Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

“The masses are like lambs; they don’t understand the facts at all. They listen to whoever has the whip!” Roanok’s expression hardened. “We must act swiftly and decisively, mobilizing all available resources to completely destroy them. In this way, we won’t need to ban them; such speech will naturally disappear.”

“I will handle everything here in Granite State; as for New Elizabeth State, I will leave it to my son, Hugh. He can still say a few words there. We will define Red Center as the remaining rebels of the Confederate Army, so that we can mobilize troops openly.”

"Regular troops, guards, state police, mounted police... all of you, please stop holding back your connections and funds. With such a large-scale operation, we must crush Red Center and his remaining forces in one fell swoop!"

Roanoke is adept at stirring people's emotions; he clenches his fist, raises his arm, and shouts with great power.

"We have the advantage in financial resources, resources, connections, logistics, and weaponry. Once the fighting starts, there's no reason why we shouldn't win!"

"The Osborne family has existed for over five generations, and you are all elites in society, at the very top of this pyramid! Let us unite and fight for our bright future!"

"I, Roanok Osborn, in the name of the Osborn family, declare war on the Red Center—!!"

----

"Thump—!!"

At this exciting moment, the hall door was suddenly kicked open with tremendous force, the entire door panel was ripped off and flew into the hall, where it was heavily embedded in the wall.

Smoke and dust rose as Zhang Renfeng stood at the doorway, raising his broadsword in his right hand, facing the stunned crowd.

The maid who had been kicked in the corridor stood behind him, biting her lip and watching the scene with hatred—clearly, it was she who had led Zhang Renfeng the way.

……

The expressions on everyone's faces were quite interesting, ranging from fervor to astonishment, and then to utter fear and dread, as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

Roanoke maintained his speaking posture, his mouth slightly open, his pupils trembling.

"...Ha, a declaration of war, what a wonderful gift..."

Zhang Renfeng sneered, "I also brought you a return gift."

"Boom!"

He threw a black cloth bundle onto the table.

Chapter 543: Ah, is reconciliation possible?!

"what!"

Hugh instinctively reached out and lifted a corner of the black cloth, revealing half a familiar yet unfamiliar face. Startled, she screamed and stumbled backward, tripping over a chair leg and falling to the ground in a very awkward manner.

In contrast, Roanok appeared much more composed. His expression was quite somber, as if he had already anticipated what was inside the black cloth bag.

It was clear that he was trying his best to suppress his emotions; he even forced down the trembling of his face and eyelids.

The black cloth was opened, and the things inside could no longer be hidden. They rolled out one after another and fell to the ground.

In this land, even the most heinous criminals sentenced to death have few options for their execution; basically, there are only two: hanging or firing squad.

When Zhang Renfeng threw out the package, they each guessed what was inside, but none of them considered that possibility. It wasn't until they saw Tolman and Evans' heads roll out of the bag that a chill they had never experienced before assaulted their psychological defenses.

“We originally wanted to reunite you and your son, but unfortunately, your second son has been pecked all over and is disgusting to look at.” Zhang Renfeng sneered, “We wrapped him in a mat and threw him into the mountains. He was just a waste of water and food to live. Now that he’s dead, he can feed the rats, ants, insects and snakes in the mountains. It’s a good deed.”

"Although... I guess you don't care that much about your own son, right?"

……

A profound fear washed over everyone's hearts, driving some to begin to distort their movements.

"Murderer...you murderer!"

Someone looked extremely indignant, his face and neck turning red. He stepped out of the crowd, angrily pointing a finger at Zhang Renfeng, "How dare you treat them like this, treat the descendants of the Osborne family like this?!"

The man who spoke was around forty or fifty years old, with a bloated figure, yet dressed very extravagantly, even with gold thread embroidered on his shoulder blouse. He strode quickly out from the group, seemingly wanting to make a good impression on the patriarch.

Generally speaking, the first person to step forward in such a situation will inevitably receive praise afterward; this is a semi-tacit rule within the circle.

Zhang Renfeng remained expressionless, his gaze sweeping over him before turning to Roanok, who was sitting on the innermost side.

"The Osborn family's ancestor is Simon Osborn! Go north and ask around; he's the renowned 'God of Firemill Ridge,' famous throughout the thirteen states of America, who participated in the Founding Wars. Go to Firemill Ridge in Mainz and see for yourself; his statue still stands there!"

"...Has he arrived?" After a moment of silence, Zhang Renfeng suddenly asked.

"What?" the pot-bellied man asked, puzzled.

"That war god you mentioned," Zhang Renfeng's gaze swept across the crowd, "is he here today?"

"Of course not, what is he thinking? The War of Independence, that was a hundred years ago..."

"That's good."

"Boom-!!"

Zhang Renfeng had no interest in listening to him continue. With a swift palm strike, he landed on the top of the man's head, slamming it directly into the floor like a pile driver. The wooden floor was smashed open by the sudden impact of the head. His head was stuck in the hole, his neck twisted and deformed, and he could only twitch his limbs a few times before quickly becoming still.

In an instant, the restless crowd quieted down, everyone shutting their mouths. Zhang Renfeng strode over, and they swarmed to the other side of the table, hiding behind Roanok. Behind them was the fireplace, the fire blazing brightly, and they didn't seem to mind the heat, filling the small space to the point where there was almost no room to stand.

"prick---"

The sound of the stool legs rubbing against the floor was deep and harsh.

Zhang Renfeng moved a chair over and sat at the other end of the long table. Opposite him were the "descendants of the God of War," who were terrified, and Roanok, who remained relatively calm with his fists clenched.

……

He composed himself and asked his first question, "There are sheriffs in the city of Morocco. I also have a private guard at my residence. How did you get in?"

“Killed him.” Zhang Renfeng casually picked up a newspaper that many people had seen on the table, crossed his legs, and flipped through it, looking extremely relaxed, as if this were his own home.

The three words, "casually described," seem all the more terrifying.

"..." Roanok's eyebrows twitched, only then noticing that the long sword standing on the ground was stained with blood.

The edges of Death's black robe became faintly visible to everyone.

He sighed, struggled for a long time, and finally loosened his clenched fist, sighing, "...I underestimated you."

When an eagle hunts a rabbit, it uses all its strength. This is a lesson that nature teaches us, yet it is repeatedly forgotten.

Roanoke had too many concerns: his network, his money, and most importantly, whether his major actions would affect the normal operation of the company.

Perhaps his ancestors were indeed soldiers, but he wasn't; he was a businessman through and through. A businessman lacks the courage and unwavering will to organize a war. For him, winning or losing wasn't important; maintaining his business was far more crucial.

Only when he realized that the other side had the capability to not only win the war but also launch a propaganda offensive did he truly begin to regard the Red China Gang as an adversary. He wanted to increase his stakes and go all in, but they simply refused to continue playing with him.

“You win, Red Center.” Roanok spread his hands, no longer doing anything pointless, and said, “Name your terms.”

"..." Zhang Renfeng remained silent, only tilting his head slightly to look at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"During this time, I haven't been idle either. I've done some detailed research on you... and as a result, I've obtained a lot of completely contradictory information."

“Some see you as a monster of the Yellow Peril, while others worship you as a god. Some say you are ruthless and bloodthirsty, with a bloodthirsty nature, while others say you are helpful, and that you are the only one who dares to lend a helping hand to those things that no one else dares to ask for help from. So I realized that I was facing an unprecedented and incredibly complex person. He was different from ordinary bandits, gunmen, and gangsters.”

Roanok said in a deep voice, "I prefer to call you a 'dreamer'."

"In this corrupt world, you build your utopia and use all kinds of violence to turn it into reality."

"For a dreamer, money, status, power... these things are too vulgar, I'm embarrassed to bring them up. 'I'm negotiating with you in good faith'—I hope you can feel that, so I'll skip the useless haggling and jump straight to the conclusion."

Seeing that his expression remained unchanged, and he didn't even blink, Roanok felt uneasy, but he could only continue speaking.

"How about I give you the new Elizabeth?"

Chapter 543: I Want to Be a Good Person

These words undoubtedly shocked everyone, and whispers arose from the crowd behind them once again.

Everyone knew that the Osborne family's next move was to expand their family business southward and seize the still untapped southern market.

Therefore, the new Elizabeth state was a crucial stronghold that had to be secured. They invested a great deal of time, energy, and money there, and put in considerable effort to get Hugh Osborne into the Senate nomination.

Now, Roanoke is handing over this bridgehead to others, which not only means that all the previous investments have been wasted, but also that from this moment on, his strategic move to enter the southern market has failed miserably.

This is a significant signal; once released, their business base in the north will become unstable.

Ironically, Ryan Childer, New Elizabeth's biggest local competitor, had a falling out with the Red Center and lived in constant fear, which led him to move north. His departure conveniently made room for the Osborne family.

Unexpectedly, after all their efforts, they ran into this high wall called Red Center again.

……

"Such tempting terms, I'm almost tempted." Zhang Renfeng chuckled. "I killed three of your sons, and you still want to make peace with me, which means..."

He tapped the table twice, and the two human heads were also moved, bobbing slightly on the tabletop, creating an extremely horrifying scene.

Roanok, however, remained calm, showing no fear or anger, as if he were a complete outsider. To him, this was just one of countless deals he would make in his lifetime, nothing special.

"In your heart, the value of your life is even greater than that of this entire state, isn't it?"

……

"As long as people are alive, they can create unlimited value. Investment, taxes, public welfare, fundraising, and all kinds of products—as long as the company exists, the value it radiates will never stop."

Roannock's answer was brilliant: "I just hope that before I close my eyes, I can create greater value for this world and this society, that's all."

“Logically speaking, what is greater value?” Although Roanok posed the question, it was clear that he didn’t intend for Zhang Renfeng to answer. He simply continued, “As a commercial company, naturally, we should strive for greater success in our business model. The more money we make, the more we can give back to society.”

Zhang Renfeng had his eyes half-closed and his arms crossed, as if he were listening, or as if he were asleep.

Seeing the other party's noncommittal attitude, Roanok gritted his teeth and decided to add fuel to the fire, "Before this, I did make some... overly aggressive business decisions."

"I won't hide it from you. My original intention was to expand into the southern market. Business in the north is not easy. Many upstarts have their own new refining technologies. They are not large in scale, but they are closing in. I have to plan for the future and expand into the southern market before them."

He sighed, a hint of helplessness in his expression, and lamented, "Being in a high position, those below will naturally try to figure out my intentions. Even the slightest thought will be magnified a thousand or a hundred times when it reaches those below, which leads to these unpleasant things."

"Give me another chance, Hongzhong. This time, I want to be a good person!"

----

"Okay."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Renfeng agreed very easily. He nodded and slowly stood up.

At least for this moment, everyone hiding behind Roanok smiled from the bottom of their hearts. Their lips curled up, their eyebrows relaxed, and their tense faces finally loosened.

Also.

Using an entire state as a bargaining chip is incredibly tempting. Such a large state, with a dozen or so towns—if one controlled the power of personnel appointments, wouldn't they be a veritable local tyrant?

Only Roanok remained unmoved. When he saw him stand up, his brow twitched violently, and his upper body instinctively leaned back.

His right hand, without making a sound, reached under the table.

"In the end, we have no grudges against each other. You're the boss of a big company, and I'm a bandit leader in the mountains. We're completely unrelated. Whether you're a good person or not has nothing to do with me." Zhang Renfeng's tone was smiling, like a gentle breeze. "How about this, you go and ask those people."

"Those hunters in Numa Town whose water sources were polluted by the slag produced by your company, and who died from strange illnesses."

“Those miners who had already discovered the structural instability, but were forced by you to continue mining until the mine collapsed.”

"Fifty-five people were drowned instantly when groundwater gushed from the mining site in the Badi Mountains."

"And these..."

Zhang Renfeng picked up the newspaper and slammed it onto the table. His anger poured out like a sudden storm, instantly silencing the rustling sounds of the people. His voice gradually rose, causing the fire in the stove to flicker and the windowpanes to rattle.

"These! These are all the people you hired Pinkerton agents to kill, to silence, every single one of them, all the blood of innocent people, all recorded! Go ask them! Ask them if they'll let you be the good guy!"

Roanok's facial muscles twitched, but he was still unwilling to give up and wanted to try again.

However, this time when he spoke, his mind was in complete turmoil, and his lips trembled uncontrollably. "This...this is...something we can only do out of necessity. Where there is demand, there is supply...The market needs this kind of business model, and only this kind of model can...can generate value, which is then transformed into wealth and fed back in a cycle..."

"Here we go again." Zhang Renfeng squinted, his gaze sharp as a sword, as if he wanted to pierce through him. "You call me a dreamer, but I think I can't compare to you. You are the real dreamer."

"You always like to use grand dreams like 'business,' 'society,' and 'value' to gloss over things. But when it comes to specific people, you lose interest. In your eyes, these living people are less valuable than dirt."

"You squeeze every last bit of value out of them, then crush them under your feet without even getting your feet dirty, because you treat Pinkerton agents like shoes. You let them do all the dirty work, and you don't even bother to give them a second glance."

At this point, Zhang Renfeng laughed, "You and Wendigo are no different. You both eat people, but you eat in a more refined manner than him."

……

By now, even the most foolish person should understand Zhang Renfeng's meaning, let alone the fact that everyone in this room is considered an elite.

"What you're saying isn't my fault. People are born into different classes. This business model is a product of the times. Under the heavy pressure of the times, some substandard products will inevitably be crushed because they can't withstand the pressure..."

"This is their fate—!"

Suddenly, his right hand, which had been hidden under the table, emerged, revealing a loaded revolver!

Negotiations, promises, and confessions are all fake; they're all just attempts to attract the attention of the Red Army.

Roanok knew all too well that he could not entrust his life to anyone else. As the head of several powerful families in the north, his precautions against unforeseen circumstances were almost obsessive; he even kept hidden guns in his own living room.