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

Time seemed to stand still in the courtyard, or perhaps it was stretched out infinitely.

Every second of waiting felt like being fried in a pan of oil.

All the Zeng family members stared intently at the computer connected to the large screen, the air thick with an almost suffocating tension and anticipation.

The veins on the back of General Zeng's hand, which was leaning on his cane, bulged out.

He Jing nestled in her husband Zeng Sheng's arms, her body trembling slightly, her lips bitten until they turned white.

"drop--!"

A crisp notification sound, like heavenly music, suddenly shattered the deathly silence!

coming!

Li Weiguo perked up and, almost without hesitation, immediately moved the mouse and opened the encrypted email.

The large screen on the wall simultaneously displayed that an encrypted file package was being downloaded rapidly.

The progress bar quickly filled up, and several clearly named folders appeared on the screen:

[When it was first found]

[5 months]

[One year old]

[One and a half years old]

[Two years old]...until [17 years old].

The name of each folder is like a heavy hammer blow to the Zeng family's heart, representing every moment of their child's growth that they have missed for eighteen years!

Li Weiguo took a deep breath and looked at General Zeng.

The old man's breathing quickened, and a terrifying glint flashed in his cloudy eyes. With trembling fingers, he pointed resolutely to the folder at the very front of the stack—

[When it was first found].

"Open it!" The old man's voice was hoarse but carried an undeniable command.

Li Weiguo clicked the mouse.

The folder unfolds to reveal dozens of scanned or photographed old photos.

He clicked on the clearest and most prominent one.

Swish-!

On the large screen, a color photograph instantly appeared clearly:

A newborn baby, who looked extremely frail, was wrapped in a slightly worn but relatively clean blanket.

Her little face was all wrinkled, and her eyes were tightly closed, as if she were still fast asleep.

Although he was only recently born, the contours of his eyebrows, the lines of his nose...

"ah--!!!"

A heart-wrenching, extremely emotional cry suddenly erupted!

As if struck by lightning, He Jing abruptly broke free from Zeng Sheng's embrace and lunged towards the large screen, tears streaming down her face like a burst dam.

She reached out a trembling hand, as if wanting to touch the baby on the screen. Her body trembled violently with extreme excitement, and her voice was heart-wrenching and incoherent:

"My son! My precious dragon son...!"

"Ah Sheng! Did you see that?"

"Look! This is our son! Our Linglong..."

She whirled around, grabbed Zeng Sheng's arm, and her nails almost dug into his flesh!

"This outfit! This light blue little outfit! I dressed him in it myself."

"There's a tiny 'dragon' character I embroidered on top! Inside the collar!"

"Eighteen years...! Eighteen years...!"

"His appearance..."

"In my dream..."

"In my mind..."

"In my heart..."

"At all times..."

"It's always like this..."

Even Zeng Sheng, this tough guy, could no longer control himself!

His eyes widened, brimming with tears, as he looked at the tiny baby on the screen, then at his wife who was on the verge of collapse beside him. He nodded heavily, his voice choked with emotion, barely able to form a coherent sentence:

"It's...it's our Long'er...that's right...it's Linglong..."

Just then, General Zeng, trembling, carefully took out an old kraft paper envelope from the inside pocket of his Zhongshan suit, and then carefully took out an old photograph that was obviously yellowed.

The photo shows himself holding an infant in his arms, laughing and talking with another elderly man (Grandpa Yan). The background appears to be his own study.

This photo was taken when Zeng Linglong was just born, and the two families' grandfathers jokingly arranged a betrothal for the children.

This photo has never left his side in the past few years.

The old man takes it out and looks at it every day.

He feared that his aging memory would blur the image of his grandson.

At that moment, the old man walked unsteadily but with unusual determination to the front of the big screen.

With trembling hands, she struggled to hold the small, yellowed photograph next to the baby picture on the screen.

Compare!

The style and color of the clothes are exactly the same!

The patterns on the blankets used for wrapping the items are highly similar!

Most importantly, the contours of that small face, the eyebrows, the eyes, the nose...

They're practically identical!

The proof is like a mountain!

There are absolutely no more doubts!

"Ugh—!!!"

General Zeng suddenly let out a low roar that had been suppressed for eighteen years, filled with extreme pain and anger!

The turbid tears flowed out like a flood, tracing the deep wrinkles on his face.

The yellowed photograph in his hand fluttered to the ground, but he didn't care. His age-spotted hand clenched into a fist, trembling violently with extreme anger.

"Why? Why...?"

The old man roared to the sky, his voice like that of a wounded lion, filled with boundless grief, anger, and murderous intent:

"These damned forces! These heartless maggots! How could they be so vicious...!"

"I'm only just realizing it now! I'm only just realizing it now..."

He whirled around, his bloodshot eyes sweeping over every family member present, his voice hoarse with rage as he roared:

Why did the hospital tell us that Long'er was physically weak?

"Why were we quarantined for a whole month before we could see each other again, when we were required to be in separate isolation?"

"Because during that month, they replaced our Linglong with another sickly baby."

"They're trying to lull us into a false sense of security!"

"The baby's appearance changes every day over the course of a month."

"When we saw the replaced child again, we felt something was wrong, but we were fooled by the excuse that 'the child has grown up and changed.'"

"What a brilliant sleight of hand!"

"What a brilliant deception!"

"Our Zeng family..."

"Our Zeng family has been played like this for...eighteen...years...!"

A surge of fury instantly ignited the entire hall, and everyone trembled with rage at the truth that had come eighteen years too late.

"Investigate...!" General Zeng slammed his cane down, his voice resolute and filled with an unprecedented killing intent.

"Investigate thoroughly! Investigate to the death! Every medical staff member, caregiver, and even family members of other women who gave birth around the same time as Long'er! Don't let a single one of them escape! Detain them all! Interrogate them one by one!"

His gaze was like a knife, as if it could tear the air in front of him:

"Anyone who dares to obstruct me! Anyone who dares to protect me! Is my mortal enemy! An irreconcilable foe of the Zeng family!!"

"Bring me Zeng Yong's video!" the old man commanded sternly.

Soon, a window appeared on one side of the large screen, connecting to Zeng Yong, the eldest son who was far away at the secret base and unable to return.

In the video, Zeng Yong is wearing combat uniform, with a simple command post in the background. He has obviously just finished an important mission, and his face still shows a hint of fatigue, but his eyes are sharp.

"Dad, what happened at home?"

Zeng Yong felt a chill run down his spine when he saw his father's bloodshot eyes and the excited and angry expressions of everyone in the room.

"A-Yong!" General Zeng said to the screen, his voice heavy with sorrow yet unwavering in determination.

"Xiao Long... has been found! It's confirmed! Zero is your nephew, my grandson, Zeng Linglong!"

On the other end of the video, Zeng Yong's pupils suddenly contracted, and his face was instantly filled with immense shock and disbelief!

Before he could process this shocking news, General Zeng continued to issue orders, each word dripping with a chilling, iron-fisted resolve:

"I now command you! Immediately! Right now! Use every available force and authority you may have!"

"Cooperate with the operation in Beijing and thoroughly reinvestigate all the clues and suspects you previously uncovered."

"I will have the capital immediately placed under lockdown. All individuals possibly connected to the incident where Long'er was switched at birth should be detained and investigated!"

"We absolutely cannot let the culprit get away! Do you understand?"

Zeng Yong quickly recovered from his initial shock. His military duty kicked in instantly, his eyes turning cold and sharp. He gave the camera a crisp military salute, his voice firm and resolute, carrying an unwavering determination:

"Yes, sir! We guarantee the mission will be accomplished! We will not let a single participant escape!"

Inside the hall, emotions were running high.

He Jing collapsed to the ground, hugging her husband's legs, and burst into tears.

That was the ecstasy of something lost and then found again.

It was the heart-wrenching pain of learning the truth.

Zeng Sheng held his wife tightly, his eyes bloodshot, his jaw clenched, and his facial muscles contorted. He was almost consumed by immense anger and heartache.

Zeng Lingyu, with tears streaming down her face, said, "I've found my brother."

My brother is a hero.

She was crying and laughing at the same time, but her face was already covered in tears.

Other members of the Zeng family either wept silently, cursed angrily, or were so agitated that they could hardly contain themselves.

The flames of rage erupted completely from the Zeng family, a volcano that had been dormant for eighteen years, and were about to transform into a thunderous action that would sweep away those enemies hiding in the shadows.

The baby photo on the screen quietly observes all of this; he is the center of this storm, and the origin of this family's sorrow and hope.