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

Deep inside the chemical plant's cellar, the air was so thin it was suffocating.

The air was thick with the smell of musty straw and the stench of sweat born of extreme fear. More than thirty Chinese miners and geological experts huddled in a corner, their hands bound behind their backs with thick nylon ropes. Due to days of imprisonment and dehydration, most of them had lost their focus.

They are waiting to die.

In this lawless land ruled by drug lords and mercenaries, no one believes they will live to see tomorrow's sun rise.

"Squeak—"

The heavy, rusty iron door let out a teeth-grinding groan.

The experts in the cellar huddled together in terror. The elderly Professor Li instinctively shielded his young student behind him, his voice hoarse and almost inaudible: "Don't be afraid...don't be afraid..."

However, it wasn't the burly private soldiers who entered, nor the sinister-looking "Deathstroke."

The flashlight beam shone brightly.

A dark figure walked in against the light. He was tall and straight, like a javelin that would never bend. On the chest of his tattered camouflage uniform, a bright red color was particularly glaring in the strong light.

That was a five-star red flag that had been casually torn off and pasted onto a tactical vest.

"Liu Ming, a citizen of China, has come to take you home."

The voice was deep, yet like a resounding bell, instantly shattering the deathly despair in the cellar.

……

Dead silence.

After a deathly silence came an explosion of suppressed emotions.

"Is the motherland...the person of the motherland?"

Professor Li raised his head shakily. He looked at the bloodstains on Liu Ming's face that were still wet, and at the several dark figures standing behind him like gods and demons. Tears welled up in his eyes.

"Wow--!"

Several young technicians could no longer hold back and knelt on the ground, bursting into tears. It was an outpouring of emotions, a release from their ordeal of returning to the human world from hell.

"Don't cry, time is of the essence."

Liu Ming stepped forward, his "Dragon Fang" military dagger swiftly slicing through the air. The finger-thick nylon ropes snapped like noodles.

"Tanks, distribute water and high-energy rations to them. Poison Doctor, check their wounds."

"Alright!"

Tank pulled a whole case of bottled water from his backpack, tossed it into the crowd with a wave of his hand, and Poison Doctor swiftly moved about, skillfully stopping the bleeding and sealing the wounds of several seriously wounded soldiers.

"Comrade Liu... Comrade Liu, those people outside..." A miner took the water, his hands trembling so much he could barely hold it, and looked out the door in terror.

"It's clean outside now."

Liu Ming had his back to them, checking the magazines of his assault rifle. His tone was as calm as if he were talking about something trivial.

"It's twelve kilometers from here to the border marker. My men will be in charge of clearing the way."

"You only need to do one thing."

Liu Ming turned his head, his deep, ocean-like eyes revealing a domineering aura that made all living beings tremble.

"Stand tall and follow me. Let's walk these twelve kilometers with the dignity of the Chinese people!"

……

The journey home.

This is a mountain road paved with blood and bones.

More than thirty research team members were protected in the middle of the group. Tanks led the way, and although the Vulcan cannon machine gun had already emptied half a box of ammunition, its menacing appearance alone was enough to intimidate any creature in the jungle.

The lone wolf and the vulture disappeared into the dense forest on either side. They were death itself, lurking in the darkness, and any lone wolf attempting to approach would be instantly reaped by silent crossbow bolts or sniper shots.

Liu Ming walked at the back of the group. His camouflage uniform was torn to shreds by thorns, his wounds were bleeding, and he was exhausted.

But he walked very steadily.

He looked at the old miner carrying his seriously ill companion on his back, and at the young student who protected the exploration equipment even when he fell.

This is the country he wants to protect.

These are the people he wants to protect.

"Director... oh no, Captain Liu." Professor Li walked beside Liu Ming, looking at the young man with awe in his eyes. "We thought the country would abandon us... after all, this is a disputed area, the situation is too complicated."

"The nation never abandons any citizen."

Liu Ming stared at the mountain ridge ahead, her voice cold and hard.

"Some people want to use you as leverage. Some people want to use the underground minerals to strangle us. They think that as long as things are chaotic here and they are ruthless enough, we will back down."

Liu Ming sneered, a wild smile curving his lips.

"They've forgotten that this country was built inch by inch by our older generation. Our generation hasn't learned how to 'retreat' yet."

……

Three hours later.

The trees ahead gradually thinned out.

A white stone tablet, engraved with the national emblem and the words "Hua Guo" (meaning "China"), stands quietly in the dim light of dawn.

boundary marker.

Behind the stone tablet were rows of dark green military trucks, border guards on high alert, and a logistics and medical team waiting anxiously.

"arrive……"

"We're...back!"

The experts stared at the stone tablet and rushed over like madmen. They threw themselves onto the cold stone, kissing the inscriptions, weeping like children who had been lost and found.

Liu Ming stopped in her tracks.

He stood on the other side of the border, on that foreign land that he had just turned upside down.

He slowly removed his helmet, revealing a face smeared with paint, weary yet sharp-looking.

"salute--!"

On the other side of the boundary marker, Zhao Gang, the company commander of the border defense regiment, had bloodshot eyes and let out a hysterical roar.

"Whoosh—!"

Hundreds of border guards stood tall and straight, their right hands brushing across their eyebrows. It was the highest form of tribute to the triumphant warriors.

Liu Ming looked at the familiar military uniforms and the bright red flags.

He felt that his heart, which had been wandering for a whole year, had finally settled down.

He straightened his slightly wrinkled camouflage uniform.

He straightened his chest and put his legs together.

The moment the golden sunlight completely pierced through the clouds.

Facing the boundary marker, facing the motherland, facing those people who survived the catastrophe.

Liu Ming gave the most solemn and resolute military salute.

His gaze pierced through the thick fog, looking towards a more distant place—the capital, the location of those culprits still scheming for the fate of the nation in the shadows.

"Director Liu."

Zhao Gang stepped forward, his voice trembling with excitement, "Welcome home!"

Liu Ming lowered his right hand, a long-lost, gentle yet murderous smile appearing on his lips.

"Old Zhao."

"I've brought the person back."

"I've received the list too."

He patted the stack of gunpowder-stained documents in his arms, and deep in his eyes, a cold, eerie flame was burning fiercely.

"This battle has only just completed its first round."

"Erniu, get my suit ready."

"Tomorrow, I'm going to the ministry. To deliver some big news to some 'old friends'."

Before the boundary marker, the morning light shone brightly.

That tall, camouflage-clad figure stood out against the solemn backdrop of the national emblem.

It has become the most indestructible backbone of this land.

To uphold our national prestige, we will punish those who are far away.

This is not a slogan, this is Liu Ming's medal, stained with blood.