Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Barbara looked at him as if facing a formidable enemy, her mind racing. She had analyzed and dissected this simple sentence in great detail, yet she still couldn't grasp its meaning.

“You’re going to write a novel called ‘The Ghostwriters’, right? I’m the last ghostwriter on your list,” Zhang Renfeng said with a smile. “I won’t be here long. If you have any questions, ask them now.”

"I won't tell anyone, I swear to God!" She swallowed hard, the immense pressure of staring into Hong Zhong's eyes causing a slight ache in her stomach. "I know nothing, and I've never even seen your face. This secret will stay with me to my grave!"

"In my experience, oaths made under these circumstances are not to be trusted. You're making all these promises now, but once you're truly safe, I have no control over what might happen. Besides, you're the daughter of the White Torch Town sheriff, you should know that, right?"

Zhang Renfeng rubbed his hands together, calmly took out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit a match.

In the firelight, his face was illuminated by flickering flames, casting shifting shadows. "In this town, too many people want me dead."

He took a puff of the somewhat pungent tobacco, frowned, and then casually tossed it under his feet and stomped it out.

It seems to have been affected by a cold snap on the snowy mountain, as it contained too much moisture and the texture became terrible.

"Speaking of which, since we're already pretending to be confused, why not just go all the way? If you can really keep up the act, I'll go back in about ten more minutes. Why make things awkward for both of us like this?" He rubbed his nose and muttered a complaint. "Look at your companion, she's a master at pretending to be confused."

"What companion...you mean Becky?" Barbara asked慌张地, waving her hands frantically. "No, no, it's not her, it has nothing to do with her, she..."

Turning her head again, she saw that Becky had silently sat up, her long ginger-red hair draped over her shoulders, its sheen appearing so cool and aloof for the first time.

"..."

Barbara froze, staring in astonishment at her best friend, whom she had grown up with, who had just sat up in bed, speechless and dumbfounded.

“I’m sorry, Barbara, I couldn’t have reminded you… but you really shouldn’t have touched the gas lamp so soon. It’s just one night anyway, and everything will be back to normal by dawn. You were too impatient.”

Becky at this point was no longer the bright and charming young girl who was good at socializing.

Xiaomei and Alana might not feel this way, but for these two girls, the pressure from "Red Center" was simply too strong.

To confront someone of this caliber, Becky knew she no longer had time to maintain her facade. She had to give it her all and concentrate completely.

She took out a rubber band, bit it in her mouth, and wrapped her hands behind her head to tie her smooth, ginger-red hair into a simple braid—a gesture Becky used to focus her mind. After finishing, she let out a long sigh, then moved a chair over to sit across the bed from Zhang Renfeng.

“Mr. Zhang, think about it carefully. The benefits of letting us go back alive are far greater than killing us here.”

Zhang Renfeng watched her with great interest. Becky was probably the first person to call him "Mr. Zhang," which made him feel a little novel. The night was long, and he didn't hesitate to give the young women a little more time, so he gestured for her to continue.

“First of all, if the three of us are classified as missing or dead, it will cause a huge uproar in White Torch Town. David may be a bit stupid, but his father is not. He is a very shrewd banker and he will mobilize a lot of resources to resolve this matter.”

"At the same time, Barbara's father, Sheriff Gordon, will also mobilize the entire police force in White Torch, and with my family involved, they won't let this go easily either. If it escalates to that point, you definitely won't be able to stay in New Austin anymore, and you might even become a nationally wanted criminal. Wouldn't that be the worst possible lose-lose situation?"

"But on the other hand, if you let us go tonight, you'll gain two more friends. You'll also have Barbara to talk to about the New Austin sheriff, and you can get information from her. These days, nothing is more valuable than intelligence."

“I am the daughter of the Halganda family, and our family makes a living selling weapons. I can provide you and your gang with the latest and best weapons! If you want to be based in New Austin, our family is also willing to form a long-term partnership with you.”

……

After hearing these words, Zhang Renfeng sighed inwardly.

It is said that vision determines one's pattern, and this girl who grew up in a family of arms dealers is different.

She understood the basic principles of negotiation well—you have to pick the essentials and demonstrate the value you can offer. Nothing binds people more than mutual benefit. No matter what, get the other party on your side first. Once you're in the same boat, they naturally won't make a move.

"Cooperate? With me?" Even so, Zhang Renfeng did not give in easily, but just smiled and said, "If I remember correctly, I have a bounty of 7000 in this town. There should be a lot of people who can't wait to get rid of me."

“That’s the key point…” Becky swallowed hard, suppressing her nervousness. “No, it isn’t.”

"No?"

"No, that's where your brilliance lies, Mr. Zhang—you wiped out the Nordlin family!"

“Even if only one of them had survived, he would have used every resource at his disposal to take revenge on you, but none of them were left.” Becky took a deep breath. “The Nordlin family has been a behemoth in New Austin for five generations. Their vast wealth and huge market share have created a monopolistic and overwhelming position… until you physically destroyed them.”

"After the whale fall, all things come back to life."

"With the downfall of the Nordlin family, their territory and funds were quickly devoured by several smaller families. Some of them were quick enough to seize the opportunity and rise to prominence. The landscape of White Torch Town has been permanently altered. For a time, everyone was busy dividing up their inheritance—as for the instigator, 'Red Center,' it became less important."

Zhang Renfeng couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

Yes, that perfectly matches his understanding of those guys: nothing is more important than money. He needs to figure out the Nordlin family's money first before discussing bandit suppression.

"The new mayor, Wendigo Lecter, was elected purely by the people, without any family connections, which has brought about many new changes. All of this is thanks to the major case you handled seven months ago. Everyone knows, though they don't say it, that they are the beneficiaries of the Nordlin family's downfall."

“I don’t know why you killed the Nordlin family, but that’s all in the past. In White Torch Town now, nobody cares about them, nobody misses them, everyone has moved on.”

The girl patted her chest and said confidently, "As long as you don't commit another major crime like Windblown Sand, no one will be chasing you around here for the time being, and we can be your friends."

"A new friend!"

Chapter 82: The Red Center Gang is Born!

"You guys... eat this stuff?"

Jimmy was greatly disappointed when he arrived at the temporary camp; the facilities here were not even as good as those in Scar Village.

There were just a few crudely made tents, not even any walls to block the wind and snow. The cold wind seemed to seep in through the gaps in the trouser legs and the back of the neck, penetrating straight to the bone, chilling one to the bone. There were a few piles of firewood next to the tents, used to make campfires, which could barely keep warm. Some of the piles of firewood had iron pots propped up on them, presumably for cooking.

The horses at the camp were simply tied to birch trees not far from the camp.

The people slept in simple conditions, and the horses weren't much better off. At least the leaves on the tree by the dock could shield them from the wind and snow.

Alana was the first to return, and she was using a short knife to shave and skin the deer she had hunted.

She had only seen similar jobs in Scar Village, but she did have a natural talent for using knives, and after being taught by Mike, she quickly got the hang of it. The snow-capped mountains were incredibly cold, and the animals were practically skin and bones, but in order to conserve food as much as possible, they would take turns hunting to supplement the camp's already meager diet.

"Be content, lawyer! You should be grateful to have venison! This isn't... the city!"

Alana used a knife to carefully peel back the deer hide, her forehead beaded with sweat from the effort, and her voice trembled with breathlessness from the strain.

Skinning an animal of this size is physically demanding for a fourteen-year-old girl. But she didn't find it hard at all. On the contrary, watching her own prey being skinned and gutted, turning into a pot of rich meat soup, gave her a sense of accomplishment that she rarely experienced.

Concealing their presence in the snow-capped mountains, they engage in battles with their prey, ultimately consuming their flesh and blood as spoils to prolong their lives, seemingly entering some kind of grand cycle.

She cut the venison into uniform pieces and threw them all into the iron pot, where they simmered and bubbled.

Seeing her put the lid on the pot, Jimmy was greatly shocked. "You're just boiling it like this? You should at least add some seasonings. I remember bringing some good stuff out of the store. Wait here, I'll go find it."

"Hey, no..."

Before Alana could call him back, the restless Jimmy brushed the snow off his knees and began rummaging through the sack. The clinking of bottles and jars mingled with his chatter. Jimmy was naturally a restless soul; leaving him to sit around doing nothing and wait for everyone to arrive was simply too much of a torment. Even if he was looking for something, he had to find something to do.

"Canned yellow peaches from the Great Valley, salted animal offal, chocolate bars, brandy... I've got it!"

He took out several round, purple onions, a bunch of turnips, and a small jar of premium sea salt from the bottom of the bag.

The shop actually had large bags of coarse salt, but Jimmy figured they couldn't possibly be without such a basic seasoning, so he didn't take any. He only took a jar of sea salt, just to give them a change of pace. Little did he expect the food at the camp to be so bland.

I imagine that all startup teams face similar hardships in their early stages.

----

Alana timed it perfectly. Just as the meat in the pot was almost cooked and tender, and the foam was skimmed off, releasing a pure, mouthwatering aroma, the others returned to the camp one after another.

Zhang Renfeng rode back from Baiju Town at full speed. Even with his superb skills, he still felt sore and aching from being jostled on horseback for so long.

Upon dismounting, he assumed a stance and performed a set of Five Animal Frolics exercises to stretch his body, making his bones creak and crack. After the performance, feeling refreshed and invigorated, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Mike and Mei, who had gone to scout the enemy, returned on the same horse. It must be said that the weather here was not very friendly to the elderly, whose vitality was not so strong. Despite being dressed fairly warmly, Mike was shivering. After dismounting, he immediately went to the campfire and warmed his hands by the fire.

Alana handed him a cup of freshly brewed coffee, which he picked up and drank, seemingly trying to use the scalding sensation to wash away the coldness in his body.

“Thanks, Alana,” Mike said to her, then nodded to Jimmy, who was standing not far away. “...Lawyer.”

“Considering that this kind of life might last for a long time…” Jimmy suggested with utmost sincerity, “Find a cook, really. For you, the camp is like home. If every time I go home, all I can eat is sliced ​​onions and boiled meat, what is there to look forward to?”

"To make sure you didn't realize, let me explain. We're currently in the Snowfall Mountains, Sparrow Hills, near Annabelle Lake. It's so cold the lake is frozen solid; you could run around on it like a headless chicken." After warming up, Mike switched back to his sarcastic mode, glaring with dead fish eyes and a calmly sarcastic tone. "It's not like the city here; you're lucky if you can even find something to eat."

“Of course I know that, I mean…”

As he spoke, Jimmy stuffed the piece of venison that had been given to him into his mouth. After a couple of chews, just as he expected, Alana, being an amateur, couldn't possibly remove all the blood and foam in such a short time. Even though it had been boiled in water and had onions added, it still couldn't mask the fishy smell.

However, after what happened at the Mini Traveler's Shop, he hadn't eaten anything all day and was truly starving. He chewed heartily, which showed off his good teeth.

"No matter what you do, it's always good to have a sense of ritual." Jimmy swallowed the venison, seemingly still wanting more. "Nothing is more ritualistic than eating."

“I do know how to cook some stews; my father taught me when he took me hunting.” A smile appeared on Xiaomei’s lips, but the light in her eyes quickly dimmed. She said softly, “The camp is really short-handed right now, and I’m going out with Mr. Mike, so I really don’t have any spare hands…”

“Miss Marston…” Jimmy paused for a rare moment. Before coming, he had already heard about what Xiaomei had gone through. After a little hesitation, he could only praise her, “By the way, your new hairstyle looks great.”

Since arriving at Lake Annabelle and setting up camp, Mei didn't wait a single day longer, cutting off her long, jet-black hair. Like Alana, she was left with only clean, simple short hair. Without bangs to conceal it, the claw marks on her face were clearly visible, and at first glance, she didn't look like a girl from a normal family.

By cutting her hair, she has completely said goodbye to her past life.

……

A short-tailed deer, after being bled and skinned, didn't have much meat left. The snow-capped mountains are harsh and cold, naturally unable to feed the animals, let alone share them with five people. After finishing their portions, the dinner ended hastily.

"Yours, yours, yours... Here, this is yours, take it all."

After taking a big gulp of coffee, Jimmy finally got down to business, taking out the four men's new identification documents one by one from his pocket, and patting his chest to assure them, "With these, you're officially licensed bounty hunters! You can ride any stagecoach or train you want without ever being discovered."

"However, it's best not to return to New Elizabeth State anytime soon. The pursuit of you there hasn't been any relaxation. Apart from Alana, the other three are already on the wanted list."

Jimmy counted on his fingers, as if reciting a familiar story, “Ms. Marston’s bounty is $800. Old Mike? Congratulations, it’s gone up to $1700. And the Red Center boss, they’ve unified your bounty in the two states, it’s $7000. But for some reason, your wanted posters are only circulating in New Elizabeth, they haven’t spread to Australasia.”

"The official name for you is the 'Red Center Gang'... and the official description is: a new gang with immense potential for development and destruction, even comparable to the Jack Gang of yesteryear!"

Chapter 83: I want them all!

"7000 US dollars, wow, that's a rapid increase. It's probably Cheddar pulling the strings behind the scenes again."

Zhang Renfeng clicked his tongue, his eyes suddenly lighting up as he came up with a brilliant idea. "What do you think? If I turn myself in and then escape from prison, can we split the $7000 equally? If five people split it, each of us would get $1400. It's a sure-fire way to make money!"

“Stop talking nonsense.” Mike rolled his eyes at him and retorted, “A serious criminal like you with a bounty of seven thousand dollars has no chance of escaping. Once you’re caught, you’ll be handed over to the federal government immediately—as far as I know, that place is on a secluded island, surrounded by water, and guarded by hundreds of heavily armed guards.”

"If it were a temporary jail in the town's police station, there might still be a chance. But I guess the cell prepared for 'Red Center' would probably be different from that of ordinary people."

"That's not necessarily true," Zhang Renfeng said with a confident smile. "You haven't seen my bone-shrinking skill yet."

Jokes aside, now that we've finished chatting, it's time to get down to business.

Jimmy finished his coffee in one gulp, then pulled a note from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Renfeng.

Upon unfolding it, one finds a record of a specific train number, its departure time, location, route, and security personnel.

Most interestingly, this train wasn't carrying goods, but rather a private line used by Chedel to transfer funds.

Some of his personal assets need to be transferred from other states.

Traveling by stagecoach was too time-consuming and too unreliable. It also required transfers between different states, making it prone to problems.

Taking the train route is much easier, while also ensuring privacy and safety.

"Chedell is going to open a chain of banks in White Torch Town and Windblown Sands, and this money seems to be related to that. The date is February 9th, and eight days later, a train will come from Granite State. One of the railway lines is right at the foot of the Snowfall Mountains, very close to you!"

"I don't know if there was cash or something else in the train, but in any case, it must be a considerable sum."

Jimmy's face was red from the cold, but there was an undisguised excitement in his tone, which was an incurable part of his personality.

Otherwise, he could have simply walked out the door that night in Scarface Village and never had anything to do with this bloody and turbulent world again.

This is also why he was in such a hurry to get up the mountain; this intelligence was time-sensitive, only a few days away, and it wouldn't be available again if it wasn't.

"How about it, Boss Hongzhong? Let's do a job! It'll be perfect as start-up capital for the Hongzhong Gang. To be honest, apart from those two pieces of gold, we haven't officially opened for business yet."

……

The expressions on everyone's faces were varied.

"What's wrong?" Jimmy quickly sensed that the atmosphere wasn't as lively as he had imagined. "Isn't this news coming at a bad time?"

“To be honest, I’m really glad you’re thinking of us like this.” Mike patted Jimmy on the shoulder, pondered for a moment, “The problem is, we didn’t know you had this trick up your sleeve, so… we had already made other plans in advance.”

Alana said coldly, "This camp was raided by the Wolf Shepherd Gang once before. Mike and Hongzhong were teaching us hunting outside, and the camp had just been set up when these bastards took advantage of the situation and stole a lot of food!"

The girl's face darkened at the mention of the matter, clearly harboring resentment. "So this time, we're going to make a killing off these bastards."

"What the hell?" Jimmy stared in disbelief.

Xiao Mei pointed to the sturdy fortress standing in the mountains not far away. Even though it was late at night, it was still brightly lit.

"This place was originally a warehouse where the rebels stored their weapons. After the war ended and the troops were disbanded, this place was gradually forgotten and few people knew about it."

Mike pulled out his revolver and began to service it with gun oil as he said, "About six or seven years ago, there was a man raised by wolves who killed more than twenty sheriffs who came to hunt him down, seized the armory, and became famous overnight."

"More and more outlaws, having heard of his great name, flocked to the snowy mountains and became his loyal followers, arming themselves with the weapons left behind by the rebels. This gang only knew how to kill and plunder, as greedy as wolves, and coupled with the mysterious past of their leader, they were named the 'Wolf Shepherd Gang'."

After cleaning and sheathing his gun, Old Mike's tone was noticeably different. "These past two days, the little girl and I have been conducting reconnaissance near their stronghold and have roughly figured out their rotation schedule and movement patterns."

“In just the last few nights, we’ve seen carriages coming and going three or four times. This means that there are frequent trades of goods at this outpost.”

"Judging from the depth of the carriage wheels, the approximate weight of the goods can be determined, and it is undoubtedly illicit liquor. This mountain road is relatively hidden, and the Shepherd Wolf Gang probably relies on selling illicit liquor as its main source of income. If they only robbed passersby, they couldn't support such a large gang."