He was so persuasive that he actually practiced extraordinary

Behind him came the hearty laughter of his teammates. Zhang Beixing exhaled a breath of stale air, the heaviness in his chest seeming to dissipate slightly. He slowly raised his hand, feeling the sea breeze flow through his fingers, and murmured to himself, "In this world, there is never true peace and tranquility; it's just that someone is bearing the burden for you..."

"Team Zhang!"

Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind, startling Zhang Beixing from his thoughts. The Red Cell team members, who had been playing around, also quickly stopped what they were doing and turned to look in the direction of the voice.

Zhang Beixing straightened up from the railing and turned around. He saw Yang Rui, the captain of the Jiaolong Commando Team, walking towards him with sniper Luo Xing. The two quickly reached Zhang Beixing, and Luo Xing, without saying a word, stood at attention and gave Zhang Beixing a standard military salute.

This sudden action startled Zhang Beixing—Luo Xing had always been somewhat resentful towards him before, so why was he suddenly being so polite today? Had he taken the wrong medicine?
Luo Xing lowered his arm, his face showing sincerity, and said solemnly, "Captain Zhang, I was too impulsive before, and I treated you badly and said a lot of things I shouldn't have. I've come here today specifically to apologize to you, and I hope you can forgive me."

Zhang Beixing waved his hand, a smile appearing on his face, and said in a relaxed tone, "Hey, it's no big deal. Didn't you already do a thousand push-ups as punishment? Let's call it even and call it even. There's no need to bring this up again."

Yang Rui, standing to the side, explained with a smile: "Here's what happened. Luo Xing submitted an application to study at the Capital Military Academy, which was just approved yesterday. He'll be leaving Jiaolong in a couple of days. He's a straightforward person and was too embarrassed to come and say goodbye to you alone, so he dragged me along to say goodbye to you and the Red Cell brothers."

Zhang Beixing suddenly realized what was going on, and his eyes showed more approval as he looked at Luo Xing: "Oh? So you really want to take the military academy entrance exam? Not bad, not bad, you have ambition. I have high hopes for you. Study hard, you'll definitely have a bright future."

Luo Xing felt a sore throat from his "elderly" tone and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Damn it, can you please stop talking to me like that? I'm clearly two years older than you, but it sounds like you're my uncle."

After muttering to himself, he raised his head again, staring intently at Zhang Beixing, his tone carrying a hint of defiance: "I'm sure I can get into military academy. Once I graduate and get my officer rank, you'll have to salute me!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Beixing couldn't help but laugh, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing: "Wait until you graduate? That'll be several years, right? By then, I might already be a major general. Who knows who will be saluting whom then?"

"Do you think a major general is just a cabbage on the roadside, something you can become easily?" Luo Xing scoffed, clearly not believing him.

Despite saying that, the two of them raised their hands at the same time and lightly punched each other in the air—the fists did not have the force of a contest, but rather carried a tacit understanding of mutual respect.

"Have a safe journey." Zhang Beixing looked at him, his tone sincere.

"Thank you." Luo Xing's voice softened, no longer sharp as before.

Not long after, a shipborne helicopter slowly took off from the deck, the airflow from its rotors whipping people's hair into a frenzy. Luo Xing stood at the cabin door, waving to the people on deck. Then the helicopter turned around and flew towards the capital, quickly becoming a small black dot in the distant sky.

Song Kaifei gazed in the direction the helicopter had disappeared and couldn't help but sigh, "Sigh, I also want to fly back as soon as possible. The social gathering is waiting for me! I wish I could see those girls sooner."

Zhang Beixing glanced at him disdainfully, his tone carrying a hint of threat: "If you keep babbling in my ear, I'll have my team throw you into the sea like an 'airplane' so you can 'fly' back on your own."

Song Kaifei immediately felt a chill in his groin and quickly covered his mouth, shrinking to the side like a frightened quail, no longer daring to speak—he had witnessed Zhang Beixing's methods firsthand, and he was a man of his word, not one to risk his life.

Seeing Song Kaifei's cowardly appearance, the team members couldn't help but laugh again. Zhang Beixing then turned to Yang Rui and asked, "Captain Yang, Luo Xing is gone. Who do you plan to fill the sniper position for Jiaolong Second Team?"

Yang Rui smiled, his eyes narrowed, and said with a hint of probing, "If you're willing to stay with Jiaolong, let alone the sniper position, I'll have Xu Hong give you his deputy captain position, how about that?"

Zhang Beixing rolled his eyes: "I'm not stupid. Why would I give up being the captain of the Red Cell team to become the vice captain of your Jiaolong team? You're really scheming."

Yang Rui already knew he wouldn't agree; it was just a joke. Seeing this, he didn't press the matter further and said seriously, "After Luo Xing leaves, I plan to transfer Gu Shun over to replace the sniper. However, Gu Shun is a very arrogant guy, and he speaks very bluntly. I'm a little worried that he won't get along with the other members of the team, which might affect team coordination."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Beixing's eyes lit up slightly, and he said with a smile, "I like arrogant people. It's okay to be proud, as long as you're capable enough, you can always get along with them over time."

Yang Rui laughed along: "That's true, but in the whole team, the only one whose sniping skills are comparable to Luo Xing's is Gu Shun. We can only bring him over to try and see if he can integrate well with the rest of the team."

"Don't worry." Zhang Beixing patted his shoulder, his tone confident. "If you really can't control him, you still have me, right? I have plenty of ways to deal with him."

The two smiled at each other. The initial awkwardness caused by the mission had long since dissipated during their time together, replaced by a greater sense of trust between comrades.

The wind on deck picked up, carrying a hint of night chill. After a moment of silence, Zhang Beixing suddenly spoke, his tone somewhat casual: "Has the return route been finalized? Are there any unforeseen circumstances?"

Yang Rui paused for a moment, then shook his head: "The route has been decided long ago. We're about to leave the Red Sea and enter the South my country Sea. The South China Sea is all our territory, and with naval patrol ships escorting us, what could possibly happen? Don't worry."

Zhang Beixing didn't ask any further questions, only nodding slightly: "It's nothing, I was just asking casually." He was still preoccupied with the matter of Ivia, feeling things weren't so simple, but lacking evidence, he could only suppress his worries for now—perhaps he was just overthinking it. Yang Rui seemed to read his mind, suddenly lowering his voice and whispering in his ear: "If you're free tonight, how about coming to my dorm for a drink? I've got two bottles of good wine hidden there, just the two of us, let's chat."

Zhang Beixing hesitated for a moment: "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? Aren't there rules against drinking alcohol on warships? If the disciplinary inspection team finds out, it could be troublesome."

"Hey, just a little bit to liven things up, it's fine." Yang Rui waved his hand, his tone slightly encouraging. "Don't worry, my dorm is secluded, no one will find out."

Zhang Beixing thought for a moment, then finally smiled and agreed: "Alright, I'll go over tonight. But let's make it clear, just a little drink, don't get drunk."

"No problem!" Yang Rui smiled and patted his arm, then turned and left the deck to arrange the follow-up matters for the return voyage.

Watching Yang Rui's departing figure, Zhang Beixing was about to turn around and say something to his teammates when his right eyelid suddenly started twitching. The twitching was rapid and carried a strange unease, instantly making his relaxed mood tense up again.

He subconsciously rubbed his right eye, thinking to himself: I hope this is just a coincidence, and that nothing really happens.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the pure white missile destroyer sliced ​​through the azure sea, leaving a huge wake behind it, and slowly sailed towards the South China Sea. The soldiers on deck were still excitedly discussing their plans for the return voyage—some wanted to go home to see their parents, some were thinking about the braised pork in the military mess hall, and others were looking forward to the lively military-civilian get-together. No one noticed that a sudden, urgent mission was quietly approaching.

At 1 p.m. that afternoon, the once relatively quiet command center on the main ship suddenly plunged back into a flurry of activity. Telephones rang incessantly, hurried footsteps echoed throughout the room, and every staff member stared intently at their screen, fingers flying across the keyboard as they methodically processed the sudden influx of urgent information.

Just then, Captain Gao Yun's calm voice resounded throughout the escort fleet via the ship's loudspeaker, clearly reaching the ears of every soldier: "Attention! At 3:43 AM this morning, our ship received an urgent notification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—five days ago, a military coup occurred in the Republic of Ivia!"

The voice on the broadcast paused, then became serious and left no room for doubt: "According to orders from the Chinese military and government, the Navy Headquarters has instructed our ship to immediately change course and proceed to the waters off Ivia in the Arabian Peninsula to assist in the evacuation of our nationals and staff of the Chinese Embassy in Ivia!"

After Gao Yun finished speaking, he gestured to the political commissar beside him to turn on a news video that had just been transmitted from Ivia. The large screen in front of the command room lit up instantly, and countless images of war and chaos appeared on the screen—collapsed buildings, burning vehicles, and civilians fleeing in all directions; every scene was heartbreaking.

Zhang Beixing, Yang Rui, and everyone present involuntarily looked up at the screen. On the screen, a news anchor wearing gold-rimmed glasses was solemnly introducing the situation: "Five days have passed since the military coup in Ivia broke out. The rebels, led by General Sharaf, have been called the 'madmen's army' by outsiders due to their extreme actions. They have now captured several major cities. The whereabouts of the Ivia president are unknown, and government affairs are temporarily being handled by Secretary-General Mohadi."

"The war has caused numerous civilian casualties, trapped many foreign nationals, and even kidnapped some government officials by terrorist organizations." The host's voice trembled slightly. "According to reliable sources, this terrorist organization is called 'Zaka,' and has been demanding that the Ivia government recognize its legitimacy for many years, but has never received permission. This military coup is very likely to have received covert support from the 'Zaka' organization."

The scene on the screen then shifts—on city streets, armed government troops are mixed with rebels and terrorists, patrolling the streets with impunity. Suddenly, a tank fires at a commercial building in the city center; with a huge explosion, the building's exterior wall collapses instantly, and pedestrians scream and flee in all directions, creating utter chaos.

Gao Yun pressed the pause button, turned to face the people in the command room, and said firmly, "The clear order from the Navy Headquarters is: to cooperate with the Ivia government forces to safely evacuate all our nationals stranded in the area!"

After saying that, he turned his gaze to Zhang Beixing and continued, "Our combat capabilities at sea are limited. This evacuation operation requires the cooperation of ground troops. I hope that Captain Zhang can lead the Red Cell Special Operations Team to carry out the mission together with the Jiaolong Commando Team."

"Everyone was looking forward to the return voyage, but this sudden incident has indeed exceeded our expectations." Gao Yun's tone softened slightly. "The two escort ships will continue to return voyage as originally planned. If any comrades do not wish to participate in this evacuation operation, they can return to the motherland with the escort ships. We respect everyone's choice."

After listening to Captain Gao Yun's words, Zhang Beixing sighed deeply in his heart—as expected, what he feared had come to pass. He knew better than anyone that the situation in Ivia was complex and intertwined with rebel and terrorist organizations, making the evacuation operation anything but easy, and that some soldiers might even pay the ultimate price.

Once they set foot on Ivia's soil, they would face a true battlefield, where every inch of land could harbor hidden dangers, and peace and security would be temporarily out of their reach. Even with Zhang Beixing's strength, he couldn't guarantee everyone's safe return, so he was unwilling to make decisions for his team. But he also knew that as special forces soldiers, facing the baptism of war was their destiny, and protecting their compatriots was an inescapable responsibility.

Ultimately, he decided to give the choice to each member of the Red Cell team—no one in this world has the right to decide someone else's fate.

Zhang Beixing looked calmly at Gao Yun and Yang Rui and slowly said, "I will lead the Red Cell team to act together with the Jiaolong Commando. As for the other team members, I hope we can respect their own choices."

Captain Gao Yun immediately nodded: "No problem, we originally intended to let the soldiers make their own decisions and never force them."

After the operational meeting, Yang Rui and Zhang Beixing walked out of the command room side by side. The sea breeze blew in their faces, carrying a hint of saltiness. Yang Rui looked at the distant sea and said regretfully, "It seems that our drinking tonight will have to wait until next time."

Zhang Beixing nodded slightly, his tone firm: "The mission is important, drinking isn't urgent."

"Then I'll go and relay the instructions to the Jiaolong team members first, and ask them what they think," Yang Rui said, turning to leave.

But after taking only a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned to look at Zhang Beixing, and asked suspiciously, "You looked a little worried just now. Were you worried that the team members might desert?" (End of Chapter)