Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

After a long silence, a weak greeting rang out.

----

They smashed almost everything they could, and even spilled a cup of coffee on the floor, leaving a bitter smell.

Jarvis slumped in the corner of the room, his face half-covered.

He still wears the military uniform, the same clothes, the same person, yet now he looks like a stray dog ​​whose bones have been removed.

“If you’re upset about that, you don’t need to hide it. We’ve already agreed not to mention what happened that day, haven’t we? Their bodies have all been disposed of. As long as we keep a consistent story and suppress the news, there shouldn’t be any problems before the war ends.”

"..." Jarvis suddenly raised his head, staring intently at him, and laughed in a cryptic tone. The corners of his mouth were smiling, but his eyes revealed a sinister intent. "Coulson, do you think... I'm angry about the western outpost? For those guys who can be recruited and replaced at any time?"

Coulson's expression changed slightly; he understood two things.

First, his boss was far more indifferent than he had anticipated.

The death of over three hundred soldiers, especially since they were wiped out by unforeseen external forces before the war even began, was a very serious matter. However, he immediately controlled the channels of information dissemination, prohibiting those in the know from discussing the matter. The camps to the south, east, and north of Gaoshu were largely unaware of this.

In his eyes, as long as the final result is good, these minor incidents that occur along the way can be disregarded.

second……

What truly caused him to lose control of his emotions was far more troublesome than the deaths of over three hundred soldiers.

He handed over a crumpled piece of paper, clearly caught up in the excitement of reading it and forgetting everything else, simply crumpling it into a ball. Coulson had to unfold and flatten the paper before carefully reading the contents, which consisted of only two short lines.

The fewer the words in such a letter, the bigger the matter.

"Last night, the Cheder crude oil refinery was attacked. There was a huge explosion, and the entire plant was completely burned down. All traces and clues are now unrecognizable."

"Mr. Ryan's suit was found about 1,500 meters southwest of the factory. It was pinned to a tree trunk with a dagger made of bison bone and a necklace made of animal teeth hanging from it."

……

Coulson's hands trembled slightly. He finally began to understand Jaworth's feelings at this moment. What it meant to be heartbroken. Could there be any worse news?

"That doesn't prove it, it's definitely true..."

"Isn't it obvious enough?!" Jarworth suddenly sprang to his feet, his eyes bloodshot, and roared hysterically, "A dagger made of buffalo horns, a necklace made of wild beast teeth—who but these barbarians would use such weapons? Leaving these things behind is a declaration; they want us to know that they did it!"

“That doesn’t make sense.” Coulson composed himself. “Mr. Ryan’s hiding place is kept absolutely secret; only a few people know about it. How could the barbarians of the Hightree tribe have infiltrated our ranks so precisely…”

"Who knows! What's the point of worrying about this now?" Jarvis interrupted him rudely, slamming his hand on the table several times. His voice was filled with panic and fear, almost overflowing. "Father has really been taken away by them. Do you know what that means? We're finished, completely finished!"

Before this, all business dealings were remotely controlled by Ryan. Fortunately, he also controlled the entire mail and communication network in New Elizabeth, so mail delivery was relatively timely, barely enough to keep things under control. Even if he didn't appear in public, such a large business could still continue.

But now, all of that has failed.

Without this powerful centripetal force, what was originally bound together by it will vanish in an instant.

When everything falls apart, their family's high-stakes gamble will come to an end. They might be kicked off the table, or worse. What became of the Haisen family of Mingdeng City? After being kicked off the table, their bodies have never been found.

The thought of losing everything he had made Jaworth feel short of breath, as if he had been punched in the lungs.

……

“It’s not over yet,” Coulson said suddenly after a moment of silence.

“The night I went to the oil refinery, Mr. Lane was furious. He told me to tell you that the Chedell family now only has one path to take... and at this moment, that path is still right in front of us.”

"We must fight, and we must win this battle, and win it flawlessly. If we win, there is still room for explanation."

"But...my father has already been..."

“We must prepare for the worst.” Coulson’s tone was resolute, with the ruthlessness of a soldier. “Even if he doesn’t come back, with you here, you will be the next head of the Chedell family—a military man, brave and capable, who successfully took over the entire High Tree! At that time, your military achievements will be the best negotiating capital, and you will have the confidence to speak even when facing the Illuminati.”

Jaworth stared at him in utter shock, seemingly unable to believe that this was his only option at the moment.

But after thinking about it carefully, he couldn't come up with a better solution.

"But...you want me to take my father's place, can you...can I think about this some more?"

“I can wait,” Coulson said calmly, “but in a few days, things might not be the same.”

Javos's face turned deathly pale.

He wasn't stupid, and he quickly figured it out: information transmission has a delay, but such explosive news would definitely reach the army immediately. As the entire New Elizabeth gradually descended into chaos, instability in the rear would naturally affect the front lines, causing instability among the troops.

To put it bluntly, without money, who will risk their life for you?

Now, it's the final deadline.

"Think about it carefully, Colonel. Our advantages over the Hightree tribe still exist."

Colson said in a deep voice, “Weapons, manpower, ammunition, supplies, and logistics are all superior to ours. We are an army from civilization, while they are just a group of barbarians who hide in the forest, occupy the land, eat raw meat and drink blood, and are stubborn and unyielding.”

"While morale and fighting spirit are still high, let's wipe out these backward barbarians in one fell swoop!"

Chapter 682: Let's worry about this situation first.

"Dang Dang Dang!"

The crisp sound of hammering echoed from between the thick trees.

As the peregrine falcon climbed the tall tree, it happened to witness Flash wielding a wooden sword and knocking the longsword from Silverfrost's hand.

He twirled his sword with his wrist, then placed it against the girl's chin, saying in an extremely calm tone, "Don't be fooled by my movements. Look into my eyes, not my hands. Hand movements should be something you can handle with muscle memory."

"..." Silverfrost moved her wrist, which had been struck, and pouted, seemingly dissatisfied with her performance. But when she picked up her longsword and saw the peregrine falcon climbing up, she knew that today's lesson had to end here.

She nodded slightly to the peregrine falcon, then climbed down along the branches and rough bark, leaving the space to the father and son.

“You rarely come to see me.” Flash wasn’t surprised by his arrival. He simply tossed the wooden sword aside and said in a deep voice, “Do you feel uneasy?”

“You have too many secrets,” the peregrine falcon said. “I don’t understand.”

"For example?"

"Even if we win this war, what will we have left?" Peregrine asked a very real question. "We will still just be primitive people living in the forest."

“I have seen the outside world, which is changing rapidly. They are developing and expanding every day. One day, the train tracks will connect everything.”

"And what about us? We still live in the forest, living by hunting and gathering. I'm not saying this way of life is bad, but if we continue like this, sooner or later, when their weapons and transportation become more advanced, this forest will no longer be able to protect us. All the tribes will be completely wiped out, as if they never existed!"

Peregrine falcons rarely speak at such length; these words are more like a condensed reflection of what they have seen and heard during their travels.

Years later, when he returned to his tribe, he found everything exactly as it had been when he left. It was exactly the same as it had been decades or even centuries ago, as if he were in a stagnant environment, with absolutely no signs of development.

Is there anything more terrifying than this?

"Most people in the tribe may not even be able to recognize all the numbers, let alone add, subtract, multiply, and divide. They are extremely hostile to everything outside the tribe, yet they cannot live without supplies from the outside world. Even some cheap tobacco and alcohol are something they are happy to consume."

"Father, I really don't understand... where does Gao Shu's future lie?"

Shan looked at it calmly for a long time, then nodded.

"very good."

"You come in with me."

The peregrine falcon was somewhat taken aback; this was one of the few times he had been invited to the King of the Tall Trees' house.

Under the watchful eyes of the many faces of the ancestors in the room, his father, the taciturn old man, waved his hand toward the corner of the wall—where a cluster of tree roots was growing from the corner of the wall. No one tended to it, so it grew more and more, like the drooping beard of a wise old man.

“It’s truly magnificent…” the peregrine falcon exclaimed.

“The same thing looks different to different people,” Shan said with a rare quip. “The first time your brother saw it, he said he wanted to cut it down—he’s more focused on what’s in front of him, which is why he’s more suited to take over the position of King of the Tall Trees.”

“…I understand.” Peregrine nodded in agreement. “The matter at hand is the most important thing. In this respect, I am not as good as my brother.”

“But we can’t leave the future unconsidered. Your vision is far-sighted and astute; you worry about things that don’t need immediate concern. The tribe needs someone like that, which is excellent. Keep it up.” Flash also gave his second son high praise. “Not enough, since you’re so worried…”

"Why don't you take a look for yourself?"

"Take a look?" The peregrine falcon understood what Flash meant, but hesitated.

"Just watch, that's fine." Flash simply waved his hand. "The future is something you can only look at..."

"That won't change."

……

After a brief silence and a moment of mental preparation, the peregrine falcon slowly walked toward the tangled roots, extending its paw little by little, as if feeding stray cats and dogs.

The moment it grasped it, the peregrine falcon felt its body lighten, as if it had merged into this enormous ancient tree, sharing with it the long years of the world.

The next moment, fragmented images surged into his mind like a tidal wave.

He saw tall trees.

As the view gradually rose, the vast grassland near the forest shrank many times over—like a ring encircling the tall trees, barely maintaining the "pristine" state he was familiar with. Beyond the grassland, towns, factories, railways, and people were densely packed like a grid, almost exactly the same as what he had seen in the civilized world outside.

Those traveling to and from the area were all Native Americans of the same skin color as him.

The vast majority of them had donned work clothes and suits from the civilized world, but a few still wore traditional tribal attire. Instead of riding horses, they sat in large, movable metal shells, holding a disc in their hands to make the shells move around the streets.

Tavern.

post office.

clinic.

Police station.

school.

Hotel.

Everything that should be there is there.

Peregrine took a deep breath; his reason told him that this was the best outcome. But when he actually saw it, he still felt empty inside, as if something was missing.

“I was too greedy,” the peregrine falcon murmured. “This is for the best.”

"That's good..."

……

The scene shifted, and the crimson firelight made his heart, which had finally calmed down, suddenly jump again!

He saw a young man with silver-white hair tied in a short ponytail, tall and slender, with a cold and stern face. He was standing under a tall tree, in the spot where the eagle had once stood, delivering a pre-battle speech to the soldiers lined up below.

Same location, same skin color, it seems only a different group of people.

They were just as young and passionate about the war, and they applauded and cheered at the white-haired leader's speech.

The peregrine falcon didn't hear exactly what was said, but it heard the tribal warriors raising their weapons and cheering for the impending war.

"Long live the White Party!"

"Long live Nero!!!"

The sound was like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down on him.

----

"ah---!!"

The peregrine falcon, unusually losing its composure, shouted and ripped off the roots wrapped around its wrist, returning to Flash's gaze.

"...What did it show you?" Flash asked calmly.

"Then... who is that silver-haired child?" Peregrine rubbed his temples, fighting off dizziness and nausea, and asked, "You know? You've always known? You saw it a long time ago..."

……

"Silverfrost!" Peregrine Falcon suddenly realized something, looking at Flash with utter shock. "That's her child!"

"Did you see Zhang Nero?" Flash replied calmly. "At least now, you don't have to worry anymore. We succeeded. Tall trees, tribes, fellow Indians... they have all found their place in the progress of this nation and will continue to live on."

"We succeeded."

“But…” the peregrine falcon said, increasingly confused, “I see a war! If we succeed, how can there be a war?”

"Whenever there are people, there will be war, and we have always been in it. After the war, there will be reorganization, integration, and rebirth." Flash's tone was uncertain. "The [Red and White War] you are seeing will happen 46 years from now."

"Let's worry about this one first."

Chapter 683: Are you really prepared to die for it?

Would you mind talking?

"..." Under the cover of night, the chief looked up at Silver Frost, his gaze lingering slightly on her long, silvery-white hair. "Take my advice, girl, you're still young. Don't ruin your health. Getting some more sleep is more important than anything else."