Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

“I’ve dreamed about him,” Theonado replied directly.

Oedipus?

“No.” He shook his head and said softly, “A hero driven by prophecy.”

Chapter 800: All Men Must Die

"The important person at that performance, could it be...?"

“That’s right.” Henderson nodded, revealing the expression often seen in older people when recalling the past—his eyes narrowed slightly, his facial muscles tensed, as if he were struggling to extract those memories, which should have been fresh, little by little from the depths of his gradually rusting brain. He sighed, “That was probably the best performance I’ve ever rehearsed in my life.”

"Young lady, you're also in the performing arts, so you should understand, right?"

"For us, what kind of performance is the most moving?"

Evelyn pondered for a moment, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards Zhang Renfeng before quickly looking away, and she said softly, "The audience."

For top performers like them, the stage is not just a place to work, but also a place to express themselves. Henderson melts his understanding of art into every detail of his performance with passion, and he so earnestly hopes that there will be an audience who understands him and appreciates his thoughts.

However, most people in this world do not possess such discernment, which is actually quite normal—that is precisely why guests who seem to understand him are so precious.

If you can find a knowledgeable audience member, the venue, the staff, the costumes, the props... everything else becomes less important.

At the St. Swan Theatre, all these wishes were fulfilled at the same time.

"That day, the theater was completely emptied. The owner made all the preparations he could imagine. I could tell he didn't look well, and he almost fainted while he was standing there waiting. But despite such elaborate preparations, only two guests actually came."

"two?"

“Two,” Henderson recalled. “One of them was Samuel Graves, whom you’re looking for. It was the first time I met him, and I didn’t know who he was. Judging from how nervous the boss was, I guessed he was some high-ranking government official.”

"The other man beside him was taller, stronger, more powerful, silent, and always had a smile on his face. I could sense that he was a very dangerous man, elegant, but very dangerous. According to Samuel, they met at an art exhibition and were the purest 'disciples of the Muses'."

"After the performance, Samuel postponed his meeting with the theater owner, specifically requesting that your brother and I stay behind, and introduced us to that man..."

----

"Wendigo Lecter".

The curtain has fallen.

In the dimly lit audience seats, Wendigo, dressed in a suit and tie, slowly rose, revealing an elegant but cold smile, and shook hands with Henderson. His hands were large but powerful, like a lurking beast.

“Lecter has a remarkably strong eye for art; if you ask me, he possesses a kind of… how should I put it, empathy,” Samuel said calmly. “Isn’t that a gift bestowed upon us by the Muses?”

"And the tragedy you created has captivated him so much that he can't extricate himself from it."

“I pay tribute to the lead actor’s superb performance.” Wendigo smiled at Theonado. “You gave me the feeling that Oedipus Rex had truly crossed time and space to come to the stage.”

Theonado didn't answer him; in fact, he kept turning to the side, staring at the end of the row of seats in the shadows as if someone were sitting there.

In fact, there was no one there; there were only empty seats and dust motes floating on them, illuminated by light filtering through the room.

“Please forgive me.” Henderson carefully chose his words. “My partner, his… his understanding of the world is quite different from ours. I mean, not just the material world, but also the spiritual and the self, it’s completely different.”

“It’s understandable. Geniuses are always lonely,” Wendigo said in a deep voice. “They are detached from the hustle and bustle of the world.”

"Nevertheless, I am still willing to offer a contract for him, and for you."

“A contract?” Henderson raised an eyebrow.

“I haven’t told you yet, but my father was a shoemaker. When I was a child, I always felt that his hands had magic. No matter what kind of shoes they were, as long as he saw them once and touched them once, he could make them very similar to the ones he had on hand, based on the available materials.”

“While other kids were busy fighting, gambling, and drinking, I was helping my father make leather, degreasing, tanning, polishing, coloring, embossing... Oh, I really miss those days.”

"But then I discovered that no matter the style or type of shoe, he never sold the best pair. There was a cabinet specifically for displaying them. I asked my father about it, and his answer remains unforgettable to this day. He said..."

"'The thought that such exquisite beauties would be worn by those stinky feet is unbearable!' Hahaha... Sounds strange, doesn't it?"

"But I gradually realized that as I got older, I became more and more like my father."

His gaze swept over the two of them, and he said softly, "So, this is the contract: From this moment on, you will work for me, and only for me."

“Almost all of my clothes are custom-made: suits, trousers, ties, shoes, pocket watches… Don’t doubt it, this is very common in high society. But now, I also want ‘custom-made’ art.”

"Of course, I won't impose any restrictions on you. You are free to create any subject matter. The stage, props, and costumes will all be top-notch. As long as you have a need, you can arrange any actor in America. My only final requirement is that the play be personally choreographed, reviewed, and approved by you, and that you deem it worthy of being presented to me."

"As for the compensation, of course I don't think someone of your level would be short of money, but... we're still talking about an astronomical figure. It's a 'huge' amount of wealth that you could enjoy for the rest of your lives."

"Most importantly, we understand each other, and our hearts are tightly connected through the Muses."

"What do you two think?"

……

To be honest, Henderson wavered at this moment. With such favorable conditions, it would be impossible for him not to be completely swayed.

Theonado suddenly turned his head, as if his will had returned to the body, "Please allow me to refuse."

"May I ask for the reason?"

"I'm dying," Theonado said, dropping a bombshell. "And before I die, I still have many paintings to finish, so I won't have time to participate in these."

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" Samuel asked with concern. "If so, I can arrange..."

“No,” Theonado shook his head, “but I dreamed about it.”

"How did he die?" Wendigo asked calmly.

"..." Theonado gave him a somewhat strange smile, "Perhaps you will see it."

“Sigh…” Samuel sighed and murmured, “What a pity.”

It's unclear whether it was because Theonado rejected him, or because Theonado, so young and incredibly talented, was already suffering from hysteria.

“There’s nothing to regret. All men must die.” Theonado shook his head. “We’re all the same.”

Chapter 801: The Trump Card!

Evelyn felt slightly uncomfortable halfway through the conversation. Although Wendigo was dead, the things he had done still left a shadow in the girl's heart.

Zhang Renfeng noticed her panic and gently took her hand.

This seemingly insignificant action made her listen to the whole thing, and she found it increasingly unbelievable.

Her own brother almost had the chance to become a "custom artist" for Samuel Graves, just like Henderson. Imagine how drastically her life would have changed if that had happened...

Fate is so magical; a single step can lead to a completely different world.

"That makes sense now," Xiaomei exclaimed in sudden realization. "Didn't Mr. Sam say that this Samuel once appreciated a play with Wendigo? The two of them did indeed have contact!"

Zhang Renfeng couldn't help but feel more admiration for Sam. It was truly remarkable that he could accurately find the end of the thread from such a large, tangled mass of yarn.

“Even so, there shouldn’t be any power struggle between the two of them. Otherwise, Wendigo wouldn’t just be a mere mayor.” Henderson shook his head. “The Samuel I know is quite cautious in the use of power.”

“At his level, he won’t issue particularly specific instructions anymore, because once an instruction is given, its effect will be amplified countless times at the local level. In short, before you speak, you are still the master of your words, but after you speak, you become its slave.”

“Wendigo and he share the same interests, but his position in the power structure is so insignificant that, without this interest, they would most likely never have met in their entire lives.”

Zhang Renfeng was somewhat surprised, but then, thinking about what kind of person Wendigo was, he understood.

For cannibals, power and authority are completely unimportant; what matters is whether they can be made to behave like human beings.

Are you sure what you saw wasn't a stand-in?

“Impossible.” Henderson was quite certain. “He only started looking for a body double after he met me.”

"He's seventy-nine years old this year. Having lived to this age and held such a high position, he's already enjoyed almost everything he could. Art is one of the few things he still finds joy in. If even this little bit of joy needs a substitute to take his place..."

"Then what's the point of his life?"

……

It's hard to imagine that someone who holds national power would face such a problem.

Zhang Renfeng pondered for a moment, then gestured with his finger towards the stunt double not far away, startling him so much that he immediately sat up straight.

"What was he originally here for?"

"negotiation."

"with who?"

“Zeta Meryl Krenzikov,” Henderson answered methodically. “Before I proceed, Mr. Zhang, do you have a general understanding of our country’s administrative system?”

This wasn't the first time he'd been asked this question. Before coming here, Igor had already given him a crash course on the subject in White Torch Town. So he nodded and waved his hand magnanimously, "I know, it's just two parties taking turns in office, right?"

"Samuel is the leader of the Gilded Party, but unfortunately, the current president and the finance minister are both members of the Grail Party. And the Krenzikov family is one of the key forces behind the Grail Party."

At this point, Henderson shrugged, letting them figure out the meaning behind it for themselves.

When all the complex political struggles turned into partisan battles, Zhang Renfeng's mind became much clearer.

In the history of my hometown, similar situations occurred in every dynasty. A famous example is the struggle between the "Yan Party" and the "Qingliu" faction during the reign of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty. This same struggle resulted in a life-or-death battle within the imperial court.

It's not about right or wrong, it's just about interests, and different perspectives on those interests.

Of course, if one can fight for interests, one can also compromise for interests.

Zeta, as the representative of the Grail Party, was sent here, while Samuel sent his stand-in to engage in a perfunctory conversation. What was discussed was actually unimportant; the mere act of "coming" itself was a powerful signal.

This time, however, before any signal could be released, Zhang Renfeng, like an elephant that had stormed into a porcelain museum, utterly destroyed all their meticulous political calculations.

Moreover, now, he is making no attempt to conceal his intentions and is directly targeting one of them.

……

“You want to take him down,” Henderson said, quite surprised by the outcome, “take down Samuel Graves?”

"Surprised?" Zhang Renfeng narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "The existence of the Illuminati has caused far too many tragedies, and..."

"He even attacked my men. I won't rest until he's dead!"

----

"Excuse me for being blunt, but it's too difficult." Henderson sighed. "I don't mean to discourage you, but... believe me, many people have walked this path before, and none of them died. I don't think you can do it."

"All men must die," Zhang Renfeng said in a deep voice. "He was just a mortal man after all!"

Upon hearing this, Henderson's pupils trembled slightly.

In a daze, he seemed to vaguely understand where Theodore's portrayal of Oedipus Rex came from.

“You don’t know where he is, I don’t know, nobody knows. But he’ll find out about this place very soon.”

"This city, in both a legal and practical sense, has absolutely nothing to do with him, understand? He hasn't spent a single penny here; it's all made by his 'gloves.' Like his double, he has countless gloves, gloves on top of gloves... If something goes wrong, he just needs to take off the gloves, and everything will be fine."

"So?" Zhang Renfeng looked into his eyes. "Are you asking us to give up, to turn back after making such a fuss?"

……

"Quite the opposite." Henderson's eyes sharpened. "Before you brought over four thousand refugees into this city, I had already vouched for Norton and secured an opportunity for him to meet with you. And now, how things have turned out, I'm partly responsible!"

"Samuel will find out about this sooner or later. In his position, there is nothing more taboo than his stance."

"Loyalty that is not absolute is absolutely disloyal. There is no middle ground to cross. I have no other choice but to follow you now."

Zhang Renfeng was somewhat bewildered by his sudden defection, but before he could speak, Henderson dropped a bombshell.

“Outside of this city, there is another place, his true ‘residence.’ Every time, he goes there alone and never allows anyone else to go.”

“It’s bigger, more luxurious, and…”

"More private."

Chapter 802: The Chapel

"This trip was really tough... To be honest, when I found those two inconspicuous signatures among a bunch of clues, and then followed the trail all the way to White Torch Town, I really didn't have much hope."

"At the time, I thought that all the promising leads had been taken, and only this one was left unattended. So I decided to stick with this one and see how much I could follow..."

"Never before in America's history has such a powerful figure been so thoroughly brought down. But considering that he secretly formed such a large organization as the Illuminati, and reaped huge profits for the financial groups and capital behind it, if all of this could be proven and made public, it would surely plunge him into the abyss. What an exciting moment that would be..."

"Ms. Lydia?"

Sam's ability to read people was naturally honed through constant suppression at the grassroots level. It was just that the high caliber of his impending achievement momentarily blinded him. Personally bringing down the leader of the "gilded party"—such a hard-hitting accomplishment should be enough for him to carve out a better future within the vast civil service.

But for some reason, as the leader of this special customs investigation team, after suffering so much and just when things were about to look up, Lydia's expression was not so happy.

At this very moment, they are on their way to the "location" that Henderson mentioned.

Zhang Renfeng walked at the front, followed closely by the captain's former subordinates. Mike and Xiao Mei, on the other hand, chose to stay in Oak City to oversee the situation there; everything seemed perfect. It was as if all they had to do was find the right place, push open that door, and all the problems that had been troubling them would be solved.