One kilometer away, Rabbit Outpost.
It was just as cold here, but clean and orderly.
The soldier on duty stood straight in the sentry box, remaining vigilant even in the dead of night.
Yet the atmosphere inside the outpost was somewhat oppressive.
The four young soldiers all looked barely over twenty.
They surrounded their squad leader, a resolute-looking man in his thirties, their faces filled with indignation and anger.
"Squad Leader! Today, I really..."
A baby-faced young soldier clenched his fists tightly.
His eyes reddened. "Did you hear what that White Elephant bastard said? He insulted our female soldiers!
He insulted our sisters! I..."
"Zhao Xiaohu, calm down." Squad Leader Li's voice was low as he sat on an ammunition crate.
He slowly wiped his gun with a cloth. "I heard him."
"Then why did you stop me?!" Another tall soldier raised his voice.
"I had my rifle up already! If you'd given the order, I guarantee I'd have put a bullet through that bastard!"
"And then?" Squad Leader Li raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the four young faces.
"You shoot him, and then what?"
"Then... at worst, we fight a war!" Zhao Xiaohu gritted his teeth.
"Are we afraid of them? We knocked them flat decades ago, and we can do it again now!"
Squad Leader Li set down his gun and stood.
He walked to the observation window and stared at the lights of the outpost across from them in silence for several seconds.
"You think I don't want to make a move?" His voice was soft, but every word carried weight.
"I want it more than you do. Eight years ago, my old squad leader was on this very line.
A White Elephant sniper hit his femoral artery. They couldn't save him.
Back then, I was more impulsive than you. I wanted revenge. I wanted to charge over there immediately."
He turned and looked at the soldiers. "But our superiors ordered us to exercise restraint.
Why? Because this isn't the same as it was decades ago.
Back then, we had nothing to lose. If we fought, we fought.
But now? Our country is at a critical stage, and Bald Eagle is in the South China Sea.
They're encircling us on every front—technology wars, trade wars, diplomatic wars. We're competing with them everywhere."
He walked to the map on the wall and tapped it with a finger.
"Why does White Elephant dare stir things up here on the western front?
Because they know our main focus isn't on them.
They're here to cause trouble, to tie us down, to distract us.
If we fire the first shot here, even if we only kill one provoking soldier,
how will the international news report it the next day? There'll be mountains of footage.
China fires first at the border, creating tensions.
Those Western media outlets will call white black.
The peaceful image we've built over decades will be damaged, and we'll be put on the defensive diplomatically."
"But Squad Leader, they keep provoking us, and we just keep enduring it?"
The tall soldier's tone softened, but his unwillingness remained.
"Enduring doesn't mean being afraid." Squad Leader Li's eyes sharpened.
"It means strategic resolve. We will strike back, but we must do it in a way they can't speak of.
If we strike, we strike hard enough to make them hurt, hard enough to make them afraid.
Hard enough that they'll never dare extend their claws again, while not daring to cry about it internationally.
Because even if they do, no one will believe them—or it won't matter if they do."
He patted Zhao Xiaohu on the shoulder. "I know it feels suffocating.
I feel it more than any of you. But we're soldiers. Obeying orders is our duty.
Trust the country. Trust our superiors—they see farther and more clearly than we do. When it's time to act, they will never show mercy."
The young soldiers fell silent. They understood the reasoning, but the fire in their chests still burned painfully.
Just then—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Someone knocked on the outpost's iron gate, the rhythm steady and the force measured.
Everyone froze.
Squad Leader Li checked his watch. "The patrol shouldn't be back to relieve us for another hour."
"Who is it?" he asked warily, his hand already resting on his holster.
"Squad Leader Li, please open the door." A low, steady male voice spoke from outside—in Chinese.
Squad Leader Li signaled for the soldiers to stay alert, then walked to the door and looked through the peephole.
Twenty people stood outside.
They all wore dark gray mountain combat uniforms with no insignias, ranks, or even national flags.
Their equipment was unusual. Instead of standard-issue rifles, they carried composite-material crossbows and short blades.
Compact field packs were slung over their backs, and every face was smeared with camouflage paint.
At the front stood a man around thirty, straight as a pine.
Even through the door, Squad Leader Li could sense the... unusual aura around him.
Squad Leader Li's pupils contracted slightly. The attire and bearing of these people were absolutely not those of ordinary troops.
He took a deep breath and opened the door, letting the frigid wind pour in.
Wang Qiang raised a hand and gave Squad Leader Li a standard military salute.
His movement was clean and crisp.
"Squad Leader Li, I'm Wang Qiang, commander of Thunder Squad."
"By order of the Supreme Command, we have come to carry out a special border-clearing operation. Here are the orders."
He handed over a sealed electronic tablet.
Squad Leader Li took it. The fingerprint verification passed, and the screen lit up.
It displayed an encrypted order and a bright red seal.
He skimmed through it, and his heart jolted.
"Thunder... Squad?" Squad Leader Li looked up.
His gaze swept over the nineteen soldiers behind Wang Qiang, who stood like statues.
They were nearly one with the night itself, their breathing almost inaudible.
"Yes."
"The objective of this operation is to eliminate all White Elephant personnel and forward outposts that have crossed the line and provoked us within sectors S17 through S23.
Carry out the elimination with zero gunshots and zero evidence."
Squad Leader Li understood immediately.
The frustration and fury he had suppressed for days transformed into wild delight and excitement.
"Wonderful!" He nearly shouted, then forcibly lowered his voice.
"The country has finally acted! Captain Wang, you have no idea how stifled we've been lately..."
Wang Qiang's expression did not change. He merely nodded slightly.
"You've worked hard. Please provide the latest enemy deployment map and indicate the best concealed route to approach them."
"Yes! We have everything!" Squad Leader Li immediately turned around.
"Xiaohu! Bring the thermal surveillance records and the sentry deployment map!"
Zhao Xiaohu and the other soldiers snapped out of their daze as well.
They looked at the Thunder Squad members outside, their eyes lighting up.
They didn't know what unit this was, but one look told them it was special forces!
The map and documents were quickly spread across the table.
Wang Qiang and two of his deputies examined them swiftly, their fingers sliding across the map as they exchanged quiet words.
"This outpost received five additional men this afternoon."
"The patrol route hasn't changed, but its frequency has decreased. It should be because of the weather."
"The main outpost has a diesel generator and heat signatures, but the observation posts on either side are independent and heated."
Wang Qiang nodded and turned to Squad Leader Li. "We need to use your Observation Point Three.
We'll descend from the cliff behind it and bypass the minefield at the front."
"No problem! There's no one at that observation point right now. The key is here!"
Squad Leader Li immediately handed him the key. Wang Qiang took it and checked his watch.
"Operation time: 02:30 to 04:00 tonight.
Maintain normal duty status. Do not make any unusual moves."
"Understood!" Squad Leader Li came to attention, but after hesitating, he still spoke.
"Captain Wang, I have a request..." Wang Qiang looked at him.
"Can we... come along?"
Squad Leader Li's voice carried restrained excitement.
"We won't participate in the operation! We'll only observe from a distance! We guarantee we won't interfere with you or expose you!
We just want... we just want to see those bastards get what's coming to them with our own eyes!"
The young soldiers behind him looked on eagerly as well, their eyes full of longing.
Wang Qiang was silent for two seconds. Then a squad member behind him spoke quietly.
"Captain, it complies with procedure. Observers will help with the follow-up report."
"Fine."
Wang Qiang nodded. "But you may only bring one person. Remain concealed at the designated observation point.
Maintain radio silence throughout, and do not carry any equipment that could reflect light."
"Understood! Understood!" Squad Leader Li nodded vigorously, then looked at Zhao Xiaohu.
"Xiaohu, you're coming with me. The rest of you, guard the outpost and keep everything normal!"
"Yes!"
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