My career aspirations have come true.

Chapter 96 The Wisest Choice in Life

In the brightly lit office.

On the sofa in the reception area, Sun Zhuo and Hong Qizheng sat on opposite sides, their faces gloomy, completely unlike their previous strategic and spirited demeanor during the meeting.

Wu Song walked to the wine cabinet, poured himself a glass of red wine, and then sat down on the sofa.

Under the lights, the blood-red liquid shimmered with a hazy luster.

Wu Song took a sip, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.

"Not bad, I didn't expect you to have such a good collection of wine."

Sun Zhuo and Hong Qizheng remained silent, their faces grim.

Wu Song glanced at their expressions, put down his wine glass, and said with a smile, "Since you've made up your mind, then don't hesitate any longer."

Hong Qizheng sneered, "You make it sound so easy. Do you know how many people your plan will kill?"

Wu Song chuckled and shook his head, saying slowly, "Isn't it too late to think of this now? So far, you've already killed dozens of people."

Upon hearing this, Hong Qizheng's face darkened even further.

Sun Zhuo's expression was also very unpleasant.

Wu Song, seeing this, did not continue to provoke the two. Instead, he slowly said, "The three major guilds are backed by the Cliff. They are determined to take over the West District. Even if you manage to defeat the three major guilds, you will face the even more powerful and terrifying Cliff next."

"Are you confident you can overcome the cliff?"

Sun Zhuo and Hong Qizheng remained silent; the answer was already obvious.

"The outcome of this war was predetermined from the start," Wu Song said slowly. "Even if those people didn't die at your hands, they would have died at the hands of the three major guilds or the Cliff. Since the result is death anyway, why not use them to their advantage?"

"Or is it that you don't want to acquire greater power?"

Silence enveloped the entire room.

Sun Zhuo and Hong Qizheng's expressions changed constantly.

Wu Song smiled slightly, picked up the red wine and took a sip.

He'd seen plenty of people like that.

At first, there will always be some self-deceptive psychological burden, but once you experience the feeling of rapid growth in power, you will soon be immersed in it and become unable to extricate yourself.

At that time, without his prompting, these people will become even more ruthless, hunting down professionals and extracting skill and talent cards without any scruples.

Sun Zhuo and Hong Qizheng, in particular, had unique experiences.

The fact that these two freelancers were able to advance to level 6 demonstrates their exceptional talent.

However, due to a lack of sufficient resources, reaching this level is their limit, and they will find it difficult to break through it in their entire lives.

They themselves were well aware of this, and they certainly harbored regrets and resentment.

Even now, due to a lack of powerful skills and talents, their strength is among the bottom tier of level 6 classes.

This became a thorn in their side.

Otherwise, Wu Song wouldn't have been able to persuade the two so easily.

After a long silence, Sun Zhuo finally spoke up.

"I hope you haven't lied to us, otherwise..."

""

Wu Song was unfazed by Sun Zhuo's threat and chuckled, "Haven't you already felt my sincerity? Your strength has increased considerably, hasn't it?"

Sun Zhuo and Hong Qizheng exchanged a glance, said nothing, and both tacitly agreed.

Wu Song smiled and continued, "We can harvest a large number of cards through this war. After the war ends, we can leave the West District. At that time, I will recommend the two of you to join the organization. I believe the higher-ups will be happy to see two new companions join us."

"Believe me, joining the Holy Priests is the wisest choice you will ever make."

West End.

Six military vehicles sped along the wide road.

In the car at the front, Lin Ze sat in the back seat, resting with his eyes closed.

Wei Ran was driving, with Tan Jingxuan sitting next to him, his eyes also closed.

Tang Wangshu sat next to Lin Ze in the back seat, curiously observing the scenery outside, and occasionally glancing back at Lin Ze's profile.

Only after Lin Ze opened his eyes did she pretend to be nonchalant and look away.

Lin Ze looked in the rearview mirror and could see the convoy following closely behind him through the mirror.

After more than half a month of adjustment, the team members have gained a deeper understanding of each other and have developed a preliminary tacit understanding.

The team atmosphere has also visibly improved a lot.

At least on the surface, that's the case.

Even Jiang Mu and Tao Leshan, among others, followed Lin Ze's orders during training and missions without showing any obvious resistance.

Of course, Lin Ze did not think that they had truly submitted to him because of this.

But it doesn't matter. As long as they know their place and don't bring their personal emotions into the mission, Lin Ze won't bother to care about their true thoughts.

After the team's collaboration was initially established, Lin Ze applied to his superiors and officially set off for the West District.

More than ten minutes later, the convoy arrived at the West District branch's location.

Six military off-road vehicles were neatly parked in the open space in front of the garrison.

Lin Ze pushed open the car door and got out first.

The other members of the special operations team also came out one after another and gathered behind him.

Three people were already waiting in front of the gate, and upon seeing this, they quickly stepped forward to greet them.

Leading the way was a burly middle-aged man with a square face and a slightly weathered yet composed demeanor.

Lin Ze's gaze swept over the military insignia on the other man's shoulder.

Lieutenant rank.

It seems this person is Deng Yi, the captain of the West District branch team.

The two men following behind, both wearing insignia of second lieutenant, were clearly the two deputy captains of the detachment.

"Welcome Captain Lin and the members of the Special Operations Team to the West District Branch."

Deng Yi stepped forward, extended his hand, and smiled warmly.

Lin Ze reached out and shook hands with him, saying, "Captain Deng, you're too kind. I hope you'll take good care of me in the coming days."

"Not at all. Our team is greatly relieved that the special operations team could come to our aid. We should be thanking everyone for their help."

While Deng Yi made polite remarks, he couldn't help but linger on Lin Ze's face a few more times, secretly sighing in his heart.

too young.

Although it was already known that the members of the special operations team were all young, generally no older than 25.

But this captain is far too young.

He looked to be at most twenty years old, but he was already at the same rank as me, both holding the rank of lieutenant.

I heard he came from the North District Detachment, and he graduated less than a year ago.

To be promoted to lieutenant in such a short time and become the leader of the Special Operations Team, a team whose future is obvious to everyone, is a promotion that is faster than a rocket.

The two vice-captains behind Deng Yi were also secretly astonished.

They were also Level 5 professionals, but it took them many years of hard work to reach the rank of Second Lieutenant. Meanwhile, the young man in front of them, at the same level, was already a First Lieutenant.

It's true what they say, comparisons are the thief of joy.

"This is Vice Captain Zhao Gang, and this is Vice Captain Liu Mingyuan."

Deng Yi briefly introduced the two people behind him.

Zhao Gang was in his early thirties, with a sharp and capable appearance.

Liu Mingyuan was slightly older and looked somewhat serious.

After exchanging greetings, Deng Yi stepped aside and gestured for them to proceed.

"Captain Lin, please come in. Let's talk in the office."

Lin Ze smiled and nodded, leading his team through the gate of the base and inside.

The group quickly arrived at the captain's office.

Everyone took their seats one after another.

After some polite exchanges, Deng Yi took the seat of honor, while Lin Ze sat to his left.

Although the two were of equal rank, this was Deng Yi's territory after all, so they still had to show each other more respect.

Deng Yi saw this and sighed inwardly.

Although the special operations team leader was young, he was not arrogant or flamboyant, and acted with great composure.

People like this, barring any unforeseen circumstances, will definitely go very far in the future.

Thinking of this, he suddenly valued Lin Ze more.

After serving tea to everyone, the assistant left and closed the door behind him.

"Captain Lin must already be aware of the recent situation in the West District."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Deng Yi quickly got to the point.

"The three major guilds have joined forces to suppress freelancer groups, causing quite a stir. Our branch has been closely monitoring the situation."

"Thanks to the secret supply from the cliff, the three major guilds currently hold a firm advantage. Although the freelancer groups are closely united, the situation is very unfavorable for them. If there are no other unexpected factors, this war will end soon."

Lin Ze nodded and said, "Before we came, Advisor Han had already given us orders. Our mission this time is to find out the contents of the agreement between the Cliff and the three major guilds, and to cut off their supply lines as much as possible."

Upon hearing this, Deng Yi frowned slightly, sighed, and said, "Captain Lin, to be honest, neither of these matters was easy."

"We once secretly arrested and interrogated a senior member of the Brotherhood of Ember, only to find that he was completely unaware of the agreement between the Cliff and the Brotherhood of Ember. This leads us to speculate that it is very likely that only the president and vice presidents at the highest levels know the secret."

Deng Yi didn't explain himself clearly, but everyone present understood what he meant.

Capturing the leaders and vice-leaders of the three major guilds is no different from destroying them.

If the West District Detachment were capable of doing this, they would have done it long ago; why wait until today?

Regarding the delivery of supplies...

"

Deng Yi looked at Zhao Gang beside him, who understood and took over the conversation, explaining: "For the past two months, we have sent people to guard all the main traffic routes in and out of the West District, but we have not found any clues. We suspect that the Cliff may have sent an elite team to transport supplies. As long as there are enough storage marks, it is not difficult to do this."

The existence of supernatural powers has made large-scale material transportation much simpler and more convenient.

Although the amount of supplies that the cliff provided to the three major guilds was enormous, it could be contained with just a dozen or so storage marks.

They could easily send a dozen or so professionals to transport the goods separately.

No matter how many people the brigade sends out, it's impossible to prevent a dozen professionals from entering and leaving the West District silently.

Liu Mingyuan then added, "The three major guilds have been operating in the West District for many years and know the roads and terrain here like the back of their hand. They have plenty of ways to bypass our defenses."

Lin Ze listened quietly, his expression remaining unchanged.

Seeing his calm expression, Deng Yi couldn't help but ask, "What are your thoughts, Captain Lin?"

Lin Ze shook his head and said, "We are new here and our understanding of the West District is still based on paper intelligence. The most urgent task is to familiarize ourselves with the environment before formulating an action plan. For now, we should maintain the status quo. Captain Deng's arrangement is very reasonable."

Deng Yi nodded, feeling a slight sense of relief.

His biggest concern was that young people were too arrogant and would give orders without understanding anything.

Fortunately, Lin Ze did not do that.

Although I couldn't offer any good suggestions, at least I didn't make the current situation any more difficult.

"Starting tomorrow, all members of the Special Operations Team will participate in the daily patrol missions in the West District," Lin Ze said.

Deng Yi nodded: "That's no problem, I'll have my men cooperate with you."

The short meeting ended, and the group came out of the office.

Looking up, I saw that there were already twelve people standing in the corridor outside.

Both men and women were present, ranging in age from their twenties to their early forties, and each of them exuded a sharp and energetic aura with piercing eyes.

Lin Ze's gaze swept across the crowd, and when it passed over one of them, he paused almost imperceptibly.

"Captain Lin, please introduce yourself."

Deng Yi's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"These twelve are the leaders of our detachment's special operations team. Considering that the special operations team will be stationed here for a period of time and will definitely need to deal with the special operations team, I asked them to come and meet us."

T

"Good day, Lieutenant Lin."

The twelve group leaders saluted Lin Ze in unison.

After Lin Ze returned the greeting, Deng Yi asked them to introduce themselves one by one.

"Chen Feng, leader of the first special operations team."

"Second Special Operations Team Leader, Li Yue."

"Third Special Operations Team Leader, Ma Yang."

A man in his late twenties stepped forward and spoke loudly.

He glanced at Lin Ze discreetly, then quickly looked away.

He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Lieutenant Lin's gaze towards him seemed to have a deeper meaning.

He was puzzled, but remained outwardly calm. After finishing his introduction, he returned to the queue.

Lin Ze withdrew his gaze, his expression remaining unchanged.

After everyone had finished introducing themselves, Lin Ze said a few simple words of politeness, expressing his hope for a pleasant collaboration in the future.

Deng Yi spoke up at the opportune moment: "Captain Lin, your accommodations have been arranged. It's a small, detached building in the brigade's dormitory area. Shall I take you there now?"

"There's no need for Captain Deng to make the trip himself." Lin Ze waved his hand. "Just send someone to take us there. Captain Deng is very busy and doesn't want to take up too much of your time."

Deng Yi did not insist, and turned to instruct a soldier to take Lin Ze and the others to their lodgings.

As Wei Ran walked out of the office building and headed towards the dormitory area, he couldn't help but sigh.

"This task is too difficult. I have no clue where to start."

"yes."

The other members of the special operations team echoed this sentiment, each with a furrowed brow.

Even Jiang Mu and Tao Leshan were no exception.

Although they were still somewhat resentful of Lin Ze, they were on the same team and naturally had no intention of standing aside and watching the spectacle unfold.

After all, if the task isn't completed, no one will get contribution points.

This is a matter of vital interest to me.

Lin Ze, however, was not in a hurry at all. He calmly said, "Things will work themselves out. Let's familiarize ourselves with the West District first, and then we can consider our next move."

His tone was calm, yet carried a reassuring composure.

After hearing his words, the crowd's agitated emotions calmed down a bit.

We arrived at the dormitory area soon.

It was a detached three-story building, large enough to house all the members of the special operations team.

After everyone was assigned rooms and settled in, it was already getting late.

Lin Ze stood at the window of his room, watching the lights in the West District gradually come on, but the face of the special operations team leader named Ma Yang appeared in his mind.

The night was as dark as ink, swallowing up the western district.

The streetlights swayed in the cold wind, casting dim and mottled halos of light that barely illuminated the empty streets.

Ma Yang drove his car out of the branch's residence, the wheels making a rustling sound as they rolled over the road.

The car was quiet, with only the low rumble of the engine.

Ma Yang held the steering wheel with one hand and rested the other hand on the car window, his fingertips tapping lightly.

The scene of seeing Lin Ze during the day involuntarily flashed through his mind.

"I'm probably being paranoid."

Ma Yang shook his head, a self-deprecating smile curving his lips.

He was just a greenhorn who climbed to the rank of lieutenant by virtue of his talent and good luck.

.

Perhaps he does have some ability—after all, to become the captain of a special operations team in a place like the branch where elites gather, it wouldn't be right if he didn't have some skills.

But so what?

How much skill and experience can a young man under twenty have?

As for the rest of the special operations team, they were all a bunch of greenhorns.

The West District is a very deep pool. Even seasoned veterans like Deng Yi and Zhao Gang can't handle it. What can these newcomers possibly do?

I estimate that after staying here for a month or two, I'll return to the branch office empty-handed.

With this thought in mind, the last trace of doubt in Ma Yang's heart dissipated.

He relaxed, stepped on the gas, and the car sped towards the suburbs.

Twenty minutes later, the vehicle entered a villa area.

The environment here is tranquil, and each villa has its own independent courtyard, which is far apart from each other, ensuring excellent privacy.

Ma Yang parked his car in the garage of one of the villas, turned off the engine, and got out.

The lights inside the villa were quickly turned on.

More than half an hour later, the lights went out and the villa fell silent, as if the owner had already gone to bed.

However, under the cover of night, a figure suddenly leaped from the balcony at the back of the villa.

The landing was almost silent, with only a very slight "plop" sound—the sound of the soles of the shoes hitting the soft grass.

Ma Yang had changed into a black combat suit specifically designed for nighttime operations at some point.

He looked around to make sure no one had seen him, then quickly got up and ran forward, disappearing silently into the night.

His movements were swift and agile, like a ghost disappearing into the darkness, as he sprinted along the path outside the villa area and quickly vanished into the shadows in the distance.

At the same time, on the branches of a large tree on the outskirts of the villa area, a dark shadow that almost blended into the night moved.

It was a bat that was completely black.

It hung upside down on the branch, its small, scarlet eyes gleaming eerily in the darkness, staring at the direction where Ma Yang had disappeared. It spread its wings, took flight silently, and chased after the path Ma Yang had taken.

It flies extremely fast, yet is unusually quiet; the sound of its wings beating is barely audible, completely masked by the rustling of leaves in the night wind.

The bat maintained a distance of about 100 meters from Ma Yang, neither getting close nor far away, like a silent ghost, quietly following him in the night sky.

Meanwhile, Ma Yang, who was rushing ahead, was completely unaware of this.