Rebirth in the Dragon Kingdom: The Strongest Blade

Chapter 53 Border Provocation

The Lin family villa in the suburbs of Beijing.

The living room was filled with a long-lost warmth. Su Wan held Zhang Xueying's hand, beaming from ear to ear. A thick photo album lay open on the coffee table, filled with family photos of both families. Lin Guodong sat to the side, his expression still serious, but his eyes softened.

"Mom, look at this picture. Xueying was so cute when she was little." Lin Zhe pointed to a yellowed photo—five-year-old Zhang Xueying with pigtails, wearing a little military uniform, saluting the camera.

"Back then, her father was still in the front-line troops, and she kept saying she wanted to join the army." Wang Hui shook her head with a smile. "Later, when Lao Zhang was transferred to the military region headquarters, she gradually gave up on that idea."

Zhang Xueying blushed slightly: "Mom, please don't say these things."

"Why can't I say it?" Su Wan patted her hand. "Now it's all good. Marrying a soldier has fulfilled a childhood dream."

This was three days after Lin Zhe and Zhang Xueying's wedding. The wedding was very simple, held in a small hotel in Jinghua, with fewer than ten tables of guests—mainly relatives from both families and a few of their closest elders. There was no media, no pomp and circumstance, and even the wedding dress was a simple design.

The reason is simple: both families have very special identities. Lin Guodong is a ministerial-level cadre, Zhang Dajiang is a lieutenant general and commander, and Lin Zhe himself is a colonel in the "Hidden Dragon" unit. The exposure of any one of their identities could attract unnecessary attention.

What surprised Lin Zhe most at the wedding was that Political Commissar Zhao Gang brought Zhao Keke along. Zhao Keke clung to Zhang Xueying the whole time, tears welling in her eyes, saying, "Sister Xueying, you're finally married! I don't have to eat your dog food anymore!"

Everyone laughed. At that moment, Lin Zhe felt that his life was truly complete—he had family, a lover, and friends.

"By the way, Xiao Zhe," Lin Guodong suddenly asked, "how many days will you be on vacation this time?"

Lin Zhe calculated: "Four more days. After that, I might have to rejoin the team."

"So urgent?" Su Wan frowned. "Your unit recently..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Guodong coughed lightly. Su Wan immediately realized she shouldn't have asked any more questions and changed her mind, saying, "Then spend these next few days with Xueying. Go wherever you want to go."

As they were talking, Lin Zhe's encrypted phone vibrated in his pocket. It wasn't a regular call; it was the highest priority vibration mode.

His expression changed slightly, and he stood up: "Dad, Mom, I need to take this call."

Lin Zhe walked into the study, closed the door, and answered the phone. A deep voice came from the other end: "Long Yuan, your leave is over early. Return to the team immediately; there's an emergency."

"Understood. How long will it take to prepare?"

"Get to base within two hours. We'll give you a detailed mission briefing when you arrive."

Lin Zhe hung up the phone and took a deep breath. He had composed himself as he left the study, but Zhang Xueying still keenly sensed something.

"Are you leaving?" she asked softly.

Lin Zhe nodded, somewhat apologetically: "I'm sorry, I promised to spend a week with you..."

"Don't say sorry." Zhang Xueying stood up, walked over to him, and straightened his collar. "You're a soldier, I understand. Go on, be careful."

Lin Zhe felt a pang of heartache seeing her trying to appear calm, and gently hugged her, saying, "Wait for me to come back."

"Um."

Twenty minutes later, Lin Zhe drove away from the villa. In the rearview mirror, Zhang Xueying stood at the door, her figure growing smaller and smaller until she disappeared from sight.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly and stepped on the gas.

"Hidden Dragon" Base, Operations Conference Room.

The atmosphere was more somber than ever before. The Dragon King sat in the main seat, with the Dragon Head standing beside the projection screen. Below them sat seven team members—Lin Zhe, Dragon Fang, Dragon Claw, Dragon Eye, Dragon Scale, Dragon Breath, and Dragon Shadow. This was the entire fighting force currently stationed at the base.

The projection screen displayed a border map, with a red line marking the location of the conflict.

"Everyone has seen what happened," the Dragon King said in a low voice. "Three hours ago, on the southwestern border, in the direction of Eagle's Beak Cliff, an enemy reinforced company crossed the Line of Actual Control and clashed with our border troops."

He pulled up a video. The footage was shaky, clearly filmed by soldiers at the scene using their helmet cameras.

In the video, about thirty Chinese border guards are facing an enemy force several times their size. The two sides initially shove each other, then the conflict escalates, and then gunfire erupts—it was the enemy soldiers who fired first.

The scene shook violently, accompanied by the roars of soldiers and the sound of gunfire. Some fell, their blood staining the rocks. But the remaining soldiers did not retreat; they relied on the terrain to fight back tenaciously until reinforcements arrived, at which point the enemy withdrew.

The video ended, and the conference room fell into a deathly silence.

"We suffered two casualties, five seriously wounded, and twelve slightly wounded," the Dragon King said coldly. "The enemy's casualty figures are unknown, but judging from the bloodstains at the scene, they didn't gain any advantage either."

Longya slammed his fist on the table: "Damn it, these bastards!"

"Calm down." The Dragon King glanced at him. "This is not a simple border skirmish. According to intelligence, the enemy country is backed by other major powers. This is a deliberate provocation, aimed at testing our bottom line."

Long Shou continued, "International public opinion has already begun to ferment. Several mainstream Western media outlets are reporting on this matter, but their wording is very subtle—they are shifting the blame to us, saying that we are 'overreacting.'"

"Bullshit!" Long Lin cursed. "The video clearly shows they crossed the border first and fired the first shot!"

"The war of public opinion is also part of the war." Long Jing adjusted his glasses and analyzed calmly, "The other side was clearly prepared. The leak of the video, while proving our innocence, also exposed our border troop deployment and reaction speed. It's a double-edged sword."

The Dragon King nodded: "Therefore, the higher-ups have ordered us to respond firmly, but we cannot give the enemy any further excuse to stir things up."

He looked at Lin Zhe: "Long Yuan, you know that border area best. You've served at Eagle Beak Cliff Outpost."

Lin Zhe stared at the familiar location on the map, a surge of anger rising within him. He thought of Lao Zhou, Da Liu, and his comrades who had persevered in those harsh conditions.

"Commander, what do you need me to do?" he asked.

"Your mission is to lead an infiltration." The Dragon King pointed to a location on the map within enemy territory. "This is the enemy's forward command post in this direction, fifteen kilometers from the border. According to intelligence, the commander who planned this provocation is there."

He paused for a moment: "The higher-ups mean an eye for an eye. They crossed the border to kill our people, so we'll take down their command post. But we have to do it cleanly, leaving no evidence."

"Understood." A cold glint flashed in Lin Zhe's eyes.

"Dragon Fang, Dragon Claw, and Dragon Shadow, the three of you will go with Dragon Abyss," the Dragon King commanded. "Dragon Eyes will be in charge of intelligence support, Dragon Scales will be in charge of electronic warfare, and Dragon Breath will stay behind to be ready for medical support at any time."

He looked at the four men: "Mission objective: kill or capture the enemy commander and destroy the command post. If possible, obtain their communication codes and operational plans."

"Yes!" The four men stood up and stood at attention.

"Departure time: midnight tonight. Go prepare your equipment now, and assemble in the briefing room in three hours."

After the meeting, Lin Zhe returned to his dormitory and began checking his equipment. Pistols, rifles, daggers, night vision goggles, communication equipment, first aid kits... he carefully inspected each item.

Longya walked in and leaned against the doorway: "Remembering Eagle's Beak Cliff?"

"Yes." Lin Zhe nodded. "I know one of the two soldiers who sacrificed their lives. His name is Xiao Li, he's twenty years old, and he was just assigned to the border defense last year after leaving basic training."

Longya was silent for a few seconds, then patted him on the shoulder: "Avenge them tonight."

At the same time, the internet in China was in an uproar.

Although the military quickly controlled the footage of the border conflict, some scenes still leaked out. One of the most shocking clips was of a young soldier with a bloodied face, a bullet wound in his left arm, his right hand still tightly gripping his gun, shouting into the camera: "The squad leader has fallen! But the position remains! As long as one person is left, we will never let the enemy take another step!"

This video went viral across major platforms. Shares, comments, and likes skyrocketed at an astonishing rate.

The top three trending topics on Weibo are all related to this:

#SouthwestBorderConflict#

#Salute to Border Guards#

#SoldiersoftheDragonNationNeverRetreat#

In the comments section, netizens were in high spirits:

"I cried! The youngest of those soldiers was only nineteen years old!"

"The enemy is too arrogant! We must fight them back!"

"We live and work in peace and contentment in the rear because someone sheds blood and sacrifices their life on the front lines!"

"When will the government intervene? We're waiting!"

Some even started a chain of "letters of request for battle"—although they knew that ordinary people could not actually go to the battlefield, the feeling of shared hatred against the enemy had spread across the entire internet.

At the Southwest Military Region Command, the telephones rang incessantly.

Commander Chen Jianfeng stood before a huge electronic map, his face ashen. He had just received an order from the Central Military Commission: the Southwest Military Region was to immediately enter a state of first-level combat readiness, and all troops were to move toward the border.

"Commander, the 127th Regiment has reached its designated position, and the Hunter Blade Special Forces are infiltrating and conducting reconnaissance as the vanguard," the chief of staff reported. "In addition, the Jinghua Military Region and the Northwest Military Region have both indicated that they can provide support at any time."

Chen Jianfeng stared at the glaring red dot on the map—Eagle Beak Cliff. He thought of Lin Zhe, the young man who had once created a miracle here.

"Tell the troops," he said in a deep voice, "the enemy killed our men, and that blood debt must be paid in blood. Remember, if the enemy dares to fire, shoot them dead!"

"yes!"

Night falls in the mountainous region of southwestern border.

Lin Zhe's squad had already crossed the border and infiltrated enemy territory. All four men were dressed in optical camouflage uniforms, their faces painted with camouflage paint, making them almost invisible in the night. They moved with incredible speed and silence. They covered fifteen kilometers of mountain road in just two hours. At two in the morning, the target came into view: a temporary camp built in a valley, with a dozen tents, two command vehicles, and simple fortifications and patrols around it.

Long Ying observed for a while with thermal imaging binoculars, then whispered, "Two sentries on the east side, three on the west side. There are six people next to the command vehicle, probably guards. The largest tent on the north side is probably the command post."

Lin Zhe nodded and began assigning tasks: "Dragon Fang, you're in charge of the sentries on the east side. Dragon Claw, the west side is yours. Dragon Shadow, take out the guard next to the command vehicle. I'm going into the tent."

"When will the operation take place?"

"Five minutes to prepare, then move out simultaneously." The four men spread out, like four drawn blades, silently approaching their target. Lin Zhe advanced along the shadows, stopping thirty meters from the large tent on the north side—a light was on inside, and people were talking. He silently crept to the back of the tent, used his dagger to make a small slit, and peered inside. Inside the tent, three officers were huddled around a map.

The man in the main seat, a lieutenant colonel in his forties, was pointing at the map and saying, "...Tomorrow morning, send another platoon across the border. This time, we won't fire a shot, just create friction and see how the Chinese react."

Another major frowned: "Sir, we've already lost over a dozen men today. Would further provocation......"

"What are you afraid of?" the lieutenant colonel sneered. "The higher-ups said that no matter how many casualties we cause, we will receive double compensation. And..." he lowered his voice, "the aid from the United States has arrived, and the latest batch of individual soldier equipment will be delivered to the troops tomorrow."

Lin Zhe's eyes turned cold. It was indeed premeditated. He glanced at the time; two minutes remained. Inside the tent, the lieutenant colonel was still assigning tasks: "Notify the troops, at four in the morning..." Before he could finish speaking, several muffled thuds came from outside—the sound of silenced pistols.

The lieutenant colonel's expression changed: "What was that sound?" He reached for his gun just as the tent flap was flung open, and a dark figure rushed in. Lin Zhe's movements were lightning fast. Before the first major could react, he was struck in the side of the neck with a chop to the neck and collapsed to the ground. The second officer drew his pistol, but Lin Zhe was already in front of him, grabbing his wrist and twisting it, the pistol slipping from his hand. Then, a knee strike to the abdomen sent the officer sprawling to the ground with a muffled groan. The lieutenant colonel finally drew his pistol, but Lin Zhe's gun was already pressed against his forehead.

"Don't move," Lin Zhe said in the enemy's language, his voice icy. The lieutenant colonel froze. Only then did he see the newcomer's attire clearly—a full black combat uniform, face painted with camouflage, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes. This was no ordinary special forces soldier; this aura…

"You are... the 'Ghost Force' of the Dragon Kingdom?" The lieutenant colonel's voice trembled. Lin Zhe didn't answer, but quickly searched the person with his other hand, finding a document and an encrypted phone. He stuffed the document into his tactical backpack and tossed the phone to Long Ying, who had just entered: "Crack the password." Long Ying took the phone, connected it to his laptop, and his fingers flew across the keyboard.

Outside, the battle was over. Longya and his two companions had dealt with all the guards and sentries, and the camp fell into a deathly silence.

"Longyuan, the crack is complete." Long Ying handed the phone to Lin Zhe. "It contains communication records and battle plans."

Lin Zhe glanced at it, his eyes growing even colder. The plan was very detailed, including creating ten friction incidents in different sections of the border over the next three days, with the aim of forcing China to fire first, thus providing a pretext for intervention by the supporting countries behind it.

"You won't succeed," Lin Zhe said, looking at the lieutenant colonel.

The lieutenant colonel gritted his teeth: "Killing me won't help! The plan has already begun, and there will be bloodshed on the border tomorrow! The international community will condemn you then!"

Lin Zhe suddenly laughed, a cold laugh: "Who said I was going to kill you?" He delivered a karate chop to the lieutenant colonel's neck, and the man rolled his eyes and passed out. "Dragon Shadow, copy all the data here. Dragon Fang, Dragon Claw, plant the explosives, detonate in five minutes."

"Yes!" The four acted swiftly. Five minutes later, they withdrew from the camp and disappeared into the mountains. Behind them, explosions rang out one after another, and flames illuminated half the sky.

Lin Zhe glanced back, then activated the encrypted communication: "Base, mission complete. Obtained complete enemy provocation plan. Command post destroyed."

The Dragon Head's voice came through the headset: "Well done. Withdraw immediately, there's a new mission."

"Understood." The four disappeared into the night.

Behind them, the enemy's border garrison was in chaos. The command post had been captured, the commander had disappeared, and tomorrow's provocative plan had been leaked—this night, many were destined to have a sleepless night.