Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"A gift." The tall Native American at the head of the group pointed to the coyote tooth trinket in Zhang Renfeng's hand.

His English was odd; he seemed unable to pronounce syllables well, making it sound unclear, "Silver Frost."

"Yin Shuang?!" Upon hearing this name, Zhang Renfeng's expression changed from surprise to joy. "That's right, she said she came from Gao Shu! Did she return to you safely?"

The tall man did not answer him verbally, but simply nodded.

"I see. It's good that you got back safely. It's been a while since we last met." Zhang Renfeng was still thinking about how the group had caused a ruckus in Dofuqiu, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. "Could you please pass on a message for me? Just say... thank you for her gift, and that once I'm done with my business here, I'd like to invite her to visit Baiju Town."

He seemed not to have heard those words, remaining seated on his horse without any response.

"...Wait a minute, this doesn't make sense..."

After thinking it over, Zhang Renfeng immediately sensed something unusual about the matter. He frowned and looked at them with a look of utter disbelief. "How did you know that I would be sleeping here tonight?"

----

The night breeze swept across the sea of ​​grass.

"Red Center." The firelight illuminated the man's profile, casting shifting shadows, making him appear like a somewhat strange statue. He spoke in a deep voice, "[King of Tall Trees] greets you."

Chapter 541: Filial Piety and Brotherly Love

"The King of the Tall Trees?! Oh no, this is terrible, this is not a good omen..."

Just as silently as they arrived, after delivering their goods and uttering that enigmatic statement, they didn't linger and immediately rode away. Their hooves pounded the soft grassland without a sound, and in just a few steps, they disappeared like ink into the dark, tall forest, vanishing from sight, leaving Zhang Renfeng and his companions with only a somewhat unsettling mystery.

"I don't even know who he's talking about, the King of the Tall Trees?" Zhang Renfeng frowned. "The chieftain seemed to have mentioned him before, that there was such a person..."

“This area has always been inhabited by Native Americans, and as you should know, none of the tribes are doing well right now. Those Native American tribes that have been driven out of their territories have become homeless refugees. As a result, more and more Native American tribes have ended up here.”

Meteor stretched out his hand and pointed towards the dense forest not far away, "'Tall Tree'."

"The last refuge for these unlucky bastards."

"Legend has it that they have a common leader who has lived his entire life in the trees and has never come down, hence he is known as the 'King of the Tall Trees.' This fellow knows voodoo magic; once he knows someone's name, he can cast a spell from afar to curse them to death!"

“…According to legend.” Zhang Renfeng immediately lost interest. He knew all too well what legends were. Even now, in Fengchuisha, there are still people who say that he is a werewolf.

“This legend isn’t just baseless!” Perhaps sensing his disdain, one of his men said with certainty, “Do you think those people would let such a large piece of land remain in the hands of the Native Americans just because of a rumor?”

"To date, several people who have tried to harm Gao Shu, including military officers, businessmen, and politicians, have all died suddenly."

"Sudden death?" Zhang Renfeng frowned. "How did it happen?"

"Uh... well, it's probably like this..."

Naturally, no one could answer that, since no one had ever seen it. They could only bite the bullet and say, "I heard it's the kind where blood flows from all seven orifices, and the death is particularly gruesome."

"No need for curses, I can achieve the same effect by adding some arsenic to their water," Zhang Renfeng thought to himself, without saying it aloud.

If it was all done by human hands, it's hard to explain why they appeared tonight. Considering Silverfrost's many amazing abilities, he felt there was a possibility. Perhaps after she returned, she said something to her tribespeople that piqued the "King of the Tall Trees'" interest in him?

……

"never mind."

Thinking it over and over was pointless. Given the current situation, he couldn't possibly abandon Morocco and go into the forest to meet the King of the Trees. Thinking about it further would only add to his troubles.

Zhang Renfeng was unwilling to waste his time on something that hadn't even happened yet, so he waved his hand to stop the discussion, "It's getting late. Except for those who are assigned to night watch, everyone should rest."

"We have other things to worry about than any curse."

----

"boom!"

The force with which the door was pushed was so great that it slammed against the wall. Hugh Osborne, the once incredibly active young nobleman in New Elizabeth's political arena, had lost his usual composure. He was furious, his eyebrows furrowed, and he strode quickly towards the main hall.

"Get out of the way!"

He kicked the maid who was wiping the floor in the corridor away like a dog. He paid no attention to the maid and walked quickly to the hall door.

The decorations remain luxurious.

The fire in the fireplace was still warm.

However… there were fewer people at the table than last time, only his brother, Richard Osborn, and his all-powerful father, Roanoke Osborn. At this moment, the two of them sat motionless in their chairs like statues, their faces so gloomy they seemed to drip water.

The hall became incredibly cold and damp, filled with a chilling atmosphere.

"Snapped!"

He slammed the newspaper on the table, took a couple of deep breaths to catch his breath, and finally managed to say with difficulty, "Father, elder brother... can you explain to me... what exactly is going on?!"

Roanok remained silent.

"You've seen it all?" Richard asked a pointless question, mainly because at this point, there was nothing else to ask.

Grasped by this large hand, across New Elizabeth, onto this table belonging to Granite State, is a New Orleans newspaper.

A considerable amount of space was devoted to an article, the title of which alone was significant: "Bloody Fortunes: The Crimes of the Osborne Family."

It describes in great detail, one case after another, down to the individuals involved, detailing how the company hired killers, exchanged money for power, and all sorts of shady dealings.

All the entries came from Pinkerton agents, whose reputations in the community were already questionable. It seems rather normal that they would do such things for the company. At the end, there are their signatures as evidence.

In addition, the entire Lagras case was fully reported, including the whole story of the mining disaster and the truth behind the mine blowout. The families of the 55 miners who drowned all signed their names at the end of the article.

What's even more damning is that the long article concludes by stating that everything was uncovered through an in-depth investigation conducted in the name of the Lagras municipal government.

It has all the official signatures and seals, in other words, the content of this newspaper is endorsed by the government's credibility.

“A gang couldn’t possibly produce something like this… Hans Humphrey, it could only be him.” Roanok rested his chin on his hands, his face grim. “He’s challenging me to a duel.”

"Where did those so-called 'witnesses' come from? Shouldn't the Pinkerton detectives be with Fifth and Sixth Brothers attacking Lagras?" Richard was completely baffled. "Could it be that they've already failed?"

"Let's ignore these for now." Roanok's face was gloomy, and with just a few words, he put aside the lives of his two sons.

Hugh frowned and reported to him, "This newspaper has been circulating wildly in New Elizabeth for the past few days. Before I came here, I had already ordered the state police, the mounted police, and the sheriffs of various towns to keep an eye on it."

He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "This is completely fake news! It's a slander against our family and the company! Anyone who dares to sell or read this is committing a crime, a serious one, and they must all be arrested and thrown in jail!"

"..."

Richard shook his head. "There's really no need for that."

"What? What do you think? Should we just let these rumors continue to spread in New Elizabeth?!" Hugh's voice rose higher and higher, his eyes wide as he rebuked, "Big brother, do you know how much this kind of thing will affect my election next year!"

“My political enemies will use this to attack me and prevent me from being elected as a senator. All the groundwork and efforts my family has made over the years will have gone down the drain! At a time like this, you're still questioning the scale of my actions? You're just unwilling to spend the money!”

"I mean, doing something like that will backfire. People are more willing to believe what the newspapers say is true."

"you……"

"Enough!" Roanok roared. "Quiet down!"

"Now that things have come to this, let's call everyone over."

Chapter 542: Declaring War on Hongzhong!

To be called a "family," one needs not only money but also people. More precisely, one needs capable individuals. Just like in Lagras, the police chief must be a member of the family to ensure decisive and authoritative decision-making.

There are also debt collectors like Genos, who are distant relatives of the Osborn family.

If this is the case in Lagras, one can only imagine what the situation must be like in Morocco.

Roanok is the patriarch of the large family, and naturally he is the trunk of this great tree, but a tree cannot survive on just a trunk.

The so-called "growing branches and leaves" refers to having capable family members who can be placed in important positions in order, which is the foundation for a family to grow large and not fall.

He wouldn't summon his family members unless absolutely necessary. Over the past decade or so, under his management, the fuel company had become a behemoth. But it was still just a relatively fat fish in the market environment, far from being able to jump out of the pond and form its own system.

This means that there are competitors in this pool who are of similar or slightly smaller size to him, but who are always eyeing him covetously.

As a big boss, one generally doesn't make decisions on things personally, because once the big boss makes a decision, the action is too big, with a sense of tragic heroism of "do or die," and there is no room for maneuver.

The Red Center Gang must be completely eradicated from the world. Otherwise, the company's deterrent power and reputation, along with Roanok's network of connections, will be severely damaged. Even if we win, the negative impact of this massive operation will be irreversible.

The bigger the move, the more flaws are exposed, and the more competitors can take advantage of the situation to pounce and take a bite out of you.

But now... this newspaper, with its official backing, has forced him onto this path.

We can't go any further.

Roanok took a deep breath, clasped his hands together, and supported his chin.

----

When I opened my eyes again, the long conference table in the hall was already packed with people.

Recruiting people didn't take much effort. The people they needed to summon were either members of the Osborne family or members of a different family who had married into the family and were favored by Roannok, remaining in the core decision-making circle. Such people would naturally be kept in Morocco and carefully nurtured.

The crumpled newspaper was passed around in the crowd again and again. Right now, in this hall, if you threw a brick down, you could hit ten elites. But they weren't as calm and capable as they appeared in front of others. On the contrary, some were slamming tables, some were shouting angrily, some were glaring and blustering... all sorts of people, a complete mess, like a vegetable market.

……

"Everyone."

With just a few words, the chaotic hall fell silent once more.

Roanok's gaze swept across their faces one by one, and he took a deep breath. "You've all seen the stuff, and frankly speaking, the current situation is worse than I initially anticipated."

“Didn’t Tolman and Evans already lead a team to suppress the bandits?” One of them grabbed a newspaper, looking somewhat annoyed. “How could they allow something like this to leak out of Lagras?”

"That's utter nonsense! What kind of evidence is this? Where's the court? Where's the trial? Evidence obtained without due process should not be accepted!"

"I think that mayor of Lagras doesn't want to be in office anymore, so he should be dismissed immediately!"

……

Roanok pressed his hands down, calming the crowd and quelling their renewed excitement.

"Clearly, they have failed, and their fate is currently unknown."

“Personally, I still hope that Red Center has some brains and can use the two of them to exchange for a ransom with me, but…” Roanok shook his head and said in a deep voice, “There’s no point in talking about this right now.”

"The company's image is being attacked, which is absolutely intolerable. If Hongzhong doesn't pay the price, there will soon be a second and a third. In the end, they will swarm in and devour all the hard work we've built up over generations!"

"Therefore, it is time for you all to lend a hand."

……

Everyone suddenly fell silent, exchanging bewildered glances with somewhat embarrassed expressions.

The righteous indignation I felt just now was as if it had never happened.

Who doesn't understand what this means? To contribute effort? How? Are you suggesting we send these pampered middle-aged men, who get breathless after just a few steps, to carry guns and go to Lagras to suppress bandits? Of course not. If you contribute money, you've contributed effort.

Once the money is in their pockets, it's very difficult to get it back. Don't be fooled by the same surname; in this respect, blood ties are no guarantee.

"boom--!!"

Richard had anticipated this scene and naturally wouldn't let the big boss play the good cop. So he slammed his hand on the table, glared, and angrily shouted, "You bunch of vermin! You eat our food without batting an eye, but now that it's time to do your job, you won't even spit out a drop! You bastards!"

“Claude, you’re in charge of the purchasing department, and those outrageous quotes… I’ve always turned a blind eye to them. A bag of screws, $50?”

"This...I..." The person he called on was an old man with thinning hair and a half-white beard. He immediately blushed, but couldn't make out anything, and just said stiffly, "These are quality requirements, quality requirements..."

"And you, Hamish, you embezzled $6000 from the company account and used it to lend money at exorbitant interest rates in the city. Ha, you've got a good idea. Borrowing from a bank means you have to pay it back, but by going directly into the company account, as long as you cover it up well enough, you don't have to pay it back. Over the years, even if you've been embezzling, haven't you made enough?"

"Lawrence, don't turn your face away. I'm talking about you, your father-in-law... wasn't he the Lieutenant Governor of Granite State before? Our family's custom is to send political donations directly to his account in the form of bonds. But you contacted the company's finance staff and, without going through the proper accounts, withdrew a sum of cash from the company. The same money was withdrawn twice by you. You've completely fooled us!"

……

With these three heavyweight cases as a foundation, everyone's expressions changed, many people's foreheads were beaded with sweat, and they looked quite nervous.

None of the people sitting here have clean hands. You can imagine that these three whose names have been exposed are definitely not going to have a good life from now on. For these gentlemen who are used to a life of wealth and luxury, being without money and status is practically the same as being dead.

"Cough...cough..."

The son's aggressive questioning was meant to elicit the father's nonchalant attitude.

"Alright, Richard, there's no need for this." It was all a charade anyway, so Roanok cleared his throat and scanned the crowd. This time, however, everyone lowered their heads, avoiding his gaze.

“There are many things I haven’t said yet, but I’m just thinking about this ‘blood ties’. I understand that every family has its own accounts to keep, but you all also need to understand one thing.”

"Without me, where would you be? If the company collapses, what will become of us, the losers?"

Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, Roanok slowly stood up and declared, "Things have come to this point, there's no turning back. While we're sitting here passing the buck, what's in this newspaper is being spread by word of mouth among people!"

He grabbed the newspaper, slammed it heavily on the table, and said, "The more people who hear this, the less credibility the company has! They've gained the upper hand, so there's not much point in continuing the war of words. There's only one way left!"

“But, Roanok…” the voice below hesitated, “the people have already seen it…”