Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"You guys don't know yet?" Finney paused for a moment. "It's all over the place."

"Ryan Cheddar... By the way, do you guys know [Red Center]? That guy is amazing, Cheddar and his feud..."

“I know!” Zhang Renfeng emphasized. “Tell me quickly, what happened to Chaideur?”

"He was also on Hysen's invitation list. In fact, the entire Lantern Festival banquet was held to invite him. Hysen wanted to team up with him to expand the market and get involved in finance and oil by getting on his side."

“Lane Cheddar came by train from Granite State, and along the way there was a stretch near Talltree, which was Indian territory.”

"Train attacked..."

"Ryan Cheddar has been kidnapped by the Indians, and his fate is unknown..."

"Hmph, right now, his scalp might have been cut off!"

Chapter 632: The Face Peeled Off, a Bloodstained Banquet

The situation took a sudden and dramatic turn for the worse.

Zhang Renfeng and Xiaomei sat there for a while, staring at each other, neither of them able to recover from the enormous amount of information.

Angel Eyes' intelligence capabilities have always been excellent, and they've never made a mistake. However, plans can't always keep up with changes. Ryan was indeed coming, but an unexpected situation arose on his way, and he was kidnapped.

"Over there by the tall tree, isn't that..."

“Yes, it’s the chief’s hometown.” Zhang Renfeng nodded. After the establishment of Sanyuan Timber Company, the chief was sent to Gaoshu to represent their Hongzhong group in diplomacy. Judging from the current situation, this diplomacy probably didn’t yield any results and instead ignited the current situation.

"What do we do next?" Xiaomei asked anxiously. "Is there any chance he's still alive?"

This might sound strange, but hatred is truly a powerful obsession. With this obsession, Mei is probably the person in the world most concerned about Cheder's life or death right now—if she can't personally kill this mortal enemy, she'll have an insatiable regret.

“It’s hard to say. It depends on whether the people who kidnapped him were after him or after the money,” Zhang Renfeng analyzed. “If they just wanted to rob him, they might have killed the passengers on the bus as well. To the Native American tribe, these were all invaders, so it wouldn’t be strange to kill them.”

"If they're after his people..."

“Then he’s a hostage!” Xiaomei quickly realized. “If the Indians want to use him to exchange for benefits, they have to make sure he’s still alive.”

In any case, he could not possibly come to Mingdeng City again, so there was naturally little point in the two of them staying here.

"After you finish copying, I'll go to his house again, exchange this sword manual for Henry, say goodbye to them, and then I'll leave."

Although he had made the decision, Zhang Renfeng still felt something was amiss. He recalled that when he had traveled thousands of miles to Morocco to slaughter the Roanok family, he had passed by Gaoshu. That night, several Native American tribesmen carrying torches silently approached their camp, just to deliver a message to him.

The King of Tall Trees sends you greetings.

That decapitation operation was conducted with utmost secrecy from its departure to its march, prioritizing speed. Moreover, they didn't even set foot in the Tall Trees; they merely camped outside its territory. According to the Native American, the King of the Tall Trees knew they would arrive that night. His greeting that evening seemed more like an attempt to demonstrate his precognitive abilities to Zhang Renfeng.

In any case, hijacking a train doesn't seem like something he would do; there's a strange sense of incongruity about it, but Zhang Renfeng couldn't quite put his finger on it.

----

"..."

Under the bright lights, Jenny was even a little nervous; her delicate hands, gripping the knife and fork, were trembling slightly.

The family's dining table was so spacious it was almost uncomfortable, and the members were all seated far apart. It was as if they weren't a family at all, nor were they having a meal, but rather engaging in a social activity requiring special rituals.

Henry, the only person she recognized, was sitting three or four meters away. This distance was meant to prevent their elbows from touching, but it gave her a strong sense of insecurity. Sitting opposite her was Imond, who had been defeated in the jousting tournament—after the match, he had become a nobody, ignored by everyone.

Actually, he wasn't seriously injured, which is quite an achievement. Among all the people who have fought Zhang Renfeng, he is unique in this regard.

But this didn't change the fact that his sinister expression was now even more pronounced; his already long face stretched even longer as he stared intently at Jenny. His parents, sitting even further away, watched her expressionlessly from afar, a feeling that made her understand what it meant to be on pins and needles.

For a moment, Jenny regretted it and wanted to escape from this unsettling environment.

But... after all that effort and scheming, finally managing to sit at the card table, what am I if I just run away like this?

She squeezed her fork and glanced at Henry sitting some distance away. Despite having crammed on aristocratic table manners beforehand, she still subconsciously imitated Henry's movements to avoid looking too awkward. The meal was very subdued, completely silent. They even tried to be as quiet as possible when cutting meat on their plates with their knives and forks to avoid making any noise.

Jenny remembered Henry's advice to her, so she remained silent and didn't say a word.

When they had almost finished eating, William wiped his mouth with a napkin, took a sip of the fragrant red wine, and suddenly raised his glass, turning his gaze to her.

"Rani, is that her name?"

"Uh... I... my name is Jenny..."

“It’s alright.” William looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. “Tell me, young lady, have you slept with my son?”

“?!” Jenny looked somewhat surprised. She had a premonition that she might be made things difficult for herself, but she didn’t expect it to start in such a straightforward way.

“Father,” Henry said, his expression clearly displeased, “this doesn’t seem like a question a gentleman should ask.”

“It’s obvious, brother, you’ve misunderstood our father,” Imond said with a cold laugh. “He’s not the kind of refined gentleman you’d expect.”

“I’m not a gentleman, but I’m sure this lady isn’t exactly a lady either.” William glanced at him, completely ignoring Henry, and continued, “Please answer my question, madam, have you and my son slept together?”

This simple question was like an invisible hand reaching under her skin, tearing off her face, making her unconsciously bite her lip.

“You don’t have to answer that question!” Henry said in a deep voice.

Before this, she had always regarded Henry Hyson as the power figure in this game of power. All her plans were based on this hierarchical relationship, but now that a superior had appeared above Henry, she actually had no right to refuse.

"I...I slept with him..."

She gritted her teeth and said softly.

"several times?"

"This...I...I don't remember very clearly either..."

“Well, it seems he does need some fresh flesh to satisfy his incessant fantasies.” William said expressionlessly, as if he had only asked the question to humiliate Jenny and had no other intention. He raised his glass and said, “Then I wish you good health, madam.”

Jenny forced a smile and drank the glass of wine, leaving residue on her lips, which she didn't even bother to wipe away.

"Alright, my two heirs, tonight's dinner is no ordinary dinner."

William changed the subject and said in a deep voice, "If your intelligence channels were sharp enough, you should already know about this important matter."

Henry paused, his attention drawn to the phrase "the successors."

Back during the competition, William made it very clear that he had been excluded from the list of heirs. What prompted him to change his decision?

“Lane Cheddar, our long-awaited old friend, will not be coming.”

“I understand, Father.” Imond nodded. “Starting tomorrow, all celebratory events will be suspended. I will have the factory increase the number of shifts. We need to operate at three times the usual pace… no, four times, four times the usual intensity! We need to take on more orders and raise more funds. At this critical juncture, money is everything. Falling behind even slightly means falling behind at every step!”

Chapter 633: Now? Where is that Osborne guy?

William smiled with satisfaction. Imond was the perfect heir he envisioned, and every word he said resonated deeply with William.

In contrast, Henry, who was slow to catch on in business matters, annoyed him no matter what.

"What, is it hard for you to understand?"

William nodded slightly to his smug second son, and Imond then explained, "Brother, how much do you know about Ryan Childel?"

“He’s a rich man,” Henry replied.

"Yes, but that's a one-sided view. He held a prominent position in the sugar, railway, postal communications, and oil refining industries. He was a classic Southern tycoon, and like my father, he was a rising star. He had a very strong personality and almost complete control over his businesses; he made all the major decisions on his own."

"This patriarchal business model can be very efficient when it works, but it also has huge drawbacks."

“Once he disappears, his business will lose its backbone, fall into chaos, become a disorganized mess, and be unable to protect its market.”

"And so, our opportunity has come."

“He hasn’t been confirmed dead yet.” Henry couldn’t help but frown. “From what I’ve heard, his train was attacked and he’s just missing.”

“Those cannibals have an innate hatred for us, and they have a thousand reasons to kill him. Even if he didn’t die, he obviously didn’t come out alive, whether he was captured by the cannibals of Takashu or got lost in the Takashu region… his fate wouldn’t be good.”

“In either case, once he’s gone, the market will be empty and completely devoured.” Imond’s tone was somewhat sarcastic, as if he were mocking Henry for not even seeing through such a simple truth. “Brother, you don’t think that after something like this, the people we originally invited will still come to our banquet for the festival, do you?”

"In such a large market, as long as you can get a piece of it, you'll make a profit."

“I understand what you’re trying to do.” Henry frowned and said in a deep voice, “But have you considered that the current shift schedule is already ridiculously high? It’s unreasonable for you to add more.”

"Is that so?" Imond crossed his arms and looked at him with a cold smile. "What's unreasonable about it?"

“Have you seen the latest scientific research? The human brain has a limited time for precise operation each day.” Henry tapped his forehead and explained, “Between eight and ten hours, efficiency and accuracy will decrease. Especially in repetitive tasks like factory work, the probability of errors will increase significantly.”

"If they make a mistake, they should be fined. What are the foremen for?" Imond retorted coldly. "Perfect, the more money they're fined, the less we have to pay them. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

"Humans aren't machines!" Henry said in a deep voice. "Doubling the output has already caused a lot of complaints, and now you want to increase it to three or four times? Don't you see the risks behind this move?"

"What does it have to do with me? If any of them do something bad, just take them to the wilderness and bury them." Imond shrugged. "Brother, you're overthinking it. People are everywhere, and the one thing we don't lack is this stuff. If this one breaks, I'll just hire another one."

“That’s not what I meant,” Henry said seriously. “You’re undermining your own foundation!”

“Brightlight City is our Brightlight City,” Imond sneered. “Of course, I’m a little unsure which side you’re on right now. Let’s just say it’s the ‘Haysen Family’s Brightlight City. Security, police, sheriffs—they’re all our people. Nobody can turn the tables on us.”

"..."

Henry looked at him incredulously, narrowing his eyes. "Didn't I tell you the story of 'Red Center'?"

Imond's smile faded, and he stared intently at him. At this moment, the expressions on the faces of the two brothers became cold and terrifying.

After the words "Red Center" appeared, everything seemed to change.

"It's fine normally, but brother, do you really have to keep bringing up that madman in front of Father?"

"I……"

"Enough!" William suddenly slammed his hand on the table and shouted, interrupting the argument between the two.

He glared angrily at Henry, clearly having agreed with his second son during the previous argument. Subconsciously, people are unwilling to accept opinions differing from their own; those who offer such opinions are naturally seen as troublemakers.

----

The Haisen family runs a kerosene lamp business, focusing on high volume and low profit margins. These products aren't expensive; they're everyday necessities that every household needs.

As long as the market is big enough, the profits they make are enough for them to live in big houses, eat good food, and incidentally support a racetrack.

But that’s about it.

To those who truly run big businesses, mentioning the Heisenberg family is nothing more than a casual remark, "Oh, I know, the ones who make lanterns," not much different from canneries. This is something William has always been deeply bothered by—he's unwilling to be seen as a "rich country bumpkin" for the rest of his life; he wants to participate in the high-end game.

What kind of business is considered high-end gaming?

Coal, mines, oil, railways, sugar... all summed up in one person: Lane Childer.

And there are many, many more "small business owners" like him, almost all of whom are on the invitation list for the Festival of Lights. He knows all too well what these people will do. With Cheder's fate uncertain, the market will undergo significant changes in the coming months, and whoever makes the first move will get their slice of the vacant pie.

He has to be the first one to bite!

"My mind is made up. This is our family's chance to rise again. From now on, everything you say and do must be for the sake of the family!"

“You, Imond…you’re right. Go ahead and do it. Don’t worry about anything. From now on, you will personally oversee production. If anyone slacks off, shirks work, or rebels, take them down immediately and teach them a lesson in the most brutal way possible.”

William waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "At this critical moment, anyone who dares to neglect production requirements is going against me, William Hysen. Make sure everyone knows this!"

“Understood, Father.” Imond smiled triumphantly and nodded.

"As for you..."

William said coldly, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"...If your mind is made up, nothing I say will make a difference, but I'll still offer a word of advice." Henry's tone was quite unfriendly as he said in a deep voice, "Brightlight City is your territory, that's true. You can make anyone shut up or die as you please."

"Don't forget, the entire Granite State used to be the territory of the Osborn family. They're definitely more powerful than us, aren't they?"

"now what?"

Where are all the people with the surname Osborne?

Chapter 634: Welcome, everyone, to the new era!

“Isn’t it called ‘White Torch’ Town? How come there’s not even a torch? It’s freezing cold…” A man around fifty years old, with neatly sculpted silver-gray sideburns, turned his head and said to the elegantly seated young man with a slightly teasing tone, “I only came here because of you, Osborne.”

Louis Osborne, the last remaining member of the family, gave him an impeccable smile. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Edwin. It would be our honor to have the support of the Gold Coast."

“I haven’t even said whether I want to invest or not.” Edwin narrowed his eyes, took out a custom-made cigarette from his crocodile skin bag, lit a match, and began to puff out smoke. “Your judgment has never been bad. I look forward to giving me a surprise in the freezing cold.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about what happened to your family.” Another woman sitting next to him, with a black cloche hat with a beaded veil hanging down and a long, dark green silk dress that spread out three feet wide, said sadly, “That murderer called Hong Zhong is simply terrifying. I can’t imagine what would have happened to us if we had stepped into his territory.”

"..." Louis smiled without saying a word. At this moment, the best way to express oneself is to remain silent and let the other person interpret one's feelings according to her own ideas.

"Donghao Bird Bank didn't fire you because of this, which shows they have good judgment."

“Oh, Ms. Stone, you might not believe it, but Eastbow Bank didn’t hire me because I’m Roanoke’s son, and naturally, they won’t fire me just because I’m no longer his son,” Louis said with a smile. “I’m just a brick.”

"As long as it's useful, I'll stay there firmly."