Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"Shut up." The tall man with a burn scar on his face grabbed Jimmy by the collar with one hand, effortlessly dragging him out of the room as if he were a chick. "Want my advice? Save your tongue, lawyer. You'll have plenty of opportunities to use it later."

"It depends. This might be your last chance to use it."

"Why the sudden change of heart? It was always like this before..."

“The past is the past, the present is the present, things are different.” The man with burn scars on his face pondered for a moment before finally speaking, revealing some information to him, “You’re lucky, kid. There are so many gang leaders in the world, all of them are bastards who run away when trouble comes, but you’ve run into a real man.”

Jimmy's expression froze instantly, shifting from fear to surprise, but quickly returning to fear.

Distant water cannot quench a nearby fire. Even if the Red Army is truly willing to come for us, there is still a mountain between us. It's not something that can be attacked so quickly.

In the current situation, you can't rely on anyone but yourself!

"boom--!"

The door was pushed open.

Long tables, candlesticks, high chairs—a standard council hall, reminiscent of subjects and kings in medieval Europe. Before each person's seat lay a bowl of fresh fruit, mainly grapes, bananas, and some dried fruit, a piece of pigeon pie, and a glass of fine red wine. Even at this moment, the Zolaël family was unwilling to give up what they deserved to enjoy.

Jimmy had never seen so many Zolael at once. Sitting directly opposite him, in the main seat, was Laro, the man he had played cards with that day.

Besides, Igor sat to Laro's left. Another burly man with a completely bald head sat to Laro's right. The youngest, but with the most arrogant posture, Eugene Ezmond Zolael, sat on the far side.

Interestingly, he clearly remembered that the bald man was supposed to be a twin, and the two were inseparable on ordinary days, but only one of them showed up for such an important occasion today.

The man with burn scars on his face casually pulled out a chair and pressed Jimmy down into it. Then, without a word, he paced back and stood behind Eugene. Clearly, he was the bodyguard assigned to the young man by his family.

"Hello, Jimmy. I'm sorry, but I have to resort to this old method to 'invite' you here." Laro spread his hands, as if everything that had happened these past few days was a dream, still maintaining the persona he had woven in the Cactus Tavern. "I remember you did say something like that day... 'If you have the chance, you should come and visit your hometown,' right?"

"Look, the opportunity has come."

"After drinking... well, haha, ha..." Jimmy perfectly demonstrated what it meant to laugh more like crying. "When people aren't sober, they might say anything. I'm just a nobody, my words carry no weight, so please don't take my words seriously..."

"Jimmy."

Laro interrupted his nonsense, his eyes widening slightly as he stared intently at him. His gaze was truly unsettling, like that of a feline eyeing its prey.

If you're not careful, he'll pounce on you and bite your throat right through!

"We're still friends, right?"

……

The first question was a death trap.

Jimmy was caught off guard, but it was clear that for Laro, this was a problem that could not be delayed.

“I’m a lawyer.” Jimmy shrugged, trying to suppress the tremor in his voice, and said with a smile, “For money, I… I can provide you with any service!”

Chapter 355: Family Dispute

Laro seemed amused by him.

Jimmy laughed along, but he didn't dare let his laughter get too big, so he could stop laughing at any time.

After working with Tucu, he was left with a deep psychological scar by the Zolael family's unpredictable temper.

That's the kind of person who's laughing and joking with you one second, and the next second might grab an ashtray and smash your head in. Their laughter and anger aren't necessarily genuine; if you want to agree with them, you'd better leave yourself room to change your attitude.

"How's your accommodation here since you arrived?" Laro suddenly asked a completely unrelated question.

"Um...it's pretty good."

Contrary to Jimmy's expectations, he wasn't thrown into a moldy dungeon or some Mexican gang's place for dealing with traitors. Instead, he was placed under house arrest in a room that resembled a hotel suite.

The room had a warm fireplace, comfortable bedding, and even a few books to read. For the first few days, he was on tenterhooks, worried that he might be dragged out and killed, but after a few days without incident, he adopted a "what's the worst that could happen?" attitude and simply started to enjoy it.

There may be some behind-the-scenes maneuvering involved, but Jimmy has no way of verifying it.

"How was the food?" Laro continued with a smile. "Did the food and drinks suit your Northern tastes?"

“Strictly speaking, I can’t really be considered a northerner, but… I’m very good.” Jimmy nodded quickly, “Really!”

"No one has ever hit you or been violent towards you, right?"

"No." Jimmy quickly shook his head.

“Hey, that’s right.” Laro spread his hands, his tone suddenly turning sour. His smile vanished, replaced by an extremely sinister gaze as he stared at him. “Don’t you think we’ve already paid the due compensation?”

Jimmy felt a chill run through him from head to toe, making him shiver involuntarily.

“Red Center is here.” Laro glanced at Igor beside him and announced calmly, “A woman named Amy Brooklyn escaped before Numa Town was completely sealed off and told me this fact. He arrived two days ago and, 48 hours later, had complete control of Numa Town. Iron Horse Rancho is dead, and this is the situation we face.”

“Hong Zhong and our Thunder Fury Gang have a blood feud. Perhaps he came for you, but I believe that even without you… this battle was only a matter of time.”

……

They took over Numa Town in 48 hours and eliminated the mayor. That's Red Central! I knew I hadn't chosen the wrong boss!

Back then, wasn't the decision to follow the Red Army made for this day?

As it turns out, I wasn't wrong about him.

Jimmy couldn't help but laugh, but he knew that if he dared to laugh, his life would probably be in real danger. He thought through almost every painful thing in his life before he managed to keep his mouth from moving and put on a pained expression.

"He's about to call, and I need your help."

"Wait a minute... What?!" Jimmy exclaimed in shock, shaking his head repeatedly. "You, you've got it wrong. I'm not the Red Center Gang's strategist. I know absolutely nothing about fighting. To be honest, I've barely even touched a gun. Why would he hire an amateur to teach him how to kill?"

"Enough!" By now, Eugene's frustration had reached its limit. He clenched his fist and slammed it on the table. "You smooth-talking bastard... Have we been treating you too well? Have you gotten the wrong idea? Do you think we're old nuns in a church who can tolerate your nonsense indefinitely?"

"Dog, go! Pull out a few of his teeth and see if he talks!"

The man with burn scars on his face did not move, but turned slightly to look at Laro as if asking for his opinion.

Before Laro could speak, Igor shook his head with a smile, "My dear nephew...aren't you still half asleep?"

"What?" Eugene, like a wolf whose authority had been challenged, turned his head sharply and stared intently at him.

"Torture isn't the right thing to do in this situation. If you hit him, he can just make up something to avoid being hit," Igor instructed calmly. "What if you actually believe his intelligence, and then you go to the battlefield and suffer a crushing defeat because of inaccurate information?"

"He wouldn't dare?" Eugene glared at Jimmy sitting opposite him. "When I get back, I'll skin him alive and rip his bones out!"

"Didn't your grandfather teach you that you shouldn't utter threats you don't have the guts to carry out?" Igor said coldly. "For your own verbal advantage, how many of your own people will lose their lives in the war? If you want to be the successor, your methods won't work, nephew."

"Hmph, successor... Don't worry, Uncle, even if all the men in the Zolael family are dead, there are still illegitimate children outside, waiting to take the position. In any case, it won't be your turn." Eugene sneered disdainfully, turning his head away. "You lowly dwarf."

……

"What did you say?" Laro turned his head expressionlessly and stared at him.

“…I’m sorry, Father, I…” Eugene then realized that he had spoken too hastily, “I shouldn’t have said that the men of the Zolael family…”

No, the sentence after that.

"……dwarf?"

“He is your uncle, my brother. We are born of the same mother and share the same bloodline,” Laro asked calmly. “Before you insulted him, did you consider that every word you uttered insulted me? And in turn, insulted yourself?”

Eugene was instantly drenched in sweat; in a bloodline sense, that was indeed the case. The boomerangs he threw at Ego always ended up hitting him instead.

"Get out of here and calm down," Laro said in a deep voice. "This is a one-time exception."

“…Yes.” Eugene’s eyes were very complicated. He glanced at Ego. He thought he had hidden it well, but in fact, in front of this room full of old hands, the remnants of hatred flashing in his eyes were completely exposed. He hadn’t even fooled Jimmy.

----

"Please excuse my rudeness, my friend," Laro said, spreading his hands helplessly. "It's a family dispute."

“Ha, young man.” Jimmy licked his lips. “Getting back to the point, Mr. Laro, it’s not that I’m unwilling to help, it’s just that…”

“You’ve misunderstood, Jimmy. I never intended for you to be my strategist. I’ve already made arrangements for the next steps.”

Laro said casually, "What I want to know is him as a person."

"people?"

“You know everything about him, ‘everything,’ down to the smallest detail. I need to know it all.” Laro crossed his arms and rested his chin on them, making a gesture reminiscent of Commander Ikari. “The more I know, the greater my chances of defeating him.”

Chapter 356: He's where he belongs, and I hope you are too.

"why are you?"

Having asked all the questions, and with the clock already past midnight, only the two brothers remained in the council hall. Igor could finally speak freely, "Hector, don't tell me he's still sleeping in bed with that Mexican beauty you brought back for him."

"Let him get one last peaceful night's sleep. He finally managed to take the medicine and get an erection again; he needs to regain some confidence with women." Laro relaxed his posture slightly, leaning back in his chair and taking a small sip of his drink. "I plan to tell him about Rancho's death tomorrow morning."

“Rancho is Father’s adopted son, and we still have to write a letter to tell Father about this. According to the rules, only the head of the family is qualified to write this letter… This will give him a headache.”

“You know perfectly well that he can’t provide any valuable intelligence.” Igor sighed softly. “He wasn’t even there when Red Center killed Tuku; he was hiding under his desk in the office. The most he can do for Red Center is help with things like disposing of stolen goods and providing some legal assistance, that’s all.”

"You're still the same as before, bro."

Laro pulled out a deck of cards and began cutting and shuffling them with practiced ease, the cards dancing and twirling between his fingers like a professional dealer in a high-end casino. There was no real meaning to it; everyone relieves stress differently. For Laro, playing cards and practicing the cutting motion was his routine for stress relief.

"Your observation skills are exceptionally strong. You can see a lot of information that ordinary people cannot notice, but you only see it and rarely analyze it in depth."

Igor raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying, "You mean, in this area, you're better than me?"

“I’m not better than you, but I’m better at analyzing human nature. That’s my advantage.” Laro flicked his finger, and a card flew from his fingertip, spun a few times in the air, and landed in his other hand. “Why is the Red Dragon here?”

"To save me and Jimmy."

“You see, subconsciously, you always use simple justice or simple evil to deconstruct this world.” Laro laughed. “Yes, I don’t deny that motive, but is that all? If I were to hand you and this lawyer back to him now, would he turn around and leave?”

Igor's pupils constricted slightly.

“Never underestimate a war, my brother.” Laro’s tone turned somber. “It is a war, and I’ve confirmed that once again from that lawyer.”

"..."

"Such an important meeting today, why is only Daniel here? Where's his twin brother?" Igor suddenly realized something and asked, "Where did Ruwen go?"

“Ruwin, where he belongs.” Laro looked at Igor, his eyes and tone becoming meaningful. “I hope you are too.”

----

"White Bison Ranch... this should be it."

Under the cover of night and the starry sky, Zhang Renfeng and his group continued forward and finally reached the edge of the White Buffalo Ranch by the dim moonlight.

The vast grassland stretches as far as the eye can see, with the nearby Fortress Mountain range serving as a backdrop. Even in the dead of night, it possesses a sense of spacious beauty. In contrast, the cramped and narrow town of Numa, separated by a mountain, seems almost uninhabitable.

"To be honest, my ultimate dream is to find a place like this, with mountains and rivers, to graze livestock, feed horses, and retire peacefully," Calaway said with emotion. "He had what so many people dream of from birth."

"All of a person's unhappiness, in the final analysis, comes from comparison." Mike, however, stood on Igor's side and spoke up for him, "When all your brothers have made a name for themselves and gone out to conquer the world, and you can only feed horses in this small place, then you'll know what it feels like."

They chatted idly to ease the tense atmosphere, and the group continued to advance in an orderly manner.

With no cover on the vast grasslands, they could only crouch low, using the darkness as cover as they slowly advanced. Only after climbing over the fence and officially entering the ranch grounds could they vaguely see houses, buildings, and massive windmills and water towers in the distance. As expected of a family ranch, even the scale of its buildings was significantly larger than that of an average ranch.

Zhang Renfeng's purpose in coming here was to cause a ruckus and disrupt the troop deployment within Tianma Town.

"what time is it?"

"4:37 a.m."

To avoid arousing suspicion, the group left the narrow mine passage without lighting any lamps, proceeding entirely in the dark. Angel Eyes, seemingly possessing exceptional vision even in the darkness, pulled out his pocket watch, glanced at it, and confirmed, "The time spent crossing the mine has taken longer than expected. Twenty-three minutes until the agreed-upon time with Logan."

“We need to hurry.” Zhang Renfeng let out a long breath. As the person in charge of the operation, he was under the greatest pressure. “Repeat the plan: find a warehouse, set it on fire, create chaos, lure the troops over, and use the ranch buildings to maneuver around them. At five o’clock, Logan will lead his men across the mountains and coordinate with them from the inside to drive the enemy away.”

"We must be like nails, firmly rooted in the land of Tianma Town."

……

It's less of a ranch and more of a miniature town. A tavern, post office, newsstand, pharmacy, weapons shop, ranch workers' housing, and stables—small but perfectly formed, it has everything you need. Even at the end of the road, there's a church under construction.

Zhang Renfeng had never seen a rancher like this before, one who would create such a comfortable working environment for his workers. For most ranchers, workers were nothing more than talking and moving money-making machines; as long as they could make money, that was enough, and there was no need to invest a single penny more in them. But the arrangement here... only Igor could have done it.

“Strange,” Mike muttered. “They got in so easily. By now, Laro should have known about the events in Numa Town. Defenses in various places should have been strengthened, but we haven’t seen a single person along the way.”

“Perhaps it wasn’t set up here?” Caloway shrugged. “This is just a ranch, a place of exile for Zolael. There’s no need to put any manpower to guard it. Things like vaults and mansions are more important to them.”

"Perhaps, but something just doesn't feel right. It's... far too quiet here..."

----

As if sensing something, Zhang Renfeng stopped in his tracks.

"boom--!!"

Angel Eyes suddenly raised his hand and fired a shot towards the roof. The sound of the gunshot and the flames startled even his own men.

After that shot, a figure slowly fell from the rooftop and landed on the muddy ground with a thud.