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

In the center of the abandoned factory, three beams of flashlight cut a stark white line across the ground. The air was thick with the smells of rust, dust, and a faint, almost imperceptible stench of blood.

When Lin Xiaoya and eight members of the security department rushed into the factory, they were met with a scene that made their pupils shrink:

Ye Feng stood alone in the center of the open space, his figure casting a long, cold, hard shadow in the beam of light. Not far from his feet, the three targets—the same three well-coordinated and ruthless professionals from the surveillance footage—were laid side by side on the ground, their hands bound behind their backs with specially made straps.

The security personnel quickly dispersed, going forward in pairs to check and control the situation. Their movements were professional, but the undisguised shock in their eyes betrayed the turmoil within them.

Two minutes.

Less than two minutes passed between Ye Feng entering the factory and the notification that control was complete.

They had reviewed the surveillance footage from the 1701 building's hallway and knew all too well just how formidable these three targets were—

They were ruthless individuals capable of launching a decisive counterattack the instant they were detected, suppressing fire and blocking fire doors, and then efficiently evacuating. They were armed, well-trained, and coordinated seamlessly with each other.

But what about Ye Feng?

A lone infiltrator, facing three armed former elite soldiers, and within two minutes... capture them all alive?!

They didn't even give the other side a chance to fire?!

This is beyond what the word "strong" can describe.

This is an almost superhuman level of tactical skill and suppressive power!

When the security personnel exchanged glances, they could all see the cold sweat beading on each other's foreheads.

What would happen if they were the ones standing against Ye Feng tonight? The answer sent chills down their spines.

Ye Feng ignored the shocked gazes around him.

He walked up to the three men, squatted down, and pressed hard on an acupoint on the side of the neck of the young man in the lead. He then applied the same pressure to the same spot on the other unconscious observer.

"Uh..." The young man in the lead let out a muffled groan and slowly opened his eyes. The other person also woke up immediately.

Three pairs of eyes met Ye Feng's icy, ancient eyes in the pale beam of the flashlight.

There was no interrogation table, no bright lights, but the atmosphere was more oppressive than any torture chamber.

Ye Feng's voice rang out, not loud, but like a dull knife scraping against the bone membrane, every word imbued with undisguised killing intent:

"You three only have one chance."

"Name your superior."

"live."

As the last word fell, only the distant howling wind and the heavy breathing of a few people remained in the factory.

The young man in the lead looked around blankly, then a bitter look crossed his face when he saw his companions who were tied up and the armed security personnel around him.

He struggled to sit up, the bullet wound on his right wrist tearing open with the movement, blood seeping out again, but he only frowned and looked at Ye Feng.

"Can you tell me..." His voice was hoarse, yet strangely calm, "Who are you?"

boom!

A deafening gunshot rang out!

The bullet precisely pierced the left thigh muscle of the leading youth. It wasn't a fatal wound, but it was enough to cause excruciating pain to instantly engulf his entire body!

Shadow's body trembled violently, his teeth clenched, and beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead, but he managed not to scream.

A wisp of smoke rose from the muzzle of Ye Feng's gun, but his eyes remained unmoved.

"I have a hundred ways to make you talk," Ye Feng's voice was even colder than before, as cold as the wind blowing across the Siberian tundra. "Considering that you were once soldiers, I will not use those methods."

He leaned forward slightly, his deathly eyes locking onto the young man at close range: "So, don't test my patience with my meager mercy."

The young man in the lead was panting heavily, his face contorted in excruciating pain, but the corners of his mouth slowly parted into a grin, and then he actually laughed.

"Haha...hahaha..." The laughter began to deepen, then gradually grew louder, echoing in the empty factory, carrying a sense of melancholy and relief. "With those words from you...that's enough..."

He turned his head and looked at his two companions beside him, who were also bound and pale-faced—the observer and the assault soldier whose wrist had been pierced by a dagger.

Their eyes met his; there was no fear, only a deep weariness and...resolute determination.

"Soldiers?" Shadow withdrew his gaze, muttering to himself, as if speaking to Ye Feng, "We used to be... but now, we aren't anymore."

He looked up at the few stars peeking through the broken roof of the factory, his voice as soft as a sigh:

"My hands are stained with too much blood that I shouldn't have... I've long since broken the oath I took when I enlisted."

He paused, took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, his tone was exceptionally clear and firm:

"A shadow in the darkness..."

"To be exposed to light..."

"That is destruction."

Ye Feng's pupils contracted sharply the moment he heard "to be exposed to light is to be destroyed"!

His terrifying instinct for danger, honed from years of walking the line between life and death, instantly tensed every muscle in his body! He abruptly reached out, trying to stop him—

But it's too late.

After the young man finished speaking the last word, he bit his lip hard!

His eyes were fixed on Ye Feng, and there was relief, a hint of apology, and something deep inside that he couldn't express.

Then, a trickle of dark red blood slowly seeped from between his tightly closed lips.

His body began to sway, his eyes quickly losing focus, but he still managed to stay upright until the observer and assault soldier beside him did the same.

His lips were tightly closed, his cheeks bulged, and then blood seeped out.

"Boss..." The observer looked at the shadows, his voice muffled but tinged with laughter.

"Let's go together." The assault soldier grinned, blood trickling from between his teeth.

Almost simultaneously, the three bodies lost all strength and fell backward, limp yet with their spines straight.

Bang, bang, bang.

Three muffled thuds rang out sharply in the quiet factory.

Ye Feng's outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

He slowly withdrew his hand, looking at the three young faces on the ground that were rapidly losing their color, at the glaring dark red at the corners of their mouths, and at the ice layer deep in his eyes that had never melted for millennia, which seemed to ripple slightly.

"A highly poisonous capsule inside the mouth," he muttered to himself, his voice devoid of emotion.

He did not check the three people's vital signs anymore—it was no longer necessary.

This specially made, fast-acting neurotoxin will cause brain death within thirty seconds once the skin is bitten.

He had seen it too many times, in the Middle East, in North Africa, in certain clandestine operations... it was the last resort for assassins.

Ye Feng stood still for a few seconds. Then, he slowly raised his right hand to his forehead.

A cold, yet powerful military salute.

There is no distinction between friend and foe. There is no judgment of victory or defeat.

Only the purest clash and respect between soldiers, men, and wills can truly exist.

They chose this dark path, their hands are stained with blood, they broke their vows...

But in their final moments, they upheld a certain rule belonging to the "shadows" in this resolute way, and preserved... a final dignity that perhaps even they themselves could not explain.

The ceremony is over.

Ye Feng lowered his hand, his eyes returning to their icy indifference. He turned and gave orders to the still-shocked security personnel:

"Clean up the scene. Collect and seal all personal belongings and communication devices."

"Yes...yes!" The team members then seemed to wake up from a dream and quickly got to work.