Rebirth in the Dragon Kingdom: The Strongest Blade

The morning sunlight streamed into the bedroom through the curtains. Lin Zhe opened his eyes, stared at the ceiling, and felt a moment of disorientation.

There were no urgent missions, no training plans, no documents to process... This completely relaxed state felt so unfamiliar and unreal to him.

Eight years have passed. From the time he transmigrated into this world and joined the army at the age of eighteen to becoming a major general at the age of twenty-six, he has been like a machine that never stops, always running, fighting, and risking his life.

Now, I can finally stop and catch my breath.

Beside him, Zhang Xueying was still fast asleep, her breathing even. Lin Zhe turned to his side, looking at his wife's peaceful sleeping face, a warm feeling welling up in his heart. This girl, from the time they met to their marriage, had always silently supported him and waited for him, never uttering a single complaint.

He got up quietly without waking her, put on his clothes, and left the bedroom.

In the living room, Su Wan was already preparing breakfast. Seeing her son come out, she smiled: "Why didn't you sleep a little longer? It's good to rest."

"I'm used to it, I wake up around this time." Lin Zhe walked into the kitchen. "Mom, let me help you."

"No need, no need, go sit down." Su Wan pushed him away. "These hands of yours are for fighting with guns, not for cooking."

Lin Zhe smiled wryly, but still obediently sat down at the table. Soon, breakfast was served—soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns, all of which were his favorites.

Lin Guodong also got up, and the family of three sat together to eat breakfast. For Lin Zhe, this ordinary daily routine was the greatest happiness.

"What's the schedule for today?" Lin Guodong asked.

"Let's go to Xueying's house," Lin Zhe said. "Her dad said it's a family gathering today, and he wants me to formally meet the relatives."

"Of course," Lin Guodong nodded. "You got married in a hurry, and you haven't even met many of your relatives. The Zhang family is a large clan, and we should follow the proper etiquette."

As they were talking, Zhang Xueying got up. She had dressed up specially today, wearing a light blue dress, which made her look fresh and pretty.

"Good morning, Dad and Mom," she greeted with a smile.

"Good morning, come and eat."

After breakfast, the two drove to Zhang Dajiang's house. On the way, Zhang Xueying said nervously, "My relatives... might talk a lot. If you find it annoying, just bear with them."

Lin Zhe laughed: "Am I the kind of person who hates trouble?"

"That's true," Zhang Xueying laughed. "You're not even afraid of enemy special forces, why would you be afraid of a few relatives?"

The car drove into the military compound and stopped in front of the Zhang family villa. Several cars were already parked in the yard, so it seemed that everyone had arrived.

Pushing open the door, I found the living room filled with people. Zhang Dajiang sat in the main seat, with Wang Hui beside him. On the sofas on either side sat seven or eight people—some middle-aged, some young, who appeared to be Zhang Xueying's uncles, aunts, cousins, and other relatives.

"Dad, Mom, we're here," Zhang Xueying greeted them.

All eyes turned to him, especially to Lin Zhe.

"Lin Zhe is here? Please have a seat!" Zhang Dajiang said with a smile and waved.

Lin Zhe walked over and greeted them one by one. Zhang Xueying introduced them: "This is my second uncle, second aunt, third aunt, third aunt's husband, this is my cousin Zhang Liang, my cousin's wife Xiaoya, this is my cousin Zhang Yue..."

Lin Zhe greeted them politely, neither servile nor arrogant. Although he was dressed in civilian clothes, his upright posture and composed demeanor, characteristic of a soldier, still earned him silent nods of approval from those present.

"I was abroad when you got married and missed it, but I'm so glad to see you today," my second uncle said with a smile. "I heard you're doing very well in the army?"

"It's alright, mainly due to the organization's training," Lin Zhe replied modestly.

"You're too modest," Auntie San chimed in. "My eldest brother has praised you a lot, saying that you became a major general at twenty-six, which is unprecedented in the whole country!"

The living room fell silent for a moment after these words were spoken. Although everyone knew that Lin Zhe was a major general, it was still somewhat shocking to hear it said to his face.

What does it mean to be a 26-year-old major general?

Zhang Liang—Zhang Xueying's cousin, thirty years old, a lieutenant colonel, already considered a promising young man in the army. But compared to Lin Zhe…

He shook his head with a wry smile: "Brother-in-law, your promotion speed is making us all ashamed to face each other."

"Brother Liang is joking," Lin Zhe said. "I'm in the special forces, where I have more opportunities to earn merit. You guys are in the regular forces, where you take things one step at a time, which is more solid."

This was a tactful way of putting it, explaining why he had been promoted so quickly while also saving face for Zhang Liang.

Zhang Dajiang saw this and felt gratified. This son-in-law was not only capable but also mature in his dealings with others.

Next came the casual conversation. Everyone asked Lin Zhe about his life in the army, Zhang Xueying about her work, chatted about family matters, and discussed current events. The atmosphere was very harmonious, without the awkwardness or pressure Lin Zhe had imagined.

At noon, Wang Hui prepared a sumptuous meal. More than a dozen people sat around the table, enjoying a lively and cheerful meal.

During the meal, Zhang Liang quietly said to Lin Zhe, "Brother-in-law, are you free this afternoon? If not, I'd like to take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"The military club." Zhang Liang blinked. "A place our troops often go to, to drink tea, chat, and relax."

Lin Zhe had never heard of it before. In recent years, he had either been at the base, on missions, or training troops, so he was completely unfamiliar with this kind of leisure place.

"Sure," he nodded. "I happen to have a few comrades-in-arms in Beijing. Shall we invite them together?"

"Sure! It'll be more fun with more people!"

After dinner, Lin Zhe sent a message to the four members of Longya: "Are you in Jinghua? There's a military club there, wanna come?"

The reply came very quickly.

Longya: "A military club? What's that?"

Dragon Claw: "In Beijing, just woke up."

Dragon Shadow: "Send location."

Dragon Thorn: "Coming right away."

Lin Zhe sent the address and then said to Zhang Liang, "I have four comrades-in-arms, brothers who have risked their lives for each other. They are also on leave, so I'm asking them to come along."

"No problem!" Zhang Liang was delighted. "I love making friends!"

At 2 PM, in the Xicheng District of Jinghua, there was an ordinary-looking building. There was no sign at the entrance, only two young men in casual clothes standing guard with upright posture.

"This is it." Zhang Liang parked the car. "Looks ordinary, right? But anyone who can get in must be an active-duty or retired soldier, and they need someone to guide them."

Sure enough, upon entering, Zhang Liang showed his military officer's ID and registered Lin Zhe's information.

Stepping inside, I discovered a completely different world. The lobby was spacious, simply yet grandly decorated. There was a tea room, a chess and card room, a billiards room, and a small shooting range. Groups of soldiers were sitting or standing, some drinking tea and chatting, some playing chess, and some playing billiards.

"How is it?" Zhang Liang asked.

"Not bad." Lin Zhe nodded. The atmosphere here was relaxed, yet maintained military discipline—no one was making loud noises, and no one was drunk or causing trouble.

The two found a seat by the window and ordered a pot of tea. Not long after they sat down, news arrived from Longya and his group of four.

Zhang Liang went out to greet the group of people who were also dressed in casual clothes, but their unique aura attracted a lot of attention as soon as they entered.

"Over here." Lin Zhe waved.

The four men walked over and sat down. Only then did Zhang Liang begin to introduce himself: "Hello, brothers. I'm Zhang Liang, Lin Zhe's brother-in-law."

"Dragon Fang".

"Dragon Claw".

"Dragon Shadow".

"Dragon Thorn".

The four men gave brief self-introductions and shook hands with Zhang Liang. Although it was just a simple handshake, Zhang Liang could feel that these four men had a strong grip, and their palms had thick calluses—the result of long-term gun handling.

"Which unit are you brothers in?" Zhang Liang asked curiously.

"Special forces," Longya replied vaguely.

Zhang Liang wisely refrained from pressing the matter further. He knew that there were certain military units he couldn't ask about.

The five men started chatting. They talked about training, equipment, and some trivial anecdotes from the military. Zhang Liang, being a veteran himself, found the conversation very engaging.

As they chatted, Zhang Liang suddenly said, "By the way, have you heard? A few major incidents happened in the US a few days ago, and it's said that our people were behind it?"

Longya and the others maintained their expressions, but their eyes flickered slightly.

Lin Zhe took a sip of tea: "I've heard about it. But it's hard to say without evidence."

"That's right," Zhang Liang nodded. "But seriously, if it really was our people who did it, that would be so inspiring! The US is always hanging around our doorstep; it's time they tasted what it's like to have their own house set on fire!"

Dragon Claw grinned: "That's right."

As they were talking, they overheard a conversation at a nearby table. It was a group of military officers discussing the recent international situation.

"If you ask me, we've truly stood up now! Look at the US, how arrogant they used to be? Now? Much more low-key!"

"That's right! I heard they've withdrawn many of their deployments back to their homeland and don't dare to linger around our area anymore."

"To be honest, they're all scared by our new equipment! That new plane, and that..."

Zhang Liang listened and joined the discussion: "If you ask me, the most powerful is still our special forces. Have you heard? There's a mysterious unit called 'Hidden Dragon,' and they say every single one of them is a king among kings..."

Longya and the others exchanged glances but remained silent.

Lin Zhe said calmly, "Let's not discuss military matters."

Zhang Liang immediately realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly changed the subject: "By the way, do you guys know how to play billiards? Shall we play a few rounds?"

"Alright!" Longya stood up. "It's been a long time since I've relaxed. Let's stretch a bit."

The group headed towards the billiards hall. Dragon Fang and Dragon Claw formed one team, Dragon Shadow and Dragon Thorn formed another, while Lin Zhe and Zhang Liang watched the game.

Don't let Longya and his gang's usual fighting and killing fool you; they're also quite skilled at billiards. Their movements are precise, their power is accurate, and every shot is calculated meticulously.

Zhang Liang stared in disbelief: "You guys...have you trained?"

"Just playing around with it in my spare time," Longya said casually.

After three rounds, the Dragon Tooth team won. At that moment, a commotion arose from the shooting range.

The group went over to see what was going on. It turned out that a young officer was playing a simulated shooting game and was doing very well, feeling quite pleased with himself.

"Forty-eight rings! Not bad, Xiao Wang!"

"This level of skill is among the top in our military region!"

The officer named Xiao Wang said smugly, "It's alright, I practice a lot."

Zhang Liang said to Lin Zhe, "Brother-in-law, why don't you give it a try? You came from the special forces, you're definitely better than him."

Before Lin Zhe could speak, Long Ya said, "This kind of simulation is boring. We're used to playing real games."

That was a rather arrogant statement, and Xiao Wang retorted, "Brother, you've got quite the nerve. How about we have a contest?"

Longya glanced at him: "Are you sure?"

"Confirmed!" Xiao Wang puffed out his chest. "I came in third place in shooting at the military region's skills competition last year!"

"Alright." Longya nodded. "But just competing isn't fun, how about some stakes?"

"What kind of prize?"

"Whoever loses treats everyone to dinner tonight."

"make a deal!"

The two walked to the simulated shooting platform. The system simulated a rifle and a 100-meter target.

Xiao Wang went first. He took a deep breath, raised his gun, aimed, and fired.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

After firing ten bullets, the score was: ninety-six rings.

"Bravo!" Applause erupted from the crowd. This score was already top-tier in simulated shooting.

Xiao Wang looked at Longya smugly.

Longya didn't speak, but picked up the simulator gun. Unlike Xiao Wang, he didn't aim carefully; he almost fired as soon as he raised his hand.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

Ten bullets, less than half the time it took Xiao Wang.

The result came out: 100 rings.

Full ring.

The scene fell silent. Xiao Wang stared wide-eyed, unable to believe it.

"This...how is this possible..." he murmured.

Longya lowered his gun: "On a real battlefield, the enemy won't give you time to slowly aim. You have to be fast, accurate, and ruthless."

Zhang Liang was also stunned. Although he knew that Lin Zhe's comrades were not simple, he did not expect them to be this powerful.

"I'm impressed!" Xiao Wang readily agreed. "My treat tonight! But bro, which unit are you in? That marksmanship..."

"Special forces." Longya repeated the same phrase.

Xiao Wang wisely refrained from asking any further questions, but his eyes were filled with admiration.

Next, Dragon Claw, Dragon Shadow, and Dragon Thorn each played a few rounds, achieving perfect scores in each. A growing crowd gathered, speculating about the identities of these individuals.

Lin Zhe looked at all this with deep emotion. These were his comrades-in-arms, the best of the best, both on the battlefield and in everyday life.

And he has many such comrades-in-arms.

This is the "Hidden Dragon," the most powerful force in the Dragon Kingdom.

In the evening, the group actually went out for dinner. Xiao Wang was the host, and it was on the third floor of the club. During the meal, everyone chatted happily, just like a typical young people's gathering.

Although Longya and his companions didn't talk much, it was clear they were enjoying this relaxing moment. After years of facing life-or-death situations, this simple joy was the best rest for them.