One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Besides these three, standing in the corner was a tall, stern-faced young man dressed similarly to a forestry worker, and a somewhat timid young woman with braided hair, wearing a floral cotton-padded jacket. Upon seeing Gao Lian, the two immediately approached him.

"Uncle!" the young man called out, his voice booming.

"Uncle..." the girl whispered, hiding behind the young man, only revealing half of her pretty face, looking at Nie Lingfeng and his group with curiosity and nervousness.

"Yu Huan, Xiao Mei! You've arrived so quickly!" Gao Lian smiled, patted the young man on the shoulder, and nodded gently to the girl. "Good, good, it's good that you're here. Come, let me introduce you. These are our colleagues from headquarters..." He introduced Nie Lingfeng and the others in turn, and then said to them, "This is my nephew Gao Yu Huan and my niece Gao Xiao Mei. They're both good girls who came to help out this time."

Gao Yuhuan clasped his hands in a fist salute to Nie Lingfeng and the others, his movements crisp and clean, his eyes bright, exuding the straightforwardness and shrewdness of a mountain dweller. Gao Xiaomei, blushing, simply whispered "Hello" before hiding behind Gao Yuhuan again.

"Alright, alright, we're all old acquaintances, no need for formalities." Wang Zhenqiu sat down again with a carefree attitude, picked up a golden-brown sweet potato from the table, broke it in half and handed it to Zhang Chulan, while he ate the other half himself, saying indistinctly, "Old Nie, you really went all out this time, even developing missiles, and also dragging in cherry blossoms, bears, and eagles, how exciting! I just chased sand bandits for hundreds of miles in the Northwest Gobi Desert, and came straight here after getting the call, pretty good, right?"

"You just wanted to join in the fun, didn't you?" Nie Lingfeng bluntly exposed him, then sat down by the stove with Xiaoyun in his arms to warm her up. Xiaoyun looked curiously at Wang Zhenqiu's red hair, pointing at it with her little hand and making "ee-yah" sounds.

"Hey! Xiaoyun, do you still remember your brother Qiu'er?" Wang Zhenqiu immediately came over, making a face to tease her. "Come here, let your brother give you a hug, and your brother will do a magic trick for you!"

This time, Nie Lingfeng didn't stop him, he just watched. Wang Zhenqiu carefully took Xiaoyun from Nie Lingfeng's arms, his movements surprisingly gentle. He winked at Xiaoyun, flicked his finger, and a small, warm flame suddenly appeared at his fingertip, then turned into a crystal-clear ice flower. With another flick, the ice flower transformed into a pale golden bird made of qi, fluttering its wings, which flew around Xiaoyun once, making her giggle.

"Not bad, Qiu'er, your control over Qi has become even more refined." Zhang Chulan took a bite of sweet potato and praised vaguely.

"That's right!" Wang Zhenqiu said smugly, carefully handing Xiaoyun back to Nie Lingfeng. Then he moved closer to Nie Lingfeng, rubbing his hands together and putting on a fawning smile. "Um... Old Nie, look, I've come all this way to help you out. Even if I haven't done anything special, I've still put in the effort, so... how about you give me a few pointers? Last time you taught me those few moves of the Cloud-Dispelling Palm technique, I practiced them day and night, and I feel I've made great progress! Look..."

Without waiting for Nie Lingfeng's reply, he took two steps back, took a deep breath, and his previously nonchalant expression instantly became focused. He raised his right palm, palm up, and slowly drew an arc in front of him. As he moved his hand, it was as if invisible moisture in the air was drawn and gathered, condensing into a small, constantly rolling, expanding, and contracting white cloud above his palm, with faint crackles of electricity running within it. Although the cloud was small, it gave people a feeling of heaviness, moisture, and the potential to unleash astonishing power at any moment.

"Huh?" Zhang Lingyu let out a soft exclamation. As a practitioner of Yin Five Thunder, he was most sensitive to changes in moisture and clouds. He could sense that the cloud in Wang Zhenqiu's palm was not simply a manifestation of Qi, but rather a genuine manipulation of the sparse moisture in the surrounding air, imbuing it with a unique force that contained both contradictory characteristics of "softness" and "explosiveness." This was clearly not the thunder technique of Longhu Mountain, but another advanced palm technique related to the element of water.

A hint of surprise flashed in Nie Lingfeng's eyes. He had indeed witnessed Wang Zhenqiu's talent for simulating water flow with Qi during a previous mission, and had casually given him a few pointers on the basic principles of "gathering clouds" and "concealing thunder" in the Cloud-Dispelling Palm technique. He hadn't expected the boy to not only remember them but actually master them. Although the "clouds" were still merely in form, far from the true essence of the Cloud-Dispelling Palm, the ability to manipulate water vapor and initially condense clouds without any systematic instruction, relying solely on a few pointers and his own understanding, was truly astonishing in terms of talent and comprehension.

"How was it, Lao Nie? Was my 'Little Cloud Hands' any good?" Wang Zhenqiu dispersed the cloud of mist in his palm and returned to his usual playful demeanor, but his eyes were full of anticipation, much like a large dog waiting for praise.

"So-so, it resembles the form but lacks the spirit, it gathers without solidifying, and disperses without releasing its power. It's still far from 'overwhelming force'." Nie Lingfeng was blunt, but nodded slightly. "However, to have touched the basics in such a short time, I'd say you haven't been slacking off. I'll explain in detail after this mission is over."

"Alright! That's enough!" Wang Zhenqiu beamed. He knew Nie Lingfeng was stubborn but soft-hearted; for him to say "I didn't slack off" and "explain in detail" was already a huge compliment. He proudly gestured with his chin towards Zhang Chulan, as if to say: See? I'm someone Coach Nie has also affirmed! (￣▽￣)~*

Zhang Chulan gave him a disdainful look, but felt a pang of jealousy: Damn, Qiu'er is so lucky to get guidance from Brother Nie! I want that too! (〃＞皿＜)

At this moment, the clarinetist, who had been sitting quietly, spoke in his distinctive, deep, and husky voice: "Let's catch up later. Manager Gao, here's the latest intelligence." His words immediately brought the atmosphere back on track.

Gao Lian's expression turned serious: "Yes, business comes first. Everyone, please sit down first, we can talk while we eat. The kitchen is stewing pork stew, it will be ready soon. Xiao Hu, San Shui, bring the map and documents."

The group sat around a large square table near the stove. Gao Xiaohu and Liu Sanshui brought over a huge military map of the northeastern border region and spread it on the table, along with a stack of documents. The firelight illuminated the various expressions on their faces.

Gao Lian pointed to the points circled in red on the map and briefly reiterated the situation in Ussuriysk, the threat from the Bald Bear, the potential missile crisis, and the involvement of the alien forces from Sakura, Bear Country, and Eagle Country. He concluded, "...In short, that's the situation. Chairman Zhao has ordered that Brother Nie take full responsibility; our primary objective is to resolve the missile crisis and prevent it from exploding near the border. Our secondary objective is to investigate the abnormal area. Now, we need to come up with a plan."

All eyes were on Nie Lingfeng.

Nie Lingfeng gently patted Xiaoyun, his gaze sweeping over the map and the faces of the crowd. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "The situation is complex. The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. A direct attack is not advisable. We need to divide our forces, combining overt and covert operations, and take multiple actions."

"On the surface, we need a sufficiently strong team to conduct deterrent activities and feints on our side of the border, and even appropriately cross the border, to attract the attention of the bald bear and other forces that may be behind him, create chaos, and tie down their manpower, so that they have no time to do anything else. This team needs to be conspicuous and deterrent enough."

"Secretly, a highly skilled infiltration team is needed to take advantage of the chaos created by the visible team, secretly infiltrate Ussuriysk, locate the missile's exact position, and take action—either dismantle it or guide it to launch in a safe direction. This team needs to be small, highly skilled, and adept at concealment and adaptability."

He looked at Wang Zhenqiu, Hei Guan, and Gao Lian: "For the feint attack team, I suggest Brother Gao take overall charge, with Wang Zhenqiu and Hei Guan assisting, and Gao Yuhuan, Gao Xiaomei, and some of our family's best members and company field staff cooperating. Qiu'er's abilities are suitable for creating large-scale chaos, Hei Guan is responsible for remote support and eliminating key threats, and Brother Gao, you are familiar with the terrain and environment. The Gao family's methods can also play a miraculous role in direct conflict and dealing with sudden evil events."

Wang Zhenqiu's eyes lit up, and he licked his lips: "Hehe, create chaos and draw fire? That's my specialty! I guarantee that bald bear on the other side will know just how many eyes Lord Ma has!" He rubbed his hands together, already plotting how to cause trouble.

He didn't speak, but nodded slightly. He then began to meticulously inspect and maintain the parts of his sniper rifle, which was wrapped in camouflage cloth, from the metal case he carried with him. His movements were gentle and precise, as if he were treating a lover.

Gao Lian nodded: "No problem, we'll face it head-on! We men from Northeast China aren't afraid! Yu Huan, Xiao Mei, did you hear me?"

Gao Yuhuan grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth: "Don't worry, Uncle, Brother Nie! I'll make sure to cause a big commotion!" Gao Xiaomei, though still a little scared, nodded vigorously and whispered, "I...I'll do my best to help communicate with the 'spirit'..."

"What about the infiltration team?" Zhang Chulan asked.

Nie Lingfeng looked at him, then at Zhang Lingyu, Wang Ye, Feng Baobao, and Chen Duo: "The infiltration team consists of me, Chu Lan, Lingyu, Daoist Wang Ye, Baobao, and Chen Duo. We know each other well and have worked together before. Chu Lan is quick-witted, Lingyu is calm, Daoist Wang Ye is skilled in magic, Baobao has keen intuition, and Chen Duo uses Gu and poison to achieve unexpected victories. I am responsible for commanding and dealing with sudden and powerful enemies."

"What about me? Lao Nie, what should I do? My skills in throwing weapons and stealth aren't bad either!" Wang Zhenqiu raised his hand. He actually wanted to go to a more "exciting" place with the infiltration team.

"You're too conspicuous, your personality is too impulsive, you're not suited for infiltration." Nie Lingfeng retorted with a single sentence, "You need to stay on the front lines, fully utilize your 'liveliness,' make as much of a fuss as possible, and ideally make everyone think that you are the 'protagonist' and the biggest threat in this operation."

Wang Zhenqiu was taken aback at first, then stroked his chin and revealed a sly smile: "Huh? Now that you mention it... it seems even more interesting! Use us as bait to attract all the firepower, making them overlook the real killing move... Hehe, Lao Nie, you're so cunning! Okay, I'll take the job! I guarantee I'll make it even more convincing than the real thing!"

"What about me? Commander Nie, what am I supposed to do? I can't fight either..." A slightly hesitant voice rang out; it was Old Meng. He pushed up his glasses somewhat sheepishly, "I only know how to handle small insects and bacteria..."