Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"Those living, breathing people huddled in the pouring rain..."

"More important than numbers and tables!"

----

"An illegitimate child?" Zhang Renfeng exclaimed in surprise.

"Shh—! Don't be so loud!" Sofia quickly looked around, gently nudged him with her elbow, and complained, "It's just a guess, just a guess, I don't have any evidence."

"But don't you find his behavior on the train a little strange?"

"..." Zhang Renfeng recalled the conversation on the train. Whenever the topic of family came up, Sam always avoided talking about it.

"His surname was Wagner, but his mother could only live in a shantytown, working like other laborers in very bad conditions. Although he entered the customs system, he didn't have a formal position, and his treatment was terrible. If it weren't for that parachuted-in leader personally ordering him to be seconded to participate in the key project, he might have rotted away in the office storage room for the rest of his life."

Sophia analyzed, "If they were true members of the Wagner family, they wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state."

Once you send it over and think about it, the answer becomes obvious.

Although he claimed to be Wagner, he was an illegitimate child, and the kind of illegitimate child that everyone despised. With no background or power, he naturally fared poorly wherever he went. Only the villagers in the shantytowns treated him like a "government official."

Zhang Renfeng deeply realized that no matter which country you're in, if you want to make a name for yourself in the public sector, your own abilities aren't actually that important.

Origin, resources, background, and influence are what truly matter.

Even someone as strong as him, a martial arts champion, wanted to become a military officer, but in the end, he was forced to flee by boat because the whole country was hostile to him.

"Sigh..." He sighed as he thought of this. "So, in a little while... we'll have to face his group of colleagues?"

"Please be patient for a moment," Sofia cautioned. "They are, after all, the elite of the civil service, and they're probably used to looking down on people. If a conflict breaks out here..."

"It's alright." Zhang Renfeng waved his hand, revealing a somewhat complicated smile. "I'm used to being looked down upon by others."

----

On the second floor, counting from the right, is the sixth office.

The heavy, coffee-colored wooden door was pushed open, but the scene that appeared in my imagination—a group of elite civil servants in suits sitting there, handling official business—did not materialize.

There was only one woman.

She wore a dark tweed coat with padded shoulders that accentuated its clean lines. Beneath the tweed, her full curves, cinched by the shirt, subtly rippled. Brass chains draped the high waist of her dark gray wool trousers, and caramel-colored calfskin ankle boots completed the look. Paired with her crisp, dark brown short hair, the overall impression was one of remarkably capable and concise elegance.

As she entered, the woman was using a letter opener to cut open the seal of a letter. Her gaze swept across the room, and she happened to meet Zhang Renfeng's eyes.

Immediately afterwards, a hint of surprise appeared in the woman's eyes.

Zhang Renfeng was equally surprised. How come she was all alone in such a large office? It seemed quite different from the scene Sam had described earlier.

"Um, hello." This was also his first time properly dealing with an official of this rank, but since the other party hadn't yet used any derogatory terms like "yellow bastard," he decided to show some goodwill first, smiling as he said, "We came with Sam; he found some things in White Torch Town..."

"Sister?!" Sofia exclaimed in surprise.

Chapter 739: Family Reunion Ceremony

"Huh?" Zhang Renfeng's eyebrows shot up, his expression one of utter astonishment, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "What kind of family reunion is this...?"

But it must be said that genes are such a wondrous thing.

Ever since Sophia called him "sister," Zhang Renfeng noticed a subtle resemblance between the woman before him. Recalling the captain's earlier instructions, he remembered that he had three daughters, with Sophia being the youngest. He hadn't elaborated on the roles of his other two sisters.

“This is my eldest sister, Lydia Ulysses. Sister, this is… uh…”

Sophia hesitated, unsure how to introduce Zhang Renfeng to her. Most of the things she and Zhang Renfeng had experienced together were things that couldn't be made public; how could she concoct a story to rationalize it all?

The sisters differed slightly in their eyes. Sofia's eyes were very pure, the kind of innocent, pitiful eyes that evoked pity in a young girl. Lydia, on the other hand, had slightly sharp, slanted eyes, perhaps because she had long used this scrutinizing gaze to look at others.

Over time, quite naturally, people began to get the impression that she was not easily fooled.

At that moment, Sophia hesitated slightly, and her eyes immediately swept over.

Fortunately, Jimmy had already considered this situation and provided Zhang Renfeng with an "official identity" that could handle most situations.

“I am Bruce Zhang, a ‘Special Crime Consultant’ specially hired by the White Torch Police Department.” Zhang Renfeng took out a badge issued by the White Torch Police Department from his bag and handed it to her, while explaining, “Sam came to us and said he wanted to retrieve some information about the Australian Shrike case, saying it would be of great use… Of course, we cooperated with him.”

Lydia took the document, glanced at it, and didn't open it to look at it closely.

That's just how this country is; different states have different laws, and the organizations under their governments are completely different. She had never heard of the position of Special Crime Counsel, but perhaps it existed in New Austin.

“Thank you for your cooperation. This project… is indeed very important because of the requirements from above.” Lydia paused for a moment, then slightly raised her willow-leaf eyebrows. “However, you don’t really need to make a special trip. Just give him the documents and have him bring them over.”

"I was the one who recognized the true nature of the Australian shrike."

"Before that, I was just an ordinary bounty hunter. Later, I was invited by the police department to become a member of the security team."

Zhang Renfeng made no attempt to hide the information and directly told her the news to increase the credibility of his words. This kind of rhetoric, a mixture of truth and falsehood, is like making soup—it requires precise timing. The information given shouldn't be too much or too little; the power of judgment and decision should always be left to the other party.

His control over the heat is remarkably precise.

"If you have any questions about that case or about Wendigo, I'm here and can help you effectively."

"Oh...Is that so..." Lydia was a little surprised, looked Zhang Renfeng up and down again, and nodded slightly. "Thank you for your help."

After all that, she still had doubts about his identity, but she had basically come to believe his story.

Sophia watched in utter astonishment. Was this really the same man she knew, the one who would unleash a giant tree strike at the slightest provocation? How could he speak so fluently and skillfully, with such a polished and sophisticated delivery?

It's rare to see someone who can fool their older sister with just words.

……

"how about you?"

The sudden question made the girl's heart skip a beat.

After giving Zhang Renfeng a "you've passed" look, Lydia turned to ask, "And why did you come to this city?"

"I...that...I..."

“We were attacked,” Zhang Renfeng said succinctly. “At that time, Miss Sophia stepped forward and lent us a helping hand. After learning what had happened, she decided to come with me to safely escort these documents to Pike City.”

To be fair, this excuse has become quite lame, far inferior to the previous introduction, but it doesn't matter anymore.

A political animal like Lydia, who has risen to the top, can immediately grasp the key point in Zhang Renfeng's words.

"You...were attacked?"

If your enemy has designs on you and is desperately trying to stop you from doing something, it might not be a bad thing.

This at least means that the direction you are standing in right now is correct.

“That’s right.” Zhang Renfeng nodded; at least this part of the fact was not fabricated.

"Who?"

“A Japanese samurai, around forty or fifty years old, wearing a straw raincoat and a straw hat, with two Japanese swords at his waist. One long and one short, the long sword about a meter long and the short sword about half a meter long, both with a curve.” Zhang Renfeng gestured to the shape of the weapons and continued, “The samurai called himself ‘Karijiro Grass House’ and launched an assassination attempt against Sam in White Torch Town.”

“Miss Sophia was very brave; she stepped forward and helped me defeat the samurai.”

"Where's the data?" Lydia's tone became more serious.

"The documents are fine, they're all here." Zhang Renfeng gently placed the wooden box he had been carrying on the table. "They might be a little wet, given how heavy the rain was."

"..." Lydia's furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and then she turned her head and asked, "Are you alright?"

Sophia sighed inwardly. Even though this was all fictional, she could still see her sister's priorities in this virtual setting—first asking about the documents, then asking if she was injured.

Perhaps... spending too much time in politics naturally leads to this state. At least she still remembers herself, doesn't she?

"I am fine."

"In short, after we saved Sam, even the most clueless among us knew this was no small matter. Sam was very nervous... I hope you won't blame him, after all, he was facing a life-threatening situation, and at that time, we were the only ones who could help him. He confided a lot to us."

Zhang Renfeng said in a deep voice, "In short, we now know everything we should and shouldn't know."

……

This time, Lydia remained silent for a long time, rapidly weighing the pros and cons in her mind. Her gaze towards the two of them became somewhat complicated. Especially when her eyes swept over Sophia, she even seemed annoyed: Of all the people in the world, why did it have to be you who got dragged into this?

Sofia didn't have the confidence to meet her gaze either. Like all children who have made mistakes, she looked down at the ground and started counting the patterns on the floor.

……

However, when one's own blood relatives are also involved, it becomes much harder to judge right and wrong.

She let out a long sigh.

“On behalf of the American Ministry of Finance, I would like to thank you both for your contributions to this operation.”

Chapter 740: Cream, Lobster, Sherry

From Lydia, the two learned quite a bit about the current state of the city.

First of all, the "Great Lakes Demon" is not a real demon, but a super hurricane that is about to make landfall.

First, an abnormal rise in water temperature was observed. A tropical cyclone formed at the edge of Lake Erie and quickly expanded into a Category 4 hurricane with wind speeds reaching 210 km/h.

However, in this era when science was not yet widespread, even in major northern cities, all sorts of superstitious ideas spread like wildfire.

The vast majority of people here believe in God. But acknowledging God's existence is tantamount to acknowledging that there are still many beings in the world like God—unknown, powerful, mysterious, and incomprehensible to humankind.

Looking at the dark, gloomy sky, with lightning, thunder, and torrential rain, isn't it a harbinger of an impending demon in people's eyes?

This superstitious belief intensified people's fears. They believed that this place had long been cursed by God, and if they did not escape, they would be completely abandoned.

As a result, people with a little money in their pockets began to fight fiercely for train tickets, which led to the scene that the three people witnessed at the station.

“The other members of the customs investigation team applied to leave as soon as the trouble started. They are all seasoned veterans who know that the later it goes, the harder it will be to get train tickets.”

Lydia sighed, her tone somewhat complicated, "Only Sam, who knows nothing, came back so foolishly."

Zhang Renfeng suddenly realized why the office was so empty; everyone had left. They were all just there to get paid to work; who would risk their lives for you here?

However, on the other hand, it is precisely in times of crisis that true character is revealed.

"Then sister, you..."

"I definitely can't leave."

Lydia said seriously, "Pixar specifically asked me to be the leader of this investigation team, so I have to be responsible for all the team members. Sam is someone I promoted. What if we all leave when he comes back here and he can't find anyone to report to? If he's held accountable later, wouldn't that make me look like I neglected my duties?"

"The fact is, he really did come back, bringing with him valuable firsthand information and allies willing to help us. My wait was worthwhile."

"..."

As the saying goes, "A strong wind reveals the strength of the grass, and a time of turmoil reveals the loyalty of a minister." It is in times of crisis that a person's true character is revealed.

Regardless of Lydia's motives, Zhang Renfeng looked at her with more respect because of her steadfastness, and said very earnestly, "He told us that you have been kind to him... He would be very happy to hear you say that."

“What gratitude for your recognition?” Lydia shook her head with a smile. “I just promoted the capable people. Pixar sent our investigation team here so that we could actually find something out. Those good-for-nothings who just like to talk a good game will definitely not get in.”

With a click, Lydia opened the wooden box, took out a stack of documents, and glanced through them.

"Only people with drive and ambition, who can withstand pressure and forge ahead, can accomplish this."

Fair, translucent fingers gently turned the pages of the book.

Lydia's nails were painted with light red nail polish, and under the light, her full fingers showed a touch of mature allure.

“I know about his family background. His hometown is here, his mother lives in a shantytown, and his family is in very poor condition. His purpose in entering the civil service was to have a stable life so that his mother's life would not be so difficult... His emotional motivation was very strong.”

"Unfortunately, because of his background, this wish has never been fulfilled, and he has even suffered various unfair treatments in his original workplace. If we can release the pent-up anger in his heart into his work, it will create a strong driving force. After considering all factors, that's why I chose him."

"Wait a minute, sister, you just said..."

Sofia pricked up her little ears and precisely picked out the keyword that interested her most from Lydia's long string of words.

"Is it a matter of background?"

What kind of background problem does he have?

……

Lydia glanced at Zhang Renfeng, then at Sophia, her slanted eyes narrowing slightly, as if there was a hint of reproach in them.

But having already said it, she hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "He is..."

----

"Ha, I thought it was someone else?" A merciless, contemptuous voice came from the high-backed chair in the council chamber. "Long time no see, you bastard."

"Can't you see we're discussing something 'extremely important'? Who let this bastard in?!"

……