The Rise of a Special Forces Soldier Abandoned by a Wealthy Family

The hustle and bustle, joy and sorrow of the hospital's VIP floor are isolated by thick glass, as if it were another world.

Ling Ye left not a single word.

He didn't even glance at the ward filled with complex emotions again.

He simply left silently and alone through the fire escape.

The night was as thick as ink, swallowing his tall and slender figure.

The path next to the hospital was quiet and deserted.

Only the dim streetlights cast his shadow long, very long, conveying an indescribable loneliness.

The autumn wind was bleak, rustling the branches and leaves of the roadside trees.

It sounded like a soft sob, or perhaps it was urging this out-of-place passerby to leave as soon as possible.

Ling Ye stopped, leaned against the cold lamppost, shook a cigarette out of his pack, bent down, cupped the flickering light of the match in his hand, and lit it.

A crimson flame suddenly ignited in the darkness, illuminating his sharply defined profile.

His eyes were no longer the cold, sharp gaze he had when facing enemies.

It wasn't the occasional tenderness he showed towards Anna.

Rather, it is a bottomless weariness and emptiness.

It was a weariness that emanated from the very core of one's being, as if carrying a weight that one's age should not have to bear.

He took a deep, almost greedy breath.

The smoke rushed into my lungs, bringing a burning sting and a brief feeling of suffocation.

Only such intense physiological stimulation could make him vaguely confirm—

My body, forged through countless trials, still exists!

It can still be sensed.

But what about the heart?

Where is that heart that has teetered on the brink of life and death countless times, long since frozen or forgotten?

He couldn't feel its pulse; he only felt a desolate wasteland.

His face habitually contorted into that sinister, chilling curve!

But against the backdrop of the night, that smile appeared incredibly desolate!

Like a poppy blooming on ruins, beautiful yet carrying a fatal sense of desolation and sorrow.

He took a few deep drags, finishing the cigarette from the moment it was lit!

It was as if some kind of ritual was being performed—

A tribute to yet another brief stay that is about to end—

And that ethereal, tranquil dream.

He gently stubbed out the cigarette with his fingers, a movement that was elegant yet resolute.

He knew it was time to leave.

The moment Edgar uttered the codename "Zero," everything was sealed.

His world never belonged to the ivory tower under the sun or the warm family reunion.

It was only a matter of time before it was exposed.

The longer they stay, the greater the potential danger to Anna and the Rothschild family.

He's like a ticking time bomb; whoever gets close to him could be destroyed.

very tired.

From the time I can remember, it has been an endless and brutal training.

As they grew a little older, they were forced to plunge into the smoke of battle and the struggle between life and death.

Other people's childhood was filled with candy and toys.

His childhood was filled with guns and wounds.

Other people's youth is about school and romance.

His youth was filled with missions and killing.

He seems to never stop.

Like a war machine with a pre-programmed sequence.

It runs continuously until it rusts and becomes unusable.

But why do I feel so tired? I've never felt this way before.

A faint, almost inaudible footstep stopped behind him.

Lin Que stood there silently, putting away all her usual playfulness and quirkiness.

She watched Ling Ye's lonely figure.

Looking at his profile as it was swallowed by the night.

Watching the last wisp of smoke disappear from his fingertips, his eyes reddened slightly.

She didn't say anything, just stayed quietly by his side.

Like a cub carefully protecting a wounded alpha wolf.

Ling Ye didn't turn around, but he knew it was her.

He took out the satellite phone, which had been encrypted countless times, and pressed a shortcut key for a one-way connection.

The phone was answered after only one ring, and a deep, slightly hoarse male voice came from the other end—the Baroque Chief.

Before the other party could speak, Ling Ye spoke directly, his voice calm and without a trace of emotion, yet revealing a deep weariness:

"Old bastard. I probably can't stay here any longer."

He succinctly informed the other party of the changes that had occurred within the Ronnie family, that Edgar was the mastermind, and that his code name had been exposed.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a long, complex sigh from Baroque: "Alas—!"

"Given your and Little Sparrow's rather 'low-key' yet flamboyant behavior at school!"

Baroque's voice carried a mixture of amusement and profound helplessness:

"I reckon that with that old man Ronnie's influence, you guys should be able to get through the semester without too much trouble."

"I was thinking that at least you guys could enjoy a few days of peaceful life like ordinary people while you were at school. Wouldn't that be better?"

His tone gradually became agitated:

"But what about you? You little killer."

"I told you to learn some economics, and what did you do? You casually made a few million dollars, and today you're shorting oil and making tens of millions!"

"In a few days, I'll make tens of millions more to go long on gold and earn another ten million or so."

"You're telling me this is what you call being low-key?"

"Is this what you call a peaceful student life?"

"Those old foxes on Financial Street are practically treating you like a ghost story!"

"I still have to figure out a way to clean up your mess and cover up the flow of funds!"

Ling Ye listened expressionlessly, the wicked smile on his lips seeming to fade slightly.

Baroque had clearly been holding back for a long time, and his firepower shifted to Lin Que:

"And Little Sparrow! I was counting on you to keep an eye on her."

"Look at her now, does she still look like a decent girl?"

"Her hair was styled like a rainbow, and her clothes were tattered; she looked like a rebellious teenage girl."

"Today I hacked into the school's surveillance system to watch porn, tomorrow I'll change the teacher's computer desktop wallpaper to a picture of her making faces!"

"That's considered mild!"

"And he even fiddles with those terrifying little gadgets himself!"

"I scared my classmate so much that he fainted today."

"I'll scare the professor to death tomorrow."

"They sent him directly to a mental hospital for observation the day after tomorrow."

"Tell me about it?"

"Ever since you two entered the school, hasn't it been a chaotic and disorderly affair every single day?"

"If it weren't for Ronnie's influence holding you back, neither of you would have survived three episodes!"

"In any TV series, he'd be the kind of character who gets killed off right at the beginning!"

Ling Ye listened silently, while Lin Que, standing to the side, stuck out her tongue shyly and shrank her neck.

Baroque, having vented his anger, seemed somewhat relieved, and his tone became low and complex again:

"You little rascal... I know that you harbor some resentment towards us three old guys, more or less."

He was naturally referring to himself, as well as Jianmo and Xue Yan.

"But it's precisely because of these things, because you had no childhood, no adolescence, that we fucking went to great lengths, even risking our dignity, to get you into Harvard."

"We just wanted to let you experience even a little bit of the peace and energy of school, so that it could benefit your life..."

"At least you can rediscover a little bit of what it means to be young, and slightly change your heart that's been steeped in blood and fire..."

The old general's voice carried a rare, almost weary tenderness:

"Sigh... Now... I don't know where you should go either."

"The base...you definitely can't go back for the time being."

"The exposure of 'Zero's' identity means that many of his past enemies will come looking for him."

"You'll have to think about it yourself."

The phone hangs up.

The busy signal sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Ling Ye remained in the same position as when answering the phone, without moving for a long time.

Baroque's words were like a dull knife, stirring up a bitter and complex ripple in his cold heart.

resentment?

Maybe so.

But more than anything, there was a sense of bewilderment.

The path they laid out for him seemed one he could never walk.

What exactly does he want?

Are they fireworks from a battle?

still is……

He slowly raised his head and looked at the window of the VIP ward in the hospital, where the lights were on!

A very subtle fluctuation, which even he himself did not notice, flashed deep in his eyes!

But it was soon swallowed up by an even deeper silence.

Finally, he extinguished the last vestige of delusion in his heart, and put that wicked yet beautiful smile back on his face, as if it were his final armor.

He turned around and glanced at Lin Que, who was silently following behind him.

"I'm leaving," he said softly, his voice fading into the night wind.

No destination, no direction, just leaving.

Two figures.

Tall and imposing, yet exuding endless loneliness.

The petite elf was filled with worry.

It slowly blended into the deep night of New York, as if it had never existed.

Only the streetlights cast long, lonely shadows on the ground.

And the faint smell of tobacco that had not yet completely dissipated in the air.

It tells a story about a lone wolf that no one knows.