Chapter 343: King of Soldiers Zhang Lin

Tong County is a county town in the eastern suburbs of the capital, Yanjing. Administratively, Tong County is no different from other counties around the capital. The only distinction is that it is home to one of the most elite units in the country.

In the North Garden of Tong County, there is a large enclosed estate. This is the base of the capital's garrison troops, known as the "strongest on earth."

Du Peng drove up to the estate's main gate. As soon as Zhou Ming and Du Peng got out of the car, an officer with two soldiers approached to salute and inquire, "Hello, comrades. May I ask your names and who referred you? Do you have a referral letter?"

Military restricted areas are highly regulated; even access to a garrison base like this one, which houses the nation's elite forces, is tightly controlled. Zhou Ming and Du Peng were not surprised by the officer's inquiry. Du Peng returned the salute and said, "Hello, comrade. I am Du Peng, and this is Zhou Ming. I contacted your Brigade Commander Du before coming. Here is my identification."

Du Peng handed a small red booklet to the officer. The officer said, "Please wait a moment," and took the booklet to the security office. About a minute later, he returned and told Du Peng, "Hello, comrade. You may enter. Please follow our vehicle and do not wander around."

Du Peng nodded and returned to the car. The officer waved his hand, and the gate opened. A dark green jeep was waiting inside. After a brief exchange of signals, the jeep slowly moved forward, and Du Peng followed in his car.

Observing the cumbersome procedures, Zhou Ming remarked, "As expected of the nation's most elite troops. The process is quite tedious."

"There's no way around it. There are many military secrets here. Even though there are no large-scale weapons of mass destruction, numerous special operations techniques are classified," Du Peng said. "I'm not bragging, but every soldier who can enter here is among the elite. Their skills with firearms and hand-to-hand combat are top-notch, capable of taking on several opponents at once on the battlefield."

"I have no doubt. I believe our country's troops and soldiers are outstanding!" Zhou Ming said.

That's the truth. Just considering the Changan Street urban combat footage from years ago, which earned global praise, there's no denying their excellence.

Du Peng glanced at Zhou Ming and asked, "What brings you here? You're not planning on making a move on this unit, are you? I need to tell you, although my cousin is the brigade commander here, this entire garrison is under the influence of the Tan family. My cousin is here only due to political necessity."

"I know. If this weren't within Tan's sphere of influence, I wouldn't have come," Zhou Ming replied.

"Why is that? Is something going to happen here?" Du Peng asked in surprise.

Zhou Ming shook his head, not answering. This was something that hadn't yet occurred in the future, and Zhou Ming was unsure of the consequences of discussing it. Moreover, Zhou Ming was conflicted about the situation. Knowing it was a tragedy involving innocent people and yet choosing to let it unfold for personal gain was not the mark of a principled man.

Some might see this as wanting to have one's cake and eat it too, but Zhou Ming felt it was about maintaining one's moral integrity.

Lost in thought, Zhou Ming and Du Peng soon arrived at a barracks. An officer who looked somewhat like Du Peng was waiting there. Zhou Ming guessed correctly that this was Du Peng's cousin.

After greetings, the officer led them towards the shooting range.

"Can't believe you, Du Peng, have time to come here for fun instead of making money in Nanjiang. I heard you were doing quite well over there!" the Brigade Commander, Du, said while walking.

"Not bad, but there are some issues over there, so I came back to Yanjing for some matters," Du Peng replied.

"You must have caused some trouble that you couldn't resolve, huh?" Brigade Commander Du laughed. "As men, we should solve problems ourselves instead of relying on family."

Du Peng felt embarrassed by the lecture. He knew his cousin, being in the military, was largely cut off from external affairs and was unaware of the issues stirred up by Tan Qianjun. To change the topic, he said, "Enough with the political lectures. I brought my friend to see the strongest troops in our country."

Upon hearing this, Brigade Commander Du's interest was piqued. He turned to Zhou Ming and said, "So, you're a military enthusiast. Our unit is not typically accessible through regular channels. However, it brings together elite personnel from various military units and academies. Each soldier here excels in individual and squad combat techniques."

Zhou Ming was interested in the military but wasn't focused on hearing the briefing at this moment. He responded, "In simple terms, the soldiers under your command are all kings of soldiers."

The Brigade Commander was taken aback for a moment and then burst into laughter. "Exactly! The soldiers under my command are not ordinary soldiers. They are kings of soldiers who could lead any unit!"

Zhou Ming, observing Brigade Commander Du's excitement, thought that if he told him about the various online "king of soldiers" stories from the future—featuring exceptional combat skills, defeating domestic thugs and international assassins, and dealing with beautiful women and extraordinary circumstances—this seasoned warrior might be overjoyed.

To illustrate the Brigade Commander's point, just after he finished speaking, loud shouts erupted from a nearby training field. Zhou Ming looked and saw several soldiers, shirtless and muscular, being struck repeatedly with large wooden planks by their comrades. The planks invariably broke upon impact.

In another field, soldiers were engaged in combat drills. Unlike the plank training, this practice was devoid of any cinematic flair. Each move was aimed to be lethal or at least incapacitating the enemy swiftly.

Passing through a grassy area, Zhou Ming noticed the stark contrast in the atmosphere. The grass field was eerily quiet, which made Zhou Ming recall a common special forces exercise—camouflage.

To prove Zhou Ming's suspicion correct, Brigade Commander Du suddenly called out as they walked past a low-lying grassy area. A soldier sprang up out of nowhere to salute, startling Du Peng.

The Brigade Commander laughed heartily and proudly introduced the soldier to Zhou Ming and Du Peng. "This is one of our best soldiers, named Zhang Lin."

Seeing Zhang Lin up close, Zhou Ming noticed he appeared quite ordinary. He wasn't as burly as the soldiers on the first field or as stealthy as those in the grassy area. He seemed like a sharp sword, causing a chill.

If Zhang Lin were on the battlefield, he would undoubtedly be an unbeatable asset for the country. Unfortunately, in his past life, despite his impressive skills, he met a tragic end, falling victim to friendly fire before he had a chance to serve his country. This brought a sense of regret.

Zhou Ming questioned whether he should remain passive and indifferent to the unfolding events. Was he to be like those cold-hearted officials who acted solely for their political gain?

Zhou Ming once again doubted his own thoughts.