Prologue

  July 2008

  Taklamakan Desert in northwest China's Xinjiang

  China's Seventh Special Forces Desert Base

  The upper layer of the fully enclosed underground base is covered with anti-radiation and infrared scanning materials. Whether it's a US all-weather military reconnaissance satellite or some occasional hikers, their eyes or data images only see a normal desert.

  In a spacious room of the underground base, several middle-aged and elderly people wearing military uniforms hid behind the light, passing around the documents in their hands. Next to them, a young lieutenant colonel reported in a low voice: "Joined the 7th Special Forces in 2001, champion of shooting and fighting in Lanzhou Military Region for five consecutive years, participated in 49 actions of various types, including commanding two assault teams in 2002, infiltrating India to capture escaped personnel, participating in the assault on the East Turkistan secret base in 2004, and infiltrating Chechnya in 2005 to assist Russian Interior Ministry special forces in capturing Chechen rebel leader Arylov, every time returning unscathed! Trained in southern Xinjiang, Nujiang Canyon, and Qiongzhou Strait, belongs to all-terrain combat personnel, meets the conditions for joining!"

  More than a dozen spotlights in the center, a man wearing desert camouflage uniform without any insignia stood upright in the spacious house for an hour, and the faint sound around him did not distract his attention at all. Even under the direct light of the spotlight, his eyes did not flinch.

  Wearing the rank of Major General, Zhu Xiangjia closed the file folder and supported his chin with his left hand, which was missing a finger, stroking a scar near his Adam's apple. As a special forces veteran who had reached the position of Major General, Zhu Xiangjia knew he would no longer have any chance of promotion. The numerous close calls on the battlefield had left him with too many scars. Looking at this soldier who was extremely similar to himself over a decade ago, Zhu Xiangjia even suspected that it might be a clone created by those people from the Military Science Academy using his own genes.

  He personally picked up a box of gun parts, Zhu Xiangjia walked to the front of the warrior in the center of the spotlight, and suddenly poured out the parts: "Give you three minutes, assemble these guns. Start!"

  "Report! The parts in the box can be assembled into one AKC-47, one MP2000 submachine gun, one G11 PDW pistol and one Type 54 military pistol. However, the AKC-47 is missing a return spring, the MP2000 is missing a stock, and the G11 PDW and Type 54 are missing magazines, making it impossible to assemble them completely!"

  Zhu Xiang nodded in satisfaction, after all, he was an expert who had been through too many real battles! With just a glance, he knew what was missing on the gun, unlike those guys who were good at reporting performances or military 'plays' and were eager to show off their abilities.

  "Do you know what a lifelong career is?"

  "I see!"

  "Have you thought it through before joining?"

  "Yes!"

  "Nevertheless, as per procedure I will remind you once again that once you join, there is no exit except by death!"

  "I understand!"

  "So have you made all the necessary preparations?"

  "Yes!"

  "This is your last chance, you can still back down, are you going to give up?"

  "Absolutely not!"

  "Welcome to the ranks of lifelong professionals. From now on, you are a brand new person and everything in the past no longer exists. Leave the base and start your new life!"