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

A makeshift command post stands directly in front of the huge playground.

Zeng Linglong stood at the front of the stage, facing three thousand gazes that seemed to converge on him as if they were real—curiosity, scrutiny, dissatisfaction, and even a hint of provocation.

The mountain wind swept by, lifting the hem of his combat uniform, but he remained as steady as a rock.

He raised his right hand and gave the same casual yet precise military salute to the dark mass of soldiers.

"I am the person in charge of this selection process, and also your head instructor. My code name is Number One."

His voice, amplified through the loudspeaker, was clear and steady, devoid of any emotional fluctuations, yet it was like ice water poured onto a scorching hot iron plate.

Welcome everyone!

He paused slightly, his gaze behind his sunglasses seeming to sweep over every face, speaking slowly and deliberately:

"—Arriving in Hell."

"Whoosh—!"

Despite the strict military discipline, a very slight ripple of unease inevitably arose below.

Three thousand pairs of eyes watched as this almost arrogant welcome speech was delivered!

Upon closer inspection of the excessively young, even somewhat student-like face on the stage!

The dignity and pride belonging to the strong in my heart, like dry wood that has been ignited, suddenly rose up!

In the world of soldiers, only strength and achievements matter.

Besides, they were selected through rigorous screening, the best of the best!

The person in front of me?

He looks to be in his early twenties, and his cool and aloof demeanor can't hide his youth.

He looks like a fresh recruit who has just joined the army!

Even students from prestigious universities might believe it!

Now you have to stand here as their head instructor, selecting and even deciding their fate?

What kind of international joke is this?!

Dissatisfied!

I strongly disagree!

It's a mixture of the arrogance typical of rogue soldiers and the anger of a top expert who has been slighted!

Like a suppressed volcano, silently surging and spreading within the immense aura of the three thousand people gathered there—

It almost created a real sense of oppression, pressing towards the command post.

"Report--!!!"

A thunderous roar suddenly erupted from the front row of the formation!

A burly, dark-skinned man with eyes as sharp as a hawk suddenly took a step forward!

He is the captain of a renowned elite special forces unit, codenamed "Mountain Eagle," with a distinguished combat record and extremely high aspirations.

All eyes immediately focused on him.

Zeng Linglong turned his head slightly in his direction, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses, but his voice was flat and emotionless:

"explain."

"Reporting, Chief Instructor!" Mountain Eagle puffed out his chest even more, his voice filled with suppressed anger and accusation, "May I ask—how old are you this year?!"

The question was direct and pointed, representing the doubts in the minds of almost everyone present.

Zeng Linglong's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he were... sneer?

His voice remained steady, yet it was like a cold scraper, scraping across everyone's eardrums:

"Before you officially come into my view—"

"I'm sorry, you're not worthy to know."

"Everyone here is the same."

"Here—" His tone suddenly turned cold, carrying an unquestionable declaration of rules, "there aren't that many 'problems'."

"Want to know the answer? Show me your strength in exchange."

"Report--!!!"

Almost the instant the mountain eagle choked, another roar rang out from the other side!

Another elite soldier from a different unit, equally valiant and courageous, stepped forward! His codename was "Lone Wolf".

"explain!"

Zeng Linglong's voice this time carried a distinct stern tone.

Like a whip lashing the air.

"The head instructor just said we need to prove our abilities!"

The lone wolf remained fearless, its gaze fixed intently on the stage!

"Shouldn't the head instructor also demonstrate corresponding strength to convince those of us who are about to entrust our lives to him?!"

"Oh……"

A very soft, yet clearly audible sneer escaped from Zeng Linglong's throat.

He raised his hand and slowly removed the tactical sunglasses from his face.

When those deep, calm eyes, yet seemingly containing an endless abyss of cold and a landscape of mountains of corpses and seas of blood!

When they were exposed to everyone's view without any cover, the hearts of the soldiers who were nearby skipped a beat!

Those are definitely not the eyes of a young person!

A signature roguish smile, tinged with wickedness and amusement, slowly appeared on Zeng Linglong's face.

"It seems... people aren't very 'welcoming' of me?" His tone even carried a hint of "regret."

"I know what you're thinking." His gaze slowly swept across the entire room, as if it could penetrate every suit of armor and look directly into the contempt and resentment deep in your souls.

"Don't worry—" He drew out the word, his smile unchanged, but his words were like icicles:

"I'll show you clearly."

"But that's not about 'proving' anything to you—to be honest, you're not worthy of me proving anything right now."

"I just want you to see clearly how big the gap is between your self-proclaimed 'king of soldiers' and 'strongmen' and the outside world."

"Let me show you what a real, brutal, and unreasonable war is."

His gaze, like a precise javelin, suddenly pierced the "Mountain Eagle" and "Lone Wolf" who had just stepped forward.

He casually pointed at the two people with his finger:

"You two, didn't you want to know my 'age' and my 'abilities'?"

"Okay, I'll give you a chance."

His tone was as relaxed as if he were arranging a game:

"Now, you two can choose any two full-strength platoons from all the team members present."

"Weapons are your choice; anything in the base's warehouse is fine."

"The location is up to you—this base, any terrain you deem advantageous."

His thumb casually swept over Ye Feng, Xiao Ya, and Tie Zhu, who stood motionless like statues behind him:

"See these three people behind me?"

"They are all quite young, just like me."

"The rules are simple: you guys defend, and the three of them will attack."

He raised his wrist, glanced at his military watch, and spoke with an infuriating casualness:

"I'm in a hurry. So, I only have five minutes."

"Within five minutes, if either of your platoons still has an electronic sensor indicating 'alive'—"

"I concede defeat."

He paused for a moment, then offered a seemingly "tempting" condition:

"If you win, or even just injure them, or even just hit their vital sensory areas—"

"You two, along with all the team members you've selected, will skip all subsequent selections and become official members of the 'mysterious' unit."

"Similarly—" He looked at Mountain Eagle and Lone Wolf again, the smile on his lips widening, "I'll give you five minutes too. Go choose your men, select your positions, and prepare your weapons."