Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"Is something wrong?"

“I… how should I put it? I originally wanted you to rest a little longer. You’ve suffered so much for us, and you’re even injured, but…” Xiaomei bit her lip, her eyes filled with heartache as she looked at him. She turned to ask, “Ms. Namelia, how is Mr. Hongzhong’s injury?”

"The external injuries have mostly healed, right?" Little Wolf reached out and gently pressed Zhang Renfeng's lower abdomen, dantian, and chest through the quilt, observing his expression as he did so. "Senior Brother has extraordinary bones and exceptional talent. In addition, with the Rama internal energy, his self-healing ability is on a completely different level from that of ordinary people."

"If you eat and drink well, and rest peacefully for a while, you will fully recover and be just like usual."

……

After Zhang Renfeng fell into a coma, Xiaomei considered calling a doctor, but she quickly gave up after a second thought.

What a joke! A person stabbed dozens of times and only left with "minor fatal wounds"; a person who fell vertically from a hundred meters high and only suffered a few minor fractures and slight organ displacement. What good would calling a doctor do? Could a doctor even treat him?

Xiao Mei even suspected that if Zhang Renfeng subconsciously maintained the operation of Qigong, the doctor's needle might not even be able to penetrate his body.

In this situation, the only person who truly understood Zhang Renfeng's body was Xiaolang, who shared the same martial arts school. Her advice was quite alarming: take off Zhang Renfeng's shirt, roughly wash it with a towel, bandage the serious wounds, put his clothes back on, and you're done.

No need for any medicine, no need for any stitches, just let him sleep in bed.

Xiao Mei thought that after following Zhang Renfeng for so long, she had witnessed enough of his astonishing abilities. But as it turned out, she was far from satisfied—in just one day and one night, without doing anything but lying in bed, his wounds had already healed more than halfway!

From then on, the opinions given by Xiaolang were automatically elevated to the level of an attending physician in her eyes.

……

"I'd like Mr. Hongzhong to get out of bed for a while... The amount of exercise won't be too much; he'll just be sitting and talking to others. On the surface, this isn't a negotiation, but more like... a 'meeting'? It shouldn't involve too much mental effort..."

"Xiaomei." Zhang Renfeng realized something was wrong, and his expression turned serious. "Has someone come?"

----

A shiny bald head, sparse hair, and wrinkles hanging at the corners of his eyes that could not be concealed.

If he were on the street, he would just be an ordinary, even annoying, old man.

No one likes the elderly because their current state is their own future—aging, slowness, wrinkled skin, loose teeth. The thought of such a future inevitably befalling them makes people instinctively reject it.

But when such an old man is in a high position of "power", everything changes, and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes seem to be filled with the light of wisdom.

Sofia, dressed in a formal suit, stood behind him.

Sam stood before him, trembling with fear, his large frame appearing hunched over.

"Don't be nervous, young man. Sophia told me that your contribution to this operation is undeniable. If it weren't for your keen eye, starting your investigation from White Torch Town and Wendigo, none of this might have happened today."

"Such a unique perspective, coupled with strong execution, and the ability to stick to the target and not let go... It seems a bit of a waste to keep you stuck in customs, doing menial tasks for those people, being ordered around... What do you think?"

"In this era, what is most important? It is always talent. Someone as outstanding as you can certainly make a difference in a wider world."

……

With just a few casual words, something you've been pursuing for over a decade can be easily handed to you.

Sam's heart raced, his eyes sparkling with excitement. To be honest, he'd done everything he could and endured much hardship along the way. But at this moment, all the suffering he'd endured felt like a sweet reward.

“Mr. Pixar, I…”

----

"Boom!"

The half-closed wooden door was gently pushed open.

Surrounded by a crowd, a figure slowly strolled towards them.

After a quick wash, Zhang Renfeng changed into a black and gold suit, resembling a military uniform, with a trench coat draped over his shoulders. Overall, he looked neat, solemn, and dignified.

He rarely dressed so formally and appeared in public, but at this moment, having defeated Lu Aniu, his prestige in the city and in the eyes of these soldiers had reached its peak.

Anyone who witnessed their battle, even enemy prisoners, had to give them a thumbs up and say with heartfelt admiration, "You are the one!"

In their eyes, Zhang Renfeng, who had survived and triumphed in such an intense battle, was undoubtedly the chosen one. As for his skin color, that was no longer an issue; great scholars would defend him, and what did it matter if he had yellow skin? Did he even have yellow skin?!

……

Behind him followed a group of members of the Red Center Gang, almost all of whom had sustained minor injuries.

But as soon as they heard that Zhang Renfeng had woken up, they were all eager to get out of bed. Even Mike, whose right hand was still bandaged, followed closely behind Zhang Renfeng, making sure not to miss this crucial conversation.

The captain's old men were all present, making their attire even more diverse. Ren, in particular, had endured a serious knife wound to the waist but had stubbornly survived it, and was also present, supported by Zhuoge.

Kasim and Little Wolf, one on the left and one on the right, followed behind Zhang Renfeng, acting as his safety protectors at this moment.

Of course, if the situation really changes and it gets to the point of life and death... don't be fooled by Zhang Renfeng's current limp; in the end, it's really hard to say who will protect whom.

……

"when!"

"when!"

"when!"

……

All eyes were on him.

Zhang Renfeng walked unhurriedly, leaning on a wooden cane. The echoes from the cane striking the ground sounded cold and stern, yet also authoritative.

At one end of the wooden staff is engraved a lifelike cicada.

He didn't speak.

But this overwhelming power, seen for the first time, is hard to resist.

A bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead. Pixar had imagined many scenarios for the meeting, but he suddenly realized that the situation seemed completely different from what he had imagined.

He instinctively wanted to stand up.

"Please sit down," Zhang Renfeng said gently, tapping the ground lightly with his cane.

Chapter 872: The Uranus Family, the Eastern White Bird in the Mist!

"Mr. Zhang, let me introduce myself."

Lydia walked quickly to the two of them and said softly, "This is the man I mentioned to you, Mr. Pix Uranos, the Minister of Finance of the American government and concurrently the Director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. He is also my and Sam's boss."

"As for the main functions of the Treasury Department, they include managing the federal financial situation, collecting taxes, producing currency and stamps, managing government accounts, supervising national banks and savings institutions, and making recommendations on financial and economic policies... In short, all activities related to finance, economy, and accounting fall under the jurisdiction of the Treasury Department."

“Mr. Pixar is the sole source of these intricate financial policies.”

Simply put, it's something like the "Ministry of Revenue"—Zhang Renfeng thought to himself.

Before becoming a wanted criminal nationwide, Zhang Renfeng had spent a short time in officialdom and had some understanding of the various departments and powers of the imperial court. Every country has a department specifically in charge of money, and his hometown was no exception.

However, compared to America's Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Revenue had a broader scope of jurisdiction. In addition to finance, it was also responsible for household registration, land, warehousing, canal transport, and supervision of local finances. It was essentially a combination of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Land and Resources, and the Central Bank.

The Minister of Revenue, who oversaw the Ministry of Revenue, was known as the "Official of Land." He held virtually the economic lifeline of the nation, reported directly to the emperor, and was an extremely prominent court official. He was even a level higher than the Governor-General of Liangjiang, whom Zhang Renfeng had eliminated.

However, as the central government's power weakened, some of the powers originally held by the Ministry of Revenue were taken over by the Imperial Household Department and local governments. The Ministry of Revenue was left only with the ability to manage the national economy, and gradually, it truly became a money bag.

Zhang Renfeng, who had long since crossed the ocean, naturally had no way of knowing about these things.

……

“Mr. Pixar, who is this…”

“No need for introductions, we’ve heard of his legendary status.” Pixar offered his right hand with a smile and asked, “Would you like me to address you as Mr. Bruce?”

“No.” Zhang Renfeng shook his head. “There’s no need for that.”

Bruce Zhang was the alias he used while operating in White Torch. Jimmy used his magic, exploiting loopholes in social records and registration systems to create a detailed set of records for this name. Later, with the Red Center effectively controlling most of New Austin, Jimmy had even more options at his disposal.

It could be said that Bruce Zhang is a bounty hunter who exists in the various archives of New Orleans, so perfect that he is almost without flaws.

He had his own birth certificate and an impressive resume, the most dazzling of which was "hunting down and killing an Australian shrike." He used this identity in many cities afterward. The power of repetition cannot be ignored; the more records left with the authorities, the more authentic the identity became.

Jimmy's skills were undoubtedly superb, but ultimately, he was merely exploiting loopholes in the social system. However, when the government, positioned higher up in this system, truly wants to investigate someone, there's no reason why they wouldn't be able to find out.

At this stage, whether it's real or fake, it doesn't matter anymore.

Zhang Renfeng shook hands with him.

“Before you woke up, I also asked Mr. Krenzikov about some recent events in the city. I must say, from the process to the result, it completely overturned my understanding... I was even more shocked when I met you in person.”

"Is that so?" Zhang Renfeng frowned, then temporarily shifted his gaze from him to Zeta sitting next to him.

He's still here.

The last time I saw Zeta was probably at the arena—when I went on stage and wreaked havoc, killing several gladiators. He was sitting in the front row with the mayor, the treasurer, and others. When the audience scattered and fled, Zeta blended into the crowd and disappeared from sight.

After that, Oakwood City went through several rounds of war: first, Mei and her group distributed guns to arm the refugees who had fled from Park City and occupied the city; then Lu Aniu led troops from other cities to launch a counterattack and took back the city; finally, Calaway and his group led troops to join forces with Evelyn to carry out an ultimate tug-of-war!

Oak City, the enormous and exquisite stage built to fulfill Emperor Samuel's wishes, was smashed to pieces.

Zeta, a descendant of a wealthy family with assets of at least millions, has surprisingly stayed put. At least during the brief period when the Illuminati took over the city, he could have contacted Lu Aniu at any time to arrange an escape, but he didn't.

Whatever his purpose, it takes some courage to sit calmly in a war-torn place.

That kid's got guts.

But... is it a blessing or a curse...?

There's no way to say it now.

----

"You two know each other?" Zhang Renfeng temporarily suppressed the various thoughts swirling in his mind.

“Pixar is a member of the ‘Uranus’ family.” Zeta cupped his fingers around the rim of his teacup, gently swirling the tea to create a delicate vortex. “You didn’t know, Zhang? The Uranus family…”

"He is the founder of [Donghao Bird Bank]."

……

Zhang Renfeng frowned and remained silent for a long time.

They are truly outstanding investors. Long before, almost after the Battle of Lagras, they saw the situation clearly and made a long-term investment.

The establishment and growth of the Sanyuan Group can indeed be attributed to the positive influence of the banks' connections and resources. While they didn't provide direct funding, resource integration is often far more important than simply providing money.

He was unsure how to approach his "partner."

……

Seeing Zhang Renfeng frown, Xiaomei stepped forward and spoke on his behalf.

"...If I remember correctly, Mr. Zeta, the Krenzikov family also has intricate connections with the East Glory Bird Bank."

“It’s not that complicated.” Zeta chuckled, waved his hand, and said casually, “Simply put, our family owes them a lot of money, that’s all.”

“It was the [Krenzikov Industrial Group] that exchanged funds with [Eastern Bird Bank] in various forms,” Pixar said in a more formal way, “and it has nothing to do with our family.”

"As far as I know, Mr. Zeta is a member of the Krenchikov family, which is the major financial backer of the Holy Grail Party."

"And Mr. Pix, as the Minister of Finance, is a member of the Holy Grail Party, just like the incumbent president. In fact, this special customs investigation team, led by Miss Lydia, was directly dispatched by you to investigate Samuel."

"This can't be a coincidence, can it?"

……

Pixar's gaze finally shifted from Zhang Renfeng to the girl with scars on her face.

Fifteen.

He confronted the Minister of Finance face-to-face.

Xiaomei appeared calm, though it was clear to both sides that this composure was somewhat feigned.

But for someone so young to be able to act so flawlessly is truly astonishing.

“Miss Mesalia… Ha… Finally, we have a chance to meet.” Pixar skillfully and subtly changed the subject, saying with a smile, “My daughter said that you look nothing like a girl your age, and that you are a very interesting person.”

"You seem even better than I imagined today."

Chapter 873: Radiant yet unassuming, still waters run deep

daughter.

Peers.

I observed myself at a relatively close distance.

Banking background.