Chapter 443: Reunion

Chapter 443: Reunion

“BIG BRO!” a brorilla shouted, shooting into space.

“Brock!” Jack exclaimed. Part of his suppressed feelings erupted. Warmth appeared in his heart. With his brother by his side, the world was not as dark anymore.

The two men met in the vacuum and hugged tightly. Jack could feel Brock’s disbelief, his shock, his excitement. He’d thought Jack dead—how could he not be relieved?

“Brock!” Jack exclaimed again, with pleasant surprise. “You’ve grown!”

A year ago, Brock had been almost at Jack’s height. He’d now grown to seven feet tall, with bulging muscles and dark fur. He’d resembled a gymonkey in childhood, but he’d now become an almost fully grown brorilla.

“How!?” Brock asked in a deep, emotional voice. “How are you alive? They said they killed you. I felt the connection severed!”

“I’ll tell you all about it, bro. In short, they forced me into the Animal Abyss, which turned out to be another world entirely. That’s why the connection was severed. But I meditated, repaired my Dao, and now I’m back.”

Brock looked up with bright eyes. “You are alive!” he repeated, unable to believe this. “Wait. What do you mean you repaired your Dao?”

Jack’s eyes suddenly darkened. Of course. Using his son as a hostage was a shameful act—nobody would publicize it, and Brock hadn’t been there to watch it happen.

“It’s a long story,” he said. “I’ll tell you everything later.”

Brock sensed the darkness in Jack’s heart. He was confused. This was the same darkness he also contained, but his came from the desire to get revenge over his fallen big brother. What reason could Jack have to feel the same?

He did not speak anymore. He led Jack into the Trampling Ram, filled with familiar faces, both old and new.

“You guys...” Jack said, his voice dripping with emotion. “You are all here. Salin, Nauja, Bomn, Vashter... What is this, a reunion?”

“Hehe.” Salin chuckled. “We couldn’t sit still after they said you were dead. We had to give them a piece of our mind!”

“The Trampling Ram answered the call,” Bomn said, bringing a fist in front of his heart. “You are part of this crew. Avenging you was our duty.”

“You didn’t have to worry us so much...” Nauja added, her eyes smiling with relief.

Jack smiled back. Even after everyone thought he was dead, they still remembered him. They genuinely cared. What a unique feeling.

“Thank you,” he said. “It’s good to be back.”

“We missed you,” Brock said. His voice was careful. “We are safe here. We are together. Tell us what happened.”

Jack shook his head. “How about you go first?”

Brock nodded, then took a deep breath. “After you were gone, I... I was lost for a while. My heart was cracked. You are important to me. I lost my way, but I found it again after meditating on brohood. For us warriors, death is a natural event—the best we can do is keep moving forward, carrying the torch of our fallen brothers.”

Jack listened quietly. He noticed that Brock’s speech had reached fluency—even better than most humans he knew. At the same time, he was sad. “I put you through a lot, brother... I’m sorry.”

Jack wanted to protest. Yet, the moment another person’s warmth reached him, he almost cracked. He hadn’t realized how badly he needed a hug for the past year. Silently, he hugged back, and Nauja stayed there until he relaxed his embrace. Only then did she slowly back away.

“How are you?” Brock asked.

Jack sighed. “As you can imagine. Terribly...but I have recovered a bit. I can think again. As soon as I have my revenge, I will be fine.”

A complex look emerged on Brock’s face, but he didn’t reply.

“I’m sorry, man,” Salin said, placing a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Nobody should have to experience that. Stay strong. Don’t lose yourself.”

Jack chuckled with surprise. “That’s pretty sane for you to say.”

“Of course. I’m insane, not an asshole.”

“The death of a child is something I have experienced as well,” Bomn added with his sonorous voice. “It was the worst period of my life. I was deeply scarred, and even now, I have not fully recovered... I cannot imagine what you’re going through. I just hope you eventually find your way out of the darkness. Don’t be hard on yourself.”

Jack smiled. “Thank you for your kind words. I’m fine.”

Nobody responded further, so Jack continued. He spoke about how he entered the black hole as a last resort, partially expecting—and maybe hoping—to die, then unexpectedly emerged in a new world. He described the Black Hole World and its people, their plight and unique perspective on life.

He skimmed over the year he spent there, focusing more on the world than his personal journey of recovery. Finally, he repaired his Dao, furthered his understandings in all his Daos, left the Black Hole World and pocketed it, then killed the middle B-Grade Ancestor before coming over to meet them.

“You killed a middle B-Grade?!” Salin exclaimed. “Man, can you be any more awesome? You’re like a fairy tale hero at this point!”

“I’m just a man trying his best,” Jack replied. “Well, that was everything that happened to me. I know it was a lot to take in, but... It happened. Let’s try to move on.”

“I don’t even know where to start,” Nauja said, shaking her head. “The Black Hole World, your power...you... It’s all so unexpected. It’s just... Jack... I know you have a grip on things, but I just hope... Don’t fall into the darkness. Please.”

“I’m fine,” Jack repeated, a little more solidly this time. Talking about this issue made him uncomfortable. Even thinking about it was difficult, let alone discussing it. “I did not mention all those so we had something to talk about, but so we can be on the same page. I will handle myself. I got this. The way I need you to support me is by helping me get revenge. Are you with me?”

Brock’s stare remained steady, not betraying his inner thoughts. The other four exchanged glances. “Of course we are,” Salin replied. “Till death do us part. We’re all bros here, right?”

“Even me?” Nauja asked, raising a brow.

“Especially you.”

“We have been pursuing revenge already,” Bomn said. “Be it for us, for you, or for the world, the tyranny of the Animal Kingdom must come to an end. We will not stop until we succeed or die.”

“I will never abandon you,” Brock said. He had a unique way of speaking candidly without seeming vulnerable. “You are in good hands, big bro. I am here for you. We all are. Let’s win this battle.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Jack exclaimed. His lips were smiling, but his eyes were dark. “Let’s go. We have a Kingdom to destroy.”