Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"Are you scanning me?" Angel Eyes asked with a smile as he dismounted.

"You know it in your heart."

"So, what was the result?" Angel Eyes spread his arms and asked frankly, "Was there anything unusual?"

“…This body is indeed from this era, but you…you!” Zhang Tituo’s gaze became increasingly wary as he looked at him. “You used a strain of bacteria to ‘parasitize’ him and steal his consciousness.”

“I didn’t,” Angel Eye denied. “Jon Arryn is still alive. I just temporarily ‘borrowed’ his body and all the skills that belonged to this body.”

“I did not harm his body. On the contrary, I used mycelium to create self-healing factors, giving this body stronger cardiopulmonary function and muscle recruitment ability. At the same time, I opened up a certain degree of future vision for him, allowing him to make decisions ahead of others... Everything he did afterward was of his own free will.”

Zhang Tito said in a deep voice, "You want to control this assassin's body and change the future!"

"As far as I know, you're doing something similar; you've changed the future of Tao A. Rees."

Angel Eyes tilted his head slightly and chuckled, "Why are you right, and I'm wrong?"

Zhang Tito was speechless for a moment.

She wanted to say that she did it for all mankind and for a greater goal, but after thinking about it carefully, she felt she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"However, you don't need to worry. The rental period for this body only lasts until tonight. I've finished everything I needed to do, so I'll be returning to where I belong soon."

"What about you?"

……

"I don't know." After a long silence, Zhang Tito's tone, for the first time, showed a hint of confusion. "Sometimes... I feel..."

"There's nothing wrong with staying here."

“Yes, there’s nothing wrong with that.” Angel Eyes turned his head and looked at the brightly lit White Torch Town not far away, and murmured, “This world is young.”

“You are different from me. You have already come here. I mean, your physical body, your feet, are truly and firmly planted on this land. You can directly feel all of this: clear streams, vast forests, a dazzling starry sky, an endless grassland…”

"Look at the town behind you. It's much better than this concrete jungle, isn't it?"

The girl's expression faltered slightly; for a fleeting moment, she was indeed captivated by the scene depicted by Angel Eyes.

Compared to her hometown, this place, though backward, is paradise.

But soon, she shook her head and said somewhat dejectedly, "I can't... If I stay here, the future will be... and I have other tasks."

"One mission after another, what awaits you in the end?" A trace of lingering affection flashed in Angel Eyes' eyes, but he finally turned away, no longer looking at the town that shimmered with lights in the night.

"Hiss..."

It sounded as if something was being dissolved by strong acid.

Pure white mycelium slowly emerged from his body, as if it were alive, and merged into the soil, disappearing from sight.

This process lasted for several minutes. As a large amount of mycelium was drawn from his body, his body felt light, like someone who had just come ashore from the water. He couldn't adapt to the change in gravity and had to kneel down.

These exfoliated mycelia are completely pure white, without a trace of blood.

This might prove that even in a symbiotic state, the mycelium did not harm the body, feeding on the flesh and blood of its host. Regardless of which deity was "on" Angel Eyes, he truly kept his promise.

“Zhang Tito…I, we…”

Angel Eyes turned its head with some difficulty, and its strangely colored pupils began to fade.

That halo, like the sun, is gradually dimming.

"Goodbye at the end of the century."

----

The last mycelium was drawn from his body, followed by a violent surge of steam. With a cracking sound from his muscles and bones, the man, who had been kneeling, stretched his shoulders and neck, and, as if reborn, slowly stood up.

"call……"

His first action was to clench his fist. As his fist tightened, power surged forth, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jon Arryn, is that right?"

“Hello, Zhang Tito.” Jon turned around and greeted her again, his tone and manner exactly the same as before.

If it weren't for the fact that his pupils had changed to an ordinary deep blue, Zhang Tito would have wondered if everything that had just happened was a dream.

"So, what just happened..."

“I remember it all.” Jon remounted his horse, tightened the reins, and said, “He didn’t control me. To be more precise, it was as if our consciousnesses merged to some extent through the mycelium.”

"The mycelium detached from my body, and this fusion naturally broke off."

"He just mentioned the end of the century, what exactly did he mean?" Zhang Tito asked suspiciously. "Did he mention to you which era he belonged to?"

……

"He just explained it very clearly."

"At the end of the century, in 2000, he will be waiting for you there."

“My mission is over. From this moment on, I am simply Jon Arryn, nothing more.” He waved from his horse. “Goodbye, Zhang Tito.”

He rode off at full speed, quickly disappearing into the night and vanishing from sight.

Chapter 888: A Long-Term Plan

“You’re too modest. This is no small matter. Before the Oak City Incident, the Grail Party was always suppressed by the Gilded Party. It’s thanks to your intervention that we have this turning point.”

"In my opinion, the current public trial is still too lenient. We should immediately launch a broader and deeper crackdown on the remaining henchmen of Samuel's faction! To prevent them from lying in wait for an opportunity to retaliate!"

"Once the extravagance of Oak City was exposed, it truly shocked the entire nation. You are the great man who tore open and ended this chaos."

"Given the current influence of the Sanyuan Group, which is almost ubiquitous throughout the South, it's not impossible for you to enter politics in the future."

"I've heard that your company's chief scientist is researching something new called 'wave.' If the price is right, we'd be very willing to be among the first investors in this new invention..."

……

This was the first time Zhang Renfeng had seriously stepped out from behind the scenes and into the public eye.

In Oak City, he personally handled the negotiations with Pixar and Zeta. Given the current situation, there's no point in staying behind the scenes anymore.

Rumors had already spread in political circles that the one who truly captured Oakwood, killed Blackhand Land, and dismantled the Illuminati's military support was a man of Asian descent—the very same Red Center who had wreaked havoc in America a few months earlier.

Moreover, the current Red China is no longer what it used to be.

He was no longer a member of a gang, but rather held the reins of a promising business conglomerate.

They have their own industries in multiple fields such as building materials, electrical manufacturing, and oil development.

What's most terrifying is that he has troops under his command, and these are armies built upon the foundation of the Southern Army's elite forces, equipped with modern weaponry. This army led both the previous Battle of Hightree and the current siege of Oakwood, its combat prowess being virtually invincible, even defeating real armies.

The fact that Samuel Graves' trial is being held in White Torch is a very strong signal in itself!

Centered on New Orleans, New Elizabeth and Granite are now completely under his control. The products he oversees are flowing steadily into the southern states and counties, merging the entire South together, and he is vaguely showing signs of becoming an uncrowned king.

Zhang Renfeng has truly experienced what it means to speak human language to humans and ghost language to ghosts.

He certainly didn't like being called "yellow bastard" by people, but looking at those greasy smiling faces, he still felt uncomfortable all over.

When these people saw him, they swarmed around him like wolves seeing meat, chattering incessantly in his ear, driving him crazy. Eighty percent of it was flattery, and the remaining twenty percent, or half, was a mixture of good and bad intentions, making it impossible to tell the difference.

"As expected, I'm just not cut out for being an official..."

Surrounded by the crowd, Zhang Renfeng sighed from the bottom of his heart.

Several years later, he still couldn't handle such insincere situations.

The only improvement was perhaps the forced smile on his face.

No matter what others say to him, he just gives this ambiguous smile, neither answering nor nodding, just smiling.

……

Just as he was sweating with frustration, a figure hurriedly walked in, catching his eye.

"Sorry, sorry, I have official business to attend to." Finally having an excuse to leave, Zhang Renfeng quickly slid out of the crowd with a smile. "We'll talk when we get back."

----

"call……"

Once he was away from the crowd, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and said with a wry smile, "No matter how many times, if I can't handle it, I just can't handle it."

Ren's brows were furrowed, and he didn't say a word as he walked out.

"You came all the way back from the north, right? You must be starving." Zhang Renfeng's tone brightened. "Let's head straight to the kitchen. They must have made extra portions. Eat something to tide you over. There's a great show coming up later—a car show, fireworks, and all that. It'll be incredibly lively..."

"open."

With just that one word, Zhang Renfeng immediately realized that something was wrong.

"what happened?"

“We… went as you said and found some things, but we haven’t reported it to anyone yet. Not even your strategist knows.” Ren’s choice of words became increasingly cautious. “Personally, I think you should be the first to know about this.”

"..."

Zhang Renfeng's heart skipped a beat. He nodded and quickened his pace.

After winding and turning, they finally found a relatively quiet corner in the bustling town of Baiju. Before them lay a heavy black wooden box, sitting quietly on the ground, its opening still sealed. Zhang Renfeng subconsciously frowned; the shape of this box made it hard for him not to think of the scene of the government confiscating property.

In a sense, the work he sent Ren to do... was hardly honorable.

“We went to his house and searched it thoroughly, but we didn’t find anything of value. There were a few small trinkets, though, but they weren’t very valuable, so I just put them away.”

"But, this..."

He gently kicked the box twice with his foot. "It was found under his bed. I personally handled everything from sealing it to shipping. I can guarantee that this sealed box has never left my sight for a moment, not even a second."

"Open it."

Zhang Renfeng took a deep breath and suddenly realized that the night wind could be chillingly cold.

"Stab!"

Ren tore open the seal with his hands and slowly opened the wooden box.

"……what……"

Zhang Renfeng's pupils dilated slightly, and on one of the rare occasions, he lost his composure due to excessive shock, exclaiming, "This...this is..."

There were no gold bars, no silver dollars, no coins, and no US dollars.

Some were just stacked together, books that were already fading in color, their pages almost curled up from being turned so many times, some even coming apart. Despite Ren's utmost care in packing them, some still managed to come apart during the bumpy ride.

On the long-faded cover, a few Chinese characters are written in vigorous strokes.

The Nine Yin Manual.

These four words alone made Zhang Renfeng's breathing quicken. He squatted down uncontrollably and, as if caressing gold and silver jewelry, gently moved the Nine Yin Manual that was pressing on top.

"Divine Illumination Scripture, Wild Goose Skill, Turtle Breathing Skill, Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, Toad Skill..."

He read it out word by word, completely absorbed in it.

Zhang Renfeng's smile was almost uncontrollable; his head was practically buried in the box, swimming in the ocean of martial arts.

Before his death, Lu Aniu did say, "I'll give you what's under my bed." Legally, this can be considered a bequest.

In other words, at this very moment, Zhang Renfeng is the sole and legitimate heir to this box of martial arts manuals!

"Zhang, this matter is of great importance," Ren said in a deep voice. "Do we need to...?"

With a "thump," Zhang Renfeng closed the wooden box, took a deep breath, and slowly stood up.

The greed and desire in his eyes were suppressed by him in a brief moment.

“You’re right, this is very important… phew…”

After letting out a long breath, Zhang Renfeng said in a deep voice, "First, send this to our house, then go and invite Igor, Mike, and Jimmy over."

"We need to consider this matter carefully..."

"Let's think about this carefully!"

Volume 1: Five Dragons Living Together

Chapter 889: Wind Blowing Sand