232: Cousin

Just at this critical moment!

"Swish—" "Boom!!!"

A massive shadow arrived with a whistling sound, accompanied by a sonic boom from the sky!

Following that, a colossal phantom of a Fire God, standing dozens of meters tall and wreathed in raging golden divine flames, crashed into the center of the battlefield like a falling meteorite!

"Rumble—" The moment the divine fire phantom landed, endless golden flames surged outward like a tsunami!

The high temperature distorted the air and scorched the ground black!

Yao Ke's four flying swords, which were about to attack, were lightly singed by this sacred and violent flame; as if encountering their nemesis, their spiritual light instantly dimmed, they let out a mournful cry, lost control, and clattered to the ground, the mental connection with Yao Ke becoming faint and tenuous!

As the flames subsided slightly, a tall, imposing figure with wings of ice and fire on his back landed steadily in the center of the field; it was none other than Zhang Lei, who had arrived just in time!

He was expressionless, his gaze sweeping across the entire scene. A massive Divine Fire Domain expanded from him as the center, covering a range of several hundred meters!

Within the domain, the temperature rose abruptly. Everyone felt as if they were in a furnace, their mouths parched, their bodies unbearably hot. Those with weaker strength were sweating profusely, their limbs weak, and they could barely stand!

This terrifying might, akin to a god descending to earth, instantly shocked everyone present!

Everyone was stunned by this power that defied common sense, their breathing coming to a halt.

Could this be the strength of a peak expert?

It was simply like the might of heaven!

Watching Zhang Lei's imposing figure and his earth-shattering entrance, Yang Yiyu's eyes sparkled, her heart rate accelerated involuntarily, and her pretty face flushed slightly. She whispered softly, "He is still… so amazing…" Her tone was filled with admiration and pride.

Yao Ke and Brigade Commander Luo were both forcibly pushed back by the sudden divine fire, retreating several steps each, looking at Zhang Lei in the center of the field with suspicion and uncertainty.

Zhang Lei first walked quickly to the side of the panting and injured Brigade Commander Luo, extended his palm, and a soft water-blue light emerged, flowing over Brigade Commander Luo's body like a sweet spring, rapidly alleviating his fatigue and injuries.

"Brigade Commander Luo, how are your injuries?" Zhang Lei asked.

Feeling the cool, healing energy instantly soothe the burning pain and emptiness inside him, Brigade Commander Luo felt refreshed. He immediately straightened his body and gave a standard military salute: "Report to Deputy Commander-in-Chief! This subordinate is fine! Thank you, Officer!"

"We are our own people, no need for formalities." Zhang Lei patted his shoulder, then turned around, casting his gaze toward Yao Ke on the other side, who was pale and looked at him with shock and confusion.

As Zhang Lei walked closer, looking at Yao Ke's young face that felt vaguely familiar, the serious expression on his face was gradually replaced by an extremely strange look.

"You are…" Yao Ke suppressed the churning blood in his body and his fear of the terrifying divine fire, speaking with difficulty.

He had fought Third-Tier Masters from Hongdu Base before, and none possessed such might. Could this person have already stepped into the Fourth Tier?

"Big Brother—?! Is it really you?! Holy crap—!!" When Zhang Lei walked within a certain distance, Yao Ke finally saw Zhang Lei's face clearly by the firelight. He widened his eyes abruptly, his face filled with unbelievable ecstasy, and he exclaimed involuntarily!

He strode up to Zhang Lei and grabbed Zhang Lei's arm excitedly.

"Xiao Ke?! It really is you!" Zhang Lei was also bewildered, then turned to a wry smile, quickly supporting the seemingly weak Yao Ke, "You kid… how is it you?!"

"Big Brother! My own brother! You almost slapped me to death! That move just now really scared the soul out of me!" Yao Ke indignantly punched Zhang Lei's solid chest, his tone filled with the relief of surviving a disaster and the excitement of seeing a relative.

As it turned out, this Yao Ke was none other than the son of Zhang Lei's own uncle, the nephew of his mother, Yao Chunhua!

Yao Ke was 3 years younger than Zhang Lei. During their childhood winter and summer vacations, Zhang Lei often went to his grandmother's house, and the two were very good playmates.

Later, Zhang Lei was busy with his studies, and Yao Ke dropped out of school to learn a trade in the provincial capital because he couldn't focus on his studies. The two met less often, but the bond of brotherhood remained deep.

"Haha! Xiao Ke, you… you've done well for yourself! You've even become a 'Commander'!" Zhang Lei pulled Yao Ke to the side, asking in a low voice, both amused and curious.

Yao Ke calmed down and briefly explained how he had accidentally awakened his Supernatural Ability and gathered survivors in this apocalypse to establish the West Suburb Base.

Zhang Lei also briefly mentioned that he had joined the official forces and become a high-level member of the Red Alert Legion, but he did not say a word about the core secret of the Jiang Xin red alert system, which was the highest-level secret that even his parents could not be told.

"Big Brother, you are truly awesome! That display just now was like a god descending to earth; I thought I had committed too many evils and was being punished by heaven!" Yao Ke laughed heartily, hugging Zhang Lei's shoulder tightly.

"You're not bad yourself! You were able to fight back and forth with Brigade Commander Luo!" Zhang Lei replied with a smile, then pulled Yao Ke back to the crowd, pointing at the members of the Demon Hunting Squad and saying: "Xiao Ke, these are my soldiers, and also my brothers and sisters. Regarding today's matter, what do you think…"

"Brother! What are you saying!" Yao Ke immediately interrupted Zhang Lei, waving his hand and ordering his men loudly: "What are you all standing there for? Didn't you hear that these are my brother's people? Untie them quickly! Let them go! Hurry, hurry, hurry!" His attitude had done a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.

The cavalrymen looked at each other, but quickly stepped forward to untie the ropes for the members of the Demon Hunting Squad.

"Officer!" "Officer Zhang Lei!"

As soon as Zhu Lingyun, Li Xueli, and the others were free, they ran to Zhang Lei, excitedly standing at attention and saluting.

"Lord Zhang Lei…" Yang Yiyu also walked up, lowering her head slightly, her cheeks flushed, her voice soft, and the admiration in her eyes almost overflowing.

"Classmate Yang, you've been startled. It's good that you're okay." Zhang Lei smiled gently at her, nodded slightly, and once again used the healing power of the water element. A soft blue light enveloped the members of the Demon Hunting Squad, quickly healing their minor injuries and fatigue.

Yao Ke, standing to the side, watched Zhang Lei's gentle attitude toward Yang Yiyu and Yang Yiyu's shy reaction. His eyes rolled, and an ambiguous smile of sudden realization appeared on his face.

He leaned toward Yang Yiyu, cupped his hands carelessly, his tone filled with apology and teasing: "Oh my! So it's my sister-in-law! We are all our own people! Look at this mess; it's really a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple! This little brother didn't recognize Mount Tai; I was heavy-handed. Please, with your great magnanimity, don't hold it against me! If you want to hit or punish me, this little brother has no complaints!"

Yang Yiyu was so embarrassed by his calling her "sister-in-law" that she turned red from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. Her heart pounded like a deer, and she was so shy she wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground, yet a secret sweetness rose in her heart. She kept her head down, fidgeting, and did not deny it.

"You kid! What nonsense are you spouting!" Zhang Lei scolded Yao Ke with a wry smile, but catching a glimpse of Yang Yiyu's shy and expectant look, he couldn't bear to embarrass her on the spot, so he changed the subject and asked Yang Yiyu with concern: "Classmate Yang, are you hurt?"

"No… no, thank you for your concern, Lord Zhang Lei." Yang Yiyu's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, and she shook her head.

At this time, the members of the Demon Hunting Squad reported the details of the incident to Zhang Lei one after another, including how Wang Liu and the others had tried to forcibly abduct women, how they had stopped them, and the subsequent conflict.

After listening, Zhang Lei understood the situation and said to Yao Ke: "Xiao Ke, speaking of this matter, the cause was indeed the misconduct of your men. Fortunately, it did not lead to irreversible consequences, and this young lady and her father are unharmed. I think the subsequent events were a misunderstanding; let's let it pass at that, how about it?"

"Brother! If you say that again, I'm really going to beat you up!" Yao Ke widened his eyes, pretending to be angry, "How can this be a misunderstanding? It's clearly my failure to discipline my subordinates! It's all my fault! That bastard named Wang Liu has already been castrated by my own hands! That should be enough to vent the young lady's anger! Fortunately, the young lady wasn't violated, otherwise, I would have dismantled that bastard's bones one by one!" As he spoke, he glared at Wang Liu, who was lying on a stretcher with a deathly pale face, scaring Wang Liu into trembling all over.

"Brother! It's not easy for us brothers to meet; let's not talk about these disappointing things!" Yao Ke instantly put on a warm smile again, hugging Zhang Lei's shoulder tightly, "You are now a high-ranking official in the government, busy with a thousand tasks! You must give your little brother some face today! Come! Let's go to my West Suburb Base and sit for a while! Let me fulfill my role as a host, and let us brothers have a good drink, not returning until we're drunk!"

Looking at his cousin's sincere and enthusiastic face, a warm current surged in Zhang Lei's heart. In this cruel apocalypse, the reunion of relatives was truly not easy.

He nodded with a smile: "Alright! I'll follow your arrangements today. Let us brothers have a good gathering!"