Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Countless swaying raindrops formed a thin gray line, separating the distant sky from the sea.

In the distance, high above, on a cliff, beneath the shadow of lightning, stands a building.

Like a church, or a palace, it stands alone on the cliff with such magnificence, bathed in warm light. In this dark world, it appears exceptionally bright.

"..."

It appeared in a fleeting glimpse, vanishing from Zhang Renfeng's sight in an instant, leaving him somewhat astonished. Who on earth would live in such a place?

The car shook violently, pulling him back to reality.

"What the hell..."

Zhang Renfeng cursed under his breath, squatted down, and began to study how to disconnect the car's hook—the technical name for this thing is a link-and-pin connector, and for people who work on trains, its structure is actually not too complicated.

The process consists of three steps: First, strike the top of the pin using a long-handled hammer from the side of the pin hole to break its obstruction; second, pry the chain link. If the pin is loose but still cannot be pulled out, wedge a pry bar into the gap between the chain link and the fork to increase the swing space; third, pull out the pin using a hook or lever to pull the pin vertically upward from the pin hole.

After the three steps are completed, several more workers will come and push and pull the carriages to be uncoupled, separating them from the main train.

However, even under such tense circumstances, Zhang Renfeng was still a novice. He stared at the connection point for a long time, and the final result was...

"It's over."

His heart sank. "I have absolutely no idea what to do!"

The pin hadn't been touched for years, and the long-handled hammer was nowhere to be found. At times like this, it was time for Zhang Renfeng to take initiative!

He gritted his teeth, gripped the two ends of the pin with both hands, and pressed down on the genuine metal device with a creaking sound.

"Damn it, it's all rainwater, it's so slippery..."

"Uh……"

Zhang Renfeng changed his stance, and as his strength gradually increased, the tiny space beneath his feet began to shake violently.

Posture is restricted.

Space is limited.

Even the friction was limited by the heavy rain, and he had to use more force than usual to prevent the pin and chain from slipping from his hands.

With so many restrictions, Zhang Renfeng had nothing to rely on but his superhuman physical strength, or numerical value.

And the numbers never disappoint!

"ah------!!!"

“Crack!!”

Zhang Renfeng straightened his neck and let out a roar. With a muffled thud, the metal broke apart. The pin connecting the two carriages, which was stuck in the pin hole, was pulled in two by his brute force!

"what!"

A smile appeared on Zhang Renfeng's face.

However, the next moment...

"boom-----!!!"

The last two carriages tilted to the right and rear instantly because of the broken bolt, and overturned off the tracks!

Even more critically, Zhang Renfeng didn't understand the mechanism of the carriage uncoupling. He thought that everything would be fine once the pin was pulled, but that wasn't the case. This was only the first step. The chain links and forks would still connect the carriage for a period of time, requiring the swing space to be continuously expanded before the carriage could be slowly detached.

He used sheer force and pulled the pin off, but this also caused the train to lose all chance to sway, and the last two carriages derailed.

Their weight is directly transferred to the carriages in front through the chain links.

The cramped spot where Zhang Renfeng was standing tilted downwards, and the violent jolt easily tossed his body into the air like a stir-fry. At the same time, a raging hurricane blew in from the side, instantly hurling his body aimlessly into the air.

"??!"

The sudden onslaught of the hurricane made Zhang Renfeng understand himself and the martial arts he was so proud of...

How insignificant we are in the face of the power of nature!

----

The rope holding him up snapped straight instantly, gripping his waist. Zhang Renfeng had no choice but to perform a large, swinging spin in the air.

Terrified screams could be heard coming from the carriage ahead, and Zhang Renfeng could hear them even through the metal sheet.

"Thump—!"

He pointed his toes, and using the momentum of the spin, kicked both legs out hard, creating a dent in the flat metal.

No matter how much the people inside screamed, at least the opposing force restored the carriage to its balance and prevented it from falling off the tracks. But he himself was like a koala, hanging on the rope, unable to go up or down.

"No, there are still chain links holding it in place, it's not completely unhooked!" Zhang Renfeng gritted his teeth, grabbed the rope with both hands, and started climbing.

We must do it immediately...

……

"Click!"

At this moment, for Zhang Renfeng, there was no sound more beautiful than this.

A soft metallic clang.

Then, as if a burden had been completely shed, the remaining carriages suddenly felt lighter. The two carriages carrying steel and supplies had finally, in a true sense, "decoupled." They disappeared from Zhang Renfeng's sight, falling straight down and hitting the ground a few seconds later with an extremely loud thud.

"boom-----!!!"

The dust has settled.

----

"..."

Zhang Renfeng's heart was still pounding. Although it was all over, he was still somewhat stunned. In his calculations, the links and forks connected to the pin shouldn't have separated so quickly without any external force.

He gripped the rope and, with some difficulty, climbed onto the roof of the car, despite the rain.

……

"Thump—!!"

Suddenly, a deafening roar, like a cannonball firing out of nowhere, drew his attention. But he could see clearly that it was a person.

A figure leaped from the spot where the train carriage had fallen, soaring over a hundred meters into the air. The sonic boom surrounding him created an arc-shaped cavity in the air, making him resemble a nimble swift. After demonstrating his incredible jumping ability, he flipped in mid-air and, with a resounding boom, landed precisely on the train tracks in an extremely graceful and swift superhero-like manner.

“It’s you…” Zhang Renfeng murmured.

"..."

The person slowly straightened up, his silver hair, soaked by the rain, was whipped around by the gale and danced wildly in the air.

In the pouring rain, their eyes met for a fleeting moment, then quickly looked away.

He stood on the train tracks, unmoving.

But the train carried Zhang Renfeng to even farther and farther places.

Chapter 766: Not Elegant Enough

"Therefore, in Eastern religious systems, the end of this life is not the end. They generally believe in the concept of 'reincarnation,' that is, although a person's body decays, the soul comes to this world again through reincarnation."

"Furthermore, the quality of one's circumstances in this life is also related to one's past life. Whether one does good or evil, whether one receives blessings or karmic retribution, depends entirely on one's past life. As long as one is a good person and does good deeds, even if one does not receive a reward in this life, one can realize it in the next."

"Of course, this kind of talk has a religious flavor, but everyone should also realize that religion is religion and faith is faith. These are two completely different things."

"The key point I want to emphasize is that Eastern beliefs do not recognize death as the end. Unlike us, they do not believe that after death there is an eternal, peaceful, and unchanging heaven where the souls of all good people can enjoy eternity. They still have to go through reincarnation to return to this world and continue to experience the good and bad that this world brings them."

"In the Eastern belief system, the present, the past, and the future can be transformed into each other through reincarnation. There is no beginning and no end; it is just a never-ending race. This is the essence of their belief system."

"This concept is fully reflected in their artistic creations. Now, please allow me to briefly demonstrate some of them..."

"Boom!"

The wooden door was pushed open forcefully, and a young man dressed in a suit, looking somewhat flustered, rushed in.

"Professor Henderson... Professor Henderson!"

The atmosphere in the room was completely disrupted, and the salon could no longer continue.

The man he referred to as "professor" was a man in his fifties or sixties, dressed neatly and with a presentable appearance.

He wore a light dark suit jacket over a white shirt, and underneath that, a crisp navy blue tie. His trousers, leather shoes, and meticulously combed slicked-back hair, despite his advanced age, revealed a remarkably sharp and energetic gaze behind his glasses.

At this moment, he was standing on a high platform, with a stack of old books piled on the lectern, and he was lecturing to the audience below.

“I’m giving a lecture to my students. The classroom should be a sacred place,” Henderson said in a low voice. “You should knock first.”

A quick glance revealed that those sitting there listening to his lecture were all well-dressed and impeccably dressed; they were clearly quite tasteful. They frowned or murmured complaints at the sudden intrusion that had disrupted the salon's atmosphere, showing considerable displeasure at the man who had entered.

However, after he uttered his next sentence, almost everyone fell silent.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but there's a real emergency." The man who barged in swallowed hard. "Mayor Norton needs your immediate attention!"

……

Henderson's expression changed slightly, but he calmly put away his lecture notes. "I'm very sorry, but due to special circumstances, this salon will have to be postponed."

"I will inform everyone of the specific reopening date by letter at a later date. That's all for today."

Despite the urgency of the situation, and despite the intruder's repeated warnings and his frantic expression, the situation remained unchanged.

Henderson shook hands with everyone who had participated in the salon, offering them a sincere and firm "sorry." Only after seeing everyone off did he pack his things and leave with them.

Along the way, the man secretly observed him, but he just walked steadily, without even asking himself what problems the mayor was facing or what the current situation was. He strolled leisurely with his umbrella, as if he were just going to his own backyard to have a cup of coffee to refresh himself.

This composure inspired genuine admiration from the man; it was truly remarkable, such remarkable self-control!

----

Oak City.

Municipal Administration.

Meeting hall.

The crowd was arguing so loudly it was deafening, but Henderson, with his eyes half-closed, realized that no one was actually "arguing" with anyone else. They were all stating the same point.

Mayor Norton sat at one end of the long table, his hands supporting his chin, his eyes hidden behind thick glasses. He surveyed everyone at the table with an emotionless gaze.

That includes myself.

……

"Over the years, the number of outsiders coming to this city has been precisely controlled at around fifty per year. Now, suddenly more than four thousand people have appeared. Isn't this a joke?"

“Strictly speaking, people from Gulf City aren’t exactly outsiders. After all, they’re the Wagner family, they’re not…”

"It's not called Bay City anymore; it's been renamed Pike City."

"Besides, with so many people flooding in all at once, where are we going to find food for them? Are we really going to put all these refugees, covered in mud, with rotten parts of their bodies and eyes glowing green with hunger, into the city? That's simply... outrageous! If word gets out and he hears about this, what will become of us!"

"It's a bit cruel, but in my opinion, we should be decisive. Heaven knows how they got here. Letting a foreign train into our city is against the rules. Before things get out of hand, we should send people to drive them away!"

……

Nord's eyes flickered as he spoke.

“Mr. Henderson,” he finally spoke, “what do you think?”

“I do not hold any position in your city government, Mr. Mayor,” Henderson said calmly, even choosing to appear weaker in the first round of exchanges. “While I don’t understand why you would invite me to sit in on such an important meeting, I think…”

"It's best for laymen to remain silent in this kind of situation."

……

Norton smiled enigmatically.

“No need to say that, Professor Henderson.” He changed how he addressed Henderson, spread his hands, and smiled. “Everyone knows that you hold a rather special position in this city. We must fully respect your opinion before making any decisions.”

"Whatever it is, we will humbly accept it."

Henderson frowned slightly. He knew very well that the other person was not being humble when he said such things, but was deliberately trying to put himself in opposition to the majority.

After Norton provoked him like that, the way he looked at him became more hostile and hostile.

Fortunately, he had no children and was an old man.

They were completely unconcerned about such gazes.

----