Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

----

"boom!"

A bullet struck the edge of the ashtray before Wilson could smash it down on Jonah, deflecting it from his hand. He was instantly terrified, shook his wrist, and looked towards the door—the old cowboy who had hosted the banquet earlier was now leaning against the door, gun in his right hand, calmly watching him.

"You...you...how dare you do this? We're all working for the organization. Do you think that just because you've accomplished something in recent years, you're superior to us?"

Wilson instinctively wanted to argue, so he said fiercely, "Let me tell you, long before you barbarians interfered, the Wagner family was already a pillar of the Illuminati!"

Old Jack ignored him, merely glancing at him before turning on his kerosene lamp, lighting a roll of tobacco with the flame, and puffing away.

A sound suddenly came from a dark corner inside the room.

……

"You ordered the dam to be blown up, didn't you?"

Wilson gasped, and then noticed someone sitting in a chair in the corner of the office.

He looked to be in his fifties or sixties, with silver hair tied in a short braid and a conspicuous star-shaped burn scar on the side of his neck. He was soaking wet, as if he had just been pulled out of the water, and sat there calmly, as if this were his room.

Before he spoke, no one would have realized that someone had been sitting there all along.

The man was clearly yellow-skinned, but the word "yellow bastard" remained stuck in his throat, unable to be uttered. The instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm is a politician's instinct, and although Wilson's style was rather domineering, he hadn't lost this instinct. He felt that in this situation, if he were to shout it out, something truly terrifying would happen.

……

“That’s right, I made the decision, but I also had my own considerations.” Wilson swallowed hard and subconsciously took a few steps back. “May I ask, who are you…?”

Lu Aniu patted his thigh, slowly stood up, and said somewhat casually, "Let's get acquainted. My friends in the martial arts world are so kind to me that they all call me 'Old Man'."

"Keep it simple, a jinx has come to this city, and you can't handle him."

"Take your lousy plan and get out of here."

Chapter 752: Hey, this kid's not stupid after all.

Being spoken to in such a direct, commanding tone, and being driven like cattle or sheep, was something Wilson had never experienced before in his life.

Born the eldest son of a noble family, he has lived a life of relative ease for the vast majority of the time, which has fostered his volatile and irritable personality. In his worldview, as long as he remains in this city, he is the only one who can give orders to others.

Therefore, his first reaction was anger. He stood up abruptly, determined to wrest control of Pike City from his father.

“I am the mayor of this city, a position directly appointed by the federal government! I have the authority to plan the city's development, and in special circumstances, I took necessary measures for flood prevention. What's wrong with that? Even if I were to be dismissed, it's not up to an outsider to decide! I need official documents from the federal government before I…”

Lu Aniu didn't argue with him, but just gave him a look.

That predatory gaze instantly stunned him, like a rabbit or squirrel freezing in place when it senses a large carnivore is extremely close. Instinctively, it judges that there is no chance of escape at this distance, so it stands still, awaiting its fate of being eaten.

Legally speaking, Wilson may be right, but what's the point?

"...Where do you want me to go?"

"Whatever, but I advise you not to dawdle any longer. You'd better move over quickly," Lu Aniu said casually. "Your plan to send people to blow up the dam has been exposed. If you don't leave now, thousands of people will rush in and tear you to pieces."

Having said all that, the matter has been laid bare, devoid of the euphemisms often used by politicians, and there is naturally no need to continue.

Wilson gave Jonah one last hateful look, ignored him, gritted his teeth, and walked straight out the door.

……

"Hey."

Just before he stepped out the door, Lu Aniu suddenly called out to him in an extremely rude tone. Even though Wilson had already cursed inwardly, his feet involuntarily stopped. His upper body, like a rusty robot, stiffly turned around. "Is there anything else?"

"Be careful." Lu Aniu smiled enigmatically instead, "Don't let yourself die at my hands one day."

Wilson looked as if he had swallowed a fly, his jaw clenched, but he didn't say anything in retaliation, and left angrily.

Jonah, who witnessed everything, could hardly believe his eyes. He had heard many legends about "Old Man" and had imagined the image behind the name, but the abstract reality was far beyond his imagination.

With just a few words, he turned his brother, who was at the pinnacle of power in the city, into a fleeing, homeless dog. What an aura he possessed!

"Oh, right, I'd completely forgotten about you." Lu Aniu seemed to have just remembered this person. After getting up, he scratched his head and turned to him, asking, "What's your name... again?"

“Jonah, sir, Jonah Waglet!” Faced with such a monster, Jonah dared not be careless in the slightest and hurriedly said respectfully, “I am the second son of Hasch Waglet…”

“The second son.” Lu Aniu nodded, looking at him meaningfully, then suddenly raised his hand and patted his shoulder.

"?!"

Jonah was so startled that he almost jumped up.

“You’re a smart person, I mean… at least smarter than your brother. A smart person knows how to speak appropriately, right?”

"Next, they will come to you for help again. Help them the same way you would before. Everything will remain the same, except for one thing..."

“I’ve never seen you,” Jonah added immediately. “My brother… he fled to another city for refuge because his plan was exposed. As for the details, I saw nothing and know nothing!”

"Ha." Lu Aniu laughed out loud, nodded in satisfaction, and said to Jack, who was standing guard at the door, "You see, this kid is not stupid after all."

----

……

"Is it warmer?"

After their round trip, Zhang Renfeng and his team returned to the office room prepared by the municipal government office for the customs investigation team.

Lydia found a blanket and wrapped Sophia completely in it. She then moved a chair over so Sophia could sit by the fire. In the warmth of the fire, her previously cold and stiff hands and feet gradually softened again. Sophia rubbed her palms together, and a glimmer of light finally returned to her pale face.

She gazed at the leaping flames and reached out her hand, as if she wanted to absorb the heat of the flames into her body through her delicate palm.

"Don't get too close!" Lydia quickly pushed her hand away. "Just leave it like this, it'll be dry once you're all warm."

Not only her, but the other three, who had also been out in the wind and rain for half a day, needed to warm themselves by the fire and refresh themselves. Amidst the crackling of the flames, Sofia finally regained some energy, but when she recounted her experience, she couldn't help but wrap herself tighter in the blanket.

……

“I tried to stop them from detonating the explosives, but I failed. When the explosives detonated, I was still in that culvert. There was nowhere else to run, so I could only jump into the gap created by the explosion. In the last few steps, it was almost the shockwave from the explosion that pushed my body out.”

"Then……"

"I fell into the river."

……

"thump!"

……

"The current was too deep and too fast, and there were many undercurrents. Although I can swim, in that situation, the strength of my hands and feet was really too insignificant. I tried desperately to swim upwards, but there was no light at all, and I couldn't tell where up or down was."

"Then, after a certain critical point, I felt very quiet, but it was very painful. Even though it was pitch black around me, I saw many golden spots of light. I felt like I was about to drown."

"Light, sound, and my memories are all fading away from me little by little."

"I can't feel my body anymore, whether it's floating or sinking. My hands might still be moving, or they might have stopped long ago. This feeling... strips me of everything. Even the fear itself is gradually fading away. It's like I'm becoming part of this darkness."

"Is this what death is? Sister, there is no heaven or hell. They are just made up to deceive people."

"After death, all that remains is darkness."

Lydia was heartbroken and held her hand tightly.

"Just at this moment..."

“A force poured in from the top of my head, and I could feel it was the top of my head. Then, he roughly grabbed me and pulled me out of the darkness.”

"This feeling is incredibly painful! I don't know how to describe it, it's like... it's like a layer of skin was peeled off my body. This pain flows through my entire body, as if someone has cut open my spine and poured a ladle of molten iron inside!"

"I screamed in pain, but this pain made me feel my own existence again; I was no longer in darkness."

"And just like that, I came back to life."

Chapter 753: Entering Divine Meditation, Overturning Life and Death

From Sofia's words, we can basically deduce two pieces of information.

First, someone rescued her from the turbulent current and put her back into the culvert space after the explosion.

Zhang Renfeng couldn't fathom the significance of this incident, because he couldn't swim. But a person isn't a rock; once they fall into the water, they'll inevitably be tossed about by the current. To pull a person out of the dark, swift current in such a short time—what an incredible feat! It's clear that whoever rescued her was no ordinary person.

second……

Even if she had been rescued, Sofia would certainly have been in a near-death state after drowning. Her description of death was so precise it was terrifying; no one who hasn't experienced a near-death experience could recount it.

But that person used some unknown method to bring her back to life, even defying the ironclad rule that "the dead cannot be brought back to life!"

Zhang Renfeng frowned.

"If it's convenient, may I touch the top of your head?"

After obtaining her permission, Zhang Renfeng slightly opened his palm and very carefully cupped the top of her head, that is, the crown of her head.

Is this the location?

"More or less..." Sofia herself had almost forgotten, "Perhaps a little more to the left?"

After pressing his palm down, Zhang Renfeng closed his eyes slightly, and his whole body relaxed, entering a quiet state of exhaustion. This time, he used exhaustion not to fight anyone, but simply to bring his body as close to Sophia's "frequency" as possible, keeping his heartbeat, breathing, and the speed of his qi circulation in sync with hers.

dong dong!

dong dong!

A faint but powerful heartbeat, like drumbeats, struck his temples.

Seeing his serious expression, Sam and Lydia didn't disturb him. For a moment, the only sound in the house was the occasional crackling of the fire.

Lydia looked on with a nervous expression. Her current state was somewhat similar to that of a programmer in later generations—regardless of how the program started running, once it was running, there was no need to fix any bugs; just let it run.

Because, according to Sofia's own description, she had no chance of surviving. Therefore, her sister, who is now sitting here perfectly fine, has become a mystery, a bug that cannot be explained by Lydia's worldview.

She was really afraid that if Zhang Renfeng operated the program a couple more times, he would crash it again.

Fortunately, Zhang Renfeng didn't force the issue. After a long while, he opened his eyes, but his brows furrowed even more tightly. "My cultivation is still insufficient; I can't understand exactly how it was done. However..."

"Speaking of the art of bringing the dead back to life, I do know one, which is somewhat similar to the current situation."

"When heaven and man are in harmony, divine illumination arises spontaneously; this is the [Divine Illumination Technique]."

"This kind of skill is infinitely profound. It gathers the purest and most wonderful things in the world. When practicing it, one's strength increases dramatically every day. Spiritual power rises and flows freely throughout the body. Even every strand of hair carries power and can stand up without wind, as if one has ascended to become an immortal."

"Upon mastering the skill, one reaches the state of 'Entering the Divine Realm of Meditation,' where one can act at will. Overturning life and death is as easy as turning one's hand."

Calling it "martial arts" isn't quite accurate. Zhang Renfeng always felt that if one's martial arts were truly practiced to this level, there wouldn't be much difference between them and immortals.

A deathly silence fell over the room. This event was still too much of a shock for the three people living in America.

"This...is this...already...godlike!" After a long silence, Sam swallowed hard. "Can they really bring the dead back to life?!"

“Not entirely.” Zhang Renfeng shook his head, a look of reminiscence on his face. “It was just something Master mentioned casually during a chat with us in his spare time.”

"He told me that this skill is incredibly profound and therefore extremely difficult to master. It requires great talent, great perseverance, and great opportunity—and even these three are only the threshold for practicing this skill. It also requires relentless, day-and-night practice, regardless of the weather, as well as exceptionally sharp and insightful comprehension..."

"To put it simply, only someone with extreme bitterness and hatred, and also exceptional talent, could possibly master it. But it's rare for both of these qualities to coexist in one person. According to him, the last person who showed any promise and might be able to master this skill was apparently more than two hundred years ago."

“More than two hundred years ago!” Sofia couldn’t help but exclaim. “Back then, there wasn’t even an America.”

"Moreover, although the Divine Illumination Technique is profound, it is not omnipotent after all." Zhang Renfeng counted on his fingers one by one, "In the first case, the time since death cannot be too long. For example, if someone has been dead for ten or twenty years, they will have long since rotted into a pile of bones and cannot be saved no matter what."

"The second condition is that the body must remain intact after death. If the cause of death is decapitation or heart removal, resurrection is impossible."

"The third type is death from the end of one's lifespan, which even the Divine Illumination Technique cannot save. At most, there will be a brief moment of lucidity before death, followed by a tremor, but death will still occur."

"The fourth method of death, which is suicide by poisoning, is the same. Even if one is barely saved, the body will be affected by the poison and become very weak. Even if one is briefly revived, the toxins will still remain in the body, and one will still be poisoned."

"Fifthly... extensive trauma, excessive blood loss leading to death, even if pulled back, the body doesn't have enough blood supply, so life is still in danger. Moreover, wounds cannot heal on their own, and if not treated immediately, vitality will gradually wither away."

"The sixth and final case is for those who have been saved by Shenzhaogong once. If it is used a second time, the effect will be much weaker, and the third, fourth time... and so on. In the end, Shenzhaogong will be completely unable to pull them back to the mortal world. In short, this kind of thing is like medicine; the more you use it, the less effective it becomes."

"It seems that the conditions for treatment using this technique are actually quite demanding. Sophia was very lucky; that person must have made her vomit the water out of her stomach, which fulfilled all the treatment conditions."

……

"Gululu..."

Sophia was engrossed in listening when suddenly her stomach made a series of rather "rough" noises, which made her face flush slightly. A little embarrassed, she said in a soft voice, "...I'm so hungry."

Zhang Renfeng breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that you're hungry. Being hungry means your body feels like it's been revived."

"I brought some canned food in my bag, I'll eat some to tide me over."