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

With a "bang," the heavy wooden door of the conference room slammed shut behind the young people, but the sound was like a heavy hammer, continuing to pound on the hearts of the remaining "returned overseas" executives.

The tragic fate of Levitt, who was immediately banished to the grassroots, became the sharpest guillotine hanging over their heads.

They had prepared a whole host of eloquent speeches, intending to show off their "Wall Street thinking" to Liu Ming, but now they were all like wilted eggplants, silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Liu Ming sat upright in the main seat. He did not rush to speak, but instead used his calm yet penetrating gaze to slowly sweep over their pale, sweat-drenched faces.

This silent oppressive feeling was even more terrifying than the thunderous rage just now.

"Do you think I'm autocratic? An unreasonable old-fashioned person?"

Liu Ming put down the teacup, the ceramic bottom striking the mahogany table with a crisp sound. The sound wasn't loud, but it made the young men tremble and instinctively want to shake their heads in denial.

"Don't rush to deny it. I'm not much older than you. I know exactly what you're thinking."

Liu Ming leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the table—a signature gesture when he was thinking.

"You spent several years studying abroad, learning a bunch of fancy financial models and economic theories. You think that as long as you fill in the data and the computer does the calculations, the world is yours."

"You think that as long as you have the technological advantage, you can just sweep through like playing a video game."

Liu Ming's gaze gradually deepened, as if piercing through the walls of the conference room and seeing that distant and cruel past.

"You are wrong."

"Completely wrong."

He stood up and walked to the holographic projection where Levitt had just stood. Without touching the complex charts, he simply turned around and looked directly at the group of "fresh blood" from the country.

"The things in books can't save the country. The so-called 'universal rules' and 'business logic' written by Westerners in their books are traps tailored to keep us at the bottom of the industrial chain forever."

"Do you think they'll obediently follow the rules they set?"

Liu Ming sneered, her tone carrying a chilling, bloodthirsty undertone.

"When they win, they talk to you about free trade; when they lose, they play the sanctions game, the blockade game, and even... the death game."

"In a true battle for national destiny, there are no gentle negotiations. Only life-or-death struggles!"

Liu Ming pulled open the collar of her dark blue jacket, which she wore year-round.

Through the slightly open gap in his white shirt, a dark red, grotesque scar, resembling a centipede, stretched from his collarbone deep into his chest.

That was a mark left by a heavy machine gun bullet fired by foreign mercenaries in Death Valley years ago, when I was protecting geologists. It was less than two centimeters from my heart.

Upon seeing the scar, the young executives' eyes widened instantly, their pupils contracting sharply.

They were all born with a silver spoon in their mouths, raised in a greenhouse, the pride of heaven. Where had they ever seen such terrifying traces left by real fighting and walking on the edge of death?

"Do you know what this is?"

Liu Ming pointed to the scar, her voice low and deep, yet resonating like a great bell in the conference room.

"This is a lesson learned in blood."

"True victory is never achieved by creating a few fancy PowerPoint presentations or by typing on a keyboard in an air-conditioned room."

"Only after rolling on the edge of a knife and crawling through piles of dead bodies will you know how terrible the price we have to pay to protect this land and to prevent our people from being bullied again."

"You want to win?"

Liu Ming suddenly took a step forward, and her overwhelming aura instantly engulfed the young people.

"Then drop your hypocritical 'gentlemanly manners'! Throw all that garbage theory you learned abroad down the toilet and flush it away!"

"The first thing you must learn in this position is to be like a hungry wolf, biting the enemy's throat tightly and never letting go until they are completely suffocated!"

Dead silence filled the conference room; apart from heavy breathing, there was no other sound.

The pride and disdain in the eyes of those young executives had been completely shattered, replaced by a deep, soul-stirring tremor and awe.

They finally understood why this man before them was able to single-handedly propel the once impoverished and weak Dragon Kingdom to the pinnacle of the world.

Why do even the most old-fashioned generals unconsciously straighten their backs when his name is mentioned?

Because he was not only an exceptionally brilliant strategist, but also a madman who dared to gamble his life for the country.

"Mr. Liu..."

A young cadre wearing gold-rimmed glasses stood up, his voice trembling. He no longer used those flowery words, nor did he mention any Western theories.

He walked up to Liu Ming and bowed deeply and solemnly, bending over at an angle of more than ninety degrees.

"Been taught a lesson."

Immediately afterwards, the second and third place winners, and the remaining young executives, all stood up and bowed deeply to Liu Ming in unison.

They didn't speak, but their straight backs and clenched fists said it all.

They were completely convinced.

Looking at the group of young people with their heads down, Liu Ming's coldness gradually faded, turning into a barely perceptible sense of relief.

He knew that although these young people were proud and somewhat theoretical, they still had the passion of Chinese people flowing in their veins. He just needed to break through their superficial "returnees" facade.

They will remain the strongest foundation for the future of this country.

"Alright, everyone, raise your heads."

Liu Ming waved his hand, pulled his jacket collar back up, walked back to the main seat, and picked up the chipped teacup.

"It's not too late to know where you went wrong."

"Next, I'm going to give you a task."

Liu Ming looked at them, a familiar, aggressive smile curling at the corners of her lips.

"Livest was right about something he just said: our advantage in the field of quantum communication is overwhelming."

"Since we can't build base stations directly in their homes."

"Then let's try a different game."

Liu Ming pulled up a map of global ocean fiber optic cable distribution on the holographic screen.

"You guys take the lead in setting up a special task force to develop a plan for me. I want to use our quantum encryption technology to 'upgrade' the security of all submarine communication cables around the world."

"Remember, the upgrade is free, but the underlying protocol must use our Dragon Kingdom's standards."

Upon hearing this, the young executives were taken aback at first, then their eyes lit up!

Free upgrades? A monopoly on the underlying protocol? This is fucking ridiculous...

Isn't this like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, secretly and unknowingly seizing the world's communication lifeline into the hands of the Chinese nation?

This move is a hundred times more insidious and domineering than building base stations directly!

"clear!"

Several young people, their faces flushed with excitement, loudly accepted the order.

Watching them rush out of the conference room like they were on steroids, Chen Momo couldn't help but laugh.

"Director, you're not just teaching them a lesson, you're digging a hole for them. These kids probably won't get a good night's sleep for the next three months."

Liu Ming took a sip of tea and smiled faintly.

"Jade must be carved to become a useful object. If we don't push them to the brink, how will they know how hard it is to make a living?"

He gazed out the window at the cloudless sky, his eyes deep and distant.

Although the years have left fine lines around his eyes, he knows it.

The teeth of this fierce tiger have not become dull; on the contrary, they have been tempered by the trials and tribulations of the past ten years.

It's been sharpened... to be even sharper.