Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Lucas was crouching in the corner of the conference room, looking for a good angle to take a picture. When he saw her, he showed an unexpected surprise at seeing an acquaintance.

After the siege ended, Lucas's newspaper, *Modern Times*, negotiated with Zhang Renfeng and obtained the right to report on the war firsthand. The report, which spread like wildfire, was only published after Lucas risked his life to take photographs from the front lines. For this, the courageous tabloid reporter received the agreed-upon payment.

Moreover, the newspaper owner greatly appreciated his courage and was willing to make him a member of the newspaper as a long-term employee.

Lucas practically traded his life for everything he has now. With the income, he bought himself a brand new outfit. Except for his hair, which was still a mess like a bird's nest, he looked much cleaner and really had the air of an interviewer.

As things stand, he's the only one who can help the completely bewildered Koreya understand the situation.

"What's going on now? I heard..."

"Yes, I heard that it seems there was a conflict with the agents left behind by the Southern army, which is why the negotiation meeting was held."

Lucas adjusted the camera angle, snapped a photo of the attendees, and explained, "What those big shots were saying—wartime economy, production, investment… all sorts of obscure terms. In short, they just wanted some benefits."

"Benefits?" Correa thought she had misheard, and her usually calm face was filled with astonishment.

"And...that gentleman's army?"

“Yes.” Lucas sighed, a helpless expression showing on his still somewhat childish face, and repeated, “'that man's' army.”

For these two people who had seen Zhang Renfeng in person, this was simply unbelievable. This was also why Koreya was so shocked when she received the news that she ran all the way here.

Regardless, if it were Zhang Renfeng, clad in heavy armor, wielding twin halberds, and carrying a long sword on his back, personally standing before them, they would absolutely not want to negotiate any "conditions" with him. In fact, facing such a monster, they should be thanking God for their survival.

Amidst the hail of bullets, Zhang Renfeng provided shelter for two uninvolved civilians caught up in the war.

From this moment on, the Southern Army, the Northern Army, the Federation, and the corporations no longer mattered. The scales in Correa and Lucas's hearts tipped completely in favor of Zhang Renfeng, and they addressed him as "that gentleman."

However, the vast majority of the members of parliament sitting here seemed to have different opinions.

"Judging from their remarks, it is clear that Mayor Mans is caught in the middle, caught between two difficult positions."

While Lucas expressed his sympathy for the mayor, his camera continued unabated, snapping another picture of Mayor Mans, whose expression resembled constipation. Despite being seated in first class, his expression was the most conflicted, caught in the tense atmosphere.

“Yes… no wonder that’s the case.” Koreya lowered her voice and analyzed quietly, “As mayor, he is naturally the representative of local interest groups and needs to stand on the side of the councilors to fight for their interests. Otherwise, he might not be able to continue as mayor after the war ends.”

"However, as mayor, he is also the 'representative' of this city. Before that gentleman left, the mayor had already reached an agreement with him and expressed his intention to cooperate. This behavior is tantamount to going back on his word. If that gentleman returns victorious and finds out what happened today, he will probably hold him accountable."

“We can’t afford to offend either side.” Lucas shrugged and cast a sympathetic glance at the mayor, who sat on the sidelines like a wax figurehead.

"Compared to this..."

Correa's gaze turned to the other end of the conference table, to the representatives sent by the Southern Army.

young.

Although he has a somewhat weathered air about him, some details of his appearance make him look very young!

"Probably around 18 years old," Koreya thought to herself. (Zhang Wusheng is currently 15 years old in the traditional Chinese age reckoning.)

A young woman with silver hair sat beside him, her expression calm and composed, looking at the table opposite with neither servility nor arrogance—this was the entire force they represented in the negotiations. They were said to have 500 soldiers, but not a single one showed up. Instead, the Moroccan side had deployed several security personnel, standing in a corner of the council chamber.

"These guys, is it confidence or arrogance?" Correa's gaze swept over the group of suited, haughty urban elites again, and she sighed inwardly, "They know there's a war going on, yet they still want to provoke the military's sensitive nerves."

"I just hope... nothing else goes wrong. We've already lost enough people in the last two days."

----

……

"To summarize briefly, your request is..."

Zhang Wusheng's gaze swept briefly over the neatly written paper, and he said calmly, "Is it your idea that our army can withdraw from the temporary camp south of Morocco and set up camp in a more distant location?"

"Uh, Mr. Zhang... Mr. Zhang, this is just the first step in the negotiations," Mayor Mans quickly said with a smile, waving his hand. "It's like buying fresh produce; if you're not satisfied with the price, you can... you can continue negotiating. There's no need to make it so complicated..."

"That's right, that's exactly what you mean."

The extremely harsh voice, like a thorn, pierced the deathly silence of the place.

A man with curly hair, light blue eyes, a high nose, and a tall, upright figure slowly stood up, leaning on the table, and looked directly at Zhang Wusheng.

“Congressman Kevin?” Mance looked at him in surprise, wiping the sweat from his face. “You shouldn’t be…”

“My father has reached an agreement with your mayor.” Zhang Wusheng’s emotions seemed unaffected. “During this period, our army will temporarily requisition your railway station. Our army needs to be aware of everything happening inside the station as soon as possible. If we move out of this city, this strategic objective cannot be achieved. Please allow me to refuse these demands.”

……

"Huh?" Koreya couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, then realized that she had actually said "Huh" and quickly covered her mouth.

"What's wrong, Correa?" Lucas asked curiously.

“It’s nothing, it’s just… I’m a little surprised…” She looked at Zhang Wusheng with astonishment in her eyes, “At this point, he actually went and discussed things properly with the senator.”

"Isn't that a good thing?" Lucas asked, puzzled. "It shows that this military leader is a very rational person."

“Rationality…or rather, kindness?” Correa frowned slightly. “Yes, but…it shouldn’t be like this.”

Facial expressions, tone of voice, subconscious gestures, micro-expressions... a person's mental state can be revealed through countless outward manifestations. And those who are good at capturing this information can fully understand a person before they even open their mouth.

Koreya excels at this; it's a talent that even frightens her. In short, it's about "first impressions"—her first impressions of others are surprisingly accurate.

This was one of the few times she misjudged the situation—her initial impression did not match the target's actual words and actions.

"I thought he was a very cruel person..."

Chapter 993: It's all business

"The agreement between Mayor Mans and your army was never discussed with the city hall from the very beginning. The Morocco Railway Station is part of the public assets, not the private property of Mayor Mans' family. The right to use it belongs to all citizens of Morocco."

"However, he acted on his own initiative and reached an agreement with the rebel leader..."

"Watch your words, Congressman."

Zhang Wusheng's voice remained calm, but his eyes revealed a hint of coldness. "We are not rebels, and I am not joking with you. In the upcoming negotiations, I strongly suggest that you carefully choose the words you wish to use."

"..."

There was silence for more than ten seconds.

Senator Kevin finally glanced at him, slightly raising his head. "Excuse me, please allow me to correct my statement."

"Mayor Mans acted unilaterally, reaching an agreement with the leaders of the southern army to relinquish the right to use the train station. This negotiation was initiated and concluded unilaterally by him, which is contrary to the law. Morocco has always been a city governed by the rule of law, and as representatives of the citizens, we naturally cannot ignore the voice of the people. We cannot tolerate such violations of procedure and the rule of law happening in Morocco!"

"Regarding this, the city council will later decide, depending on the circumstances, whether to initiate impeachment proceedings against Mayor Mans for his illegal conduct."

"This...this is a bit..." Mans' expression stiffened. He knew that, procedurally, what he was doing was definitely not going to work. Even in this city, many people would be watching his stains and weaknesses.

But there's nothing I can do!

Given the circumstances at the time, the fact that the conditions were limited to requisitioning the train station was something he had managed to secure by doing everything in his power!

“Calm down, Congressman Kevin.” Mans swallowed hard, his smile shifting from a forced grin to a bitter one. He could only continue to play both sides like a patch-up artist, turning to say, “Mr. Zhang, I… I assure you, I was unaware of the content of today’s meeting beforehand…”

"Whether you know or not, what difference will it make?" Zhang Wusheng retorted indifferently.

"So, you mean not only to take back the right to use the train station, but also to expel us as well? Is that what you mean?"

“You can understand it that way.” Kevin nodded.

“Heh…” Zhang Wusheng chuckled and shrugged. “Now that things have come to this point, I’m actually a little curious.”

He grabbed the paper filled with points and tore it into pieces in a few quick movements.

"Thorn--!"

For some reason, the council chamber was unusually quiet at this moment, like the deathly silence before a storm, so quiet that you couldn't even hear someone breathing.

The sound of tearing paper has a strangely relaxing effect.

“It’s just paper. If you want, you can write a thousand, ten thousand more sheets. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind.” Zhang Wusheng released his hands, letting the fragments fall like snowflakes. “The problem is, what do you plan to do if my people stay there and don’t leave?”

……

Such remarks were almost a sign that the negotiations had broken down, and the security personnel in the council chamber reacted immediately.

But Kevin stopped him by waving his hand.

“Don’t underestimate this city,” he said. “The police station’s sheriff, mounted police, and militia number about 500. I think that’s not much different from your army’s current numbers.”

"Do you really think that this group... I don't want to put it too harshly, this hastily assembled group, is the same as professional soldiers?" Zhang Wusheng's sneer carried a hint of disdain. "This negotiation is heading in a very dangerous direction, everyone!"

He raised his voice, looked around at everyone, and said in a deep voice, "I advise you all not to make unrealistic plans."

In the previous battles, apart from the final all-out assault on the position, the Ramoun raiders seemed to have put in little effort and appeared quite weak.

This was not their fault. In the face of Zhang Renfeng's family, the army of the same era could only play a supporting role.

However, setting aside factors like Zhang Renfeng's family, the combat strength of the Lamon Raiders, as soldiers, is absolutely enough to rival the Northern Federation army. This army is a full-time military force trained by the Sanyuan Group, relying on its enormous financial resources; in other words, it consists of "professional soldiers."

Their daily routine consists of training, training, and more training; they are like Spartan warriors.

……

“I am well aware of the gap between the two.” Even Kevin seemed unsure of himself when he said this, “but I believe that this gap will be bridged by the brave citizens of Morocco who are pursuing freedom.”

"Ha, haha..." Zhang Wusheng laughed from the bottom of his heart, "Alright, since that's what you think, I wish them good luck."

“However, I think neither side wants to come to this point.” At the most crucial point, Kevin decisively backed down. “As far as I know, your total troop strength is only about 4000. The 500 soldiers stationed in Morocco are equivalent to one-eighth of your forces.”

"I suppose your commander wouldn't want this precious one-eighth of your forces to suffer unnecessary losses in urban security operations, would he?"

"So, you mean that exchanging ten, or even more, of your men for one of my soldiers is a win for you?"

Zhang Wusheng tilted his head slightly and asked.

"So what I mean is, if your army could accept the other proposal put forward by the city council, perhaps..."

"We can resolve this issue without conflict or bloodshed between the two sides."

Kevin snapped his fingers.

Immediately, someone else brought over a brand new sheet of paper, covered with writing. This time, there were also many numbers on the paper.

----

"call……"

Hearing that there was a possibility of "no conflict, no bloodshed," Mans breathed a sigh of relief and complained, "Congressman Kevin, I hope that next time you encounter a situation like this, you can consult with me, the mayor, first before making a decision!"

Kevin glanced at him and replied, "When you sold the right to use the train station to the Southern Army, it seems you didn't consult us either."

“Uh, this is…” Mayor Mans was speechless.

……

Combinations of numbers.

He received extensive similar training from Igor, dealing with economics, finance, taxation, profits… each requiring him to work with massive amounts of data. For some reason, Zhang Wusheng now finds documents composed of these numbers more pleasing to the eye than text.

"What kind of trouble is this time?" Silver Frost was already quite dissatisfied with the current atmosphere. Suppressing her anger, she asked in a low voice.

“Yes, I understand completely.” Zhang Wusheng finished reading the documents one by one, took a deep breath, and looked up to say, “You want me to rent the right to use the Morocco City train station from you for $20000, is that right?”

Chapter 994: Come on, Wu Sheng, it's time to be yourself.

"It's not like $20000 is enough, don't try to twist the facts!"

"This is just the most basic price. You're going to be using a transportation hub that belongs to all citizens. This price is already quite cheap, isn't it?"

"If you want to resort to force, the citizens of Morocco are not to be trifled with either; they will definitely fight to the bitter end!"

……

The negotiations entered a critical phase, and the city council naturally began to exert pressure. Since it was a war of words, whoever had the most voice and the strongest momentum would appear to have the advantage; having multiple people speak together was a negotiation tactic.

understand.

However, despite his understanding, Zhang Wusheng felt a dull ache in the back of his head. These hateful faces that took advantage of his kindness made him clench his teeth.

"Dong dong!"

"Dong dong!"

He clutched his chest, his heart pounding with rage, and the edges of his vision began to darken. He desperately tried to control himself, preventing his asthma symptoms from flaring up. Otherwise, if these people saw he was affected, they might intensify their clamor, and things would get out of control.

It's not going to end well...

……

"Just kill them all."

Zhang Wusheng, with his vertical pupils, emerged from the darkness and sat down at the negotiating table. He smiled at him and said, "The person next to you, oh, her 'spiritual sense' is quite abundant... Wasn't your father preparing her to be by your side for a time like this? To be honest, I don't quite understand why you're still sitting here listening to their nonsense."