68: Chapter 68 The Appearance of a Soldier

"What?"

Colonel Chris's voice was filled with shock and suspicion.

He fell silent.

His first instinct was to believe Scorpion, because given Scorpion's capabilities, he could hold his own even in a direct confrontation with the Special Forces of Great Xia. This trust was built on years of formidable achievements and established authority.

"Could there be a mole within our ranks?"

Chris said grimly, "Damn it, Zhang Peng is crucial to us. Now that he's been captured again, Great Xia will guard him with an impenetrable defense. Getting him out again will be impossible."

Scorpion remained silent; now was not the time for him to speak.

After a long while, Colonel Chris finally said, "Come back quickly. We need to discuss this matter thoroughly!"

As the words fell.

Scorpion nodded, then hung up the phone. He steered the speedboat across the boundless sea, his eyes gradually darkening with intensity.

"Great Xia... and that man!"

Scorpion was still shaken with fear. Yang Han was the most terrifying Special Forces soldier he had ever encountered. To mount a desperate counterattack in such a situation was simply too formidable!

"We'll meet again!" Scorpion's eyes burned with extreme resentment. As a top-tier mercenary, how could he accept suffering such a humiliating defeat?

Scorpion vowed to exact revenge the next time he returned.

Great Xia, Southeast Military Region.

Wolf Fang Special Operations Brigade.

Old Gao's expression was icy as he surveyed the nearly hundred rookies before him—all candidates vying to become Special Forces.

Among the crowd were He Chenguang, Wang Yanbing, Li Erniu, and others. Not just them; Xu Tianlong, from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, and Song Kaifei, a former pilot, were also present.

Old Gao, holding a megaphone, boomed, "Welcome... to hell!"

Upon hearing this, many of the new recruits' pupils contracted sharply.

Because they had already undergone three days of intense training!

Those three days had severely broken the spirits of many. Each day, everyone's Physical Fitness was pushed to the absolute limit.

"I can sense that some among you are already on the verge of giving up."

"I know you are all elites, carefully selected from various units—outstanding individuals."

"But here, you are nothing!"

"The trials you must endure to become Special Forces far exceed your imagination. You think these three days of training are the peak? No, this is just the appetizer, the very beginning!"

Old Gao's cold words caused many recruits to pale; some wore expressions of bitter resignation.

The intensity of the past three days' training was already unbearable for many.

And now Old Gao was saying it was just the beginning?

Many hearts began to fill with panic.

The mere thought of enduring so many more days of hellish training... some started to waver internally.

Old Gao's eyes suddenly turned sharp as he roared, "Quit! Special Forces isn't for everyone! Return to your own companies. Isn't it better to be the elite, the genius of your unit? Why waste time here?"

After a moment, one person tremblingly said, "Instructor... I... I want to quit."

Old Gao said approvingly, "Good, a wise choice. You, place your helmet over there and leave!"

After that, several more chose to withdraw.

However, most only showed slight hesitation; they hadn't reached the point of quitting yet.

Old Gao sneered coldly. He knew it had only been a few days; the training intensity hadn't even peaked yet.

"Fine... so the rest of you aren't quitting, right?"

Old Gao's tone was icy as he was about to speak, but then he heard a voice from behind.

"Report!"

Old Gao was startled. The gazes of many recruits suddenly turned toward the speaker. In the crowd, He Chenguang, Wang Yanbing, and Li Erniu's eyes lit up.

"Isn't that Brother Han?"

"Whoa, what's he doing here?"

Old Gao turned around and saw Yang Han with a calm, faint smile. Instantly, his pupils contracted sharply.

"What are you doing here?!"

Old Gao barked.

"Uh..."

Yang Han shrugged and said, "I'm just here to look around, no big deal..."

"This is a Special Forces unit! It's not a place for you to just 'look around'!"

Old Gao roared, but then his phone suddenly rang loudly.

He had no choice but to answer the call first. It was He Zhijun calling personally.

"Wild Wolf, has Yang Han already arrived at your location?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"Hmm, his situation is rather special. Just let him stay on the sidelines. If he trains, let him train. If he doesn't, don't force him."

"Huh?" Old Gao's eyes widened. How could such a thing happen?

"Don't ask so many questions, just do as you're told! Understand? Treat him as if he's invisible!" He Zhijun said.

"This... this... alright, I understand."

After hanging up, Old Gao's expression was incredibly complex and bewildered.

How could this be?

Old Gao had initially thought Yang Han was joining midway to compete for a spot in the Wolf Fang Special Forces. But given the timing, he had every reason to refuse.

Yet He Zhijun's phone call had left him utterly confused!

This clearly wasn't about joining; otherwise, why would He Zhijun say not to bother Yang Han and let him decide whether to train or not?

"Um, I'll just watch from the sidelines, Instructor. Please, carry on as usual,"

Yang Han said with a light chuckle.

Old Gao's expression turned icy, and he fell silent.

"Who is that guy? He looks about our age but seems so arrogant!"

Song Kaifei muttered in the crowd, "He must be a new recruit too, right?"

Then, Old Gao bellowed, "Everyone!"

"Ten-kilometer loaded march, begin!"

Hearing this, many faces changed color.

This was deadly—another ten-kilometer loaded march. Their gear weighed over thirty pounds, and the ten-kilometer route through this training ground was all mountain trails—rugged, uneven, and littered with countless rocks. Many already had blistered and torn feet.

Old Gao really was trying to work them to death!

"Let's run, run!"

"Come on, move, or the instructor will blow his top again."

Many felt helpless but began the loaded march nonetheless.

As for Yang Han, he watched leisurely from the sidelines, even sitting down on the ground.

For him, this period was like a vacation.

Gao Shiwei had sent him to select teammates, but it felt more like he was here on a break.

After all, he wasn't even required to train!

"Damn, that guy actually sat down? He's not even running?"

"Who is he anyway? Why does he get to skip the run?"

Many recruits were baffled. Was Yang Han here just to fool around?

A sense of unfairness began to stir in the hearts of quite a few.

Song Kaifei snorted coldly, "Is he disabled or something? Sitting down just like that—does he even have the bearing of a soldier!"

}