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

The mission completion briefing had already been sent back via encrypted channel.

What Team Zero needs to do now is to withdraw from this area as quickly and discreetly as possible and head to a small civilian airport hundreds of kilometers away.

There were scheduled flights to take them to the next assembly point.

The four men acquired a dilapidated off-road vehicle that had been used many times before; it was practically the most inconspicuous mode of transportation available locally.

Tie Dun naturally took on the role of driver, his massive body almost completely filling the driver's seat.

The road was bumpy and uneven, and the car bounced around as if it were breakdancing. The car was filled with a strange smell of gasoline, sweat and dirt.

"Hey boss," Tie Dun complained as he struggled to keep the steering wheel steady.

"This old car's steering wheel is more stubborn than a Baroque! Even with the accelerator floored, it seems to be contemplating life!"

Zero was slumped in the passenger seat, resting with his eyes closed, and didn't even lift his eyelids when he heard this:

"Nonsense, you think we'd give you a Rolls-Royce because you're worried the 'Scorpion' gang won't be able to find us? Just make do, this is called keeping a low profile."

The little sparrow was jostled around in the back seat, feeling dizzy and disoriented. Clutching her precious gear bag, her face was pale.

"I feel like my screws are about to come loose... Zero, can I apply to travel by water next time? I'd rather be seasick..."

Zero's lips curled into a smile, and he suddenly opened his eyes, revealing an expression that said, "I'm very concerned about you."

"Little Sparrow, are you carsick? There's a folk remedy that's supposedly very effective."

"What method?" the little sparrow asked innocently.

"Open your car window, stick your head out, and shout at the top of your lungs, 'I am the cutest sparrow in the world!' Repeat ten times in a row, and I guarantee you'll feel refreshed and immune to all ailments!"

Zero spoke with a straight face.

The little sparrow believed it and was genuinely hesitant about whether to give it a try.

Tie Dun chimed in with a憨憨 (simple and honest) look: "Boss, does this method really work? Does that mean if I shout 'I'm the strongest block in the world,' I'll have the strength to do it too?"

Zero suppressed a laugh and nodded seriously:

"Theoretically, yes, but your volume might disrupt the local acoustics, so use it with caution."

Cold Thorn sat next to the little sparrow and said expressionlessly:

"Noise attack, ineffective. Physical turbulence, cannot be countered." This directly exposed Zero's lies.

The little sparrow then realized what had happened and angrily punched the back of Zero's chair: "Zero! You lied to me again!"

Zero immediately put on an innocent expression:

"This is battlefield psychological adaptation training, testing your ability to discern absurd orders in extreme environments. Obviously, you failed. Go back and practice more."

Little Sparrow: "???" (Speechless and dumbfounded)

Tie Dun was still pondering: "Boss, what about my training..."

"Your training is to focus on driving! If you keep talking nonsense, your ration of bread is mine tonight!" Zero interrupted mercilessly.

Tie Dun immediately shut up and focused intently on struggling with the broken steering wheel.

After several hours of bumpy travel, everyone was hungry.

Passing by a roadside food stall that looked fairly clean, the aroma of various local delicacies wafted over, making one's mouth water.

"Stop the car," Zero suddenly ordered.

Tiedun braked suddenly, almost throwing the two people behind him off.

"To replenish energy," Zero said succinctly, getting off the vehicle first.

Little Sparrow and Iron Pile's eyes lit up, and they cheered as they rushed down. Cold Thorn silently followed.

The stall owner was a friendly middle-aged woman. Little Sparrow, looking at the dazzling array of snacks, was torn between choices. "This looks so delicious, I want to try that too..."

Tiedun pointed directly at the largest portion of grilled meat: "This! Three portions, please! No, five portions!"

Zero, arms crossed, leisurely watched, then flashed what he thought was a charming smile at the stall owner and said in fluent local language:

"Auntie, just four of the cheapest vegetarian wraps will do. They're on a diet right now, so they can just eat grass."

Little Sparrow & Iron Hammer: "!!!" (Looking at Zero in shock)

Zero remained unfazed and continued speaking to the older woman:

"Give me your most expensive deluxe set meal, the one with the most meat. I'm supervising them, it's quite tiring, I need to replenish my energy."

The old lady was amused by Zero and actually only gave Little Sparrow and Iron Block four bland vegetarian pancakes, while giving Zero a mountain of meat.

The little sparrow, holding the tortilla, looked aggrieved: "Number Zero...you..."

Tie Dun stared at the meat on plate number zero, his mouth practically watering: "Boss, this isn't fair..."

Zero took a bite of meat and said slowly:

"Commanders have the highest supply priority; this is written in the 'Cub Camp Survival Manual' in who knows how many entries."

"Besides, I'm training your ability to resist temptation. Look at Coldthorn, how calm he is."

Cold Thorn, who was silently munching on a burrito next to Zero, looked up at the meat on Zero's plate, then at his own burrito, and said very honestly, "Meat. I want some."

Zero: "...Eat your grass!" (Almost choked)

Finally, under the resentful gazes of the two (mainly Tiedun) and the silent accusation of the little sparrow—

Zero reluctantly shared some meat with them, but most of it ended up in his own stomach.

They euphemistically called it, "This is a one-time exception; it's punishment for your weak willpower."

After enduring countless hardships (mainly the torment of a broken car and bad roads), they finally arrived at the small airport.

I changed into relatively clean clothes (though it still couldn't hide the smell of gunpowder and wildness) and checked in.

While waiting to board, Zero spotted a smiling flight attendant patiently answering passengers' questions at the check-in counter.

His eyes narrowed slightly as an idea came to him.

He straightened his collar (though it didn't really help), and whispered to his three companions:

"See that flight attendant? I suspect she's an enemy in disguise; we need to conduct close-range reconnaissance. You all stay here and wait for orders. Don't move without my permission."

The little sparrow immediately tensed up, instinctively reaching for the tablet: "Huh? Is it suspicious? Let me scan it with the device..."

Tie Dun tensed his muscles: "Boss, should I...?"

Cold Thorn squinted and examined it carefully:

"Target. Not carrying any obvious weapons. Light footsteps, suggests basic physical training. Suspiciousness level... moderate."

Zero: "..." (Speechless at Cold Thorn's analysis)

"Shut up, this is delicate work, too many people will make things worse."

Zero interrupted them, then walked over with what he thought was a dashing, but actually somewhat stiff, gait.

Zero walked up to the counter and started talking to the flight attendant.

He wore a rare, slightly stiff "friendly" smile, sometimes nodding, sometimes seemingly making some "professional" inquiries (about flight safety, routes, etc.).

The three little sparrows watched from afar, nervously awaiting the "reconnaissance results".

After a while, they saw Zero take out his phone, seemingly... asking the other person to type something?

Then, the flight attendant actually smiled and took out her phone too!

A few minutes later, Zero returned, his expression as calm as ever.

"Boss, how is it? Is it the enemy?" Little Sparrow asked anxiously.

"Confirmed, safe," Zero said calmly.

"Then...then what were you doing just now..." Tie Dun scratched his head.

"To thoroughly verify identity information, multi-dimensional verification is required. This is an advanced counter-espionage technique, and you wouldn't understand it even if I explained it to you."

Zero was spouting nonsense with a straight face, casually putting his phone back in his pocket. A newly added contact number and the note "Airline - Li" seemed to flash faintly on the screen.

The little sparrow gave an "Oh" sound, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Tie Dun looked at him with admiration: "Boss, you're amazing!"

Only Cold Thorn, looking at Zero and then at the still-smiling flight attendant, expressionlessly, quietly, and precisely uttered a remark:

"Social contact. Not necessary for the task. A waste of time. Success rate... is relatively high."

Zero stumbled, glaring fiercely at Leng Ci: "You talk too much! Boarding!"

The four people lined up and headed towards the boarding gate.

Zero walked at the front, a slight smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips.

Little Sparrow was still pondering "advanced counter-espionage techniques," Iron Pipe wondered if there would be meat in the airplane meal, while Cold Thorn continued to observe every possible threat at the airport.

In any case, this journey home, filled with broken cars, bad roads, shameless deception, and a little bit of "scandal," at least allowed them to temporarily escape the bloodshed of the battlefield and experience the "pleasures" of ordinary life (being tricked and deceived by the commander).

Their leader, who was increasingly showing a playful and shameless side, seemed to be quietly relaxing the ever-tense tension in this daily routine.