Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"The blame for this incident lies with me. I was too naive... For so long, we have maintained close economic ties with the capital groups in the north. They fill our electrical and automotive markets, while we fill their chemical and foreign trade markets. Everyone can make money, we develop and achieve win-win results, we make money in harmony, and we can all live a better life."

"Now it seems that this was an unrealistic fantasy! It was Shangri-La... or as you would say, Utopia! I was blinded by the beautiful utopian vision and became careless."

"Donghao Bird Bank in the north provided us with a lot of help in the early stages of our group. We also have many partners in the north in our business. These factors misled my judgment. I thought too highly of them, so I failed to see that their true identity was that of a ferocious beast that was eyeing us covetously, ready to bite off our flesh and drink our blood at any moment!"

"In their dictionary, there is no such thing as a win-win situation. If there is, it means they win two, three, four times... ten thousand times!"

Zhang Renfeng raised his long sword and slashed down fiercely. With a "boom," the sword hovered above the head of a prisoner of war.

The heavy wind pressure nearly made him faint.

"These people participated in the terrorist attack on White Torch City last night. Fortunately, our soldiers fought bravely and thwarted their plan. After interrogation, they have confessed that the vast majority of those involved in the assassination have military backgrounds and are special operations soldiers of the federal government."

"In other words, this assassination attempt against White Torch City was at least approved by the United States Navy and Army Special Forces!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the audience was completely thrown into turmoil, and an uproar immediately erupted!

"According to the interrogation, the current Marine Special Forces are subordinate to the emerging Sishui family behind a multi-layered power network. This family is a new family that emerged under the background of the monopoly of large capital in the North after the alliance between the Krenchikov Industrial Group and the Atlantic Federation Industrial Group."

"There are many similar families in the North. Like the Illuminati, they occupy various positions in the federal government. From senators and the courts to the federal government and the military, they are everywhere.

“These people, who call themselves the new generation of ‘young and middle-aged’, are dissatisfied with everything we have built in the South. This attack is intended to lure us into sending troops so that they can use a legitimate reason to quell the rebellion and destroy us in one fell swoop!”

……

At this point, Zhang Renfeng couldn't help but clench his teeth and his hair stand on end.

But at this moment, he was no longer the chivalrous knight who could vent his anger at will.

He stood on the high platform, the center of attention of thousands.

"call……"

Zhang Renfeng took a deep breath to calm himself down again, and said loudly, "In my hometown, there is a saying: 'Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts.'"

"Yes, to those guys in the North, I, and everything I've created, are the odd ones out."

"In their eyes, they can never accept that a yellow-skinned outsider can stand on this high platform and share his thoughts with you."

"But it's over! All of this ended today, in this minute, in this second, in this moment!"

Zhang Renfeng raised his long sword high above his head and shouted sharply. The force of his internal energy was so strong that it made the walls and windows of the nearby buildings rumble.

“I’m fed up with red tape, I’m fed up with hypocritical probing, I’m fed up with underhanded schemes, I’m fed up with these hypocrites sitting high in palaces and temples, looking down on you! They first take away all the fruits of your creation, then let a little slip through their fingers, calling it a blessing, and then expect you to grovel on the ground, thanking them profusely!”

“They’ve crossed this line, this line that can’t be crossed! They killed my Mike! They killed so many innocent, good people! So… to hell with the rules, all of that, all of that, I don’t care anymore!”

"They want war..."

"We'll satisfy them—!!!!"

----

"Oh----!!!"

The anger that had been suppressed for so long finally erupted into a tremendous roar at this moment!

“I promise you, whether you are Mike or Il Ilan…” Zhang Renfeng turned around, looked at the heavy coffin, gritted his teeth, and said angrily, “I will personally lead the team north and crush everything they have! I will personally find that bastard Sishui who gave the order, and tear him to pieces to avenge you!”

He wasn't afraid of the loud noise from below.

No matter how loud the crowd was, he only needed to slightly circulate his internal energy and unleash the Lion's Roar. With about a third of his internal strength, he could drown out the crowd's voices again.

"My brothers, my sisters! In my hometown, there is a tradition... Before a great battle, we sacrifice blood to the battle flag!"

"These people, these beasts, have completely lost their humanity and all sense of justice! For the crimes they have committed, a noose and a bullet are far too lenient!"

Zhang Renfeng gritted his teeth, raised his broadsword, and took a deep breath.

"Children, turn your heads away, don't look!"

----

In fact, the front row was filled with police officers, sheriffs, and mounted police who had come from all over to pay their respects to Michael, most of whom were his students. Behind them were officials from various levels of municipal government, and then the general public.

Even if there were children, their view was completely blocked, so they couldn't see them at all.

But Zhang Renfeng still gave this reminder.

After giving the warning, he swiftly and decisively killed all the assassins without even blinking.

His black armor was once again stained red with blood.

The moment he looked up, everyone who made even the slightest contact with his gaze shivered.

They realized that the war had officially begun from this moment on.

Chapter 971: Existence is everything, and everything is for existence.

"despair!"

"despair!"

"despair!"

……

A newspaper was clutched in the hand of this seemingly young man, who rhythmically patted his thigh. He strolled leisurely along the main avenue welcoming guests at the manor, relaxed and exuding confidence. He was dressed in impeccably tailored elite attire, with a badge of the soaring Eastern Glory Bird pinned to his chest. The man appeared to be in his early thirties, his brows carrying an air of victorious arrogance, like a newly crowned alpha wolf surveying its territory after a fierce battle.

Upon seeing him, a man dressed as a butler quickly put down what he was doing and hurried over with great sincerity.

“Mr. Albert,” he said, bowing respectfully to the young man, “Welcome to Walken Manor.”

Young Albert didn't respond to his greeting at all, as if the person speaking to him wasn't a living person, but a wooden stake or a stone. He continued walking, adjusting his slicked-back hair and the hem of his crisp suit, and asked, "How is he?"

"As per your request, we have given him complete freedom within this estate. We try our best to satisfy his every need, including his food, drink, the books he wants to read, and the sports he wants to do," the butler said very carefully. "However, he has almost no demands in these areas."

"So what does he do every day?" Albert asked, his brow furrowed.

"Besides eating and sleeping, there's nothing else... Oh, right, at his request, we bought him a special pet, it's a..."

"Where did you pay the bill?" Albert had no patience to listen any longer and interrupted him rudely.

“Uh… this…” The butler paused for a moment before answering truthfully, “The daily expenses of Woken Manor have always been reported to the group level by level in the middle of the month.”

"You'd better understand that the fact that this person is being placed here with you means that he has been officially expelled from the Krenchikov family. Any expenses outside of this estate, including pets, should not be included in the group's expenditures."

Albert turned his head, his expression cold and somewhat frightening. "Was I clear enough?"

"Yes, yes." The butler broke out in a cold sweat and nodded repeatedly. "Understood."

----

"Shh...shh..."

Inside the manor, through the corridor.

In the huge room, expensive furniture was scattered haphazardly.

Zeta was no longer the elite figure she once was. Dressed in a white bathrobe, she leaned back on the sofa, intently stroking the jaw of a lizard with her finger. The lizard hung motionless from a thick branch, seemingly enjoying the wonderful sensation of being touched by human fingers.

"..."

Albert looked around, took a deep breath, and smelled no cigarette smoke, alcohol, or any other odors that symbolized decadence. This made him somewhat uneasy, and his gaze towards Zeta became increasingly wary.

He had seen many people who failed in their struggles and were eventually banished from the center of power. No matter how influential they were before, once they were away from that position, their mental state would rapidly decline. The difference was so great that they felt the person who was once full of vigor and commanding the world was not the same person who was now extremely fearful and uneasy.

Even restoring him to a normal life is unlikely.

Accustomed to power, accustomed to being subservient and obeyed, to having someone ponder a single word—the feeling is simply too good. Therefore, the vast majority of people will stop at nothing to ensure they are not brought down. Even if that day does come, they will fight to the death, clinging on relentlessly until the very last moment.

However, once defeated and exiled to a remote island far from the center of power, that's a different story altogether.

There are far too many losers who, after being exiled, quietly "disappear" without a trace.

Being too far from the center, receiving too little information, any information, amplified through layers of power structures, becomes a raging storm by the time it reaches this place of exile. Even a simple meal invited to you becomes a source of anxiety, a possibility that it might be your death sentence.

If this continues, they'll scare you to death, let alone do anything to you.

He climbed his way up through a remote branch of the Krenchikov family, stepping over countless people and seeing countless faces like his own. So much so that he rarely smiled after eliminating a potential rival, and he didn't even have the energy to celebrate.

He knew very well that he was walking a solitary path from which there was no return.

If you just step off course even slightly, you'll end up with that desperate expression on your face.

but……

He had never seen such a state in a loser before. Falling from such a high place, yet not shattering to pieces, as if this really was just an ordinary manor, and he really was just here for a vacation, to enjoy life.

……

“It’s been a long time, Uncle.” Albert, unsure of the unpredictable aura, hesitated for a moment before speaking first, “I’ve come to…”

"Shh—" Zeta leaned back lazily on the sofa cushions, raised a finger in a "shush" gesture, then lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "Quiet, quiet for a little while, just a little while..."

Finally, the primitive animal that was stuck to his finger slowly moved and rubbed against his finger.

“Look at it,” Zeta said with admiration and pride, as if introducing her own child. “How powerful its claws are; how sharp its dorsal scales are; and how beautiful the curve of its tail is.”

"One theory suggests that the Earth in ancient times was ruled by a creature much, much larger than humans. In recent years, archaeologists have been unearthing the bones of that animal beneath the strata. I have been fortunate enough to see one before; it was incredibly large."

“Fortunately, they didn’t survive to the end,” Albert said coldly. “Otherwise, there would be no Krenchikov family, and there would be no you or me.”

“Not entirely.” Zeta’s tone was very relaxed, as if she were explaining interesting scientific facts to a child. “One theory is that they actively chose to ‘degenerate’ in order to avoid their environment. Their size has shrunk, their scales have become shorter, and their claws are not very sharp. Even their diet has become vegetarian.”

"This green iguana was transported from the Lesser Antilles. Look at its body structure, how fascinating it is."

"Some scholars believe that some prehistoric creatures eventually degenerated into lizards."

Zeta changed the angle of the tray with the green iguana hanging on it, so that it faced Albert.

"Well, my nephew? Did you see even a trace of the remnants of the ancient creature's spirit?"

……

“I only see a pathetic plaything.” Albert’s voice was cold and almost emotionless. “Those who choose to degenerate and lose all threats will be forced to leave their homeland and be sent to a land thousands of miles away to be played with.”

"On that island, it may have had a forest, but now? Its only shelter is a single branch. Isn't that pathetic enough?"

"What's the point of living like this?"

"Ah……"

Zeta shook her head, then slumped back onto the sofa with a smile.

"Existence is everything."

"Everything... is for the sake of existence."

Chapter 972: I am someone else's network

Albert didn't want to waste words with him, so he slammed a newspaper onto the coffee table.

In this country, newspapers can be vastly different, not just between the North and South, but even between different states and towns. Judging from the layout, this is clearly a newspaper from a southern city.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

The font, so large it's almost overwhelming, printed on the page clearly conveys a message to the world.

"They've raised an army?"

“Just as I expected.” Albert’s tone was tinged with sarcasm. “The entire South, sixteen states, are fucking insane. They’ve allowed a yellow-skinned monkey and a dwarf freak to ride on their heads and give them orders.”

"Where is this country's stance? Where is our dignity?"

Zeta gently turned the first page of the newspaper, reading more information, her face still bearing an inscrutable smile.

“No need to look anymore.” Albert, as if he knew what he was looking for, frowned and said coldly, “Their pretext for starting the war is to ‘eliminate the terrorists hiding in the federal government’ and ‘avenge the death of Il Ilan’. Hmph…it’s ridiculous.”

“I’ve investigated. That Il Ilan was a member of the notorious Jack Gang and a wanted criminal throughout America!”

"Such a person is able to serve as a specially appointed instructor for the police department in New Austin. Over the past ten years, a large number of core members of the police force have become his students..."

"I can't imagine, are so many of you blind? How could you tolerate this kind of thing continuing for a full ten years? Half of the grassroots government affairs in this country are beyond our control; they've hollowed them out."

"So," Zeta stroked the green iguana's rough, uneven back scales and asked casually, "has this massive grassroots force also come to attack us?"

"……No."

Albert hated this, that someone who should have been a loser had not shown any signs of defeat in front of him, and had even managed to sway his mind with words.

"The National Guard in the sixteen southern states did not participate in the insurgency and remained in place."

"However, we issued executive orders in the name of the federal government to the National Guard forces stationed in each state, instructing them to organize interceptions along the way, stop the rebels, and destroy their supply networks. So far, they have not responded at all, as if they are blind and deaf. This has allowed the rebels led by the Red Omen to swagger through the southern states and reach the front lines."