I returned to my hometown adorned with military medals, and the whole city erupted in celebration.

Before Gong Jian could speak, Sergeant Lao Hei was the first to step forward: "What's there to be afraid of! Er Niu, you tell us what to do, and we'll do it! We've been getting crushed by the Blue Army all day, I'm itching to get back at them!"

"Yeah! Fuck them!"

"Erniu, we believe in you!"

The soldiers of the Fourth Company were filled with high spirits.

Li Erniu's performance today has completely won them over. This cook carrying an iron pot has earned everyone's trust and respect through his skills.

Gong Jian took a deep breath and looked at Kang Lei: "Commander, I think Erniu's plan... although risky, is worth a try. Even if it fails, it can greatly disrupt the Blue Army's rear and buy time for our remaining troops to regroup."

"Moreover, our feint attack force will strictly follow Erniu's instructions, with self-preservation as the primary objective."

Looking at the young and determined faces before him, and then at Li Erniu's resolute expression, Kang Lei was torn between his own thoughts and his inner turmoil.

Reason told him that the plan had a very low success rate, and might even result in the loss of the last remaining elite troops of the Sharpshooter Fourth Company.

But his intuition, and the many miracles Li Erniu had created today, told him: this soldier might really be able to create the impossible again!

More importantly, as Li Erniu and Gong Jian said, even if they failed, they had nothing left to lose.

Instead, it can act like a thorn, piercing deep into the Blues' flesh, causing them pain and chaos!

"Alright!" Kang Lei finally made up his mind, slapping his thigh heavily. "Erniu, I'm putting all my eggs in one basket! Whatever equipment you need, I'll have logistics find a way to get it for you! Gong Jian, you're in full charge of the feint attack mission. Remember, preserving our strength is the top priority!"

"Yes!" Gong Jian stood at attention and saluted.

Fan Tianlei watched silently from the side, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He hoped his troops could stabilize the situation, but he also had a vague premonition that Li Erniu, this variable, might really unleash a storm that would overturn the entire exercise.

"Um..." Fan Tianlei couldn't help but speak up, "Li Erniu, even if you know the general direction, you don't know the specific location, the defense arrangements, the changing of the guard... how could you possibly succeed?"

Li Erniu walked up to Fan Tianlei, squatted down, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Old Fan, the paths in this world aren't just the few marked on a map. Some places seem like dead ends, but climbing them leads to a road to heaven. Some defenses seem impenetrable, but actually... the strongest fortresses are often breached from within. As for the details..."

Li Erniu blinked: "I'm a cook. What I'm best at is controlling the heat and... observing the ingredients. Don't you think so?"

Fan Tianlei was speechless and could only watch as Li Erniu turned around and began to systematically assign tasks and take inventory of equipment.

He suddenly realized that all his previous judgments about Li Erniu might have been wildly wrong.

This is not a rough gem that needs to be polished.

This is a demonic sword that has already been sharpened and knows how to find its prey on its own!

Just as the Iron Fist Regiment was making intensive preparations for the "decapitation" operation, the atmosphere inside the abandoned factory in the valley where the Blue Army's supreme command was located plummeted to freezing point.

The factory interior underwent modernization and was transformed into a temporary command center.

A huge electronic screen occupies an entire wall, displaying the situation in the war zone, troop movements, and communication networks.

Various instruments and equipment flashed with cold light, and the communications soldiers and technical officers were busy but orderly.

But in the very center of the command room, a dignified old commander with two gold stars on his shoulders—Gao Shiwei—was facing away from the screen, his face ashen.

Standing before him was He Zhijun, the commander of the Wolf Fang Special Operations Brigade, who was also a soldier with a powerful aura.

But at this moment, fine beads of sweat appeared on He Zhijun's forehead.

"A cook! Leading two greenhorn recruits!"

"We turned your Wolf Fang unit upside down! We destroyed your logistics base, crippled your armored battalion, and finally... even Fan Tianlei was captured alive in the command post?!"

Gao Shiwei whirled around, glaring angrily at He Zhijun: "Commander He, your Wolf Fang Special Operations Brigade is the sharpest blade in our Southeast Military Region! It's a benchmark for the entire army to learn from!"

"And the result? In the exercise, the blade was broken by a 'frying pan'?! Is this the fighting strength of your Wolf Fang?!"

He Zhijun straightened his back, his face burning: "Commander, it's my fault! I underestimated the resilience and creativity of the Red Team, this special combat unit, and I never imagined that the Iron Fist Regiment would harbor a monster like Li Erniu. Chen Shanming has already led a full-scale search, we must..."

"Definitely what? Definitely we can bring him back?"

Gao Shiwei interrupted him, pointing to a flashing red dot on the screen, "Look! The remnants of the Iron Fist Regiment are not only not hiding, but are launching harassing attacks from multiple locations simultaneously!"

"Although small in scale, their tactics were cunning, employing unconventional methods such as chili powder, smoke bombs, and booby traps... This style is exactly like that Li Erniu!"

"What are they trying to do? Are they covering for Li Erniu? Or is Li Erniu directing them?"

He Zhijun felt a chill run down his spine.

He also noticed these unusual attacks and found them suspicious.

"Sir, do you mean... Li Erniu might have bigger schemes? Are these disturbances just to distract us?"

"Plot?" Gao Shiwei walked to the huge war zone sand table, his finger pointing heavily at the model representing his command post. "His plot has probably never changed—decapitation! Before it was Fan Tianlei, and now..."

A cold glint flashed in Gao Shiwei's eyes: "His target is very likely this place!"

He Zhijun gasped:

"Impossible! Commander, this location is top secret! The defense level is the highest! There are sentries, sensors, and patrols within a ten-kilometer radius, and drones are constantly patrolling the area. Even a special forces squad couldn't sneak in undetected, let alone a cook!"

"Top secret?" Gao Shiwei sneered. "Wasn't Fan Tianlei's command post location confidential? Didn't he still get kidnapped by someone climbing up a cliff? Commander He, never underestimate your opponent, especially when you think you have complete control of the situation!"

He turned to his staff officer and ordered, "Pass on my order: raise the command post's defense level to the highest wartime level! Double the number of all outer outposts and increase patrol frequency to twice the normal level!"

"The drones will conduct a focused scan of all suspicious heat sources and moving targets within a five-kilometer radius of the command post! Tell Chen Shanming to stop searching aimlessly outside and immediately redeploy troops to defend the perimeter of the command post!"

"Yes, sir!" The staff officer immediately ran off to relay the order.

He Zhijun hesitated for a moment, then said, "Commander, this might reduce the pressure on the front lines to mop up the remnants of the Red Army. Could it be...?"

"We can't worry about that now!" Gao Shiwei declared resolutely. "The remnants of the Red Team are no longer a threat. But this Li Erniu must be crushed! I won't be at peace until he's gone!"

"In this exercise, our Blue Army can accept some tactical losses, but we absolutely cannot allow one person, especially a cook, to turn our command system upside down! That would be a disgrace to Wolf Fang, and indeed the entire Blue Army!"

"Yes! I'll go reinforce the deployment immediately!" He Zhijun stood at attention, saluted, and strode out of the command room.