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

A winter snowfall arrived quietly, covering the solemn red walls and green tiles of the city with a layer of holy silver-white.

Beneath this tranquil, snow-covered landscape, the heart of China is like boiling magma, with undercurrents surging. For the historic moment that will determine the course of the next five, even ten years—the leadership transition election—has entered its final countdown.

The entire city was in a state of panic, with various warlords flocking into the city and all sorts of rumors spreading wildly within and outside the city walls.

In this power reshuffling that can be described as a battle of gods, there is one name that stands like an insurmountable mountain, pressing down on the heads of all competitors.

Liu Ming!

The 37-year-old Party Secretary of Haishi is the most sought-after candidate for leadership!

"Are you crazy? Entering the game at thirty-seven? That's a speed that even a rocket couldn't catch! Has there ever been such a precedent in the history of the country?"

Inside the Chang'an Club, several powerful second-generation elites were gathered together. Amidst the swirling smoke, the shock and envy in their voices were unmistakable.

"Precedent? Rules are made by people. Don't you see what they've done in Hai City in the past five years!" A second-generation rich kid wearing gold-rimmed glasses took a deep drag on his cigar, his tone complicated. "He withstood the Western blockade and developed a 3-nanometer lithography machine; he personally killed a high-ranking tiger like Zheng Desheng; he managed to suppress Hai City's housing prices by 30%, and even brought its GDP to the top in the world."

Any one of these cards alone would be enough for someone to brag about for a lifetime. They have a royal flush; what do you have to compare?

"Yes," another person chimed in. "I've heard that not only do the bigwigs at the top value him, but what's even more terrifying is his incredibly solid grassroots support. Just look online; ordinary people practically want to build a shrine to him. The will of the people is with him; the tide has turned."

That's right, public opinion.

In this information-saturated era, the considerations of the top leadership are no longer limited to internal seniority and factional balance. A leader with extremely high national prestige and the ability to unite the entire nation is precisely what China, at this historical turning point, urgently needs.

All parties are watching and assessing the situation in secret.

Those remaining forces who had suffered at Liu Ming's hands no longer even dared to sabotage him behind his back. They knew that facing a lion that had grown fangs and won the cheers of the entire nation, any small action would only invite annihilation.

However, Liu Ming, who was at the center of the public opinion storm, did not go around making connections or build relationships.

As soon as he got off the plane, he turned down all dinners and visits. He didn't even have time to go back to his courtyard house to see Xi Wanqing. He took the tank and rushed to the most heavily guarded Xishan Hospital.

Because Old Lin is critically ill.

Outside the intensive care unit, the air was thick with the smell of disinfectant and a suffocating sense of desolation.

Several high-ranking generals, their eyes red and swollen like children who had lost their leader, paced anxiously back and forth in the corridor. When they saw the man in the black overcoat, covered in snow, striding towards them, everyone instinctively stopped and made way for him.

"Secretary Liu, you've finally arrived." Old Master Lin's private physician greeted him, his voice choked with emotion. "The leader suddenly fell into a coma last night and it took several hours of resuscitation to stabilize him. The first thing he said after waking up was to see you. He's holding on and waiting for you right now."

Liu Ming's heart clenched suddenly, as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

He didn't speak, but nodded heavily, took off his snow-covered coat and threw it to the tank, then pushed open the heavy glass door.

The ward was quiet, with only the monotonous and cold "beep" sounds from various medical instruments.

The once imposing pillar of the military, who stood tall on the parade ground and fiercely rebuked his ministers at the Red Wall Conference, now resembled a withered piece of wood, weakly slumped on a snow-white hospital bed.

He wore an oxygen mask and had tubes inserted all over his body. His once sharp, eagle-like eyes were now cloudy and murky.

Even heroes grow old; this is the cruelest law of the world.

"Old Lin..."

Liu Ming walked to the bedside, feeling as if something was blocking his throat, his voice terribly hoarse. He slowly knelt before the bed, grasping the dry, cold hand that had once sheltered him from the wind and rain, and held up the sky for him.

Upon hearing Liu Ming's voice, the old man on the hospital bed slightly twitched his eyelids.

He struggled to open his eyes and, through the fog of his oxygen mask, made out the tall figure standing before the bed. A strange glint suddenly flashed in the old man's eyes, as if in a final burst of energy before death.

He raised his hand tremblingly, gesturing for the doctor to remove his oxygen mask.

The doctor hesitated for a moment, but under the old man's unyielding gaze, he carefully complied.

"Xiao Ming...you're back."

Old Lin's voice was extremely weak, like a wisp of smoke that could be blown away by the wind at any moment. He gripped Liu Ming's hand tightly, his fingertips icy cold, yet he used tremendous force.

"I'm back, Mr. Lin. I've sorted things out in Haishi and am back safe and sound." Liu Ming forced back the tears welling up in her eyes and tried her best to keep her voice steady.

"Alright...alright." The old man forced a smile through his withered lips. "I knew it, this sharp knife of yours...wouldn't let me down."

He took a few breaths, and his eyes suddenly became unusually serious, even revealing an almost obsessive fanaticism.

"Xiao Ming...you're aware of the situation outside, aren't you?"

Liu Ming nodded. "With the leadership transition imminent, everyone is waiting for the final list."

"No need to wait."

Old Lin gripped Liu Ming's hand tightly, and a final glimmer of light shone in his cloudy eyes, as if he wanted to pour all his life's beliefs and unfinished work into the soul of the young man before him.

"The old guys in the central leadership already had a meeting yesterday."

The old man's breathing became rapid, each gasp like the pulling of a broken bellows, but he still strained to say, word by word:

"Your name... has already been submitted. Committee member... a big shot!"

Liu Ming was startled.

Even though he was mentally prepared, when Old Lin uttered those three words, the overwhelming weight of the words still made him feel suffocated.

A 37-year-old veteran.

This is not an honor; it is carrying the future of the entire nation on one's shoulders!

"Old Lin, I am still inexperienced, this responsibility..."

"Shut up!"

Suddenly, Old Lin unleashed a burst of power from who-knows-where, sternly interrupting Liu Ming's words.

"What qualifications? In the face of national survival, all those rules and regulations are utter nonsense!"

The old man coughed violently, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth. Liu Ming was alarmed and immediately tried to call a doctor, but Old Lin held her back tightly.

"Let me finish!" The old man's eyes were like two burning torches, fixed on Liu Ming. "For the past five years, we old bones have risked our lives to pave the way for you! To shield you from open and hidden attacks! Now, the road is paved, and the sun has risen. We... we should retire."

The old man's eyes reddened, and two streams of tears slid down his cheeks.

He looked at Liu Ming, his eyes filled with endless expectation and entrustment.

"Xiao Ming, this world is far from peaceful. Those wolves in the West have only been hurt by you; they're not all dead yet. The scum within our own country are still lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance to retaliate. This country needs a leader who dares to draw his sword, who can kill, and who still has the people's well-being in his heart!"

"We old folks are no longer up to the task; we don't have the energy or the ruthlessness anymore."

Old Lin held Liu Ming's hand tightly, pulled him closer, and spoke in Liu Ming's ear in a hoarse, almost pleading voice.

"Go."

"Xiao Ming, go take over the shift."

"Take this country and go on the road that we couldn't finish walking back then..."