, "Grab your stuff and come with me. Before dawn, we're going to drive those parasites out of the city! So they don't cause trouble for Joffrey. Do you all understand?"

The people in the tavern all got up, grabbed their weapons, and headed toward the mine where the trouble had started.

……

"Boom——"

"Boom——"

"Boom——"

As Genos stepped out of the tavern, he heard a strange sound echoing through the forest, causing the leaves around him to tremble slightly.

He frowned; the voice didn't match anything he knew.

Just to be on the safe side, he turned around and looked at the supervisor who had come to report to him, "After the flood, think back quickly to any unusual circumstances or strange people you may have encountered."

"Strange person..."

During the flood, there were naturally more than one foreman at the mining camp. But these guys were used to abusing their positions as foreman and bullying people in the town. Now that they saw more and more families gathering, they sensed something was wrong and naturally slipped away at the first opportunity.

"I think I saw her. There was a really pretty girl, who didn't seem to fit in here, and she was also heading towards the mine. There was also a foreigner next to her. If I remember correctly, we haven't hired any foreigners, have we?"

“Huang Fan…” Genos pondered for a moment, but couldn’t figure it out, and shook his head. “It’s probably not anything important.”

"Don't worry about him."

----

"Boom-!!"

"Boom-!!"

"Boom-!!"

……

If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, it would be hard to imagine that this awe-inspiring sound was actually the sound of a person's footsteps.

Zhang Renfeng tied all the ropes around himself, turned around, and slowly and heavily stepped onto the ground, one step at a time.

His body leaned slightly forward, arching his back, and his muscles began to work hard, stretching his clothes out of shape. A fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The buoyancy provided by the water also helped reduce some of his weight. With Zhang Renfeng's strength, arm strength, and wrist strength, he could easily pull the log ashore quickly. However, he was afraid that if he went too fast, he would throw the survivors who had managed to grab onto the tree trunk back into the water, so he decided to take it slow.

During this process, many family members offered to help, but he refused them all. He explained that having more people holding the rope would distribute the force more evenly, so he preferred to do the work alone, saving time and effort and avoiding worrying about anything else.

"boom----"

He single-handedly pulled a 600-kilogram poplar tree ashore, making a reassuring scraping sound.

At that moment, everyone present looked at him as if they had encountered a true god. Cheers, applause, shouts... countless sounds combined and erupted into a powerful sonic boom. Zhang Renfeng didn't like this scene, so he could only force a smile and push his way through the crowd to the large tree that had been submerged in water.

The girl was sitting sideways on a sturdy tree branch, wringing out droplets of water from her hair like she was wringing out a towel.

The two exchanged a smile, saying nothing more, as if there was no need to.

Chapter 494: I Didn't Use a Saw

"So, did you find your brother?"—Seeing Ali kneeling on the ground with an extremely disappointed expression on his face, Zhang Renfeng swallowed his words.

Nina pursed her lips, her left hand reaching behind her back to grasp her right arm, a hint of guilt in her voice. But it wasn't her fault; in fact, without her, at least half of the people here wouldn't have made it to shore alive.

For a miner weakened by a leg injury, swimming all the way out of deep water is virtually impossible.

At times like this, the best way to comfort him is not to comfort him at all. No matter how well-intentioned other people's words are, they are powerless at this moment. Perhaps only time can truly soothe the missing part in his heart.

Like most of the family members who were waiting anxiously on the shore, they still had a glimmer of hope before being rescued. But in reality, only twelve people were pulled ashore along with the wooden board.

After seeing the faces of these twelve people, it was destined that the vast majority of them would fall into near-endless despair at this moment.

or……

This deep sorrow, like some kind of accelerant, can be ignited in an instant by a tiny, inconspicuous flame!

"This isn't an accident...it's...it's murder!" A young survivor named Roddy wiped the water droplets from his face, still shaken, but he shouted angrily in a hoarse voice, "Since yesterday, there have been places in the mine that have been leaking water. These bastards...they knew all along, but they still forced us to go down into the mine!"

In an instant, the crowd was filled with rage, and their expressions became even more ferocious under the firelight.

"Is there such a thing?!"

"No wonder! Last night, I saw the foremen loading the mined coal and metal ore onto trucks and transporting them away. In the past, this amount would have been far from enough. How come they were loading them on trucks last night?"

"They know the mine is leaking and this mining camp is doomed to fail sooner or later, so they're trying to dig out whatever little they can!"

"That damned company! How is this any different from murder? My son!!"

……

The heart-wrenching screams, like battering rams, pounded into Zhang Renfeng's heart.

His face darkened, and he parted the crowd, slowly walking to Roddy. Upon seeing him, the crowd parted to make way for him, like Moses parting the sea. Although Roddy didn't know who this man was, his instincts told him he couldn't be trifled with, and he instinctively tried to stand up.