Rebirth in the Dragon Kingdom: The Strongest Blade

Chapter 92 The Hero Returns

Beijing Capital International Airport, Jinghua City.

At 3 p.m., it was peak time for flight takeoffs and landings. The waiting hall was bustling with activity, passengers dragging their suitcases back and forth, and flight information was constantly being broadcast over the loudspeakers.

Suddenly, a piercing siren blared as it approached.

More than a dozen military green off-road vehicles roared into the airport's internal passageway and drove directly to the tarmac. After the vehicles stopped, the doors opened quickly, and hundreds of fully armed soldiers jumped out.

"Attention! Line up!"

At the officer's command, the soldiers quickly lined up, dispersed, and formed a tight perimeter. They wore camouflage combat uniforms, carried assault rifles, and their expressions were serious and vigilant.

"What happened?"

"Why are there so many soldiers all of a sudden?"

The passengers in the departure hall were startled and rushed to the floor-to-ceiling windows, peering out curiously. Some raised their phones to take pictures, only to discover—

"Huh? Why is my phone out of signal?"

"Mine's gone too!"

"The Wi-Fi is down too!"

Almost simultaneously, cell phone and Wi-Fi signals were completely cut off throughout the airport area. Several young people tried to record videos with their phones, but soldiers immediately rushed over.

"Comrade, please do not take photos or videos." The soldier's voice was polite, but firm.

"Why? This is a public place..." a middle-aged man wearing glasses protested.

The soldier offered no explanation, only repeating, "Please cooperate."

The middle-aged man wanted to argue further, but his companion pulled him back: "Old Li, let it go, look at this situation..."

Indeed, this is quite unusual.

On the tarmac, soldiers spread out in standard tactical formations, blocking all entrances and exits. Several armored vehicles could be seen in the distance, towards the control tower. This was no longer ordinary security; it was a state of emergency, the highest level of martial law.

"My goodness, who are they picking up?"

"Could it be a visiting foreign head of state?"

"No way. Foreign heads of state usually have ceremonial motorcades when they visit; they don't just deploy troops and impose martial law like this..."

The travelers were buzzing with discussion, offering all sorts of speculations. But no one complained—the performance of the Chinese military in recent years during border conflicts and disaster relief efforts had earned the people's absolute trust. Everyone knew that the military must have had compelling reasons for doing what it did.

Several elderly people sat on the benches, calmly looking out the window.

"Judging from this, it seems they've brought our hero back," said an elderly man with gray hair.

"A hero?" the middle-aged woman next to me asked.

"Who else could it be? Those who risk their lives for the country abroad." The old man's eyes shone. "My son is in the army, and he said recently..."

Before he finished speaking, the woman understood, nodded, and didn't ask any more questions.

Outside the airport, in a black sedan bearing a Central Military Commission license plate, Major General Zhang Mingyuan, the head of the Intelligence Department, looked at his watch and said into his communicator, "Reporting to the commander, everything is ready. Satellite jamming has been activated; all non-our signals within a 20-kilometer radius have been interfered with."

General Liu Zhenguo's voice came through the communicator: "Good. Remember, not a single clear photograph can be leaked. The true appearance of the Qianlong team members is a top state secret."

"clear!"

The roar of airplanes echoed in the sky.

A white special plane without any markings pierced through the clouds and descended slowly. Its flight path was unusual—it didn't follow the usual approach route, but instead cut directly in from the northwest, avoiding all possible surveillance angles.

The plane landed smoothly on the runway, taxied, and finally came to a stop in the center of the tarmac surrounded by soldiers.

Several military off-road vehicles immediately drove up to the side of the plane.

The hatch opened.

The first to step forward was Lin Zhe. He wore a black mask and ordinary training uniform, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. Even through the mask, his aura of someone who had faced life and death made the soldiers present instinctively straighten their backs.

Next are Dragon Fang, Dragon Claw, Dragon Shadow, Dragon Thorn, Dragon Sunshine, Dragon Flame, and Dragon Eye.

Eight people, all wearing masks, their faces obscured. But as they descended the gangway, their steps were steady and their movements coordinated, as if one person had become eight shadows.

There was no welcoming ceremony, no speeches. The eight people walked quickly to the SUV, opened the door, and got in.

The whole process took less than a minute.

The doors closed, and the convoy immediately started moving. Soldiers quickly boarded the vehicles, the cordon closed, and all vehicles orderly drove away from the tarmac.

From the moment the private jet landed to the moment the convoy departed, the entire process took less than five minutes.

The moment the convoy drove out of the airport, the passengers' cell phone signals were restored in the waiting hall.

"Huh? There's a signal!"

"What just happened?"

"Quick, check the news, see if it's been reported..."

However, there was absolutely no news about this on any news websites or social media. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

The young people who had been about to take photos suddenly realized something. They looked at each other and tacitly deleted the blurry photos from their phones.

Some things are better left unsaid.

Some heroes don't need to be famous.

Qianlong Base, in the western suburbs of Beijing.

The base's tarmac was now packed with people.

At the very front stood the Dragon King and the Dragon Head, but they stood ramrod straight, like soldiers awaiting inspection.

Behind them stood General Liu Zhenguo, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission; General Zhao Tiesheng, Chief of the General Staff; Lieutenant General Li Jianguo, Minister of the General Armaments Department… a group of generals, their star badges gleaming in the sunlight.

Further away, all the Qianlong team members and staff at the base were lined up and waiting. No one spoke; the entire helipad was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.

The convoy drove into the base and stopped in front of the tarmac.

The car door opened, and Lin Zhe and the other eight people got out.

When they saw the scene before them, they were all stunned for a moment.

General Liu Zhenguo was the first to step forward. He didn't say anything, but simply stood at attention, raised his hand, and gave the eight men a standard military salute.

Then, General Zhao Tiesheng, Lieutenant General Li Jianguo... all the generals and all the soldiers saluted at the same time.

Hundreds of people moved in perfect unison, the sound of their sleeves rubbing together like a gust of wind.

Lin Zhe and the other eight realized what was happening and immediately stood at attention to return the salute.

After the ceremony, Liu Zhenguo stepped forward and shook hands with each of the eight people. When he shook hands with Lin Zhe, the sixty-something-year-old general's eyes reddened.

"It's good that you're back...it's good that you're back..." His voice choked with emotion. "You have no idea how we old men have gotten through this time..."

Zhao Tiesheng also came over and patted Lin Zhe on the shoulder forcefully: "Good lad! You led your team to raid the most core laboratory in the United States! This is something I can brag about for the rest of my life!"

Li Jianguo was even more excited and gave Lin Zhe a bear hug: "Lin Zhe, Lin Zhe! Our experts went crazy after seeing the data you sent back! They say it can accelerate our technology by at least five years! Five years!"

The other generals also gathered around, surrounding the eight men. These usually dignified generals were now like children returning home after a long separation, so excited that they were incoherent.

The Dragon King and the Dragon Head stood on the periphery, watching this scene, and smiled at each other.

"Let's go, don't just stand here," said the Dragon King. "The meeting room is ready; let's listen to their stories of the journey."

The base's conference room.

The long conference table was laden with fruit, snacks, and tea, but no one touched it. Everyone was listening intently to Lin Zhe's report.

"...So in the end, we forced our way through from the Black Song border. The Black Song army set up checkpoints, but they couldn't stop us." Lin Zhe smiled as he said this, "Before leaving, we left them some 'souvenirs'—a power grid failure, data corruption, and an armory fire. Not much, but enough to keep them busy for a while."

A soft laugh rippled through the conference room.

"Well done!" Liu Zhenguo slammed his hand on the table. "That's exactly how it should be! Let them know that helping the US against us comes at a price!"

"Later, Heige extended an olive branch to us through diplomatic channels," Longshou added, "saying that something like this would never happen again."

"That's because they're scared," Zhao Tiesheng sneered. "One member of the Qianlong team could turn their world upside down. This time there are eight. We don't have time to deal with them. Otherwise, could they handle it?"

Li Jianguo was concerned about the technical issues: "Have you confirmed that all the data was safely transmitted back?"

"Confirmed." Long Ying adjusted his glasses. "Although interference was detected during the transmission, the core data has been completely transmitted. After the transmission was completed, the device self-destructed as planned, leaving no trace."

"Great! That's fantastic!" Li Jianguo rubbed his hands together excitedly. "You have no idea, our research institutes are like it's New Year's here! The experts' eyes practically popped out when they saw the data!"

The report lasted for two hours. Eight people took turns recounting their experiences over the past two months, from infiltration to evacuation, from crisis to resolution, in detail.

The generals listened with varying degrees of tension, laughter, and emotion.

After listening, Liu Zhenguo remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "Comrades, the significance of your operation this time has gone beyond the military realm. It's not just about acquiring technical data, not just about retaliating against the provocation from the United States, but more importantly—"

He stood up and looked around at everyone: "You are announcing to the world what kind of army the Dragon Kingdom has. An army that can accomplish any mission, any time, in any place. An army that inspires fear in enemies and awe in allies."

"From now on, any country that targets our country should first consider whether it can withstand the retaliation from Qianlong. This is deterrence, and this is the cornerstone of peace."

The meeting room erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Lin Zhe and the other eight looked at each other and laughed.

This life-or-death experience was worth it.

"Alright, that's enough about the important matters." The Dragon King stood up. "Now, I hereby announce that all eight of you will be on a one-month leave! During this month, you can do whatever you want. Spend time with your families, travel if you want—all expenses will be reimbursed by the base!"

"Oh!" Longya was the first to cheer.

"But—" the Dragon King changed the subject, "everyone will return to the unit in a month. Because based on the data you brought back, we have a lot of new equipment to test and a lot of new tactics to research. And…"

He looked at Lin Zhe: "The Central Military Commission has decided that the reserve force will be deployed ahead of schedule. The original twenty members of the Qianlong will be divided into four teams, with five reserve members added to each team, forming four squads of Qianlong. Lin Zhe will be appointed as the squadron leader and promoted to lieutenant general. The other seven will all be promoted one rank."

The meeting room fell silent again, then erupted in even more enthusiastic applause.

A 26-year-old lieutenant general.

This was unprecedented in the history of the Chinese military. But no one thought it was inappropriate, because everyone knew that Lin Zhe deserved this rank.

After the meeting, Lin Zhe was kept behind by Liu Zhenguo.

"Lin Zhe, this promotion must have been quite stressful, right?" Liu Zhenguo asked, looking at him.

"A little," Lin Zhe said honestly. "A 26-year-old lieutenant general is too conspicuous."

"So what if it's conspicuous?" Liu Zhenguo waved his hand. "The country needs role models, and the army needs benchmarks. You want everyone to see that in China, as long as you have the ability and contribute to the country, age and seniority are not issues."

He paused, his voice lowering, "Besides, this is also for your protection. The attention and protection given to officers at the lieutenant general level are completely different. You are now a national treasure; you can no longer go to the front lines personally as you used to."

Lin Zhe wanted to say something, but Liu Zhenguo raised his hand to stop him.

"I know what you're trying to say; you still want to go on missions. Fine, but only the highest-level missions, missions that absolutely require your involvement. Your main duties during the year are training new recruits, researching tactics, and designing equipment. Understand?"

"……clear."

"Alright, go on." Liu Zhenguo patted him on the shoulder. "Go home and see your parents and your wife. They haven't had a good time these past few months either."

Lin Zhe saluted and turned to leave.

As I stepped out of the meeting room, the sun was setting. Golden sunlight streamed onto the training ground at the base, bathing the young athletes who were training.

As Lin Zhe watched all this, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him.

Eight years ago, he was the deputy company commander of a border defense company. Eight years later, he became a lieutenant general and the company commander of Qianlong.

We've moved quickly along the way, but every step we've taken has been solid and steady.

Because he knew that behind him was a powerful motherland, and beside him were loyal comrades-in-arms.

Before him lay the bright future of this nation.

Like a dragon emerging from the abyss, it will eventually soar to the heavens.