Although Major General Lin Beijia had already heard about this young senior colonel’s exploits, he still found it rather hard to believe. A man who had never received rigorous military training—even if he was some kind of reclusive cultivator—there was simply no way he could take down two fighter jets with a Barrett sniper rifle…
Back when he was still in the special forces, Lin Beijia had used Barretts quite a bit. He’d even shot at helicopters before—as long as you picked the right ammunition, hitting a helicopter was doable. But shooting down fighter jets? That, he truly did not believe…
However, the battle report certainly couldn’t be fabricated. So when he learned that this senior colonel would be coming to his Special Operations Division as deputy director, he was genuinely surprised. He’d even pulled up the colonel’s personnel file to take a look. Seeing that incredibly youthful photo in the file, along with the birth date listed there, he really couldn’t help but feel skeptical.
Toward this young deputy director, Major General Lin Beijia also harbored a bit of reserve. He had a somewhat close connection to the Zhang family in Yanjing, while Xu Ze was considered part of the Li faction. A couple of days earlier, General Zhang Yanzheng—the legitimate heir of the Zhang family—had specifically called him upon learning that Xu Ze would be taking up the post of deputy director of the Special Operations Division, and had spoken with him at length about it.
Zhang Yanzheng had expressed considerable displeasure regarding Xu Ze at the time, though he hadn’t been explicit. He merely instructed Lin Beijia to keep a close eye on this Xu Ze. Lin Beijia naturally agreed, and didn’t press further on what exactly was going on.
In any case, he was well aware that the Zhang family and the Li family’s patriarchs had never seen eye to eye back in the day, and the relationship between the two families was hardly cordial nowadays.
So today, upon formally meeting Xu Ze, he couldn’t help but observe him with particular attention…
His first impression was that this senior colonel was no simple character. Despite his youth, he displayed none of the arrogance or self-importance that often accompanied it—he came across as remarkably humble. For someone his age to carry himself with such composure, neither obsequious nor haughty, while maintaining a steady and dependable demeanor—truly, it was no small feat.
Major General Lin strode ahead, all the while discreetly monitoring Xu Ze behind him. He noted the man’s steady footfalls—relaxed yet unhurried, yet keeping pace without the slightest lag. He nodded inwardly, acknowledging that Xu Ze was indeed a master… and likely one who was at least his equal in skill.
Xu Ze, for his part, was well aware that Major General Lin Beijia was sizing him up at that moment. But he said nothing—there would be plenty of opportunities to interact in the future, and he could take his time getting to know the man.
Soon enough, the two arrived at the Special Operations Division. Xu Ze began to take in the environment where he would likely be spending quite some time…
The division wasn’t particularly large, but as Xu Ze looked around, he could see at least a dozen or so offices. Major General Lin Beijia led him into one of the larger ones—the Special Training Section.
The Special Training Section was bustling, with at least a dozen or so commissioned officers inside. Upon seeing Lin Beijia enter, they all snapped to attention and saluted, calling out, “General…”
Lin Beijia returned the salute, then continued leading Xu Ze toward a small office further inside. At that moment, a colonel stepped out from within, and upon spotting Lin Beijia, promptly saluted as well. “General…”
After returning the salute, Lin Beijia smiled and turned to Xu Ze. “Senior Colonel Xu, this is Zhang Zuo, chief of the Special Training Section. He’ll be reporting directly to you from now on.”
Upon hearing Lin Beijia’s words, the colonel realized that this young man—still wearing the insignia of a lieutenant colonel—was actually his direct superior, the deputy director in charge of the Special Training Section. He promptly raised his hand in salute. “Senior Colonel, sir!”
Xu Ze took in the man before him—around forty years old, with dark, weathered skin and fierce, sharp eyes. He knew at once that this subordinate of his was no ordinary soldier. But then again, anyone who could become chief of the Special Training Section would naturally be among the elite of the special forces—otherwise, they wouldn’t be qualified to train others.
Returning the salute with solemnity, Xu Ze shook hands with Zhang Zuo and smiled. “Chief Zhang… I’m new here. I hope you’ll give me your full support going forward.”
“Rest assured, Senior Colonel. I’ve long heard of your remarkable exploits and have always admired you greatly. I look forward to your guidance,” Zhang Zuo replied, his tone notably courteous and deferential. Though he showed no disrespect toward the young Xu Ze, neither did he display excessive warmth.
Xu Ze was more than satisfied with Zhang Zuo’s attitude. After all, the people in this training section—aside from a few administrative officers—had practically all come through the baptism of gunfire and battle. They were the untamed sort, and without genuine ability, it would be difficult to earn their respect.
Given his age and the fact that he was now their superior, Xu Ze knew that without the reputation he’d earned from the Lima operation, Zhang Zuo would never have been so deferential. But as for what the man really thought deep down—that remained an open question.
Not that Xu Ze was worried. If it were anything else, he might not be so confident. But when it came to his own capabilities and his knowledge of special training methods, he was entirely self-assured. This confidence came not just from faith in his own abilities, but also from his mastery of training techniques.
After all, when Bond had trained him, he’d used the most rigorous methods possible to forge Xu Ze into what he was in such a short time. Xu Ze was intimately familiar with all those training drills.
Major General Lin Beijia gave Xu Ze a brief tour of the entire Special Operations Division, then led him to the deputy director’s office.
Xu Ze’s office was quite spacious, and inside, a female officer was busily organizing some of the office’s belongings.
Lin Beijia smiled and introduced her. “Xu Ze, this is Lieutenant Colonel Yang Jie, deputy chief of the Special Training Section. She’s quite familiar with the section’s operations. After the previous deputy director stepped down, she’s been helping me organize the relevant materials. Since you’ve just arrived, Lieutenant Colonel Yang will brief you on the scope of your responsibilities. If there’s anything you’re unclear about, just ask her.”
After introducing the two, Lin Beijia smiled and said, “Alright, Xu Ze, take some time to get oriented. Make sure to rest well at noon—you have an award ceremony to attend this afternoon.” With that, he took his leave.
Lieutenant Colonel Yang Jie was about thirty years old, with a dashing and spirited air about her. Ever since Xu Ze had walked in, she’d been quietly observing him. Now that Lin Beijia was gone, she broke into a smile. “Senior Colonel Xu, welcome. Let me give you a general rundown of the division…”
Xu Ze sat down at his desk and listened as Yang Jie systematically introduced the structure of the entire operations division and the daily duties of his deputy director role. By the time she finished, he had a thorough understanding of his job and knew where he stood. As it turned out, his duties weren’t overly demanding—the Special Training Section would handle most routine matters. Unless there was a special combat mission or particularly unique training exercises, he wouldn’t need to get directly involved. For the most part, he simply needed to delegate tasks.
After tidying up a few things and reviewing some basic documents, it was noon. Lieutenant Colonel Yang Jie came to escort him to the cafeteria for lunch. Afterward, Xu Ze took a short rest, preparing for the afternoon’s award ceremony.
This ceremony was solely for him, so he was understandably nervous. After all, the one pinning the rank on him today would be the Chairman himself—the foremost figure in the entire nation.
The ceremony was held in the main conference hall of the General Staff Headquarters. Although it was just a senior colonel’s promotion, the Chairman’s personal attendance meant that most of the General Staff’s senior officers were present.
When Xu Ze heard Chief of Staff Yang Guanglian, a full general, call his name and signal him to step forward, his heart was pounding. But once he stood on the stage, facing row upon row of generals staring at him, he suddenly found his composure again. He thought to himself with quiet pride: Which senior colonel ever had a promotion ceremony this grand? There must be at least a dozen generals in the audience…
The Chairman looked just as amiable as he always did on television—gentle and warm. Even Xu Ze, in his nervous state, caught a faint glint of a smile in his eyes. Seeing that smile, Xu Ze relaxed a little more. He stood tall, chest out, as the Chairman pinned the senior colonel’s insignia onto his shoulder, then added two First-Class Merit Medals. After rendering a solemn salute, Xu Ze heard the Chairman say with a smile, “Young man, well done. Keep working hard… I hope I’ll have the chance to pin a general’s star on you before long.”
“Yes, sir! I will remain humble and continue striving!” Hearing such encouragement, Xu Ze’s heart—which had just begun to settle—surged with emotion again. He held his breath and answered with fierce determination.
Watching Xu Ze on stage, many of the generals below wore expressions of envy. Though they were now major generals or lieutenant generals, they looked at this kid—barely twenty-two years old—already wearing senior colonel’s insignia, only one or two ranks below them. By the time he reached their age, there was no telling where he’d end up…
Finally, when the ceremony ended and Xu Ze stepped down from the stage, he realized that he had, in fact, been tense all along—the shirt on his back was soaked through with sweat.
But looking at the two bars and four stars on his shoulders, Xu Ze’s face split into a grin. Well, there we go—finally got the senior colonel’s badge on.
That evening, he had dinner with the old man, then got back in his car and drove straight to the National Security Bureau. The old man simply couldn’t figure out what was so appealing about that godforsaken place out in the boonies…
For the first time, Captain Li saw Xu Ze in full military uniform. He looked him up and down, then grinned. “Instructor Xu, not bad at all. I’ve never seen you in uniform before—suits you well. Very sharp.”
He reached out to pat Xu Ze on the shoulder, but just as his hand was about to make contact, he froze, staring dumbfounded at Xu Ze’s shoulder insignia…
“Four stars?” Captain Li muttered, dazed. It took him a long moment to snap out of it. He looked up at Xu Ze in utter shock. “You’re a senior colonel? You’re kidding me, right?”
“Yep… senior colonel. Got it pinned on today,” Xu Ze said with a hearty laugh, clearly delighted. “What, jealous?”
Captain Li stared at this kid, completely unable to fathom it. Finally, he slapped his hands together and said, “Enough talk—let’s go get a drink!”
