Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

……

"Relax," Zhang Renfeng suddenly said.

"What?" Flying Eagle was jolted awake from his thoughts. "What happened to me?"

"Brother Flying Eagle, don't stare at people so seriously. They can tell when you're staring." Having traveled all over the country with the Red Central Gang, Xiao Mei had seen far more than Flying Eagle. She gently reminded him, "Your face practically screams that you escaped from the tall tree."

"Is it obvious?" Flying Eagle touched his face, his muscles as taut as ever.

Actually, it's not entirely his fault. The threat from the High Tree tribe is far from over. As the second most important person in the tribe after Flash, he carries the hopes and safety of so many people on his shoulders. Under such pressure, his expression is understandable.

"Then what should I... do?"

Zhang Renfeng and Xiaomei exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other.

A person's temperament is something that is difficult to change without spending time on it.

Although they were also Native Americans, the chief could completely blend in with them in this situation without attracting attention, drinking and playing cards as usual.

"Why does it have to be a place like this?" Flying Eagle looked around, somewhat uneasy.

“With a large flow of people and a high density of information, you can get all the information you need by offering people a couple of drinks,” Xiaomei said nonchalantly. “This town is the closest to the train where Cheder disappeared, so if you want to find out what happened back then, this is the only place to come.”

"..." Eagle knew nothing about these things. He tried to do as instructed, but when he looked away, his body remained stiff, making him appear even more awkward.

More and more eyes were drawn to them.

----

"Your team is quite large." The owner behind the counter glanced at him, wiping a cup as he sneered, "Yellow barbarian, red barbarian, scarred woman, plus an old bald man from out of town, are you in a hurry to get to the circus performance?"

In this situation, Mike naturally took on the role of the group leader. He displayed a completely different style from usual, letting out a long sigh, pulling up a chair, and casually tossing a few coins onto the stage, "A glass of whiskey."

"What about those oddballs behind you?" the boss asked. "Aren't you going to buy them a drink?"

“We’re not from the circus, we’re bounty hunters.” Mike took the whiskey offered to him, downed it in one gulp, and pointed behind him. “Don’t let their strange appearance fool you, they have incredibly sensitive noses. They can smell things from way back, much more so than hunting dogs.”

"Really?" The shopkeeper's smile was somewhat amused. "Excuse me for being frank, but we've served quite a few bounty hunters, though we've never seen anyone as unique as you before."

“We’re from out of town, you know. If we hadn’t heard there was a lot of money to be made, who would want to come all this way?” Mike, being a seasoned veteran, didn’t give himself away at all, smoothly catching his probing. “This time, I plan to have them help me sniff out the scent of that rich guy, what’s his name again…”

The boss's gaze lingered on the flying eagle, his expression one of disbelief.

“Ryan Cheddar.” A young male voice came from the side.

“Yes, yes, that’s him.” Mike was grateful that someone had spoken up. As soon as he turned his head, his pupils widened instantly, and his expression turned to surprise.

……

"I never expected your business to have expanded this far, old man."

Angel Eyes also changed his usual expression, patted Mike on the shoulder, and then smiled at the boss, "Buy him another drink, put it on my tab."

Upon hearing him speak, the boss immediately changed his tone, "Mr. Angel Eyes, you and this gentleman... are..."

“An old friend.” Angel Eyes tossed a coin aside and chuckled softly. “Doesn’t look like it, does it?”

Chapter 672: Target Locked!

Angel Eyes' casual remark of "old friend" immediately made Zhang Renfeng and his group's treatment much more generous.

Despite not making any requests, the owner still readily set up a table for them, including the three who had just described themselves as "oddly shaped," and served each of them a large glass of wine. Angel Eyes himself exchanged a few pleasantries with the owner at the counter before slowly taking his seat at their table.

"You have such a big reputation?" Zhang Renfeng picked up his cup and said with a hint of teasing, "We're all benefiting from your influence."

"Before I met you, I was a bounty hunter. I did the owner here a small favor once." Angel Eyes slightly raised the brim of his hat at Zhang Renfeng as a greeting.

"Don't worry," Zhang Renfeng said to Feiying, "they're our own people."

From his clothing and facial features to his demeanor and those strange eyes, he was unlike anyone Flying Eagle had ever encountered before. The high trees had honed his wild, instinctive nature, and even before they had become close, he already sensed that Angel Eyes was extremely dangerous.

Like a poisoned dagger hidden in your sleeve. It's not usually shown, but it's suddenly drawn and used to strike you, instantly taking your life!

Of course, in the eyes of the Red Center Gang members, Angel Eye was truly a guardian angel; seeing him brought a sense of peace that lifted a huge weight from their hearts. As early as in Mingdeng City, the moment they received news of the Chaidel train hijacking, Zhang Renfeng immediately adjusted his tactics, sending Angel Eye to the vicinity to gather information and intelligence.

Angel Eye arrived early and witnessed the scene, which had not yet been cleared, including an overturned train carriage and the scattered bodies of security personnel. Many bows, arrows, blowguns, darts, and daggers remained at the scene; the hilts of the daggers even had ornaments like animal teeth and feathers hanging from them, as if relentlessly telling outsiders that this was all the work of the Native Americans, and how could these Native American tribes be so evil?!

In no time, a deluge of reports spread, and they even left the accident scene outside for several days, like a funeral procession, so that newspaper reporters could gather material.

However, Angel Eye himself was a master of melee weapons and wouldn't be fooled by such a clumsy tactic. He immediately saw through the deception; the Native Americans were not without firearms, and capturing a section of a moving train carriage and killing all the security personnel on board was an extremely dangerous task.

There's no need for them to abandon readily available firearms and insist on using melee weapons. Are they just making things difficult for themselves by doing nothing better?

……

“I looked into it, and the main businesses under the Chaidel Group are oil, railways, postal communications, and sugar. During the three weeks he was gone, all of the group’s business operations continued smoothly without any disruption.”

"Ryan Cheddar is a tough and proud Southerner who still adheres to a 'family system' rather than a 'corporate system' in his business management. He does not allow others to interfere in his business and wants to control everything. Power is highly centralized in all the groups under his control, which has both advantages and disadvantages."

In their final days in Brightlight City, the Hysen family planned to use this sensitive time to increase production and cash flow, aiming to seize a share of the New Elizabeth market. Of course, before they could even make their move, they were crushed by the wheels of time thrown by Tao… But undeniably, many others put this idea into practice.

“Chedell is still alive, but he is cunning and well aware of the current situation. He cannot appear in the public eye, so the fewer people who know about him, the better. Therefore, he will absolutely not live in any residences that are in the open. All town mansions can be ruled out.”

"Once this charade is over, his son will lead his troops to wipe out Gao Shu, and then announce that he has been 'rescued.' Only then can he return to the public eye."

"Damn bastard..." Flying Eagle had learned his lesson this time, lowering his voice and cursing angrily.

"So, if he's in the middle of nowhere, he could just dig a hole in the ground and crawl inside," Mike frowned. "Wouldn't he be gone forever?"

"There is no such thing as an impenetrable wall in this world. No matter where you hide, there will always be traces. The entire group company is his personal fiefdom. Now that he has suddenly disappeared from the public eye, the company's business will inevitably suffer a huge impact. In other words, a large number of issues will suddenly emerge that will require him, as the leader, to handle."

“Heh…” Zhang Renfeng understood what Angel Eyes meant and sneered, “He’s set himself up for a tough problem.”

Regarding the company's operations, Igor also gave Zhang Renfeng a refresher course. While it might not be very in-depth, it at least gave him a basic understanding of the two companies under his control.

The word "confidence" is extremely important.

Ryan's arrogance and authoritarianism will lead outsiders to believe that without him, the Cheddar Group is a pushover. Many competitors will seize the opportunity to take over the market he leaves behind.

Ryan's mere presence could quickly dispel this trend, but he's currently forced to remain behind the scenes, creating a contradiction. Zhang Renfeng doesn't know how Ryan intends to handle this contradiction; he only knows it will be costly and time-consuming, and he can't act personally—someone else must do it for him.

“I kept an eye on his private secretary. In a typical company structure, the secretary’s power is almost equivalent to that of Cheddar himself. The company provides this guy with a personal coachman. I spent some money to bribe the coachman and learned all his whereabouts over the past three weeks.”

"He's been perfectly normal these past few days. He's been running around, negotiating with people, blah blah blah... except for the third day after Ryan disappeared, he went to one place."

"【Cheddar Crude Oil Refinery】."

Angel Eyes took a map out of his pocket, spread it on the table, and pointed it out to them.

Zhang Renfeng's eyes lit up.

The land is vast and the people are sparse.

Desolate and uninhabited.

Far from towns.

More importantly, the factory's location, at the border of New Elizabeth and Granite, isn't far from the besieged Hightree. Hiding here would allow for simultaneous control of both the front lines and the rear—it's practically perfect!

"It basically meets all his requirements at this stage." Xiaomei's tone became excited. "Yes, on the third day... there must have been a surge of business, and the secretary couldn't make up her mind, so she went to talk to him in person. These kinds of important business matters can't be explained on paper!"

“I went to investigate. Deep inside the refinery, there’s a vault that’s as big as a bank’s and very secure. The workers there told me that about three weeks ago, a few taciturn, big guys came to the factory. They don’t work, they just wander around the factory from time to time.”

"Several cooks accompanied them, and meals were prepared and delivered to the vault every day."

Chapter 673: You want to flip the table too?

"These bastards... cough... bastards..."

The vault was very spacious; as the saying goes, "a cunning rabbit has three burrows," and Ryan had anticipated this when it was built. Rather than a place to store money, it was more of a private space for him to take refuge in, complete with a table, chairs, and a mattress.

However, no matter how good the material conditions were, they couldn't suppress Ryan's anger. He would read the contents of the letter while cursing and then replying. Normally, this was his typical work routine.

But a person's energy is limited, as is their temper. Generally speaking, he is only irritable during the day, and it is rare to see him getting angry at something late at night.

It was clear that something had indeed punctured his lungs.

Based on Tim's years of experience serving him, it was probably mostly related to money.

And it's a large sum of money.

“Sanyuan Timber Company, Sanyuan Electrical Manufacturing Company…” He turned the letter over and over, his fingers trembling with anger, and shouted at the wall, “Damn it, where did these guys come from? Damn it! Damn it!”

Tim stood at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, without saying a word, simply preparing the cigarettes and alcohol he needed.

“I was talking to a dog, at least it responded to me.” Ryan’s dissatisfaction quickly shifted to Tim, and he snapped, “You’ve been listening for so long and haven’t said a word?”

“I’m just your bodyguard, I have no right to interfere in your business,” Tim replied calmly.

“…Fine.” Ryan swallowed his anger. Usually, this kind of anger was borne by his personal secretary. Tim was loyal to him and had never let him down in terms of security over the years.

"I'm giving you that qualification now, you can ask!"

"What happened?" Tim asked in a formulaic manner.

“Next door, in New Orleans, out of nowhere, a bunch of bastards have appeared… selling some kind of ‘electricity’! I’ve never seen such a good product!” He threw the letter on the ground and said bitterly, “This kind of electric light has quickly spread to the southern states. They’re the only ones on the market selling it, and they’re making a fortune!”

"The Haisen family of Mingdeng City is one of my business partners. I invested a lot of money in their kerosene lamp business, and now I can't get a penny back. I've lost it all!"

"It's all those damn scientists' fault, inventing all sorts of new things for no reason. They should all die!"

……

Tim knew Ryan's personality all too well; he was the kind of person who believed that "not making money was a loss." He wished all the money in the world was in his pocket.

What's more, he's really lost money now. The Heysen family and his kerosene lamp business are both doomed; the money they invested is gone forever. Seeing the electric lamp business flourish and make huge profits makes Ryan so angry his teeth are starting to ache.

“No rush, Mr. Cheddar, we also have a unique product,” Tim said meaningfully. “'That medicine' can’t be bought anywhere else.”

Ryan's expression changed instantly, his eyes narrowed, revealing a hint of ruthlessness, "Don't talk about this outside, it's still far from over."

"clear."

"How...are you feeling now?" Ryan hesitated for a moment before asking, his tone filled with anticipation.

"It's alright, it's just that the hunger just won't go away, but I'm pretty much used to it," Tim said calmly. "I asked the mushroom grower, and he said it's because the 'new drug' hasn't adapted to my body yet and has consumed too much energy, blah blah blah, I couldn't understand any of it. According to him, it's a normal phenomenon."

“That’s good, that’s good…” Ryan covered his face, took a deep breath, and a strange light flickered in his eyes. “You’re very important now, Tim, and so am I. We’re both at a critical juncture in our lives.”

"Once we get through this hurdle, we'll be over it. From now on, the future will be bright, and we'll all have a much brighter future."

"If we can't get through, ha..."

"My fate won't be much better than that of my foolish son."

……

"Click——"

The sound of the vault lock turning instantly alerted Tim, who shouted, "Don't come over after 7 p.m.! Haven't I told you countless times? Can't you understand human language?!"

“I…I’m sorry, sir…” The refinery manager could be very powerful in front of the workers, but in front of those in higher positions of power, he was naturally as humble as a grandson, and his first words were an apology. “It’s Captain Coulson. He’s on Colonel Jarworth’s side and insists on seeing him in person.”

Ryan quickly detached himself from his emotions—one of his special skills. No matter how angry or emotional he was a moment ago, he could immediately step back and make the most rational decision when needed. For example, right now, nothing was more important than military intelligence; he needed to know the frontline reports as soon as possible.

If he hadn't done that, he would have been swept away by a single wave long ago in the turbulent world of business.

"You can go out now, Tim." Ryan straightened his bow tie and clothes, and said with a touch of self-deprecation, "The night is long."

"I should receive some good news too."

----

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

From the sounds of things being smashed inside, Ryan's almost roaring curses, and the long silence at the end, Tim knew that things were not going as well as he had imagined.

But he couldn't imagine how bad it could be. How could things go wrong when facing a primitive tribe where firearms weren't even widely available and some people used spears and bows and arrows? At most, they would be lured into the forest and allowed to take advantage of the terrain to launch a few surprise attacks, resulting in some losses. It didn't seem worth getting too angry about.

When Captain Coulson came out, he looked quite unwell. He didn't say much to him, and rode back to Tall Tree.

……

Inside the vault, stools, tables, and chairs were smashed to pieces, and various secret letters, papers, and correspondence were scattered all over the floor.

Ryan leaned against the table, his hair disheveled, panting heavily.

"..." Tim didn't ask a single question. He squatted down and silently tidied up the documents scattered on the ground. He knew how to deal with this kind of leader. At times like this, even if you wanted to comfort him with good intentions, you shouldn't say anything, or you'd just invite trouble.

He works quietly, but if he wants to talk to you, he'll naturally start a conversation.

----

“We’ve been driven to the brink,” Ryan murmured.