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

However, little did He Jing know that the true identities of these four seemingly "well-behaved" young people were truly astonishing—

Lin Xiaoya's casual tapping of the keyboard caused Baroque, the leader of the world's number one mercenary group "Hellfire," who was far away overseas, to cry out in despair, and instantly rendered most of the forces in the dark world deaf and blind.

Tie Zhu, this burly man with half his face swollen and his body covered in mud and grass, if he were to roar in Country C in the Middle East, the country's military combat troops would have to immediately assemble and be on high alert.

Ye Feng, this cool young man covered in footprints and with disheveled hair, only needs to show his face slightly on certain occasions, and the world's top assassins, who are feared by all, will flee their mission points in panic and disappear without a trace, like startled birds.

Anna, the beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes who was nervously twisting her fingers around the seams of her pants, could potentially cause the financial markets and economic lifeline of this small country to collapse if she were to frown or show hostility towards it.

However, in He Jing's eyes, they were just a few "children" who needed care and might be a little mischievous.

Her face wore a kind smile that could melt ice and snow, and her tone was as gentle as a spring breeze:

Auntie is telling you again now, from now on, you really don't need to stay here anymore.

Auntie isn't so old that she can't walk. She's just cooking a meal; she doesn't need your help at all.

Look at you all, you must be starving! Come on, let's eat!

Her words were like a magical spell to release imprisonment.

"Whoosh!" Ye Feng was the first to move. His figure, covered in muddy footprints, was as fast as a ghost. He instantly flashed into the kitchen, precisely picked up two steaming dishes, and his movements were so smooth that it was as if he hadn't been rolling around in the grass just now.

Lin Xiaoya and Tiezhu followed closely behind, with Xiaoya quickly clearing away the dishes!

Tie Zhu carefully used the side of his body that wasn't swollen to lift a large pot of fragrant rice porridge!

Its massive body appeared unusually "steady" at this moment, as if afraid of spilling a single drop.

The three worked together seamlessly and with great efficiency, clearly having practiced this scenario many times before.

Anna was left alone, standing stiffly in place, her brain seemingly still processing the extremely difficult task of "how to have the perfect first conversation with Zeng Long's mother." She stood alone at the door, bewildered and helpless.

Soon, a sumptuous breakfast was laid out on the table.

The enticing aroma of food filled the air, dispelling the last trace of tension.

He Jing habitually took off her apron, preparing to turn around and go back to the kitchen to clean the stove.

Just then, Zeng Long, who had been sitting silently in the main seat, didn't raise his head and spoke in a still somewhat hoarse but undeniable voice:

"Let's sit down and eat together."

He paused, seemingly adjusting to this way of expressing himself, and then added, "From now on... let's eat together."

After saying that, he said no more, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat on his own.

These words were like a second pardon, causing He Jing's body to tremble slightly, and her eyes instantly welled up with even more tears—tears of happiness and excitement.

She quickly replied, "Okay," and somewhat flusteredly sat down carefully in the seat next to Zeng Long.

As a result, the atmosphere at breakfast became extremely... subtle and discordant.

No one spoke. There were only faint chewing sounds, the clinking of bowls and chopsticks, and the slurping of porridge by Tiezhu, whose face was swollen and he was having some difficulty.

Zeng Long ate quickly, expressionless. He Jing ate in small bites, but her eyes would occasionally steal glances at her son, a suppressed, happy smile playing on her lips.

Lin Xiaoya, Ye Feng, and Tie Zhu buried themselves in their work, wishing they could bury their faces in their bowls to minimize their presence.

Anna ate absentmindedly, each bite tasted like wax, her entire focus on maintaining a calm facade while her mind was in turmoil.

However, beneath this eerie silence, an indescribable warmth and hope, like the steam rising from the pot of hot porridge in the center of the table, quietly spread and permeated everyone's hearts.

This is the starting point for a broken family to be pieced back together, filled with clumsiness and awkwardness, but also with immense, newfound excitement.

After breakfast, Zeng Long did not delay at all and immediately drove to the heavily guarded military headquarters building, going straight into the office of Chief of the General Staff Liu.

In the office, Old Liu and Li Weiguo sat facing each other, their brows furrowed, clearly discussing a heavy topic.

Seeing Zeng Long enter, Old Liu raised his hand to gesture for him to sit down. His weathered, sharp eyes, like those of an eagle, revealed a rare hint of confusion and urgency.

"Xiao Long, you've arrived." Old Liu got straight to the point, his voice steady yet carrying a sense of pressure:

"What your Uncle Li just reported... is it all true? Is it really possible that there exists a force in China capable of mobilizing such an efficient intelligence network in the overseas underworld?"

Zeng Long did not give a direct answer to whether it was yes or no.

He walked to the sofa and sat down, still standing tall, and clearly and calmly explained the "luring the snake out of its hole" plan that he had previously agreed upon with Baroque to Old Liu and Li Weiguo.

"...Therefore, I currently have no clear direction or effective means to find out who is behind this." Zeng Long's expression was unusually serious, and his eyes were sharp.

"All routine investigations could alert him. Therefore, I had no choice but to proactively reveal my identity as 'The Judge' as bait to lure him into the trap!"

He further analyzed:

"The path the other party traced led to a source overseas, which was intercepted by Baroque."

Another point of reaction will inevitably be domestic!

I believe that as long as they follow the clues we deliberately released that point to the "ruling," they will inevitably leave traces, whether they are overseas or domestic!

In the coming period, the military and security departments are urged to pay close attention to all developments and intelligence related to the "Judgment's" identity probing and unusual overseas intelligence inquiries.

Old Liu pondered for a moment, the cigarette between his fingers slowly burning, and finally he nodded heavily:

"The risk is high, but... this may be the only way to break the deadlock. I will order the relevant departments to cooperate."

Zeng Long then turned to look at Li Weiguo:

"Uncle Li, have you gotten any results regarding the investigation I asked you to do—the investigation into the places where the four of us appeared together after returning to China, and the backgrounds of all the people we came into contact with?"

Li Weiguo shook his head helplessly, his face showing exhaustion and confusion:

"We've investigated, and the four of you have only appeared in public together on a handful of occasions: picking someone up at the airport, shopping at a mall, and at Yue Ting Yuan. The people involved, from airport ground staff, mall employees, and security guards to Yue Ting Yuan service personnel... all have very clean and clear identities and backgrounds, clear resumes, and simple social relationships. There is nothing suspicious about them."

This result was within Zeng Long's expectations, but it only deepened the confusion in his mind.

The opponent's mystery and efficiency were beyond imagination.

Zeng Long stood up, put his hands in his pockets, and began to slowly pace around the spacious office.

His brows were furrowed, his gaze focused on a point in the void, and his brain was working at lightning speed like the most efficient computer, arranging and deducing all the details, time points, and possibilities.

Neither Liu Lao nor Li Weiguo disturbed him; they simply watched him think quietly. The only sounds in the office were Zeng Long's regular footsteps and the ticking of the wall clock.

A few minutes later, Zeng Long suddenly stopped.

He turned around, his gaze piercing as he looked at Li Weiguo, his tone resolute:

"Uncle Li! Here, could you please make a copy of this screening list and their basic information for me?"

He paused, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes:

"Then, spend some time and effort to thoroughly verify these individuals' professions, as well as detailed information about all their past or current related businesses, part-time jobs, and even hobby circles! The more detailed, the better!"

He took a deep breath and made his judgment:

"I'm certain that the clues are hidden during the time Xiaoya and the others were in after they returned to China, hidden among the seemingly 'normal' people we've come into contact with! The other party couldn't have obtained information out of thin air; there must be an extremely secretive point of contact or information transmission channel that we haven't yet discovered!"

His voice carried an undeniable certainty, as if he had already caught the scent of his prey, but still needed to dispel the final layer of mist.

His words made the atmosphere in the office heavy and suspenseful once again.

How exactly did the hidden hand underwater manage to discover the whereabouts of Team Zero?

The answer seems to lie hidden deep within the details of that seemingly ordinary list of contacts.