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

Grandpa Yan was about to speak when he heard his granddaughter's words.

He knew that the world was vast and full of wonders, and he was even more aware that there were indeed "monsters" in the shadow world that were difficult for ordinary people to understand.

He wanted to tell his granddaughter that while the news might be exaggerated, the fact that "Squad Zero" could cause a global upheaval was not unfounded, and the threat or power it represented was very real.

However, just as he opened his mouth, before he could utter a sound, the encrypted red telephone on the desk suddenly rang, its rapid and shrill ring breaking the tranquility of the study.

Grandpa Yan's expression hardened, and he swallowed the explanation that was on the tip of his tongue. He gave his children, granddaughter, and the staff member beside him a wink. Although Yan Ruge was curious, she knew her grandfather's rules, so she obediently stood up and quickly left the study with the others, gently closing the door behind her.

Only Old Master Yan remained in the study. He took a deep breath and pressed the answer button.

On the other end of the phone came a voice that was equally aged but sharper. Without any pleasantries, it was his old comrade-in-arms and colleague, Mr. Zeng.

"Old Yan, have you seen the news?" Old Master Zeng's voice came through the receiver, carrying a slight amount of static from the radio waves, but the seriousness in his tone was clearly discernible.

Grandpa Yan's gaze swept across the television screen again, which was still playing a loop of animation simulating Zero Squad's battle results. He replied in a deep voice, "I've seen it, I'm watching it now. It's causing quite a stir, it's hard not to notice."

"Yes," Grandpa Zeng's voice was tinged with helplessness and urgency, "the world is becoming more and more turbulent."

More than a decade ago, a mercenary group called "Hellfire" emerged, acting lawlessly and stirring up trouble everywhere, causing unrest around the world.

They've finally quieted down a lot in recent years, at least around our Dragon Country, there's almost no sign of their activity anymore (although they've never stopped causing trouble abroad).

"Damn it, now look what's happened! The old ones haven't gone, and now an even more sinister 'Zero' has popped up! And they're a bunch of damn greenhorns who aren't even twenty yet!"

Grandpa Zeng's tone became more and more agitated as he spoke:

"Old Yan, you and I both know what it means to have this kind of ability and record at this age."

This means their growth potential is terrifying! Their potential is limitless!

If hostile forces are standing behind this, or if they are recruited by some country in the future... then the future border defense and national security of our Dragon Kingdom will be even more difficult! The pressure will increase exponentially!

Grandpa Yan listened in silence; these were precisely the things that had been troubling him. He walked to the window, looking at the tranquil courtyard outside, but his heart remained unsettled.

On the other end of the phone, Old Master Zeng paused, seemingly reviewing some documents, before continuing, "I just received an urgent preliminary assessment report from the leaders of several top special forces units, including 'Eastern Divine Sword' and 'Dark Night Tiger'."

"What did they say?" Old Master Yan pressed, as the judgments of these frontline troops were of paramount importance.

"The conclusions are consistent, but they also leave one with mixed feelings."

Grandpa Zeng's voice carried a strange tone, "They admit that, based on satellite imagery and limited intelligence analysis of tactical execution, the individual combat capabilities and teamwork of this squad members are almost on par with our most elite special forces squad members."

This is extremely high praise! The top special forces of the Dragon Kingdom are elite soldiers selected from thousands and tempered through countless trials, yet this suddenly emerging young squad has received such acclaim.

But then Mr. Zeng changed the subject, his tone becoming more somber: "However—the report also emphasized two key points."

First, we lack a tactical commander like "Zero," who is versatile, unpredictable, and a true artist of the battlefield.

Our commander is excellent, meticulous, and reliable, but seems to lack his...unconventional yet precisely deadly creative thinking and the ability to combine it with unconventional methods such as poison and psychological warfare.

"Secondly," he sighed, with obvious envy and even a hint of jealousy, "we don't have electronic warfare prodigies like 'Little Sparrow'!"

The report points out that her cyber intrusion and electronic suppression capabilities have exceeded the scope of our existing technological defense systems, and are more like a kind of... innate intuition and creativity.

The heads of several information warfare squadrons from various military units stated that in the realm of pure cyber offense and defense, their chances of winning against a "small sparrow" (a highly vulnerable cyber weapon) would be extremely low.

A brief silence fell over the study. Both elderly people were processing this shocking and unsettling assessment.