Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

By the time the soldiers reacted and tried to retaliate, the enemy had already ridden swiftly through your ranks. This wasn't yet deep into the tall wooded area; the trees were sparse, but sufficient to provide cover for them.

Although the soldiers had long-range weapons like rifles, most of their bullets were blocked by the trees, sending splinters flying everywhere. Meanwhile, the Native American warriors nimbly weaved through the trees, turning and twisting like a sharp knife, scattering the ranks once more.

After just a few rounds, the soldiers were overwhelmed and the ranks were on the verge of collapse.

"Get ready," Flying Eagle said in a deep voice.

"..."

Silver Frost took a deep breath, drew the iron sword from her back, and gently wiped the blade with her glove.

"boom!"

Flames rise.

With a sharp cry, Yinshuang leaped off her horse. She rolled once on the ground, quickly rose, and charged into the crowd, her free left hand forming a hand seal.

With a deafening roar, the shockwave sent the soldiers who had raised their guns at her sprawling to the ground. Some of the lighter ones were even thrown back, ending up in a bear hug with a distant tree trunk! Taking advantage of this opportunity, she wielded the iron sword that had been set ablaze, precisely slicing open throats and plunging into hearts, each strike aimed at a vital organ.

The military uniforms were set ablaze, emitting a strong, pungent smell of burning.

Silver Frost's movements were incredibly graceful, a precision acquired only through hundreds, even thousands of repetitions of training. She didn't even need to look; relying solely on peripheral vision and intuition, she could accurately determine her opponent's location and anticipated actions. Then, with minimal exertion, she would kill them with a single sword strike before moving on to her next target.

It was less like murder and more like dancing.

……

"This must be your friend, right?" Xiaomei murmured.

"How did you know?" Zhang Renfeng asked curiously.

"Ha...haha..." Xiaomei chuckled dryly, thinking to herself that she knew all too well; she could tell just by looking at the art style. Everyone around her was firing their guns, but she was the only one wielding a flaming greatsword. Her KDA was higher than her companions'—wasn't that obvious enough?

“Her name is Yinshuang. I met her in Dover Hill.” Zhang Renfeng began to introduce her. “Yinshuang has some… how should I put it, peculiar talents? It seems that she needs to make a few gestures to bring them out. Her senses are exceptionally sharp, far beyond that of ordinary people. We’re talking here, and she might be able to hear us even while she’s fighting.”

“You always know some weird and wonderful people. To be honest, I’m used to it,” Mike remarked. “This girl doesn’t look like a local.”

"Her hair is so beautiful..." Xiaomei couldn't help but exclaim as she watched her silver hair fluttering like a crescent moon during the battle.

I've seen people with different hair colors before, but a head of pure silver hair, as clear as moonlight, leaves a very deep impression.

----

The group of over twenty men quickly collapsed after several rounds of flanking maneuvers, coupled with Silverfrost's inhuman slaughter. The soldiers scattered and fled, only to be caught up by Eagle and several Native American warriors, who shot them all dead without leaving any survivors.

These soldiers are too low-ranking; the information they can provide is not what Flying Eagle wants at all, and it's not even worth interrogating them.

……

"Zhang!" Yin Shuang was clearly surprised to see an old friend here, and her tone was very enthusiastic, "It's been a long time!"

"Why were you in such a hurry to leave last time?" Zhang Renfeng dismounted and said slowly in a casual tone, "Come sit at my place for a while."

"It's all because of that fungus. My supervisor told me I had to rush back and give him the fungus samples to process. He hasn't mentioned it since, and I don't know how it's going." Yinshuang shook her head and said irritably, "Let's not talk about that. Who are these two...?"

“They are my companions, Mike Reinhardt and Messaria Marston.”

"This child has scars on his face too, just like mine." Yinshuang touched the scar under his eye, seemingly not considering it a problem, and asked quite frankly, "What did you fight with to get those scars?"

"Huh?" Xiaomei instinctively covered her face. It was the first time she had ever heard someone ask about her scars in such a casual tone in a social setting, and she was stunned. "It was...it was from a North American gray wolf..."

"You fought a gray wolf? Amazing!" Silverfrost was surprised at first, then patted Little Plum's shoulder with genuine praise, frowning as she said, "Compared to you, mine is much inferior. When I stabbed that slave trader to death, he scratched me with his fingernail..."

----

A soldier, whose lungs had been pierced and who lay sprawled on the ground like a rag doll, was panting heavily.

His ability to move had been largely destroyed, leaving only two fingers that could still move, and... eyes filled with despair and resentment.

His fingers trembled, slowly, and inching toward a revolver that was inches away.

……

"boom!"

A bullet, fired from the Eagle's Peacemaker, pierced his skull.

The battle was over, but this sudden gunshot interrupted everyone's conversation.

Flying Eagle sat sideways on his horse, clicked his tongue, and gave her a disapproving look.

Chapter 648: Who exactly are you?

After eliminating the group of soldiers, the local warriors of Takagi didn't hesitate for a moment. They dismounted and began looting their weapons and ammunition. Their objective was clear: they only wanted weapons; they didn't want anything else, such as rings, belts, or pocket watches.

In no time, the corpses had been cleared away, and their gazes then turned to the unfortunate passersby.

Having just killed someone, the soldiers' eyes were filled with a bloodthirsty aura, which frightened several men so much that they froze on their horses, trembling, and dared not move for a long time.

"You know her?" Flying Eagle dismounted and spoke to Silver Frost in a somewhat stiff tone.

“He’s my friend,” Silver Frost introduced. “This is Zhang Renfeng. I fought alongside him back in Dovchiu.”

"It doesn't matter who it is." Flying Eagle's eyes swept quickly over Zhang Renfeng without looking closely. He raised his voice and said in a deep voice, "Listen up, I have no grudge against you, and I don't need to be shot! Hand over your weapons and ammunition, we need them!"

Despite their lack of direct contact, these High Tree warriors are quite knowledgeable about the outside world. Many Native American tribes came here because their homelands had been ravaged and they had nowhere to live. They know very well that in this day and age, going on a long journey without a gun is practically the same as going out naked.

Between towns, there are often desolate wilderness areas where the law and police have no jurisdiction and public authority cannot be relied upon. If something bad happens, you might be able to fire a weapon if you have one. But if you don't carry a gun, you're completely at their mercy.

These modern weapons cannot be produced locally in Gaoshu. Normally, the tribe could trade for some guns and ammunition from itinerant merchants. But now it is a special period. The army has cut off all supply channels around Gaoshu. They can only rely on fighting to sustain themselves, picking up enemy weapons and ammunition. Right now, they are even stripping passersby.

……

"You, old man." The disheveled soldier nodded to him and said in a deep voice, "Don't waste time, take your gun!"

“Heh.” Mike glanced at the young man, saw the restless fire rising in his eyes, felt he looked familiar, and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He waved his hand, “Sorry, young man, this old fellow has been with me for most of my life.”

"For people like us, when we're out in the world, a gun is like a second wife; how could we possibly hand it over to an outsider?"

The tall soldier couldn't empathize with his cowboy sentiments at all; he frowned and pointed his gun directly at him.

"when--!!"

Mike drew his gun in an instant, almost simultaneously pulling the trigger and firing the pin. A bullet emerged from the muzzle, striking the short gun in the tall tree soldier's hand and knocking it aside.

This old man, nearing sixty, still maintained his expressionless, dead-fish-like eyes. His free left hand also drew his gun, raising it horizontally, forming a standoff with the surrounding group of tall tree warriors. Facing the several dark gun barrels, not even his eyes twitched; his calloused hand, seemingly cast in bronze and iron, didn't even tremble.

“I’ll say the same thing no matter how many times you ask,” Mike said calmly, with an expression that suggested he was indifferent to life and death. “Everything else is negotiable, but touching my gun is out of the question.”

"Interesting." Flying Eagle smiled with a hint of amusement. "Are you more concerned about these two guns than your life?"

“You can riddle me with bullets, that’s true.” Mike pressed the hammer down, making a nerve-wracking click, “but before I die, I’ll make sure to get as many bullets into the heads as possible.”

He winked at Zhang Renfeng.

“…Or.” Zhang Renfeng understood immediately, stepped forward, and took over the conversation, “We can have a proper talk.”

"We're here to help."

"Help?" Eagle repeated the word as if it were some absurd joke, so ridiculous that even he, the listener, couldn't laugh. His tone still carried a questioning tone. "Help which side?"

“We have a companion, an Indian, whose hometown is also in Tall Tree. About a month and a half ago, he went back to his hometown, and we haven’t heard from him since,” Xiaomei explained softly. “As his companion, we hope to do our part for his hometown.”

“As outsiders, you should turn around and leave immediately.” Flying Eagle’s tone was extremely cold. “Tall Tree does not need the help of outsiders.”

"Wait a minute, Flying Eagle!" Having witnessed Zhang Renfeng's abilities, Silver Frost immediately had a bold idea and quickly interrupted their conversation, "You can't say that. We're already short-handed and lack weapons. If we could have a few more experienced..."

“Tall Tree has no shortage of resilient warriors,” Flying Eagle said coldly. “Since ancient times, Tall Tree’s wars have always been fought by Tall Tree itself, and this time will be no different. We are not so low as to fight alongside the white-skinned people who have taken everything from us!”

Yinshuang looked somewhat forlorn, and for a moment, she pouted her lips in grievance.

The "white skin" that Flying Eagle mentioned, in a specific sense, certainly didn't include her. But in a broader sense, it naturally included her as well. Subconsciously uttered words best represent a person's true intentions; she could never truly become their "comrade."

“You may indeed be on good terms with warriors of a certain tribe, but that doesn’t change anything. You are still you, and we are still us.”

Flying Eagle's tone was resolute as he turned to Zhang Renfeng, "So, please return the way you came..."

"..."

……

The second half of the sentence suddenly got stuck in his throat, like a stuck disc, and he couldn't let it out.

Flying Eagle stared blankly at Zhang Renfeng.

He had only glanced at Zhang Renfeng briefly before, but now, his eyes were fixed on Zhang Renfeng, or more precisely, on his face, and he couldn't look away.

"What?" Zhang Renfeng felt a little uneasy under his gaze, so he said half-jokingly, "You didn't just realize now that I'm a yellow-skinned Chinese, did you? When we're out there working, we're the top two, and we get about the same treatment."

"Actually, I can really understand how you feel. If it were me, knowing there was such an opportunity and such a train, I might not be able to resist either."

"..."

With no one responding, the topic that was brought up naturally fell silent.

Not only Zhang Renfeng, but even Flying Eagle's companions seemed puzzled. One of the soldiers walked up to him and gently poked him twice with his elbow, saying, "We can't stay here for long. The gunfire just now may have attracted the enemy."

"Flying Eagle?"

----

"who are you?"

Zhang Renfeng hadn't expected that he would be faced with such a philosophical question.

But judging from the other person's expression, they were quite serious, as if they wouldn't give up until they got an answer.

……

"He's not anyone remarkable." After much deliberation, he decided not to reveal Hong Zhong's identity, and simply said, "Your King of the Tall Trees once sent someone to greet me, that's all."

"it is good."

Flying Eagle uttered a single word, tightened the reins like the head of his horse, and his attitude suddenly underwent a complete 180-degree turn. This sudden change not only stunned everyone else but also his own men.

"You guys come with me."

Chapter 649: Can there be two identical leaves in the world?

"Flying Eagle, are we really going to let them join? Fighting alongside white people, this has never happened before."

"Many of our brothers died at the hands of these white men. Even excluding this current war, the blood feuds accumulated over the years are countless. Under these circumstances, would it be a bit... a bit... awkward for us to bring two white men back as our future comrades?"

"But Silverfrost seems to have a pretty good relationship with them."

"Hmph, that girl is white herself, who knows what she's up to."

"But...she's a child the [King of the Tall Trees] picked up. I think she wouldn't betray us..."

"That's hard to say. She's always out and about; she might already be completely immersed in the civilized world of white people, unable to extricate herself. Haven't you noticed? She's been trying to persuade us to accept 'Hummingbird's' proposal and make peace with those bastards. Hmph... They're really serious, aiming for annihilation, and she wants to make peace? I don't think her motives are that simple..."

"Enough!" Flying Eagle suddenly spoke, interrupting the discussion of the soldiers around him in an unquestionable tone.

“Silverfrost is a warrior personally trained by the King of the High Trees. It has been proven that she possesses unique talent and has passed a series of tests; she is one of our own.” His tone was very serious. “Without evidence, don’t make wild guesses. Are you questioning the King of the High Trees’ judgment?”

"..."

Bringing up the King of the Tall Trees was such a significant move that everyone immediately fell silent. The question of Silverfrost's loyalty was temporarily set aside.

"So, you agreed because you trusted Silverfrost?"

“No.” Unexpectedly, Flying Eagle shook his head. “It has nothing to do with Silverfrost.”

"That yellow-skinned guy..."

He turned his head and took a deep look at Zhang Renfeng, who was riding a warhorse at the back of the group. "Heiyan?"

"What's wrong?" A tall, taciturn man with dark skin and muscles as hard as stone urged his horse to ride alongside him.

"You believe that in this world..."

Will there be two identical leaves?

……

The night was deep and foggy, and deep in the woods, the chill felt like tiny knives creeping up from her ankles, making Xiaomei shiver.

They had truly entered the high-tree area, and all around them were trees. These locals, however, were not accustomed to using torches or gas lamps for light; they were born here and knew every corner of the forest intimately. They continued on their way in the dark, following their usual path.

Zhang Renfeng turned on his waist lamp, but Feiying told him to turn it off, saying that in the darkness, the light might be spotted by nearby troops. He thought about it and realized that made sense, so he turned off the electric light.

The dark and cold environment made people instinctively tense. Zhang Renfeng took off his coat and gently draped it over Xiaomei, whose teeth were already chattering.

As if cut in two, they were divided into two halves. The front half consisted of Flying Eagle and his guards, while the back half carried Zhang Renfeng and Yinshuang. A Gaoshu warrior walked at the rear of the group, ensuring that these outsiders, visiting Gaoshu for the first time, wouldn't get lost or fall behind.