233: West Suburbs Base

"Brother, tell me the truth, what is your strength now? Fourth-Tier? That move just now was like a god descending to earth; my heart is still pounding." Yao Ke leaned closer to Zhang Lei, his face filled with undisguised admiration and curiosity. The demeanor of the young general who commanded with ease and the ruthless decisiveness of a leader vanished in front of his cousin, leaving only a younger brother's reliance on and admiration for a powerful older brother.

Zhang Lei couldn't help but chuckle at his cousin's appearance and patted his shoulder: "It's not that fast. The threshold for the Fourth-Tier is very high; I am still far from that hurdle. According to my own senses and cultivation progress, I am probably at the Mid-Third Tier right now. You and Brigade Commander Luo should both still be at the initial stage."

"Mid-Third Tier?!" Yao Ke's eyes widened, and he scratched his head exaggeratedly, "But the gap is too huge! I feel... I feel like even if ten of me were tied together, it wouldn't be enough to fight you!" He really couldn't understand why the gap in strength was so vast when both were in the Third Tier.

"Haha, it's not that exaggerated." Zhang Lei laughed heartily and explained in a calm tone, "Perhaps it is because my understanding and control of the essence of elements are deeper, coupled with some combat insights, which makes my energy utilization efficiency higher. The real difference in realm is often reflected in these subtle details."

Mentioning elemental control, Yao Ke immediately perked up. He had awakened the rather rare metal-type Supernatural Ability, allowing him to manipulate and transform metal, but he had mostly relied on his own exploration for deeper understanding and application techniques of elements. He immediately began to humbly ask Zhang Lei for advice, from the most basic elemental resonance to how to more skillfully construct spell models to reduce unnecessary consumption.

Zhang Lei did not hold anything back from his cousin, combining his own insights into controlling water and fire, and explained the wonderful uses of elements from spellcasting to elemental materialization in simple terms. The cultivation wisdom contained in his words not only left Yao Ke mesmerized, but Luo Chen, Zhu Lingyun, Li Xueli, and other Evolvers nearby also deliberately slowed their pace, followed closely, and pricked up their ears, afraid of missing a single word. This legendary expert, famous throughout the country, personally teaching cultivation experience was invaluable and was definitely a rare opportunity for ordinary Evolvers.

The team moved quickly while talking, and before long, a large-scale base appeared before their eyes.

The predecessor of this place was a large state-owned grain enterprise and was one of the three major strategic grain storage bases in Xijiang Province, with towering granaries and warehouses standing everywhere. It was precisely by relying on the massive amounts of rice, soybeans, corn, and countless disaster relief supplies such as drinking water and convenient foods stored here that Yao Ke and Huangfu Yao were able to feed the hundreds of thousands of people under their command in the apocalypse.

In order to capture and hold this gigantic base, which had tens of thousands of workers and covered an area of six square kilometers, Yao Ke and Huangfu Yao had paid a heavy price in the beginning.

Looking around, a sturdy wall four meters high had already been built around the perimeter of the base, and countless survivors were reinforcing it like worker ants.

Near the wall, hundreds of armed patrol members were mixed with Evolvers who had strong auras, patrolling vigilantly, and agile cavalry teams were shuttling back and forth. Within a two to three-kilometer range outside the base, almost no wandering zombies could be seen, as they were clearly cleared regularly, forming a relatively safe zone.

"Xiao Ke, this base of yours is managed very well; it is orderly and the defense is tight." Zhang Lei looked around, his eyes revealing sincere approval, and he looked at his cousin's abilities with newfound respect.

"Haha, Brother, I'm not bragging," Yao Ke's face bloomed with a confident smile, "This West Suburb Base that Huangfu and I have painstakingly built is absolutely not much worse than that Hongdu Military Region base in terms of scale, defense, or internal order!"

Just as he finished speaking, a Second-Tier Evolver behind Luo Chen who came from the Red Alert Legion and was outspoken couldn't help but mutter in a low voice: "Is this it? Compared to our Longxing City, it's far behind..."

The smile on Yao Ke's face stiffened slightly, but he quickly returned to normal, laughed, and said quite generously: "Haha, this brother speaks the truth; compared to the base built by your regular army with all its might, our amateur setup naturally cannot compare."

Zhang Lei glared at the talkative soldier and then said gently to Yao Ke: "My subordinate doesn't know how to speak; don't take it to heart, Xiao Ke." He changed the subject and asked the question in his heart: "By the way, Xiao Ke, there is one thing I find strange. Logically speaking, your base is so large and has so many people that it is impossible for the Hongdu Military Region not to know. Why has the National Government level never received a formal report about you?"

Yao Ke shook his head in confusion upon hearing this: "We don't know either. We have organized manpower many times to try and contact other provinces and cities using radio waves, but the signal seems to have been severely interfered with by something, and we have never been able to successfully establish a connection. We also cannot receive outside signals. Only with the Hongdu Military Region have there been intermittent contacts, but they have always been thinking about how to incorporate us; it seems they have no intention of reporting our existence to their superiors."

"That's strange..." Zhang Lei frowned slightly, a guess vaguely forming in his heart, but due to the occasion and his status, he did not say it out loud.

While the two were talking, they had already entered the West Suburb Base. Arriving at a huge drill ground, the scene before them made Zhang Lei and his group stop in their tracks, their faces showing expressions of astonishment.

On the drill ground, hundreds of mutated beasts of various shapes and sizes, clad in custom metal armor, were training! They were not disorganized but vaguely had formations and coordination. There were specialized soldiers nearby responsible for feeding them.

There were many types of beast herds: there were mutated dog packs with bodies as large as calves and fierce eyes; mutated cat packs that were agile as lightning, elegant in posture but hiding murderous intent, and the size of leopards; and even more, there was a group of monkeys wearing light armor, holding long spears or swords and shields. Their movements were uniform, like soldiers in ancient times being inspected, and the scene was quite spectacular!

Several of the mutated beasts among them had particularly powerful auras, attracting attention:

Four silverback gorillas with knotted muscles and clad in heavy armor, over four meters tall, with giant palms like palm-leaf fans, exuded a fierce Second-Tier aura.

Three brown bears clad in black heavy armor, with claw covers flashing with cold light, nearly four meters tall when standing upright, were clearly at the peak of the Second-Tier.

The most conspicuous one was a giant war elephant with a shoulder height of over six meters. Its long tusks were occasionally entwined with crackling blue electric light; it was actually a rare lightning-type mutated beast, and its pressure was astonishing! In addition, there were giant rhinoceroses like small tanks, and male lions with burning flames attached to their manes, all exuding powerful auras that could not be underestimated.

"Brother, look," Yao Ke pointed to the drill ground with some pride, "This is the mutated beast legion that Huangfu and I built with our own hands! About half of the members have strength above the First-Tier, and those big guys, the silverback gorillas, brown bears, giant elephant, rhinoceroses, and flaming lions, are all bona fide Second-Tier elites!"

"Truly amazing, Xiao Ke!" Zhang Lei looked at this army full of wildness and power and gave a heartfelt thumbs-up. Being able to tame so many ferocious mutated beasts and form an army was by no means an easy task.

Just as everyone was marveling at this strange army, a low and majestic tiger roar suddenly came from the distance!

A giant, incomparably majestic tiger was seen carrying a figure, treading on the wind as it approached! The tiger had a shoulder height of over 3.5 meters and a body length of nearly eight or nine meters including its tail. It was extremely magnificent, with a coat of blue and white fur that was sleek and shiny, and long, sharp fangs like blades. What was shocking was... under its huge tiger paws, it was actually stepping on four rotating cyan wind orbs, making its massive body look as if it were floating and gliding in the air, swift and silent, full of strange beauty!

When it approached, the figure on the tiger's back became clear. It was a youth wearing exquisite black and gold armor, covered with a black and red cloak, and a long sword at his waist. His face was handsome and still carried a hint of youthful immaturity, but between his brows was a vigorous and heroic spirit, his eyes sharp, and his gaze carried power.

The youth leaped lightly off the tiger's back, his gaze quickly sweeping over Zhang Lei and his group, especially when he felt the unfathomable aura on Zhang Lei, like an abyss, a flash of undisguised astonishment could not help but cross his eyes.

"Xiao Ke, who are these...?" Huangfu Yao asked, his voice clear and resonant, carrying a calmness inconsistent with his age.

"Huangfu!" Yao Ke stepped forward quickly, excitedly bumped fists with Huangfu Yao, and introduced: "This is the older brother I often mention to you, Zhang Lei! He is super strong! These are his subordinates; my brother is now a high-ranking officer in the Lujiang government army!"

Upon hearing this, the surprise in Huangfu Yao's eyes deepened, but he quickly regained his composure. He was not timid at all, stepped forward, extended his right hand to Zhang Lei, and his posture was neither humble nor arrogant: "So it is Big Brother! Hello! I am Huangfu Yao, Xiao Ke's brother-in-arms."

Zhang Lei shook his hand firmly, feeling the strength and impressive foundation transmitted from the other's palm, and praised with a smile: "Little Brother Huangfu has extraordinary strength and is a talented person; truly a hero in his youth! No wonder you could create such a foundation together with Xiao Ke." With his top-tier strength and status, no one felt it inappropriate for him to call him "Little Brother," and even the giant tiger, whose aura also reached the Third Tier and was extraordinarily divine, seemed much more restrained in front of Zhang Lei.

"Let's go, Huangfu!" Yao Ke said in high spirits, "Take my brother to properly tour our West Suburb Base!" In front of his own cousin, he couldn't help but want to show off his "muscles." This was both a show-off of youthful nature and a silent declaration—he, Yao Ke, was not an appendage, but a powerful local figure with the strength to talk to the official authorities on equal terms.

Huangfu Yao understood and immediately signaled the beast tamer nearby to command the herd to continue training. Especially the monkey group, which quickly changed formations under the instructions; long spears were like a forest, shields were like a wall, and they actually practiced ancient battle formations. Combined with their natural agility, it appeared visually impactful and had great practical potential.

The Demon Hunting Squad and the Red Alert Soldiers brought by Luo Chen watched in amazement; such a scene was rare to see elsewhere.

Yao Ke and Huangfu Yao then led Zhang Lei and his party to visit the well-equipped shooting range, the massive stables, and a heavy infantry phalanx composed entirely of strong men clad in heavy armor and holding giant shields and machetes. These soldiers had firm eyes and unified steps, and were clearly elite veterans who had undergone strict training.

Throughout the journey, the unique style, militarized management, and powerful mutated beast strength displayed by the West Suburb Base indeed constituted a rare "spectacle" in the apocalypse, and it also gave Zhang Lei a more intuitive understanding of his cousin's achievements.