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

The county public security bureau, in a quiet corner.

Team Leader Liao gripped the phone tightly, his palms sweating profusely.

He reported the tense situation in the hall, the bloodshed, and Lin Xiaoya's insistence on forcibly taking people away, to General Liu on the other end of the phone as concisely and accurately as possible.

Every single word carries immense weight.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a heavy sigh that seemed to have crushed something:

"well……"

"Understood." Old Liu's voice sounded tired and aged. "Wait for my reply."

Beep...beep...beep...

The phone went dead. Team Leader Liao put down the phone, his back pressed against the cold wall, feeling his heart still pounding.

He looked toward the center of the hall—Lin Xiaoya stood silently beside the pool of blood, like a killing god, while Tang Long's gun was still pressed against Wang Guangtou's head.

Time is passing by, second by second.

In General Liu's office in the capital.

Old Liu slowly put down the microphone, without making any immediate move.

He walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, outside which was the bustling city of Beijing, the sunlight dazzling but unable to penetrate the gloom in his heart.

He had his hands behind his back, his fingers unconsciously fidgeting.

He really didn't want to make that call.

Calling Zeng Long is like lighting a powder keg that's already soaked in gasoline.

He knew that young man too well—he was usually as calm as ice, but once his bottom line was crossed, especially when his brothers who had shared life and death with him were involved, the decisiveness and destructive power he unleashed was enough to terrify anyone.

From both a moral and rational perspective, Xiaoya and Tanglong's behavior was excessive; their reason was overwhelmed by the overwhelming blood feud.

However, according to the law and regulations, their attack on law enforcement agencies with guns and their use of force to take hostages (even if the other party is a scoundrel) has seriously crossed the line and is extremely egregious in nature.

What's even more troublesome is that they have special identities and possess gray-area privileges that are unimaginable to ordinary people.

What should be done afterward? Discharge from the military? Revoke privileges?

These routine punishments are ineffective against a group of people who have disregarded life, death, honor, and even the future, and whose hearts are consumed by the flames of revenge.

Does it even matter? Would they even care?

But the country cares, the military cares, and the general public cares.

This is a deadlock. If not handled properly, it will cause pain to loved ones and joy to enemies, and may even trigger more unpredictable chain reactions.

Old Liu closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, only determination remained in them. He picked up another red internal phone and dialed the number he knew well.

"Beep...beep..."

The call was connected.

There was no sound as expected in the receiver, only a low, mournful, and repetitive dirge, clearly transmitted through the airwaves.

The music was like a cold tide, instantly drowning out all of Mr. Liu's prepared remarks.

From the sound of funeral music, he knew that Zeng Long was standing by Shi Qinglie's mourning hall on the other end of the phone.

Old Liu took a deep breath, as if trying to inhale the grief and indignation within the mournful music, his voice carrying an unprecedented heaviness and sincerity:

"Xiao Long, it's me."

I know you're all burning with rage right now, it's making your insides ache, you wish you could tear a hole in the sky and rip those beasts to pieces.

Me, and a few other old guys who care about you kids, are equally grieved and angry!

Otherwise, I wouldn't have withstood the pressure and directly transferred a battalion of troops to be under your command, and the higher-ups wouldn't have authorized me to personally supervise this case and dispatched the most elite task force in the shortest possible time!

His tone quickened, carrying a hint of barely perceptible urgency:

"The task force has moved in, and the investigation is fully underway! Don't you... believe me?"

He quickly and concisely told Zeng Long about the "trouble" that Xiaoya and Tanglong had caused at the county public security bureau.

Zeng Long held his phone by the side of the mourning hall.

He stood in the shadow of the fluttering white banner, his gaze passing over the burning incense and landing on the still wide-open eyes of Tiezhu's father in the coffin, eyes frozen with endless despair.

The funeral music boomed in his ears, as if drumming in his heart.

After listening to Old Liu's words, Zeng Long slowly spoke. His voice came through the radio waves, devoid of any emotion or warmth, as cold as the wind blowing across the Siberian tundra:

"Old Liu."

"Did you hear the funeral music coming through the receiver?"

"Do you see my Uncle Shi... his eyes still refuse to close?"

"Do you know the real, complete, bloody truth about this?"

He paused, then each word seemed to strike like an icicle:

"You—don't—know."

Without waiting for Old Liu's reply, he began his narration in a calm yet powerful tone:

"Based on my people's rapid investigation and the testimonies of informed villagers, this is what happened: the murderer attempted to rape Tiezhu's fourteen-year-old sister, Xiaoshiliu."

"His father, my Uncle Shi, saw it with his own eyes."

"An honest, hardworking farmer, who had lived his whole life, rushed forward to stop them in order to save his daughter."

"Then, the two men, who were brought by the murderer and were the so-called 'gangster' bosses from the county, were beaten to death with steel pipes and hard objects."

Zeng Long's voice began to tremble slightly, a sign that anger was about to reach its peak:

"This could have been saved. If only he had been taken to the hospital in time."

"However, what was the preliminary characterization given by the county bureau and the town police station? They classified the perpetrator's actions as 'self-defense'! They labeled my Uncle Shi as the 'culprit who actively committed the crime'!"

"They weren't thinking about saving lives first! Instead, they were busy making excuses, fabricating stories, and distorting the facts! Just to clean up the mess left by those bastards!"

"Finally..." Zeng Long's voice suddenly dropped to a low, hoarse tone, "let my Uncle Shi leave this world filled with resentment, despair, and injustice..."

"Why?!"

Zeng Long's question, like a thunderclap, exploded in Old Liu's ears through the radio waves.

"Just because he, Wang Guangtou, is the nephew of a certain key leader in the county? Just because he's a tyrant who, under the guise of a real estate developer, secretly controls the local underworld and commits all sorts of evil deeds, from extortion to oppression of his neighbors?!"

"Old Liu, do you know how bad and infamous this man is in the area? The locals grit their teeth when they hear his name! But no one dares to say anything! Because… someone is backing him up!"

Zeng Long took a deep breath, the sound of which was sharp and metallic.

"I want to ask you, Mr. Liu. I also want to ask God."

"Why can such people still get away with it? Why can they hold onto the wealth they've gained by oppressing the people in one hand, and the power to control their lives and deaths in the other?!"

"This kind of case may not be an isolated incident. But unfortunately, he ran into me. And he caused the death of my sworn brother's father."

"So, what do you think...?"

"Would I let him go?"

"Would I let all those who shielded him, condoned him, and helped him cover up his crimes go unpunished?!"

Mr. Liu remained silent on the other end of the phone.

His knuckles turned white from gripping the microphone so tightly.

Are you angry? Of course I'm angry! As a soldier, what I hate most are these scoundrels who bully others and harm the people! Especially since the victim is the father of a meritorious soldier!

Does he understand? He does. He completely understands the excruciating pain and hatred that Zeng Long and Tie Zhu are feeling at this moment.

"Xiaolong," Old Liu's voice was also hoarse, "I understand, I completely understand the fire in your and Tiezhu's hearts."

However, the special task force is now fully involved, and they will definitely get to the bottom of this and give a fair and satisfactory explanation!