Rebirth in the Dragon Kingdom: The Strongest Blade

After the meeting, Longya sidled up to Lin Zhe, winking and saying, "Brother, we'd better put on a good show this time. Let those big shots in the military region see what it means to be 'one person is worth a whole special forces team'."

Lin Zhe smiled, but he felt a lot of pressure. This wasn't real combat, but in some ways it was more difficult—real combat allows for deadly attacks, while exercises require restraint; real combat allows for any means necessary, while exercises require adherence to rules.

Back in his dormitory, Lin Zhe turned on his encrypted computer and began collecting information about the Northwest Military Region.

Jiang Tao, 55 years old, is the commander of the Northwest Military Region. He rose through the ranks from a border defense regiment commander, is known for his tough style, and is skilled in mountain warfare...

The "Azure Wolf" Special Forces Team was established eight years ago. Its current captain, Gao Cheng, is 38 years old and has participated in three international special forces competitions, achieving a best ranking of sixth. The team comprises 68 members, divided into four combat squads, and specializes in Gobi and mountain warfare…

Located at the foot of the Helan Mountains, at an altitude of 1200-2500 meters, the area experiences large temperature differences between day and night, with nighttime temperatures potentially dropping below zero in late September. The main terrain consists of mountains, Gobi Desert, and sparse shrubland. Three main highways traverse the exercise area, and several villages have already been evacuated…

Lin Zhe took notes as he read, constructing a battlefield scene in his mind. This is a fundamental skill of "Hidden Dragon"—to carry out a mission in an unfamiliar environment, one must first become a "living map" of that place.

The next morning, Lin Zhe went to the base's archives and reviewed the exercise videos of the Northwest Military Region over the past three years. He watched the parts involving the "Azure Wolf" special forces team in particular three times.

Several details caught his attention:

First, the "Grey Wolf" patrol formations prefer to be arranged in a triangular pattern, with a distance of fifty meters between each group. This formation provides a large coverage area when searching in mountainous terrain, but it is weak in flank defense.

Secondly, their command vehicles prefer to park with their backs to the mountains for concealment, but this also means there is only one escape route.

Third, logistics supply points are usually located about ten kilometers from the front line and are heavily guarded, but the guarding troops are mostly regular infantry with weak anti-infiltration capabilities.

Lin Zhe noted these down in his tactics notebook. In the afternoon, he went to see Long Jing—the base's intelligence analysis expert.

"Help me investigate a few people." Lin Zhe handed the list to Long Jing, which contained the main officers of the Northwest Military Region Command. "Focus on their living habits, daily routines, and the frequency of their usual communications."

Long Jing took the list and raised an eyebrow: "Are you planning a decapitation?"

"The Dragon King said, kill those who can be killed," Lin Zhe said calmly. "Decapitation is not the goal, but a means. If the command system is paralyzed, the troops will fall into chaos, and chaos will create opportunities."

Long Jing nodded and began working on the computer. Five minutes later, she turned the screen towards Lin Zhe: "Commander Jiang Tao gets up at six o'clock every morning without fail, and runs three kilometers on the parade ground at six-thirty. He likes to drink strong tea and smokes this brand of cigarettes..."

As she spoke, Lin Zhe took notes. These details might seem insignificant, but in certain situations, they could be the key to understanding.

For example, if you know that the commander appears at a fixed location at a fixed time every day, it is easy to arrange an ambush.

For example, if his communication habits are known, targeted electronic interference or spoofing can be carried out.

"Oh, right," Long Jing remembered something, "Yang Zhenhua, the chief of staff of the Northwest Military Region who is participating in this exercise, has a habit—he calls home every night at ten o'clock using a military-grade encrypted mobile phone. But we cracked this encryption system three years ago."

Lin Zhe's eyes lit up: "Can you simulate his signal?"

"We need his voiceprint sample." Long Jing pulled up an audio clip. "This is a recording of his speech at the Central Military Commission meeting last year. I can extract the features and create a simulator. But it can only be used once; if it's used too many times, it will be detected."

"Once is enough," Lin Zhe said.

After leaving the intelligence room, Lin Zhe went to the equipment depot. Although this exercise was a simulation, the equipment had to be complete—combat uniforms, camouflage nets, individual drones, electronic warfare equipment, and various weapons that were "non-lethal but could force the opponent to withdraw from the exercise."

"Dragon Scale," the officer in charge of equipment management—a lieutenant colonel in his early thirties who always loved tinkering with electronic devices—smiled when he saw Lin Zhe approaching: "I knew you'd come. Here, take what you wanted."

He pulled out a large tactical backpack and showed it to Lin Zhe: "The latest generation of optical camouflage clothing, although not completely invisible, is difficult to spot with the naked eye from fifty meters away in jungle and Gobi environments. The tactical eyepiece integrates night vision, thermal imaging, laser ranging, and can also connect to drone footage. There are twelve micro drones, with a flight time of forty minutes and silent motors."

Lin Zhe inspected each piece of equipment and nodded in satisfaction. Many of these pieces of equipment were still prototypes, but they had already been issued to the "Hidden Dragon" for trial use.

"And this too." Long Lin took a small box from the cabinet, opened it, and inside were dozens of metal pieces the size of buttons. "Miniature magnetic adsorption bombs, with the power of a hand grenade, but they can be remotely detonated or timed. Stick them on the chassis of tanks, the bottom of command vehicles, the valves of tanker trucks... that'll give them a run for their money."

Lin Zhe picked one up and weighed it in his hand: "For drills?"

"Of course, it's filled with dye powder and smoke agent, but the sensors will determine that the target is 'damaged'." Dragon Scale grinned. "The Dragon King specifically instructed that you'll have a good time this time."

Lin Zhe packed his equipment into his backpack one by one. Finally, after hesitating for a moment, he took the familiar modified pistol with him—although live ammunition wasn't needed for the exercise, carrying a gun had become a habit.

After all preparations were complete, there were still three days left before departure. Lin Zhe sent Zhang Xueying a encrypted message: "I have to go on a mission, it will take about a month. Don't worry, take care of yourself."

Ten minutes later, the reply came: "Be careful, I'm waiting for you. Love you."

Those few simple words reassured Lin Zhe considerably.

The night before their departure, the Dragon King summoned Lin Zhe and Long Ya to his office and gave them his final instructions.

"Remember, you're not going to act this time, you're going to war." The Dragon King stared at the two. "The soldiers in the Northwest and Southwest won't show you any mercy just because you're 'Hidden Dragons.' On the contrary, even though they don't know your identities, they'll fight tooth and nail to capture you."

Longya chuckled: "Well, you'd have to be able to catch it first."

"Don't underestimate them," the Dragon King said seriously. "Qin Feng of Hunter Blade and Gao Cheng of Azure Wolf are both veteran special forces soldiers with rich combat experience. Moreover, they will definitely use their most elite forces against you in this exercise—because you are the biggest variable."

He walked to the map: "The first 48 hours after the exercise begins are the deployment phase for both sides' troops. This is your best opportunity to infiltrate. Once the troops are in place and the defenses are established, it will be difficult to get in."

Lin Zhe nodded: "My plan is to infiltrate from the northwest Gobi Desert. The terrain there is open and the defenses are weak, but the temperature difference between day and night is large, which requires high physical fitness."

Are you confident?

"Yes," Lin Zhe said. "I brought two sets of cold-weather clothing, as well as high-calorie supplies. Although the Gobi Desert is difficult to traverse, it's also the route they least expect."

The Dragon King nodded in satisfaction: "That's the right approach. Always attack where the enemy least expects it."

He looked at Longya: "And you?"

"I'll take the waterway." Longya pointed to a river on the map. "The Qingshui River on the southern slope of Helan Mountain, though not wide, leads directly into the heart of the Southwest Military Region's defense zone. I'll disguise myself as a fisherman and row in; they won't stop fishermen, will they?"

"Beware of riverbank patrols."

"I know, I'll be leaving at night."

After giving his instructions, the Dragon King patted the two men on the shoulders: "Many high-ranking officials from the Central Military Commission will be watching this exercise. If you perform well, you'll bring honor to 'Hidden Dragon.' If you botch it..."

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear.

Lin Zhe and Long Ya stood at attention: "We guarantee to complete the mission!"

Three days later, at four in the morning.

A black SUV without any markings drove out of Beijing and sped west along the highway. Long Ya was driving, and Lin Zhe was in the passenger seat. Both were dressed casually and looked like ordinary hikers.

There were two large hiking backpacks in the back seat of the car, containing all the equipment.

"Tell me," Longya said casually as he drove, "what kind of expressions will Jiang Tao and Chen Jianfeng have when they find their house turned upside down by the two of us once the exercise starts?"

Lin Zhe looked at the rapidly receding night outside the window and said calmly, "They'll probably curse."

"Swearing is the right thing to do," Longya laughed. "If we don't swear, it means we haven't done a good job."

After driving for eight hours, they entered the Helan Mountains around noon. At a remote fork in the mountain road, the two got out of the car and changed into the clothes of local herders—old jackets, jeans, and mud-covered boots.

"Let's split up here." Longya slung his backpack over his shoulder. "You head north, I'll head south. Once the exercise begins, proceed according to the pre-arranged plan."

Lin Zhe checked the equipment and nodded: "Keep communications silent unless in an emergency."

"I know." Longya extended his hand. "See you at the arena, brother."

They clasped their hands together and shook them vigorously.

Without further ado, the two went their separate ways and quickly disappeared into the dense forest.

Lin Zhe headed north alone. He didn't take the usual route, but instead followed a dry riverbed—a place strewn with gravel, difficult to traverse, but where there were no patrols.

After walking for three hours, at four o'clock in the afternoon, he found the first planned ambush point: a sheltered cave with the entrance hidden by bushes.

Lin Zhe crawled into the cave, put down his backpack, and first set up a perimeter—two miniature vibration sensors were placed thirty meters away from the cave entrance, connected to a wristwatch. The wristwatch would vibrate if someone approached.

Then he began organizing his equipment. The optical camouflage uniform was folded and placed on top, the tactical goggles were charged, and the battery status of the miniature drone was checked…

By the time he finished, it was already dark. Lin Zhe ate two compressed biscuits, drank half a pot of water, and leaned against the rock wall, closing his eyes.

The watch showed that there were still 36 hours until the exercise began.

In those thirty-six hours, he had to complete the initial reconnaissance of the Northwest Military Region's defense zone, select the first batch of sabotage targets, and plan the infiltration route.

A faint buzzing sound came through the headphones—it was Longya testing the communication equipment, and then it went silent again.

Lin Zhe opened his eyes and looked out into the deep night.

The Northwest Military Region, the Canglang Special Forces, and that tough-minded Commander Jiang Tao...

Tomorrow, this game will begin.

What he had to do was make this exercise an unforgettable lesson for the Northwest Military Region.