Chapter 154: Chapter 154: Special Mission, One Versus Six

Zhuo Yifan’s first impression of Xu Huai’an was quite good.

This time, there was really no other choice. During the meeting, a terrorist incident broke out, and they needed a highly capable soldier to lead a special operations team on a critical mission. Among the people he could mobilize right now, he truly couldn’t find anyone suitable to take charge of this task.

For a mission of this level, the team leader was crucial—it concerned the safety of the entire squad and whether the mission could be completed successfully.

As it happened, Tang Zhenye was in Beijing for a meeting, so Zhuo mentioned it to him in passing. He hadn’t expected Tang to recommend such an outstanding soldier, and Zhuo was overjoyed at first.

But after Tang Zhenye told him about Xu Huai’an’s medical condition, Zhuo hesitated. He didn’t dare entrust the lives of an entire team to someone who couldn’t even control his own emotions.

However, Tang Zhenye repeatedly assured him that Xu Huai’an’s condition was stable and that he was absolutely up to the task.

After much deliberation, Zhuo decided to come and check Xu Huai’an out in person.

So far, Xu Huai’an’s mental state seemed perfectly normal—nothing at all like the unstable lunatic Zhuo had imagined.

Most importantly, Zhuo trusted Tang Zhenye’s judgment. If Xu Huai’an could pass his test, that would be ideal.

He gave Xu Huai’an a barely noticeable nod.

After a brief introduction, the two of them remained serious and silent on the way over. Xu Huai’an kept his questions to himself, sitting as steady as a mountain.

The car arrived at a heavily guarded training ground.

Tang Zhenye took Xu Huai’an straight to the locker room, had him change into more suitable clothes, and led him to the training field.

General Zhuo was already there, waiting with a team.

“It’s been a while since you’ve trained, right? I’ve found a few guys for you to spar with. How about it—are you scared?” Tang Zhenye patted him on the shoulder.

Xu Huai’an had no idea what Tang was up to, but a soldier’s duty is to obey. Even though he was retired, in front of his old commander, he would always be a soldier—go wherever he was told!

“Not afraid!”

“Good kid, go on! Just do your best. Fight well—I won’t set you up,” Tang Zhenye said with a smile.

Xu Huai’an said nothing and strode straight into the ring.

Meanwhile, the team on the other side was whispering among themselves.

“General Zhuo, who is this guy? You called all of us over—don’t tell me we’re all supposed to fight him one by one?”

“What, are you scared?” Zhuo Yifan raised an eyebrow.

“Kidding! When have you ever seen us scared? I just wonder if this guy can take us all on. Don’t let us beat him up too badly.” They were all elite soldiers from the army’s war zone, and naturally, they had their pride.

“Yeah, General Zhuo, I could take him down myself. Why call everyone over?”

“Exactly, any one of us could flatten him. Just watch!”

They joked among themselves.

“Don’t get too cocky, and don’t underestimate him. This guy’s actually been on the battlefield, crawled out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. If you get knocked down, don’t say I didn’t warn you. But don’t worry, he’s just one guy, and there are so many of you!

“General Tang boasted to me that even with all of you, you couldn’t take him down. So today, you’d better prove him wrong—don’t embarrass me!”

Zhuo Yifan was worried his men would be careless, but also didn’t want them to lose confidence.

After all, this guy was the sole survivor of Unit 715—not someone ordinary soldiers could compare to.

“Watch me, I’ll go first and show you how it’s done.” The lead soldier stripped off his training jacket, leaving just a T-shirt, and strode into the ring.

Sparring like this was normal in the army. Everyone knew the rules—no need for reminders. Just watch and see.

The first team member charged at Xu Huai’an with fierce energy. (To avoid confusion, the rest will be referred to by numbers.)

Xu Huai’an wasn’t fazed at all, meeting him head-on for close combat.

He’d had a fight with Gu Qinghuan earlier that evening, then ran into some criminals; the anger in his chest hadn’t had a chance to vent. This was the perfect opportunity.

The fight wasn’t exactly exhilarating, but it was solid enough to get Xu Huai’an interested.

Number One was quickly and decisively defeated. It was obvious that Xu Huai’an was holding back—taking him down was effortless.

The previously cocky team was instantly silenced by Xu Huai’an’s strength, not daring to say another word.

Number One wasn’t their best, but he was still strong. If even he couldn’t threaten Xu Huai’an, the rest started to worry—could it be that all six of them together still wouldn’t be able to take him down?

Tang Zhenye shot Zhuo Yifan a proud look—this was his soldier, after all, and he was making him look good.

Two years without training, and still this steady—no wonder they called him a human weapon.

Zhuo Yifan smiled wryly. He had plenty of elite soldiers, but someone as gifted as Xu Huai’an was rare indeed.

Number Two took a deep, nervous breath before stepping up. He started cautiously, probing with a few tentative moves.

They’d just come up with a tactic: the early fighters would test Xu Huai’an’s style, looking for weaknesses for the later ones to exploit.

They’d try to drag things out, wear Xu Huai’an down, and save their strongest for last—then they’d easily win.

After all, if all six of them went up and still lost, it would be too humiliating. Not just for General Zhuo, but for themselves.

Number Two kept his distance, probing and refusing to close in. Xu Huai’an saw through his plan and launched a direct attack, not giving them a chance to wear him down.

He’d been eating and drinking well lately, plus the spiritual spring water had restored his body—he was as strong as a bull now. Who would have thought he’d once been bedridden and skinny as a stick?

Xu Huai’an finished the fight quickly, using fast, precise, and ruthless moves to conserve his strength.

Number Two lost, and lost badly.

But Zhuo Yifan finally smiled in satisfaction. Xu Huai’an had given him a real surprise—he hadn’t seen such a brilliant talent in ages.

Born for the military, with both brains and brawn—he was the total package.

Zhuo Yifan made up his mind: if Xu Huai’an could take down more than four people, the team leader position would go to him.

Tang Zhenye was pleased as well—this was Xu Huai’an, the man who created miracles time and again.

Neither of them had expected Xu Huai’an to take down more than five people single-handedly. These weren’t ordinary men; they were seasoned special forces soldiers.

Now, only the last team member remained.

“Hao-ge, you have to take him down and restore our honor!”

“We’re counting on you!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t lose to him.” Number Six cracked his knuckles and stepped up.

After five consecutive matches, Xu Huai’an was at his physical limit—drenched in sweat, hair plastered to his scalp, sweat beading on his brow.

He looked at Number Six with a dazed expression, as if he was struggling.

Number Six thought Xu Huai’an was spent and lunged, pinning him to the ground.

The two wrestled fiercely. It seemed like Xu Huai’an would be defeated any moment, but he always managed to hold on.

Tang Zhenye and Zhuo Yifan could tell—Xu Huai’an still had some energy left. He was playing the “wounded soldier” trick, luring Number Six into letting his guard down for a final, decisive move.

This kid was even using military strategy in a sparring match.

Zhuo Yifan couldn’t have been more satisfied. Even though he’d lost face in front of Old Tang today, with such a fierce warrior on his side, the mission was sure to succeed.

Number Six grew impatient. He’d wanted to end it quickly, but Xu Huai’an was proving a tough opponent. He decided to take a risk and go for a fast win.

The more anxious you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes.

Now was the moment.

Xu Huai’an flipped him over his shoulder, slamming him to the ground, then quickly locked his arms.

Normally, if Number Six couldn’t break free after a while, Xu Huai’an would’ve won.

But in that split second, Xu Huai’an remembered what Gu Qinghuan had said: always leave some room for others, so you can meet again in the future.

And all those things she’d said about dealing with people.

If he won this round, defeating all six single-handedly, it would sound impressive—but these were Ministry of Defense soldiers. Crushing them completely would be a slap in the face to General Zhuo.

He hesitated for a moment, then decisively let go of Number Six and rolled aside.

Number Six thought he was done for, but suddenly Xu Huai’an released him. Seizing the opportunity, he pinned Xu Huai’an down.

Xu Huai’an didn’t resist, letting himself be captured.

In his mind, the outcome was already decided—there was no need to keep fighting.

All of this happened in just a split second.

No one was stupid; everyone saw what happened at the end.

The six-man team technically won a round, but it felt worse than losing.

What was that supposed to mean? He could’ve won, but let them win on purpose—it felt like a slap in the face!

Tang Zhenye and Zhuo Yifan exchanged a helpless smile.

This guy had some sense of propriety, but not much.

He was about to win, but at the last moment gave up and let the other side pin him. Everyone knew what he was doing—he was just saving face for the Ministry of Defense’s team.

But did he have to make it so obvious? Was saving face really that important?

If not, it felt like their faces had been rubbed in the dirt.

The six-man team hung their heads, ready to be scolded by Zhuo Yifan.

They’d looked down on Xu Huai’an when they arrived. Who would’ve thought all six of them together couldn’t take him down? It was truly humiliating."