Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

“Enough, Ross, your words and actions are a bit too rude.” Mika, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally spoke up, which eased the atmosphere. “Right now, the Zorael family is also a partner of ours, and we shouldn’t provoke them so easily.”

"In return, Mr. Igorinacio Zolael, I also hope that you will take our cooperative relationship seriously. Mr. Chaidl has already invested a lot of money in this area, and now he needs to make sure that his money has not been wasted."

“It’s so refreshing to talk to civilized people,” Igor nodded, a broad smile on his face. “And then?”

"...We believe that you have some intelligence related to 'Red China' but have not shared it with us."

Chapter 114: The Game Has Only Just Begun! (Bounty Still Available - 27)

“That train was Mr. Chaidl’s private train, and it wasn’t used to transport ordinary goods, but rather highly confidential personal items.” Micah stared into his eyes and said in a deep voice, “Logically speaking, ordinary people wouldn’t know about such a train, let alone a fugitive like Hongzhong, so…”

"So, you think I leaked the information to him?" Igor asked with a smile.

"Who else could it be but you?!" Ross demanded angrily, slamming his fist on the table. "Hand over Red Center right now, you dwarf! We've come to your door several times, and you've always claimed you weren't there. Who knows what you've been up to? You're probably in the same camp as Red Center, eating and drinking like royalty, discussing how to divide up that stolen dollar bill, aren't you?!"

From this question, Igor gleaned the key words.

US dollars, not bonds.

In other words, Ross probably didn't know what was hidden on the train, and Chedel didn't tell them the whole truth either.

"That's it? Just because I know the train's start time, departure time, and routes, you conclude that I leaked it?" Thinking to himself, Igor's smile remained unchanged. He even shrugged and said in a slightly contemptuous tone, "Gentlemen, are you really 'detectives'?"

“We don’t mean to question you, but we hope you don’t forget your position and identity, Mr. Zolael.”

Micah reminded him, "Your cousin, Tuku Zolael, died at the hands of the Red Center. Your family's operations in New Elizabeth were also destroyed because of him. The Grey Wolf Mountain stronghold was wiped out, and business was inevitably affected. All of this is thanks to him."

"Red Center is the common enemy of you, me, and Mr. Cheddar."

……

What does Igor's silence at this moment really mean?

Micah took it as mere pressure, but he had a bad feeling that something... seemed to be already set in stone, somewhere beyond his sight.

“Tuku…yes, that bad-tempered brat…” Ego muttered the name as if from another world, “Anyway, I’ve never liked him.”

"He was the epitome of the flaws of the pathetic surname Zolael: arrogant, bloodthirsty, violent, never leaving himself a way out, a guy who was determined to go down a dead end. I knew him before you two... I knew he would end up like this. Even if it weren't for the Red Center, some other color would have taken his life."

"At least he's not a dwarf," Ross interjected sarcastically.

“Yes, he’s not a dwarf. His head is empty; he sees clues but can’t think. He’s not even as good as me, a dwarf.” Igor shook his head and said in a deep voice, “Getting back to the point, you two, you want to catch Red Center? Then please do it yourselves. I’m already overwhelmed just cleaning up the mess left by Tuku.”

Micah could not possibly fail to understand such an obvious hint of dismissal.

"Do you mean to go against Mr. Cheddar's wishes?" Micah's voice turned cold. "I'm afraid your father wouldn't be happy to hear these words."

"Hahaha……"

Ego, however, slapped his thigh as if he'd heard a joke. "Just like I've never liked Tuku, he's never liked me either. Believe me, Agent Micah, even if I did this flawlessly, he wouldn't be happy. He'd only suspect that I'm profiting from it, pocketing his share of the money."

“If my brother hadn’t gone to expand the business, I wouldn’t have had a chance to manage things here.”

If you don't see eye to eye, there's no point in saying more.

The Pinkerton detectives and the Thunder Gang were supposed to be opposing forces, temporarily bound together by Chedel's money, but this bond was ultimately unsustainable. From the very beginning, they viewed each other as potential targets of suspicion, not as partners.

"I'll be watching you, dwarf." Before leaving, Ross stood up and gave him a stern warning.

Igor, however, didn't seem to care and said with a grin, "That's great, I'll call you when I'm taking a shower."

----

The conversation ended unhappily, and the atmosphere in the tavern fell silent once again.

Igor's smile faded, and he rested his chin on his hands, adopting a posture similar to that of Commander Ikari, immersing himself in thought.

“That guy named Ross talks way too much.” Varga, who had been silent, finally spoke up. “Do you want me to take care of him for you?”

"..." Igor's eyes widened, his gaze filled with surprise. "Do I look like Tuku?"

The meaning of this is self-evident: only a stock market maker would kill someone indiscriminately; I would never do that.

"But there's no need to rush. It's only a matter of time. We're just a third-rate gang after all. Once all this is over, we'll inevitably return to the treatment that gangs are supposed to receive. At that time, bounty posters, bounty hunters, sheriffs... all the usual perks will be there."

"If the EU isn't removed, you'll see this happen within the next year or two."

Varga remained silent for a moment, not uttering a word, but simply watching his boss from the side.

"What's wrong?" Igor continued flipping through the ledger. "Just say what you have to say. I'm not a library."

“I just feel that compared to before, your dedication might be a little too… um…” Varga racked her brains, searching for the right words, “Too focused? Before this, you never seemed interested in the Zolael family’s business.”

Igor's gaze dimmed, and his amber eyes lifted slightly, revealing a deep meaning.

“Interested… Ha… A dwarf, what family business can he talk about?” After a moment, he shook his huge head, his self-deprecating tone carrying a strange ruthlessness, “Isn’t that what he meant by sending me to the White Buffalo Ranch? Compared to the family business, I’m more suited to shoveling cow dung, picking up horse manure, and cleaning up pig dung. That’s the ‘business’ he gave me.”

"The Zolael family motto is 'blood is thicker than water,' what a load of rubbish. He would rather hand over such a large territory as New Elizabeth to a brainless brute than consider his own son."

“Excuse my bluntness, Igor,” Varga said, speaking her mind, “I don’t think your current efforts are meaningful.”

"His Excellency Hector has temporarily entrusted the businesses of New Orleans and New Elizabeth to you, but he can take them back at any time. Once your brother returns from Mexico, he will hand everything over to him. No matter how well or perfectly you do now, even if you completely eliminate the threat from the EU and make a tremendous contribution to the family, you will never gain His Excellency Hector's approval."

"In the end, you've only made a wedding dress for someone else. After it's all over, you'll still have to go back to the freezing cold pasture."

……

"uncertain."

"Not necessarily?" Varga asked doubtfully. "I don't understand... Do you intend to rebel against Lord Hector? With just a few people and a few guns, it's probably not realistic, is it?"

"Although the plan failed this time, I didn't leave empty-handed." Igor's lips curled up into a confident smile, somewhat similar to Zhang Renfeng's. "Who will benefit whom is still uncertain."

"This game has just begun."

Chapter 115: You already know the answer, the question is, can you bear it?

In a small house in the north of Baiju Town.

Children are just sleep-deprived and can't seem to wake up. Plus, having had the chance to play with her grandpa for a whole afternoon after so long, little Molly fell asleep early, her face full of a peaceful and sweet smile.

Once the child is asleep, the living room becomes the adult's world.

Mike's eyesight wasn't as good as it used to be, and the only light source in the room was a flickering candle.

He desperately wanted his daughter-in-law to turn on the kerosene lamp, but the words caught in his throat. He was an old hand at the world; the moment he entered, he could tell the family was struggling financially. Even the clothes his granddaughter and daughter-in-law wore were several years old. While not exactly tattered, and clean enough, they were unmistakably worn.

He could only put on his glasses, lower his head, and read the report letter by letter, stringing them together. It took him almost twenty minutes to finish reading a report that didn't have many words.

Is this the only serving?

"This is the latest one, Dad, have you seen it?"

The daughter-in-law looked very haggard, but her dissatisfaction was particularly evident. "Ned was their colleague before he died... He was murdered like that, but the police department doesn't care at all. They just issued this kind of document to appease the family! I don't think they have any intention of catching the murderer. The real killer is still at large, while Sheriff Gordon is busy going to a banquet at the mayor's house!"

"Kelly, calm down." Mike rubbed his nose, feeling utterly exhausted. He got up and closed his granddaughter Molly's bedroom door. "Don't disturb the child's sleep."

"Dad! Aren't you angry?" Kelly's eyes were filled with disbelief. "That's your own son!"

“It’s just following the normal procedure.” Mike shook his head, took off his glasses, and explained, “Ocean Shrike is no ordinary criminal. He has committed thirteen crimes, and Ned is the last one. The scenes are all unusually clean, and there are no witnesses.”

"The police repeatedly compared, analyzed, and repeated the scenes of these thirteen murders to extract valuable information. This process is essentially a tedious repetition and is not very fast, which is why the report says... 'The case is still under investigation,' that's how it is."

"Right now, there's nothing we can do but wait."

Kelly looked at him with shock and incomprehension, as if she were looking at a monster in human skin.

"How could you say that? How could you do this?" Her voice shrill, almost screaming. "You're talking like it's none of your business, Dad! He's your son..."

"boom!"

Mike suddenly sprang to his feet, slamming his fist on the table, his eyes wide with rage. "Shut up, you idiot! You think I don't care about my son? I don't want to avenge him?! I knew him long before you, when he was just a toddler! I..."

"..."

The heavy, angry breathing quickly subsided.

Mike sat back down in his chair, his eyes darting around like a wounded old wolf. Kelly, his daughter-in-law, broke down in tears.

“I miss him so much, Dad… I miss my Ned so much… Before that, we were such a happy family…”

……

Mike glanced at Kelly with his lifeless, expressionless eyes and saw no lies, which reassured him somewhat.

After her son died, she was the one who held this broken family together.

It's especially difficult for a woman to do this, as she's constantly under immense pressure. Because of this, Mike felt he owed her something.

“Sorry, Kelly, I just lost control a bit.” Mike sighed. “I miss him too, though it’s not outwardly obvious… I just don’t say it much.”

"Because I miss him so much, every time I say it out loud, it's like... the horrific scene of his death appears in my mind."

"I can't accept this."

……

What do you want me to do?

Kelly wiped away her tears, immediately stopped crying, and gritted her teeth, saying, "Dad, didn't you say before that you trained a lot of new recruits when you were a mounted police officer in Granite State?"

"That's true."

Memories flashed through Mike's mind. He had a particular trait: whatever job he did, he would give it his all. Even as a mounted police officer, only to retire and hide his identity, he did his best. As a result, he quickly stood out from the crowd of lazy bums, and his superiors trusted him greatly, even letting him mentor several new recruits.

Among them is Gordon Jansen, the current sheriff of White Torch.

Unlike Hong Zhong, who went down a single path to the bitter end, he belonged to both the legitimate and illegitimate worlds, and had acquaintances in both.

However, he rarely used his connections in the legitimate world. On the one hand, he was ultimately a criminal and always felt uneasy when he saw real police officers. On the other hand, it was also due to his personality; he never asked anyone for help.

“When you come back this time, go and talk to him, ask how things are going.” Kelly lowered her voice and gritted her teeth. “I don’t ask for anything, I just hope he can catch the murderer as soon as possible and send him to the gallows! That would be some consolation for Ned.”

"understood."

Mike nodded. "I will go."

"That's great!" Kelly's expression finally brightened, and she smiled. "Dad, you should be able to stay a few more days this time, right? Molly keeps talking about you, and she misses you terribly!"

When his granddaughter was mentioned, Mike smiled unconsciously, but the smile quickly faded.

The joy of family life is wonderful, but living in this world also presents us with more practical problems to face.

"I'm afraid that won't work. My job doesn't allow me to take time off anytime, anywhere," Mike sighed. "I just came back to see if you're all doing well, and that puts my mind at ease. I have to go back to work early tomorrow morning."

……

The unusual silence made Mike sense the change in her emotions.

"Dad, there's something I've wanted to confirm with you for a long time, but I've never had the chance..."

Kelly's tone was a little nervous, "I read the newspaper. The rich man who hired you, I think he was a rich young master from the next state? He's dead. His body was hung on the top floor of the church by a serial killer named Red Center."

"A few days later, another tragedy occurred in Fengchuisha, with more than thirty people dying... The local sheriff also died, it was like a line of people being sent to their deaths! The newspapers said that it was all done by Hong Zhong, who also formed a gang and recently moved to the snowy mountains of New Orleans."

"The money you send home shouldn't be related to these things, right?"

……

Who is Mike? Even if Kelly tries to hide it, she can't conceal her true intentions.

She was afraid that the money she sent back might be problematic, tainted by gang feuds, and would implicate her, and perhaps Molly as well.

He was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, unsure whether to find it laughable or tragic. After all, they weren't real family; separated by blood ties, there was only human nature and scheming.

“Kelly, when you asked that question, I believed you already had the answer in your heart.” Mike’s eyes were expressionless, calmly fixed on him. “The question is, can you really bear what lies behind that answer?”

……

The candlelight flickered in the night wind, almost going out.

Volume 1: Austrian Chronicles

Chapter 116: Should it be the Seven Evils or the Eight Evils? (Bounty Still Available - 29)

"Clang-clang-clang-"

The swaying of the train made Barbara a little dizzy. Leaning against the window, letting the cold air seep into her forehead, she felt somewhat relieved. In front of her was a notebook, densely filled with writing and many underlines and corrections.

The experience on Sparrow Mountain became excellent material. Barbara slightly edited it, adding or removing a few names, and presented it directly in written form, creating a story that rivals any Western legend. She also showed it to a few acquaintances privately, who all said it was well-written, except that the protagonist's fighting prowess was a bit too exaggerated.