Strongest Soldier King

Three days later, at a secret military base, within a brightly lit office, a burly and capable senior colonel was attentively flipping through a document. With resolute facial features—arched brows and piercing eyes—his stern gaze rested on the papers, his face etched with deep contemplation. Paired with his high, prominent nose bridge, he exuded an imposing aura of heroism. The rustling sound of pages turning occasionally broke the silence.

"Knock knock knock!" Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," the senior colonel commanded calmly, without taking his eyes off the document.

The door opened, and in walked a female officer with a spirited bearing. She was a major, her brows tightly furrowed and her face as cold as frost, giving off a sense of unapproachable distance. With several brisk strides, she approached the senior colonel, saluted, and then said, "Squad leader, there's an issue I need to report to you."

"Eh? Is that you, Lan Xue? What's the matter?" The senior colonel looked up slightly, surprised to see Lan Xue. Given the late hour of her visit, it must be an urgent matter. He sat up straighter and absentmindedly closed the file.

Anxiety and concern briefly flickered across Lan Xue's icy face as she said coldly, "This is a photocopy of the report from the Northwest Group Army competition team. I've examined it carefully..."

"Hold on," the senior colonel interrupted, raising his hand in surprise. He looked at Lan Xue thoughtfully and said, "The competition is directly overseen by the Military Committee; it has nothing to do with us. Since you've come to me, there must be a reason. Get to the point."

"Yes," Lan Xue replied, bringing her feet together and speaking earnestly, "Sir, the competition team encountered mercenaries."

"It's normal for the East Yi Yun Members to hire mercenaries for a counterstrike. No need to beat around the bush," the senior colonel said, dissatisfied.

"It's our old adversary, the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group," Lan Xue stated coldly, a glimmer of rage flashing in her icy eyes, possibly recalling something.

"What, are you sure?" The major stood up abruptly, speaking seriously.

"I personally confirmed it with the competition team. There's no mistake. Close combat took place, and they also saw identification on corpses. There's no mistake," Lan Xue said solemnly.

"Is it the team that withdrew from the competition?" the senior colonel asked, surprised and questioning. Upon seeing Lan Xue's affirmative nod, the senior colonel, who knew Lan Xue well, grew serious. He pondered for a moment and then inquired, "What are you trying to say?"

"Two things. First, why were they hired? Second, why did they specifically target the Northwest Group Army's competition team? According to the team members' descriptions, they encountered East Yi Yun Members shortly after parachuting and then encountered members of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group the very next day," Lan Xue asserted resolutely, her beautiful eyes focused as she spoke coldly.

"Hiring might not exclude money, and the attack might not rule out coincidence. What are you suggesting?" the senior colonel asked gravely, pressing for an answer, his complexion turning somewhat unnatural.

Lan Xue didn't reply, but her expression grew colder. Thinking of Luo Zheng still unconscious, her eyes hardened, and a suffocating aura of murderous intent erupted, chilling the surrounding air significantly. Under the senior colonel's surprised and questioning gaze, she said coldly, "Don't forget, he is a target of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group."

The colonel certainly knew who the "he" Lan Xue referred to was, and after pondering for a moment, something came to mind, turning his face an iron blue. He said sternly, "You mean someone in Gaomi?" His deep eyes burst forth with a terrifying sharpness, staring tightly at Lan Xue, not missing any expression.

This was a grave matter, and without sufficient evidence, Lan Xue naturally could not accuse anyone solely based on guesswork. Yet the doubt in her heart was hard to dispel. She looked at the major coldly without answering, her brows furrowed deeply, a murderous intent in her eyes. Luo Zheng's injury had enraged Lan Xue to the extreme, her heart ached as if twisted by a knife, and her fists clenched involuntarily.

Seeing that Lan Xue did not seem to be making baseless accusations, the colonel's face grew colder. He cautioned seriously, "Hmm, this concerns our old adversary, the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, and we cannot overlook it. Leave the information with me, follow up diligently, and report to me immediately if there is any news, but do not act publicly, nor chase shadows blindly. Don't forget our mission and honor."

"Yes, I will not bring disgrace to the squadron, nor tarnish it," Lan Xue said coldly, saluted, and then turned and left.

Having left the office, Lan Xue returned to her dormitory, pulled out her personal phone, and dialed a number. After the call connected, an annoyingly sweet voice came from the other end, "Ice beauty, are you calling so late because you miss your pure and lovely little sister? If I get dark circles tomorrow, I'll leak your nude photos for the whole world to enjoy for free. Guess what would happen? Surely plenty of men would lose sleep." It was indeed Lan Xue's sister, Lan Xing.

"Help me check something out," Lan Xue said, already immune to her quirky sister's antics and not taking the bait, getting straight to the point. She knew very well that although her sister was prone to gossip and lacked tact, she was very principled in her actions and would never mess around.

"What's in it for me? How about, you let me borrow your prince charming for a couple of days?" Lan Xing teased.

"Sure, you can use him for the next two days, as you please," Lan Xue replied, thinking of the still-unconscious Luo Zheng, her heart twisted in agony, and her anger at the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group flared even hotter.

"Huh? What's going on?" Lan Xing had never heard Lan Xue speak like this, and she was stunned, asking in surprise.

"I suspect someone leaked his participation details to the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group. Check it out for me and inform me the moment you get news," Lan Xue said coldly.

"Huh? Is he in trouble?" Lan Xing immediately realized the gravity and asked worriedly.

Lan Xue was silent for a while and did not elaborate. On the other end of the phone, Lan Xing persisted anxiously, "Any leads or suspects? It's very time-consuming to search without a clue. Who dared to bully my future brother-in-law? I won't let it go easily. Sister, tell me."

"If I knew, would I ask you?" Lan Xue replied discontentedly. Lan Xing's reference to a "future brother-in-law" brought a touch of warmth to Lan Xue's icy face, and her towering rage subsided slightly. Thinking of the unconscious Luo Zheng, Lan Xue silently swore to herself that no matter who it was, no matter where the Wild Wolf mercenaries were hiding, she would have her revenge.

"Huh?" Lan Xing said with a touch of frustration, "Okay then, I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Sister, there's nothing serious with my future brother-in-law, right?"

"Try the Song family," Lan Xue uttered coldly before hanging up the phone. With Lan Xing's capabilities and intelligence, some things did not need to be spelled out. Changing into civilian clothes, Lan Xue hurriedly left the dormitory. Outside on the lawn, a helicopter was waiting. The pilot, seeing Lan Xue approach, did not ask any questions, immediately started the aircraft, and took off as soon as Lan Xue boarded, roaring into the black night sky.

Aboard the helicopter, Lan Xue's eyes were as cold as the stars on a winter night, glinting with polished brilliance, shimmering with anger. Since receiving the bad news, Lan Xue had not slept for three days and nights. If it had not been for the need for the squadron leader's permission, she would still be in the hospital. With the squadron leader's orders, many things became easier to handle, and Lan Xue's fists tightened involuntarily, her gaze resolute.