Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

The scene of clinking glasses and exchanging toasts can be seen in almost every corner of a banquet.

He saw Evelyn, surrounded by a crowd, yet still maintaining her noble and elegant demeanor. Her temperament was completely different from the gentle "little aunt" he had met in private.

Previously, Zhang Fulin had only vaguely heard that his concubine was a descendant of a noble family.

The rise of the Sanyuan Group injected unprecedented power into this almost forgotten surname. She was adept at navigating high-society social circles of the so-called aristocracy and elites. In such settings, she represented not only herself, but the entire group and the entire family.

The gentlemen and ladies surrounding her, all dressed quite appropriately, were the beneficiaries of this vast corporation.

……

"Look! It's him!"

"I think I've heard that Mr. [Get Rich] has a son on the other side of the ocean! He looks just like him..."

"Why did you bring him here specifically this time? Could it be... that you're going to train him?"

“I have studied it carefully. In the country where I made my fortune, there seems to be a saying that the family business should be left to the eldest son to inherit. In terms of the order of succession, this child should be ahead of Zhang Wusheng. He is the true eldest son.”

“You’re mistaken. I’ve also studied it. Their country’s inheritance law is based on ‘primogeniture.’ Not only must it be the eldest son, but it must also be the legitimate wife, in other words, the legal wife. To choose an heir, one must choose from the children of Ms. Ditasdorf and Ms. Nymeria.”

"So you're all too rigid in your thinking. Given the state of their second son, he has no chance of becoming the heir. Therefore, the only way to make money is to choose between Ms. Dietersdorf's two sons. He must have brought his eldest son, who lives across the ocean, over here to keep Ms. Dietersdorf in check."

……

In any era, gossip about the families of those in power is always a topic of great interest to the common people, and this banquet is no exception.

Rumors are like the wind; they can't be stopped, and the more you try to refute them, the more enthusiastic people become.

Zhang Renfeng was born during the Xianfeng era and grew up during the Tongzhi and Guangxu eras, so he had naturally heard stories about the Yongzheng Emperor from earlier years. In order to counter the rumors about the imperial family circulating among the people, he even personally wrote a book of anti-black material, "Dayi Juemi Lu".

In a sense, he was the first emperor in history to personally write books and confront rumors among the people.

But in the end, the book had the opposite effect; rumors about him intensified and did not stop.

Having learned from the mistakes of his predecessors, Zhang Renfeng made no public explanation for these rumors. Therefore, Zhang Fulin's arrival sparked a heated discussion within that circle.

……

Correspondingly, the various probing gazes, filled with different kinds of desires, made Zhang Fulin feel like he was being pricked by thorns, and he felt extremely uncomfortable.

The pristine white marble floor tiles, the warm lighting, the luxurious architecture, the bright red tablecloth and carpet, and the clinking of wine glasses... all these elements combined to make him feel out of place.

"Never mind." He felt uneasy being stared at and sighed inwardly. "I'll go out for some fresh air."

----

"Excuse me...excuse me...ah!!"

The girl's scream came from the side.

Zhang Fulin naturally wouldn't let that scene, which had been played out countless times, repeat itself on him. Almost instinctively, he turned to the side, dodging the spilled drink. He then reached out his right hand, grabbed the girl's collar, and lifted her up like a cat, placing her steadily on the ground.

Just as she was about to crash headfirst to the ground, the girl closed her eyes in terror, clenched her teeth, and awaited the sharp pain in her forehead. After waiting for a long time, she suddenly realized that she had escaped death. This feeling of shock left her unable to recover for a long time.

Holly? Holly, are you alright?

Another girl who was with her squeezed through the crowd and rushed over. She was somewhat relieved to see that she was not lying on the ground.

But then, her gaze shifted to Zhang Fulin, and she suddenly found herself in a dilemma. She stood there, hesitating for a long time, before finally stammering in Chinese, "Th...thank you..."

"You speak Chinese?" Zhang Fulin was quite surprised.

“A little bit.” She pointed to herself. “Alison Zolael.”

Then, she pointed to the girl he had saved and introduced her as "Holly Elan".

The names didn't need translation; Zhang Fulin already knew that in this country, the given name came first, followed by the surname. Based on the surnames, he could deduce that the two girls were likely Mike's granddaughter and Igor's daughter.

"..."

A strange feeling rose in his heart.

Something seemed off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Memory is like a slippery eel; every time he tries to grasp it, the cunning eel twists its body and sneaks away. He's quite certain that it must be some insignificant little thing, on the verge of being forgotten, a tiny detail, that has created a subtle sense of unease in his current situation.

He glanced at Holly's dress: a long black and white gown with embroidered lace, sheer long sleeves, and multiple layers of tulle skirt, adorned with a string of emeralds at the chest. She wore dark stockings and ladylike high heels, the toes of which were studded with sparkling diamond embellishments.

"strangeness."

He stared intently at the glamorous lady's outfit, a question creeping into his mind: "This outfit...it looks so familiar...I feel like I've seen it somewhere before?"

Exactly the same, not a bit different.

Where have we seen this before?

……

Holly felt a little uneasy under his gaze, so she quickly stood up, mumbled a thank you, and hid behind Allison.

"Uh..." Allison's Chinese level was not much different from Zhang Fulin's English level. After hesitating for a long time, she finally managed to say, "Red Furnace, where? Do you know?"

Zhang Fulin clearly understood what she meant and shook his head with a smile.

“We…we’re going to…go watch…the car race…” Allison tried for a while but couldn’t get the word “car race” out. Her pretty face turned red with embarrassment, so she made a somewhat childish racing hand gesture on her palm. “Want to come along?”

"Thank you, but I won't go." Zhang Fulin looked up, his gaze falling on the dome, and sighed under the dazzling lights, "Compared to running on the ground..."

"I'd rather go to a higher place and get some fresh air."

Chapter 957: Divine Soldiers Descend from the Sky

"As expected, something happened..."

Stepping out of the Pearl Shell Restaurant and onto the street, Zhang Fulin instinctively sensed something was amiss. Among the passing crowds were many people with serious expressions, completely out of place with the festive atmosphere. Most of them were tall and dressed like ordinary people, yet they didn't seem to be heading anywhere. They simply moved around the Pearl Shell Restaurant as if on patrol.

Moreover, a somber atmosphere subtly permeated the air.

Considering the unusual behavior of my father and three younger brothers these past few days, it seems they are preparing for some major event, making it difficult to see them. Even when I do see them, their expressions are very somber, completely lacking the joy of a holiday.

“Sigh…” Zhang Fulin sighed and murmured, “I knew it. Being an emperor is not an easy job, especially being an emperor in a foreign land.”

The criticisms and dissent that came just now are nothing more than child's play.

The truth is, no matter how powerful Zhang Renfeng is, he is still just a human being, and human strength has its limits.

According to Wu Sheng, America and the sixteen southern states are currently within the sphere of influence of the Sanyuan Group. Even on a map, it is an incredibly vast territory. The sheer volume of economic activity, population, political and cultural changes, and power balances involved is immense. No matter how hard Zhang Renfeng tries, there will always be areas beyond his sight and reach.

Even the head of a household may not have absolute control over the family and will still encounter various troubles.

Having owned most of the country, the troubles he encounters only increase proportionally; situations like the last two days are the norm.

Thinking of this, and looking at the city before him, which seemed poised for a storm, Zhang Fulin couldn't help but sigh.

but……

"Consider it a way of showing filial piety..."

His gaze searched back and forth, but he couldn't find a building he liked. When he turned around, he found the Pearl Shell Restaurant, which had always stood there.

Standing like a luxurious palace, five stories high, with flashing neon lights, it exudes an extraordinary aura.

Zhang Fulin's eyes lit up. In his hometown, apart from the imperial palace, there were very few buildings that reached this height, which almost perfectly met his needs.

He stepped back a few paces, roughly gestured with his fingers to indicate the height of the large restaurant, nodded, and smiled with satisfaction, agreeing wholeheartedly, "This is it!"

----

"call……"

Zhang Wusheng's right hand trembled slightly, almost poking the edge of the binoculars into his eye socket. But regardless, seeing that Lang and Zhang Lüjiu had succeeded one after the other, he breathed a sigh of relief.

As the overall person in charge of this strategy, Zhang Wusheng's plan was extremely difficult from the outset—the three groups of snipers and observers, scattered at high altitudes, had to be taken down in an instant without making a sound. Infiltration, close combat, and assassination—only a peerless master who has cultivated martial arts to the pinnacle could accomplish all three in a single moment.

"Don't be so nervous, Wusheng. Haven't we already considered everything that needs to be considered?" Calaway, with a cigarette butt in his mouth, leaned against the wall and patted his shoulder. "It's alright."

“Um…um, Mr. Calaway.” Zhang Wusheng forced a smile. “Thank you. At least…so far, things are going smoothly.”

"No matter what, this city is still our territory." Calaway was full of confidence, took out a high-end cigarette, lit it casually, and said, "It's just a few small mudskippers who have sneaked in and are just making a fuss. They can't cause any trouble."

Little loach... huh?

Zhang Wusheng disagreed with this.

If it were just one or two assassins who had infiltrated, perhaps that would be a valid explanation.

But right now, three assault teams, scattered in different locations, have entered Baiju City. This reminded him of the ancient and modern tales Zhang Renfeng had told them, about the extremely rare family that had successfully usurped the throne through conspiracy in the first unified dynasty. In the historical records documenting their actions, there was a sentence that read:

"The Emperor secretly raised three thousand warriors, who were scattered throughout the world."

A chilling aura seemed to seep through history, through the back of the paper, and into the very marrow of the person recounting the story.

Now, the fact that so many assassins could infiltrate even the core city where their family's power was at its peak filled Zhang Wusheng with a tremendous sense of insecurity. Perhaps due to his extremely suspicious nature, this insecurity was amplified to the extreme.

"I hope tonight's events can come to a successful conclusion..."

He silently thought to himself, then turned his binoculars toward the last sniper position.

"Eh?"

The moment his gaze shifted, Zhang Wusheng's pupils suddenly dilated.

The sniper, who should have been lying prone with his gun at rest, instead rolled around on the rooftop with his closed-arm rifle, aiming the muzzle directly at the outer edge of the wall.

Discovered? !

……

Climbing a wall with a heavy iron rod on your back is completely different from climbing a wall with a large axe on your back. In particular, the impact volume of an axe is much larger than that of a long rod, and when it touches the wall during the climb, it will make a slight metallic knocking sound.

Even such a faint sound couldn't escape the sniper's ears. Without any hesitation, he immediately turned his gun towards the direction from which the suspicious sound came.

It was this unadulterated, pure vigilance that gave him a few seconds of advantage.

The moment Zhang Honglu showed his face, he was met with the dark muzzle of a gun.

"?!"

"boom--!!"

Holding the giant axe, which was about to be thrown as a projectile, with one hand, he had to quickly turn it back to protect his face. The wide axe head served as a shield, blocking the shot.

"when!!!"

Sparks flew everywhere.

"Woo..."

This unexpected shot threw Zhang Honglu into complete disarray. The impact of the high-speed bullet, penetrating the axe itself, struck his arms directly. Coupled with his current position while climbing the wall, with no foothold, his hands slipped, and he plummeted straight down!

"What the hell!"

Zhang Honglu gritted his teeth, swung his axe, and cleaved it into the wall.

"laugh----!!"

The axe cleaved into the wall, finally managing to hang his body temporarily on it. But the sniper had already used those few seconds to skillfully unload his bullets, reload, and rush over, pointing the black muzzle of his gun downwards, ready to fire!

"what……"

At the same moment, Zhang Honglu's left hand had just touched the handle of the revolver at his waist. Only at this moment did he truly understand what it meant to be slow on one step at a time. In a life-or-death situation, the only chance of victory was to gamble on the speed at which he could draw his gun faster than Zhang Honglu could pull the trigger.

"Damn guy..."

Regardless of the circumstances, being reduced to gambling is a defeat for oneself!

sideways.

Draw your gun!

----

A sharp whistling sound came from the horizon.

……

"Eh?"

A cold wind swept by.

The sniper's pupils dilated slightly, just as he sensed something was wrong and glanced to the side...

A cold crescent moon pierced the sniper's neck!

……