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

Offices in an inconspicuous building somewhere in Beijing.

The indoor lighting was deliberately dimmed, and heavy curtains blocked out external light sources and prying eyes.

Behind the desk, a large, high-backed leather chair faced the window, its back to the door. The figure on the chair almost blended into the shadow.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

A very light, cautious knock sounded, and then the door was silently pushed open.

A man in a dark suit with sharp eyes walked into the room almost silently.

He stopped about three meters from the desk, leaned forward slightly, adopting a deliberate, respectful posture, and lowered his head.

"Young Master." His voice was low, clear and concise, as was typical of someone reporting work.

The high-backed chair slowly rotated.

Wu Jun's face emerged from the shadows.

He had his eyes closed at that moment, as if he were immersed in some profound thoughts or weighing of options.

The assistant remained bowing and waited quietly.

A few seconds later.

Wu Jun's eyelids suddenly opened!

Those eyes were filled with a cold, sharp, and calculating light, like that of a viper.

His gaze pierced straight into the bowed assistant, as if trying to penetrate his skull and read the most subtle brainwaves.

"Speak," Wu Jun said, his voice carrying a metallic quality that left no room for argument.

The assistant seemed to tense up a bit more, but his voice remained steady:

"Target person—Zeng Long… Oh, according to the latest intelligence, we should now officially call him Zeng Linglong."

"He was personally escorted to the eastern suburbs by Mr. Zeng Xu's personal guards this evening."

Wu Jun did not respond immediately after hearing this.

He slowly stood up from the chair and silently walked to the window.

His back was to his assistant, his voice ethereal yet clear:

"Zeng Linglong...is he a single person?"

The questions are precise and get straight to the heart of the matter.

The assistant lowered his head even further, his tone firm:

"According to our on-site observers at the airport, he was the only one seen coming out of the VIP channel."

He paused briefly, then added more important information:

As for the seven unidentified, specially equipped armed men who appeared in Shijiagou Village... they did not return to Beijing with him.

Our people have lost track of them, and currently... no useful follow-up leads have been found.

The assistant's tone carried a subtle hint of seriousness:

Currently, we can confirm that the person arrived on the same flight as Zeng Linglong and is still within his visual range.

Only the girl named Xiaoya, Shi Tiezhu, and a younger girl, presumably Shi Tiezhu's sister, were present.

Wu Jun's shoulder twitched almost imperceptibly. He still didn't turn around, but the warmth of his voice seemed to have dropped a few degrees:

"So... those 'unidentified' people from Shijia Gou Village... didn't come back? They all... disappeared?"

He seemed to be asking his assistant, but also seemed to be talking to himself.

Before his assistant could answer, he whirled around, his gaze like two poisoned icicles, fixing on the assistant's face once more. Questions rained down, his speech quickening:

"How's the investigation into Shi Tiezhu, and the specific military identities of those seven 'ghosts' going?"

The assistant felt the invisible pressure, and a fine sheen of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, but his answers remained calm and methodical:

Young master, there has been no breakthrough in understanding the specific unit designation and affiliation.

Their files appear to be classified at an extremely high level; our hands... cannot reach them.

He raised his eyes, carefully observed Wu Jun's expression, and continued:

However, I reviewed and compared publicly available video footage of previous hostage rescue incidents in the Middle East involving country D…

I noticed a detail worth noting.

The combat uniforms worn by those seven men in Shijia Gou Village, their modular equipment, and even the style of their helmets...

It is highly similar to the mysterious rescue team that appeared in the D country incident, or even... exactly the same.

The assistant's voice carried a mixture of confusion and nervousness:

"As far as we know, none of the special operations units in China that are currently publicly or semi-publicly known have ever been equipped with the exact same type of equipment."

"This might mean... the existence of a 'shadow army' with a higher level of secrecy, about which we do not yet have detailed information."

He concluded with a helpless tone:

"However, young master, these are all top-secret information. Our network... is not yet able to effectively penetrate that level."

A cold glint flashed intensely in Wu Jun's eyes. He walked back to his office chair, sat down again, and leaned back slightly, sinking into the shadow of the chair back.

He didn't react immediately; he merely waved very slightly at his assistant. The gesture was casual, yet it carried an undeniable air of dismissal.

"Continue the investigation."

He uttered only four words, his voice carrying an unyielding, chilling command.

"Yes." The assistant, as if granted a pardon, bowed slightly again, then, maintaining a respectful posture, silently backed away and disappeared behind the closed door, as if he had never been there.

The office fell silent once more.

Only Wu Jun's eyes occasionally reflected a hint of coldness in the dim light.

He remained silent for a full minute, his gaze shifting back and forth between the empty space in front of him and the night view outside the window.

The brain is working at high speed, integrating all the information and weighing the pros and cons and risks.

Finally, he seemed to have made up his mind.

He reached out and took out an encrypted satellite phone with no brand logo.

Fingers typed a long, complex code on a special keypad, and the phone screen lit up with a pale blue light.

"Beep...beep..."

The waiting sound was exceptionally clear in the silence.

After a few seconds, the call was connected.

There were no greetings from the other end, only a middle-aged male voice that had been specially processed and distorted, yet still retained its original aloof and arrogant quality.

He spoke fluent English, with a condescending tone:

"Wu... progress?"

Wu Jun's lips curled into a cold, emotionless smile, his tone direct and certain:

"Confirmed."

"The target, Zeng Long, is actually a direct descendant of the Zeng family, a top military power in the capital of China, who was switched during that 'mission' eighteen years ago."

"Zeng Linglong, grandson of Zeng Xu and son of Zeng Sheng."

"What...?!" The voice on the other end of the phone paused noticeably, followed by a suppressed look of surprise, "Are you sure?"

Wu Jun's sneer became more pronounced, tinged with a hint of mockery:

Are you sure? By now, the news has probably spread throughout the upper echelons of Beijing.

Zeng Linglong has officially returned to the Zeng family and acknowledged his ancestry. Do I still need to 'confirm' this?

His tone suddenly turned stern, carrying a questioning tone:

"I'd like to ask, how exactly did the organization carry out the 'cleansing' plan back then?!"

Such a huge price was paid, and the operation was meticulously planned...

The fake Zeng Linglong not only failed completely, but even his most crucial target is still alive.

And he's alive and well, and now he's even come back in glory!

"Once the leaders 'above' find out about this 'accident'..." He paused deliberately, lowering his voice to a threatening tone, "I think you and I... will probably not escape severe punishment."

A brief silence fell on the other end of the phone, broken only by faint static, revealing that the person on the other end was far from calm.

Seconds later, that arrogant voice rang out again, but this time, it was filled with undisguised, naked killing intent:

"Kill him."

"Clean it up as quickly as possible..."

Wu Jun's eyes narrowed, and he immediately countered with a question tinged with caution and realistic consideration:

"How do we kill him?"

Based on the fragmented information you provided earlier, and my ongoing investigation...

This Zeng Linglong is very likely a member of a highly classified special forces unit in China!

And the group of people surrounding him—

The seven "ghosts" that appeared in Shijiagou Village.

And those who followed him—they were likely all elite soldiers whose skills far surpassed those of ordinary elites!

He emphasized his words, citing past examples:

Did you know? The people I arranged to monitor him beforehand were also elites who had retired from China's top special forces.

They are highly experienced and have top-notch counter-surveillance capabilities.

And what happened? Not only was it easily discovered by him, but it was also traced back to him.

In the end, my men didn't even have a chance to send out a distress signal before they were captured! In the end, they had no choice but to commit suicide by poison!

Wu Jun's tone carried a hint of lingering fear and relief:

The only thing I'm grateful for right now is...

My previous suggestion to have the organization send people into the country to "test" his intentions was rejected because the risks were too high when investigating his actions.

"Otherwise... I'm afraid it will be another case of being delivered to their doorstep, only to be wiped out by Zeng Linglong and his team!"

"So what if they're elite soldiers?!"

The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly rose, filled with disdain and cruelty: "How many 'elites' from various countries have our organization eliminated?"

Zeng Linglong must be eliminated! This is an order! Otherwise, if the organization's higher-ups investigate, you and I will face more than just 'trouble'!

The voice softened slightly, but the killing intent remained:

"I will immediately coordinate and mobilize the strongest 'Purger' team from headquarters to carry out this multinational mission."

Your task now is:

Continue to lie in wait, maintaining the highest level of tracking and surveillance!

I need all the detailed information about Zeng Linglong's whereabouts after returning to the capital! Down to the hour!

And detailed information on all the people who had close contact with him!

The voice paused, then gave an even more insidious instruction:

"Targeting him directly is too difficult... so we might as well start with the people around him."

"Family members, friends... will always have weaknesses and gaps."

"Maintain communication silence and await further instructions."

"Beep beep beep..."

The phone call was abruptly disconnected, leaving only a series of urgent busy tones echoing hollowly in the silent room.

Wu Jun leaned back in his chair, his entire body almost completely disappearing into the shadows.

Only those serpentine eyes continued to gleam in the darkness with a cold, calculating, and even more dangerous glint, provoked by the darkness.