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

Time loses its gentle meaning in "The Villain's Fortress"; it becomes a rough file, coldly polishing everything.

In the blink of an eye, the little bundle of flesh that had been picked up from the garbage dump was now able to stand up unsteadily, and with its overly calm black eyes, it was scrutinizing this crazy world.

He has no name. Baroque only calls him "Little Kid" or "Zero," Xue Yan calls him "Experiment Subject," and Silence never uses any title.

His "baby bed" had long since been replaced by a rusty metal box that had once been used to store heavy machine gun bullets, instead of an animal skin mat in the corner.

Warmth? Comfort? These concepts never existed.

There was only the cold touch, the hard edges, and the shallow scratches on the box walls that he had unconsciously dug into.

Before dawn, the chill of the Gobi Desert had not yet been completely dispelled by the blazing sun.

"Bang—!"

A tremendous metallic clang shattered the morning silence of the fortress.

It wasn't an alarm clock, but rather the noise produced by Baroque slamming a rusted iron pipe hard against the No. 0 tin box.

"Get up! The sun's already high in the sky, you little brat!"

Baroque's roar followed immediately, and he dragged Zero, who was fast asleep, out of his slumber.

Zero woke up suddenly, without crying or even a trace of confusion.

The moment those dark eyes touched the cold ground, they regained their clarity, and the body instinctively curled up, assuming a weak protective posture.

He was only a little over a year old, but his survival instincts had been honed to the point of being like those of a wild beast.

"Let's do something fun today!"

Baroque grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and dragged an old truck tire that was almost as tall as a size zero from behind him.

"Push it around the training field! Don't stop until I tell you to! If you stop, there will be no breakfast—no, no food for three days!"

The so-called training ground was an open area littered with gravel, broken glass, rusted iron scraps, and unidentified oil stains. For a tiny infant, this was nothing short of a nightmare.

Zero looked at the huge tire, then at Baroque's ferocious face, silently stretched out his small hand, pressed against the rough rubber, and began to push with all his might.

The tires remained completely still.

He switched to using his shoulder to support the weight, his face turning bright red, his delicate skin instantly chafed and bleeding.

"Didn't you eat? Push harder!"

Baroque kicked the tire, which rolled forward violently, knocking Zero down. Zero's chin slammed hard against a sharp pebble, drawing blood instantly.

Zero lay on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva. For the first time, a fierce light flashed in his dark eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

He got up, stopped pushing the tire, crawled underneath, struggled to support a small portion of the weight on his back, and then crawled forward on his hands and feet.

The posture was awkward and difficult, but the tires began to move little by little.

Baroque paused for a moment, then burst into excited and thrilled laughter:

"Hahaha! Yes! That's it! Well done! Unleash your potential! Let me see when you reach your breaking point!"

The sun rose higher and the temperature soared.

Zero's tiny body was already covered in sweat, blood, and dirt, leaving faint wet marks on the rough ground with each crawl.

My breathing felt like a broken bellows, each inhale carrying a gritty sensation.

Just as his consciousness was fading, a cool shadow blocked the scorching sun.

Xue Yan has arrived.

He held a broken bowl in his hand, which contained some kind of dark green, viscous, foamy liquid that emitted a nauseatingly bitter smell.

"Replenish electrolytes and... other things."

Xue Yan spoke expressionlessly, pried open Zero's mouth, and poured the bowl of stuff into his mouth without saying a word.

An indescribable, intense bitterness and burning sensation instantly swept over Zero's throat and stomach.

He felt like vomiting, but Xue Yan covered his mouth tightly, forcing him to swallow.

Then, the world began to spin, the scene before my eyes became bizarre and surreal, and my ears were filled with non-existent shrieks.

The hallucination began; he saw the pebbles on the ground turn into wriggling worms, and the Baroque statues in the distance transform into fire-breathing giants.

"The latest hallucinogens and bone-strengthening agents, aiding in anti-toxic and anti-fatigue training."

Xue Yan recorded the degree of dilation of Zero's pupils and the frequency of his body trembling, feeling both excited and nervous.

Zero lay on the ground, his body convulsing violently. The urge to vomit and the onslaught of hallucinations almost tore apart his tender nerves.

He banged his head against the ground, trying to stay awake with the pain.

Baroque, watching from the side, also seemed a little nervous.

"You crazy poisoner, you've got some serious strength! Won't this cause problems? He's still too young; he can't withstand this kind of abuse. He's the future hope of the three of us!"

Just then, unnoticed by anyone, a shadow silently approached.

It is silence.

He watched as Zero struggled on the ground, battling hallucinations and pushing his physical limits, and then struck without warning.

It wasn't an attack, but rather something was stuffed into Zero's small hand, which was flailing wildly in pain.

It was a small shard of glass with its edges worn sharp, and it was icy cold.

Then, his silent fingers swiftly traced a line across Zero's arm.

The force was perfectly controlled, instantly drawing blood; it wasn't deep, but it was painful enough.

This sudden, real, sharp pain was like a lightning bolt cleaving through the chaotic illusion!

Zero's body stiffened abruptly, and the chaotic light in his dark eyes quickly focused, fixing on the shard of glass in his hand stained with his own blood.

The sharp touch and the distinct pain became the anchor point for fighting against illusion.

He stopped convulsing, his breathing was still rapid, but the madness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a cold awareness of the pain and the "weapon" in his hand.

He gripped the shard of glass tightly, letting the sharp edge cut his palm, drawing more blood. But the real pain steadied him.

He watched all this in silence, his lifeless eyes showing no emotion, and then silently retreated once again.

Xue Yan adjusted his glasses and made a note in his notebook:

"Extreme external pain triggers wakefulness and increases the rate at which resistance to hallucinogens develops by 19%. Bone-strengthening drugs also work very well for young children."

Baroque strode over, snatched the shard of glass from Zero's hand, and threw it away.

"Damn it! You think you can play with adults' toys?"

He was worried that the little brat might accidentally hurt himself, so he gritted his teeth and continued speaking resolutely:

"Keep climbing! It's not over yet!"

After the morning's "training" session, Zero was like a lump of mud.

He slowly raised his small hand, which had been cut by glass and had already formed a simple scab, and held it in front of his eyes, staring at it quietly for a long time.

Then, he stuck out his tongue and licked the dried blood from his palm.

It tastes fishy and salty.

This is what it feels like to be alive.

Cold, painful, real.

He closed his eyes and clenched his little fists.

A pair of eyes in the distance were watching him the whole time.