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

In the state guesthouse suite, the heavy curtains were not fully drawn, leaving gaps.

The cold starlight of the capital city intertwined with the warm glow of distant neon lights, flowing in and casting a hazy band of light on the carpet.

Zeng Longli stood at the boundary between light and darkness.

His posture remained as upright as a javelin, but his eyes, usually sharp as a hawk's, now reflected the distant lights outside the window, revealing a rare, deep-seated weariness.

The encrypted satellite phone was held to my ear, and "Little Sparrow's" clear but apologetic voice came through.

"...Boss, we can't find any information about Minister Li's deep network of connections in Beijing at the moment."

"He is the Minister of State Security, and all his core information is top secret."

"You don't allow hacking into the system or eavesdropping, this is practically insurmountable..."

The little sparrow's voice carried a hint of helpless electronic noise:

"However, we've uncovered some information that's not exactly a secret within Beijing's social circles."

"The Zeng family, that is, the family of General Zeng."

"A major incident occurred 18 years ago when my grandson was switched at birth, and it only came to light in recent years."

"Minister Li is General Zeng's last disciple, and he and General Zeng's second son, Zeng Sheng, are childhood friends who grew up together and are as close as brothers."

"He's unusually close to the Zeng family."

Zeng Long listened quietly, expressionless, only his fingertips unconsciously twitching, as if sorting through the threads of this information in the void.

"besides."

The little sparrow continued:

"I asked you to check the CCTV footage of that lady at the airport, and I've got it done."

"The video has been sent to your email."

"Interestingly, she arrived a full two hours earlier than you; she came with Minister Li."

"He looked very anxious, constantly rubbing his hands and looking at the big screen."

"She and Minister Li will separate once your plane lands and you go through customs."

"When you came out to meet with Minister Li, the surveillance footage showed her trembling with emotion, tears streaming down her face, and desperately trying to hold back her sobs..."

Zeng Long's Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly.

On the other end of the phone, Little Sparrow paused for a moment, seemingly with some worry:

"Boss... are you alright? You sound very tired."

"fine."

Zeng Long's voice was low, with a barely perceptible hoarseness, "Where did Minister Li's car end up after he left the hotel tonight?"

In the eastern suburbs of Beijing, there is a place with an alarmingly high level of defense.

Our signal was completely blocked and interfered with as soon as it got close, like it was swallowed by a black hole, and we couldn't pinpoint the exact location.

"Alright, that's enough. Let's stop here and not investigate Minister Li any further."

Zeng Long commanded, his tone carrying a complex sense of determination:

"I could feel his concern... was genuine."

"Like an elder treating a younger person. I don't want to hurt that...care."

He paused, then added, more as if speaking to himself, "Although I don't understand why yet."

"Understood. Please check your video. Take care, boss. I'll give my regards to Mr. Baroque."

"Um."

The call ended. The room fell silent again, save for the faint hum of the city outside the window.

Zeng Long walked to the coffee table, knocked a cigarette out of the pack, and lit it.

The crimson flames lit up, instantly illuminating his hard jawline and a hint of confusion deep in his eyes.

He took a deep breath, letting the pungent smoke swirl in his lungs, as if trying to suppress the unfamiliar and turbulent restlessness in his heart.

He stood there silently, burning one cigarette to the end, then lighting another.

The moonlight and lamplight painted a lonely silhouette on him.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe ten minutes, maybe longer, but the screen of my phone on the table lit up, indicating that the email had been delivered.

Zeng Long paused, then stubbed out his cigarette.

He walked to the bedside, opened the huge tactical backpack, and swiftly and precisely took out a military-grade laptop.

Power on, connect to an encrypted network, log in to your email, and download the attachment.

The series of operations were executed flawlessly, with a professional ruthlessness.

However, when the video file icon appeared on the desktop, his right hand, which was holding the mouse, trembled very slightly, almost imperceptibly.

He took a deep breath, as if facing a battle more dangerous than a hail of bullets, and pressed the play button forcefully.

The screen lights up, displaying a high-definition surveillance image.

This is the airport arrival hall. The timestamp in the upper right corner shows that his flight will arrive in two hours.

He recognized Li Weiguo at a glance.

Standing next to Li Weiguo was a woman in a simple coat, with a slender and beautiful face, yet her expression was filled with anxiety and anticipation.

It was that beautiful woman he caught a glimpse of in the crowd, but who hid away like a startled fawn.

The video was zoomed in, focusing on her face.

He could clearly see her unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes and frequently looking up at the flight information screen.

The longing in her eyes almost overflowed the screen, and there was a hint of moisture and redness around her eyes.

Zeng Long squinted, his pupils contracting slightly, intently reading their lips.

Li Weiguo's lip movements:

"...Sister-in-law, don't worry...there are still two hours..."

The woman's lip movements (with a tremolo):

"...My dragon...is coming back..."

"Time is passing so slowly..."

"I really want to...see him with my own eyes..."

"Long'er...?"

These two words were like an invisible needle, unexpectedly piercing into a place deep within Zeng Long's heart that had never been touched before.

A strong, intense sour taste suddenly rushed into my nasal cavity, and my vision instantly blurred.

He suddenly tilted his head back, trying to stop some kind of out-of-control emotion.

But a drop of scalding liquid broke free of its restraints and slid down his cold, stern cheek, leaving a cool, damp trail.

He quickly wiped it off with his fingers, the movement tinged with a hint of awkwardness and roughness.

He took a deep breath, dragged the progress bar, and fast-forwarded to the moment he walked out of customs.

Screen switch.

The woman stood alone beside a pillar, trying to make herself less conspicuous.

When his figure appeared at the entrance of the passage, the surveillance clearly captured her body suddenly trembling, as if she had been struck by an electric current.

Tears welled up almost instantly.

She covered her mouth tightly with her hand, her thin shoulders trembling violently, clearly trying desperately to suppress the urge to wail.

Her gaze was drawn to him like a magnet, fixed on him with an expression of unparalleled complexity.

There is endless longing.

There is the ecstatic joy of losing something and then getting it back.

There was a sense of panic and helplessness.

And... a deep, almost empathetic pain.

It wasn't until his sharp gaze swept over her that she reacted as if burned, shrinking back behind the pillar in a panic.

Zeng Long fast-forwards again.

The scene shifts to him and Li Weiguo walking side by side towards the parking lot.

The woman slowly emerged from behind the pillar, as if all her strength had been drained away. She slumped softly to the ground, completely oblivious to the dust on the ground.

She no longer suppressed her emotions, letting her tears flow silently and wildly, her gaze still fixed on the direction he had left in.

His expert lip-reading skills allowed him to clearly read her silent sobs:

"...My Ryuu'er is back..."

"He's so tall..."

"His eyes and expression...so cold..."

"I saw his cold eyes...my heart...is aching so much..."

"It hurts so much..." Zeng Long's breathing suddenly stopped.

The light from the computer screen shone on his face, his eyes were red, and tears welled up uncontrollably again.

But his face was expressionless, as if the one shedding tears was someone else.

He just stared intently at the broken and helpless woman on the screen, at her silent pain, as if he were nailed to the chair.

After a long while, he suddenly slammed his laptop shut!

A dull "thud" broke the suffocating silence of the room.

He strode back to the window, turned his back to the room, clenched his fists tightly, and his knuckles cracked.

His chest heaved violently, each breath heavy and labored.

Information about the little sparrow.

Li Weiguo's unusual protection and tolerance.

The incident that happened to the Zeng family eighteen years ago.

And every frame of this video, every glance, every silent cry...

All these fragments collided, reassembled, and analyzed wildly in his brain, which was comparable to a supercomputer.

An astonishing, seemingly absurd yet uniquely explainable inference gradually emerges.

But it was too heavy, too unfamiliar, carrying a tremendous energy capable of overturning his entire world.

He instinctively resisted, yet he couldn't ignore the ironclad logic and... those heart-wrenching tear stains.

A struggle. The intense inner turmoil was clearly visible on his stiff back.

Ultimately, all the chaos and turmoil in his eyes were forcibly suppressed, transforming into a desperate, cold decision.

He needs answers.

I need it now.

He picked up his phone, found the number he had just saved that day, and pressed the dial button without hesitation.

Inside the car, Li Weiguo was overwhelmed by immense fear and regret.

The phone rang loudly, and the moment he saw the caller ID, he was like a startled bird, almost throwing the phone away!

He frantically grabbed his phone, his heart pounding and cold sweat pouring down his face. The ringtone rang persistently, as if pounding on his very soul.

Just a second before the ringing stopped, he finally slid the answer button with trembling fingers, carefully held the phone to his ear, held his breath, and didn't even dare to say "feed".

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

This silence was more suffocating than any questioning.

Then, the voice he feared most at that moment rang out—calm, cold, devoid of any emotion, yet like a precise scalpel, it dissected all his pretense:

"Minister Li."

The form of address remained the same, but Li Weiguo's heart sank.

Then, the voice rang out again, its tone calm and even, but it posed a question that was enough to completely crush him:

"Or... should I call you... Uncle Li now?"

"..."

Li Weiguo's mind went completely blank for a moment!

The blood seemed to have frozen!

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out; only heavy, desperate breathing came through the microphone.

He could feel his hands trembling violently, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face, and his vision completely blurred.

He bit his fist so hard that he didn't cry out.

It’s over.

He should know.

Or he knows everything.

On the other end of the phone, Zeng Long listened quietly to the suppressed gasps coming from the receiver.

He didn't urge him or show the slightest impatience.

They simply waited in silence, as if awaiting an answer they had already anticipated.

The moonlight outside the window cast a long, lonely shadow of him.

a long time.

Only after the panting on the other end gradually subsided did Zeng Long speak again. His voice remained unreadable, yet carried an undeniable air of certainty:

Uncle Li! "Tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock."

"Come pick me up in your car."

"You know the address."

After saying that, he hung up the phone without waiting for any response.

Beep...beep...beep...

The busy signal echoed through the deathly silent carriage.

Li Weiguo slumped in the driver's seat, his phone slipping from his sweaty hand. Gazing at the blurry night view outside the car window, he felt a strange sense of relief and exhaustion after the devastating shock.

He found out.

Yeah.

Inside the suite, Zeng Long tossed his phone aside.

He looked out the window again, his gaze seemingly piercing through the city's many barriers, landing on the eastern suburbs where the signal was blocked.

His lips moved slightly, and he uttered two words that he had been chewing over for eighteen years but had never given any real meaning to.

It was a silent space, filled with endless questions and complex emotions—

Inquiry.