At the national security base, three or four senior officers were pacing in circles outside a certain room. Among them were two majors, one lieutenant colonel, and one major general…
“What’s going on? What the hell is going on?” Major General Zhang Wu from the General Staff Department glared with wide eyes at Major Hu Qiang before him, his voice furious. “If something happens to Major Xu Ze… who’s going to take responsibility? The Chairman himself has already called to ask about this…”
“I’m sorry, General…” Major Hu Qiang, the liaison officer from the General Staff, wore a bitter expression as he replied helplessly, “Major Xu Ze collapsed right after finishing treatment for General Zuma. Several professors have already held a consultation and said they didn’t find any other issues—all his vital signs are perfectly normal. It’s just that his brainwave activity is extremely weak. They think he might just be exhausted from overexertion and has fallen into a deep sleep…”
“Overexertion… fallen asleep? But why hasn’t he woken up yet? It’s already been two days… Isn’t there anything else we can do?” Major General Zhang Wu’s face was filled with rage. They were at a critical juncture right now—if Major Xu Ze still didn’t wake up, what were they supposed to do next?
“The professors tried everything they could a few hours ago, but nothing worked. They said there’s no other special method now—we’ll just have to wait for Major Xu Ze to wake up on his own,” Major Hu Qiang said with a helpless shake of his head.
“Wait… we don’t have much time left. General Zuma hasn’t been able to return to his country and appear in public on time, and now the military morale over there is in complete disarray—the situation is already looking grim. Moreover, with U.S. support, the rebel forces have started gaining the upper hand… If he doesn’t wake up and return soon, our country’s losses will be enormous.” The general’s thick dark eyebrows were knitted tightly together, his face a mask of anxiety.
The major from the General Staff gave a slight nod, then looked up at the general with a hint of confusion. “General… the professors said that General Zuma’s brainwave activity has been growing more intense and that he should wake up within a few hours. So it shouldn’t have too much of an impact, right?”
“What good is just waking him up? Because of the toxin damage, even if General Zuma regains consciousness, he probably won’t be clear-headed for a while—and that’s useless. We need Major Xu Ze to figure something out…” The general let out a soft snort, then gave his orders. “You stay here and keep watch. If Major Xu Ze wakes up, have him report to the main hospital immediately.”
Outside, the officers were frantic with worry, while inside the room, energy particles around Xu Ze were surging into his body at an alarmingly rapid pace.
This speed was nearly twice as fast as usual, quickly filling up Xu Ze’s depleted energy reserves. And yet, Xu Ze still hadn’t truly woken up. Ever since he’d fallen into that deep sleep, he had no conscious awareness at all—which was why his EEG showed only faint fluctuations.
Xiao Dao, however, had already regained consciousness and was carefully monitoring Xu Ze’s condition.
No one knew Xu Ze’s body better than he did. It didn’t take him long to figure out what was going on. A look of joyful satisfaction spread across his face, and he nodded without saying another word.
Half an hour later, excited shouts finally rang out from the intensive care unit of the General Military Hospital—General Zuma was awake. But just as the major general had said, although he was conscious, he was still extremely groggy and slow to react.
“How is it? Has Major Xu Ze woken up yet?” Major General Zhang Wu asked Major Hu Qiang over the line from his office at the General Staff Department.
Hearing the question, Major Hu Qiang turned helplessly to glance at Xu Ze, who was lying on the bed beside him as still and quiet as an infant, and let out a soft sigh. “General… Major Xu Ze still hasn’t woken up.”
Just as he was about to continue speaking, he suddenly heard a rustle from beside him. Startled, he turned his head—and there was Xu Ze, already sitting up, yawning and stretching comfortably.
“What? Still not awake? What do we do? What are we supposed to do now?” Major Hu Qiang could hear Major General Zhang Wu’s roar through his earpiece. Snapping out of his stunned surprise, he quickly stammered into the mic: “General… General! Major Xu Ze is awake!”
“By order of General Yang Guanglian of the General Staff Department: In recognition of Comrade Xu Ze’s outstanding performance in this operation, Comrade Xu Ze is hereby awarded the rank of Lieutenant Colonel… and a first-class individual merit citation…” Major General Zhang Wu carefully replaced Xu Ze’s shoulder insignia with the two-star rank of lieutenant colonel, then pinned a military medal on his chest. He straightened Xu Ze’s collar and said solemnly, “I hope Lieutenant Colonel Xu Ze will continue to build on this success and render new service to our country!”
“Lieutenant Colonel… how’s the situation?” Major General Zhang Wu asked anxiously, turning to Xu Ze, who had just finished examining General Zuma.
Sensing the energy reserve marker in his virtual space, which had now shot up to its maximum capacity, Xu Ze smiled lightly and nodded. “No problem. In another twenty-four hours, General Zuma’s mental clarity will be fully restored.”
“Twenty-four hours?” Major General Zhang Wu furrowed his brow and looked at Xu Ze. “Does it have to be exactly twenty-four hours?”
Seeing the gloomy expression on the general’s face, Xu Ze let out a soft sigh. “Yes—twenty-four hours. Even with my treatment, it’ll take that long for him to fully recover his mental faculties.”
Hearing this, Major General Zhang Wu stepped outside and began reporting carefully to General Yang Guanglian.
“Yes… Minister… understood. I’ll explain the importance of this matter and seek Lieutenant Colonel Xu Ze’s opinion…”
After finishing his report, General Zhang Wu came back in and addressed Xu Ze in a grave tone: “Lieutenant Colonel Xu Ze… General Zuma’s safe return to Africa is a matter of vital national interest. General Yang Guanglian hopes you will accept this mission: escort General Zuma back to his country, provide him with medical treatment, and ensure that he fully regains his mental clarity upon arrival so he can take control of the situation.”
“We won’t force you to take this mission, but it’s extremely important, so we hope you’ll agree.”
“Escort General Zuma back to his country?” Xu Ze raised an eyebrow. To be honest, he wasn’t too keen on the idea—flying all the way to Africa, to a country torn by war, wasn’t exactly appealing.
“Yes. If you complete this mission successfully, the Minister said he will specially award you the rank of Senior Colonel.” At this point, even Major General Zhang Wu couldn’t help swallowing hard. When he himself had made it to Senior Colonel, he’d already served in the military for over twenty years before earning those four stars.
And this young man in front of him was only twenty-one or twenty-two, already a lieutenant colonel. If he took this mission, he’d leap two ranks upon his return and become a senior colonel—just one step away from general. And for him, this mission didn’t seem particularly difficult.
Thinking about it, Major General Zhang Wu couldn’t help but let out a sigh of envy. If he had that kind of talent, he might have been promoted another grade too.
“Take this mission, Xu. It’ll be good for you. You’ve got plenty of energy now, and it’s not especially dangerous for you. Going there will give you valuable experience and help you grow a lot,” Xiao Dao suddenly spoke up in Xu Ze’s mind just as he was hesitating.
After hearing Xiao Dao’s analysis, Xu Ze had to agree. For the sake of national interest, he really ought to go. And on top of that, he’d get promoted to senior colonel—which was a huge win.
Senior colonel—not the highest rank, but certainly not low. Most military personnel spend their entire careers and never reach that position—it’s one in ten thousand. If he could complete this mission and jump two ranks, he’d gain serious recognition and support from the entire military establishment. He’d finally carry some real weight in the General Staff Department, instead of just being a figurehead. It was definitely worth it.
So after a brief moment of consideration, Xu Ze nodded. “Alright, General. I’ll take this mission. I guarantee I’ll escort General Zuma back to his country safe and sound.”
“Good. Since you’ve agreed, I’ll report back to the Minister right away and start preparing for this operation. We’re looking at departing in about two hours…” Major General Zhang Wu looked at Xu Ze with a gratified expression. “Thank you for your service to our country. The Chairman, the Minister, and the people will remember what you’ve done today.”
Back in the office of the Minister of the General Staff Department, Old Man Li was furiously pointing at General Yang Guanglian’s nose and shouting: “You little Yang brat—you’re sending my precious godson off to a place where bullets are flying everywhere! If anything happens to him, how are you going to answer to me and Old Tang?”
“Uncle Li… I had no choice. He’s the only one who can get General Zuma back to his country and have him appear before his troops within twenty-four hours. If we delay even one more day, the situation there could spiral out of control…” General Yang Guanglian looked just as helpless, carefully explaining to Old Man Li: “You know as well as I do—the U.S. has already started interfering covertly. If we don’t get things under control soon, we’ll definitely lose this round.”
“Hmph… you think I’m an old fool who doesn’t understand the situation?” Old Man Li snorted, his face also filled with resignation. He sighed: “I just really didn’t want him to go there. The risks on this mission aren’t small—one wrong move and it’s… ah…”
“Uncle Li, I know. But this time I’m dispatching an elite Wolf Fang squad to protect him and General Zuma. And right now, the overall situation there is still mostly under the government’s control—as long as nothing goes wrong along the way, it should be manageable,” General Yang Guanglian said in a low, steady voice.
Old Man Li gave a slight nod, his expression turning serious. “For the sake of the country, we’ll have to let this boy take that risk. If it were just for that black fellow’s safety, I’d never agree to it.”
“Don’t worry, Uncle Li—I’ll make sure we have people protecting Xu Ze’s safety,” General Yang Guanglian replied firmly.
