Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"……Shut up."

----

"Eh?"

This time, Correa confirmed that she hadn't made a sound; she had only sighed inwardly.

Something...is wrong...

There is something wrong.

"As expected, this person is..."

Koreya's gaze was fixed on Zhang Wusheng, her expression a mixture of astonishment and delight, as if she were looking at a rare monster she had never seen before.

……

"Please allow me to explain." Seeing that his pressure tactics were working, Kevin gestured with his hands to signal the members of Congress who were on his side to be quiet. "I did not mean to extort your army. It's just that $20000 is indeed not enough."

"I'm all ears," Zhang Wusheng said expressionlessly.

“As I just said, this $20000 is only the value of renting the ‘train station’. However, during the period your army rents the train station, the city’s train station, as well as its tracks, trains, and locomotives, will be completely under your control as part of your army’s logistical front.”

"Morocco is a thriving commercial city and one of Pennsylvania's transportation hubs. In short, its booming commerce relies heavily on rail and train services. Goods moving in and out, minerals flowing, people being transported, and all other economic activities are affected by this."

"Since your army arrived, you have completely occupied the train station for a full half month. During this period, economic activity in Morocco has almost come to a standstill. There are no fresh goods to sell, and the business plans of major stores have been damaged to varying degrees. This is not my fabrication, but a fact that is real. Your army's actions will destroy the very foundation upon which this city depends for its survival."

"Correspondingly, you must have also felt the hostility this city has shown towards your army; this is the reason. Therefore, I propose..."

"Stop talking nonsense." Zhang Wusheng rudely interrupted him. "How much money do you want?"

“$50000.” Kevin didn’t seem to mind. “Adding the previous $20000 rental fee, your army will need to pay us a total of $70000.”

"Once the $70000 is paid, the agreement will be considered complete. Within the time frame stipulated in the agreement, your army is free to use the train station. Whether you use it for logistical transport, for anything else, or even for hosting parties, we have no right to interfere. This is our proposal. After considering all factors, we hope your army can choose the option that is more beneficial to both of us."

----

"what……"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Zhang Wusheng, with his vertical pupils, clutched his stomach and laughed more and more exaggeratedly. It was clearly his own voice, but it sounded sharp and piercing.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhang Wusheng looked at him. "Is it that funny?"

"No, no, you handled it very well. I was just smiling..." The vertical pupil shook its head, and the almost ferocious smile subsided. "Humans really do have the gene of bullying the weak and fearing the strong etched into their bones."

“I didn’t mean to be sarcastic. These people’s demands seem reasonable, but think about it carefully. When your father was still alive, didn’t these people realize this problem? Why didn’t they send a letter to your father asking him for money back then?”

"Deterrence."

He raised a finger, and a chilling killing intent emanated from his amber-colored split eyes.

"The level of your deterrent power directly determines how others treat you, and also determines your position in their hearts."

“Your statement is flawed,” Zhang Wusheng frowned, retorting inwardly. “I know I’m far inferior to Father, but I still have 500 soldiers here. For a city, that’s enough to destroy it!”

“You’ve misunderstood the essence of deterrence.” Zhang Wusheng, with his vertical pupils, swept his cold gaze across everyone in the room and said, “If your father were still here, no one would have brought this up at all. But with you in the picture, people’s hearts start to waver. They feel that they can take the risk and think that they might be able to try to get some benefits out of you.”

“Think about it, let me think about it. In the end, the management costs you’ll face will be several levels higher than your father’s. He could keep this city in check by himself. What about you? You’re given five hundred people, and all you get is wind and rain.”

"..."

Zhang Wusheng's temple twitched, and he unconsciously clenched his fist, making a cracking sound.

Beneath the skin of his withered arms, hundreds of bluish veins undulated like swimming dragons.

……

"Why don't you imagine what your two younger brothers would do in this situation?"

"Green Wine is a decent man, but even so, a reckoning is inevitable, right? He'll probably take over the city's police system immediately, arrest the ringleaders, put them in jail on some pretext, and then dissolve the city council."

"What if it were a red-hot furnace? He wouldn't wait for this group of people to chatter on and on. Before Kevin could even say the 'twenty thousand' in 'twenty thousand dollars,' the axe would already be on his head."

"Then it's time to kill. Kill all the councilors who came here today, except for the mayor. After all, Mayor Mans signed the agreement directly with your father. From the son's perspective, it's not easy to kill him. Leaving a puppet mayor behind will make things easier for the next steps."

"You've always hated the red furnace, but in my opinion, that guy's personality is perfectly suited for this kind of situation..."

Those amber-colored vertical pupils were so close to me for the first time.

Another version of himself, lying face down on the table, almost pressed his entire face against him, revealing a terrifying smile.

"Come on, Wu Sheng."

"It's time...to be yourself."

Chapter 995: A Stone Smashes a Dog's Bark

"He remained silent for a long time." The tense atmosphere made even Lucas, who was used to big occasions, shiver. "It seems that even for the leader of the army, making this decision is not easy."

“Does that seem to you?” Correa pushed up her round glasses and murmured, “But… I don’t think he’s silent at all. On the contrary, he’s having a very heated argument with his companion.”

"Argument?" Lucas looked bewildered. He had heard that cameras could capture things invisible to humans, so he pointed the lens at Zhang Wusheng. However, in the lens, he was still sitting there alone, his brows furrowed, saying nothing. His only companion was this silver-haired girl; there was no one else beside him.

And with whom are we arguing?

Koreya didn't draw any conclusions either. In this era, research on psychiatry was still in its infancy. She wasn't quite sure what type of person Zhang Wusheng was, but her intuitive radar was buzzing. She was almost certain that an extraordinary transformation was taking place in the blond boy before her, or rather, within his mind.

Even so, she was the only one who could vaguely sense it.

To onlookers, he simply remained in a state of deep thought, silent for a long time. The tense atmosphere was broken once more, and the council chamber began to fill with impatient gossip. However, due to the military's presence, all actions ultimately remained at the level of verbal sparring, preventing the conflict from escalating further.

……

Zhang Wusheng's emerald eyes would occasionally flicker as he looked at the instigator of this meeting, which resembled a coup d'état, Congressman Kevin.

"So, according to you... $20000 is the rent for the Morocco city train station itself; and $50000 is the additional economic value that the train station can generate when it belongs to the 'all citizens' of this city, is that what you mean?"

“That’s right.” Kevin nodded.

"how did it get here?"

Kevin's expression changed. "...What...do you mean?"

"You said it can generate $50000 in value, that number 50000."

Zhang Wusheng calmly said, "I want to know how you calculated this number?"

"..." Kevin finally fell silent as well.

“This conclusion was drawn from a comprehensive calculation based on a series of data, including the city of Morocco’s current average monthly financial level, freight frequency, and the commercial profits of various shops.” He paused for a moment, and immediately another member of parliament stood up and said loudly, “Associate Kevin has already explained it very clearly. Are you trying to stall for time by bringing this up again?”

"It was explained clearly and I understood it, but it wasn't detailed enough."

Zhang Wusheng gently tapped the table twice with the back of his hand.

"The average monthly level?"

"You just said that this train station is for the use of 'all citizens,' right? I suppose this 'all' includes not only the elites present here, but also homeless people who are still destitute. This is unavoidable in any city."

"In this situation, would averaging your city's fiscal revenue really be meaningful?"

"Similarly, you also mentioned freight frequency. What goods, how much were bought, how much were sold, what was the profit, and at what frequency?"

"Profits from business activities: What kind of business activities, in what form, and what kind of profits can they generate?"

"Please list out the breakdown of this $50000, item by item, in detail. After affixing your official seal, send it to our temporary camp for auditing. Once confirmed, we can discuss payment."

----

These words were like dropping a bomb into the crowd, instantly igniting the entire council.

As the one who spearheaded the proposal, Congressman Kevin looked extremely displeased.

“These big shots look really angry…” Lucas continued snapping photos of these out-of-control, distorted faces, his tone tinged with unintentional schadenfreude.

“Yes.” Koreya nodded. “They’ve been hit where it hurts.”

"The sore spot?"

"How much benefit a train station can bring to a city within a fixed period of time... is inherently a very complex figure. With the current manpower in Morocco, let alone half a month, it probably wouldn't be able to figure it out even in half a year."

Korea sighed and explained softly, "The truth is actually quite simple. The figure of $50000 was filled in purely with our feet."

"Before the war started, didn't Mayor Mans enthusiastically get everyone involved in making an 'investment' in Captain Sisley's federal army?"

"I estimate that they not only provided supplies, but some people who wanted to curry favor with the Sishui family also gave money. And it wasn't a small amount. They hoped that after their victory, today's aid would become a stepping stone to their advancement."

"As a result, that gentleman led his army and breached the fortress in a single day. The money invested was simply wasted."

"Oh..." Lucas suddenly realized, "So, they're trying to use this trick to get their money back?"

“Playing these kinds of tricks with the military is no different from pulling teeth from a tiger’s mouth. Since we’ve already started, we might as well go all the way and see if we can squeeze out another sum of money… They’re really risking their lives for money.” Koreya looked at Zhang Wusheng with a hint of approval. “Fortunately, this military leader is quick-witted and used this trick to thwart them.”

Perhaps I misjudged him? — She sincerely hoped so.

……

"These...these are all internal financial data from the city of Morocco!" Other members of parliament slammed their fists on the table, stood up, and shouted, "You outsiders have no right to demand that we release this data. Who knows if you'll leak it out yourself?!"

"That's right. Even if an audit is needed, professional financial auditors should be hired. How can it be handed over to you roughnecks?"

"All our demands are reasonable and legal. This amount is the result of repeated concessions, yet you continue to create obstacles. It's clear from the very beginning that you had no sincerity in negotiating!"

More and more similar voices rang out in the meeting hall. The members of parliament who had just managed to remain neutral were no longer pretending and started barking like dogs whose tails had been stepped on.

Zhang Wusheng, leaning on his cane, slowly rose to face the councilors on the other side of the table.

"Since that's the case, there's no need to continue the discussion. I must have lost my mind to waste so much breath talking to you all."

He swept his emerald eyes over everyone present, a cold smile spreading across his lips.

"My men will not withdraw."

"If you want to fight, then come and try it."

Chapter 996: The Son Is Not Like His Father

"Wait a moment--!!"

Kevin finally stood up as well, his expression incredibly conflicted, as if he didn't know what to say about what he had eaten.

At this point, the negotiations entered a truly heated phase, and almost everyone stood up.

Yinshuang's hand was already quietly resting on the hilt of the steel sword, her eyes fixed on the few people who might pose a threat. If things really came to a head, she could at least guarantee that she could cover Zhang Wusheng's retreat from this council hall, and the soldiers lying in ambush outside would take over the place by force as quickly as possible.

"..."

Zhang Wusheng stopped and silently turned around to look at him with an extremely calm gaze.

Won.

In this tug-of-war, the one who speaks first is the loser who concedes.

"In other words, if we can provide a reasonable and detailed list of explanations, your army is still willing to pay the fees, right?"

“Ha, you have a great misunderstanding about us, Congressman.” Zhang Wusheng tapped the ground with his cane, making a “clang” sound. “We are not barbarians who eat raw meat and drink blood. In the South, before the war started, we also did business with others.”

"Any reasonable demands you make can be discussed."

"So..." Finally, at the crucial moment, Kevin swallowed hard. "What does your army mean...?"

“I agree to pay you $20000 as the rental fee for the train station. I can pay immediately.” Zhang Wusheng’s tone was very calm. He simply said $20,000, which surprised everyone. His generosity at this moment was completely different from the oppressive yet measured tone he had given at the negotiating table earlier.

"However, regarding the $50000 'added value' you are claiming, please prepare a detailed list as I instructed and send it to our military base for review. Once confirmed, our military is also willing to pay the corresponding amount."

"At present, our army still retains actual control and use of the railway station, and the garrison location remains unchanged. In short, there has been no change compared to the previous two weeks. We had a fairly good relationship before, but there has been a slight friction in the last few days. Our army hopes to continue to maintain this hard-won friendship with your side and coexist in this city together."

"After all, $50,000 is no small sum, and we can't come up with it all at once. We need some time to raise the money from our rear. In the meantime, please provide a list of what I need."

"At that time, if our army confirms that all the contents of the list are correct, we will naturally settle the payment with your side according to the amount. That's all."

……

He conceded as well.

At least, compared to a full-blown conflict, this distribution method can be considered a concession—that's what most members of parliament think right now.

No one would turn down money, especially money that is immediately available.

No one can guarantee how long this army will stay in Morocco. This might be their only chance to extort money, so naturally they want to make the most of it.

But it seems that only $20000 is actually in hand. As for the remaining $50000... it is foreseeable that a series of time-consuming and laborious disputes will arise over the rationality of that list. In the end, how much will actually be available remains to be seen.