readease Chapter 50: The Exercise Ends
Chapter 50: The Exercise Ends
At 7:10 PM, at the exercise headquarters.
General Li and several other generals were having dinner in the dining hall when suddenly the operations duty officer rushed in, his face strange: "Sir! Something...something's happened!"
"What's the panic?" General Li put down his chopsticks. "What could possibly go wrong in an exercise?"
"The Red Team (Northwest) missile battalion has launched six simulated missiles at its own command post! The Blue Team (Southwest) did the same! Both command posts... have just been declared completely destroyed!"
The restaurant fell silent instantly.
The generals looked at each other, then simultaneously turned to General Li.
General Li paused for two seconds, then suddenly laughed: "These two lads... they've really pulled off a shrewd move."
He got up and walked towards the operations room, the others quickly following. On the large screen, the two blue dots representing the Northwest and Southwest command posts had turned into glaring red "X" marks, with the words "Destroyed" marked next to them.
The icons representing the missile positions of both sides are being marked as "targets"—because the southwestern army air formation has arrived overhead and begun simulating an attack.
"Was the Army Aviation Corps also their doing?" a major general asked.
"Besides those two 'Hidden Dragons' kids, who else could it be?" General Li stared at the screen, his eyes full of admiration. "Using a command system that is paralyzed but not completely destroyed to forge orders and make the enemy kill each other... That's a brilliant idea."
As they were talking, a new warning popped up in the corner of the screen: a "massive explosion" had occurred at the Southwest Military Region Army Aviation Base, and four armed helicopters and their associated facilities were deemed "total loss".
At this point, the main combat forces of both sides in the exercise—command systems, missile units, and army aviation—were all wiped out within just twenty minutes.
"The exercise can end now," General Li said to the duty officer. "Notify the referee team that the exercise has been terminated early. Both the Red and Blue teams... have lost."
"So the winner is..." the staff officer asked cautiously.
General Li smiled: "What do you think?"
At 8 p.m., two military off-road vehicles drove into the compound of the exercise headquarters, one after the other.
Lin Zhe and Long Ya got out of the car almost simultaneously. They exchanged a glance and saw similar exhaustion and a hint of relief on each other's faces.
"Having fun?" Longya grinned.
"Not bad." Lin Zhe picked up his backpack. "How many planes did you bomb in the end?"
"Four. And you?"
"Same."
The two walked side by side toward the command building. The guards at the entrance saw the special "Hidden Dragon" armbands on their shoulders and immediately saluted to let them pass.
In the operations room, General Li and several other generals were already waiting. Seeing the two enter, General Li waved them over: "Come, come, our 'hero' is back."
Lin Zhe and Long Ya stood at attention and saluted: "Commander!"
"No need, no need." General Li waved his hand, looking at them with amusement. "The exercise isn't officially over yet, why are you two back already?"
Lin Zhe calmly replied, "Reporting to the commander, we believe the exercise will end soon, so we are withdrawing ahead of schedule."
"Oh?" General Li raised an eyebrow. "So confident? Jiang Tao and Chen Jianfeng still have quite a few troops under their command."
Longya chimed in, "Commander, no matter how many troops you have, without heads, they're just a flock of lambs to the slaughter."
As soon as the words were spoken, a new system broadcast popped up on the big screen:
"The exercise is terminated. The Red Force (Northwest Military Region) command post, missile battalion, and army aviation squadron are deemed to be completely destroyed. The Blue Force (Southwest Military Region) command post, missile battalion, and army aviation base are deemed to be completely destroyed. Both sides have lost their ability to continue combat. The exercise ends prematurely."
The broadcast was repeated three times.
The operations room was silent for a few seconds, then several generals chuckled suppressedly.
A lieutenant general shook his head: "Jiang Tao and Chen Jianfeng... are probably still in a daze. How did their own missiles suddenly hit their heads?"
"That's not all," another major general laughed. "Our own planes went and bombed our own missile sites, and when they came back, the airfield was bombed too. This way of dying... is too humiliating."
General Li looked at Lin Zhe and Long Ya, his eyes full of admiration: "Tell me, how did you do it?"
Lin Zhe briefly reported the process: hacking into the command system, forging instructions, planting bombs, and instigating infighting. With each step he explained, the generals' eyes lit up.
After he finished speaking, General Li sighed deeply: "You two... this is too much of a blow. Jiang Tao and Chen Jianfeng died—no, died in battle—without even knowing how they died, without even seeing your faces. They'll remember this lesson for the rest of their lives."
Longya chuckled: "Commander, isn't this exactly the effect you wanted? Let them know how much a single person can change the course of a battle in modern warfare."
"That's right." General Li nodded, his expression turning serious. "This exercise exposed many problems. The command system is too fragile, the anti-infiltration capabilities are insufficient, and the troops rely too heavily on traditional hierarchical command structures... These are all things that need to be changed. But the most important thing is—"
He looked at Lin Zhe and Long Ya: "You have proven the value of 'Hidden Dragon'. One person can indeed be worth an army."
Outside the window, the night was already deep.
The exercise has ended, but the shock and reflection it brought are only just beginning.
The officers and soldiers of the Northwest and Southwest Military Regions, especially the proud special forces soldiers, will forever remember this day—they were beaten so badly by two men that they were powerless to fight back and didn't even get a clear look at their opponents' faces.
After reporting, Lin Zhe and Long Ya quietly left the operations room.
They don't need applause or recognition. Completing the task is the best reward.
The two met again in the parking lot.
"Back to base?" Longya asked.
"Hmm." Lin Zhe opened the car door. "The Dragon King will probably have a debriefing meeting."
The car started and drove out of the compound. In the rearview mirror, the lights of the headquarters gradually disappeared into the distance.
Longya suddenly said, "By the way, Jiang Tao and Chen Jianfeng are coming to headquarters tomorrow to give a debriefing report. Want to stay and watch?"
Lin Zhe thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Forget it. It would only make things awkward if I saw it."
"True," Longya chuckled. "Those two old bastards are probably seething with anger right now. But..."
He paused, then said seriously, "After this exercise, the status of our 'Hidden Dragon' in the military should be different."
Lin Zhe looked out the window at the rapidly receding night view and softly hummed in agreement.
He knew that from this day forward, many of the Dragon Kingdom's military's concepts would have to change.
He and his comrades will continue to move forward to complete more arduous tasks and face even stronger enemies.