Chapter 31: Thunder Warrior’s Shock [2/4]

Fan Tianlei gave a bitter smile.

After hanging up the call with the latest news, he felt utterly helpless.

There was no other way.

This exercise—

Had it not been for Qin Yuan’s sudden appearance,

the Blue Army would have ended the campaign with remarkably low casualties, a flawless victory.

Yet now—

Because of Qin Yuan’s intervention,

the Blue Army’s casualty rate had soared to a terrifying level.

What troubled Fan Tianlei most was this:

He never could have imagined, even in his wildest dreams,

that Qin Yuan, single-handedly and alone,

had wiped out his Wild Wolf squad.

To Fan Tianlei, this was nothing short of a nightmare.

Every special forces squad was painstakingly trained at great cost and effort.

The loss of even one soldier was unbearable,

let alone the complete annihilation of an entire squad.

Chen Shanming approached from the rear, holding a notebook, and remarked calmly, “Chief of Staff, if we strictly follow the exercise protocols and treat this as real combat, you’re already violating the rules by communicating with Captain Wang Qiang of the Wild Wolf squad and the six soldiers. Dead personnel are forbidden to speak during the exercise.”

Fan Tianlei chuckled lightly, unconcerned. “Shanming, you’re just rubbing salt in the wound! The total destruction of the Wild Wolf squad is such a huge matter. If I don’t intervene, then there’s no point in continuing this exercise.”

It was after actively inquiring that Fan Tianlei learned the truth:

The squad had been eliminated by a man named Qin Yuan.

His feelings were mixed—sorrow over the loss of the Wild Wolf team,

but also joy and surprise at this newcomer’s incredible prowess,

far beyond what he had imagined.

“Shanming, if this exercise can help us discover a few promising talents, it’s understandable to bend the rules a little on such minor details,” Fan Tianlei smiled, composing himself before continuing, “Go summon Leizhan for me.”

“Yes, Chief of Staff!” Chen Shanming smiled and nodded, then turned to leave.

Moments later,

Leizhan, fully armed, strode confidently into the command post.

“Chief of Staff, what’s the matter? Is there a mission?”

Leizhan had paid little attention to this exercise.

In his words, there was no one worth his effort here.

No one capable of challenging him.

He believed that even until the end, his Thunder Assault Team wouldn’t need to intervene.

So, he hadn’t invested much energy.

“Indeed! There is a mission! And it’s a highly challenging one!” Fan Tianlei’s eyes gleamed sharply like a tiger’s.

“Oh? A challenging mission?” Leizhan immediately perked up.

“Chief of Staff, this challenging mission isn’t about taking down Kang Lei, is it?” Leizhan raised an eyebrow, clearly disdainful of such a trivial task.

“Taking down Kang Lei?” Fan Tianlei smiled. “Leishen, if it were such a low-level mission, I wouldn’t have called you.”

“Before I tell you the mission, I want to ask you a question: if you had to single-handedly face the entire Wild Wolf squad in this exercise, do you think you could win?”

Fan Tianlei smiled mysteriously.

“The Wild Wolf squad is the second-tier special forces team in the Southeast Military District—very formidable,” Leizhan’s mind raced. “Ordinary units would have little chance even in platoon strength against them. But if it were my Thunder Assault Team, I’m confident I could wipe them out at the cost of losing only one member.”

“But if I were alone against them? I could probably take down five at most. Defeating the whole squad single-handedly? That’s extremely difficult.”

Leizhan considered carefully and answered honestly.

The Thunder Assault Team was the elite special forces of the Southeast Military District,

their strength unquestionably top-tier,

ranking among the nation’s best special units.

But this was collective strength.

Despite his confidence, Leizhan knew he’d have little chance against the entire Wild Wolf squad alone.

“That’s right. In the Southeast Military District, the Wild Wolf squad is second-tier because we have the Thunder, Lone Wolf, and Battle Wolf squads—three ultra-elite special teams,” Fan Tianlei said.

“The Wild Wolf squad is actually very strong.”

“But today,” Fan Tianlei suddenly shifted tone, “the Wild Wolf squad was eliminated during the exercise.”

“What? Wang Qiang’s entire squad wiped out?” Leizhan’s eyebrows shot up in shock.

“Yes!” Fan Tianlei smiled, pleased to see his words had the desired effect.

“Were they wiped out in a firefight with the main Red Army force?” Leizhan asked, feigning curiosity.

There was no other explanation—

This news was simply too shocking.

Though the Wild Wolf squad was not the strongest,

compared to the Thunder Assault Team, they were still formidable.

Against regular Red Army soldiers, they’d have been overwhelming.

Seven men could easily handle twenty or thirty opponents with proper tactics.

Yet now…

They had been eliminated?

Fan Tianlei smiled calmly, shaking his head.

He knew Leizhan, the big fish, had taken the bait.

“Did they walk into a Red Army ambush?” Leizhan was stunned.

“No,” Fan Tianlei said with a broad smile. “I’ll tell you directly—they were taken out by a single person.”

“A single person?” Leizhan shook his head incredulously. “Chief of Staff, you must be joking. How could one person possibly take out the entire Wild Wolf squad?”

To Leizhan, this was sheer fantasy.

Impossible.

“Honestly, I didn’t believe it at first either,” Fan Tianlei said, seeing how stirred Leizhan was, “but the facts speak for themselves.”

“My goodness!” Leizhan sighed deeply, overwhelmed, “Chief of Staff, could it be that among the Red Army soldiers there’s such a terrifying presence? Such a formidable opponent— even I can’t help but want to challenge him!”

“Yes! This opponent is incredibly strong—beyond imagination,” Fan Tianlei smiled. “And Leizhan, you know him too.”

“He is… Qin Yuan.”

Fan Tianlei said with a smile.

“What? Qin… Qin Yuan?” Leizhan blinked, utterly incredulous.

“Really him?”

“Yes!” Fan Tianlei nodded solemnly. “Leizhan, I’m ordering you to lead the entire Thunder Assault Team to capture Qin Yuan. Can you do it?”

“Don’t worry, Chief of Staff! I guarantee the mission’s success! I’ve got this Qin Yuan in my sights!” In that moment, Leizhan seemed like a lion awakening to see its prey.

“Haha, good! I look forward to your triumphant return,” Fan Tianlei said with a smile.

“Wait for my good news, Chief of Staff!” Leizhan smirked coldly, then swiftly departed to the battlefield.