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

Just as the investment storm of Longyu Group was stirring up excitement and anticipation among local government officials—

The massive machine of the Chinese military is also engaged in a fierce struggle concerning the future of military power at a hidden hub.

In the General Staff of the military, in Liu Lao's spacious but somewhat crowded office, the atmosphere was as explosive as a powder keg.

The five supreme commanders from different military regions, who were usually authoritative and imposing figures in their respective territories, were now completely disregarding their image, puffing out their beards, glaring, and blushing.

Some had fiery tempers; their large, fan-like hands slammed against the mahogany tabletop, making a loud "bang" and causing the teacups to jump around.

Some of them habitually swore, and the words that came out of their mouths had a strong military thuggish flavor.

Some were so excited that they were spitting out words, almost splashing their colleagues' faces.

Trapped in the corner, Li Weiguo watched this group of "old children," whose average age was over sixty and who all had three gold stars on their shoulders, arguing amongst themselves. He felt a chill run down his spine, his temples throbbed, and only one thought crossed his mind:

Quickly find an excuse to slip away! This isn't a meeting of high-ranking officers; it's more like a scene from a farmers' market where elderly people are scrambling for discounted eggs!

Old Liu, who was presiding over the meeting, rolled up his sleeves, revealing half of his strong forearm, and struck a domineering pose as if he owned the place, glaring at everyone with his bull-like eyes and roaring:

What?! You've gone too far?! This is something my Army is leading, what does it have to do with your Navy, Air Force, and Rocket Force?

What are you doing here causing trouble? Get out! All of you, get out! I won't give you a single drop of my good tea, you old scoundrels from the military!

"Hey! You old rascal Liu! Have you got a dog's face? You turn on me like that!" Navy Admiral Zhang, not to be outdone, stiffened his neck, shook his half-empty water bottle, and sneered:

"Who wants your lousy tea? It smells like stale mold. I'd rather drink this mineral water than that stuff!"

Just as the argument was about to escalate, the heavy solid wood door to the office was pushed open from the outside with a creak.

Zeng Long poked half his body inside, intending to enter normally, but when he saw the tense scene inside, almost like a full-blown fight, his heart skipped a beat. He knew something was wrong, and with a quick turn of his heel, he planned to retreat silently the way he came.

Unfortunately, it's too late!

The two men closest to the door, Air Force Elder Wang and Rocket Force Elder Zhou, were quick-witted and nimble-fingered, like two eagles that had spotted their prey, and struck almost simultaneously!

One grabbed his left arm, the other his right, without saying a word, while shouting:

"You little brat! You're already inside, and you still want to run away?"

"Once you're here, you're not leaving! Stay put!"

Although the two old generals were not young, they possessed extraordinary strength and worked in perfect harmony, giving Zeng Long no chance to struggle. They dragged him along like a prisoner being escorted.

He directly "carried" the bewildered Zeng Long to the large tea chair in the center of the office and then pressed him down hard.

Zeng Long's bottom had barely touched the chair when, before he could even figure out what was going on, he realized that the situation was even more strange.

The five old generals, who had been arguing fiercely just moments before, instantly stopped their infighting and formed a semicircle with remarkable tacit understanding, firmly surrounding him in the middle.

Five pairs of weathered, sharp eyes, like those of a hawk, were now gleaming with a green light, fixed intently on him. Their gazes were not like those of someone looking at a living person, but rather like that of someone looking at a moving mountain of gold, or... a priceless treasure.

Navy Admiral Zhang was the first to reach out his rough, calloused hand and gently pat Zeng Long's head, making clicking noises as he did so.

"Huh? This head... it feels just like ours, with bones and flesh, and it doesn't have many whorls, so why does it have so many twisted and cunning thoughts?"

"Really? Let me feel it!" Old Liu also became interested, leaned over and patted Zeng Long's head, nodding seriously:

"Yes! Old Zhang is right. It feels the same, it has hair, skin, and the body temperature is normal."

"Oh? They're really the same? Let me touch them too!"

"Let me try it too!"

"Don't push, don't push, it's my turn!"

Now, the old generals who had just been arguing heatedly over the spots suddenly found common ground and eagerly reached out their hands, all wanting to personally verify what was so special about Zeng Long's "magical" mind.

Surrounded by these grandfather-generation generals, Zeng Long felt as if he had been turned into a rare animal with unusual fur being watched by a group of old generals. His head was being touched by calloused hands.

Unable to bear it any longer, he abruptly turned his head to dodge the "claws" that were reaching out again, and cried out, half-laughing and half-crying:

"Hey, you old generals of the grandfather generation! Can't you be a little more civilized? Show some martial ethics?"

Don't start a full-blown fight and personal attacks the moment I walk in! I'm a human being, not a monkey in a zoo for you to pet!

General Liu crossed his arms, watching him with a leisurely air and a playful smile on his face:

"You still know you're human? The things you've done, to me, are utterly inhumane!"

He started counting on his fingers:

"You quietly won such a huge game in the Middle East! The excitement from that hasn't even died down yet, and you've already pulled off the 'Longyu Group,' throwing down two trillion and turning the whole country upside down!"

He leaned closer, almost pointing at Zeng Long's nose, his tone filled with exaggerated "indignation":

Why don't you just fly to the moon, kid? Huh? You're making us old folks feel like we're being scratched by a cat!

You're so busy giving money and projects to those local guys that you don't care about the military at all?

We've cleaned up your messes before! Tell me! How do you plan to thank us? How will you contribute to the army's development?

"Damn it!" Zeng Long was so angry at this almost shameless logic that he nearly fainted. "I say, gentlemen, where's your dignity? Don't you have any shame at all?"

"What are you leaning on?!" Zeng Long was about to stand up to argue when Old Liu, standing behind him, slapped him hard on the back of the head, knocking him back down.

"Knowing we're old enough to be your grandfathers, you still dare to 'rely' on us? You have no respect for your elders!"

"I...!" Zeng Long covered the back of his head, looking at Old Liu's scoundrel-like demeanor that seemed to say, "I'm just being a scoundrel, what can you do about it?" He was completely speechless.

Trying to reason with these old generals? They are reason itself!

He took a deep breath, leaned back resignedly, and spread his hands:

"Alright! It seems that you and Uncle Li called me here today to set up a trap! You came prepared! Tell me, lay out your plans, what exactly do you want?"

"Hahaha!" General Zhang pointed at Zeng Long triumphantly, "This kid has finally come to his senses! The purpose of our visit today is very simple!"

We don't care about your Longyu Group's investment plan.

But we also have relatives and friends working in the local area. You, Boss Zeng, have to give us old guys some face!

Our requirements aren't high: a share for each person, and an investment of 3000 billion! We'll have someone contact you directly when the time comes!

"Tch...!" Zeng Long curled his lip in disdain, his eyes full of "you guys are kidding me" look. "Can't we have some fun and chat happily?"

Grandpas, your "feint" and "cover-up" tactics are way too obvious. It's a low-budget version of the Thirty-Six Stratagems! Please stop showing it off.

"Oh! You saw through me?" General Zhang showed no embarrassment at having his scheme exposed. Instead, he chuckled, revealing his true intentions!

"Of course we won't get involved in your business investments. But, the capable should do more! You should at least do something practical for our military, right?"

Zeng Long pointed to his nose, looking completely innocent.

"Haven't I done enough for the military? Regarding the Middle East situation, the Chinese military's international reputation has skyrocketed recently; they're practically being hailed as 'saviors'! Isn't that all thanks to me?"

"What are you cutting?" General Zhang, mimicking Old Liu, gave Zeng Long a "loving pat" on the other side of the back of the head, with considerable force—

"How can that be the same? That was a state action! We're talking about your 'personal contribution'!"