281: Teach Wang Gui a lesson

After listening, the anger in Zhang Lei's eyes did not subside; instead, it burned even brighter. This kind of situation—nurturing a tiger that would eventually cause trouble and becoming too powerful to control—was exactly what he detested most.

"Let's go. Take me to meet this 'local tyrant'," Zhang Lei said, his voice cold and beyond reproach.

The group walked toward an area within the base that was clearly receiving "special treatment." The walls here were higher, and the guards had been replaced by fierce-looking, thuggish Evolvers, a stark contrast to the numb survivors outside.

"Halt! Captain Hua, our boss doesn't have time to see you today!" A burly man with a face full of scars and a massive frame led several subordinates to arrogantly block the intersection. His unfriendly gaze swept over Zhang Lei and the others, lingering for a few extra seconds on Natasha and Zhang Qing with a lecherous expression.

Being so disregarded in front of a Major General of the National Government made Hua Feng's blood boil. He already had a fiery temper; previously, he had swallowed his pride due to the disparity in strength and the situation, but now, with Zhang Lei backing him up, how could he possibly hold back?

"Get lost! You're looking for death!" Hua Feng roared. His body moved like lightning as he delivered a vicious kick to the burly man's abdomen!

Bang! "Urgh—!" The burly man didn't have time to react at all. He felt a massive force strike him, making his internal organs feel as if they had shifted. He was sent flying back, crashing into a dirt wall. Foaming at the mouth, he curled up on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Hua Feng! You've got some nerve! You dare touch my people?!" An arrogant, powerful voice called out from inside. A man nearly two meters tall with an exceptionally burly build and striking fire-red short hair walked out with a powerful stride. Red flames seemed to dance within his eyes; this man was Wang Gui.

As soon as he appeared, the surrounding temperature seemed to rise by several degrees. He casually raised his right hand, and raging flames surged up, instantly condensing into a hideous flame dragon claw. Accompanied by a scorching wave of air, it lunged mercilessly toward Hua Feng's face! He clearly intended to give Hua Feng a show of force, perhaps even intending to severely injure him!

"How audacious!"

Zhang Lei gave a cold shout, sounding like a frozen spring suddenly cracking! He didn't even make any unnecessary movements, merely tapping his right foot lightly on the ground as if by accident.

Crack—

A trail of crystalline frost started from his toe, like a living bolt of white lightning. It instantly tore through the dry ground, spreading to Wang Gui's feet at a speed difficult for the naked eye to track!

"Huh?!" Wang Gui only felt a bone-chilling cold surge up from the soles of his feet without warning, instantly invading his entire body! He looked down and was horrified to find that his feet had been firmly frozen in place by a thick layer of profound ice emitting a grim chill, leaving him unable to move!

"What the hell is this?!" Wang Gui was both shocked and enraged. He frantically pushed his internal fire Superpower, and scorching flames ignited from his feet to clash violently with the cold ice, producing a sizzling sound and clouds of steam. After a while, he finally broke free from the ice with a "bang," but his feet remained bone-chillingly cold and slightly numb, making his movements noticeably sluggish.

Hua Feng watched from the side, his heart trembling. Zhang Lei's strike was fast, precise, and ruthless, without even a hint of an energy explosion beforehand. That ease and exquisite control over energy far exceeded his imagination.

Zhang Lei stepped forward to the suspicious and uncertain Wang Gui, looking at him with a disdainful gaze. "You are Wang Gui?"

"That's right, it's me! Who the hell are you?!" Although Wang Gui had suffered a hidden setback, he was used to being arrogant. Seeing that Zhang Lei was young, he instinctively roared with blustering bravado, trying to save face.

"Who I am is something you have no right to know," Zhang Lei said in a flat tone that carried unquestionable authority. "All you need to know is that from today onward, the Yueyang Base is officially taken over by my Red Alert Legion."

"Damn you! I gave you face, didn't I?!" Wang Gui was completely enraged; when had he ever been so slighted? "You think you're a big shot just because you caught me off guard? Taking over the base? Even those bastards from the Western Hunan Military Region didn't dare be this arrogant in front of me!" Amidst his roar, a brilliant red light flared around him, and dragon scale patterns faintly emerged under his skin. A terrifyingly scorching aura began to rise; it looked like he was about to complete his Fire Dragon Transformation to fight Zhang Lei to the death!

However, as fast as he was, someone else was faster!

Wang Gui felt the space in front of him blur and distort in a bizarre way! In the next instant, a tall and cold black figure appeared like a ghost, inches away from his face without any warning! It was Natasha!

He hadn't even seen how she moved!

Bang!

A dull sound of impact! The massive silver god-slaying sniper rifle in Natasha's hands was used as a melee blunt weapon. The hard alloy buttstock, carrying immense force, slammed squarely into the center of Wang Gui's face!

"Argh!" Wang Gui screamed as his nasal bone instantly collapsed and blood splattered. The massive force sent him reeling backward, and he fell pathetically onto his back, his transformation process forcibly interrupted.

But that wasn't the end!

Natasha's movements were as fluid as if they had been practiced a thousand times. Her body moved again, and a slender, beautiful leg clad in a black high-top tactical leather boot swept through the air with a piercing whistle, stepping mercilessly onto Wang Gui's blood-covered face! The hard heel sank deep into his flesh, crushing his cheekbones and mouth.

Crack... Pfft! The cringe-inducing sound of bones shattering and flesh being mashed rang out. Under this stomp, who knew how many of Wang Gui's teeth had been shattered!

"You dare... speak to him like that?" Natasha leaned down slightly. Her ice-blue eyes were like the permafrost of Siberia, coldly looking down at the dog-like Wang Gui beneath her. Her voice was even colder than her gaze, containing a pure, extreme killing intent. This wasn't a Superpower pressure, but a tangible killing intent condensed from countless times walking the line between life and death and reaping innumerable lives!

This killing intent was like an invisible ice pick, instantly piercing through Wang Gui's anger and courage, making the blood in his body feel frozen! It was the ultimate fear born of biological instinct when a creature is locked onto by a top-tier predator!

Immediately after, Wang Gui felt a cold, hard cylinder crudely shoved into his bloody mouth filled with shattered teeth! It was the terrifying muzzle of the god-slaying sniper rifle! The strong smell of gunpowder and the aura of death rushed straight to his brain!

Natasha's finger was already on the trigger, her gaze indifferent, as if she would pull it in the next second to blow his head into fragments from the inside!

Wang Gui was scared out of his wits! All his arrogance, violence, and ambition vanished in the face of this absolute threat of death and crushing killing intent! He felt like a fish on a cutting board, unable to even think of struggling. All that remained was boundless cold and fear. His legs shook uncontrollably, and the stench of incontinence wafted from his crotch.

"Natasha, wait," Zhang Lei's voice sounded at the right time as he raised a hand to signal her.

Natasha's movements paused, but the muzzle did not leave, and her cold gaze remained locked on Wang Gui.

Zhang Lei walked over to Wang Gui, who was limp as mud and nearly incontinent with fear. His eyes held only cold scrutiny and a hint of disgust.

Wang Gui acted as if he had caught a life-saving straw. Ignoring the blood and shattered teeth on his face, he struggled to crawl into a kneeling position, frantically kowtowing toward Zhang Lei. His voice was muffled and unclear due to his mouth injuries, filled with panic and flattery: "Off... Officer...! Spare me! Don't kill me! I'm a Rank 3 Evolver! I can kill zombies! I'm very useful! I'll do whatever you say! I'm just your dog! Woof... woof...! Please... don't kill me!"

Seeing Wang Gui's pathetic state, the disgust in Zhang Lei's eyes grew. "Who is your officer?" he said coldly. "Under my command, there are no soldiers like you."

After speaking, he stopped looking at the fawning Wang Gui and turned to Yang Feng behind him. "Yang Feng, you've just broken through and need to consolidate your realm. This trash will be handed over to you for practice. Let me see your Rank 3 strength."

Upon hearing this, the battle intent in Yang Feng's eyes instantly ignited. He grinned, cracked his knuckles with a series of pops, and strode forward. "Yes! General! I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Wang Gui, slumped on the ground, had an uncertain expression. He had been at Rank 3 for some time. Since this Zhang Lei wanted to use him to train his subordinate, then he would have to give him a surprise.