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

In just six months, Zero Squad's combat skills have reached a state of perfection.

Baroque, Xue Yan, and the three mentors sat in a luxurious room. Baroque took a sip of wine and a puff of cigar, then looked at his two brothers and said:

It's time to take training to another level—to hone them into perfect 'ghosts' capable of integrating into any environment, utilizing any resources, and ultimately achieving their goals.

Shifting the focus of training from pure 'destruction' and 'killing' to more complex 'disguise' and 'manipulation' is the only way to perfect them, rather than turning them into pure killing machines.

Xue Yan held a cup of steaming, unidentified liquid, sipped it slowly, and then replied:

Zero is someone we've watched grow up, step by step, to where he is today. I think you all know his potential.

The other three kids originally wanted to be Zero's sparring partners, but they got infected by Zero's genius and have now all become outstanding individuals.

Of course, this is their individual fate, and it's too early to say whether their destiny is good or bad.

Very well! Let's give them another push and see how far and how high they can go. Baroque, prepare the relevant instructors; teaching will begin tomorrow.

The silence that had kept her quiet suddenly broke:

"Speak! What about that little devil's background? Shall we tell him?"

At this moment, Baroque's face was full of worry:

"I don't know anything about his background. I just found him in a garbage dump by the roadside after finishing a mission. How am I supposed to tell him...? Am I just giving him hope only to disappoint him?"

All three of them fell silent.

Half an hour later, Xue Yan broke the silence:

"Then let's wait for the right time. We can only do what we need to do for this kid. As for how to decide, let him decide for himself."

The next day, the three mentors, the Nightingale, and some unfamiliar seniors stood in a conference room. The four young men looked around in confusion, not knowing what was going on. Then, after hearing Baroque say that they would be retrained, they were taken away by Xue Yan.

The first lesson of the training was a brutal self-analysis.

Xue Yan set up a special "Mirror Hall" laboratory. The four walls and the ceiling are all made of special mirrors, which can record everyone's every move without any blind spots, including even the slightest changes in pupil size and muscle tremors.

Analysis of daily habits:

The four were required to perform various daily activities within the facility: eating, resting, reading, and even simple combat practice. Afterward, Xue Yan would play the recordings and analyze their habitual movements frame by frame.

"Zero, when you're thinking, your right index finger unconsciously taps the table at a fixed frequency. At the negotiating table, this is equivalent to telling the other party that you're nervously calculating."

"Tiedun, when you're nervous or excited, you unconsciously swallow your saliva and your Adam's apple bobs excessively. When you're hiding in the dark, that's a source of noise."

"Cold Thorn, when you enter an unfamiliar environment, your gaze will habitually scan from the bottom left corner; there's a pattern to it. When you encounter someone from the same industry, they'll predict your movements in reverse within three seconds."

"Little sparrow, when you're focused, your tongue presses against your cheek, and your expressions are too exaggerated. This is a fatal flaw when playing a cool and aloof character."

Targeted correction:

Next comes the anti-habit training. Zero needs to restrain his tapping motion, Iron Pile needs to practice controlling his throat muscles, Cold Thorn must disrupt the order of observation, and Little Sparrow needs to learn to control his facial micro-expressions.

The process is extremely painful, like forcing a left-handed person to write with their right hand. But they understand that these unconscious habits are like lighthouses in the eyes of experts, and must be erased or used in a controlled manner.

Nightingale (language and culture mentor) was invited back, and the course was upgraded.

Speech and Context:

It's no longer just about fluency in language; it's about learning the way people from different social classes and professional backgrounds speak, their vocabulary habits, and even their catchphrases. It's about learning how to use language to flatter, probe, intimidate, and mislead.

Zero needs to master the confidence and terminology of a business elite, Iron Block needs to be able to imitate the conciseness and vigilance of a bodyguard, Cold Thorn needs to learn the humility and stealth of a waiter, and Little Sparrow needs to be able to play the naivety and ignorance of an innocent rich girl.

Deep multilingual applications:

Building upon existing knowledge, we delve deeper into the cultural background, historical allusions, and current popular memes behind the language to ensure we remain unfazed in any conversation and can even guide the topic.

Eye contact and facial expression management:

He provides silent, personal guidance. He teaches how to make one's eyes appear empty and numb (when playing an ordinary person), how to make them appear approachable (when playing a salesperson), and how to make them appear sharp and authoritative (when playing a leader). He teaches how to control the curve of the corners of the mouth and the slightest movement of the eyebrows to express subtle emotions, rather than true feelings.

A classroom furnished as a luxury suite or upscale lounge has become the new classroom. The instructor is an elegant middle-aged man known as "The Earl" (formerly an international conman and art forger, who was later "recruited").

Understanding of luxury goods:

It's not about enjoyment, but about recognition and role-playing. Learn to identify famous watches, such as Patek Philippe, Rolex, etc.! Their models, values, and histories;

Identify the fabric, cut, and brand of haute couture suits;

Identify details in jewelry, leather goods, and luxury cars.

The key is not in possession, but in being able to see through the information about wealth, status, taste, or lack of taste revealed by the other person's "outfit".

Appreciation of Fine Wines:

Learn the characteristics of major wine-producing regions, vintage differences, and tasting etiquette; how to hold the glass, observe its color, smell its aroma, and taste it. Learn how to use wine conversation at the table to build rapport or showcase your status.

Business/Politics/People's Livelihood Topics:

I must read and analyze major global financial and political news every day.

"The Earl" will guide them to understand the global economic landscape, the logic behind political games, and the pain points of people's livelihoods in different countries.

Ensure they can fit into any high-level social setting and engage in seemingly knowledgeable, but actually well-designed conversations about current events, without revealing ignorance or going too deep.

Zero showed great interest and talent in this area, and he was able to quickly combine financial knowledge with international affairs and analyze them in a very logical and insightful way.

Tie Dun suffered the most from learning, but he at least memorized some of the most expensive wines and watches, as well as the principle of "speak less and nod more".

Cold Thorn silently memorized all the information, treating it as intelligence data that needed to be mastered.

The little sparrow, on the other hand, is more interested in various high-tech products and luxury electronic devices.

This is the home turf of silence, combining Xue Yan's chemical knowledge with the aesthetics of "The Earl".

Materials Science:

Learn to use various makeup materials, such as latex, skin wax, oil paint, wigs, and contact lenses, to alter appearance, age, skin tone, and even gender characteristics. Xue Yan provides specially made disguise materials that are breathable and do not easily fall off.

Skeletal structure and muscle orientation:

Learn about the skeletal and muscular structure of the face and body, and understand how to transform yourself completely by altering visual effects through fillers and shadows.

Posture and gait imitation:

This is the core of disguise. It involves learning and mimicking the walking posture, standing posture, and small movements of people of different ages, genders, professions, and health conditions. Silence allows one to appear as a completely different person by altering their gait.

Practical exercises:

They were required to disguise themselves as people of different identities and infiltrate simulated "bustling city" or "banquet" scenes at the base, where they were identified and tested by "informants" played by mentors and mercenaries. Those who failed would face severe punishment, which was usually more tedious basic training.

Subtle influences in daily life:

These training sessions are not standalone courses, but rather integrated into daily life. Dinner might suddenly turn into a "banquet" where one needs to dress appropriately, order food in French, and discuss Bordeaux wine vintages.

A simple procurement task might require them to disguise themselves as tourists or businessmen and use specific codes and gestures to contact informants.

The four people reacted differently to this:

Zero absorbed all knowledge like a sponge and began to think about how to use these skills for larger-scale strategic deception and intelligence gathering. He even considered how to use financial means to influence the economy of target countries.

Although Tie Dun felt restricted, he regarded makeup and disguise as another form of "infiltration" and learning wine tasting etiquette as a kind of "endurance training," and tried his best to adapt in his own unique way.

Cold Thorn is extremely talented in this area. He can master the essence of disguise very quickly and control every detail of his body perfectly, as if he were born to be invisible.

Little Sparrow, on the other hand, is passionate about technology. She is trying to invent an electronic device that can quickly change hairstyles and hair color, or contact lenses that can temporarily change iris color, making camouflage more efficient.

They are being molded into people who can be an inconspicuous homeless person on the street one second and a witty and sophisticated elite at a banquet the next; who can appreciate cigars and wine with the utmost professionalism and silently eliminate their targets with a dagger in the mud.

Their outlook on life, values, and worldview are constantly broadened and reshaped during training:

The world is no longer a black-and-white battlefield, but a huge and complex stage where people need to learn to play various roles, utilize the rules, and even make the rules in order to survive better and ultimately achieve their goals.

They are not only warriors, but also becoming "players" in the world.