Rebirth in the Dragon Kingdom: The Strongest Blade

For the next few days, Lin Zhe stayed home with his parents. This was a kind of family affection he had never experienced in his previous life—his mother, Su Wan, would get up early to make him breakfast, his father, Lin Guodong, would cancel his social engagements to come home for dinner, and his brother, Lin Feng, and his family would also come back. The whole family would sit together, chatting about everyday things and work.

This simple happiness was something Lin Zhe cherished deeply. He was an orphan in his past life, but in this life he had a complete family, which he treasured all the more.

"Xiao Zhe, come on, let's go shopping together." On the morning of the third day, Su Wan took her son out. "You must be lacking things in the army, so Mom will buy you some."

Lin Zhe wanted to say that he lacked nothing, but seeing his mother's enthusiasm, he couldn't bear to refuse.

In the most bustling commercial district of Beijing, Su Wan dragged Lin Zhe from shop to shop, browsing clothes, shoes, daily necessities... they practically wanted to empty the entire mall.

"Mom, you really didn't need to buy so much." Lin Zhe looked at the things he was carrying and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Why wouldn't you use it?" Su Wan glared at him. "The conditions are tough in the army, so Mom prepared more for you. Share these snacks with your comrades. Remember to take these nutritional supplements yourself..."

As they were talking, two girls walked towards them. One had her hair tied in a ponytail and wore a white dress, looking neat and tidy; the other had long hair flowing down her shoulders and wore a floral skirt, looking lively and cute. They were Zhang Xueying and Zhao Keke.

"Oh, Auntie, it's you!" Zhang Xueying's eyes lit up when she saw Su Wan. She had met Su Wan at a charity event, where Su Wan was one of the sponsors.

"Xueying?" Su Wan recognized her too. "What a coincidence, you're shopping too?"

"Yeah, I was bored at home, so I came out for a walk with Coco." Zhang Xueying said, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards Lin Zhe.

Today, Lin Zhe was dressed in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, standing tall and handsome, a completely different feeling from when he wore his military uniform—less imposing, more sunny. But that unique charisma was still there; he could be recognized at a glance in a crowd.

Zhao Keke also saw Lin Zhe, her eyes instantly lighting up. She nudged Zhang Xueying with her elbow and whispered, "It's him!"

Su Wan noticed the two girls' gazes and a thought struck her. She quite liked Xueying; she came from a good family, was well-mannered, and beautiful. If only she could...

"Mom, who is this?" Lin Zhe asked, seeing that his mother knew the other person.

"Oh, this is Zhang Xueying, General Zhang Dajiang's daughter," Su Wan introduced. "This is her friend..."

"My name is Zhao Keke!" Zhao Keke said quickly, her eyes never leaving Lin Zhe.

Lin Zhe nodded: "Hello." He remembered Zhang Xueying; she was the girl sitting next to him on the plane. He hadn't expected her to be Zhang Dajiang's daughter.

Zhang Xueying looked at Lin Zhe, her heart pounding a little. Her father's words still echoed in her ears: "That kid Lin Zhe is a real talent..." Now, up close, he was even more handsome than on the plane; his composed demeanor was particularly captivating.

"Lin...Lin Zhe, hello." Zhang Xueying tried her best to appear natural.

"Hello," Lin Zhe replied politely.

Zhao Keke leaned closer, grinning, and said, "Lin Zhe, you look completely different in civilian clothes and in your military uniform! But you're handsome both times!"

Lin Zhe was a little embarrassed and didn't know how to respond. Su Wan saw this and chuckled inwardly—her son was really a novice when it came to relationships.

As the group was talking, a commotion suddenly erupted in the mall. Someone in the distance screamed, "Grab them!"

Lin Zhe immediately became alert and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw three people running towards them in a panic, all with fierce expressions and flustered eyes. Five or six people were chasing after them, and the middle-aged man in the lead shouted as he ran, "Police! Stop!"

They're fugitives! Lin Zhe realized instantly. Judging from their actions and expressions, they weren't ordinary thieves; they were likely serious criminals.

Chaos erupted in the mall. Customers panicked and scattered in all directions. As the pursuers drew closer, one of the three fugitives suddenly pulled out a pistol, while another drew a dagger.

"Don't move!" the gunman roared, his eyes bloodshot.

They rushed to the entrance of a jewelry store, just as a young couple came out. The knife-wielding assailant grabbed the girl by the neck, pressing the dagger against her throat: "Back off! All of you, back off!"

"Let her go!" The boy tried to rush forward, but was kicked to the ground by the gunman.

The pursuing police arrived, led by a middle-aged officer in his forties. He held up his badge and said, "I am Liu Zhigang, the criminal investigation captain of the Jinghua City Public Security Bureau! You can't escape, put down your weapons!"

"Bullshit!" the gunman shouted, agitated. "Let us go! Or I'll kill her!"

The kidnapped girl was deathly pale and trembling. The boy lay on the ground, blood trickling from his mouth, trying to get up but being stepped on by the assailant.

The surrounding customers all kept their distance; some took out their phones to secretly record videos, while others were so frightened that they cried.

Lin Zhe quickly said to his mother, "Mom, you all step back, the farther the better."

"Xiao Zhe, don't..." Su Wan worriedly pulled her son back.

"It's okay, Mom, trust me." Lin Zhe's eyes were firm.

He then looked at Zhang Xueying and Zhao Keke: "Take my mom to a safe place."

The two girls were also startled, but they nodded nonetheless. Zhang Xueying pulled Su Wan, "Auntie, let's go first..."

"Xiao Zhe, be careful!" Su Wan was pulled back, her eyes fixed on her son.

Lin Zhe waited until they retreated to a safe distance before slowly approaching the scene. He didn't go forward directly, but instead mingled in the crowd, observing the situation.

Three criminals were present: one armed with a gun, one with a knife, and the third unarmed but burly, who appeared to be a thug. There were six police officers, but they hesitated to launch a direct assault, fearing for their lives.

"Captain Liu, right?" the armed thug panted. "Get us a car, fill it up with gas! Let us out of town! Otherwise..."

He pressed the muzzle of his gun against the hostage's temple.

Liu Zhigang's face was ashen: "You can't escape. Lay down your weapons now, and you might get leniency."

"Don't give me that! I have three lives on my hands, what leniency?!" the gunman roared. "Ten minutes! If the car doesn't even stop in ten minutes, I'll kill one!"

The atmosphere was incredibly tense. Lin Zhe's mind raced, calculating distance, angle, and time...

The armed assailant's attention was on the police, the knife-wielding assailant's attention was on the hostage, and the unarmed assailant cautiously looked around... but their positioning was problematic; the three of them formed a loosely packed triangle.

opportunity!

Lin Zhe moved. He burst out of the crowd like a cheetah, so fast he was almost a blur! He covered the twenty-meter distance in three seconds!

Hearing the commotion, the gunman turned around, only to find Lin Zhe already in front of him. With lightning speed, his left hand grabbed the barrel and lifted it upwards, while his right hand, like hooks, pried open the gun and disassembled it—with a few soft "clicks," the entire gun instantly fell apart, parts scattered all over the ground!

That wasn't all! Lin Zhe followed up with a right side kick, striking the armed assailant in the chest. The man screamed, flying backward and crashing into the wall before collapsing to the ground.

The knife-wielding assailant reacted and tried to attack the hostage, but Lin Zhe was ten times faster! He took a step forward, grabbed the assailant's wrist with his left hand, and twisted it forcefully, causing the dagger to slip from his grasp; at the same time, his right hand slashed the assailant's neck with precision, and the man collapsed unconscious without uttering a sound.

The unarmed thug finally reacted, roaring as he lunged forward. Lin Zhe didn't even look, turning and delivering a spinning kick that struck the man squarely in the chin. The thug was sent flying through the air, crashing to the ground, foaming at the mouth, convulsing a couple of times, and then motionless.

The entire process, from rushing to the three thugs to subduing them all, took less than fifteen seconds.

The scene was deathly silent. Everyone was stunned, including the police.

Several seconds passed before Liu Zhi finally reacted, waving his hand: "Get them under control!"

The police then rushed forward and handcuffed the three criminals. Upon examination, they discovered that the one with the gun had three broken ribs, the one with the knife had a slight dislocation of his neck, and the one unarmed had a dislocated jaw—all of whom were momentarily incapacitated but not fatally wounded.

"That's amazing!"

"My God, is this a movie shoot?"

"So cool!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, some shouting excitedly. What they'd just witnessed was more thrilling than an action movie—real, breathtaking, and utterly swift!

In the distance, Su Wan clutched her chest, a mixture of shock, fear, and pride in her eyes. Zhang Xueying and Zhao Keke stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with admiration.

"Xueying, did you see that? He's so cool!" Zhao Keke excitedly shook Zhang Xueying's arm.

Zhang Xueying didn't speak, but the light in her eyes said it all. She had seen many soldiers, but never one like this—calm, decisive, strong, and...so handsome.

Liu Zhigang walked up to Lin Zhe and scrutinized him carefully. This young man in his early twenties possessed terrifying skills and an extraordinary aura...

"Comrade, you are..." Liu Zhigang asked tentatively.

Lin Zhe produced his identification: "Lin Zhe, Special Operations Brigade of the Southwest Military Region."

Liu Zhigang took the document and saw it: Lieutenant Colonel! A twenty-one-year-old Lieutenant Colonel! He was shocked, and recalling the skill he had displayed earlier, he immediately understood—this was no ordinary soldier, but an elite member of the military, possibly a legendary special forces king!

"Lieutenant Colonel Lin, thank you so much for today!" Liu Zhigang saluted solemnly. "If it weren't for you, those three desperados would have injured countless people."

Lin Zhe returned the salute: "Soldiers' mission—who are they?"

"These are cross-province murderers, with three lives on their hands. They've committed robbery, rape...they've done it all. We've been watching them for three days, and we were going to make our move today, but we didn't expect them to act so desperately and run into the mall." Liu Zhigang said, still shaken. "In that situation, if we had forced our way in, the hostages would have been in great danger. Thank you so much!"

"You're too kind," Lin Zhe said. "Do you need me to give a statement?"

"We need to make a simple record, but it won't take up too much of your time," Liu Zhigang said. "You're a soldier and you acted bravely, so we'll simplify the procedures as much as possible."

Lin Zhe nodded. The police quickly cleared the scene, and an ambulance took the three criminals away—they needed treatment before facing trial. The hostage was rescued, and the girl cried in her boyfriend's arms, while the boy kept thanking Lin Zhe.

After taking a brief statement, Liu Zhigang thanked Lin Zhe again and left his contact information: "Lieutenant Colonel Lin, I will contact you if needed."

"Okay, Captain Liu."

The police left, and the mall gradually returned to normal. But the scene had already been filmed and uploaded online, quickly spreading throughout the local Beijing community—but that's another story.

Lin Zhe walked towards his mother and the others. Su Wan immediately rushed forward, checking her son up and down: "Xiao Zhe, are you hurt? You scared me to death!"

"It's alright, Mom, it's nothing," Lin Zhe comforted her.

Zhang Xueying and Zhao Keke also gathered around, their eyes shining.

"Lin Zhe, you're amazing!" Zhao Keke exclaimed excitedly. "Those moves were just like in the movies! Have you ever practiced kung fu?"

"I learned some combat skills in the army," Lin Zhe said casually.

Zhang Xueying looked at Lin Zhe, her heart still pounding. The scene of Lin Zhe's actions just now was deeply imprinted in her mind—that calmness, that decisiveness, that strength...that's a real man!

"Lin Zhe, do you...do you often encounter this kind of thing?" Zhang Xueying asked.

"It doesn't happen often," Lin Zhe said. "But soldiers are soldiers, so we should step up when something like this happens."

"That's right!" Zhao Keke nodded vigorously. "Xueying, doesn't your dad always say he wants to find someone responsible? This is him!"

Zhang Xueying blushed, glared at Zhao Keke, but didn't argue. She had already made up her mind—she was determined to pursue Lin Zhe!

Seeing the two girls' reactions, and then looking at her son, Su Wan was overjoyed. It seemed her son's marriage was finally settled!

"Xueying, Keke, are you free at noon?" Su Wan suddenly asked. "Auntie will treat you to lunch as a way of thanking you for keeping me company earlier."

"Huh?" Zhang Xueying was taken aback for a moment, then realized what she meant, "I'm free, I'm free!"

"That's great!" Zhao Keke exclaimed even more directly, "Thank you, Auntie!"

Lin Zhe looked at his mother, somewhat helpless. His mother's intentions were too obvious... But then he thought, since he was going back to the Southwest tomorrow anyway, having a meal together wouldn't hurt.

The group, carrying large and small bags, found a restaurant to eat. During the meal, Zhang Xueying and Zhao Keke were particularly lively, constantly asking Lin Zhe about his military unit, to which Lin Zhe answered only what he could. Su Wan observed silently from the side, becoming more and more satisfied with what she saw.

After the meal, Su Wan deliberately said, "Xiao Zhe, why don't you see Xueying and Keke off? It's not safe for the two girls."

Lin Zhe wanted to say that the security in Beijing was very good, but seeing his mother's expression, he had no choice but to agree.

On the way home, Zhao Keke kept chattering, while Zhang Xueying was relatively quiet, only occasionally stealing glances at Lin Zhe.

When they arrived at Zhang Xueying's house, before getting out of the car, she suddenly mustered up her courage and asked, "Lin Zhe, when...when are you coming back to Jinghua next?"

"Not necessarily, it depends on the task assignment," Lin Zhe said.

"Then...can I leave you my contact information?" Zhang Xueying asked, her face turning red again.

Lin Zhe hesitated for a moment, but still gave her his phone number. Zhang Xueying was overjoyed, saved the number, and waved goodbye.

In the car, Zhao Keke said with a smile, "Lin Zhe, you'd better take the initiative! Xueying rarely cares about boys this much!"

Lin Zhe smiled but didn't reply. He hadn't thought about relationships yet. Right now, his mind was focused on the military, the missions, and the technological improvements.

After dropping Zhao Keke off, Lin Zhe drove home. On the way, he thought about what had happened that day and shook his head. Accidents always come suddenly, but thankfully, nothing serious had occurred.

Back home, Su Wan immediately came over and asked, "Xiao Zhe, what do you think of Xueying?"

"Mom..." Lin Zhe said helplessly.

"Mom thinks it's great," Su Wan said to herself. "Good family background, well-mannered, and pretty. Most importantly, he's interested in you..."

"Mom, I don't want to think about these things right now," Lin Zhe said. "There's a lot going on in the army, I don't have time."

"Time can always be found!" Su Wan persisted. "Look at your dad, he was busy back then too, and he still..."

"Alright, alright, I understand," Lin Zhe quickly interrupted. "I'm going back to my unit tomorrow, we'll talk about this later."

Su Wan sighed and didn't press him any further. Her son was grown up and had his own ideas. But... she truly loved Xueying.

The next day, Lin Zhe bid farewell to his family and boarded a plane back to the southwest. Unbeknownst to him, in Beijing, a girl had already decided to pursue him; in the military region, two commanders were secretly plotting to "matchmake" him; and online, a video of him subduing a thug was quietly circulating...