Chapter 48

"Your blood pressure and lipids are both so high. Didn't the doctor tell you to avoid alcohol? Let Zhenguo and Xiaoze drink with them!"

Even in those simple words, there was the care and intimacy of family. Whether it was intentional or deliberate, the people from the Old District could not help feeling a little closer to them.

Zhang Xianyang cut in with a grin. "Grandpa Jiang should listen to Grandma Jiang. Otherwise, when we come again, your healthcare doctor might throw us out."

The rest of the Jiang Family's children also urged their old father not to touch alcohol. After being discouraged from every direction, Old Master Jiang reluctantly set down his wineglass and could only pick up his chopsticks to eat the light dishes before him. Then he looked at the rest of the fragrant dishes with regret and longing.

The contrast was obvious. It was like younger relatives coming over to play, and the doting elders could not bear to make them eat according to their own tastes. So even if they had to suffer through bland vegetables and rice while being tempted half to death, they would still swallow it bite by bite.

There was certainly an element of performance in it, but Zhang Xianyang and the others still felt the old man's thoughtfulness and care. It made everyone feel that, at the very beginning of this matter, they had already made a good start—at least, that was what both sides wanted.

By the end of the meal, Zhang Xianyang and the others had grown much closer to the Jiang Family. Afterward, Old Master Jiang took his healthcare doctor upstairs to the study on the pretext of measuring his physical indicators. Zhang Muyang and the others understood what they saw. This was surely another excuse for Old Master Jiang to contact those above, and they secretly looked forward to it.

Father Jiang, who remained behind to entertain the guests, smiled. "This should be your first time in Yanjing City, right?"

Everyone nodded.

Father Jiang continued with a smile, "There are quite a few interesting places in Yanjing City. Have Xiaoze take you around these next couple of days. It's not often you get to come here."

Zhang Muyang smiled and replied, "Thank you, Uncle."

Father Jiang asked again, "Do you have any other plans for this visit?"

Zhang Muyang and the others exchanged a smile before he said, "We came here for two reasons. First, to promote the television drama. Second, we want to see the response after it airs. If possible, we hope to enter the entertainment industry. Also, there's the security company we promised to establish. Brother Jiang and I have discussed that already, and he said he would report it to the organization."

Father Jiang naturally knew Zhang Muyang was referring to borrowing active special forces soldiers as part-time staff. He immediately said meaningfully, "I've heard about that as well. Apparently, the higher-ups have reacted strongly. The biggest issue is identity. You know that while the country's weapons are powerful, they also face more restrictions. Every move we make represents China's image abroad, so we have to proceed cautiously."

Zhang Muyang smiled faintly and nodded in agreement. "Naturally. People in our line of work may seem unconstrained, but we have our own rules. Open cooperation with the military is obviously impossible, and the mercenaries and security personnel in our company absolutely cannot have any official national affiliation."

In short—

I want the people. You figure out their identities yourselves.

Father Jiang gave a faint, bitter smile. In truth, the military stood to benefit more from this matter. Otherwise, with the Old District Zhang Family's strength and the recruitment conditions based on the Soldier King system as standard equipment, where could they not hire mercenary recruits? Their insistence on secretly tying themselves to the military was merely a gesture of goodwill.

Moreover, the military intended to use this security company as a stepping stone to gauge just how far the Old District's hidden strength had developed.

As the two chatted idly, footsteps came from upstairs. Old Master Jiang, neatly dressed and brimming with energy, came down the stairs and laughed heartily. "Young men, are you interested in taking a look at our military district?"

They were being invited into the inner circle already?

The young men from the Old District looked at one another. In the end, Zhang Muyang nodded with a smile. "Of course we're interested."

Zhang Xianyang had noticed in his previous life that, unlike gangsters who liked gathering in busy downtown areas, military camps in every province and city seemed to prefer hiding in remote mountain ravines the more elite they were. Far from cities, people, and noise; deep in mountains, forests, wildernesses, deserts, and mosquito-infested places. To some extent, it was for secrecy and to make intense training more convenient, but in Zhang Xianyang's view, perhaps it also reflected the country's faint longing for reclusive masters hidden deep in the mountains.

Like dragons lurking in abyssal depths and tigers entering the forest, Chinese people, whose history had been shaped by the doctrine of moderation, had always believed that the more low-key and enduring one was, the more powerful one would become at a critical moment.

Ten years to sharpen a sword—that was the kind of spirit it described.

Of course, those were merely Zhang Xianyang's random thoughts as he watched the scenery rush backward outside the car window. Yet as the sights outside became increasingly familiar, a strange feeling inevitably rose in his heart.

Pretending to be bored, Zhang Xianyang shifted around a little before casually asking, "Which military district are we going to now?"

Jiang Peize, still seated in the front passenger seat, turned back with a smile. "Not a military district. We're going straight to the Dagger Special Forces. Didn't you want to pick part-time candidates? This is a good chance to assess them."

"Dagger Special Forces?" Zhang Xianyang curled his lips in a faintly mocking smile and continued, "Is that where you work?"

"Of course. Our Dagger Special Forces are the strongest in the country." Jiang Peize answered with great pride. Catching the slightly strange expression on Zhang Xianyang's face in the rearview mirror, he suddenly remembered something. His voice lowered slightly as he said, "Well... the Li brothers used to be in this unit too. But after what happened last time, Li Jiangnan left the military. Now only Li Mobei is still in the unit."

"So there are quite a few people in that unit whom we've met before." Zhang Xianyang asked casually, "For example, Colonel Fang, who went to the Old District with you last time—he's in the Dagger Special Forces too, right?"

Jiang Peize nodded. "He's the political commissar of our First Team, but his skills are no worse than those of the official members."

After a pause, he added somewhat hesitantly, "Li Mobei... is the captain of the Second Team."

Zhang Xianyang smiled faintly. Of course he knew Li Mobei was the captain of the Dagger Second Team. In his previous life, Zhang Xianyang had trained his infallible marksmanship in the Dagger Second Team. It could be said that he knew every single person in the Dagger Second Team. Back then, the members of the Dagger Second Team had all played a role in making Zhang Xianyang follow behind the Li brothers with blind devotion. Now that he had been reborn, the young man who had been deceived and betrayed did not hate those soldiers close to Li Mobei, but a fitting bit of revenge was still acceptable.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xianyang asked meaningfully, "Is everyone from the Dagger Second Team here today?"

Not knowing Zhang Xianyang's intentions, Jiang Peize could only scratch his head. "I heard the Li Family returned from the Old District during the first two days after we arrived in Yanjing. Li Mobei went back to the unit to cancel his leave then. As for whether he's out on a mission now, I honestly don't know."

Zhang Xianyang gave a soft snort. "Don't worry. Li Mobei definitely won't be out on a mission at a time like this."

"What are you planning to do?" Jiang Peize blurted out.

"Nothing. I just think that, if there's a chance, it wouldn't be bad to spar with them." Zhang Xianyang spoke in a relaxed, easygoing tone. Wang Zhaoyi, sitting beside him, unusually did not chime in. He merely smiled in perfect coordination, his expression full of ill intent.

Jiang Peize frowned slightly in difficulty. "A standard combat squad has five people. You only have..."

"Though there are only four of us, it's still more than enough to teach them a lesson."

Zhang Xianyang turned to look at the withered grass and trees flashing past outside the window. His reflection faintly appeared in the transparent glass. He could clearly see the hatred and resentment between his brows that could not be concealed.

Having grown up in a gangster family, even someone as innocent as Zhang Xianyang understood that if one's skills were inferior, one could be killed. But that did not mean anyone could use the name of family to deceive him. Zhang Xianyang in his previous life had been foolish and weak. Though he possessed a priceless treasure, he still longed for a family affection that did not belong to him, which was why he fell into the carefully woven trap of others. Even when he learned at the very end of the Li Family's and Kyoto Zhang Family's betrayal, he lacked the courage to deal with relatives who shared his blood. Thus, after suddenly losing everything, Zhang Xianyang could only escape through suicide.

But fate had given him the chance to return to ten years earlier, to the starting point before everything happened. Zhang Xianyang, who had already cast away his bones, marrow, and flesh once, no longer held any expectations for his biological father. Everything he had now had been given to him by the Old District Zhang Family, and all he could do was protect the Zhang Family from harm with every ounce of his strength.

In carrying out that belief, the Li Family and Kyoto Zhang Family, who always appeared with ill intent, became stumbling blocks on the Old District's path toward prosperity. Although the current situation prevented Zhang Xianyang from taking any overly extreme actions that would provoke the Yanjing military's vigilance and rejection, he believed they would not mind if he played a few minor tricks.

And Zhang Xianyang was more than happy to start with Li Mobei's proudest point and slowly shatter all his dignity and pride.

Just as Li Mobei had once done to him. Every last bit of it.

Author's Note: Ten years to sharpen a sword—no matter how dull the sword was, it should have become sharp by now. Especially one tempered by the cruel lessons of flesh torn from bone, life hanging by a thread, and a family destroyed. Trash from the Li Family and Kyoto Zhang Family, bring it on! o(n_n)o~

After tormenting them mentally, we'll torment them physically too~

Thanks to Demeter for throwing a landmine! ╭(╯3╰)╮╭(╯3╰)╮

48

Chapter 48

The car wound through roads surrounded by forests and mountains. After roughly two or three hours, they finally arrived at a place that looked like a privately owned factory from the outside. Having experienced everything before, Zhang Xianyang naturally knew this was the headquarters of the internationally renowned Dagger Special Forces. Yet from his previous life to this one, Zhang Xianyang could not help mocking this rundown place that looked more like an abandoned factory complex.

"Why do spies in American blockbuster movies all work in buildings that obviously look high-tech and luxurious, while our special forces have to huddle in some mountain ravine and eat mosquitoes and flies all day?"

Sitting in the car, Zhang Xianyang looked at the endless desolation outside and could not help sighing.

Even Wang Zhaoyi, who had remained reserved all morning, could not help agreeing. "Exactly. Compared to our training grounds, the conditions here are far worse."

Perhaps Zhang Xianyang and Wang Zhaoyi had been too blunt. Jiang Peize, who was usually calm and self-possessed, awkwardly shifted before explaining, "This allows the soldiers to temper their minds to the greatest extent and strengthen their perseverance."

Besides, the training methods and purposes of spies and special forces were entirely different. They could not be compared together.

"Bullshit." Zhang Xianyang curled his lips disdainfully. "You isolate people in this godforsaken mountain ravine where they can't even see a trace of modern technology. They're filthy with dirt and dust every day. Anyone with asthma would have an attack because of you."

At the end of the day, Zhang Xianyang still harbored deep resentment toward this place, so he picked at every little flaw and did not have a single good word to say.

"How could that be? Physical fitness is the first hurdle during recruitment, and besides..." Jiang Peize laughed helplessly. However, mindful of confidentiality regulations, he did not explain too much. "They're waiting for us. Let's go in first."