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

At the entrance of Beijing Qing University, Li Weiguo's black sedan was parked quietly on the side of the road.

As soon as he arrived, he saw Zeng Long strolling slowly out of the school gate with his hands in his pockets and a half-smile on his face, which made Li Weiguo's liver ache.

Zeng Long waved, opened the car door naturally, and plopped into the passenger seat as smoothly as if he were going home.

"Uncle Li," Zeng Long said, sounding like a seasoned yin-yang master from the very first word.

"Your authority as minister... seems a bit weak?"

"Any Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to disrespect you and comes straight to my school to check my household registration."

Li Weiguo's face flushed red, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed. He glared around and looked around.

"Where are they?! Where did those bastards go?! I'll skin them alive!"

"Don't worry, Xiaolong, I'll definitely give you a satisfactory explanation!"

"Tell me, do you want to crush them with power, or slowly find fault with them and destroy them?"

Zeng Long glanced at him sideways and lazily adjusted his posture:

"Using power to oppress people? I may feel good about it, but Uncle Li, you're probably going to be in trouble!"

"Find fault? Their procedures were 'legal and compliant.' Although they overstepped their authority, it was still 'normal operation.' At most, it's just a matter of inefficiency."

He paused, a sly glint in his eyes, like a cunning fox:

"Uncle Li, don't you think something's wrong?"

"Those charging ahead are just cannon fodder!"

"If you really get so angry that you lose your mind and start a big fight along this line, the bigger the commotion, the more these cannon fodder will become a sword hanging over your head."

Li Weiguo was taken aback, his brows furrowing.

"You mean... someone's pulling the strings behind the scenes?"

"To provoke me into getting angry, and then take the opportunity to retaliate?"

He shook his head, finding it unbelievable:

"That's impossible!"

"First!!"

"The true nature of our relationship, and your identity, is known only to a select few at the very top and a handful of high-ranking military officials—all of whom are absolutely trustworthy!"

"second!!"

"I, Li Weiguo, have done nothing wrong, I've never offended anyone, and I have no dirt on anyone! What do they want from me?"

Zeng Long did not answer directly, his gaze sweeping over the bustling students outside the car window, his eyes gradually turning cold:

"Perhaps... the person behind this isn't just acting out of momentary anger, but has some deeper purpose!"

"It's possible they just suspect my identity!"

"It's also possible... that it's related to my background and what you call 'connections'."

Upon hearing the words "background," Li Weiguo's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly recalled the thunderous fury erupting in Dongshan.

He quickly changed the subject, afraid of touching Zeng Long's sensitive nerves:

"Ahem, um... what exactly did those people from the Ministry of Education do today? Why are they so angry with you?"

Zeng Long didn't respond.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if scanning all possibilities with the most sophisticated radar.

He always felt that he, and perhaps Li Weiguo along with him, had fallen into a carefully designed trap.

This trap has a large target.

If the other party is going to such great lengths to influence Li Weiguo, where will they start?

Work? Li Weiguo was conscientious and impeccable.

His lifestyle? It's as clean as a blank sheet of paper. What else could it be?

"Uncle Li," he suddenly spoke, his tone serious.

"I have a question for you. Have you had any issues lately at work or in your lifestyle that could be used against you? Even minor issues."

Li Weiguo was taken aback by the question, then straightened his back, his face showing both anger at being questioned and absolute confidence:

"I, Li Weiguo, have lived up to the expectations of the Party and the country, and I have done right by this uniform and my family! Absolutely no questions asked!"

He looked at Zeng Long: "Why are you suddenly asking this, kid?"

"That's strange..." Zeng Long rubbed his chin:

"Since you are flawless, how can your opponent bring you down?"

"unless……"

His eyes lit up:

"Uncle Li, is there anything major happening in the capital lately? Or is it happening right now?"

Li Weiguo was a little confused by his leaps of thought, and after thinking for a moment:

"Big news? Nothing special... Oh, it's just that it's almost the end of the year, and there's going to be a leadership transition soon!"

"People from all over the country flocked to the capital, and activities were quite frequent. Everyone was watching closely during this period, as it concerned their future."

"Uncle Li, is there any hope for you to get promoted this time?" Zeng Long asked tentatively.

"Me?" Li Weiguo shook his head, his tone frank:

"I've only been in this position for less than two years, and I haven't even thought about it."

"Just do your job well. What's meant to be yours will come to you, and what's not meant to be yours can't be forced."

"Oh—" Zeng Long drawled, then slapped his thigh, a look of sudden realization on his face:

"I understand! Uncle Li, they're not trying to cause you trouble, they want your position."

"They want my position?" Li Weiguo was even more bewildered. "They can just take it whenever they want? Do they think the country belongs to their family? Are you kidding me!"

"NO, NO, NO." Zeng Long extended his index finger and shook it like a foreigner, his eyes sharp. "What if they try to use me against me?"

"On you?" Li Weiguo seemed to have grasped a clue, but it wasn't clear yet.

Zeng Long began to unravel the mystery, his calmness terrifying:

"First, my identity as 'Number Zero,' as you said, is top secret!"

"So, in your official records, Uncle Li, what kind of person am I, 'Zeng Long'?"

"A nobody with no solid academic qualifications and no clear background! Right?"

"You used your ministerial privilege to squeeze someone like me, a 'three-no' person (no job, no qualifications, no status), into Peking University and Tsinghua University. Isn't this a serious violation of regulations?"

"If this matter is widely exposed, how will you explain it?"

Li Weiguo opened his mouth, as if to say something.

Zeng Long interrupted directly:

"You're probably thinking, 'The higher-ups know!'"

"But by then, with public opinion raging and various forces fueling the flames, can you get those bigwigs to step forward and say, 'Yes, we know, this is a state secret'?"

"That's simply impossible! Because my very existence, before I've made a sufficient contribution, is a huge potential risk!"

"Once my identity is revealed because of you, the Dragon Kingdom will be in a very passive position internationally!"

"At that point, should we protect you or protect the overall situation? It's a dead end."

Li Weiguo broke out in a cold sweat instantly, his face turning pale.

He never expected that the other party's seemingly reckless actions would conceal such a vicious murderous intent.

"So, Xiaolong, you mean... someone is doubting your identity?"

"No, no, no..." Zeng Long shook his head, his eyes deep.

"They may not know 'Zero'."

"What they suspect might just be me as a person, or... my relationship with a family they fear (like the Zeng family, which Zeng Long didn't mention)."

"They stumbled upon this by accident, but inadvertently drove us and my two potential identities into a dead end."

He looked at Li Weiguo, his tone unusually serious:

"Either my identity as Agent Zero is exposed, and the country is in a passive position!"

"Either you admit to the wrongdoing and resign!"

"Either... my true identity is revealed prematurely, which is something some people might not want to see!"

"And I believe that, given your character, Uncle Li, even if you were to lose your official position, you would never make a choice that would harm the national interest or expose my identity. I admire your sense of responsibility."

He took a deep breath and concluded:

"So, Uncle Li, do you still think this is just a farce by a few clowns?"

"The one playing chess behind the scenes is incredibly skillful. He used minimal force to defeat our opponent with just a few pawns."

After listening, Li Weiguo finally understood! Cold sweat soaked his back!

He immediately thought of Old Master Zeng and Zeng Sheng's anger!

If they retaliate now, wouldn't they be playing right into the enemy's hands?

This directly confirms the relationship between Zeng Long and the Zeng family!

Add to that Zeng Long's age and surname... it's practically a free delivery to your door.

He was so anxious that he immediately wanted to call Zeng Sheng and tell him that all actions had to be stopped right away.

But at this moment, he forced himself to calm down and looked at his excessively young, yet frighteningly calm, "nephew" beside him:

"Xiaolong, so... what do you think we should do now?" He realized that in matters of scheming and intrigue, he, the Minister of Security, was probably no match for this young man.

Zeng Long slowly took out a cigarette case from his pocket and pulled one out.

Li Weiguo frowned subconsciously: "Hey, I don't smoke in the car..."

Zeng Long ignored him completely, struck a match with a "snap," lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke, his movements as leisurely as if he were savoring tea.

Let's analyze it first.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Zeng Long's eyes were exceptionally sharp:

"Who knew I was close to you?"

"Excluding the top few, there aren't many people left."

"Wang Tianhao, the school's admissions officer, and the person in charge of stamping your documents from the security department."

"The school leaders can basically be ruled out. I tested them today, and they don't seem like it."

"Then it's just Wang Tianhao and that mole in your department left."

"Today, those people gave themselves away by mentioning 'reporting under their real names'."

"I bet it's that idiot Wang Tianhao."

"They also revealed that the people in the security department's approval section said they were unaware of it, which is clearly the mole stabbing them in the back."

"Uncle Li, it seems your Ministry of State Security isn't all-powerful after all," Zeng Long joked.

Li Weiguo rolled his eyes in anger: "Stop talking nonsense! Get to the point!"

"Okay," Zeng Long touched his earlobe and continued his analysis:

Why am I so certain there's a powerful figure behind this?

"First, Wang Tianhao was beaten so badly by me last time, but because of your presence, he didn't dare utter a single word!"

"He dared to file a formal complaint this time; either he's found a powerful backer who can rival you!"

"Or he's just a pawn who's been fooled and crippled."

"I think the latter is more likely; he was destined to be discarded as soon as he entered the game."

"second!"

"I don't think the Wang family has that much power to mobilize the moles in both the Ministry of Education and your Ministry of State Security to stage this charade."

"third!"

"And most importantly, the fact that they were able to lock onto me so quickly, accurately exploit my relationship with you, and devise such a treacherous scheme with such grand ambitions is something that a fool like Wang Tianhao could never have come up with."

"Then...how do we find out who's behind this?" Li Weiguo asked anxiously.

Zeng Long flicked his cigarette ash and suddenly asked a completely unrelated question:

"Uncle Li, do you know what particularly challenging or difficult missions the country has recently undertaken overseas?"

"Hmm... the best kind is one that's high-level, difficult, and the reward is great once it's completed."

Li Weiguo instantly became alert, his eyes sharpening: "Why are you asking this? This is top secret!"

Zeng Long shrugged indifferently:

"Of course I want to help you, my dear Uncle Li. You're the first elder I've felt genuinely cared for since returning to China. So!"

"Go ask your superiors for a few of these tasks, and I'll take care of it for you."

"What did you say?!"

Li Weiguo almost jumped out of the driver's seat, his eyes wide as saucers.

"You're willing to carry out missions for the country? And...and several?! Do you even know what level of missions those are?!"

Zeng Long glanced at him lazily, his eyes seeming to say, "It's no big deal."

"It's just a few tasks, why are you getting so excited?"

"By doing this, I'm helping the country, I'm helping you, and incidentally... I'm venting my own anger!"

"Damn it, they've tried to scheme against me, and now you're dragged into it too."

He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and revealed his plan:

"Uncle Li, please do as I say!"

"First!"

"Immediately go find the big shots above and volunteer to take on some of the toughest challenges!"

"Just say you can persuade me to carry out the mission without requiring a single soldier from the country. Be sincere and say you're doing it to share the nation's burdens!"

"second!"

"Regarding the current investigation into me, you must remain silent! Don't interfere with anything, and don't ask anything!"

"Even if something happens to me later, like someone causing me trouble, please don't interfere! You must hold back."

"Why?!" Li Weiguo asked, puzzled.

"Only in this way will the person playing chess behind the scenes be unable to see through my true identity, and what my relationship with you is!"

"When the time is right, I'll let you make your move again, to convince the other side that you're entangled with the troublesome 'Zeng Long,' unable to attend to anything else, and possibly on the verge of losing power, so they can find out about your irregularities!"

A glint of wisdom shone in Zeng Long's eyes:

"Only then will they lower their guard and actively jump out to compete for the position you vacate, and then push their own people into power!"

"When the time comes, whoever jumps the most enthusiastically, whoever takes your place, that's the person we're looking for."

Li Weiguo was stunned, cold sweat dripping down his back, and his blood was pumping from the sheer audacity of the plan!

This is practically putting oneself in a life-or-death situation to survive.

Zeng Long finally leaned close to Li Weiguo's ear and whispered a few specific operational details.

Upon hearing this, Li Weiguo gasped, staring at Zeng Long as if he were a monster. After a long while, he murmured:

"Damn... Little Dragon... Thank goodness... thank goodness I'm your uncle... otherwise, I'm really afraid you'll sell me out one day and I'll still be counting the money for you... What's wrong with your brain?"

"Your tactic of turning the tables and luring the enemy into a trap... is too ruthless! The person playing this game will be crippled or killed."

Zeng Long grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth; his smile was both sunny and dangerous.

"Just average, third in the world!"

"Uncle Li, if you're going to act, you have to go all the way. Now, you can start building up your emotions, go back and bang on the table and curse, act like you're in a complete mess and overwhelmed."

He opened the car door, waved casually, and blended into the crowd of students from Beijing University of Technology, as if he had just had a casual chat.

Inside the car, Li Weiguo was unable to calm down for a long time. His hands, gripping the steering wheel, trembled slightly with excitement and lingering fear.

Finally, he slammed his fist on the steering wheel, a complex expression on his face a mixture of anger and excitement.

"Damn it! You want to play dirty, huh? I'll play a big game with you! Let's see who's the pawn in the end!"