The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 650 “Black Panther Special Operations Brigade”!!!
As the Liu family and Liujiazhuang's various undertakings flourished like the rising sun, Liu Wu, a direct descendant who had been trained in the army for many years, also ushered in a crucial turning point in his military career.

This young and promising soldier is standing at the crossroads of his life, about to embark on a new journey.

Spring 1997, Southwest Regional Headquarters.

The conference room was filled with smoke and golden stars were shining.

In front of the battle map on the wall, the regional head Chen Tieshan knocked heavily on the border between Yunnan and Guizhou with his teaching stick.

"Comrades, the international situation is changing rapidly, and the defense pressure in our southwest is increasing day by day." Commander Chen's voice was like sandpaper rubbing against each other. "With the approval of the headquarters, it has been decided to form our army's first professional special operations combined brigade based on the 'Black Panther Special Operations Battalion'..."

Liu Wu, who was sitting in the back row, straightened his back suddenly.

As the captain of the Black Panther Special Forces Brigade, he looked exceptionally young among the senior military officers at the age of just over 30.

The sunlight shone through the gap in the curtains and stung a scar on his left cheek - a souvenir of a border operation many years ago.

"Liu Wu!"

"Here!" He stood up reflexively, and the chair made a harsh sound as it scraped against the floor.

"After research and decision by the Party Committee, you will serve as the first commander of the Black Panther Special Operations Brigade..." Commander Chen's eyes were as sharp as a hawk. "You will be given six months to complete the reorganization and form combat effectiveness before the end of the year. If you have any difficulties, please raise them now."

Liu Wu's Adam's apple rolled and sweat oozed from his palms.

He knew what this meant - expanding from an elite battalion of 600 people to a special operations brigade of 2,000 to 3,000 people was not only an expansion in scale, but also a comprehensive innovation in combat concepts.

"Commander, I have only one request." Liu Wu said in a steady voice, "The special operations brigade needs the right to select and train independently."

There were low murmurs in the conference room.

Chief Chen narrowed his eyes upon hearing this: "Reason?"

"Modern special operations is a dance on the edge of a knife. The traditional selection criteria are like using a scale to measure gold - you can measure the weight but not the quality." Liu Wu pointed to the training ground outside the window, "I need warriors who can parachute from an altitude of 10,000 meters and then lurk in the jungle for days and nights, not those who get full marks on the physical fitness test sheet."

Commander Chen suddenly smiled: "Okay! I'll give you this privilege. But let me be frank. I want to see results in half a year, otherwise -" the teaching stick made a sound of wind in the air, "I will personally send you to the reserve."

After the meeting, Liu Wu stood alone under the banyan tree in front of the "Black Panther Special Forces" office building.

The late spring wind carries the fragrance of kapok flowers, and the slogans of soldiers training can be heard in the distance.

He took out an old pocket watch from his pocket. On the inside of the watch cover was a black and white photo - the last group photo of his comrades who died twelve years ago on the border.

"Old friends," Liu Wu said softly, "let's go big this time."

A week later, a new plaque with the words "Black Panther Special Operations Brigade of the Southwest Region of the People's Liberation Army of Xia State" was hung at the former "Black Panther Special Operations Brigade" station.

Liu Wu stood on the playground, in front of him were more than a hundred carefully selected new trainees.

Among them are fighting champions from the regional reconnaissance battalion, electronic warfare experts specially recruited from the National University of Defense Technology, skydiving instructors recruited from the airborne troops, and veteran non-commissioned officers who have served in the "Black Panther Special Forces" for many years.

"From today on, you are the skeleton of the Black Panther." Liu Wu's voice echoed in the morning mist. "Chief of Staff He Qiu is responsible for formulating the selection criteria for the 'Hunting Blade Plan', and Director of the Operations and Training Department Liu Xiaotao will lead the team to transform the training ground. Within three months, I want a thousand qualified new members of the special operations brigade."

He Qiu frowned and said, "Brigade Commander, follow the outline issued by the headquarters."

"Tear up that outline." Liu Wu interrupted him, "The training must be conducted according to our standards. I want someone who can stay awake in an oxygen-deficient environment at an altitude of 5,000 meters and who can withstand severe torture after being captured... I'll explain to the Z government."

On that day, a special selection notice was issued to all units of the Southwest Military Region:

"The 'Black Panther Special Operations Brigade' is recruiting members from the entire army. The requirements are: 18-25 years old, no history of major injuries or illnesses. Live ammunition will be used throughout the selection process, and the casualty target is 3%. The pass rate will not exceed 5% of the applicants."

The notice ends with a bold note: "The right to interpret this selection belongs to the Black Panther Special Operations Brigade."

The notification was like a bomb, sending shockwaves through the region.

The chief officers of various troops called in to protest, and the political hotline was overwhelmed with calls.

Liu Wu unplugged and plugged the telephone line in his office, and finally just put the receiver aside.

"Brigade Commander, the Chief of Staff of the Third Division called again." The communicator Xiao Zhang poked his head out timidly.

Liu Wu wiped his Type 92 pistol without even looking up: "Tell him that if his son, who is a treasure in the division basketball team, is afraid of death, he'd better not come here."

On the registration deadline, there were 5,827 people on the list.

Liu Wu was flipping through the files and suddenly stopped at a certain page - Lin Xiaoxue, 21 years old, a female soldier in the military district’s communications regiment, ranked first in the regiment in the five-kilometer armed cross-country race.

"Female soldiers?" He Qiu frowned, "Brigade Commander, we have no plan."

"Special operations do not discriminate between men and women, only life and death." Liu Wu closed the file and said, "Notify everyone to gather at 4 a.m. tomorrow morning."

On the first day of the selection, before dawn, more than a thousand candidates lined up at the training ground.

The searchlights lengthened their shadows.

Liu Wu stood on the hood of the jeep, the rank of colonel on the shoulder straps of his camouflage uniform glowing coldly under the light.

"Newbies, welcome to hell." He raised his stopwatch. "Now let's start the first test: 72 hours of extreme survival."

As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen high-pressure water guns opened fire at the same time.

The biting water column scattered the team into pieces.

Before the fully-armed candidates could react, tear gas exploded again in front of them.

"Goal: Hill No. 3, kilometers away! There are seven checkpoints along the way. If you miss any one, you will be eliminated immediately!" He Qiu shouted through the loudspeaker, "The last people to arrive, pack up and return to your original unit!"

In the thick smoke, a tall and thin figure rushed out first.

Zheng Weidong, a reconnaissance squad leader of a border defense regiment, whose father was a martyr in the self-defense counterattack war.

He tore off his training uniform, soaked it, covered his mouth and nose with it, then crouched down and crawled into the woods.

Behind him, there were sounds of coughing and falling.

By the end of the first day, five hundred people had dropped out.

Lin Xiaoxue was delayed at the second checkpoint helping a comrade with a sprained arm and became the last contestant to arrive at the camp.

As she staggered across the finish line, the training director Liu Xiaotao, a burly man with arms thicker than the female soldiers' thighs, stopped her.

"Signal soldier, it's very touching that you help others." Liu Xiaotao sneered, "But in an operation behind enemy lines, this kind of saintly heart will kill the entire team."

Lin Xiaoxue wiped the mud off her face and said, "Commander, Black Panther doesn't need cold-blooded animals who abandon their comrades."

Liu Xiaotao was stunned, then he made a big tick on her score sheet.

The second test is a test of psychological limits.

The candidates were blindfolded and taken into a simulated prisoner-of-war camp, where they were subjected to torture such as noise, strong light, and hunger.

Some people broke down and cried, and some wet their pants.

After being interrogated for twelve hours, Zheng Weidong suddenly hit his head against the interrogator - who was actually a psychologist from the special operations brigade.

"This boy is ruthless, I like him!" He Qiu grinned in the monitoring room.

Liu Wu stared at the screen: "No, this kid is very smart. The real breakdown is his unfocused eyes. His pupils have always been focused."

At dawn that day, the only 1,800 people left faced the ultimate test: live-ammunition crossing.

As they crawled through the mud, machine gun bullets whistled just thirty centimeters above their heads.

Lin Xiaoxue's right boot was sucked away by the mud. She walked barefoot across the gravel beach, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind her.

According to statistics in the evening, only 1,500 people passed the first stage of selection.

When the medical worker was treating Lin Xiaoxue's foot injury, he found three pieces of gravel deeply embedded in the flesh.

"Girl, you have to go to the hospital." The nurse frowned.

Lin Xiaoxue snatched the tweezers: "Give me five minutes." She turned her back and pulled out the gravel with trembling hands.

The second stage is the professional skills test.

Zheng Weidong showed amazing talent in orienteering, with an error of no more than five meters; Lin Xiaoxue used an old radio to complete encrypted communications in a strong interference environment.

But tragedy also happened - a sharp gunner from an artillery unit suffered from acrophobia while crossing the rope and fell from a height of thirty meters. Fortunately, there was a safety net below.

The cruelest one is the trust shooting training: the team members are divided into two groups, and they take turns holding the target twenty meters away, and their partners shoot at the center of the bull's eye with live ammunition.

When Lin Xiaoxue held the target and looked at the trembling gun muzzle of Zheng Weidong opposite her, she suddenly put down the target.

"If you don't even have the courage to shoot, what kind of special forces soldier are you?" She walked up to Zheng Weiguo and grabbed his collar. "Look at me! I trust you more than I trust myself!"

Zheng Weidong took a deep breath, raised his gun, aimed, and fired - ten rings.

In the monitoring room, Liu Wu smiled for the first time since his selection: "These two soldiers will be the focus of attention in the future."

The final stage is a comprehensive field exercise.

The remaining 1,200 people were divided into 100 groups to complete tasks such as infiltration behind enemy lines, target reconnaissance, and guiding strikes without any supplies.

On the night of the fifth day, heavy rain suddenly came, triggering mountain torrents.

Zhangjia Village, which is on the edge of the original exercise area, is in a state of emergency.

"Brigade Commander, should we cancel the exercise?" He Qiu looked at the shocking red rainstorm belt on the satellite cloud map.

Liu Wu stared at the battlefield images transmitted back in real time: Zheng Weidong's group was infiltrating the "enemy" command post as planned; Lin Xiaoxue's group fell behind schedule because one of their team members sprained his ankle.

"Don't stop." Liu Wu put on his training cap, "Prepare the rescue team, but don't interfere with their choice." At three o'clock in the morning, Lin Xiaoxue's team discovered the village primary school surrounded by floods on the way to the assembly point.

More than a dozen teachers and students were trapped on the second floor of the school building which was about to collapse.

"What about the drill?" the teammate asked, panting.

Lin Xiaoxue had already taken off her backpack: "We can practice again, but we only have one chance to live!"

They built a zipline using climbing ropes and made six trips back and forth through chest-deep flood water to transfer teachers and students.

When the last teacher was rescued, the school building collapsed and Lin Xiaoxue's left arm was cut three centimeters long by the rubble.

At the same time, after hearing the cry for help, Zheng Weidong's team gave up the "beheading" mission that was about to be completed and rushed to assist in the rescue.

Two groups of people carried the injured on stretchers and trudged through the flood for four hours to bring the villagers to a safe area.

When they collapsed exhausted at the temporary shelter, Liu Yong appeared with a medical team.

"Congratulations," Liu Xiaotao looked at the group of mud monkey-like soldiers with satisfaction, "You have just passed the final assessment."

Zheng Weidong struggled to stand up: "But it's a mission."

"A true special forces soldier," Liu Xiaotao pointed to the villagers being evacuated in the distance, "must first understand who he is fighting for."

Three months later, at the inauguration ceremony of the Black Panther Special Operations Brigade, the first batch of 600 selected officers and soldiers lined up in an orderly manner.

On the rostrum, Commander Chen personally presented the flag to the "Black Panther Special Operations Brigade".

When the brigade flag slowly rose, Zheng Weidong and Lin Xiaoxue standing in the front row noticed that there were tears in the eyes of their iron-blooded brigade commander.

That night, Liu Wu came to the Hall of Honor alone.

He placed a brand new Black Panther armband in front of a photo of his old comrade.

"Old friends," he said softly, "a new pack has been formed."

One year after the Black Panther Special Operations Brigade was established, a live-fire confrontation exercise code-named "Snow Peak" was launched on the western Yunnan Plateau.

At four o'clock in the morning, Lin Xiaoxue lay under the camouflage net, her fingertips lightly dancing on the laptop keyboard.

The data stream jumping on the screen was reflected in her pupils, making her baby face look a little cold.

There was an electrical noise coming from the earphones. She adjusted the frequency of the digital demodulator and suddenly caught an encrypted communication.

"Falcon 1, communication signals from the 'enemy' headquarters have been detected, and the coordinates have been marked." She reported in a low voice while holding the headset, her excitement unable to be concealed in her voice.

In the bushes thirty meters away, Zheng Weidong was observing the Blue Army command post two kilometers away through the scope of the Type 88 sniper rifle.

He licked his cracked lips and adjusted his breathing rhythm.

The “rookie” who had trembling hands during trust shooting a year ago is now recognized as the top shooter in the brigade.

"Confirmed target, six camouflage tents, with a satellite antenna in the southeast corner." As he reported, the crosshairs of the scope firmly captured an officer who walked out of the tent. "Looks like the Blue Army brigade commander."

The captain's roar suddenly broke through the headset: "Don't act rashly, rookie! Wait for the main force--"

"Falcon Squad, execute the decapitation." The captain Liu Xiaotao's voice suddenly cut in, as calm as tempered steel, "I'll give you twenty minutes."

Zheng Weidong and Lin Xiaoxue looked at each other.

According to the exercise plan, they were only a reconnaissance team and the main attack force would not be in place for at least three hours.

But the captain's order could not be questioned.

Lin Xiaoxue quickly tapped the keyboard: "Electronic interference is ready."

"Sniper team, get in position." Zheng Weidong gestured to the two team members behind him.

When the second hand passed the fifteenth minute, the alarm suddenly rang at the Blue Army's command post.

Lin Xiaoxue activated the full-band interference, and all communication screens were covered with snow.

Just as the guards were in chaos, Zheng Weiguo's sniper rifle fired - the blank bullet accurately hit the laser sensor on the chest of the "Blue Army Brigade Commander".

The directorate concluded that the Red Army’s special operations team had successfully “killed” the Blue Army commander.

On the helicopter returning to the camp, the team members excitedly discussed the action just now.

Zheng Weidong noticed that Lin Xiaoxue was staring at the computer screen with a frown on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, leaning over.

Lin Xiaoxue pulled up a waveform chart: "The real signal accidentally intercepted during the interference came from 20 kilometers northwest of the exercise area." She lowered her voice, ".., it's not part of the exercise."

Zheng Weidong was shocked, because that was the border.

At this moment, the squadron leader's satellite communication phone suddenly rang.

The entire cabin fell silent, with only the squadron leader's brief response: "Understood, turn to the target area immediately."

After hanging up the phone, the squadron leader looked around the cabin and said, "The exercise is over. This time it's a real combat mission. We discovered an armed drug trafficking group." He paused, "Intelligence shows that the other party may have automatic weapons."

The helicopter hovered five kilometers from the target.

The team members slid down the ropes and quickly disappeared into the jungle.

Lin Xiaoxue carried nearly 30 kilograms of electronic warfare equipment, but her movements were more agile than those of the male soldiers.

The scars on her feet from the selection had long since hardened into calluses, and now served as a sharp reminder of her original oath.

The infiltration process was exceptionally smooth.

When Zheng Weidong took position at the designated sniper spot, he saw a shocking scene through the scope: seven ragged villagers and a ... were tied up under a walnut tree in the center of the village, and five armed bandits were pouring gasoline on them.

"Are you crazy?" Zheng Weidong put his finger on the trigger, then forced himself to let go.

The distance was too far and the wind speed was unstable, so he was only 70% sure.

Reports of each team's deployment came through the headset.

The captain's order came clearly: "Hold steady and wait for the negotiation experts—"

"They are going to start a fire!" Zheng Weidong suddenly growled.

In the sight, a man who looked like a leader was lighting a lighter.

Time is frozen.

Zheng Weidong remembered Lin Xiaoxue's words during the shooting, and the words his father wrote in his diary before his death - "The moment a soldier hesitates is the moment of bloodshed."

Breathing becomes steady and heart rate slows.

The world is left with only targets and triggers.

Gunshots were fired.

Blood splattered on the back of the leader's head and the lighter drew an arc in the air.

Almost at the same time, other special forces members opened fire, and the remaining four bandits fell to the ground before they could react.

"Target cleared!" Reports from various groups came one after another.

Zheng Weidong felt cold all over.

He had just ended a life for real.

In the scope, the image of the head exploding like a watermelon is unforgettable.

"Each team reports its status." The squadron leader's voice brought him back to reality.

"Falcon 2. Mission accomplished." Zheng Weidong's voice was dry.

After the hostages were rescued, Lin Xiaoxue found a satellite phone and a laptop in the bandits' tent.

When she cracked the confidential document, she gasped: "Captain, this is not an ordinary drug dealer!"

The screen displayed a detailed border defense map and transport routes, marking patrol times and firepower configurations.

The squadron leader is very experienced. Upon hearing this, his eyes suddenly turned cold: "Report this situation to the brigade headquarters immediately. Everyone at the scene must remember to keep it confidential..."

He turned to Zheng Weidong and said, "Well done, but don't be so reckless next time..."

Zheng Weidong stood at attention and saluted, but saw the squadron leader patted him on the shoulder: "But if it were me, I would also shoot."

On the way back, Lin Xiaoxue discovered that Zheng Weidong kept rubbing his right index finger - the one that pulled the trigger.

She silently handed over the gum: "It's always like this the first time."

"You seem to understand a lot?" Zheng Weidong forced a smile.

Lin Xiaoxue looked at the rolling sea of ​​clouds outside the cabin: "My father is a police detective, so I joined the army when I was ten years old."

Zheng Weidong was stunned.

He finally understood why this female soldier always fought so hard during confrontational training.

(End of this chapter)