Chen Lin tapped the answer button, switched on speakerphone, and tossed his phone onto the rosewood desk.
"Mr. Chen."
General Zhao's slightly hoarse voice came through the phone, unable to conceal his excitement. Amid the background noise, Chen Lin could faintly hear rapid keyboard clatter and hurried footsteps. Clearly, the general was in some high-level command center.
"Get to the point." Chen Lin leaned back in his chair, his gaze settling on the rolling clouds outside the window.
General Zhao wasted no time. "The higher-ups asked me to thank you for what happened in the East China Sea and Tokyo. Your intervention has secured at least fifty years of peaceful development for Huaxia."
"Spare me the pleasantries." Chen Lin tapped his fingertips against the desk, producing a crisp series of clicks. "You didn't call just to claim credit, did you?"
There were two seconds of silence on the other end.
"Nothing gets past you, Mr. Chen." General Zhao's tone turned solemn. "The Grand Elder personally issued instructions. In light of the drastic changes in the global situation, and the... extraordinary power you demonstrated, the higher-ups have decided to officially upgrade the Primordial Mist team into an independently organized Primordial Mist Special Operations Brigade."
"How many personnel?" Chen Lin asked.
"The provisional number is one hundred." A hint of nervousness crept into General Zhao's voice. "A military-wide skills competition has already begun in secret. We'll select the very best elite soldiers from the three major fleets, the five Theater Commands, the Rocket Force, and the Strategic Support Force."
"And?"
"And the higher-ups would like your opinion." General Zhao took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "The state will provide resources, equipment, and logistical support for these hundred men. But they need someone to guide them. The higher-ups sincerely ask that