Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Looking back, the once-empty hill suddenly appeared with a large number of horsemen, their deployment quite strategic, like a spread-out arrowhead charging towards Zhang Renfeng and his group. Distributing their charge in the most even way possible minimized the impact of their bullets.

Simply put, it's about using speed to buy time; before you can even fire a shot, they've already reached you.

“No, that’s not right… This isn’t your average highway robbery.” A hint of surprise flickered in Mike’s usually deadpan eyes. “A classic Confederate Ranger charge! During the Civil War, the Union’s artillery fire was incredibly powerful, and due to developmental constraints, the South couldn’t muster that level of firepower. To reverse the tide, a Confederate Ranger invented this charge formation to distribute the damage from artillery fire as much as possible and break through the enemy’s trenches as quickly as possible.”

“The Southern Army?” Zhang Renfeng raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t the war over?”

"Ah, the Southern army was defeated, but there are still many Southern soldiers who are unwilling to admit their defeat. They have broken into many different forces and skillfully used the skills they learned in the army and in war, becoming an organization even more terrifying than bandits."

"Some remnants of the army even occupied some wartime military fortresses and are still continuing the 'war' to this day."

War PTSD takes many different forms, and in a sense, the inability to adapt to life without war is also a part of it.

But the group of people we're talking about right now clearly doesn't belong to that category.

“They’re up to no good…” Zhang Renfeng squinted, looking at the billowing dust kicked up by the horse’s hooves. His smile seemed somewhat helpless.

Forget about the troublemakers, at least wait until we get into the city. Right now, we haven't even entered Lagras yet, and someone's already showing up at our door.

It must be said that this charging formation is indeed very effective. Weapons like Gatling guns and field artillery have a fatal weakness: slow turning speed. By utilizing the speed and impact of horses, coupled with riding skills, damage can be easily distributed. Even if a hit does occur, the charging team has already split into groups, and at most only one or two groups will be lost. It's simply a matter of whoever gets hit is unlucky.

Horses were quite valuable during the Civil War, at least in the South.

Should we throw a grenade?

The chief took out a sling from his belt. "Let's blow up the leader first and disrupt their formation. Then we can use the cover to take them down one by one."

"...No, wait."

With neither Ego nor Jimmy present, Mike automatically becomes the strategist based on the gang's internal hierarchy.

He drew his lead-gray Colt revolver and said in a deep voice, "The Confederate Army has its own communication system, although it's not universally applicable, but..."

"At least give it a try."

"boom---!"

"boom---!"

"boom---!"

He fired three shots into the air. There were no obstructions on the hill, so the gunshots would carry far enough for the other side to hear.

However, the sound of charging hooves... did not stop.

"Alright, looks like I have no choice." Zhang Renfeng finally resigned himself to his fate, cracking his neck. "I'll go get my broadsword."

“Are you serious?” Mike rolled his eyes at him. “I know you’re good at close combat, but in this kind of open space, firearms are the most suitable.”

"Come on, Mike, I'm not a caveman, of course I know." Zhang Renfeng took his broadsword down from the roof of the carriage, smiled at Mike, "I'll throw it out and smash that leader to death. Imagine, a seventy-kilogram broadsword, smashing man and horse to death together, that scene will be super shocking."

"While they're distracted, we'll throw grenades together and catch them off guard."

----

"Otto!"

Another henchman circled around from the side and got to the lead cavalryman. He mounted his horse and rode along, the wind howling and tearing things apart. He had to shout loudly for the other man to hear him: "Three shots have been fired from the other side. This is a signal from the Southern army!"

"So what?" Otto tightened the reins, turned around, and shouted at the charging crowd behind him, "Boys, what are we?!"

"【Ramoon Raider】—!!"

Although their positioning was rather scattered, everyone seemed to be very familiar with Otto's tactics, and they all opened their voices and shouted their names.

Just like the members of the Wolf Pack, who howl like wolves to cheer themselves on when they charge, they have the same corporate culture here. However, the Wolf Pack's charge is completely like bandits coming down the mountain, without any strategy or method, they just charge and that's it. But this group of Ramoen raiders is quite organized. Despite the shouting, everyone remains firmly in their positions, and not a single person gets carried away with the excitement.

"That's right, boys, we are the Raiders of Lamoine, no longer the cowardly Southern Army trash! We plunder everything that is rightfully ours!"

"We will not bow down to anyone, especially these corporate dogs. We will wipe them out!"

The distance is already very close; just a little closer and we'll be at the point where our revolvers can touch each other in a firefight.

Otto gripped the reins with his teeth, his legs tightly clamped around the stirrups, and he drew his gun with both hands, ready to engage in combat.

……

"boom---!"

"boom---!"

"boom---!"

Three gunshots were fired.

The message came from the middle of the cavalry formation, at short intervals, conveying a clear meaning of "no refusal allowed."

Otto's expression changed abruptly, from shock to disbelief, but soon, this cavalry unit demonstrated characteristics that distinguished them from the bandits.

As soon as the gunshot rang out, the horses that had been galloping and charging suddenly stopped as if they had been hit by brakes.

Even though Otto was puzzled, he immediately reined in the horses. At this moment, they were only a dozen meters away from Zhang Renfeng and his group, almost face to face.

For a moment, the atmosphere between the two sides became somewhat awkward. Otto did not dismount, but he put his two pistols back into their holsters, indicating that he had no intention of attacking.

He looked at the weapon in Zhang Renfeng's hand with a strange expression. He had seen cavalrymen with cold weapons before, but where could he find infantrymen with cold weapons these days?

A javelin?

It doesn't look like it.

The knights' lances were also pointed.

What is this actually used for?

Otto fell into deep thought.

Chapter 477: Roannock Fuel Company

"Bang! Bang!"

The sound of horses' hooves came from afar, tight and dense, like the beat of drums.

The newcomer rode a snow-white Appaloosa horse. Compared to Arabian horses, this type of horse was slightly inferior in terms of acceleration, but it had all the other desirable attributes.

Its endurance and courage far surpass those of Arabian horses. In White Torch, Wendigo's mount is a jet-black Appaloosa. Although this fellow has no good intentions, his physique is indeed very strong, perfectly matching the broad-bodied Appaloosa.

At that moment, the white horse swiftly passed through the cavalry formation and came to stand in front of the group, stopping one body length in front of Biotolo.

This clearly demonstrates the hierarchy within the organization.

The man wasn't tall, but he was very lean and wiry. His hair was disheveled like a bird's nest, and backlit by the sun, his face held a hint of melancholy, like a marble statue. His eyes were striking, a fragile light blue, and his lips were tightly closed, like someone who could keep a secret.

Although he had beautiful, jewel-like eyes, his lifeless, dead fish eyes, just like Mike's, made him look more than ten years older.

Judging by his appearance alone, Zhang Renfeng could not determine his age.

“Mr. Meteora, they’re from the company!” Otto spat out the word “company” through gritted teeth, as if he harbored an irreconcilable hatred for this group. “Even if they served in the military before, they’ve already chosen a completely different path from ours…”

“It has nothing to do with the company,” Meteora said. His voice was clear, yet it had a sharp, youthful quality to it.

His pale blue eyes were fixed on the broadsword in Zhang Renfeng's hand. After a moment of contemplation, he dismounted and nodded slightly to Zhang Renfeng.

With a simple movement, he dismounted, and everyone behind him followed suit, including Otto, who had been quite indignant just moments before.

Despite their nickname "plunderers," their style of operation was surprisingly orderly, maintaining a high degree of consistency with their leader. They might feel uncomfortable inside, but in action, they would never disobey their boss's will. This level of execution secretly surprised Zhang Renfeng.

“Nice to meet you, Red Center.” Meteora extended her right hand to him. “…”

The cavalrymen following behind him showed even more exaggerated expressions of shock than before. When they looked at Zhang Renfeng, their demeanor and posture were much more docile than before. Some of the more restless ones obediently put their guns back into their holsters, completely abandoning any thought of fighting.

"Um, may I ask..." Seeing that the other party was quite polite, and that a fight was unlikely, Zhang Renfeng propped his long sword on the ground and grasped his hand. "How did you recognize me? I wasn't wearing a mask."

“No need for a mask. Your story has spread throughout southern America. They say that you, with only eight men, ended the Zolael family’s dominance over Three Horses and took over their entire estate. In the story, your weapon is an unimaginably heavy knife that you can cleave the road with a single swing.”

Some say you are a revelation sent to earth by God, some say you are a werewolf who transforms when you see the moon, some say you are a monster from across the ocean...

Strictly speaking, this is not a story because it lacks exaggeration and embellishment.

Of course, Meteora is unaware of this at the moment, but the reputation of Red Center is enough for him to make a choice after weighing the options, and that's enough.

"Regardless of the version, it is clearly stated that Hong Zhong is a yellow-skinned person. People who can meet all these conditions at the same time are not common."

"Let me introduce myself again. I am Meteora, the leader of the [Ramoon Raiders]."

Meteora.

I feel like I've heard this name somewhere before.

……

"Ah! Could it be!"

Zhang Renfeng had a flash of inspiration. He rummaged through his satchel and finally found the page among the nearly full load of bullets.

On Sparrow Hills, Barbara once gave him a list of all sorts of legendary gunslingers.

She wanted to write a novel called "The Gunman's Chronicle," and therefore hoped that someone else could take her place and interview these legendary gunmen.

It's quite a coincidence that the last time I ran into someone on the list was in Rongma Town.

"Villain Bill," now Hector's bodyguard, barely uttered a few words before seeking death, mentioning a man called "Old Man." Rancho Zolael, along with the four mercenaries of the Golden Company, all seem to be connected to Old Man.

According to Bill, his father was like a cleaner, regularly taking down gangs that grew to a certain level. The Jack Gang and the Bill Gang were both dismantled by him.

This incident was like a thorn in Zhang Renfeng's heart, and it reinforced the impression of everyone on the list.

"Mitora, the Morning Star Ranger, is that you?"

This time, it was Meteora's turn to be silent. He seemed surprised that anyone would remember his name.

“That was a long time ago. Now I am… the leader of the Raiders of Lamoon.”

He spread his hands, encompassing the cavalry behind him, "As you can see, they're doing some shady business."

"I've never seen anything like this before, so blatant and aboveboard." Mike rolled his eyes at him and complained, "So, there has to be some explanation for what happened today."

“Your carriage was far too luxurious; our sentries mistook you for company personnel,” Meteora said in a deep voice. “That’s it.”

"A company?" Zhang Renfeng's tone was somewhat meaningful, because in Igor and Jimmy's plan, once they had accumulated enough funds and made a breakthrough on Tao's side, they did indeed intend to start a company. "If I were someone from the company, would I deserve to be robbed by you?"

“You don’t understand at all. There’s nothing to say to outsiders.” Otto gritted his teeth and said bitterly, “These corporate bastards deserve to die. Killing them a thousand times wouldn’t be enough!”

“They’re unaware of the situation, Otto, that’s normal,” Meteora explained. “In fact, the real assets of the Osborne family lie south of the rich and civilized Lagrass, in the Badi Mountains.”

"Their family leader, Roanok Osborn, is a ruthless man. His exploitation of miners can only be described as 'bloody.' I founded the Lamon Raiders primarily to target..."

"Wait a minute." Zhang Renfeng keenly caught the key word, "Roannock?"

"Correct."

“Roannock Fuel Company,” Meteora said coldly, her voice filled with disgust. “They are the enemy of everything!”

Chapter 478: Famous for wiping out entire families

"Roannock... Fuel Company."

Many things flashed through Zhang Renfeng's mind, but the clearest one was Baum's body, which looked like a bloated, waterlogged tissue, severely distorted and deformed.

Baum died in Numa, and his body was not properly buried but burned because the villagers were worried that burying such a severely diseased body might contaminate the nearby land.

Unfortunately, their concerns are not unfounded.

Ultimately, the root cause of all this is the Zola El family... and that evil company that treats people like dirt!

"Is that the company that dumps waste into the underground river?" Xiaomei quickly recalled the details of her trip to Numa Town. "I never expected to run into them here..."

"It seems you've already experienced the company's methods," Meteora said calmly. "Where?"

"...Numa Town".

After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Renfeng omitted the details and told the man in front of him everything he had encountered in Numa Town, or more precisely, in that dark and narrow mine—the Fortress Mountains, the mine, the poisoned water source, and the villagers whose bodies had become diseased and inhuman.

After listening, Otto's emotions were complicated. Zhang Renfeng could see that his chest was heaving violently and his eyes were flashing with anger. But since Meteora didn't say anything, he suppressed his emotions and didn't show them. Only his angry eyes seemed to have the words "I have a grudge against the company" engraved in them.

Looking back now, the existence of the Zolael family gave everyone's anger a clear and tangible target for venting. After completely wiping them out and venting their anger, surprisingly, almost no one in the entire town of Three Horses ever mentioned the Roanok Fuel Company again.

"That's right, that's their method. Revenue, cost, profit, output... all they care about are these. The whole company is like a giant oil press, throwing people in, squeezing every drop of their blood and bone, and then exchanging them for greenbacks."

"In their view, ordinary people are no longer the same species as them."

"From what I understand, they often do similar things, until they completely destroy the environment and people's livelihood in a place, squeeze out a lot of cash in a short period of time, and then upgrade their weapons and look for the next place. Numa Town is just one of them. It is thanks to your intervention that their plot was thwarted."

"You just said they also have property here in the Buddy Mountains, right?" Mike asked in a deep voice.