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

The tranquility of the courtyard house in the early morning, which had just been permeated with the fragrance of orchids and tea, was completely shattered by a rapid, almost mournful ringing of a bell.

That wasn't an ordinary phone call.

That red, confidential internal line symbolizing top-level emergency authority.

Liu Ming was pruning a dead branch with scissors when she heard the bell, and her hand froze instantly. With a snap, a tender bud that shouldn't have been cut fell to the ground.

He didn't turn around, but just looked at his shadow at his feet. In that instant, his gaze transformed from a calm lake into a towering glacier.

"Old Liu, it's Hongji." Xi Wanqing ran out of the house, her face extremely pale, clutching the receiver tightly in her hand.

Liu Ming took a deep breath, put down the scissors, and strode over to take the phone.

"I am Liu Ming."

His voice was cold, so cold it was devoid of any warmth or human touch.

The voice on the other end of the receiver sounded shrill due to extreme anxiety. It was a current leader, and also one of Liu Ming's former subordinates, whose tone was filled with barely concealed panic.

"This is more than just a provocation." Liu Ming's knuckles, gripping the receiver tightly, were slightly white from the force. "This is a test of our bottom line."

Liu Ming fell silent.

He looked up at the old locust tree in the yard that blocked out the sky.

Five years had passed, and he thought he had laid a solid foundation for the country, allowing future generations to take over with peace of mind. But he ultimately underestimated the greed and madness of those wolves.

They are like sharks that have smelled blood; if you show even the slightest sign of peace or weakness, they will pounce on you without hesitation and tear your flesh apart.

"I see."

Liu Ming hung up the phone and turned her head away.

Xi Wanqing looked at him with a worried expression, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She knew that the gate to this courtyard house would probably be closed again today.

"Are you leaving again?" she asked softly, her tone devoid of resentment, only a sadness she had grown accustomed to.

Liu Ming stepped forward, gently cupped his wife's face, and placed a cool yet powerful kiss on her smooth forehead.

"When an old general takes the field, one is worth two."

Liu Ming forced a smile, then turned around.

The moment he turned around, the gentle, homely aura he exuded vanished completely. In its place was an astonishing ferocity, a chilling aura that could send shivers down the spines of the entire officialdom, a ferocity born from countless carnages.

"tank!"

"arrive!"

……

Half an hour later, in the top-secret operations conference room.

The air here is so heavy it feels like it's filled with lead, making it painful to even breathe.

Several current high-ranking officials sat around a huge electronic sand table, their faces etched with unprecedented anxiety and exhaustion. On the sand table, the red dots representing the enemy's carrier strike group were like sharp knives, pressed firmly against their vital passageways.

"We've already tried conventional diplomatic methods," the Foreign Minister said, rubbing his temples with sweat dripping down his face. "The other side is now completely illogical. They've even been openly clamoring in the international media that if we don't open up the underlying technology of quantum computing..."

"The financial markets are also reaching their breaking point." The Finance Minister's voice trembled as he looked at the plummeting indices on his phone. "Retail investors are panicking, and institutions are withdrawing funds. If strong countermeasures aren't implemented soon, the Shanghai market's accumulated wealth over the past five years could shrink by a third within a week!"

"We can't fight, and we can't make peace. It's a dead end!" A young general slammed his hand on the table in frustration.

Just then, the heavy soundproof door to the conference room was pushed open from the outside.

There was no announcement, no footsteps, only a chilling, suffocating pressure that instantly enveloped the entire venue.

The previously noisy discussion came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone turned to look at the doorway.

Liu Ming, wearing a black trench coat, walked in expressionlessly. He didn't go to the empty seat, but went straight to the huge electronic sand table.

He extended his slender finger and lightly flicked the most arrogant red dot, the sound so calm that everyone present felt their heart skip a beat.

"Three aircraft carriers and you think you can make China bow down?"

Liu Ming raised her head, her deep, black-hole-like eyes scanning the entire room.

Those high-ranking officials who usually stood alone, when they met his gaze, unconsciously lowered their heads, as if all their anxiety and fear had nowhere to hide under his gaze.

They suddenly remembered a fact.

The person sitting in front of them was not a simple civilian official.

He was once the only Asura of "Dragon Fang," a king of soldiers who fought his way out of the border jungle, and a national hero who personally buried a comprador era.

He was the last pillar of stability for this country.

"Mr. Liu... Mr. Liu, what do you think of this situation..." The old leader sitting at the head of the table said in a voice that was both expectant and helpless, "The usual script is no longer being played out by the other side."

"Since they don't want to act in the conventional script."

Liu Ming pulled up a chair and sat down casually. He took a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and tossed it onto the sand table.

There were no words on it, only an extremely complex structural diagram composed of some kind of special code.

"Then let's play a big game with them."

Liu Ming gave a cold laugh, and the curve of her lips sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

"Send a notification to Smith."

"Tell him that I have several 'maintenance plans' for their West Coast deep-sea nuclear fiber optic cables and I'd like to discuss them with him."

The entire room fell silent.

All eyes were on this man who had retired from the limelight but had once again descended upon the nation in a time of crisis, appearing invincible once more.

They knew that as long as he sat there, the sky wouldn't fall.

The minister swallowed hard, his voice trembling.

Liu Ming did not answer, but simply uttered four words.

"Go and prepare."