Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

……

"Dad."

The next moment, that title pulled him back to his current identity. The old man's eyes gradually turned cold, and the dazedness he had just woken up vanished like snowflakes falling into a boiling pot. When he turned around again to face his son, he reverted to that solemn, authoritative figure—an aura he unconsciously displayed when facing his son.

"What's wrong, Stranger?" the old man asked. "Is there a problem with the plan?"

“No, the ‘Libra’ plan is proceeding smoothly, and we are also preparing for the other plans arranged by the Awakener.” The stranger’s tone was calm and even, as if he were reading from an invisible script, word by word. “I came to your residence to bother you on some other matter.”

"Hmm." Dad nodded, signaling him to continue.

“Recently, some disturbing news has come from the southern counties… many members of the Illuminati have been assassinated.” The stranger handed over a piece of paper. “This is the list.”

"..." Dad took the paper and glanced at it.

"The members who were assassinated were generally not high-ranking. They were basically recruited into the organization by Captain Istavo before his death. Assistant mayor, sheriff, bank manager, judge of the city court... that's roughly the kind of people they were."

All power structures are pyramidal, and the Illuminati are no exception. To implement a complex command, a large number of grassroots personnel are needed to put that power into practice. The "type of people" that the stranger refers to are precisely these individuals.

Of course, this also means that, apart from their sheer numbers, they have nothing irreplaceable. The old man's expression didn't seem to get out of control.

"This was found at the scene of all these people's deaths."

The stranger took out a mahjong tile and gently placed it on the table—the tile was also made of wood and painted white, except that there was a square black border on its front.

……

The old man's half-closed eyes finally opened fully.

"Whiteboard?"

Chapter 600: The Blank Board Emerges from the Mountain! (This book has reached chapter 600!!)

“The southern prefectures are far apart, and the impact of these murders hasn't yet reached here. But I'm worried…”

A hint of worry did indeed flash across the stranger's rugged face. "First there was Red Zhong, and now Whiteboard has appeared. Is it possible that Red Zhong was also behind these cases?"

When this was mentioned, the old man's expression changed slightly. "Have you looked into exactly how these people died?"

“The ways of dying are varied. Some die suddenly at home, some are shot in the street, some are killed by daggers, some are hanged, some are pushed into the river to drown... there is no fixed pattern.”

“You didn’t understand what I meant.” The old man glanced at him, a hint of displeasure in his eyes, but he still patiently explained, “Red Center’s killings are always spectacular, making a huge fuss. Windblown Sand, Scarface Village, White Torch Town, Saint Quintak, Windhaven Harbor, Three Horses Town, Dover Hill, Lagras… every time it’s been a huge spectacle, known throughout the city. He wants the whole world to know that it was Red Center who did it, because he believes he is acting on behalf of Heaven.”

"Where's the whiteboard? Did he make such a commotion when he killed someone?"

“No.” Stranger shook his head. “I also contacted the local police station. They all chose to do it late at night, in secluded places. They killed and ran away, leaving no trace, only this sign.”

"So, could it be that Hongzhong has changed his strategy? With his skills, killing these people without leaving a trace would be very easy for him..."

Halfway through his sentence, the stranger saw the look in his father's eyes, as if he were a fool, and shut up, refusing to continue. Seeing that at least he had the ability to read people's expressions, the father sighed deeply once again, feeling utterly helpless.

"My son, when you encounter problems, use your brain and think things through. If Hongzhong really wanted to live in anonymity, why leave this behind? What's the point?"

The old man picked up the mahjong tile with two fingers and tapped it lightly on the edge of the table twice. "Furthermore, as you yourself said, the southern prefectures are far apart. And these assassinations occurred frequently within a short period of time."

"Does Hongzhong have the ability to create clones? He killed someone in Bluegrass State, and less than half a day later, he traveled thousands of miles to the Southern Federal State and killed another person? Is he faster than a train?"

Having been prompted to this point, the stranger finally understood. "You mean, someone is using Hongzhong's name to carry out an assassination?"

"This is finally starting to look promising." The old man tossed the mahjong tiles aside. "Do we really only have the Red Dragon tile as our enemy?"

"The Hidden Sect of Xunshan!" The stranger suddenly realized, "So that's it, an assassin organization. Their style of operation matches up. That makes sense..."

"They have always been dedicated to assassinating members of the Illuminati. This happens frequently, but they never left any marks before. Now they have left this mark, the white card... Ha... Red Center has caused us a lot of hidden losses, so they are imitating him and using this white card to provoke us."

The old man didn't think it was a big deal, and just said in a gloating tone, "However, such a precise assassination must have a list behind it."

"I'm rather curious, how exactly did the list of Illuminati members leak into the hands of the Secret Order?"

"Dad, what should we do then?" Mo Ke asked, turning the question to, "Should we intervene...?"

"How do we intervene?" the old man countered. "To what extent has the intelligence been leaked? Who's on the Secret Order's assassination list? To avoid being assassinated, the only option is to send security personnel for close protection. Who should we send? How many? What's the scale? How much funding?"

Do you really know how big the South is?

After his father's analysis, Mo Ke understood that it was impossible for him to intervene in this situation.

You can only be a thief for a thousand days, but there is no way to prevent a thief for a thousand days.

Right now, the Illuminati members in the South are clearly being targeted by thieves. To avoid being killed, they need to be protected 24/7. The problem is, these members are mostly low-level employees who don't generate much value. Even if you protect them 24/7, they won't amount to much; they're not going to conjure up an extra dollar.

Such behavior, which involves only input and no output, cannot pass through the path of an enlightened being.

"So, that means..."

"They should mind their own business," the old man said, patting his chair and standing up. "They're just a bunch of clowns."

"Ignore him~~~"

----

"Senior brother."

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Zhang Renfeng cleaned up the dishes on the table, and Lang took out a letter from his satchel.

This was their habit—every morning, the first train from New Elizabeth would bring a letter.

The wolf would make a special trip to the train station to retrieve the letter and bring it along with other items to the cabin. Every morning, Zhang Renfeng would do his rehabilitation training until noon before returning. After they had lunch together, the wolf would show the letter to Zhang Renfeng.

To accommodate Zhang Renfeng's reading level, the text in the letters was always very simple, mostly consisting of phrases like "everything is normal" and "continue to follow up".

However, today's letter is different from the ones before.

Zhang Renfeng's expression changed slightly.

"...Senior brother, what's wrong?" Wolf noticed his unusual behavior. "What did the letter say?"

“An old friend of mine left in such a hurry that I didn’t even have time to see him.” Zhang Renfeng’s lips curled up slightly, and a hint of malice flickered in the depths of his eyes. “Now it’s all right, he’s finally back, and I’ll have a chance to see him.”

Wolf knew Zhang Renfeng too well. Just by looking at his expression and listening to his tone, he knew he was definitely not an old friend.

Zhang Renfeng didn't try to hide it from her and openly showed her the letter. The contents of the letter were still very simple, with three elements: time, place, and people.

Three weeks later.

Brightlight City, New Elizabeth.

Ryan Cheder.

"Wolf, you don't need to come with me tomorrow. I'm going on a long trip." Zhang Renfeng put away the letter and couldn't help but smile. "These days, you've been running back and forth between me and Tao. You must be tired. Take a good rest."

"Senior brother, you're going to..." Wolf hesitated, "Don't forget, 'Red Center' is already dead. If we go on another killing spree, won't we be exposed?"

"Recently, I've come to a realization," Zhang Renfeng said, his tone heavy and slightly raised, "If I live, I'll die sooner or later..."

"If I die, I will live forever!"

……

"Huh?" Wolf was completely bewildered. After all, she had never "died," and she still couldn't understand such an extremely abstract metaphor.

"Don't worry, Little Wolf, I won't just go there recklessly," Zhang Renfeng reassured him. "Have you forgotten?"

"Now, I have an excellent identity to cover it up."

Chapter 601: Revenge, Finally Mys

"ticket."

Seeing that the girl sitting by the window did not react and was just staring blankly out the window, the ticket inspector had to raise his voice and say again, "Miss, please show me your ticket."

"Oh? Oh, I'm sorry."

When the girl turned her face, the ticket inspector was genuinely startled. She had a beautiful figure and spoke softly, but unexpectedly, there were several conspicuous scars on her face. The girl seemed used to this kind of astonished expression, gave a wry smile, and handed him both ticket stubs.

The ticket inspector didn't take the ticket stub, but looked at her curiously, "Miss, who exactly are you...?"

“I am a special purchasing agent from Sanyuan Timber Company, and I’m going to Mingdeng City to discuss business,” Xiaomei answered fluently and said in a deep voice, while giving a slight nod to Zhang Renfeng sitting opposite her. “This is my servant who is with me and helps me with my luggage. I’ve also given you his ticket.”

"Oh, that's it..."

On this land, the choices available to the Chinese were not many. Being employed by merchants to do menial tasks such as carrying bags and leading horses was considered relatively fortunate. However, it was quite unusual for a woman to go out alone to discuss business, without a man by her side, and even to have hired a Chinese laborer.

After hesitating for a while, the ticket inspector saw that the Chinese worker was sitting right across from her. After thinking for a moment, she lowered her voice and said softly, "Miss, you'd better be careful."

"Ok?"

“I heard that the serial killer who committed a series of major crimes in Windblown Sands and Dover Hill is yellow-skinned… They’re not human, they’re demons in human skin! You’re traveling alone and you’ve hired such a guy, you should be careful.”

"Uh..." Xiaomei's smile was a little awkward, but since the other party really meant well, she didn't know what to say, so she could only nod with a forced smile.

The ticket inspector glanced at Zhang Renfeng again, still shaken, and left.

……

"Well, that's normal." Although he had lowered his voice, to Zhang Renfeng it was no different than speaking right next to his ear. He just didn't care at all, leaning against the train window and looking at the scenery outside the train. "That's how it looks to people who don't know the truth."

“Mr. Zhang, it’s alright.” Xiao Mei lowered her voice and gently comforted him, “One day, your deeds will be known to the world, and people will no longer call you a murderer.”

"I have a very clear understanding of myself regarding this matter." Zhang Renfeng smiled and shrugged. "I am a murderer. As for how many people I have killed, I can't even count them myself. I originally had nothing in this country, and everything I have now is obtained through murder."

"On the contrary, how are you feeling, Xiaomei?"

Zhang Renfeng brought the topic back, "Could you remain calm and collected when facing Ryan Childer?"

"I……"

Xiaomei was surprised to find that her hands had clenched tightly without her noticing, and her breathing had become rapid.

Resentment filled her chest.

“I understand that feeling all too well.” Zhang Renfeng sighed and murmured, “The enemy who caused you to fall to this state, if given the chance… it’s very difficult to suppress this kind of anger. This kind of anger will burn away your reason and make extremely emotional choices.”

“But that won’t do. This time, our revenge can’t be as grand and complicated as before. We need to be like Butcher Zheng cutting meat: ten pounds of lean meat, ten pounds of fat meat, and ten pounds of cartilage, with absolute precision, kill them and leave.”

Xiaomei took a deep breath and nodded.

It was a rare moment for Xiaomei to be alone with Zhang Renfeng, but she had no mind to think about anything else. Her mind was in turmoil, filled with resentment one moment and tears the next.

----

On this trip to Mingdeng City, Zhang Renfeng didn't invite anyone except Xiaomei. The two of them bought tickets and set off from Baiju Town.

In addition to using the identity of "specially hired purchasing agent of Sanyuan Timber Company", it was also due to the special nature of the target.

Lane Cheddar, a business tycoon, controlled businesses in multiple sectors including oil, sugar, and railroads, a rising star in the South. He made his fortune in Windswept Sands, and his businesses spread throughout New Elizabeth, making him a true Southern overlord. After amassing enough wealth, Lane began to extend his influence into the political and military spheres; stacks of dollars were more effective than a hundred "open sesame" phrases.

Those good days came to an end one night.

His second son was kicked to death and then hung from the church spire. The series of events that followed set off alarm bells in Cheder's mind. His early life was indeed spent fighting his way up in the business world. Regardless of his character, his personal abilities were undoubtedly top-notch.

He was probably one of the few among Zhang Renfeng's many enemies who truly sensed how dangerous the other was.

Forget about the wind blowing sand; if he targets us, the entire New Elizabeth won't be safe. Let's retreat!

Businesses and assets can be rebuilt, but once a person dies, everything is gone. Ryan even abandoned the bank he co-owned with Mesvid; since he'd already abandoned most of his businesses, what difference did one more bank make?

This escape led him to Granite State. Relying on the small business he had previously established there, Childer regained his footing, but Granite State already had the local power, Roannock Fuel Company. After arriving, Childer kept everything simple and conducted himself with extreme discretion.

He probably never imagined that Roanok, who was even more imposing and had a bigger presence than himself, would ultimately fall into Hong Zhong's hands. This outcome made him extremely grateful—thankfully, he had escaped quickly, otherwise, he probably would have suffered the same fate as Roanok, dying and his clan being wiped out.

After the great battle, he also received inside information circulating among the Northern Illuminati: Red Center and the captain had perished together, and the nightmare that had plagued him for nearly a year had finally disappeared.

Without any hesitation, Lane Cheder is about to return to his loyal New Elizabeth!

People are like springs; the deeper they are compressed, the higher they bounce back. The same is true for Ryan.

Out of fear of the Red, he had lived cautiously for the past year, especially during the time when the Osborn family was wiped out. He was in the same place as Roanok, fearing that the Red might remember him and, on a whim, kill him.

Fortunately, the most difficult time was over, and nothing could threaten him anymore. He vented all the suffering and hardship he had endured over the past year in one go, and returned to his hometown, Fengchuisha, in an extremely high-profile manner.

After showing off his power, Ryan was satisfied and began to quickly restart his investments in New Elizabeth. His first stop on his return tour was Brightlight City, a relatively developed city in the state.

He could never have imagined that long ago, in the wind and sand, a sheriff who refused to kneel before him had his head smashed by his men with hollow-point bullets.

Meanwhile, his daughter, carrying a revolver equipped with hollow-point bullets, was traveling by train through the night towards Brightlight City.

Chapter 602: Half a World

"I'm sorry, miss, you've seen the situation outside..." The hotel owner took off his small glasses, rubbed his hands, and said helplessly, "So many people from outside have come here, almost filling up the city. I don't have any more rooms here. I only have one room and one bed left. It's $4 a night. You can decide what to do."

They had encountered a similar situation once before in Windhaven, except that back then, the innkeeper was also one of Castor's men.