Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

……

The team wasn't united to begin with, so when faced with difficulties, they naturally lost their spirits quickly. Of course, due to Zhang Renfeng's intimidation, they didn't dare to complain too loudly. They would just lower their voices and murmur their complaints as they watched him walk to other corners of the hall.

In fact, given Zhang Renfeng's five senses, this was no different from being scolded right next to his ear, but at this moment, he had no mind to care about such things anymore.

The original plan was not working, so he had to come up with a new solution immediately. He couldn't just leave these nearly four thousand people stranded in the heavy rain.

“If we really can’t leave, let’s change our approach. We can build a temporary shelter.” Lydia looked around and said, “Isn’t this station empty? I see there are second and third floors… I don’t know why a train station would be built so luxuriously, but right now, it’s just right for us to use.”

"Here?" Sam expressed concern. "Can it fit more than four thousand people?"

“In extraordinary times, there’s no other way but to be a little tough. If we include all the space… it should… be barely enough.” Lydia pursed her lips, frowning. “It’s just… the food problem. We need to feed so many people; our current food supply will only last two or three days at most…”

"You mean, we're supposed to be with...with those stinking pests..." an official asked incredulously. "No, absolutely not! The gentlemen and ladies of the city will not agree to that!"

"You don't think we're discussing a policy right now, do you? Do we need you to vote on it before we decide?" Sam, visibly annoyed, said coldly, "If it really comes to that, you'd better pray that reinforcements arrive before you run out of food. Otherwise..."

“I just happened to bring some of the things that ‘Ocean Shrike’ used when I came back from White Torch. If I look carefully, I might even find a recipe.”

The official was so frightened by what he implied that he stammered, "You...you..."

----

"Click!"

Just as they were arguing, Zhang Renfeng suddenly heard something, strode forward, and broke the lock on the door.

The wooden door to the storeroom slowly opened, and an elderly man in work clothes, looking somewhat frightened, appeared before everyone.

For a moment, the entire hall fell silent, as if a pause button had been pressed. The old man's expression was one of bewilderment; clearly, he didn't have a proper understanding of the identities of the people before him, nor did he understand how he had been discovered despite hiding so well and making no sound.

Zhang Renfeng breathed a sigh of relief. "Isn't there someone here?"

Chapter 759: The Last Resort!

"Damn it, old man... why didn't you come out when we were calling? Were you deliberately hiding inside?!" An official stormed forward, already shouting, "You're one of Wilson's men too, aren't you? Speak up!"

"I...I..." the old man hurriedly explained, "When you came in, you made such a commotion, kicking the door and throwing things, I thought you were robbers..."

Zhang Renfeng looked at the official with icy eyes. He didn't even need to say anything; just one look was enough to bring the official's steps to an abrupt halt.

"get out."

"..." Even though he was unwilling, the municipal official he pointed at could only shrug his shoulders and obediently turn and leave.

This scene undoubtedly horrified the old man. In this land, prejudice based on skin color has always been deeply ingrained. He even rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. A yellow-skinned man could so openly order a government official out, and the latter dared not offer any resistance.

Where did she get this from? Is this still America?!

“Sir, please don’t misunderstand, we are not robbers. Strictly speaking, we are all… civil servants. This is Jonah Waglet, the municipal secretary of Park City. The mayor is currently absent, and he is in charge of all affairs of the city.”

Sam quickly stepped forward and condensed the whole story into a very concise summary, then recounted it to the old man.

It must be said that working at the grassroots level truly hones one's skills. Sam started from the bottom of customs, and his various abilities, especially his communication skills, are exceptionally strong. In just a few words, everything that needed explaining was clear. Looking at the dense crowd outside, the old man realized the seriousness of the situation and began to share the information he knew.

His name is Bernard. He is a train station employee who is about to retire. He used to drive trains, but he was not a formal engineer. He was a self-taught individual.

Later, the standards at the train station became increasingly higher, and the requirements also increased. Only engineers were qualified to drive trains, so Bernard could only do odd jobs at the station that no one else wanted to do, such as cleaning.

A few hours ago, the mayor arrived here in a hurry and spoke to the stationmaster. Then, the entire station went into a frenzy, moving things out. Everything valuable and useful was taken.

As they moved, the young men inside the train station laughed and sang folk songs, finally able to leave this awful place.

But while people could leave, not everyone could. Just in case, and to have a pretext for future arguments, they had to leave someone behind. And everyone knew that the person who stayed meant that they, along with the city, had been completely abandoned.

At this time, with no relatives or friends, the lonely old Bernard naturally received a unanimous vote.

As long as one person is still there, the train station has not "completely stopped operating".

Wilson is prepared to play this card in a series of future accountability investigations.

"Shameless!" Lydia lost control of her emotions for the first time. Everyone here was involved in politics; who couldn't see through Wilson's little scheme? "He didn't even bother to hide his intentions, pushing someone out as his shield!"

"This kind of guy is not good at working, but he is best at this kind of underhanded fighting."

……

After the outburst, everyone still has to face the most practical problem.

What's next?

"Bernard, are you sure that the train Wilson and his crew took was the last one at the station?"

When I asked this question, I still had a bit of wishful thinking.

But the moment Bernard nodded, all hope vanished, delivering a heavy blow to everyone's hearts.

“After the news of the storm spread, many trains were canceled. There weren’t many trains coming to begin with, and now there are even fewer. The last train… left a few hours ago…” Bernard sighed, “I’m so sorry.”

……

"Then, what about the locomotive?"

The next moment, a voice suddenly floated out from above.

A man wearing a black top hat and a black trench coat, with heterochromatic eyes, had somehow appeared on the second floor. He was leaning against the stairs, looking down at everything that was happening, as if watching a grand drama.

"Wait a minute..." Sam couldn't help but complain, "Who are you?!"

The moment Zhang Renfeng saw him, he felt that the day's dramatic events were too exciting and couldn't help but laugh.

"It's alright, they're our own people!" Zhang Renfeng steadied himself and continued, "Besides, what he said makes sense! The locomotive, Bernard! The most important thing for a train to run is the locomotive, right? Is it possible that there are still unused locomotives here?"

"If, I mean, if we could get our hands on a locomotive, maybe..."

Bernard looked utterly astonished; clearly, he had never considered this possibility before.

"Yes, there are some, but they're not here. They're all stored in the warehouse, about a hundred meters away. And transporting them over there would be virtually impossible! There's a section of road from the warehouse to the train station that isn't even connected to the tracks..."

"Do you really know how heavy a locomotive is?"

----

The long-sealed warehouse door was slowly pushed open, and the locomotive displayed inside still gleamed coldly, like a part of a metal giant's finger.

The first thing you see is the chimney, cylindrical with a slightly flared top, riveted together from wrought iron or steel plates, and coated with black paint. Next is a short cylinder, the dome that supplies steam to the cylinders. Below the cab are the massive front guide wheels. The body isn't very long, and it's dark black. A plaque bearing the inscription "Baldwin Locomotive Works 1871" appears beside the boiler.

Zhang Renfeng walked in carrying a lantern and stood in front of it. Even at such a moment, he couldn't help but sigh, "This thing is really beautiful."

Although it was man-made, it gave him the feeling that it was in no way inferior to a real large beast, and even far surpassed it.

He stroked the cold rivets, his expression slightly complicated.

“Mr. Zhang, this… no matter how you look at it, it’s a bit… too…” Sophia swallowed and tugged at his sleeve. “Why don’t we think of another way?”

"This is utterly reckless!" Lydia went a step further, grabbing his wrist and trying to pull him away from the front of the car, scolding him in a low voice, "You'll ruin your health. You don't owe them anything, why are you risking your life like this!"

……

There is no other way.

Remembering Angel Eyes' words, Zhang Renfeng took a deep breath and smiled at the two girls who had accompanied him in, "Thank you."

"Go and ask Sam... to get me some rope!"

Chapter 760: God of the Mortal World

"Did you hear? Everything's a complete mess, we're finished too..."

"How could this be? But...but...didn't the mayor's brother say before that he would take us all out of this city?"

"You believe him? Don't forget what kind of person his brother is. If those promises from those water ghost brothers were even slightly useful, would we have ended up like this?"

“I think it’s a bit difficult. This time it’s not anyone’s problem, it’s the train. When Wilson was fleeing, the last train left. Food and medicine, if we’re careful, we can always find some leftover from the warehouses to get by, which can be used to make do in an emergency. But what about the train? If we don’t have it, we don’t have it. We can’t just conjure it up out of thin air.”

"Ah? So that's it!"

"According to this logic, aren't we all doomed? Once the dam is breached by the flood, we'll all drown here."

……

With so many people gathered together, there might not be enough food to go around, but there would definitely be no shortage of rumors. And nobody's stupid; in just a short while, the biggest problem they're facing has been pretty much figured out. Jonah didn't want to interfere, because boosting morale and stirring up emotions wasn't really his forte.

However, the rumors spread much faster than he had imagined.

Using the food they found, they gave the poor people in the shantytown a full meal, but the little bit of light they had painstakingly saved seemed to be extinguished again.

Jonah shuddered.

He suddenly realized that these poor people wouldn't know every official in the municipal government, nor would they know that they had all voted in favor of blowing up the dam. But they most likely did know, and had fiercely cursed the "water ghost brothers."

If this isn't dealt with soon, how long will it take before they realize they're the "younger" one of the water ghost brothers?

"Everyone...everyone—!"

This was the first time he had truly opened his voice to speak without anyone's support.

His shout immediately drew the attention of most people. He, who had always been timid and cowardly, had never been stared at by so many people at the same time. He suddenly felt a weight on his shoulders, and the bold words he had prepared got stuck in his throat like a tuft of cat hair.

I can't spit it out, and I can't swallow it down.

"I... um... the mayor isn't here, so I... I'm the acting mayor of this city right now!" He said something meaningless, then tapped his chest, continuing to say to himself, "We're already trying to find a solution, I... we will never abandon anyone!"

……

"Thump—!!!"

A short, powerful crash came from the direction of the warehouse, like a hammer falling, crushing his pale and powerless promise.

The crowd was taken aback; the herd mentality was on full display at that moment.

No one spoke first; everyone just stared in terror in that direction, trying to decipher what the sound was. But they all failed, because no one had ever heard such a sound before—it was like an earthquake, a mountain collapsing, a rock that originally made up the mountain falling from a great height. It might have been buried in the rock strata for a thousand or ten thousand years, all for this one spectacular fall.

"Boom-"

"Boom-"

"Boom——!!!"

……

The sound gradually drew closer, interspersed with a man's painful roar, which sounded less like a human and more like that of some kind of ferocious beast.

----

Zhang Renfeng slowly, very slowly, stepped out from the shadows of the warehouse.

His expression could only be described as "ferocious": his clothes were already torn, his bronze muscles were completely taut, and every raindrop that hit his body reflected the armor-like, cast-bronze muscles. His teeth were clenched, his thick eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his forehead were bulging. Just from this expression and these movements, it was clear that he had used up all his strength.

Two or three thick ropes were tied vertically around his shoulder blades; several loops of hemp rope were wrapped horizontally around his waist. Sam's efforts were not in vain; he used almost every rope he could find.

His movements at that moment resembled a traveler climbing against the wind, or a boatman straining with all his might. His upper body leaned slightly, utilizing all his strength—arm strength, back strength, wrist strength, finger strength, and the explosive power that came from coordinating his entire body… whatever it was, he was using it all. His muscles rubbed against the rope, making a cracking sound, and his forehead was completely soaked, it was hard to tell whether it was sweat or rain.

Horizontal rope.

Vertical rope.

They bound his body tightly, forming a crooked cross on his back, binding Zhang Renfeng within it, which further accentuated his steel-like muscles.

He had no time to pay attention to the expressions of the people; he gritted his teeth and continued walking forward!

This scene alone was already very impactful for ordinary people who had never witnessed Zhang Renfeng's divine power.

However, the next moment, when that long-forgotten locomotive slowly appeared before everyone's eyes from the end of the rope...

Everything was quiet.

Men, women, the elderly, and children—regardless of their background or social status—all fell silent for the first time.

No one was not shocked.

No one can help but feel awe towards him.

Everyone was terrified!

Bernard gasped.

Having worked at the train station for decades, old Bernard knew the weight of all kinds of locomotives by heart. Because of this, he never thought of using locomotives to get out of trouble from the beginning, because he didn't think there was any way to get the thing out of the warehouse.

That's why no one understands better than him what this scene truly means.

“A 4-4-0 type lightweight steam locomotive weighs about 25 tons. 25 tons... How much force would it take to pull such a heavy thing... I don’t even want to think about it.” He muttered to himself, “It’s not human.”

"Oh, my God..."