Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

“But I can’t sleep.” Silver Frost sat down beside him and smiled self-deprecatingly. “Actually, I don’t really need to sleep.”

“I discovered a long time ago that even if I only sleep for four hours, I don’t feel dizzy or lightheaded when I wake up the next day. I feel just like a normal person. When I close my eyes, I don’t feel tired… I can sleep, or I can just keep my eyes closed until dawn.”

“Alright.” The chief used gun oil to maintain his gun, blew on the barrel, and said, “Let’s make it clear beforehand, I’m not that close to Old Zhang.”

Silver Frost asked in surprise, "How did you know I wanted to ask him about something?"

What else could it be? — The chief gave her a slightly helpless look, shrugged, and gave her a knowing look.

"You're from the same gang, aren't you?" Silverfrost's eyes were full of curiosity. "What do you usually do together?"

"..."

The chief carefully recalled his days in the Red Center Gang and suddenly realized that the gang didn't seem to have many "daily activities".

For ordinary gangs, the way to get rich is nothing more than robbery.

Robbing pedestrians, robbing trains, robbing banks—making a quick buck is all they want. After the robbery, they have no long-term plans; the money is mostly spent on drinking and gambling. In their hedonistic lifestyle and extravagant spending, they live with a semblance of humanity.

Since it was all stolen money, they spent it without restraint and quickly squandered it all.

Unable to bear life without money, they planned another robbery. It might succeed, it might fail, and perhaps one day they'd be shot and killed. Usually, no one would erect a tombstone for them; they simply passed through life in haste.

But the Red Center Gang is completely different from ordinary gangs. They do have gatherings, and they drink, smoke, and play cards, but they treat these as a form of entertainment. Most of the time, the members of this gang are involved in various major events.

As for him, he had always been the most inconspicuous member of the gang.

During their leisurely time in White Torch Town, the chief was mainly responsible for supplying the gang with meat. He and the gang members took turns going hunting, and he taught them hunting techniques. Each time they returned, they would have fresh game, usually wild rabbits, white-tailed deer, and the like.

Actually, if it were Mike, Theon, or other gunmen, they might not be unable to do this kind of job, but everyone seems to have gotten used to having the chief play this role.

“Otherwise, what am I doing in the camp?” the chief said with a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m part of a team, and I’ve taken $2 from them, so I have to make some contribution.”

“2 US dollars…” Upon hearing this number, Silver Frost’s expression was quite astonished.

As one of the few tribal members who ventured out into the world, she had a concept of the economic system outside. After all, mercenaries couldn't work for free; they had to be paid. For a typical job, even if it involved risking one's life, earning a hundred or so dollars was already considered a fortune.

$20000 was an astronomical sum for her.

Did he really give you that much money?

“He’s different from other gang leaders. He cares more about people than money. Relationships between people, justice, fairness, loyalty… In short, these abstract things seem ridiculous to outsiders.” At this point, the chief also took out a bottle of wine from his pocket, tilted his head back, and gulped it down. “But he just happens to have that ability to make people listen to him.”

"With a leader like that around, it's natural that people gathered around him are similar. There's a sense of 'home' there... ha..."

The chief smiled and shook his head, wiping the wine drop from the corner of his mouth, and murmured, "Perhaps you have heard that I migrated from the north. My tribe was destroyed by a man called 'General Mensa'... Since then, I have led the remaining tribes to wander far and wide, and after many twists and turns, I finally came to High Tree."

“But I’ve always felt that this isn’t my home, it’s just a temporary shelter.”

He looked at the treehouses and tents in the distance. As night fell, scattered wisps of smoke rose in the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves.

The chief squinted, the bottle hovering in front of his lips for a long time, but he didn't touch it, and instead gently put it down.

“This battle was fought by my descendants from my tribe. They were born and raised here, so they must feel a sense of belonging to this place. For them, the tall trees are their home and their roots.”

"But me... I'm not destined for that. I just want to find a place where I'm not an 'outsider,' a place where I can be a part of it. A place where there is no difference, no discrimination, no yellow or red barbarians, where everyone can work hard for the same thing from the bottom of their hearts. I'm very lucky that I finally found it when I was more than halfway through my life."

The chief downed the wine in the bottle in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and said, "You want a place like this too, don't you?"

……

In just a few words, he had revealed the girl's deepest thoughts. She was very surprised, but when she turned her head and saw his weathered face, she realized that the chief had lived for twenty or thirty years longer than her, and she felt relieved.

No matter how much she tried to comfort herself, she couldn't deny the fact that this wasn't her home. She had no family here.

With snow-white skin and silver hair, they naturally repelled the peaceful and serene High Tree Tribe.

Deep down, the girl longed for a place to belong.

Silver Frost's voice was full of anticipation, "Will he be willing to accept me?"

"Well... I can't say for sure. We already have two girls in our gang, one of whom you've already met. That girl is very smart and intelligent. Old Zhang is grooming her as his successor. If nothing unexpected happens, she will take over Igor's work and become our team's strategist."

"The other girl, a year younger than her, used to be a locksmith in the gang. Now Carlowey is training her, and Old Zhang has high expectations for her. Now Carlowey is training her... Maybe you'll meet her soon."

"You see, that's the problem. What you want to join isn't a family where everyone sits together, has afternoon tea, chats, and enjoys themselves. Of course, maybe one day in the future, after we've completely wiped out the enemy, that will become a reality... but not now."

"According to Lao Zhang, the entire country is now our enemy."

The chief casually uttered some terrifying words: "We must use all our strength to fight and battle this enemy until we drag them out of the shadows and let them perish in the sunlight."

"In this war, some people may be injured or die, but no matter the final outcome, we are willing to follow him. This is a glorious journey that we have chosen ourselves."

"The problem is, girl..."

Are you really prepared to die for it?

Chapter 684: A Three-Year-Old Child Carries a Gold Brick Through a Busy Market

"Whoosh—!!"

A bugle call sounded, and the night patrol began.

However, the spoils brought back from this night patrol were quite different from those of the past.

Ryan's hands and feet were bound, and he was hung horizontally on the saddle, a position usually used to hang prey.

However, from a distance, he did indeed look like a gaunt jackal. When people learned that he was Ryan Childer, the mastermind behind it all, a wave of clamor erupted, threatening to uproot the earth.

Clapping, cheering, whistling, shouting—the entire Hightree camp seemed to boil over. Many rushed forward, trying to pull him off his horse, but Flying Eagle ordered his men to maintain order. With great difficulty, they managed to stop the angry group of young men.

Upon coming into close contact with those fiery gazes, Ryan's arrogance and toughness were instantly shattered.

He knew very well that these people could truly devour him alive without batting an eye.

"You...you promised!" Ryan was terrified, his voice trembling. "You promised to guarantee my safety until the war was over! Didn't you want me to write letters? Give me paper and pen, I can, I can write right now!"

“What I mean by guaranteeing your safety is that I will ensure you are still alive before the war ends.” Zhang Renfeng turned his head and gave his prey a brilliant smile. “As for how exactly you will survive, that remains to be discussed.”

"We'll have to see how you perform from now on."

Ryan had all his valuables, personal belongings, and clothes stripped off. He was tied to the muddy ground next to the chicken coop, in the same spot as the livestock. Despite the eagle's explicit prohibition, some indignant young men picked up clumps of mud and hurled them at him.

The guards knew what was going on; they just went through the motions, making a token effort to stop him. As long as they ensured he was still alive, their task was complete.

----

……

“Angel Eyes?” Peregrine’s tone rose slightly, somewhat surprised. “He…has joined your team too?”

"Mr. Peregrine, have you seen him?" Xiaomei understood the implied meaning.

“I saw him once in Scarface Village in the Gray Wolf Mountains. At the time, I was collecting the last batch of corpses on the mountain…” He suddenly realized that the so-called last batch of corpses was created by the three people in front of him, and couldn’t help but marvel at the wonder of fate. “Anyway, I heard gunshots and went up the mountain to check. I found two people fighting to the death.”

"One of them should be Angel Eyes. His eyes are quite extraordinary. I can't be wrong."

"..." Flying Eagle looked at him with a complicated expression, and at the same time, a hint of sadness.

My younger brother met so many different people while he was away from home.

His entire life seemed to revolve around the tall tree. The people he knew reached their peak when he was five years old, and he never met anyone more after that.

Are there right or wrong among these two completely different lives?

“In my memory, he wasn’t the type to stick with others. I’d love to express my gratitude to him in person.” Peregrine poured warm drinks for everyone who returned. “Didn’t he come back with you?”

“Angel Eyes has other tasks; he’s responsible for supporting my rear team. You’re right, he does prefer to work alone rather than stick together. Let him go.”

"Compared to this..."

Zhang Renfeng's tone was somewhat heavy.

Despite having captured Ryan Childel, his expression lacked any real smile. Even Eagle seemed preoccupied, giving the others in the meeting a somewhat uneasy feeling.

He took out several neatly arranged reports from his satchel and placed them on the wooden table.

The delicate, cold words create a subtle sense of incongruity with the natural square table bathed in warm light.

“Chaider locked himself in a small vault, which served as his office. There he conducted official business and remotely controlled his business empire in New Elizabeth.”

"This report was found by Angel Eye on his desk."

The vast majority of people in the tribe are illiterate.

Xiaomei picked up the report and read it aloud at a slightly slower pace. Then, she explained the contents of the report to them in simple language.

……

"Oil?!" The chief frowned. "Is it beneath our feet?"

"To be precise, a large amount of oil has been detected in the area near 'Tall Tree'." Xiaomei waved the letter in her hand. "This report was issued directly by the 'Geological Survey of the Ministry of the Interior' (USGS, which is responsible for scientific surveys of mineral, land and other resources). It is a government department and can be considered quite authoritative."

"Oil is a rather expensive strategic resource. After refining, it can have many uses, such as..."

"To put it simply," Zhang Renfeng said bluntly, "you all live on a mountain of gold."

“But this mountain of gold is meaningless to you, because just a few minutes ago, you didn’t even know what oil was.”

"Along the way, we also managed to get Ryan to talk. He admitted that what he was after wasn't your land at all, but the oil beneath it. He himself is in the oil business, and according to him, the oil resources in your area are 'as abundant as a golden country'."

"It's not just him; the American government also wants to develop this area. He doesn't want this lucrative opportunity to be snatched away by the government, so he preemptively staged this whole thing. The original plan was for his son to drive you away, then he would reappear and announce that he would take over the oil development work in the Tall Tree region. If the government wants a share of the pie, they'll have to come and negotiate with him."

"He's already reached an agreement with a company called 'Lepid Oil Development Company.' As long as the Tall Tree Indian tribe is driven away and the development environment is absolutely safe, that company will take over, and they'll drill for oil together and make a fortune."

……

"In other words..." The chief's expression also turned somewhat grim.

"Even if we win this war, it won't make a difference."

“Gao Shu is like a three-year-old child holding a pile of gold right now.” Mike stubbed out his cigarette, his tone becoming heavy. “Once this report is released… it will definitely be released sooner or later.”

"At that time, everyone will know that this three-year-old child is holding a black gold kingdom in his hands! Those greedy people will flock from all over the country until they drive you out of this land completely."

The mere factor of "land" was enough to make the civilized world outside deal a fatal blow to the Native American tribes.

With land and oil, even Flying Eagles can't imagine what they'll face.

……

Outside the treehouse, the young Native American tribesmen were still cheering for their great victory.

Inside the treehouse, however, the air was deathly still, as if frozen, with unease swirling in the air, and everyone seemed to see that terrifying future that was not far away.

Flash remained in the distance, gazing at the treehouse as if looking into the vast emptiness.

----

"unless……"

"unless?"

Zhang Renfeng looked around and said in a deep voice, "Next, you must completely... pay attention, completely! Completely, do exactly as I say."

Chapter 685: Sorry, you guessed right

"Stop! Hey, I told you to stop, didn't you hear me?!"

Several soldiers rode up and stopped in front of the massive caravan, brandishing their guns. They fired two shots into the air, finally bringing the large convoy to a halt.

The carriage was filled with young men, but none of them spoke or chatted. They were all dressed as lumberjacks, but they were different from the lumberjacks they knew. Not one of them showed fear or timidity upon seeing their uniforms and weapons; on the contrary...

They all looked down at them with calm, superior gazes.

That fearless look infuriated the soldier leader. He pointed his gun directly at a young man and shouted, "What are you looking at, you lowly thing? Are you looking for death? Look at me again and I'll gouge your eyes out! Where's your boss? Get out here!"

……

"I'm so sorry, we've been so negligent." Calaway rode his horse slowly out from the middle of the group and said with a smile, "We young men are too young and haven't seen much of the world. Please don't take it to heart."

He expertly offered her a cigarette, but the soldier leader slapped it away, and it fell to the ground. "Stop trying to get on my good side! What are you guys doing here? Tell me!"

“Us? We’re from the Sanyuan Timber Company.” Calaway wasn’t angry. He just narrowed his eyes and looked the soldier up and down, as well as the group behind him—about ten people in total, who had now spread out to the middle and rear of the caravan.

He took out a business card, hesitated for a moment, and then said with a smile, "Given that you're not very willing to accept gifts from others, let's skip this one."

“We came by train to Granite State to discuss a business deal.” Alana, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, rode up to us. After several months apart, she had grown her hair long, and her golden ponytail bounced in the wind. She had a very composed demeanor. “The outposts and passes along the way were unguarded. We thought the war was over.”

"Hmph, the end? Not a chance." The soldier leader sneered. "I won't make things difficult for you. Here's what we'll do: each of you pay $30, and then you can get lost."

"How much?" Calaway asked casually.

"Are you deaf or brainless? It's 30 per person. If you keep dawdling, it won't be that price anymore." The soldier leader sneered. "Don't hesitate. These days, no matter which pass you take, this is the rule. You can't escape it."