Commander Fan returned to his office and summoned another soldier from the army who had gone to kill the zombie king.
"Tell me in detail what happened during your mission."
The man recounted everything from meeting Qin Shilei in the valley to their return to the military camp, omitting nothing.
He concealed only the matter of meeting Fan Xiaobo after entering the light portal.
"Are you saying that Qin Shilei controls the method of entering and exiting that space?" Commander Fan's face was so grim it could drip water.
"Exactly. We only returned to that cave because he opened the light portal for us," the man nodded.
At this point, Commander Fan was already having a bad premonition.
His son already had some grievances with Qin Shilei, and their two encounters had been rather unpleasant.
In the cave, Qin Shilei had even threatened to kill his son if he dared to utter another word.
Under such circumstances, Qin Shilei wouldn't even need to act; he could trap his son to death in that space simply by not opening the light portal.
"Xiaobo, I hope you are alright. Otherwise, I will make everyone pay for you."
Commander Fan said with a sinister look.
With the apocalypse, his legitimate son was already dead, and only this last flesh-and-blood remained.
If this last child also met with an accident, Commander Fan would go mad.
Still holding onto a sliver of hope, Commander Fan dispatched a helicopter to fly to the valley again and sent people to inquire about Fan Xiaobo from Qin Shilei.
However, the results only made his face grow even grimmer.
...
Qin Shilei saw that the bridge was guarded by Lu Tiangang and his men, so he left to find the military to claim his reward for killing the zombie king.
"Please wait, I will go in and notify our leader," the guard said before turning to go in and report.
Soon, a military officer from the logistics department emerged. "Mr. Qin, please come in."
This logistics officer, named Liu, was a little plump and wore a fawning smile.
"Mr. Qin, there has indeed been an instruction from above regarding your matter. I have reported it, and once it is confirmed that you indeed killed the zombie king, the reward will be approved soon."
Qin Shilei nodded and casually threw the zombie king's corpse at Director Liu's feet.
Director Liu quickly summoned his subordinates to identify the authenticity of the zombie king.
After examining its appearance, form, and the crystal core and energy bead within its head, Director Liu had a seventy to eighty percent certainty that the corpse before him was the zombie king.
Coupled with the information from Lu Tiangang and the military's investigation into Qin Shilei's strength, he was ninety-nine percent sure that Qin Shilei had indeed killed the zombie king.
Director Liu's attitude became even more respectful. "Mr. Qin, please wait a moment. I will go and urge them again. The military will certainly reward a hero like you handsomely."
Before leaving, he also had some pastries and tea sent over.
Qin Shilei waited for almost an hour.
Then he saw Director Liu, looking somewhat apprehensive, walk in behind Commander Fan.
As soon as Qin Shilei saw Commander Fan, his heart skipped a beat, realizing that the other party was likely there to cause trouble.
Commander Fan asked with a cold face, "Qin Shilei, I heard you controlled that space. Do you have any news of Fan Xiaobo?"
Qin Shilei shook his head. "I did not control that space; I merely managed to open the light portal to leave."
Commander Fan questioned, "You didn't control it? Then why have the light portals for entering and exiting disappeared?"
Qin Shilei spread his hands. "Then I wouldn't know. The light portal disappeared on its own after I came out."
"You..." Commander Fan said indignantly, "You clearly closed the light portal for entry and exit. You are deliberately trying to trap others inside to die."
Commander Fan's last hope was shattered.
Regardless of whether his son was dead or not, they would likely never see each other again in this lifetime.
Qin Shilei said calmly, "Believe it or not, the light portal truly disappeared automatically after I left."
In reality, Qin Shilei had actively closed the light portal.
Mastering the Thunder Spirit Pearl also meant mastering the entry and exit to that space.
Currently, that space contained nothing but some bamboo and a small number of thunder beasts.
While seemingly useless, it was rich in lightning elements, allowing Qin Shilei to easily baptize people with lightning within it.
Moreover, it was an independent space, which in the apocalypse represented an extremely safe place.
If the entrance and exit could be relocated, it would be an excellent rear base.
Naturally, Qin Shilei did not want anyone else to enter such a good place, so he closed the light portal as soon as he came out.
Commander Fan asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure you cannot open the light portal and let Fan Xiaobo out?"
Qin Shilei shook his head. "I am powerless to do so."
"Good, very good," Commander Fan laughed angrily. "It seems you are very confident in your own strength."
"I wonder if you can withstand a missile bombardment?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Shilei revealed a murderous intent and looked coldly at Commander Fan.
Commander Fan immediately felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, as if being stared at by a prehistoric beast.
He had also absorbed a large number of crystal cores and possessed a cultivation of Plastic Seven Stars, yet Qin Shilei's gaze made him tremble.
Was this the strength of the strongest person in Nanzhuang City?
As Qin Shilei was contemplating whether to kill this man named Fan here, footsteps were suddenly heard from outside the room.
Then, Shi Yutang, the commander of the Blazing Fire Legion, walked in through the open door.
"Hello, Deputy Commander Fan."
Shi Yutang greeted Commander Fan first, then said to Qin Shilei, "Qin Shilei, I heard you killed the zombie king. I will take you to see the commander now, and he will give you your reward."
Qin Shilei couldn't figure out why Shi Yutang was helping him so proactively, but he readily agreed. "Alright."
"Hold on," Commander Fan said with a cold face. "It hasn't been confirmed whether the zombie king was killed yet. Isn't it too childish to give him the reward now?"
Shi Yutang turned to Director Liu and asked, "You have already confirmed the authenticity of the zombie king's corpse, haven't you?"
Director Liu was about to answer when Commander Fan glanced at him. "You should think carefully. Falsification will be severely punished."
Director Liu stammered, unsure how to answer.
Although he was the director of the logistics department, there was a Minister of Logistics above him. In front of these two big shots, he was several ranks below.
How could a small figure like him dare to interfere in the conflict between two leaders?
Shi Yutang said calmly, "Just state the inspection results. Commander Kong will distinguish the truth from falsehood himself."
Director Liu pondered for a moment and then spoke. "The zombie corpse provided by Mr. Qin has a 95% similarity to the military's photos of the zombie king. The crystal core and energy bead on the corpse also correspond to the zombie king's strength."
Glancing at Commander Fan, who was glaring at him, Director Liu added, "Since we don't have more information about the zombie king, we cannot confirm whether this zombie corpse is the zombie king."
Shi Yutang smiled and said, "This is sufficient. Coupled with the testimony of Colonel Lu and others, the person Mr. Qin killed must be the zombie king."
With that, he led Qin Shilei out.
Director Liu quietly followed them out.
Commander Fan muttered with a grim expression, "So what if you get the reward? I fear you will have the life to receive it, but not the life to use it."