Recaps

Jiang Yan Hai and his squad fought to delay enemy forces while reinforcements prepared to strike the base. He woke from the Illusion Simulation Combat System after completing his first full mission, still shaken by the battle.

• Hurricane Squadron and other aircraft launched as Eagle's Nest directed them toward the target area and ordered Fire Fox Squad to intercept an enemy Early Warning Aircraft.
• Eagle told Jiang Yan Hai that their activated identification devices would reveal their location, and that missiles and fighters were coming to clear the enemy troops and air defenses.
• Jiang Yan Hai shot the driver of the Destroyer truck and several guards while Er Dan and the others advanced toward the base.
• After an enemy prepared to fire a Rocket Launcher, Er Dan threw a grenade and the squad launched its assault as Jiang Yan Hai moved toward the base.
• Jiang Yan Hai woke in the Fire Phoenix barracks after completing the simulation, where Little Bee noticed his frightening, battle-worn expression.

Jiang Yan Hai examined a detailed assault-rifle blueprint recovered from the battlefield and wondered whether the Illusion Simulation Combat System could produce real designs and useful training data. He then taught the female soldiers makeup techniques, astonishing the instructors with their transformations.

• Jiang Yan Hai recalled finding detailed plans for an advanced assault rifle at the enemy base and considered whether the design could actually be built.
• Jiang Yan Hai received notifications that the system had awarded him Battlefield First Aid knowledge, activated the Auxiliary Medical Scan System, and stored combat data in the Electronic Warfare System.
• Jiang Yan Hai speculated that the stored combat data might function like a military game, then set the question aside to prepare for his lesson.
• Jiang Yan Hai used his Disguise Technique to apply makeup to several female soldiers, transforming their appearances and stunning Little Bee and the other instructors.
• Qu Bi'a Zhuo praised Jiang Yan Hai's makeup skills, and Jiang Yan Hai replied that he cared more about interest than earning money.

After teaching the Fire Phoenix and Thunderbolt units, Jiang Yan Hai returned to Wolf Fang and learned that Fan Tian Lei wanted him to discuss the Type 10 Rifle with Northern Arms Group. Fan Tian Lei then recruited him to advise on a realistic final assessment, and Jiang Yan Hai ended up being asked to direct it.

• Jiang Yan Hai taught the Fire Phoenix and Thunderbolt soldiers about makeup and acquired battlefield first aid knowledge and injury scanning.
• Jiang Yan Hai bade farewell to the trainees and instructors, then returned to the Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade training base.
• Fan Tian Lei told Jiang Yan Hai that Northern Arms Group had requested a discussion about the Type 10 Rifle.
• Fan Tian Lei explained that Wolf Fang was preparing a realistic final assessment and asked Jiang Yan Hai to identify flaws in its setup.
• Jiang Yan Hai suggested coordinating a staged border crossing and described interrogation methods, prompting Fan Tian Lei to tentatively offer him the role of chief director.

Jiang Yan Hai challenged Fan Tian Lei’s plan to test the recruits and agreed to take over as chief director, provided the exercise was realistic and did not involve deceiving He Chen Guang about Tang Xin Yi’s capture. He left Fan Tian Lei with a revised plan and a lesson about not believing everything they were told.

• Jiang Yan Hai asked Fan Tian Lei what results he wanted from the test and warned him that people’s weaknesses could be exploited.
• Fan Tian Lei explained that he planned to test He Chen Guang by making him choose between his duty and Tang Xin Yi, but Jiang Yan Hai warned that the deception could damage their relationship.
• Fan Tian Lei outlined a fake terrorist scenario, and Jiang Yan Hai pointed out how implausible it was given the visa, police, and border security procedures.
• Fan Tian Lei asked Jiang Yan Hai to become chief director, and Jiang Yan Hai agreed on the condition that the plan would cost more and exclude the scheme involving Tang Xin Yi.
• Jiang Yan Hai told Fan Tian Lei to keep the original exercise but remove the final deception, saying the recruits also needed to learn not to believe everything they were told, then ran as Fan Tian Lei lunged at him.

Jiang Yan Hai outlined the resources needed for his recruit battlefield test, and Fan Tian Lei and He Zhi Jun secured military district approval. Jiang Yan Hai then ordered twenty simulated human bodies from his forensic medicine teacher, Liao Xian Hua, leaving preparations for the test underway.

• Jiang Yan Hai told Fan Tian Lei his plan required fake border markers, a tropical forest, aircraft, RPGs, and explosives, and Fan Tian Lei agreed to report it for approval.
• Fan Tian Lei reported the plan to He Zhi Jun, who decided to seek military district approval for the costly exercise.
• After the military district approved the plan, Jiang Yan Hai told Fan Tian Lei he would order special simulated human bodies and asked for them to be transported from the capital.
• Jiang Yan Hai called his forensic medicine teacher, Liao Xian Hua, and ordered twenty C53 Model Human Bodies for the battlefield test.
• Liao Xian Hua agreed to prioritize the order and invited Jiang Yan Hai to visit when he had leave.

Fan Tian Lei and the Wolf Fang Special Forces staged a brutal capture exercise to test He Chen Guang and the recruits, then ended the deception with a Level One Combat Readiness Alert. The recruits headed for the base with live ammunition, realizing a real emergency had interrupted their training.

• Fan Tian Lei received an emergency mission call, and He Chen Guang persuaded him to take the recruits along.
• He Zhi Jun and the Special Forces staged an operation in which the recruits watched comrades get captured and endured beatings and interrogation.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered Phase Two to begin, and the lights and Level One Combat Readiness Alert revealed that the operation had been an exercise.
• Fan Tian Lei ordered the recruits untied and armed with live ammunition as Chen Shan Ming assembled everyone to move out.
• Miao Lang told Song Kai Fei that the training was postponed, and the recruits set off for the base, fearing the alert signaled a real crisis.

Wolf Fang Special Forces received a Level One Combat Readiness Alert after an overseas rescue unit was surrounded, and they prepared to deploy to protect a renowned national expert. The chapter ended with Chen Shan Ming leading the fully equipped soldiers toward their helicopters.

• Fan Tian Lei told Wolf Fang Special Forces that an overseas rescue unit had been surrounded and ordered them to prioritize the expert’s safety.
• He Chen Guang asked about the surrounded comrades, then reassured Tang Xin Yi that he would return alive.
• Fan Tian Lei assigned veteran Chen Shan Ming and other experienced personnel to join the teams because the recruits lacked battlefield experience.
• The soldiers landed, collected specialized equipment and ammunition, and rapidly prepared for deployment.
• Chen Shan Ming ordered the soldiers to move toward the helicopters, while Tang Xin Yi stayed behind.

He Chen Guang and the team flew to a remote Air Force base, where Chen Shan Ming briefed them on their mission to rescue kidnapped quantum communications expert Professor Bai Ling. They waited beside the helicopters for orders to begin the operation.

• He Chen Guang and the others boarded a Yun-20 escorted by fighter jets and flew toward their destination.
• Chen Shan Ming told the team that Professor Bai Ling had been kidnapped across the border and that a previous rescue team had suffered six confirmed deaths and five missing members.
• Chen Shan Ming ordered everyone to memorize Bai Ling's details and a local language card while Jiang Yan Hai coached him through an earpiece.
• The Yun-20 landed at a remote Air Force base, and the team rushed to the nearby helicopter pad.
• Chen Shan Ming told the team to wait for the Air Force's orders, which could arrive in minutes or take much longer.

Chen Shan Ming led the soldiers through a staged combat deployment, but an RPG attack forced their transport helicopter to make an emergency landing and the troops to fast-rope into the trees. The helicopter escaped the second rocket, leaving He Chen Guang and the other recruits shaken on the ground.

• Chen Shan Ming gave the soldiers an impassioned speech, then learned from Jiang Yan Hai that he had delivered it too early.
• Chen Shan Ming briefed the two teams aboard the Zhi-8B Transport Helicopter as it flew south with four WZ-10 Attack Helicopters escorting it.
• After the escort turned back at the border, Chen Shan Ming spotted an incoming RPG and the transport helicopter began evasive maneuvers.
• The pilot ordered an emergency fast-rope descent, and Chen Shan Ming led all twenty-four soldiers down into the trees.
• A second rocket nearly struck the last soldiers and grazed the departing helicopter, which escaped trailing staged black smoke as He Chen Guang and the recruits watched in alarm.

After the helicopter exploded, Chen Shan Ming led the grieving team toward their target while Jiang Yan Hai continued directing the training exercise. He Chen Guang stepped on a fake mine, and Chen Shan Ming began an improvised disarm attempt that left him with a grim joke about the danger.

• The helicopter exploded beyond the mountain, and Chen Shan Ming ordered the team to salute before leading them onward.
• Fan Tian Lei realized Jiang Yan Hai’s exercise plan was far more elaborate than he had expected, while Jiang Yan Hai directed Group A by radio.
• Chen Shan Ming sent He Chen Guang and Li Er Niu to scout from high ground, and He Chen Guang stepped on a mine.
• Chen Shan Ming reached He Chen Guang, sent Li Er Niu downhill to keep watch, and took the dagger to disarm the mine himself.
• Chen Shan Ming told He Chen Guang the mine was old and might only cost him a leg if it exploded.

Chen Shan Ming staged a deadly mine explosion to test the new special forces soldiers and make them believe he had sacrificed himself. He sent He Chen Guang and the others onward to complete the mission, leaving them convinced they would have to return for his body.

• Chen Shan Ming told He Chen Guang to lift his foot from the mine, then pretended that he had to stay behind to hold it down.
• Chen Shan Ming ordered Miao Lang to take He Chen Guang and the others away, then slipped out of sight and prepared the staged explosion.
• Jiang Yan Hai triggered the charges remotely, and Chen Shan Ming used special effects and a piece of human tissue to make his injury look real.
• He Chen Guang and the others rushed back after the blast and found Chen Shan Ming apparently gravely wounded and holding a grenade.
• Chen Shan Ming warned them not to approach and urged them to finish the mission, so He Chen Guang vowed to bring him home before leading the team away.

He Chen Guang and the recruits believed Chen Shan Ming had died after sacrificing himself in a minefield, while the Wolf Fang soldiers secretly staged the death as part of Jiang Yan Hai’s realistic training exercise. Chen Shan Ming returned to camp as the next phase began, with the recruits still unaware that they were being tested.

• He Chen Guang withdrew in tears, believing Chen Shan Ming had sacrificed himself to save him, and Miao Lang ordered the recruits to keep moving and remember their mission.
• Chen Shan Ming revealed over the encrypted channel that his apparent injury had been staged with processed duck blood, then detonated a grenade in the pit to make his death seem real.
• A Wolf Fang soldier picked up Chen Shan Ming and joked about his battered appearance as they walked back through the mountains.
• Chen Shan Ming returned to the temporary camp and found convincing fake corpses arranged at its entrance for the recruits to discover later.
• The Wolf Fang soldiers planned to capture the recruits gradually and bring them to camp for a final interrogation, while Group B encountered staged deaths and a simulated minefield.

After losing nearly their entire team in three days of jungle combat, He Chen Guang and Wang Yan Bing searched for Group B and discovered their captured comrades at an enemy camp. They chose to attempt a rescue together, despite recognizing that the camp was likely a trap.

• He Chen Guang and Wang Yan Bing decided to move toward the border, look for Group B, and capture an enemy if possible to learn the enemy's location.
• Jiang Yan Hai learned that He Chen Guang and Wang Yan Bing had been drawn toward the camp and ordered his forces to continue the plan.
• He Chen Guang and Wang Yan Bing spotted two mutilated Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade members at the camp entrance and saw Chen Shan Ming badly wounded and Miao Lang hanging from a post.
• He Chen Guang urged Wang Yan Bing to return with their information, but Wang Yan Bing refused to abandon their brothers.
• He Chen Guang and Wang Yan Bing clasped hands and vowed to live and die together as they prepared to rescue their comrades.

Wang Yan Bing and He Chen Guang surrendered to save Chen Shan Ming, but refused to reveal information about Wolf Fang when threatened. Their captor then revealed that their loyalty had passed a test and offered them a surprise.

• Wang Yan Bing and He Chen Guang entered the camp despite realizing they were surrounded and saw the injured Chen Shan Ming.
• The man speaking over the loudspeaker offered to release Chen Shan Ming if the two soldiers surrendered their weapons and belongings.
• He Chen Guang and Wang Yan Bing disarmed and searched themselves, then faced the armed man who aimed a pistol at Chen Shan Ming.
• He Chen Guang refused to disclose Wolf Fang's secrets, and the man lowered his pistol and said they had passed the test.

Wild Wolf tortured Chen Shan Ming and threatened Bai Ling and the captured Wolf Fang squadmates to force He Chen Guang and Wang Yan Bing into betraying their comrades. The chapter ended with the squadmates refusing to be used as leverage and Wild Wolf's men beating them down.

• Wild Wolf shot Chen Shan Ming's bandaged stump and revealed that he had once served in Wolf Fang under the codename Wild Wolf.
• Wild Wolf brought out Bai Ling and threatened to let his men assault her unless He Chen Guang and Wang Yan Bing cooperated.
• He Chen Guang and Wang Yan Bing refused, apologized to Bai Ling, and saluted her.
• Wild Wolf changed his demand, offering to release everyone if He Chen Guang and Wang Yan Bing assaulted Bai Ling.
• Wild Wolf brought in the missing squadmates, including Li Er Niu, Song Kai Fei, and Xu Tian Long, and used them to pressure the two men.
• Song Kai Fei, Xu Tian Long, and the other squadmates urged He Chen Guang and Wang Yan Bing not to give in, and Wild Wolf ordered his men to beat them.

Wild Wolf threatened the recruits with torture and forced He Chen Guang to choose between surrendering and watching Bai Ling suffer. The exercise ended just as the recruits braced for more punishment, and Fan Tian Lei appeared before them.

• Wild Wolf described brutal torture and pressured He Chen Guang to submit in exchange for sparing the others.
• He Chen Guang agreed, but Bai Ling volunteered to face him; he tried to choke her, and she broke free and kicked him away.
• The recruits realized He Chen Guang had meant to kill Bai Ling to spare her humiliation, while Fan Tian Lei praised Jiang Yan Hai's assessment in the command room.
• Wild Wolf received word that the exercise was over and told He Chen Guang to get up, but He Chen Guang and Wang Yan Bing still expected punishment.
• Fan Tian Lei appeared as Wild Wolf's soldiers formed ranks, leaving He Chen Guang and the other recruits stunned.

After surviving the brutal three-day exercise, He Chen Guang and the other recruits released their pent-up emotions and took revenge on Chen Shan Ming and Miao Lang. Fan Tian Lei then officially welcomed the eleven recruits into the Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade, where their military careers began.

• The eleven recruits laughed and wept together after realizing the exercise was over, while Chen Shan Ming called for help from the square.
• He Chen Guang and the others pulled Chen Shan Ming from the fake injury setup and tossed and slammed him around in retaliation.
• The recruits confronted Miao Lang, who offered them a meal and half a year's allowance, but they left him hanging.
• He Chen Guang apologized to Bai Ling, who clarified that his name was Bai Ge, and Fan Tian Lei ordered the recruits to form up.
• Fan Tian Lei declared the eleven recruits members of the Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade, and the soldiers saluted them.

After enduring three days of brutal final training, He Chen Guang and the others learned that Jiang Yan Hai had designed it after Fan Tian Lei explained how he had appointed him chief director. The eleven men chased Jiang Yan Hai while Miao Lang remained suspended from a pole.

• Fan Tian Lei asked the eleven men what they thought of their three days of training, and they described it as an unforgettable baptism.
• Wang Yan Bing and the others asked who had designed the training, and Fan Tian Lei said Jiang Yan Hai had taken charge of it.
• Jiang Yan Hai denied responsibility, but Fan Tian Lei recounted how Jiang Yan Hai had criticized his plan and agreed to become chief director.
• He Chen Guang and the others realized Jiang Yan Hai had created the harsher training and confronted him over his remarks and authority.
• Jiang Yan Hai offered to buy the eleven men meals for a year, but Song Kai Fei rallied them to seize him, and they chased him while Miao Lang called for someone to let him down.

Jiang Yan Hai and the Red Cell team recovered at camp after their brutal exercise, then learned that the military planned to keep the training program. Jiang Yan Hai explained how the exercise tested recruits’ judgment and revealed the clues they had missed.

• Jiang Yan Hai complained as Li Er Niu applied medicine to his bruises, while the others teased him about the tricks he had used during the exercise.
• Song Kai Fei asked about leave, and He Chen Guang said he wanted to go home after fearing he would not survive the exercise.
• Chen Shan Ming assembled the team, and He Zhi Jun announced that the military would retain the training program for future recruits.
• Song Kai Fei, Xu Tian Long, and Wang Yan Bing objected to the exercise’s brutal second half, but Fan Tian Lei told them to let Jiang Yan Hai speak.
• Jiang Yan Hai defended keeping the program and pointed out clues that should have exposed the exercise’s false scenario, including the supposed crime boss’s entry into the country and the armed group’s deep penetration past border defenses.

Jiang Yan Hai explained that the soldiers’ training had tested their observation and judgment, not just their combat skills. He revealed that Chen Shan Ming’s scripted landmine warning had contained clues to a safer response, leaving the soldiers to recognize how easily they had missed them.

• He Chen Guang challenged Jiang Yan Hai’s claim that he had given the soldiers a way out, and the others agreed.
• Jiang Yan Hai pointed out that the training forest differed from the target country’s rainforest in its climate, vegetation, and animals, details the soldiers had failed to notice.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked the soldiers to consider how details could matter more than shooting and tactics, and He Chen Guang agreed that one detail could cost them their lives.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked Chen Shan Ming to repeat his lines from the staged landmine incident and told He Chen Guang that they had revealed a possible way out.
• Jiang Yan Hai explained that the old mine’s slow pressure sensor and limited explosive power meant helmets and body armor could have reduced the casualties, then stressed that soldiers had to observe every detail.

Jiang Yan Hai explained the hidden lessons in his training exercise, then learned that he would not join the newly formed Red Blood Cell Squad because he would serve in a broader role across the special operations base. After the team received promotions and a fifteen-day vacation, Jiang Yan Hai set off to visit his teacher before traveling to Northern Arms Group.

• Jiang Yan Hai reviewed the traps and overlooked details from the exercise, embarrassing the trainees and the officers who had helped run it.
• Li Er Niu asked to rely on Jiang Yan Hai, and Wang Yan Bing argued that teammates should focus on their individual strengths.
• Fan Tian Lei announced that the Red Blood Cell Squad had formed without Jiang Yan Hai, and He Zhi Jun explained that Jiang Yan Hai would take on broader special-operations duties.
• He Zhi Jun announced promotions and future military academy training for He Chen Guang, Li Er Niu, and Wang Yan Bing, then granted everyone fifteen days of leave.
• Jiang Yan Hai prepared to visit his teacher in the capital before traveling to Northern Arms Group and received a complimentary upgrade to first class.

Jiang Yan Hai traveled by plane with his authorized sidearm and reflected on repaying the village that had raised him. In first class, he unexpectedly met Li Ruo Bai, who explained that her tattoo had been fake, and he asked whether she had arranged his upgrade.

• Jiang Yan Hai thanked the airline for upgrading his seat and thought about helping the principal and village that had cared for him.
• At security, Jiang Yan Hai presented his firearm permit and authorization, and the supervisor verified them and cleared him to board.
• Jiang Yan Hai boarded the plane and waited in first class as the only passenger in that section.
• Li Ruo Bai arrived and introduced herself to Jiang Yan Hai, explaining that her tattoo had been fake and that she had planned to act wild when she came of age.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked Li Ruo Bai whether she had arranged his first-class upgrade.

Li Ruo Bai revealed that she had arranged airline perks and donated vehicles in hopes of finding Jiang Yan Hai, then persuaded him to exchange contact information. After they landed in the capital and went their separate ways, Jiang Yan Hai saw that his ride-hailing driver was arriving in a Bentley and grew suspicious.

• Li Ruo Bai showed Jiang Yan Hai the airline announcement and admitted that she owned shares in airlines and had arranged passenger benefits.
• Li Ruo Bai told Jiang Yan Hai that she had donated vehicles to the provincial department and explained how she had used passenger surveys and reserved first-class seats to find him.
• Jiang Yan Hai gave Li Ruo Bai his phone number and added her on WeChat, where she discovered he had no other contacts.
• Jiang Yan Hai told Li Ruo Bai he was going to see his teacher in the capital, and she offered to take him there after they landed.
• Jiang Yan Hai and Li Ruo Bai chatted during the flight, then took separate exits after landing.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered a ride and saw that the assigned car was a Bentley, which made him suspect something was wrong.

Jiang Yan Hai rode with Li Ruo Bai to visit his former mentors, learning that she had turned her wealthy family’s resources into a playful ride-hailing venture. At Professor Liao’s home, Professor Ren asked about Jiang Yan Hai’s plans to join Northern Armaments and urged him to pursue research instead of serving as a soldier.

• Li Ruo Bai picked Jiang Yan Hai up in her Bentley and explained that she was earning money by driving while studying.
• Jiang Yan Hai and Li Ruo Bai talked during the drive, agreed they were friends, and parted after she brought him to the villa district.
• Jiang Yan Hai registered at the entrance, bought fruit, and went to visit Professor Liao.
• Professor Liao welcomed Jiang Yan Hai, and Professor Ren arrived and teased him for visiting Liao before him.
• Professor Ren asked whether Jiang Yan Hai planned to work in research at Northern Armaments and said he should become a scientist rather than a soldier.

Jiang Yan Hai said goodbye to Professor Ren and Professor Liao, then set off for Baotou with Li Ruo Bai, who had come to drive him. As Li Ruo Bai dozed beside him, Jiang Yan Hai worried that his dangerous military life left him unable to offer her the companionship, safety, or responsibility a relationship required.

• Jiang Yan Hai assured Professor Ren that he continued to study on his own and would not abandon knowledge before leaving Professor Liao's home.
• Jiang Yan Hai checked out of a nearby hotel the next morning and discovered that Li Ruo Bai had come to drive him to Baotou.
• Li Ruo Bai told Jiang Yan Hai not to buy a ticket and reminded him that he had promised to treat her to lunch for no more than three hundred yuan.
• Jiang Yan Hai took over driving, and Li Ruo Bai chatted with him before falling asleep in the passenger seat.
• Jiang Yan Hai reflected that the dangers of his military career kept him from promising Li Ruo Bai a safe, companionable life.