Strongest Soldier King

"No, he's a great seedling. You've picked a good student, his comprehension is very strong. It took him just one night to learn, remember when you took three whole days to learn these skills?" Elder Liu said, chuckling as he took the water.

"One night?" The team leader asked in surprise, not caring about Elder Liu's teasing. Seeing Elder Liu nod, apparently not joking, he pressed excitedly, "I remember the kid spent a whole day chopping firewood right? He still had energy to learn with you for an entire night? His physique is monstrous, isn't it?"

"Oh? If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten that part. Watching him learn, he was so lively, he didn't seem fatigued at all. Moreover, he could accurately remember after being told just once. It seems we have underestimated him. With that physique, he is truly one of a kind in our Special Warfare Team," Elder Liu praised with surprise.

"Elder, remember our early days? When the Special Warfare Team was first established, you took me and Elder Chang, the twelve brothers. Now, only the three of us are left. Over the years, our combat power has fallen behind compared to other brother teams. In the annual national competition, we've always been at the bottom. Just when I saw a glimmer of hope in the first squad, this incident happened. I let you down, I haven't led the Special Warfare Team well," the team leader said with a sense of sorrow.

"Let the past be in the past. You can't blame yourself for what happened to the first squad. These ancient lands have seen infighting for a long time, and it's not unique to our Special Warfare Team. Don't other teams have the same issue? Why can others succeed while we remain at the bottom? If you asked me, it's because we ourselves are not strong enough. Your decision to have Elder Chang and me train him is the right one. Is the competition half a year away? Whether we can make it or not all depends on him," Elder Liu spoke calmly.

"Yes, you're right in your teaching, Elder. The main responsibility is mine; the training provided to the team has been insufficient, distracted by mundane affairs. I assure you, it will not happen again. The Training Team recently sent up some good recruits, a few promising seedlings in the rookie team. We'll see how the assessment goes next month, if they perform well, we'll focus on their training. But now, the first squad has a vacancy. Do you have any thoughts?" the team leader said.

"Let's leave it vacant then. It might not be a bad thing. Spread the word that we are restructuring the first squad, and the members will be selected from the entire team. This will ignite everyone's training enthusiasm," Elder Liu said gravely, advising.

"Hmm, that was my thought as well. Since you, Elder, agree, then that's settled," the team leader relaxed and replied with a pleased smile, "Zhengzi trains with Brother Chang with knives during the day, and with you at night to learn the killing skill. There's no time to learn sniping, concealment, tactics, commanding, computers, driving, and other subjects. Won't that hold him back?"

"We will take it slowly. I estimate the boy will master my killing skill within a week. The other stuff can be learned at night later. I'm not worried about these things. What is the most crucial aspect for a Special Forces soldier? Creativity. Basic skills can be trained, but without creativity... You and I both understand; it can change battle patterns and tactics, turning a passive situation into an active one and leaving the enemy confused. Novelty, surprise, and special characteristics are at the core of Special Forces. Zhengzi, being busy with basic training, may slack off in creativity," Elder Liu reminded with a hint of helplessness.

The team leader's expression darkened as he looked out the window and pondered. The invincibility of the Special Forces and their ability to conquer all enemies relied not just on combat skills—though those were the foundation, as one couldn't kill the enemy without basic skills. More importantly, it was the use of unusual combat patterns and unpredictable tactical planning, achieving surprise attacks and victories. To surprise, one must possess exceptional creativity, think the unthinkable, and be unexpected, implementing attacks with entirely new tactics.

The office felt oppressive, both men absorbed in their thoughts. After a while, Elder Liu sighed and said, "We don't have much time left. We'll do our human effort and leave the rest to fate. I think we should gather some classic Special Operations cases from around the world for him to study at his leisure when he has time; it might help."

"That's all we can do. I'll handle this, Zhengzi is in your hands," the team leader agreed.

Elder Liu returned to the mess team and saw Luo Zheng still chopping firewood, sweating profusely, each chop focused and heartfelt. Even though he appeared slower, Elder Liu knew Luo Zheng had discovered some techniques and that he would accelerate once he had mastered them. Possibly, he could complete the task within two months. With a solid foundation, one month would be enough to learn Elder Chang's Finger Knife, and he couldn't help but smile contentedly.

Entering the kitchen and seeing Elder Chang cutting lamb, he smiled and said, "Prepare a stew, and I'll bring some herbs that invigorate and promote blood circulation to nourish him."

"What did the team leader say?" Elder Chang asked indifferently, without giving a direct reply.

"Time is indeed tight, but we have no other choice; we'll do our human effort and leave the rest to fate," Elder Liu answered. Seeing Elder Chang stand up unmoved, go to the door, and pick up the water pipe, he chuckled and said, "You, you just don't have confidence in him, do you? Maybe you don't know, but he learned my acupoint striking technique in one night. It took you two nights, if I remember correctly?"

"Really?" Elder Chang shot to his feet, his eyes full of disbelief as he looked at Elder Liu. Seeing Elder Liu nod affirmatively, Elder Chang suddenly burst with an intimidating presence, as if the air around him ignited, his eyes round and glowing, his face tense as solid rock, and his posture as straight as a spear, completely transformed from the elderly neighbor just moments before.

"Believe it or not," Elder Liu said casually with a smile and turned to leave.

"I believe, how could I not believe what Elder says," Elder Chang chuckled and resumed his usual demeanor, his face carrying a simple grin, he slouched and bowed his back, sitting at the door and packing his water pipe. He glanced at Luo Zheng intently training not far away, a gleam in his eyes that quickly disappeared. Taking a greedy drag from the water pipe, it bubbled before he leaned comfortably against the wall, slowly exhaling smoke and emitting satisfied groans.

"Do you still remember our enemies? You and I can't fight in battle anymore, the team leader's getting old, but this vengeance can't be lost, someone must seek it, right? Our brothers' remains have not all been recovered, are you content to grow old this way? Have you forgotten that the souls of our loyal brothers are still wandering in a foreign land?" Elder Liu said quietly in the kitchen, his words filled with sorrow and anger.

Elder Chang didn't respond, continuing to puff on his water pipe, resting with eyes closed, his thoughts unknown.

"Stop beating around the bush, what are you thinking? Give me an answer," Elder Liu called out, somewhat dissatisfied.