Volume 1: Hometown Clouds Chapter 1: Father and Son

  Several empty wine bottles were scattered on the ground, and half-eaten peanuts in a bowl had fallen all over the table. The most miserable thing was those few salted eggs that had been pressed under someone's arm and rolled back and forth, already transformed into an unbearable yellowish-white mess.

  They themselves didn't know how long they had been drinking, nor did they know how many bottles of strong liquor they had consumed. As long as they stretched out their legs, the sound of rolling wine bottles would come from under the table. Now when they looked at each other's eyes, they had already lost their usual sharpness and began to become dazed. Perhaps the only thing that hadn't changed was their loud voices trained in the military camp, but every word they spoke, their tongues would circle at least four or five more times than usual.

  The man sitting at the west end of the dinner table, who looked to be just over thirty years old, pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and took out two. "Lai Zhen, big brother, have one, genuine American goods!"

  This man's original appearance was not outstanding, but now anyone who has seen him will absolutely never forget him. His biggest feature is that he has many scars on his body!

  There was a knife wound on his neck, left after someone cut his trachea, and a bullet hole, left after a bullet pierced through his neck. To be able to sit here unscathed despite such fatal injuries is nothing short of a miracle.

  On his face, there was a straight cut from the forehead to the chin, which was given by this knife. His lips were cut into four halves. In this case, even if he puckered up his mouth, it looked like he was always smiling. However, anyone who faced such a smiling man would have an icy chill rising from the bottom of their heart!

  "Whoosh..."

  In the faint crackling of the match head, a pale blue mist rose in the air, and the faces of two people across the mist became somewhat blurred under the yellowish light.

  "Flattery is just a step away from deceit!"

  A red glow flickered in Lei Zhen's mouth as he puffed on his cigarette, gazing at the friend before him with a scrutinizing look. In eyes that should have been blurry from drink, a faint glimmer suddenly flashed, and he stared intently at a swirling smoke ring in mid-air, saying calmly: "You little scamp, you're usually as stingy as an iron rooster, but since it's not a holiday, what made you suddenly invite me over for dinner? When did you learn to show respect to your elders? Come on, what's really going on in that mind of yours?"

  A man with scars all over his face, looking no more benevolent than a bull's head and horse's face, gazed at Lei Zhen sitting across from him through the smoke. He licked his lips, hesitated for a moment, then carefully said: "Heh heh... Big Brother, you see... Little Brother will find a few more daughters-in-law for your son, so you can also have a full house with grandsons, how about it?"

  "Haha...... Alright!"

  Lei Zhen took a deep drag on his cigarette, gazing at Hu Yan through the smoke. Hu Yan's face was already revealing a surprised smile, clearly thinking he had succeeded in his "scheme". Lei Zhen smiled and said: "However, brother, you see, this matter is not just about me alone, it's also related to my son. It's not a big deal, but it's not small either. We should at least inform your sister-in-law and get her agreement before proceeding. As long as she agrees, I, the elder brother, will have no objections!"

  Hu Yan was stunned, he really was stunned.

  As soon as he heard the word "sister-in-law", Hu Yan couldn't help but shudder slightly, rubbing his nose and smiling wryly: "Big brother, don't tease me like that. We brothers may have crawled in and out of piles of dead bodies several times, but outside, we're all mixed up with each other. However, when we see sister-in-law, who isn't like a mouse seeing a cat?"

  Looking at Hu Yan's expression, Lei Zhen laughed and said, "Your reconnaissance battalion is always improving its tactics, saying that they want to find a large group of wives for my son to live like an emperor. In short, it's still your cunning mind, wanting to abduct all my cheap grandsons and granddaughters into your reconnaissance battalion? However, this time you've finally learned your lesson. Last time, that guy actually went to find your sister-in-law to discuss the matter, using the words 'breeding' in a very polite and educated tone. But before he could finish his sentence, he was kicked by your sister-in-law and broke three ribs, lying in the hospital for two and a half months!"

  "Collapsed..."

  Hu Yan hadn't had time to speak when the door was violently kicked open and a soldier burst into the room with the most brutal movement.

  Such a dignified action, no matter where he went, the soldier who always looked so menacing now had tears of anxiety on his face. He saw Lei Zheng and before Lei Zheng could even shout at him, he stretched out his neck and shouted: "Report, report! You'd better go take a look! Your son...he...he's not going to make it...He went mad earlier and bit his wife to death!"

  Lei Zhen's eyes widened, and Hu Yan, sitting across from him, also widened his eyes. The two exchanged a glance, then suddenly jumped up together, pushed aside the stuttering soldier who couldn't get the words out, and rushed out of the room, taking off in a sprint.

  As Lei Zhen and Hu Yan rushed into a small courtyard amidst the guards' salute, both of them saw the scene before their eyes and simultaneously took in a breath of cold air.

  Lei Zheng's son has really gone mad, he actually bit his wife to death!

  Lei Zheng quickly walked up to her, looking at the deep tooth marks on her neck, then at the blood that had flowed all over the ground. Lei Zheng couldn't help but raise his head and roar at his son in anger: "Are you crazy? Even if you're the pack leader, after following me for so long, being my son for so long, shouldn't you have some humanity by now? How could you do this to your own wife..."

  Lei Zheng's angry roar came to an abrupt halt, for what he saw was a wolf quietly lying outside the room door, with two large tears welling up in its eyes! In his entire life, Lei Zheng had never seen this wolf, who was also his son, shed tears. As a matter of fact, after being around his son for so long, Lei Zheng had always thought that wolves were just too tough and didn't have tears to cry with!