229: punish

"Who are you people? Why have you injured my subordinates?"

The young general walked with a vigorous and confident stride, heading straight toward the Polar Ice Bear and Li Xueli. When he saw Wang Tian, who was pinned under the ice bear's paw with blood leaking from the corner of his mouth in a wretched state, anger instantly ignited in his eyes. The Ancient Sword Casket floating behind him emitted a low "humming" vibration, and the four long swords slotted within shimmered with flowing light, appearing ready to fly out at any moment to devour their prey!

A terrifying aura belonging to a Third-Tier Expert, as solid as a mountain, crashed down upon Li Xueli and the Polar Ice Bear behind her. Under that majestic pressure, even a creature as powerful as the Polar Ice Bear couldn't help but let out a low growl, its massive body leaning back slightly as a flicker of solemnity flashed in its ice-blue pupils.

"Why?" Li Xueli stepped forward without a hint of fear, her lithe and strong body standing tall. She met the young general's burning gaze head-on, her voice clear and carrying suppressed anger. "Because your men were forcibly kidnapping a young woman and even injured her father! We were just intervening to see justice done and teach these scumbags a lesson!"

"Forcibly kidnapping a young woman?" The fire in Yao Ke's eyes did not extinguish; instead, it grew even more intense. He snapped his head around, his blade-like gaze shooting toward Wang Tian on the ground, his voice bone-chillingly cold: "Wang Tian! Get the hell up and answer me!"

Seeing Yao Ke's reaction, Li Xueli felt a slight shift in her heart. She sensed that this young commander might not be entirely unreasonable and couldn't help but breathe a secret sigh of relief.

Wang Tian struggled to crawl out from under the ice bear's paw. Enduring the sharp pain in his chest and the humiliation, he argued, "Commander Yao! I've been wronged! They were the ones who injured my brother first, and I only came to rescue him! There was absolutely no kidnapping!"

"It was your brother who did it!" Li Xueli didn't wait for Yao Ke to follow up; she immediately cut in with a firm tone. "The girl and her injured father are right inside that house! These villagers you supposedly came to 'rescue' saw it with their own eyes and can all testify!"

Yao Ke's face was terrifyingly grim. Suppressing his rage, he waved over the cavalry squad leader from Wang Liu's unit who had been slapped earlier. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling pressure: "You! Speak! What exactly happened? If you dare tell a single lie or cover for them, I'll skin you alive today!"

"Yes... yes... Commander!" The cavalry squad leader was shaking like a leaf. He collapsed to his knees with a thud and stammered out the whole story—how Wang Liu had taken a fancy to Zheng Wanrou, how he had threatened her and torn her clothes, and how Wang Tian had ordered everyone to be silenced upon his arrival. He didn't dare hide a single detail.

Wang Liu, who had been beaten into a pulp and was slumped on the ground, was scared out of his wits upon hearing this. He scrambled and crawled to Yao Ke's feet, clutching his leg and wailing, "Commander... I didn't... she... she was willing..."

"Did I give you permission to speak?!" Yao Ke interrupted him abruptly, his voice like a clap of thunder filled with utter loathing. He kicked Wang Liu, sending him flying two or three meters away! Wang Liu screamed as he rolled on the ground, unable to speak further. Seeing Yao Ke so enraged, Wang Tian felt a chill in his heart. He lowered his head, not daring to plead for his brother, and even began to regret getting involved in this mess. He only hoped to distance himself; his brother was on his own.

Yao Ke ignored the brothers. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his surging anger, and walked over to the group of trembling villagers. He softened his tone, though his eyes remained sharp: "Folks, tell me, did my men really do something so subhuman? Just tell the truth. I, Yao Ke, promise you here and now that I will see justice done for you!"

A middle-aged man who seemed relatively brave saw that Yao Ke truly appeared to be upholding justice. He mustered the courage to stand up and pointed toward Zheng Wanrou's house. "General... your... your men were indeed too much! Old Zheng's daughter, Wanrou, is such a good child, yet they bullied her until she almost... almost... and Old Zheng was beaten unconscious by them! You must seek justice for us!"

"Enough!" Yao Ke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, they were filled with cold resolve. He turned to a personal guard beside him. "Go up and invite that young lady and her father down."

"No need to trouble yourself, I will go and invite Miss Wanrou down." Zhu Lingyun, who had been calmly observing from the side, spoke up. Seeing that Yao Ke seemed intent on handling things fairly, his attitude softened slightly as he turned to go upstairs.

A moment later, Zhu Lingyun accompanied Zheng Wanrou, who had changed into clean clothes, though the red, swollen finger marks on her face were still clearly visible. Seeing such a large commotion outside, especially Yao Ke's dazzling armor and intimidating presence, Zheng Wanrou shrank behind Zhu Lingyun in fear. However, the grievance and indignation in her eyes could not be hidden.

Yao Ke carefully looked at the injuries on Zheng Wanrou's face and asked a few questions gently. Though afraid, Zheng Wanrou haltingly recounted her ordeal. When she reached the painful parts, she broke down in tears again.

The truth was out! The anger in Yao Ke's chest was like a volcano on the verge of eruption! He spun around and strode over to Wang Liu, who was slumped on the ground like a puddle of mud. He grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up like a chick! By now, Wang Liu had lost control of his bladder out of fear; his crotch was soaked, emitting a foul stench.

The entire field fell silent. All eyes were focused on Yao Ke, waiting to see how he would deal with this scumbag.

"Wang Liu!" Yao Ke's voice was like it came from the depths of a frozen hell, carrying a piercing coldness and irresistible authority. "I have warned you repeatedly! We established the base to give our compatriots a way to survive in this apocalypse! Not for you to act like tyrants! No bullying is allowed! And absolutely no private seizing or humiliating of women! Did you take my words as a joke?!"

"Commander... mercy... I... I won't do it again..." Wang Liu's face was ashen, and his body was as limp as a noodle. He didn't even have the strength to stand straight, only able to let out a weak plea for mercy.

There was no trace of pity in Yao Ke's eyes, only overwhelming rage and unquestionable decisiveness. He disgustedly threw the urine-soaked Wang Liu like trash in front of the deathly pale Wang Tian and coldly spat out four words: "Wang Tian, do it yourself. Castrate him."

Wang Tian's whole body shuddered, and his face instantly turned white as a sheet. He knew well the young commander's uncompromising character and terrifying strength; he didn't dare disobey in the slightest. He gritted his teeth, a flash of struggle in his eyes, but ultimately raised his steel-tipped spear. The spearhead flashed with a cold light as he lunged at Wang Liu's crotch! Then, he twisted his wrist and gave it a forceful turn!

"AHHH——!!!" A shrill scream that didn't even sound human pierced the sky! Wang Liu's eyes rolled back, his body convulsed violently, and his hands clutched his mangled lower body. A large amount of blood instantly stained the ground beneath him, and the intense pain caused him to black out immediately.

This bloody and decisive scene caused everyone present to gasp. Many soldiers from the West Suburb Base instinctively tightened their legs, their gazes toward Yao Ke filled with awe and dread.

However, after dealing with Wang Liu, Yao Ke's gaze turned back toward Li Xueli and the others, becoming sharp and oppressive once more.

"Alright, I have disciplined my subordinate," Yao Ke's voice returned to a calm state, yet it carried an indisputable dominance. "Now, let's talk about you. Where did you come from? Even if my subordinate was in the wrong, it wasn't your place to take action! You've injured so many of my men; shouldn't you give me an explanation?" He pointed to the wounded soldiers on the ground and the grim-faced Wang Tian. As a leader, while he would punish his own, he also had to maintain the dignity of his followers, or he wouldn't be able to lead the team.

"Hey! Are you being reasonable?!" Upon hearing this, the slight bit of goodwill Li Xueli had for Yao Ke vanished instantly. She snapped, "He was kidnapping a girl! Were we supposed to just stand by and watch without helping?! What kind of logic is that!"

"Then what about him?" Yao Ke pointed to the pale Wang Tian, then to the soldiers who had been shot in the limbs by Yan Xin or knocked aside by Wang Kai and Niu Jinshui. "Did Wang Tian kidnap a girl? What about these soldiers? You injured them; shouldn't you give me an account for that?"

"What do you want?" Zhu Lingyun stepped forward again, standing shoulder to shoulder with Li Xueli. He gripped his Demon Flame Greatsword tightly, his muscles tensed. Wang Kai, Wang Sheng, and the others also closed in, their expressions wary.

"Nothing much," Yao Ke's tone remained flat, yet it carried the confidence of someone in total control. "Come back to the West Suburb Base with me. We'll clear things up there."

"Screw you! Who do you think you are? The government?" Li Xueli's eyebrows shot up in anger as she clenched her fists. Beside her, the Polar Ice Bear sensed its master's fury and let out a low growl. "What a waste of your decent looks; turns out you're just as unreasonable! I'm not going with you, so what are you going to do about it!"

"Then don't blame me for being impolite!" Yao Ke's eyes turned cold, and he spoke no more. With a thought, the sword casket behind him burst with brilliant light!

“Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!”

The four long swords, like living dragons, instantly flew out of the casket! Two of them, carrying sharp sword qi, shot straight toward Zhu Lingyun and Li Xueli! Their speed was as fast as a startled swan!

"Watch out!" Yang Yiyu, who had been watching the battle closely, cried out in alarm and acted almost instinctively! The Azure Water Spirit Beast beside her turned into a streak of azure light, instantly flying in front of Li Xueli and expanding into a crystal-clear Water Element Shield!

However—

“Puchi!”

Yao Ke's flying swords contained the terrifying power of a Third-Tier Expert. That water shield was like paper, easily pierced and torn apart! The flying sword's momentum slowed slightly, but it still accurately struck the Azure Water Spirit Beast!

“Wuu——”

The Azure Water Spirit Beast let out a mournful cry, its massive water-element body instantly collapsing and dissipating into blue light in the air. As her natal summoned beast was forcibly crushed, Yang Yiyu, who was mentally linked to it, felt a heavy blow. Her delicate body shuddered violently, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her face instantly turned white as paper as she slumped backward.