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

The story moves to the protagonist, Zero, who is 14 years old!

When individual skills are honed to a certain degree, the moment of fusion arrives.

Baroque and Xue Yan decided to conduct a comprehensive combat exercise, aiming to forcibly assemble these independent "parts" to see what kind of "weapon" could be formed, and also to observe their interaction and cooperation under pressure.

Act One: Baroque's "Birthday Present"

On the eve of the exercise, Baroque, unusually, did not roar. Instead, he announced with a mocking cruelty: "You bastards, tomorrow is your 'birthday,' and I've prepared a big gift for you. A fun game."

The games he refers to usually mean challenges of hellish difficulty.

Mission briefing (read aloud in a silent and cold manner):

Objective: The simulated command post located in the No. 3 abandoned mine area contains a "combat plan" (in chip form).

Mission requirements: Within six hours, breach the outer perimeter security, infiltrate the command center, obtain the chip, and return all personnel to the starting point.

Enemy: A patrol and guard team composed of six experienced mercenaries equipped with a laser-simulated combat system (being hit results in death or incapacitation), possessing superior firepower and numbers.

Restrictions: The four of you will be equipped with only training daggers, a pistol with only six low-powered marking rounds (primarily for Zero or Cold Sting use), basic communication equipment (which is highly susceptible to eavesdropping and jamming), and any homemade tools you may carry.

Rules: Being hit in a vital area by lightning results in "death" and exit from the exercise. Being hit in the limbs results in "disability" of that limb, which will be subject to corresponding restrictions according to the rules set by Dr. Xue Yan.

Failure. All personnel are placed in confinement for 48 hours without food or water.

The mission seemed simple, but the opponents were battle-hardened veterans, the terrain was complex, and they were poorly equipped, making it an almost impossible mission.

Act Two: A Chaotic Start and Zero's Initial Takeover.

The drill begins.

Taking advantage of the pre-dawn darkness, the four-person team quietly approached the mining area.

Irondum, eager for battle and emboldened by weeks of heavy firepower training, was obsessed with a "forceful assault." "We'll find them. Zero, you command. I'll charge in and draw their fire. Coldthorn, you find an opportunity to take them out!"

As soon as he peeked out, he was "hit" in the thigh by an "enemy" sniper (using a laser simulator) who was lurking on a high point.

The system beeped, and Xue Yan's cold voice came through the earpiece: "Tiedun, your right leg is severely injured, you have lost the ability to move quickly and can only limp."

A key player was lost right at the start!

Tie Dun was stunned, both angry and anxious.

The little sparrow turned pale with fright.

Cold Thorn immediately concealed himself, searching for the sniper's location, but he couldn't pinpoint it for a while.

The team was briefly thrown into disarray.

"Shut up, crouch down!" Zero growled, pulling the iron block back into cover.

His mind raced, instantly integrating the silent theory, Xue Yan's assessment of the injury, and his observations of the environment.

"Ironclad, you're not useless now. You're our 'fixed fortress' now."

Zero quickly said, "See that concrete platform at your ten o'clock position? Climb over there, make noise, and attract attention! But don't expose your whole body!"

"Little Sparrow, monitor their communication frequencies. No need to decipher them, just pinpoint the direction of the strongest and most active signal; that's likely the command post or a densely populated area!"

"Cold Thorn, stop looking for snipers, he fired and has moved. Prioritize eliminating exposed patrols on the perimeter to clear our path. Remember the Silent Cult's priorities!"

Zero's instructions were clear and swift, instantly turning a disadvantage into a new tactical configuration.

Although Tiedun was physically disabled, shouting and throwing stones to make noise were his specialties.

The little sparrow immediately turned on its modified, simple receiver and focused intently on capturing the signal.

The cold spikes slid out like ghosts, silently.

Act Three: Forging Special Skills, Overcoming Obstacles and Moving Forward.

Under Zero's command, the squad began to advance slowly but effectively.

The little sparrow's electronic talent demonstrates its battlefield value for the first time.

She not only roughly located the command post area, but also discovered that the enemy communications had a brief, regular period of silence (possibly due to frequency switching or equipment checks).

"Zero, now! They have about ten seconds of communication downtime!"

Zero immediately gave the order: "Cold Thorn, move! Iron Block, make the loudest noise possible!"

Coldthorn suddenly sprang into action during the communication silence, using his training dagger to "eliminate" a lone patrol sentry (the laser system successfully detected this).

Ironclad then vigorously struck the metal wreckage, producing a loud noise that attracted the attention of the enemy in the distance.

Faced with a tightly closed iron gate fitted with a simple electronic lock, Little Sparrow took out her homemade universal connector made from scrap parts, trembling as she connected the wires, attempting to crack it.

Time was of the essence, and the guards could return at any moment.

"How long will it take?" Zero asked, gripping the pistol tightly in his hand.

"...I don't know...the principle behind this old-fashioned lock seems to be..." The little sparrow was sweating with anxiety.

"Never mind the principles!" Zero growled. "Did Xue Yan teach you about stimulus-response? Try shocking the circuit board with maximum current for a short time!"

The little sparrow was taken aback, but then realized that this was a completely unorthodox method, but it might work.

She abruptly disconnected the connector.

With a "sizzle!" a spark flashed, and the lock popped open with a puff of smoke! (This was luck, but also the feel for the machine that came from her previous crazy welding practice).

"Great!" Zero opened the door. "Come in!"

Act IV: (Internal Struggle) and the Final Takeover.

The command post has a complex internal structure.

They encountered fierce resistance.

Iron Block leaned against the door frame, unleashing his "idea" of heavy firepower—

Using a heavy iron pipe he found, he wildly swung it around, blocking off a corridor!

Although his movements were comical, resembling those of an injured bear, he effectively blocked the frontal impact.

Under Zero's instructions, Coldthorn took over the ventilation ducts—

Use that pistol for precise deterrent shots (marking rounds hitting an enemy's bulletproof vest can also trigger a detection).

Although he only had a few bullets, he hit every shot and hindered the enemy's movement.

Meanwhile, the little sparrow was busy trying to quickly crack the safe containing the chip (another, more complex electronic lock)!

At the same time, it is also necessary to monitor enemy communications and determine the location of reinforcements.

Zero is the busiest one.

He needs to engage in close combat with a dagger (utilizing tacit knowledge of human weaknesses) and command the overall situation!

At crucial moments, throw your homemade smoke canister (made from a mixture of chemicals from Xue Yan; it's incredibly effective, producing thick, pungent smoke)!

You also need to provide emergency treatment for injured teammates (based on laser diagnosis) (using hemostatic powder and bandages taught by Xue Yan).

The battle was intense and chaotic.

The iron block hit him again, rendering his left arm unusable.

Cold Thorn used up all his bullets.

The little sparrow was unable to solve the puzzle and was so anxious it almost cried.

Zero also had several more "wounds" on his body, but his eyes remained cold.

He suddenly shouted at Coldthorn, "Coldthorn! Smash the light on your upper left!"

Without hesitation, Cold Thorn launched his last training dagger, precisely shattering the light bulb and plunging the area into darkness.

"Little Sparrow! Stop cracking! Use your stun gun! Power the safe's casing directly! Maximum power!" Zero commanded in the darkness.

This is another adventure based on his combined use of Xue Yan's knowledge (the damage of electric shocks to electronic components) and Little Sparrow's abilities.

The little sparrow gritted its teeth and did as instructed.

A powerful electric current surged through the safe, causing a loud bang inside and rendering the locks completely ineffective.

She flung open the case door and grabbed the chip!

"Withdraw!" Zero ordered.

Act Five: Pyrrhic Victory and Assessment.

The retreat was equally perilous.

Using the darkness and chaos, Zero planned the route, Coldthorn cleared away scattered obstacles, Ironclad covered the rear (using his still-movable body to ram the pursuers), and Little Sparrow tightly clutched the chip.

When they finally emerged from the mining area, battered and bruised, and reached the starting point, they were almost collapsed on the ground.

Seventeen minutes past the allotted time, and with everyone injured, Irondun was practically dragged back by Zero and Coldthorn.

Baroque stared at the group of mud-covered, equipment-destroyed brats who had managed to obtain the chip, a flicker of disbelief in his single eye before erupting into a savage laugh: "Damn it! You bunch of good-for-nothings actually managed to do it?! You may be as stupid as pigs, but you're tough as nails!"

Xue Yan then examined each person's "injuries" in detail and listened to a report on the process (mainly Zero's calm retelling).

He quickly scribbled in his notebook:

Comprehensive exercise evaluation: Task completed, exceeded time limit, reduced efficiency.

Individual performance:

Zero: Tactical command skills are beginning to emerge; emergency decision-making is decisive; and resource integration and cross-domain knowledge application capabilities are exceptional. He sustained three injuries, which were treated appropriately.

Little Sparrow: Electronic warfare capabilities have practical value, but psychological resilience needs improvement; able to execute orders in critical moments. One wound sustained.

Ironclad: Brave but lacks tactical thinking, obeys orders, and can serve as a team anchor. He has two wounds, one of which is serious.

Cold Thorn: Excellent at precision strikes and stealth, absolutely obedient, but lacks proactive tactical communication. Zero wounds.

Team collaboration: Initial complementary strengths have emerged, but reliance on a single command node (Zero) remains. Communication efficiency is low, and teamwork is rudimentary. Significant room for improvement exists.

Conclusion: The training direction is correct, but it is necessary to strengthen team tactical coordination drills and stress tests.

Despite the messy process and the punishment (24-hour solitary confinement, but Baroque "mercifully" gave them some water and bread), the four children, crammed into the dark solitary confinement cell, experienced a strange emotion for the first time.

They did it!

Together they accomplished a seemingly impossible task!

Zero silently distributed the moisture to everyone.

In the darkness, his eyes remained sharp, but seemed to hold something else within them.

He knew this was just the beginning.

The real crucible is yet to come.

What he had to do was to truly forge these wounded young beasts into a sharp blade that could help them survive together.