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

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the hotel’s high-rise glass curtain wall, casting long, gradually westward-sloping patches of light on the ground.

As Li Weiguo stepped out of the hotel lobby, a cool breeze wafted over him.

He stopped and looked up at the sky.

The dark clouds that had been gathering for days were slowly dispersing, and the orange glow of approaching dusk shone through the gaps.

It was as if a huge storm was quietly subsiding, leaving behind a cleansed sky, yet still turbulent undercurrents.

His gaze involuntarily moved upwards, precisely fixing on the floor of Zeng Long's room.

The thick glass curtain wall reflects the sunlight, like a cold mirror, isolating the inside from the outside.

Li Weiguo's deep gaze seemed to try to penetrate the layers of obstacles and see the young man in the room clearly.

But he knew that even if his gaze could penetrate the glass, it would be impossible to detect even the slightest ripple in that heart.

That is a heart that has been tempered through countless trials and tribulations, forged in extreme cold and heat.

If its doors are tightly shut, it will freeze the land for miles, keeping people out.

If it can be opened up, it will be scorching hot, enough to melt all the hardest ice.

However, his experience of struggling to survive on the edge of life and death since childhood had already frozen his heart as hard as steel.

Open up? Easier said than done.

Perhaps only his fellow "Zero" team members, who also crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, could share the world behind that door.

A complex and indescribable emotion welled up in Li Weiguo's heart: understanding, admiration, and deep heartache.

He understood Zeng Long's yearning for peace and his pursuit of an ordinary life, but he knew even more clearly that Zeng Long was "Zero," the undisputed soul of that team.

He was a born leader, a man who would not hesitate to sacrifice himself for his brothers, and who could also inspire his brothers to die for him.

This kind of leader's charisma is subtle and pervasive; once someone is recognized by him and taken under his wing, they will unconsciously be attracted to and protected.

Just like in this incident, when he realized the controversy might implicate him, he chose the most decisive way—

They accepted dangerous missions for the country, exchanging their military achievements and loyalty for a clean record and a secure future.

Behind this lies his deep desire to fight for a bright and honorable future for his brothers who also live in the shadows.

What inner conflict and pain he must have been experiencing!

Holding the "Sword of the Upper Realm," powerful enough to utterly destroy the Chen and Liu families and their alliance,

Zeng Long chose to remain silent, handing over all the chips and initiative to himself without reservation.

Behind this, wasn't there even a hint of consideration on his part for the Zeng family, who might be related to him by blood?

Li Weiguo was almost certain that Zeng Long's extremely keen insight might have already touched the edge of the mystery of his origins.

When he handed over his chips, did he also foresee that he would eventually hand over these "spoils of war" to the Zeng family, who could best utilize their value and with whom he had the deepest ties?

Even so, his frozen heart still haunted him, preventing him from taking the step of "recognizing his relatives," filled with hesitation, confusion, contradiction, and entanglement.

Li Weiguo took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress these heavy thoughts into his heart.

He yanked open the car door, got into the driver's seat, and his movements were decisive and forceful. He took out his phone and expertly dialed a number.

The call was quickly answered, and it was Grandpa Zeng's deep, slightly hoarse voice on the other end, revealing little emotion.

But beneath that deliberately suppressed calm, Li Weiguo could sense a turbulent undercurrent:

"Weiguo...Xiaolong...is he...alright?"

Li Weiguo gripped his phone tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white. His voice was steady, yet carried a barely perceptible sigh:

"His expression and eyes revealed nothing; he remained completely calm."

He paused, then emphasized, "It was so calm that it frightened me, and it broke my heart."

"Did he say anything?"

On the other end of the phone, Grandpa Zeng's voice instantly tightened, revealing his undisguised tension and concern.

"No! They didn't say anything."

Li Weiguo answered affirmatively, "I told him that everything would be handled entirely by me."

He paused for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully, and finally spoke slowly:

"Old man, I feel... he should be..."

"Okay! I understand."

Grandpa Zeng interrupted him on the other end of the phone, his voice carrying a knowing heaviness, and even more so, an indescribable heartache.

The Zeng family's old residence, tea room.

Grandpa Zeng Rong slowly put down the phone, the receiver making a slight "click" sound as it touched the base, which was particularly clear in the quiet tea room.

His originally straight back seemed to hunch slightly for a moment, but then he regained his mountain-like composure.

But those hands, marked by the passage of time, trembled almost imperceptibly.

Sitting across from him, Zeng Sheng clearly saw the fleeting pain and overwhelming heartache in his father's eyes.

Suddenly, Old Master Zeng slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacups on the fine sandalwood tea tray to tremble!

His voice was booming, yet it trembled with barely suppressed anger: "Sheng'er!"

Zeng Sheng immediately straightened his back: "Dad, I'm here!"

"Go!" Old Master Zeng's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, as if it could pierce straight into the core of power in the capital.

"Go and demand an explanation and justice for your son who has suffered so much!"

His chest heaved violently, his voice filled with unspeakable heartache:

Xiao Long... he didn't ask for any compensation!

He just handed over the initiative he had won with his life!

As you and I know, what he handed over was not just a bargaining chip, but also the result of his inner struggles, his repeated attempts to convince himself, and his repeated swallowing of blood and tears!

How much intense internal struggle must he have gone through to make this decision?!

The old man suddenly stood up, his still tall and imposing figure, despite his advanced age, exuding an imposing aura.

"He struggled! He was in pain! He was conflicted! As his grandfather, I couldn't bear it! My heart ached!"

Then they! Those who started this! They will pay a heavy price for my grandson's struggle and suffering!

This time, it's me, Zeng Rong, and you, Zeng Sheng, plus Xiao Long!

Let's stage a scene where the grandfather, son, and grandson take turns performing remotely!

Let those demons and monsters outside see clearly what will happen if they mess with the descendants of the Zeng family!

Office of the Minister of Security.

Li Weiguo was driving very fast, and the street scenes outside the window were rushing past.

When he stepped into this familiar office again, he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

In just a few days, the atmosphere here has completely changed.

He pushed open the door, his expression serious and cold, his gaze like two tangible icicles, sweeping over the two restless figures in the office—

Acting Minister Chen Jianjun and Vice Minister Liu, whose face was ashen.

The air inside seemed to freeze.

Chen Jianjun forced himself to stand up from behind his desk, trying to force a smile:

"Comrade Weiguo, you've arrived..." Vice Minister Liu subconsciously avoided Li Weiguo's gaze, his fingers clenching nervously.

Li Weiguo didn't exchange pleasantries, went straight to his desk, and spoke in a voice as cold as a Siberian chill:

"Do you know why, after all that thunder and rain up there, you two are still sitting here unharmed?"

Chen Jianjun and Vice Minister Liu both stiffened simultaneously and did not answer.

Li Weiguo asked and answered himself, his speech calm yet carrying immense pressure:

First, the overall situation is of paramount importance; the higher authorities do not want to see excessive turmoil that could damage the very foundation of the department.

Secondly, he paused deliberately, his gaze slowly sweeping across the two faces with a complex mix of scrutiny and pity.

I think, or rather, the 'player' who truly holds your fate in his hands wants to give you one last chance.

Whether you want this opportunity and whether you can seize it depends on your next choice.

After saying that, he stopped paying attention to the changing expressions on their faces, took out a miniature voice recorder from his briefcase, gently placed it on the table, and then pressed the play button.

Immediately from inside came Captain Gao's familiar yet distant and fearful voice:

[Vice Minister Liu, hello. Minister Li just forcibly took Zeng Long away. We couldn't do anything about it. He produced a highly classified document as bail, but I don't have the authority to see it and I dare not!]

Next came Vice Minister Liu's own voice, which sounded calm at first glance, but a closer listen revealed a hint of urgency:

"Oh, is that so? Then you'd better deliver this confidential document to me personally right now; there's definitely something fishy going on here."

At this point in the recording, Li Weiguo decisively pressed the stop button.

The office was deathly silent, with only the faint hum of the air conditioner running.

Li Weiguo's gaze shifted to Vice Minister Liu, whose face had instantly turned deathly pale. His tone was calm, yet as heavy as a hammer blow:

"Vice Minister Liu, is there anything you need to add or explain regarding this recording?"

Vice Minister Liu's forehead instantly became covered in a fine layer of cold sweat. He suppressed his inner panic, his voice trembling as he tried to explain:

This…

This only shows that I thought Zeng Long was an ordinary person, but his behavior was suspected of being criminal. Out of caution and duty, I asked to see the bail document that might have problems!

As for the later revelations… that was… that was part of the workflow!

"Oh? Just a work procedure? You think he's just an ordinary person?"

Li Weiguo's lips curled into a cold smile, devoid of any warmth, only filled with deep mockery.

"Then why don't you go to this computer yourself and carefully investigate whether Zeng Long's identity is as 'ordinary' as you think?"

He stepped forward and stared intently at Vice Minister Liu:

Do you remember what I asked you repeatedly when Deputy Minister Choi of the Independent Commission Against Corruption came to talk to me?

I asked you several times, "Have you found out Zeng Long's exact identity yet?"

How did you make such a solemn promise to everyone?

You said, "It has been investigated very thoroughly!"

That's why they dared to publicly disclose the alleged irregularities in Zeng Long's admission to university and to slander me for abusing my authority!

Li Weiguo's voice suddenly rose, carrying a sharp and imposing aura:

I even questioned you at the time, asking why you didn't report to me in the early stages?

How did you answer?

You said, "You have the authority and the obligation to do these things, and you are willing to take full responsibility!"

Minister Cui's working group recorded the entire conversation!

His gaze, like a cold blade, swept across the panicked faces of Vice Minister Liu and Chen Jianjun:

Now, I'm giving you one last chance.

Investigate carefully! I advise you to do this while there's still time, because—

He raised his wrist, glanced at his watch, and said, "Time is really running out."

Chen Jianjun was already panicked. Upon hearing this, he practically threw himself at the computer, his hands trembling as he opened the internal system.

I frantically searched for all information related to "Zeng Long" again.

The hard drive indicator light was flashing wildly, and the file list on the screen was scrolling rapidly.

However, what they saw was mostly the same seemingly ordinary file information that they had already seen countless times.

"No...nothing at all!"

Chen Jianjun raised his head, his face pale with a mixture of doubt and a hint of relief, and looked at Li Weiguo.

The cold smile on Li Weiguo's face reappeared. He extended a finger and precisely tapped a very inconspicuous corner of the computer screen:

"Open the encrypted folder labeled '~Zeng Long'."

Chen Jianjun was even more confused:

This... I've checked this folder at least a dozen times since I took over! It's completely empty!

Or it might just be some unimportant, ordinary resume information!

Although he said that, under Li Weiguo's calm yet all-knowing gaze, his finger still uncontrollably double-clicked the icon.

This time, the situation is completely different!

The screen does not display an "empty folder" or a cluttered list of ordinary data.

Instead, a very conspicuous warning dialog box with a dark red border suddenly popped up!

At the very top of the dialog box were four shocking, blood-dripping black letters—【SSSS】!

Below is an even colder system notification:

[WARNING! Insufficient privileges! Access denied! This file contains top-secret national information; your authentication level is insufficient to access any information! All access attempts have been logged!]

(When Chen Jianjun first took office as acting minister, he did not have the authority to check his identity. He would only have the authority after serving for a full year after becoming a full-fledged official.)

"This...this is impossible!!!"

Chen Jianjun was struck as if by an invisible bolt of lightning, and he sprang up from his chair.

His eyes were wide open, filled with extreme shock and panic, and his voice was shrill and distorted.

"It wasn't like this before! It wasn't like this when I checked before! This can't be real! There must be a system error! It must be!"

Seeing Chen Jianjun's outburst, Vice Minister Liu's last shred of hope vanished instantly!

He scrambled to the computer, stumbling and crawling.

When the deep red [SSSS] warning symbol and the cold system notification clearly came into his view,

He felt as if all the blood in his body had been instantly drained.

His legs buckled, unable to support his weight any longer, and he collapsed completely onto the cold floor with a "thud."

His face was ashen, his lips trembled, but he couldn't make a sound. Only desperate gasps like a broken bellows came from his throat.

It's over! It's completely over!

Vice Minister Liu's mind went blank, filled only with endless fear and coldness.

SSSS-level access!

That was an area he, as a vice minister, had no right to touch, or even to know of its existence!

This means that Zeng Long's identity and background are far beyond their worst expectations!

Everything they had done before—investigating, publishing, framing, and manipulating public opinion—was utterly laughable in the face of this absolute authority!

No, it's not just ridiculous, it's deadly!

This is no longer a simple case of dereliction of duty or misjudgment!

This is an example of framing and attacking someone who knew (or rather, they should have investigated but failed to do so due to arrogance and selfishness) that the other party might be involved in a highly classified matter!

The nature of this has completely changed! What started as internal strife and suppression of dissent has instantly escalated into a serious crime that could endanger national security and frame important state personnel!

Moreover, Li Weiguo also has the recording of him instructing Captain Gao to send the "secret document"!

This directly proves that he did not fail to investigate, but did so intentionally, and may even have had ulterior motives!

No wonder... no wonder Li Weiguo repeatedly emphasized from the beginning, "Have you checked their identity?"

"Why didn't you report it...?"

It turns out that every step and every problem was a warning, a trap!

But he, like a blind man, with a smug smile, stepped precisely into the pit, sending himself to his doom!

A chilling despair, like the deepest ice, instantly froze Vice Minister Liu's soul.

He collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling, as if he could already see the shadows of iron bars and high walls silently enveloping him.

Li Weiguo looked down at the two completely broken men, his eyes filled with no pity, only cold indifference.

Inside the office, only Chen Jianjun's distraught muttering of "Impossible" and Vice Minister Liu's desperate, faint breathing could be heard.

The storm is not over; this is only the beginning of the reckoning. And the real players haven't even stepped into this office yet.