Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"laugh!!"

"Ugh... Ugh... Cough cough cough..."

A strange weapon, resembling deer antlers, pierced the air and fell from the sky, embedding itself in the side of his neck before emerging from the other side. In an instant, the sniper's pupils dilated, he clutched his chest, coughed twice, and the pulley-locked rifle in his hand, as he released his grip, fell from the height like a burning stick.

Tick.

Tick.

Blood beads flowed from the wound, fell down, and dripped onto Zhang Honglu's giant axe.

"This is……"

Zhang Honglu recognized the unusual weapon and was greatly alarmed, exclaiming, "The Meridian Mandarin Duck Axes?!"

----

……

"boom-----!!!"

Zhang Fulin adjusted his posture, stretched out his arms, retracted his wingsuit, and plummeted straight down. With his overwhelming weight advantage, he landed directly on the remaining observer. In an instant, using the momentum of his descent, Zhang Fulin crushed the observer's cervical spine.

The crushed body was scattered very evenly.

"..."

Zhang Fulin watched all this with a calm expression, showing no emotion.

Chapter 958: Extremes Meet Their Reversals

"Holy..."

Upon climbing onto the roof and witnessing this scene, Zhang Honglu's eyes widened in astonishment, a rare occurrence for him.

Even with such a handsome face, making such an expression seemed somewhat comical. Normally, Zhang Honglu would be much more mindful of his image. In front of a young woman, he would always be a polite and carefree gentleman, but physiological reactions are like that—genuine shock is hard to suppress.

Zhang Fulin looked at him and gave a calm smile.

"Where...where did you come from?"

Zhang Fulin stretched out a finger and pointed to the sky.

"what??!"

"This is the Flying Kite Robe, which was passed down to me by my master. According to him, it was also passed down to him by his master when he taught him the Wild Goose Technique."

Zhang Fulin shook out the jet-black clothes, and Zhang Honglu then noticed that he wasn't wearing the suit that had been specially bought for him, but had instead changed into clothes he had brought from his hometown. It looked somewhat like a trench coat, and also somewhat like a robe or cape; it was pure black, the material seemed rather light and airy, and it was even a size too big for his body.

However, upon closer inspection, he discovered that there was more to the garment than met the eye.

Beneath this loose fabric, there seems to be an extremely delicate skeleton hidden.

"Flying Kite... uniform?"

"Legend has it that the earliest flying kite robe was designed by a disciple of the Mohist school. The exact year is unknown... In short, this robe contains a large number of mechanisms. When necessary, it can be opened like an umbrella. Only by having extremely high lightness skills and jumping down from a high place can one ride the flying kite robe and glide with the phoenix."

"This is the weapon that is compatible with the Great Wild Goose Skill after it has been cultivated to its peak. Only the official successor of this martial art can possibly know its secrets."

"Cool...that's so cool!" Zhang Honglu exclaimed in surprise. "I've never heard my father mention such a magical thing before!"

“The world of martial arts is incredibly diverse and complex. Even your father might not know everything, which is perfectly normal.” Zhang Fulin crouched down and forcefully pulled the weapon that was embedded in the sniper’s neck. With a soft thud, the body was still warm, and blood splattered all over him.

Zhang Fulin's face showed a hint of displeasure. He shook off the bloodstains on the corner of his flying kite and asked, "Compared to this, Red Furnace... since something has happened these past two days, why did you all keep me in the dark and refuse to tell me?"

“You are, after all, a guest.” Zhang Honglu shrugged. “Perhaps Father didn’t want you to come all this way and get involved in these matters.”

“Before being called ‘guest,’ I am first and foremost his son, your brother. There could be no relationship closer than that.”

Zhang Fulin wiped the bloodstains from the Meridian Mandarin Duck Axe. His tone wasn't harsh, but after he descended from the sky and crushed a person to pieces, it became extremely oppressive.

"At least let me know what difficulties you've encountered these past few days, okay?"

“…” Zhang Honglu remained silent for a moment before finally speaking, “Actually…”

Before they could finish speaking, a gunshot rang out from not far away, drawing their attention.

----

It doesn't matter who fired first.

At this moment, all Zhang Wusheng could feel was waves of dizziness. To prevent his other self from interfering, he desperately took deep breaths, trying to steady his heartbeat. But everything in his vision continued to darken little by little.

It's a mess.

Even more critically, the enemy also realized he had messed up; the sounds of gunfire nearby proved it all.

……

"Crench--!"

With a gloomy expression, he could only grip his cane tightly—the only thing he could control amidst the chaos.

That's what "planning" is all about. Even though you spend a thousand times more effort planning beforehand than actually doing the work, once you start, a single small, unexpected move can render all that time wasted.

Ever since Honglu slipped up and failed to eliminate the last sniper "quietly" as planned, the game of trapping him like a turtle in a jar was no longer viable. He could hear the gunshot, and the enemies lurking in the three concealed locations must have heard it too.

If this shot had successfully killed Igor in broad daylight, the Pearl Shell Restaurant should be in chaos right now. Screams would have erupted, and crowds would have swarmed out like ants… but nothing happened; everything was quiet.

Therefore, it can be deduced that the shot was not fired at the target.

Things are bound to change.

"..."

Zhang Wusheng gritted his teeth, and in that instant, it was as if the whole world had melted away, leaving only him, his cane, and the echoing gunshots in the distance.

Like a puppet held on a thin string, he took a step forward.

“Mr. Zhang, what are you doing?” The soldier next to him noticed his unusual movement and immediately stepped forward to block him with his body. “Our orders are to ensure that you are not in danger, so you must stay here.”

"..." Zhang Wusheng's face darkened. "Whose orders?"

The two soldiers looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

"As you should know, the area within a hundred meters of the Pearl Shell Restaurant has been designated as a special operations zone. I, Zhang Wusheng, am the commander-in-chief of this operation. The battlefield situation changes rapidly. Placing me in such a place, without firsthand intelligence, how can personnel be allocated?"

“The enemy has already detected our movements. If even one person breaks through the encirclement and runs into the street, causing some trouble, and afterwards, when the higher-ups investigate, they find that I, the supreme commander who should be taking responsibility, am hiding in a corner that is not even visible from the front lines, cowering like a tortoise… Who can bear this responsibility!”

“I am his son. Even if I am destined to die tonight, I will find a suitable place for this useless body to lie down.”

"It absolutely cannot be here, never!"

This was one of the very few times he had directly argued with someone since birth.

In the past, due to his health condition, most people he encountered always gave way to him. This humility did not move him; on the contrary, every time someone gave way, it repeatedly emphasized the fact that he was the "weak one." Only when faced with a weak person who has no competitive ability will people willingly and comfortably give up their own resources or time.

It's a feeling similar to, "He's already like this, why are you still arguing with him?"

But this time, he was like a spring pushed to its limit. All sorts of pent-up emotions—jealousy, resentment—exploded at once after being forced to their limit. Legally speaking, there was no way to refute what he said. A higher-ranking official can crush a lower one; moreover, given Zhang Wusheng's family, if they were to investigate later, who could escape punishment?

……

"I'm glad we reached an agreement."

For the first time, Zhang Wusheng tasted the power of intimidation in front of others. His heart pounded, but instead of the usual dark feeling, he felt excited. Even his heavy right leg seemed to become more agile.

"Everyone here is no longer needed. Split into two groups... Head towards the nearest Emerald Theatre first. Once there, further divide into multiple teams to provide fire support for our frontline personnel. Remember, don't let those bastards escape into the streets!"

Chapter 959: The Best Years

"Boom~~~"

"boom----!!"

The powerful roar of the engine made Allison whistle like a boy. But she quickly realized that it seemed a bit unladylike, so she stopped halfway through and looked around somewhat sheepishly. Fortunately, the restaurant entrance was bustling with people, and no one paid any attention to her.

Those who could attend this dinner were basically social elites from various states, and their cars were naturally no less impressive.

Among a group of luxury cars, this car's appearance is relatively understated, but those in the know can immediately see that its true understatedness lies only in its exterior. The elegant, slender body, the convertible structure, and the silky, smooth, dark blue body, under the light, present a dark, mysterious, and cool luster.

"Really? 'Daniel Rayleigh 005'?"

"Not bad, right?" Holly placed her hands on the steering wheel, closed her eyes in rapture, and smiled. "I love this car, not just for its appearance, but also for the feeling of actually driving it... It's very refined. After driving this, other cars are practically no different from junk."

"Is it really that good?" Allison opened the car door, carefully sat down, and gently stroked the leather seat with her hand, muttering, "If I remember correctly, this Raikage series is a limited edition, and it hasn't even been officially released yet, right? How come you're driving one?"

“What’s the big deal? As long as…” Holly gently pressed the accelerator, skillfully turning the steering wheel, the roar of the engine drowning out some of her words, “…you can definitely get your father’s car, a better one than the one I have.”

“Then it’s probably hopeless.” Allison leaned against the car door and sighed. “My father is very strict about this. My allowance is only $10 a month. The rest of the money comes from helping out in Ms. Dietersdorf’s theater company. The wages they pay me aren’t much.”

“That’s fine too. You’re not old enough to learn to drive yet, so why don’t you learn to ride a horse first? To be honest, once you leave White Torch Town and go to places with uneven roads, a horse is still the best option.” Holly said as she turned the steering wheel, “Don’t you have a pearl-colored pony? I remember it was… Wu Sheng bought it for you last year for your birthday.”

“What pearl color… ah, that one.” Allison even had to recall for a moment before finding the horse that matched the description from the depths of her memory, then shook her head dismissively, “It was sold a long time ago.”

"Sold it?" Holly was a little surprised, but she was driving and couldn't turn her head too much. She just gave her a look through the rearview mirror. "I heard that he went to great lengths and pulled strings to get this horse."

"Oh dear, his legs must take a lot of effort to do anything."

Allison waved her hand, somewhat disgruntled, and said, "I don't like riding those ponies. They're so ridiculous, like a circus clown. It's always been kept in the ranch's stables, and the owner there, seeing that no one had ridden it for months, asked if I was interested in selling it..."

"I remember it sold for over $130, which made me a small fortune. It was one of the more useful gifts that guy gave me."

"That rascal?"

"It's Wu Sheng, Zhang Wu Sheng."

Allison sighed, her brows furrowing slightly as she shook her head in distress. "He's my father's student, isn't he? He often comes to my house, and every time he comes, he brings me strange things... I don't know why, but he always brings me lemon cake."

Do you hate lemon cake?

"I hate it... well, I don't really hate it, but I don't like it that much either. A lot of the things he sends are like this: it's a bit of a waste to throw them away, but they're not really of any use to me if I keep them."

At this point, Allison sighed, "Forget it, let's not talk about him anymore, it's really boring. Sister Elaine, will you make it to the field competition later? And then there's security, tickets... I heard that for this event, it seems like the order is based on numbers..."

"It's okay, they've already contacted me. Someone will come to pick us up, so we don't have to queue in the cold wind. The seats they've reserved for us are right at the front, with the best view, so there won't be any problems."

Holly's tone was as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Instead of that, Alison, why don't you think about what to eat when you get there? You were so busy chatting with them at the dinner party that you didn't eat much."

"I invited a top pastry chef from Maine to make us blueberry pie~~~ Besides that, there's hot cocoa, Palmer Blue Ocean ice cream, brownies..."

……

The continuous bursts of fireworks drowned out many other sounds.

Gunshots.

Roar.

His dying curses.

The sound of running echoed through the streets and alleys.

This was also part of Zhang Wusheng's plan: since the enemy was lying in ambush in relatively remote and hidden corners, waiting for their opportunity, they could take advantage of this. With several times their numbers, they could form an encirclement, trapping them like turtles in a jar, wiping them out in one fell swoop, preventing any from escaping. Therefore, the three assassin ambush sites were effectively surrounded, inside and out, like an iron barrel.

As soon as the gunshot rang out, the tangible noose tightened immediately, threatening to strangle them alive in this trap.

The disparity in intelligence and weaponry meant that most assassins, even when they realized something was wrong, were unable to react. In an instant, they were wiped out by saturation firepower, unable to even mount a proper counterattack.

There were a few occasional skirmishes, and some people tried to break out of the encirclement, but all the conceivable exits had been blocked by Zhang Wusheng's troops, and all attempts ended in failure.

but……

There are exceptions, though.

----

"boom-----!!!"

Francis continued running, raising his arms to cover his face, and smashing his head against the walls along the way, shattering them to pieces!

Fragments of bricks and lime rained down on him, but he was oblivious, focusing only on running.

As the overwhelming barrage of fire came from all directions, he quickly realized that his team was finished. So, while his teammates were still trying to use cover to launch a counterattack, he picked up the old wagon cover and slammed it against the wall!

Unsurprisingly, he smashed a large hole in the brick wall.

Taking the usual route would inevitably result in being riddled with bullets... In situations like these, the more unconventional the path, the more likely it is to offer a glimmer of hope. Unfortunately, the remaining teammates didn't understand this. After the abandoned wagon was thrown out, they had no cover and were immediately engulfed in a hail of bullets.

Francis and the swineherd, one after the other, crawled into the large hole that had been carved out.

They ran and smashed things along the way.

Pebbles rained down.