Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

At six o'clock in the morning, Ningzhou East Railway Station should be a time when the city is just waking up and still a little tired.

But today, the waiting hall and the plaza in front of the station present a shocking, almost frozen, level of crowding.

There was no fanfare, no deliberately arranged banners or slogans.

The dark mass of people, like a tide surging from the ground, spontaneously and silently filled every inch of space.

This silence is more impactful than any slogan.

Liu Ming sat in the Audi that was slowly driving towards the platform entrance, looking out the window at the familiar yet unfamiliar faces. There were old miners he had brought from Qingyun County, old men who had moved into new houses in the shantytown in the south of the city, and business owners in the high-tech zone who had once complained bitterly about the crackdowns he had carried out but were now rolling in money.

"Boss, with this kind of situation... shouldn't we try to go through the back door?"

Li Erniu gripped the steering wheel tightly, his palms sweating profusely.

He'd been a driver for so many years, seen leaders transferred and witnessed countless welcoming and sending-off ceremonies. But he'd never seen anyone spontaneously crowd the high-speed rail station like this before.

"Use the main entrance."

Liu Ming lowered the car window, letting the morning breeze, carrying the dampness of Jiangnan and the fragrance of earth, ruffle his short hair.

"They've been waiting for a long time. They won't leave unless I show myself."

The moment the car stopped at the drop-off platform, the previously quiet crowd seemed to suddenly become a powder keg.

"County Magistrate Liu!"

"Director Liu! Director Liu is here!"

"Liu Qingtian, you mustn't forget about Ningzhou!"

Shouts rose and fell, converging into a tremendous wave.

Liu Ming pushed open the car door, and the moment her feet touched the ground, countless hands reached out. Not to demand anything, nor to protest.

Those were countless heartfelt and sincere sentiments.

"Director Liu, these are dried bamboo shoots that my family dried ourselves. Please take them to Kyoto and try them!"

"Director Liu, this is a commemorative album that our employees in the High-tech Zone raised funds to make for you. Please accept it!"

An elderly woman with a wrinkled face squeezed to the front, clutching two still-warm boiled eggs in her hand, and shakily stuffed them into Liu Ming's suit pocket.

"Child, it's windy in Kyoto. Make sure you eat well when you're out and about."

In that instant, Liu Ming felt a heavy weight in his pocket—the weight of the people's hearts, enough to bend his spine.

He did not refuse.

He took basket after basket of local specialties and distributed them to the Longya brothers behind him.

He looked at the people with tears in their eyes. The tough guy who had never frowned even when he broke a bone on the battlefield now had slightly red eyes.

……

Inside the platform.

The G106 train bound for Kyoto is quietly parked on the tracks, its silver-white body gleaming with a cold metallic sheen in the morning light.

On the platform, officials from Ningzhou and the province stood in two rows.

Wen Boyan, Lei Tie, Wang Dezhi, Fan Laogui... these comrades who had once fought alongside Liu Ming in the mud and danced on the edge of a knife, now stood ramrod straight with solemn expressions.

"Brother Liu."

Lei Tie stepped forward. This burly man, over six feet tall, now had a terribly hoarse voice. He punched Liu Ming hard in the shoulder, his eyes red like a rabbit's.

"If you suffer any injustice in Kyoto, give me a call. These two thousand brothers from the Ningzhou Public Security Bureau are at your disposal at any time. We may be low-ranking officials, but our lives are yours."

"Old Lei, what nonsense are you talking about?" Liu Ming laughed, gripping his hand tightly. "I'm going on a mission, not to the execution ground. Keep Ningzhou safe for me, and don't let me come back to find it shrouded in fog again."

"Don't worry!" Lei Tie nodded emphatically, a fleeting glint of tears in his eyes. "No one can block out the sky anymore!"

Old Fan, the once most cunning and worldly-wise fox, was now crying the most bitterly. He held Liu Ming's hand, wiping away tears as he muttered to himself:

"Little Liu, in all my life, I've only ever admired you. You truly treat us like human beings. Kyoto is a place of great hardship, and your temper... sigh, you really have to be patient when necessary."

Looking at Lao Fan, Liu Ming felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

"Old Fan, remember to send me the tea from the union."

"Send it to me! I'll buy you tea for the rest of your life!"

Xi Wanqing and Nangong Yao stood at the very edge of the crowd.

The two women, one as aloof as the moon and the other as fiery as fire, were surprisingly harmonious at this moment.

Xi Wanqing straightened Liu Ming's tie, her cool eyes holding a deep affection capable of melting glaciers.

"I'll wait for you in Jiangnan Province. Once the roads are clear, I'll come to Kyoto to find you."

Nangong Yao leaned close to his ear, her breath sweet as orchids, her tone carrying her usual domineering air.

"The advance team from the Nangong Group has arrived in Kyoto. I've bought the land and registered the company. Director Liu, do you want money or people? Just say the word."

Liu Ming looked at them and nodded, showing little sentimentality.

Because he knew.

The best way to protect each other is to fight your way through the battlefield.

……

"drop--!"

A sharp whistle sounded, and the alarm signaling the train doors were about to close echoed in the hall.

Liu Ming picked up the old tactical briefcase, turned around, and stepped into the carriage.

He stopped at the hatch and looked back one last time.

He looked at this land where he had fought, bled, and truly loved.

Suddenly, Lei Tie shouted from below the stage:

"salute--!"

"Whoosh!"

Dozens of uniformed police officers, armed police, and retired veterans, in perfect unison, saluted the train with the most standard and solemn military salute.

Behind them were the arms of tens of thousands of ordinary people who had spontaneously raised their hands.

That aura.

That convergence of beliefs.

The train crew and surrounding passengers were completely dumbfounded.

They didn't know who this young man was.

But they knew that in this Jiangnan province, a... true god had passed away.

Liu Ming straightened his back, and in the last second before the cabin door slowly closed, he also raised his right hand and returned a military salute.

His gaze pierced through the thick fog, looking towards a more distant place.

"Take care, everyone."

"We'll meet at the highest point."

The train slowly started moving.

The immense inertia carried Liu Ming forward. The scenery outside the window began to stretch and blur, eventually transforming into streaks of light flashing by.

Liu Ming sat back down in her first-class seat.

He took out the boiled egg that the old lady had given him from his pocket, peeled it, and took a bite.

It's still hot.

It smells very good, and it's also very strong.

Chen Momo sat opposite him, looking out the window, and asked softly:

"Director, do you think we can win this time?"

As Liu Ming gazed at the receding landscape of Jiangnan outside the window, a wild yet profound smile curled at the corners of her lips.

He touched the photo of his father in his inner pocket, his eyes becoming sharper than ever before.

"win?"

"Mo Mo, remember this."

"In the 'Dragon Fang' dictionary, there is no such word as 'lose'."

"Kyoto."

"There are debts owed to me there, and there is revenge I seek."

"And even more so, there are the lights of every home I must protect..."

The train roared rhythmically on the tracks, like a stirring battle song.

It carried this young national hero, the heavy weight of the people's hearts, and the blood debts that have yet to be washed away.

Break through the darkness before dawn.

Towards the very core of power, which is also the very center of the storm.

——Kyoto.

Full speed ahead.

"Let's go."

Liu Ming closed her eyes, leaned back in her chair, and her voice became unusually calm.

"This game is only now truly beginning."