Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

There's no need to embellish it further; simply telling the truth was already quite thrilling.

After all, no matter how exaggerated Zhang Renfeng was in the past, he would never have gone so far as to pull a train with all his might. Even his close companions were shocked when they saw the photos taken by Angel Eye.

Then, the weather turned against them again, and they were caught in a fierce hurricane. The supplies they had intended to use for trading had to be abandoned halfway through. After arriving in Oak City, the position of these four thousand refugees became quite delicate.

If Zeta hadn't done him a favor, Norton would have intended to violently expel those four thousand-plus people. If that had happened, the situation would have been entirely different—even a cornered beast will fight back, let alone someone like Zhang Renfeng.

Everyone believed that with Lao Zhang's abilities, escaping unscathed shouldn't be a problem. But the more than four thousand refugees they had risked their lives to rescue would all perish there. For both sides, it was actually a lose-lose situation.

A big shot is indeed a big shot; with just one sentence from Zeta, he averted this worst-case scenario.

That's it for now.

However, placing all hope for maintaining peace on someone else's word or thought, which can be reversed at any time, is not Igor's style; he is not that naive.

If the high-pressure life in the Zolael family taught him anything, there must be one most important rule: your words only count when the gun is in the hands of your own people.

The newly mobilized state of New Austin began loading supplies and munitions onto special trains in batches, according to the original plan, and they traveled through many counties and cities toward the little-known Oak City!

Interestingly, during this operation, he was primarily responsible for the logistical allocation of supplies, weapons, and personnel in the rear.

The person who actually arranged the entire loading process was Xiaomei.

During this time, Xiaomei stayed by Igor's side, acting as his office secretary and helping him with some tedious tasks.

Igor consciously delegated some less important company matters to her, continuously cultivating her various abilities through practice. His management philosophy was exceptionally strong, and many of his ideas were a complete upheaval for a girl who grew up in a small western town.

Mei's intelligence was evident to everyone during her time in the gang. Especially after killing Ryan Childel and erasing his entire business from history, Mei had avenged her family. With no other worries, she could devote herself wholeheartedly to her work.

She is like a sponge, absorbing knowledge rapidly and constantly growing.

This was the first time she had completely broken away from Igor and was issuing orders to her subordinates herself, completing the three tasks of organizing manpower, inventorying supplies, and loading them onto trucks.

The first train was loaded with supplies, but there weren't many passengers.

The captain's old buddies, Ren and his crew, volunteered to protect the supplies and came along as well. Wolf, unable to sit still for a moment, was extremely anxious. After some hesitation, he boarded the train.

In the event of armed conflict, all actions will be commanded by Mike, who has the most combat experience—this was a consensus they reached before setting off.

As for the more important "military force" guarantee, Igor is still coordinating operations in the rear.

New Orleans, New Elizabeth, and half of Granite State all have readily available manpower. They can be conscripted. Ego is organizing them into a force, directly led by the Lamon Raiders, and ultimately, will report directly to Calaway.

Soon, they will arrive in Oak City on the second, third, and even subsequent trains, becoming Mike's support force.

It would be best if a fight didn't break out.

But if something really happens... having something in hand is always more reassuring than having nothing at all.

----

"My right eyelid keeps twitching," the wolf insisted. "I have a feeling something bad is about to happen."

"Huh?" Xiaomei naturally couldn't understand this idea and asked curiously, "What if my left eyelid twitches? Does that mean something good is going to happen?"

"No." The wolf shook his head. "A twitching left eyelid means wealth is coming."

“That’s not fair at all.” Xiaomei chuckled. “‘Misfortune’ is a very broad term. It can range from natural disasters and man-made calamities to something as minor as tripping and falling down outside. If your right eyelid twitches, it means misfortune, but if your left eyelid twitches, it means wealth is coming. The two are not symmetrical at all.”

"Moreover, many people have met their demise because they possessed too much wealth. This shows that 'wealth' and disaster are not entirely equivalent."

The wolf looked at her with a skeptical expression, frowned, and thought for a long time before finally nodding. "What you said... seems to make some sense. I've never thought of it this way before..."

"So, Mr. Hongzhong will definitely be alright." Seeing that she was starting to accept this explanation, Xiaomei further comforted her, "You've known him for so long, don't you know his abilities?"

“I know my senior brother is exceptionally brave, but…” Wolf’s delicate willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed again when Zhang Renfeng was mentioned, “But his personality is just too strong. He’s the type who would rather die with you than kneel down under pressure.”

"That's what I'm really worried about."

----

"Waaaaaah!!"

"Waaaaaah!!"

"Waaaaaah!!"

……

The heavy sound of bronze horns echoed through the city streets and buildings as a massive procession of carriages and horses slowly came into view from the direction of the city walls.

This time, Zhang Renfeng truly witnessed how many people lived in this city—artists, poets, gladiators like himself, as well as maids, waiters, and servants responsible for maintaining and cleaning this extravagant city, all crammed onto both sides of the street.

Now Zhang Renfeng understood why Mayor Norton could so easily conjure up food rations for over four thousand people. It turned out that the city had a surprisingly large "invisible population," and he had simply allocated a portion of it to himself.

Before the main characters arrived, the honor guard came into view first, with the three people at the head sitting in a car, continuously blowing bronze horns.

Others were scattering flower petals, creating an incredibly sacred atmosphere.

……

Upon hearing the bugle call, the crowd knelt down in unison, maintaining a single-knee kneeling position.

Zhang Renfeng was completely unprepared for this, but he hesitated for less than a second before quickly kneeling down on one knee to join the crowd.

Chapter 788: Now I Understand Everything

The accompanying procession was quite long, and everyone was dressed in gorgeous clothes, with smiles on their faces, and flower petals were constantly being thrown into the air.

Zhang Renfeng couldn't help but wonder where they got so many flowers, and how many petals they had plucked to put on this show.

“He’s just another Nero Emperor…” Lydia muttered to herself beside him.

"What emperor?"

“Nero, an emperor from ancient Rome, was much the same. He didn’t understand what one should do after becoming emperor; he just did whatever he wanted and enjoyed these kinds of ostentatious performances.” Lydia’s tone was very dissatisfied; clearly, she was quite disgusted with Emperor Nero. “Musical performances, artistic performances, gladiatorial performances, theatrical performances… He also loved to undertake massive construction projects, pointlessly wasting the people’s resources for his own desires!”

"If an emperor devotes all his attention to such matters, how can the country prosper?"

"When he died, all of Rome rejoiced. A poet even said, 'Rome has finally been returned to its rightful owner; the playthings of the tyrant will once again belong to the people.'"

Zhang Renfeng sighed with emotion.

However, upon closer reflection, his hometown's history has seen many similar incompetent rulers, each with their own unique methods of incompetence, but essentially they were all similar—treating the nation's resources, people, and labor as their own assets, squandering them at will. Throughout history, it's considered quite good if a monarch who has seized the pinnacle of power leaves behind a reputation for "mediocrity."

Without him.

Look at this spectacle, being a tyrant must be really enjoyable.

"His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty the Emperor!"

Among the crowd, some people had already begun to lead the shouting, their voices loud and sincere, full of absolute obedience to authority.

They may not respect this "Emperor," but what makes them so subservient is the power in his hands. His power is so immense that even a tiny bit of benefit leaking through his fingers can bring endless riches to those who cheer for him.

Zhang Renfeng suddenly felt a little apprehensive.

If time could turn back to the day I passed the martial arts exam and became the top martial arts champion, before the final competition, I would have completed the competition "perfectly" as instructed by my senior brother, instead of beating my opponent black and blue. After that, I wouldn't have been so sharp and confrontational, and I would have been a little more tactful in dealing with people.

Little by little, he climbed up the ranks within this massive bureaucratic system...

What will I become after this?

Will I become like them, completely disciplined by the system of power, a puppet kneeling and kowtowing to the emperor?

……

Zhang Renfeng couldn't guarantee it.

But he knew that such a version of himself would be the same person he was now, someone he utterly loathed and hated.

“Look,” Lydia tugged at his sleeve and whispered, “they’re here!”

Zhang Renfeng's attention returned to what was in front of him.

On the main road, an incredibly magnificent carriage slowly came into their view. It resembled a war chariot, its body extremely sturdy, designed for battlefield impacts, requiring four warhorses to pull it. In the era of cold weapons, such a chariot, driven on the battlefield, would indeed be invincible, a truly devastating blow.

But now it's 1879, and such chariots are of no value on the battlefield where stray bullets are flying, except as sitting ducks.

Its exterior was brand new; the body was clearly waxed and gleaming, with minimal mud or dirt on the wheels. The two pairs of imposing front horns gleamed with a menacing cold light. Every detail indicated that it was recently built, and that the materials used were of considerable cost.

Also.

Such an expensive city has been built; compared to that, this is just a slightly more expensive stage prop.

As long as it can highlight the male lead's noble temperament, all these expenses can be ignored.

On this chariot, Zhang Renfeng finally saw the only male lead in this expensive stage play—His Majesty the Emperor of Oak City!

He was dressed in fine clothes, with a long red robe draped over his shoulders. He wore the Olympia laurel wreath on his head and held another Pythia laurel wreath aloft in his right hand. His face was partially obscured by a mask, and he was of average height and build, with nothing particularly special about him.

However, such a grand display naturally added a layer of power to his image.

A large crowd gathered, with people surrounding them.

The men started shouting, the women started screaming, and the atmosphere gradually became more and more frenzied.

“No, it’s too noisy…” Zhang Renfeng tried for a while and then gave up. “I can’t hear his heartbeat at all.”

For some reason, he always felt that there was something slightly strange about the emperor when he waved to the crowd, as if there was an unnatural pause after each movement. But the pause was so subtle, so very subtle, that even he wasn't sure if he was just overthinking it.

When Xiang Yu saw the First Emperor on his tour, he watched from afar in the crowd, and surprisingly looked up and stared straight at him, leaving behind the domineering remark, "He can be replaced."

In the same scenario, Liu Bang's meaning was more subtle; he said, "A true man should be like this."

Now, Zhang Renfeng had seen the "Emperor's" demeanor up close, but he didn't find him particularly remarkable. On the contrary, he didn't even dare to show his face, precisely because the person behind the mask knew very well that he only possessed supreme power within this city.

He was quite indignant at the thought that a large amount of manpower, material resources, and financial resources would be concentrated on this meaningless performance and wasted.

"And who is that person?" Zhang Renfeng noticed that there was another person standing next to the emperor—a man, about forty years old, dressed in black clothes, wearing a headscarf, and slightly short and stout.

Compared to the emperor, his expression was more nonchalant as he looked down at the people below the chariot as if they were ants.

"That's Istova, the city's director." In the past few days, Lydia has also been gathering intelligence on the city, and has gained a general understanding of the functions of several key officials.

First of all, the position of "financial officer" is basically a nominal one.

The funds involved in this city are not obtained through ordinary channels; what's possible is that they can't be publicly recorded. The finance officer's job is simply to record expenses and liaise with specialized construction teams.

Then there's Mayor Norton, who ensures the city runs smoothly when the emperor is away. Simply put, even without the main character, the drama must continue indefinitely. Only when the people here live 24 hours a day in a classical Roman city can they truly immerse themselves in the story and achieve a better sense of connection.

Finally, there's this "municipal official." He's in charge of the city's entry and exit of people, as well as the scheduling of matches at the arena.

As for status... being able to bring amusement to the emperor naturally means being one of the closest people to His Majesty the Emperor.

"Understood……"

Zhang Renfeng suddenly recalled many vivid figures from his own family history and immediately understood Istova's niche, causing him to frown.

"Now I understand everything."

Chapter 789: The Great Battle is Imminent

"oh-----!!!"

A deafening roar of applause and cheers erupted from every level of the arena. Even through so many levels and the iron gate, the sound still caused dust to flutter down from the stone walls overhead.

The gladiators who had not yet entered the arena were separated by this heavy iron gate, gathering in twos and threes to watch the details of the battle unfold.

When it's their turn, they will all enter through a small door next to this iron fence, passing through a not-too-long passage. Behind this arched passage, the applause and cheers from the arena will amplify and reach the gladiators' ears.

Once outside, seeing this massive, overwhelming scene, my adrenaline was immediately pumped up.

At this moment, gladiators of different levels displayed a variety of expressions. Some were composed, some were tense, some were breathing rapidly, and some had sweat beading on their foreheads and trembling legs.

Zhang Renfeng, however, paid no attention to the situation on the field. Instead, he gripped the fence and began to observe the layout of the entire arena, which seemed to be quite deliberate—the first level, closest to the arena and with the best view, was occupied by people of high status. The mysterious emperor, the municipal official Istovaan, the treasurer, Henderson, Mayor Norton, and Zeta, who had changed his clothes, were all sitting there.

The second and third floors were occupied by people who lived on the lower floors of the city, such as performers, painters, and poets.

The remaining layers consist of the vast "invisible population" of Oak City. They are not even allowed to appear on the streets normally, except for massive structures like the arena, where they are brought out to fill the space. Yet, these people's cheers and applause are the loudest and most enthusiastic.

The team competition uses a "three-on-three" format, where each team consists of only three people who take turns playing against the opposing team's three members in a best-of-three format.

As for the order of matches between groups, it is determined entirely by a draw, which is personally drawn by the municipal official, Istova.

In competitions like this, the draw is designed to keep the event captivating, preventing strong teams from being eliminated early on. Who wouldn't want to see two teams with legendary warriors engage in a thrilling final showdown?

The spectators, acknowledging the possibility of manipulation in the draw, still thoroughly enjoyed the game.

Alden stood beside him, his expression clearly distracted. Even now, the one fighting on the field was Master Lynx—according to the team's order, he was next, and if he lost, Zhang Renfeng would take his place.

"Pay attention, don't embarrass yourself!" Zhang Renfeng patted him on the shoulder and warned, "If you lose focus on the field later, it could cause big problems."