The Rise of a Special Forces Soldier Abandoned by a Wealthy Family

Two days later, at dawn.

Within the elite circles of Beijing, a piece of news, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirred up ripples, but no one could see the undercurrents beneath the surface.

Wu Jun, Chen Yifeng, Wu Chen, Wu Qian, Liu Sheng, and He Ziming—six people in total—were released quietly on the same day.

There were no police escorts, no media attention, and not even a formal "release notice".

Just as they had been quietly taken away before, they quietly returned to the sight of their respective families.

The military remained silent.

The inner palace was silent.

It was as if that shocking arrest that rocked the capital region and triggered a crackdown by top wealthy families had never happened.

This deliberate, almost eerie "calm" was more chilling and perplexing to those in the know than a thunderous rage.

The Wu family ancestral home, study.

The heavy rosewood door was tightly closed, providing excellent sound insulation; even the birdsong from the courtyard couldn't get in.

The air was filled with the mixed scents of old books and expensive agarwood, yet it couldn't suppress the heavy, almost solidified sense of oppression.

Wu Jun sat on a rosewood chair at the lower end of the table.

He had just been released and was still wearing the expensive but wrinkled suit he had worn when he was arrested.

The most glaring thing was his bald head.

In the soft indoor light, his scalp had a bluish-white sheen, and a dark red "death" scar that had not yet completely faded was still faintly visible, like a brand of shame.

His face was sallow, his eyes were sunken, and his lips were dry and cracked. In just a few days, he seemed to have aged ten years.

But those eyes—

It was cold and damp.

Like two bottomless, icy pools, their surfaces are calm and still, but deep within surges resentment, rage, and a near-distorted madness born from the utter trampling of dignity.

He placed his hands on his knees, seemingly proper, but his knuckles, clenched into fists, trembled slightly.

Mr. Wu Jingzhong sat in the main seat of the armchair.

He didn't look at his grandson's glaringly bald head, nor did he rush to ask any questions.

He simply gazed at Wu Jun with his old eyes, which had seen the vicissitudes of life but were now bloodshot and weary. They were calm yet penetrating.

His voice was old and hoarse as he recounted the massive upheaval that engulfed the capital after Wu Jun's capture, the astonishing scheme orchestrated by Zeng Xu and his grandson Zeng Linglong, and how the Wu, Chen, He, and Liu families gradually fell into the trap, ultimately suffering a crushing defeat and being forced to sever limbs to survive—

He recounted everything in great detail, with a calmness bordering on cruelty.

Every word was like a red-hot knife, viciously carving into Wu Jun's already bleeding wound!

Family influence waned! Political allies turned away! Years of hard work destroyed in an instant!

What he found most unbearable was that the face and dignity of the Wu family and himself, Wu Jun, were trampled underfoot by Zeng Xu and Zeng Linglong, like mud, repeatedly rubbed and crushed to pieces!

"Crunch... crunch..."

Wu Jun's teeth were making a soft, tooth-grinding grinding sound out of control.

Clenched fists, nails digging deep into palms, a sharp pain shot through them, but it was nothing compared to the burning, bone-deep hatred in their hearts!

When Mr. Wu finally mentioned that "Zeng Linglong... is the sole behind-the-scenes boss of Longyu Group"—

Wu Jun suddenly raised his head!

The coldness in his eyes was instantly replaced by incredulous shock and a deeper, volcanic eruption of resentment!

"Long Yu...is he his?!"

His voice was distorted and deformed by the extreme emotional impact, like sandpaper being rubbed:

"That business empire, worth trillions, with a nationwide presence, and which even we have to be wary of... was it all once owned by Linglong alone?!"

A strong sense of humiliation—being fooled and completely crushed—mixed with an even more urgent and reckless desire for revenge, instantly coiled around his heart like a poisonous vine, tightening its grip wildly!

He abruptly stood up from his chair, his chest heaving violently, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at his grandfather:

"Grandpa! Don't worry!"

"This humiliation...this blood feud!"

"Grandson...will surely repay!"

"What my Wu family has lost, I will make the Zeng family pay a hundredfold! The dignity that Wu Jun has lost, I will make Zeng Linglong—wash it away with his life!"

"I'm going back now! I want to..."

"sit down!"

Old Master Wu suddenly shouted, interrupting his outburst.

His voice carried the unquestionable authority of someone who had long held a high position, along with a hint of... hidden unease and scrutiny.

Wu Jun froze, panting heavily, and slowly sat back down in his chair, but the madness in his eyes did not subside.

Grandpa Wu slowly stood up, walked around the desk, and stood in front of Wu Jun.

He leaned forward slightly, narrowing his old eyes that had seen through the hearts and minds of countless people. His sharp, hawk-like gaze, like a searchlight, locked onto the depths of his grandson's pupils.

"Xiao Jun..."

His voice was low, yet possessed a penetrating power:

"Tell Grandpa..."

"Is there... something you're hiding from Grandpa? Something you're hiding from... the family?"

Old Master Wu paused, his gaze sharpening as if trying to peel away all of Wu Jun's pretense:

"Grandpa always feels... ever since you left the system and started working on your own..."

"It became more and more...something that Grandpa couldn't understand."

"You spend most of your time holed up in your fortified residence, rarely coming home or visiting this old man..."

His voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a questioning tone:

"What...are you...doing?"

boom--!

Wu Jun's heart felt as if it had been struck hard by a heavy hammer!

A chilling sensation shot straight up from my tailbone to the top of my head!

Grandpa's suspicions... were they really that deep?!

He forcibly suppressed the pounding in his heart, and quickly put on a slightly stiff but forcedly composed smile:

"Grandpa...you're overthinking it."

"Everything your grandson does... is, of course, for the greater prosperity of the family!"

He spoke faster, trying to persuade with "facts":

"Look, that private club I set up a few years ago... how many foreign royalty, political figures, celebrities, and elites from all walks of life gathered there?"

"Isn't this precisely building a top-tier network and resource channel for our Wu family?"

"Our family's influence has grown daily in recent years, and we have more and more followers. We have also always maintained the initiative in the distribution of political interests..."

"Isn't the grandson partly responsible for all of this?"

As Mr. Wu listened, the doubt on his face did not dissipate; instead, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

"Grandpa knows about these things."

"But what Grandpa doesn't understand is—"

His gaze was like a scalpel, cutting to the heart of the matter:

"Why did those arrogant foreign royalty and politicians choose you? Why did they favor you?"

"You've never had any deep interaction with these people throughout your life!"

"Now, you can not only drink and chat with them, but also be deeply bound to them in terms of interests, and even get them to speak up for the Wu family and provide them with conveniences..."

Old Master Wu's voice was filled with incomprehension and a deeper unease:

"This... is illogical."

"Everything went smoothly so far, and although Grandpa had some doubts, he didn't investigate further."

"But this attack on Zeng Linglong... made Grandpa feel that something was very strange about it!"

He stared intently into Wu Jun's eyes, not missing a single subtle change:

"Why did Zeng Linglong's men specifically target you few? And then release you without any evidence?"

"Neither the Imperial Household Agency nor the military has given a clear explanation yet... This is highly unusual!"

"And considering your... unusual behavior over the years..."

Old Master Wu slowly straightened up, his aged face filled with worry and sternness:

"Grandpa feels...you're hiding something!"

"Or... is there another... unseen hand manipulating things behind all this?"

"grandfather!"

Wu Jun immediately retorted, his voice sounding somewhat sharp due to his urgency:

"This is clearly Zeng Linglong using this as an excuse to retaliate!"

"Think about it, me, Chen Yifeng, and a few others... who among us didn't have a grudge or conflict with him?"

"Didn't Chen Yifeng also own a club? Wasn't he arrested too? I heard he was dragged away with a hood over his head!"

"This is clearly Zeng Linglong eliminating dissidents and settling personal scores!"

As Grandpa Wu listened to his grandson's explanation, the doubt in his eyes eased slightly, but his brows remained furrowed.

He paced back and forth a couple of times, finally stopping, letting out a heavy sigh, his tone becoming earnest, even pleading:

"Xiaojun... Grandpa has one last reminder for you."

"In China, when we close our doors and fight with the Zeng family and other families... that's internal political maneuvering, a struggle for interests, and an inevitable part of development!"

"Even if we exhaust all means, even if we are ultimately exposed, the worst outcome... is simply the decline of the family, but the roots remain!"

His voice suddenly became extremely serious, even carrying a hint of fear:

"But what if...foreign forces are involved!"

"Then the nature of it has completely changed!"

"That's treason! It's utter ruin! It means the entire family... from top to bottom, from old to young, will be nailed to the pillar of historical shame, never to be redeemed again—a capital offense!"

Grandpa Wu gripped Wu Jun's shoulder tightly, so tightly that Wu Jun felt pain.

"But you must never... have even the slightest thought or action that would involve you with those malicious forces abroad!"

"otherwise……"

Old Master Wu didn't finish speaking, but the heaviness and despair in his unfinished words made Wu Jun's heart tremble violently.

He lowered his head, avoiding his grandfather's piercing gaze, and answered in a deep but "firm" voice:

"Grandpa...don't worry."

"Grandson...knows what's important."