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

Outside Liu Ming's quiet courtyard house, Zhao Weiguo, the once powerful old man, seemed to have all his energy drained away in an instant. That chilling "Too late" sounded like an invisible death knell, ringing in his ears.

He knew that Liu Ming's path was completely dead.

But this dying old lion did not give up. In this city, the game of power is never played in only one way. Since he couldn't gain the upper hand over this younger generation, he could only turn to the truly authoritative old leader.

"Let's go! To Xishan!" Zhao Weiguo gritted his teeth, his voice filled with a desperate madness.

……

West Mountain, Lin Family Courtyard.

The cool autumn breeze blows, and the pine trees rustle, as if whispering tales of past valor and triumph.

Marshal Lin Zhentian sat under a dim floor lamp, holding a thick copy of "Zizhi Tongjian" in his hands, turning the pages by the faint light. He wasn't wearing his reading glasses, and his eyes, which had witnessed countless battles, still shone with a clarity that made people hesitant to look directly at him, even in the dim light.

"Sir, Zhao Weiguo is kneeling outside the door." The guard, Director Wang, walked in quietly, his voice low and his expression complex.

Old Lin paused slightly as he turned the pages of the book.

He didn't look up, his tone as indifferent as if he were asking about the weather: "How long have you been kneeling?"

"It's been almost an hour," Director Wang replied in a low voice. "He also brought his eldest son, who works at the National Development and Reform Commission. The three of them were kneeling upright on the bluestone slab. They said they would kneel there to death if they didn't see you."

"Kneel there and die?"

Old Lin gave a cold laugh and finally closed the ancient book in his hands. He slowly raised his head, a flash of extremely intense disappointment and disgust in his eyes.

"Back then, on the front lines of Laoshan, when we were besieged by enemy artillery fire for three days and three nights, Zhao Weiguo never knelt down. But now, for the sake of two traitorous bastards, his knees have gone weak."

"Sir, what do you think...? Should we meet him? After all, he did save your life back then," Director Wang suggested hesitantly.

Old Lin fell silent.

The only sound in the study was the ticking of the old-fashioned wall clock, each tick like a heavy rhythm pressing on one's heart.

After a long while, Old Lin stood up and walked to the wardrobe. He didn't take out his usual civilian clothes, but instead took out an old-fashioned military uniform from the deepest part of the wardrobe. The uniform was faded from washing but perfectly ironed.

He stood in front of the mirror, his movements extremely slow yet extremely solemn, fastening the top button one by one.

At that moment, the kind old neighbor disappeared.

Instead, there was that old marshal of China, whose name alone could strike fear into the hearts of the enemy on the border!

"Let him in."

As Old Lin leaned on his cane, his voice became as firm as metal and stone once again.

"Tell him that we're not talking about personal matters today, only the law."

……

A moment later, Zhao Weiguo staggered into the study.

His knees were still covered in mud and dew, and tears streamed down his aged face, making him look utterly desolate.

"Old Chief! Wei Guo has come to apologize to you!"

As soon as Zhao Weiguo entered the room, he tried to kneel down again.

"Stand up straight!"

Old Master Lin's stern shout was like a thunderclap, exploding in the hall!

Zhao Weiguo was so shocked by the roar that his whole body trembled, and his knees stopped abruptly in mid-air, unable to kneel down no matter what he did.

He looked up in horror at the old man in military uniform, who stood before him with an air of divine authority. He found that in Old Lin's eyes, there was no pity as he had expected, only a deathly stillness that filled him with despair.

"Zhao Weiguo, you haven't completely gotten rid of this disguise yet, have you?"

Old Lin coldly sized him up. "Look at yourself now. For two traitorous beasts, you've even lost your soldier's backbone?"

"Old Chief... Ruilong and Ruihu are still young... they were just confused for a moment..." Zhao Weiguo sobbed uncontrollably. "The Zhao family only has these two heirs. If they are really sentenced to death... the Zhao family will be extinct! I beg you, for the sake of the time I carried you out of a pile of corpses, please leave the Zhao family a way out!"

"A backup plan?"

Old Lin suddenly stepped forward and slammed his cane heavily on the floor with a dull thud.

"You want a way out? Then who will provide a way out for those 118 unjustly killed miners? Who will provide a way out for Jianguo, that child who died unjustly?"

Old Lin stared intently into Zhao Weiguo's eyes, each word like a shard of ice squeezed from between his teeth.

"Do you even know what your good grandson did? They sold the nation's core chip data to those foreign devils! They exchanged the future of our nation for a Swiss bank check!"

"Zhao Weiguo! Tell me! If this can be called 'a moment of confusion,' then what about those martyrs who sacrificed their lives on the border to defend every inch of land? Were they fools?"

Zhao Weiguo was speechless, his face turned purplish-red, and his body trembled like a leaf.

"Wei Guo, I originally intended to give your Zhao family some face out of consideration for our past relationship."

Old Lin took a deep breath, his tone becoming incredibly weary, yet also incredibly resolute.

"But now that you've come to my door, let's put an end to this idea completely."

He turned around, facing the bright red military flag on the wall, and said, word by word:

"I will personally attend the expanded meeting of the Central Military Commission tomorrow morning."

"I will read the evidence that Liu Ming brought back, page by page, to all the old comrades."

"I'll show them what kind of scum has emerged from the ranks of the soldiers we old guys trained!"

Zhao Weiguo slumped to the ground, the last glimmer of light in his eyes completely extinguished.

he knows.

The fact that Old Lin put on this uniform signifies that he has transformed from an "old comrade-in-arms" back into an "executor."

This means that there is no room for negotiation on this matter.

……

The next day, at nine o'clock in the morning.

The August 1st Building houses the highest-level emergency military conference room.

The most powerful group of generals in all of China were sitting upright at this moment, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that even breathing felt heavy.

The theme of the conference was "Security of the Defense High-Tech Industry and the Cleanup of Internal Corruption".

Originally, Mr. Lin, who had already retired to the second line, would not attend such meetings.

But today, he came.

He sat in a wheelchair, wearing his old military uniform that bore countless honors, his chest adorned with medals. Under the lights, those medals gleamed dazzlingly, like the eyes of countless heroic souls, fixed intently on the hall.

When the topic turned to the "NDRC leak case" and the "Zhao family group".

Several high-ranking generals who had dealings with the Zhao family were about to utter some platitudes about "balance" and "the big picture."

"Smack—!!!"

Old Lin slammed his palm down hard on the specially made alloy conference table!

The force was so great that the porcelain cup on the table jumped up and shattered into pieces!

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared wide-eyed in horror at the enraged old general.

"What were you talking about just now?"

Old Lin shakily stood up, leaning on the table. His gaze was like lightning, sweeping across everyone's face. The oppressive aura that could slaughter a city and destroy a country made the generals present subconsciously lower their heads.

"The big picture? Balance? Offsetting merits and demerits?"

Old Lin gave a cold laugh, a laugh filled with endless sorrow and anger.

"Let me tell you! In this world, there is only one overriding principle: the interests of the nation and the lives of the people!"

He pulled a stack of blood-stained photos from his pocket and slammed them onto the center of the hall.

"Look at this! This is the evidence Liu Ming dug up in Ningzhou! This is what our comrades looked like, being stuffed alive into the bottom of a well by those parasites!"

"For that dirty money, they dared to sell the nation's lifeline to foreign devils. To cover up their crimes, they dared to use heavy weapons to assassinate a high-ranking official!"

Old Lin pointed at the photo, his voice hoarse and roaring, shaking the very foundation of the red wall.

"These parasites who betray national interests deserve to die!"

"Anyone who dares to interfere in this case, anyone who dares to plead for the Zhao family..."

Old Lin surveyed the entire room and declared war, word by word:

"...He is my enemy, Lin Zhentian! Even if he's in his coffin, I'll drag him out and shoot him for five minutes!"

The old coach's roar set the tone for the game.

Those forces that had originally wanted to plead for leniency, were observing, or were wavering all scattered like birds and beasts in that instant.

Faced with this absolute justice that can tear everything apart, all power struggles and human sentiments seem so insignificant and laughable.

End of the meeting.

Old Lin sat back in his wheelchair.

He looked exhausted, as if his roar had drained the last bit of his life force.

But as he looked out the window at the azure city sky, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

he knows.

The fog that has enveloped Jiangnan Province and the city is finally about to dissipate.

He has already.

This completely blocked all of the Zhao family's escape routes.

……

In the evening, Liu Ming received a call from Lin Xiaoxiao.

"Brother Liu Ming...Grandpa was furious at the meeting today."

On the other end of the phone, the girl's voice trembled slightly with shock.

"The Zhao family compound has just been completely sealed off by the Internal Security Forces. I heard from my dad that... the whole case is being handled strictly and swiftly, with no exceptions."

Liu Ming stood by the window, looking down at the still bustling street below.

His expression was as calm as a mirror.

But behind that mirror lies a surging, turbulent sea.

he knows.

This strong support from Elder Lin is the biggest piece of the foundation he has gained in his struggle in this city.

"Xiaoxiao, please thank Grandpa for me."

Liu Ming spoke softly, her eyes becoming incredibly deep.

"Tell the old man that he doesn't need to worry about the rest."

"I will personally deal with the rest of those brats..."

"...One by one, send them all to hell."

Liu Ming hung up the phone.

Outside the window, the wind rises.