Chapter Twenty-Six: Unconvinced

Lei Bin’s words left Marshal Lei Na livid. He had never imagined that when he came to acknowledge this grandson, Lei Bin would react in such a manner.

If Lei Bin had fiercely rebelled or bitterly reproached him for all the suffering he had endured over the years, Lei Na could have accepted that. He could have reprimanded him in his capacity as head of the Lei family, then offered a few words of comfort, and the matter would essentially have been settled.

But Lei Bin’s calm indifference—his utter disdain and contempt for the Lei family, and his complete disregard for his own grandfather—deeply enraged Lei Na.

All the younger members of the Lei family had grown up under his watch. Not one of them had ever dared disobey him in the slightest. Every one of them took pride in their bloodline, revered or even worshiped Lei Na, and felt proud to have him as a grandfather.

Lei Bin, however, refused to play along. He would not even acknowledge himself as a member of the Lei family. He would rather work as a mechanic than step into the family that everyone in the Federation envied.

Hearing Lei Na’s reprimand, Lei Bin swept away the reverence and excitement he had shown moments earlier. His manner became utterly composed and indifferent.

“Marshal Lei, please don’t get so agitated. I apologize for my rudeness just now. I was simply overwhelmed at seeing my father after so many years apart. I’m sure you can understand. Do you have any other instructions? If not, I’d like to go with my father to another room and catch up.”

Lei Na grew even angrier. His face flushed from blue to red. How many years had it been since anyone had dared speak to him in such a tone?

Even his political enemies—those who would gladly tear out his flesh and drink his blood—showed him sufficient respect on the surface. Not a single disrespectful word would pass their lips.

He was a pillar of the Federation, the helmsman of its military, a national hero, and everyone’s idol.

Yet today, Lei Bin had shown him no consideration at all, treating him as though he were invisible. Lei Na found it exceedingly difficult to save face.

“Hmph. Good. Very good. You truly are a member of the Lei family, with plenty of backbone. But the backbone of a Lei family member is meant for outsiders, not for his own kin. If you dare show it at home, I’ll break it for you.”

A laser-like light burst from Lei Na’s eyes. With a sudden whoosh, Lei Bin saw a dark blur flash past, and Lei Na was already standing before him.

At such close range, Lei Bin felt an aura like a mountain pressing down upon him. Lei Na had not even raised a hand, yet merely standing before him unleashed such overwhelming force that Lei Bin nearly collapsed.

It was not a physical collapse, but a psychological one. Standing before Lei Na made him feel as though he were facing a towering mountain weighing billions of pounds—an immovable force that nothing could withstand.

Lei Bin clenched both fists, planted his feet apart, straightened his back, and raised his head. His eyes did not retreat in the slightest as he stared unblinkingly at Lei Na.

Lei Xingfeng watched from the side. His mouth opened slightly, as though he meant to plead for mercy, but he stopped himself.

“Letting him learn a lesson might not be a bad thing.”

As time passed, however, Lei Xingfeng grew increasingly astonished. Under Lei Na’s gaze, Lei Bin remained standing firm and did not retreat even half a step.

“Strange. This kid clearly has no powerful aura fluctuations. He isn’t even an ancient martial artist, yet he can actually stand against Father like this. What kind of mental strength does it take to endure such pressure?”

Lei Xingfeng understood his father’s strength better than anyone. It was not only Lei Bin—even he himself could not withstand Lei Na’s pressure for long.

In truth, Lei Bin was suffering terribly. Lei Na’s gaze seemed to possess tangible weight, pressing down brutally upon him until he could scarcely breathe.

Had this happened in the past, Lei Bin would not have endured such pressure for even a second. But ever since Star Dream had entered the chip in his brain, she had subjected him to extreme torment every day. He had been killed countless times, repeatedly facing the pain, terror, and despair of death. As a result, his heart and will had been tempered to an extraordinary degree.

Lei Na’s pressure was formidable, but he could not bring Lei Bin down in a short time.

Lei Na was also growing more and more surprised. He could clearly sense that Lei Bin possessed barely any internal energy. He was not even a first-level ancient martial artist, yet he could withstand Lei Na’s pressure for so long. It was simply inconceivable.

In a word, it made no sense. Lei Bin’s performance had far exceeded the limits of what an ordinary person could endure—and not merely by a little, but several times over.

Yet as he faced Lei Bin’s stubborn refusal to yield, Lei Na’s anger gradually faded, replaced by genuine delight.

“This is a true son of the Lei family. No wonder he carries our blood. His talent is astonishing. Even Lei Lie and the others could never have done this. As an infantryman, he led so many people through layer after layer of blockade and brought them out alive, while rescuing tens of thousands of prisoners. That alone proves his command and leadership abilities are exceptional. And now he has displayed such extraordinary determination and physical endurance. His future is limitless. Heaven has not abandoned the Lei family.”

Lei Bin had no idea what Lei Na was thinking. He was merely relying on the breath of defiance in his heart, determined to fight Lei Na to the very end. He was suffering almost beyond endurance, yet some force within him refused to let him submit to Lei Na’s tyranny.

“Hmph.”

Just as Lei Bin felt he was about to collapse, Lei Na suddenly snorted. His gaze moved away from Lei Bin, and he slowly returned to his seat.

Lei Bin immediately felt his body relax. The immense weight upon him vanished all at once. The sudden release made him stagger, and he nearly fell, but he ultimately managed to steady himself.

When the three people present—Lei Na, Lei Xingfeng, and the old steward Lei Huan—saw that Lei Bin had not fallen, they were all slightly astonished.

What kind of physical and mental strength did it take to maintain one’s balance even at a moment like this?

At that moment, a trace of a smile appeared on the old steward Lei Huan’s face. Having followed Lei Na for so many years, he could infer what Lei Na was thinking from the smallest gesture or glance.

Lei Na had stopped increasing the pressure because he was afraid Lei Bin might be unable to bear it and suffer internal injury. That would have defeated the purpose. He knew that Lei Na was actually extremely satisfied with Lei Bin.

He himself felt comforted as well. At long last, the Lei family had an heir.

“Whether you acknowledge it or not, you are still a member of the Lei family. The blood flowing through your veins is Lei family blood. That is something you can never change. In a moment, go back with Lei Huan. I have some matters to attend to. Tomorrow, you will attend the press conference and reveal your identity while you are there.”

Lei Na casually picked up a cup of tea from the table and spoke in a tone that allowed no contradiction.

Lei Bin was rubbing his aching arm with a grimace. Hearing this, he immediately raised his eyebrows.

“When did I agree to go to the Lei family? What gives you the right to make decisions for me? I am me, and the Lei family is the Lei family. We have nothing to do with each other.”

What Lei Bin hated most was having other people make decisions on his behalf. Star Dream had done the same thing in the past, leaving him feeling as though he had been raped.

“Lei Bin, don’t speak to Grandfather that way. He’s right. We are members of the Lei family, and the blood of the Lei family flows through our veins. That is something we can never change.”

Seeing that Lei Bin remained so stubborn, Lei Xingfeng immediately stepped forward and rebuked him.

Lei Bin glanced lazily at his father.

“Dad, don’t let them fool you. They keep saying that Lei family blood flows through my veins, but if that’s true, why didn’t they come looking for us when we were living in the old district? They only found us after the entire Lei family had been wiped out. That proves they never cared about us at all. They abandoned us long ago. This talk of blood ties is nonsense. We were nothing more than tools for them to continue the family line.

“You once told me that a person should not be arrogant, but must have backbone. We owe the Lei family nothing. There’s no reason for us to do anything for them.”

Lei Xingfeng let out a long sigh. His weathered face seemed to grow even more worn.

“Lei Bin, what happened back then was not your grandfather’s fault. It was your father’s. You truly owe the Lei family nothing, but I owe them a great deal.”

Lei Bin had not expected Lei Xingfeng to say that. Thinking of his father’s years of despair, ruin, and self-abandonment, Lei Bin knew that the man carried too much suffering in his heart.

Vaguely, Lei Bin also knew about Lei Xingfeng and Ye Yuting. So Ye Yuting was his mother. He had never imagined that he would have such a legendary mother.

But regardless of the circumstances, Lei Bin felt no goodwill toward the Lei family. Even if Lei Xingfeng had made a mistake back then, the Lei family’s complete indifference proved that they had abandoned father and son entirely.

If they had abandoned them, then Lei Bin could abandon them in return.

They had only come looking for him after everyone else was dead. If this incident had never happened, would the Lei family ever have remembered that he existed?

They were not stray dogs to be summoned and dismissed at will. They had told them to leave, and they had left. Now they wanted them to come back?

“Sorry. They had gone too far away. They could not return.”

“Dad, with all your injuries and twenty years of exiling yourself, you no longer owe them anything. They showed you no mercy, and they gave you no kindness for which you need be grateful. So you don’t have to feel guilty. Let’s go. We can return to the old district and open a repair shop. We’ll make plenty of money.”

Lei Bin comforted his father with his grand dream.

“If you say another thing like that, I’ll use the Lei family’s rules to teach you how a member of the Lei family ought to behave.”

Lei Na had grown impatient. His voice was cold.

Lei Bin was entirely unmoved.

“Marshal Lei, you are a marshal, while I am only a common soldier. If you abuse your authority for personal reasons and punish me however you please, I have no way to resist. But you may punish my body; you cannot make my heart submit. Neither my heart nor I belong to the Lei family, so don’t talk to me about family rules. Those are your rules, not mine.”

“Bastard.”

Lei Na was enraged once more. Lei Bin was far too insolent. If one of the family’s younger members had dared speak to him like that in the past, Lei Na would have crippled him ten times over.

Lei Bin clearly believed that being raised outside the family gave him the right to disregard Lei Na entirely. Such behavior could not be allowed to continue.

A remnant blur flashed forward. Before anyone could see how Lei Na had moved, he was already standing before Lei Bin. His palm swept sharply toward Lei Bin’s right leg.

With a light crack, Lei Bin let out a terrible howl.

His thigh had been broken.