Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"..." Xiaomei pouted, looking unwilling, but still gave him the bottle she had hidden behind her back.

"Brandy?" Zhang Renfeng was somewhat incredulous. He looked at the bottle more closely, shook it a couple of times, and listened to the sound inside. "You've drunk more than half a bottle?"

"I can't sleep~" Xiaomei pursed her lips, subconsciously taking his arm. Her tone was like a coquettish plea, or perhaps the alcohol made her voice a little slurred. Her voice was already very beautiful, but now it became even sweeter.

"This stuff isn't good for helping you sleep... Is this the only bottle?" Seeing her like this, Zhang Renfeng's brows furrowed even more. "You haven't drunk anything else, have you?"

"There's not much... it's just..."

Seeing her stammering, Zhang Renfeng's alarm bells went off. He quickly reached into Xiaomei's coat pockets and pulled out two empty wine bottles from the two side pockets.

Empty bottles of Kentucky bourbon and gin.

Zhang Renfeng couldn't help but gasp. For him, perhaps even facing a thousand troops would not have been as impactful as this moment.

“Not a drop left… ha…” He tried to turn the bottle upside down, and it really was as he said, literally, not a drop left, which made him laugh in exasperation. “I really didn’t know you could hold your liquor so well. You’re all tipsy and instead of going back to your room to sleep, you’re wandering around in this dark place.”

“What if you trip again?! What if you bump into something sharp and get hurt? What if you bleed? What if we're all asleep and you're too drunk to wake up, and you lie on the floor all night? We don't know if you'll even be alive when you get up the next day! You…”

……

Xiaomei bit her lip, maintaining her dignity by not crying out loud, only sobbing slightly, large tears rolling down her cheeks and hitting the ground.

People who have been drinking but haven't completely lost control are in an emotional state. Even the slightest bit of joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness can trigger huge emotional fluctuations, and clearly, she is in such a stage right now.

This might suggest that even three bottles of wine weren't enough to get her completely drunk.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Mr. Hongzhong...It's all my fault, I..." Xiaomei kept wiping away the tears on her face, turning around, slightly spreading her legs, and placing her hands on her knees. Her lower body, tightly wrapped in jeans, with its porcelain curves, naturally arched towards him. "I know this isn't good, but...but...I..."

"Could you at least be a little gentler?"

Zhang Renfeng sighed, "I won't hit you."

"No way?" Xiaomei was a little surprised. She straightened up and muttered softly, "Once, I was running around at home and spilled a cup of boiling water... Dad spanked me..."

“I am not your father.” Zhang Renfeng moved over a particularly large chair, then pressed down on the girl’s soft shoulders and gently helped her sit down. “This may be a little cruel for you, but you should recognize that.”

"...Waaah...waaah..." Xiaomei covered her face, sobbing softly, shaking her head, "I...but I don't like this, my original life has been shattered...my parents, my family, and my face...I can never go back!"

"Only you will be by my side, Mr. Hongzhong. Only you will care about me and feel sorry for me... Besides you, who else would care about an ugly girl with a face full of scars? Please, I don't want to be separated from you, I don't want to, I don't want to!!"

"..."

Zhang Renfeng was stunned for a moment, then realized that the disfigurement had caused Xiaomei far more harm than she had imagined. Normally, she kept these things to herself, not easily revealing them, and seemed as if they were all in the past.

This thorn stuck in her heart causes her chest to ache every time the night is quiet.

“This silly girl…” After a long silence, he rubbed Xiaomei’s head and said softly, “I knew it. You’ve been acting strange these past few days. So that’s what you were worried about.”

He held Xiaomei's slender neck, letting her lean against him, and murmured, "But we will be separated sooner or later."

Xiaomei looked up at him with teary eyes, a sight that made his heart clench.

“Look at me, is there a better example than me? My family, my parents, my hometown... everything I remember from birth is on the other side of the sea, and I am separated from them. When fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend a hand; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless. It's just that simple.”

"Even putting all that aside, you're fifteen this year, right? I'm twenty-nine, fourteen years older than you."

"According to the laws of nature, I will leave this world before you."

Xiaomei pouted, and whispered as if in a dream, "But... after we start the company, we'll have even less time to see each other. I don't want that... I'm scared..."

The aftereffects of the three bottles of wine finally took effect. The girl's eyelids drooped, and her already slurred words became increasingly strange, "I can do anything, I just hope you... you can..."

She fell into a deep sleep, and the rest of her words melted into the quiet night.

……

Zhang Renfeng gently stroked the girl's shoulders and back, but his gaze was fixed on the window, blending into the boundless darkness.

Chapter 596: Refusing to Believe in Evil

“Toby, I think we shouldn’t go any further…” One of the hunters looked around, his expression clearly uneasy. “This place is really strange, and we’re almost out of ammunition. If we go any deeper…”

"You were scared by the nonsense those people in the tavern told, weren't you?" Toby didn't turn around, but you could tell how impatient he was from his voice. "There are plenty of scary stories in White Torch, all made up by the local hunters to scare outsiders like us! Someone even said that the Australian Shrike died on this mountain, with both its eyes missing. I haven't seen its vengeful spirit wandering around."

The name "Baiju" in Baiju Town originally referred to a herd of white-tailed deer in the nearby mountains, one of which had fur as white as a torch. It was seen running and leaping in the night, resembling a burning torch, and was witnessed several times, giving rise to various legends.

Regardless of whether this magical white-tailed deer actually exists, at least the herd of white-tailed deer in this area is definitely there.

The hunters who had come from afar were looking to make a fortune in the fur trade. Before setting off, they had a few drinks at the Cactus Tavern in town, where they were warned by several drunken vagrants that they should only hunt in the shallower parts of the forest and not venture any deeper.

Four words: Keep out.

"This trip's harvest is equivalent to three of our previous trips..." one hunter said, glancing at the horses that accompanied him—these sturdy packhorses had rolls of freshly peeled shrimp hides hanging on their backs.

Because there were simply too many deer to fit on the horses, the deer hides were peeled off on the spot and layered on the saddle. As for the deer carcasses, one or two particularly good ones were selected and carried on the horses as well. This small team of hunters had already ventured deep into the mountains and forests.

The forest was dense and shrouded in mist.

The occasional bird call was unsettling and gave me goosebumps.

"You spineless cowards, shut up!" Toby led the horse by the reins, his footsteps stomping on the muddy ground, making a sickeningly soft sound. "Use your brains and think about it. We hunted so many deer on the outskirts of the mountains. What does that mean?"

"There's at least one large herd of deer inhabiting these mountains. If we can find them, we'll be rolling in money! You've gone out all this way, how can you go home without stuffing your pockets full?"

"Well..." The group looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

"If you want to go back anyway, then you can go back," Toby waved impatiently and continued walking forward. "I'm not leaving until I've made my money!"

The hunters had no other choice. The worst thing about going into the mountains to hunt was to break up halfway. They could only follow their stubborn leader and go deeper into the mountains.

……

"Clap!"

The stream overflows the grove of trees; when you step into it, you sink half an inch, and the sound of the water splashing under your feet fills the air.

Enduring the dampness and chill, Toby rubbed his nose, goosebumps rising on his forearms. He realized something was watching him from the shadows, and finally pulled his hand off the reins, gripping his rifle tightly, shouting repeatedly, "Quick! Hide!"

The hunters behind him quickly followed suit, leaning against the trees, each looking tense.

Looking around, they could hear nothing but the sounds of the wind, the flowing water, and their companions' tense breathing.

"what happened?"

"Shh! Quiet, there's something alive nearby." Toby waved his hand, signaling them to lower their bodies. "Tell the men to load up their bullets, keep watch, we're..."

He instinctively reached for his pocket, but his brow suddenly twitched.

Seemingly sensing his weakness, the deadly ghost seized the moment and leaped out!

"ah----!!"

A scream rang out from the ranks, instantly shattering the team's morale. They were hunters, not warriors. Blood and screams were enough to break their will.

"A coyote, it's a coyote!"

"shot!"

The panicked hunters raised their rifles, firing several shots, but they missed the coyote. Instead, more pairs of green eyes appeared among the grass and trees. The coyotes didn't howl; they simply crouched low, silently lunging forward, biting a man's ankle, or leaping at his face and neck, blood spurting out, mingling with screams of agony—a truly horrific sight.

In less than a minute, several people had died. Coyotes pounced on the chests of the dead, feasting on them until their fur was stained scarlet.

"Bang---!!"

Toby raised his shotgun and blasted the coyote's head to pieces. The smell of gunpowder and blood made the pack flinch slightly. They lowered their center of gravity and let out threatening growls at him.

"run!!!"

Toby shouted, and without even reloading, he slung his rifle, which had only two bullets left, and took off running. The surviving hunters were also awakened by the shout and gave chase. The life-or-death chase between man and wolf continued to play out deep in this dense forest. To nature, eating and being eaten was just another mundane drama.

----

“I told you long ago… no… we shouldn’t have stayed here. All the game we hunted, and those horses, are gone…”

"Damn it! With so many deer, how can they not have their natural enemies?"

"Poor old Tom, I watched with my own eyes as those beasts tore him apart alive..."

……

"Alright, enough talk. We've got it now, there's no other way!" Toby gritted his teeth and glanced back—the grass and trees swayed, and several coyotes that had been lying low emerged from among them, following closely behind, showing no intention of letting them go.

These guys, like me, are unwilling to easily let go of prey that's already within their grasp.

The remaining hunters were mostly middle-aged men in their thirties and forties, well past their prime. This attack and escape had exhausted most of their strength; any further running would only result in them being overtaken.

How many bullets are left?

"We don't have many bullets left... We've used them all on hunting, and there are hardly any left." The hunter's tone was filled with despair. "I guess we'll only have enough for one volley."

"Damn it, one round is fine. If we keep running, they'll catch up and kill us anyway..." Toby gritted his teeth and loaded his shotgun. "I'll gamble on this one round and fight them to the death!"

"Click!"

The sound of the bolt being pulled back.

It conveyed a sense of fearlessness in the face of death.

----

"Thump—!!!"

Like a meteor falling to earth, soil and rocks flew everywhere, and the leaves of nearby trees were shaken and flung into the air.

A figure slowly straightened his back and joined the battle between man and nature, instantly turning the tide of the war.

Toby had seen such attire before—he was wearing a suit of armor pieced together and filled with metal blocks, and judging from the sound of his landing and the way his feet were deeply embedded in the ground, it was hard to imagine how heavy it was.

"..."

The survivors stared in disbelief, holding their breath, too afraid to speak. For some reason, they sensed that this suddenly appearing figure was far more dangerous than the pack of wolves chasing them!

The coyotes shared the same feeling, letting out innocent whimpers like dogs, and tucked their tails between their legs as they fled.

Chapter 597: The War Machine is Under Construction

"when---!!"

He removed the helmet from his shoulders and neck and tossed it aside. As it fell freely, it made a tremendous, loud noise, almost creating a crater in the ground.

Fortunately, it was deep in the mountains and forests, so the sound only echoed between the earth and trees, and there was no fear of disturbing anyone. Zhang Renfeng stretched his shoulders and neck, his brows relaxed, he breathed a sigh of relief, closed his eyes slightly, and enjoyed the soothing air of the forest and the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves.

Deep beneath the soil, the vibrant breath of spring always bursts forth from this black earth, captivating all who behold it.

After the company was established, everyone in the gang went about their own business, so he built another simple little wooden house deep in the mountains of Baiju Town. This time, he refused Dunn's extravagant celebration. The wooden house was built extremely simply, and all his food, clothing and daily necessities were only enough to meet the basic needs of life. He even gave up cigarettes and alcohol, and lived a completely hermit-like life.

As for the body-hugging metal armor, it was designed and developed by Tao at his request. The weight was gradually increased according to his maximum weight capacity, and it was part of his rehabilitation training. After a period of time, he gradually adapted to the weight, and under the constraints of this weight, he could run, jump, and fire a gun just like an ordinary person.

This is the first step of his plan: to use weights to undergo a period of rehabilitation training, allowing his body to return to its peak condition in preparation for the second step of the plan.

Quitting smoking and drinking, along with a regular sleep schedule, will allow me to make up for all the things I wasted during my two years in America.

To ensure he could work from sunrise to sunset every day, he left all entertainment outside the mountain. He didn't bring any cards, not even cigarette cards. He even deliberately severed all ties with the outside world, never going down the mountain unless absolutely necessary.

The goal of this training is not only to improve basic physical fitness, but also to achieve something else.

Archery.

Or, to put it another way, marksmanship, the ability to assemble and use modern firearms.

Thanks to Theon, Dunn's weapons factory acquired every gun of even moderate renown. Crates of sophisticated modern weaponry were piled up in this small wooden hut, resembling a miniature armory. Anyone unsuspecting passing by who casually pushed open the door would likely be quite astonished.

This was the conclusion Zhang Renfeng reached after much contemplation—his martial arts were indeed killing techniques, but in terms of the most efficient way to kill, a punch or a kick couldn't compare to a bullet. His Qi Hardening Technique made him invulnerable to blades and spears, and he possessed immense strength, but he still had to dodge bullets.

Back in his hometown, Zhang Renfeng had met many traditional martial arts masters who were extremely resistant to Western guns and cannons. They weren't stupid; they could see at a glance that the existence of such things would rapidly devalue and diminish the significance of "martial arts."

But Zhang Renfeng didn't think so. He believed that no matter how good the weapon was, it was still just a tool used by people.

Therefore, someone with superior individual combat skills would definitely have an advantage over an ordinary person even if they switched to focusing on marksmanship: for example, they could wield two short guns simultaneously, or even carry a Gatling gun and fire indiscriminately, completely ignoring the effects of recoil, something an ordinary person could never do.

Of course, in order to prevent him from completely turning into a wild man, there is still one person who will go up the mountain once a day to assist his training.

This way, they can be informed of everything that happens down the mountain in a timely manner.

----

"Senior brother?" Wolf pushed open the creaking wooden door and asked, puzzled, "You weren't at the training ground just now, where did you go?"

“A group of hunters came, mostly from out of town, doing fur business.” Zhang Renfeng stretched his shoulders and neck, making a clicking sound, and said casually, “They were chased by coyotes. I heard the commotion and went to help them. It’s okay, they’ve already gone down the mountain.”

"..." The wolf's expression was somewhat gloomy. He pursed his lips, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Renfeng noticed that there wasn't much firewood left in the woodpile, so he picked up a log and, with a "crack," tore it in half like tearing paper.