Chen Ting

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Chen Ting (陈霆)
Alias(es)	Squad Leader Chen Ting; Old Squad Leader
Gender	Male
Affiliation	First Squad; First Company; Special Operations Brigade
Occupation/Role	Squad Leader; former Special Operations Brigade assault specialist; new-recruit instructor
Rank	Fourth-Grade Sergeant Major, prior to retirement 271
Status	Retired from military service after sixteen years 271 272
First Appearance	Chapter 15

Background / History

Chen Ting enlisted at seventeen and devoted sixteen years to military service. During that time, he served in the Special Operations Brigade and became one of its leading assault specialists. Even in his sixteenth year of service, he could perform twenty consecutive muscle-ups before completing pull-up exercises one through eight. 33 41 271

Before enlisting, Chen Ting was close to a childhood sweetheart from his village. Although both families expected them to become a couple, he chose not to confess before leaving for the army because he did not want her to wait for him. She later attended university in another city, and they never met again. 164

By the time he is assigned to the New Recruit Company for a three-month training mission, Chen Ting is a veteran squad leader responsible for First Squad. He has a wife and three children—two daughters and a son—and regularly video-calls his family from barracks. 16 112 183

Personality

Chen Ting is stern, practical, and demanding, but his strictness is rooted in responsibility rather than favoritism. He assigns training according to each recruit's weaknesses, expects discipline in combat, and conducts reviews after missions to identify errors and prevent repeats. 47 147

He remains calm in violent situations. During a bank robbery, surveillance footage shows him infiltrating, engaging armed criminals, and firing with an almost expressionless demeanor; a veteran SWAT captain remarks that his skills would be frightening in anyone other than a soldier. 76

Despite his outward severity, Chen Ting is deeply family-oriented and attentive to his soldiers' futures. He retires because he wants to spend time with his children and because he recognizes that his body can no longer sustain continued service. 220 He also saves nearly all of his income for his family, keeping only five hundred yuan for himself each payday. 271

Abilities & Skills

Special Operations Combat

A former top assault specialist, Chen Ting combines physical conditioning, close-quarters technique, and combat experience.

• Performed twenty consecutive muscle-ups, followed by pull-up exercises one through eight, despite being in his sixteenth year of service. 33
• Defeated Li Wa in a sparring match through speed, positioning, and precise strikes rather than brute force; he slipped inside Li Wa's hook, landed a left jab and right hook to the chin, then evaded an elbow counterattack. 121
• In a bank robbery, killed one gunman with an elbow strike, used a seized weapon against two others, and forced the remaining gunman to flee. 76
• Retained enough close-quarters ability that he considered Lü Qinglong capable of holding a sentry post alone based on his combat effectiveness. 140

Firearms and CQB Instruction

Chen Ting is an experienced firearms instructor who teaches both shooting mechanics and the tactical context behind them.

• Demonstrates and corrects standing shooting stances, weapon handling, aiming focus, and buttstock placement. 41
• Teaches the C-Grip for close-quarters battle when a wall is available on the shooter's left. 41
• Emphasizes that the C-Grip obstructs the lower-left field of view and is unsuitable for open jungle or woodland terrain. 41
• Teaches combat awareness, enemy reconnaissance, troop deployment, and asymmetric warfare—using one's strengths against an opponent's weaknesses. 41
• Instructs recruits in bayonet use and basic cold-weapon drills, including circling, poking, smashing, and lifting with iron rods. 106 127

Training and Mentorship

Chen Ting develops individualized programs rather than forcing every soldier into the same routine.

• Assigned Ji Baichang and Xue Daochao horse-stance practice until they could hold it for an hour without shaking. 47
• Assigned Lü Qinglong silent figure-eight walking through leaf-covered trees before advancing him to the next subject. 47
• Promised to teach Lü Qinglong everything he knew before leaving service, recognizing the recruit's exceptional combat potential. 42
• Compressed roughly a year's worth of Special Forces subjects into two months for First Squad, including reconnaissance, sabotage and raids, commander escort, hostage rescue, and targeted elimination. 164
• Added two hours of sniper-rifle practice daily after Ji Baichang expressed interest in becoming a sniper. 254

Tactical Command

Chen Ting prioritizes discipline, terrain awareness, and minimizing casualties.

• Stopped Ding Wei and Wang Yuan from pursuing fleeing enemies after a successful counter-ambush, judging further pursuit too risky. 219
• Ordered First Squad out of an air-raid shelter during a SEAL Team Six assault because the enemy likely knew the shelter's location and could trap them there. 238
• Used Lü Qinglong's Ceramic Steel Armor as part of First Squad's defensive planning against a suspected sniper ambush. 205
• Requires his squad to conduct post-mission reviews, treating the identification of shortcomings and improvements as a standing unit tradition. 147

Equipment

• Sergeant Card — Used to establish his military identity to police after intervening in a bank robbery. 75

Relationships

• Lü Qinglong — His principal trainee and mentee. Chen Ting provides him with private firearms, combat, and battlefield training; later supports his request for a halberd and counsels him about his future. 41 106 129
• Ji Baichang — A recruit Chen repeatedly corrects and guides. Chen Ting gives him extra sniper training, discusses his career ambitions, and helps arrange his path toward Military Academy. 221 254 264
• Xue Daochao — A trusted recruit whose divination Chen Ting initially tests out of curiosity. Chen later seeks Xue Daochao's help with his daughter's medical issue and accepts his concern for the family. 16 129 267
• Ding Wei — Deputy Squad Leader and Chen Ting's intended successor. Before retirement, Chen Ting entrusts First Squad's affairs to Ding Wei and expresses confidence in his leadership. 192 264
• Li Wa — A recruit Chen Ting disciplines through a decisive sparring match, then personally prepares for future service as a non-commissioned officer. 121 264
• Chen Tianjian — Company Commander. Chen Tianjian respects Chen Ting's experience, supports his squad's operations, and unsuccessfully tries to persuade him to remain in service. 220
• Wang Yuan — A fellow veteran with shared Special Operations Brigade history who openly admires Chen Ting's physical and combat ability. 33 121
• Wang Chen — A Dragon Flame instructor whom Chen Ting respects for his battlefield-oriented teaching and extraordinary combat experience. 256
• Wife and children — Chen Ting has an unnamed wife, two daughters, and a youngest son named Xiao Yu. His wish to care for them is a decisive reason for retirement. 16 183 220
• Unnamed childhood sweetheart — His first major regret; he never confessed before joining the army and later advises Lü Qinglong not to repeat that mistake. 164

Story Role / Major Arcs

New Recruit Company

Chen Ting receives the new recruits into First Squad and immediately establishes himself as both an exacting leader and an unusually accommodating one. He permits Lü Qinglong to store more than two hundred kilograms of barbell plates under his bed, then begins assessing each recruit's strengths and weaknesses. 16 47

He trains Lü Qinglong privately in firearms, CQB, combat awareness, and warfare theory, while creating separate foundational programs for Ji Baichang and Xue Daochao. 41 47

Bank Robbery Incident

While undercover, Chen Ting enters a bank robbery to protect the hostages. He kills one gunman, incapacitates two others, and drives off the final attacker before revealing his identity to the arriving police with his Sergeant Card. 75 76

Special Operations Brigade and Western Border Training

After bringing his recruits into the Special Operations Brigade, Chen Ting expands their instruction to bayonets, cold weapons, special reconnaissance, raids, hostage rescue, and targeted elimination. 106 127 164

He helps Lü Qinglong obtain an appropriate halberd, organizes specialized training space for him, and ensures the squad is prepared for high-altitude border duty. 106 127 137

Peacekeeping Operations

During peacekeeping operations, Chen Ting commands First Squad through ambushes and enemy encounters. He uses Lü Qinglong's rocket launcher and later his six-barreled anti-aircraft cannon to break enemy positions, while keeping the squad focused on battlefield cleanup, prisoner capture, and casualty prevention. 205 219

When confronting SEAL Team Six, Chen Ting recognizes the danger of remaining in predictable defensive positions and directs the squad into mobile defense while protecting Hezbollah leader Hassan. 233 238

Retirement

Chen Ting plans the futures of all four recruits before leaving service: Lü Qinglong, Xue Daochao, and Ji Baichang are directed toward Military Academy, while Li Wa is prepared for early promotion to non-commissioned officer. 264

In his final week, he continues training harder than younger soldiers and stands the last watch of his military career. Before departing, he entrusts First Squad to Ding Wei and tells the younger recruits that “the future sky belongs” to them. 271 272

Notable Quotes

“Everything you do is for the purpose of winning!” 41

“If there's anything you want to do, you should do it immediately and don't leave yourself with regrets.” 164

“I’ve protected everyone for so many years, and now I want to go back and protect my own small family.” 220

“The sky ahead is vast; fly freely.” 272