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

The Great Wall at Badaling, bathed in the blood-red sunset.

Like a giant gray dragon, it winds and coils above the towering mountains. The autumn wind sweeps across the ancient beacon tower, carrying a touch of the desolation of the northern frontier, yet it is melted away by the warmth of the myriad lights of the homes below.

The Great Wall had already been cleared out in advance, and apart from the Dragon Shield Special Forces who were secretly deployed and hidden like ghosts, there was no one else in the entire scenic area.

Liu Ming stood alone on the high beacon tower. He was not wearing his awe-inspiring dark Zhongshan suit, nor the special operations uniform that had once made him kill countless enemies. He was simply wearing a black trench coat, the hem of which fluttered in the long wind.

He leaned against the weathered brickwork, his gaze sweeping over the rolling mountains and down at the vast, boundless land of Kyushu.

Looking into the distance, the industrial smog that once blotted out the sky is gone.

Driven by fusion energy, the sky in the city is a pure blue, and the maglev train tracks, like silver veins, speed through the city; in the distance, from the spaceport launch base, an extremely dazzling white tail flame occasionally shoots through the clouds and pierces the sky.

That's China's new generation of deep space exploration ships, transporting supplies to the lunar base.

Prosperity, flourishing.

This land, once ravaged by war and trampled underfoot by foreign powers, now stands at the pinnacle of human civilization, a position that commands the world's admiration.

"Are you cold?"

A coat with a faint orchid fragrance was gently draped over Liu Ming's shoulders.

Xi Wanqing had somehow walked onto the beacon tower. She still had that aloof and stunningly beautiful appearance, but her eyes and brows now held a gentle grace that came with the passage of time.

"It's not cold."

Liu Ming reached out and took her soft hands, which were slightly cool from the wind, in his palm and gently stroked them.

"Why weren't you waiting for me downstairs?"

"Seeing you standing here all alone, your back looks so lonely."

Xi Wanqing leaned on his shoulder and followed his gaze. "What's wrong? You've cleaned up the world so well that those foreigners tremble at the mere mention of your name. In this prosperous era, why are you, the greatest contributor, sighing?"

Liu Ming did not answer immediately. His fingers gently stroked the rough blue brick. The cold touch made his thoughts fly back to that rainy night more than ten years ago.

On that stormy night, beneath the cold, dark apartment building housing the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, he held his father's already cold, mangled body. His mother wept uncontrollably beside him, but he couldn't shed a single tear.

At that time, he was just a teenager who had just received his acceptance letter from Imperial College London. He didn't understand politics, he didn't know what the "Change of the Sun" was, and he didn't understand the ruthless monsters hiding in the shadows.

He only remembered that a week before the accident, his father had taken him for a walk at the foot of the Great Wall.

"Xiao Ming."

That was the clearest memory his father left him. His father pointed to the winding Great Wall, his eyes filled with deep worry and resentment.

"The Great Wall blocked the cavalry of ancient times, but it couldn't stop the capital and technological blockade of today. Our country's backbone is still too weak. There are always people who want to make money on their knees and sell our backbone to foreigners."

"Dad may never live to see the day when our country truly stands tall."

"But you're different. You want to go out and see the world's most advanced technology and the cruelest rules. And then... come back."

Even if it's a dead end, you have to fight your way out.

……

A gust of autumn wind blew by, and Liu Ming's eyes had become slightly moist without her noticing.

Over the past decade, he rose from an ordinary clerk to the top leader of the High-tech Zone, from purging the corrupt officials in Jiangnan Province to overthrowing the ultimate mole entrenched in the central government, from breaking through the West's technological blockade to turning an enemy country's aircraft carrier fleet into scrap metal with space-based weapons.

He has killed people, shed blood, borne infamy, and stood at the pinnacle of power.

"I did it."

Liu Ming murmured softly, her voice hoarse, yet filled with an unprecedented sense of relief.

"What's wrong?"

Xi Wanqing noticed his unusual mood and looked at him with some concern.

"It's nothing."

Liu Ming took a deep breath, forcing back the warmth in his eyes. He turned to look at Xi Wanqing and gave her a relieved and radiant smile.

"I was just thinking."

"If my dad could still stand here now, seeing all these spaceships filling the sky, seeing this Kyushu where no one dares to bully us anymore."

"He must be so proud."

Xi Wanqing gripped his hand tightly in return, her eyes slightly reddening.

He will be very proud of you.

"All the people of Kyushu are proud of you."

Just then, a silvery laugh came from below the stone steps of the city wall.

"Master! Sister Wanqing! What are you two whispering about up there?"

Lin Xiaoxiao darted up like a monkey, holding a string of bright red candied hawthorns in her hand, her mouth full of sugar crumbs.

Following behind was Nangong Yao, panting heavily in high heels.

"Oh my god, this lousy Great Wall is killing me... Liu Ming! You heartless bastard, we're down here preparing for a picnic, and you're up here pretending to be all high and mighty!"

Looking at these three women who were willing to give up everything for him and to go crazy and wild with him in this era, Liu Ming smiled.

It was a smile that came from shedding all burdens and washing away all pretense, the purest kind of smile.

"Here it comes, here it comes."

Liu Ming opened her arms and embraced Lin Xiaoxiao, who rushed over, and Nangong Yao, who walked over. Xi Wanqing also smiled and leaned over.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the figures of the four people on this ancient Great Wall intertwine to form the most perfect picture.

"Liu Ming, where do we go next?"

Nangong Yao leaned against him, asking languidly, "Should we go on vacation to that island in the Pacific, or go to Europe to inspect our newly purchased winery?"

Liu Ming looked at the lights of countless homes gradually lighting up in the distance, lights that represented the laughter and joy of countless families and the peaceful dreams of countless children.

He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of this land, feeling the heartbeat of this peaceful and prosperous era.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Liu Ming's voice was soft, yet it carried a firmness that could transcend the years.

"At home."

"I'll stay with you."

In his heart, facing the boundless sky and the figure that collapsed in the rainy night, he silently uttered his last words of comfort.

"dad."

"This is a peaceful and prosperous era."

"As you wish."