The rigorous training by several drill instructors over many days had instilled in Qin Fen the most fundamental reflexes of a soldier. He snapped his straight posture to attention again, his feet clapping together with a sharp snap. He raised his hand in a perfect military salute, answering with full vigor, "Reporting, Officer. Recruit Qin Fen."

The Second Lieutenant nodded expressionlessly, executed a crisp, clean turn, and began walking toward the exit, saying, "Follow me."

The seasoned soldiers knew Qin Fen was being dispatched on a mission, so they neither blocked him nor asked questions. They merely called out in unison, "Kid, be back soon."

Qin Fen returned a standard military salute to the veterans. "I will."

Following behind the Second Lieutenant, Qin Fen was filled with confusion.

According to Xing Wuyi, the intensive training period hadn't truly concluded. By established protocol, all soldiers returning from a mission were supposed to rest, then await a call from the Military Headquarters to return to that blissful island paradise for the instructors' final lesson before being officially considered finished.

Even if poor phone signal prevented a call, the notification should have come from a Private Second Class or Private First Class.

It certainly shouldn't have been a Second Lieutenant delivering a release notice to a mere recruit.

The two walked out of the barracks, one ahead of the other, and got into a sedan that was already waiting.

Inside the car, Qin Fen grew even more curious. Rejoining the unit was usually settled with a simple notification; he had never heard of anyone being provided a dedicated vehicle for transport.

The car sped past building after building before finally stopping in the parking garage of an international trade office tower.

Qin Fen got out and looked around. None of his fellow trainees from the camp were present.

The Second Lieutenant walked ahead on the pavement, his tone once again commanding: "This way."

Everything felt deeply unsettling. While curious, Qin Fen layered a thin coat of caution over his feelings. After the recent attempts at formal proposals, which dashed their chances of entering the Song family circle, it was entirely possible someone had bribed the Second Lieutenant to overstep his bounds.

The elevator stopped at the fifty-fourth floor. The Second Lieutenant exited and walked directly to the door of an office that looked entirely ordinary. He raised his hand and knocked with a peculiar rhythm.

Having endured training under several borderline-inhuman instructors, Qin Fen recognized the knocking pattern as Morse code.

It was signaling: Reporting, Officer. The man has been brought.

Officer? Qin Fen instinctively tilted his head, straining to listen to the breathing sounds inside the room, trying to make an initial assessment of the occupants' power level.

"Enter."

The door opened, and Qin Fen stepped inside at the Second Lieutenant's gesture.

Three people sat side-by-side in the room. Two wore police uniforms, while the person in the center wore a military uniform bearing a single, gleaming gold star on his shoulder.

A Major General!?

Though he had met General Du Hen before, it was only because of Du Zhanpeng.

Meeting a Major General in this context, for the first time, still caught Qin Fen slightly off guard.

The two police officers scrutinized Qin Fen, looked down at the files in their hands, and then gave slight nods. "Not bad, not bad."

The Major General seated in the middle adjusted his posture slightly, leaning back in his broad chair. "Recruit Qin Fen, now is your chance to repay the Federation for cultivating you over these years."

The low, slightly commanding voice of the Major General echoed through the hundred-square-meter office space.

Qin Fen initially frowned, but a smile quickly touched his lips.

Repay the Federation for cultivating me all these years?

Qin Fen desperately wanted to ask the Major General exactly how the Federation had cultivated him. Living at the absolute bottom of society for years, never knowing where the next meal would come from—was this the cultivation the Federation provided?

A police officer opened the file in his hands. "The situation is this..."

"Please wait a moment," Qin Fen interrupted the officer.

This action drew the curiosity of the three others in the room.

No one expected that, facing a Major General and two Police Commissioners, this mere recruit would dare interrupt a Commissioner.

"Officer, I am a soldier," Qin Fen reasserted his identity. "May I ask if the task you are assigning me is a military one?"

"No," the Commissioner who spoke first replied, shaking his head. "We have summoned you to cooperate with the police force in completing a mission."

"Reporting, Officer." Qin Fen straightened his body perfectly. "I am a recruit slated for selection in the New Recruit Military Skills Competition. If possible, I request that this task, which does not belong to the military, be assigned to someone else."

The Major General narrowed his eyes into slits, staring intently at Qin Fen as his inherent authority began to radiate outward, pressing down on the recruit.

One second, ten seconds, thirty seconds, a full minute passed.

Qin Fen stood as rigid as a javelin, meeting the Major General's sharp, glinting gaze.

Having clashed with the Song family once, Song Zhenting's words had left a profound impact on him.

Love, just as Song Zhenting had said, was not a slogan one could shout loudly to ward off hunger, cold, or the need for a decent home.

The moment love became marriage, it involved the necessities of daily life—food, fuel, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea—none of which could be ignored.

The more Qin Fen yearned to acquire wealth, the more it was needed not just for the travel expenses to find his brother, but also for the wealth that would make the Song family accept Song Jia marrying him without him condemning her to hunger and poverty.

Though he didn't know why the police sought him out, a mission of that nature would undoubtedly interfere with preparing for the New Recruit Military Skills Competition.

Interfering with preparation meant interfering with earning money, which meant interfering with future happiness.

Supported by this steadfast conviction, Qin Fen not only withstood the Major General's imposing aura but seemed like a blade, cleaving through the pressure directed at him.

The Major General watched Qin Fen's eyes shine brighter, and the smile on his lips deepened.

The oppressive gaze transformed into a smile of approval.

The other two Commissioners exchanged looks of understanding. To face the Major General's iron-blooded presence without flinching was precisely the quality required for this mission.

"Young man," the Major General, appearing to be in his mid-thirties, scrutinized Qin Fen with keen interest. "Can you tell me why you are so determined to participate in the New Recruit Military Skills Competition?"

"Reporting, Officer!" Qin Fen bellowed at the top of his lungs. "For the honor of the East Asia Military Region! That is the awareness every soldier of the East Asia Military Region should possess!"

The two Commissioners and the Major General scrutinized Qin Fen for a long moment before simultaneously breaking into applause. They had just witnessed another quality in Qin Fen that made him highly suitable for the mission.

Lying so boldly in front of three high-ranking officers without even blushing, with no fluctuation in his breathing, heartbeat, or blood pressure—if they hadn't known from his file that this recruit truly lacked any significant dedication to serving the military region, they might actually have been fooled by the boy.

Seeing the strange smiles on the faces of the two Commissioners and the Major General, Qin Fen felt an unsettling sensation, like a weasel looking at chickens.

"Recruit Qin Fen," the Major General picked up the tea on the desk and took a sip. "Can you tell me what the fundamental duty of a soldier is?"

"Reporting, General!" Qin Fen could only answer with military bearing. "It is obedience!"

The Major General ceased speaking, gently pushing the file on his side forward. "Now, in my capacity as General, I order you to carry out this arduous mission. Do not think of using the excuse that you are not a soldier under my direct command; I have already conferred with your drill instructors, including Butcher, and they have agreed."

...

Qin Fen was speechless. These instructors were like family elders; he absolutely could not refuse anything they requested.

Furthermore, if he refused, upon returning to the recruit barracks, those instructors would certainly show him what true hellish training meant.

Having no choice but to accept, Qin Fen took the thick file with both hands, gave a salute, and turned to leave.

"Stop," the Major General raised his wrist, pointing at the file in Qin Fen's hand. "This can only be viewed here; you cannot take it out."

"Then..."

"That's right. You must memorize all the material in this room." The Major General tapped the desk with his finger. "Of course, you can step out to use the restroom during this time."

Qin Fen's curiosity regarding the file finally piqued.

What kind of mission was it that required such secrecy and needed to be executed by a mere recruit?

The two Commissioners left the room side-by-side. As the Major General passed Qin Fen, he lightly patted his shoulder. "Young man, do well. Your instructors worked hard to secure this mission for you. As for your concern about missing the New Recruit Military Skills Competition, don't worry excessively. Theoretically, you can manage everything. Moreover, upon completion, this mission can be converted into military merit, and during the period, you can still earn the money you so desire."

The General pushed open the door and stepped out. Two officers with the rank of Captain immediately entered the room.

From their gait, Qin Fen could tell that these two were not only proficient in combat but also skilled with firearms; they were likely assigned as security detail.

Flipping through the file, Qin Fen gradually understood why a matter concerning the police system was being assigned to him, a recruit.

Theoretically, within the Federation, the police and the military had their separate domains. While they were part of the same massive system, their functions differed, and cooperation was rare in peacetime.

This mission was to enter the Golden Triangle and assassinate one man: Wang Hao.

This man was formerly a police officer, but his current identity was that of a drug lord, and he was projected to become one of the biggest drug lords in the future.

Or perhaps, he had never been a police officer at all, but a drug syndicate member always lying dormant within the police ranks.

According to the file, this man had quite a legendary background.

His combat power was likely at the early Comet level—Eight Stars! Starting as an ordinary police officer, he had solved several major cases over more than a decade, rising to become the head of the Anti-Drug Brigade.

Furthermore, he possessed an almost photographic memory and exceptional skills in reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance. The police force had nicknamed him the 'Living Computer.'

Years of police work had honed Wang Hao's vision to that of a pair of fierce falcons; the aura of anyone who had worked in law enforcement could not escape his gaze.

In just three months, the Federation had dispatched twelve batches of veteran police undercover agents to the Golden Triangle, seeking a way to approach and kill Wang Hao.

The result...

All had failed!

These agents, upon their first meeting with Wang Hao, required no questioning; he used secret signals and gestures to have them riddled with bullets by others.

Ultimately, after several meetings, the police concluded that anyone with a background in the police system could not escape Wang Hao's scrutiny, yet this man had to be eliminated.

To have been a mole for the police for over a decade and risen to the rank of Anti-Drug Brigade Captain was a profound humiliation for the East Asia Police force.

Allowing him to remain at large was nothing less than a blatant slap to the East Asia Police's face.

Moreover, looking deeper, this Captain was intimately familiar with the East Asia police strength and their methods of operation.

In front of other drug lords, the police force might still be a nearly impenetrable wall, but in Wang Hao's eyes, it was riddled with loopholes, allowing him to move his shipments freely.

After taking over a portion of his deceased brother's influence, Wang Hao had managed a series of successful shipments in just three months, all arriving safely without costing the clients a single cent.

With unparalleled efficiency and security, he was beginning to attract interest not only from drug traffickers across Earth but also from traffickers on other planets.

If this pace continued, the future drug market would become terrifyingly significant.

And all of this stemmed from Wang Hao.

At that point, the police forces in other regions of the Federation would blame the East Asia police for their failures, leading to increased crime rates for them.

The Federation had considered deploying top experts for direct engagement, but the Golden Triangle, a minuscule patch of land, was a chaotic mess of interwoven elements.

The fact that it remained the Federation's center for drug manufacturing and trafficking under the current conditions proved that the place was far more complicated than it appeared on the surface.

The subsequent documents contained a mass of information regarding the various factional distributions within the Golden Triangle, many of which even commanded their own private armies.

Groups of five thousand, eight thousand, three thousand, and even seventeen thousand men!

Wang Hao's brother, before his death, commanded a force of over nine thousand, making him one of the larger warlords in the Golden Triangle.

Now, Wang Hao, having only inherited a force of just over thirteen hundred men and their territories, was already beginning to make waves and thrive.

Facing the prospect of killing such a figure, Qin Fen began to doubt whether this mission had truly been fought for by his drill instructors.

Infiltrating the Golden Triangle meant he couldn't carry heavy sniper equipment.

Moreover, even if he were lucky enough to bring it in, finding a suitable sniping position in such a chaotic area would be extremely difficult.

There was a high chance that before finding a spot, he’d be discovered by a nearby warlord and simply lose his head.

Flipping another page, Qin Fen’s eyes lit up at the numbers listed there.

The East Asia Police had placed a bounty of one million on Wang Hao’s head! To save face and secure future trafficking routes, the East Asia Police had set a price for Wang Hao that exceeded that of many notorious terrorists.

"Regardless of whether the instructors fought for this mission or not," Qin Fen stared fiercely at the document, his eyes blazing, "I'm taking this job!"

After seeing the price the police had offered, Qin Fen turned the page.

This section contained the identity information prepared for him by the police: Qin Fen, male, eighteen years old, recruit...

Almost all the data was true, except for the entry for 'Spouse'... Lin Ling.

Lin Ling? A memory flashed through Qin Fen's mind of the ice-cold, exceptionally powerful female soldier from the recruit training.

According to the police profile, Qin Fen and Lin Ling were both recruits who developed feelings during the intensive training, and under circumstances where they were alone, they engaged in a passionate encounter.

However, the military had its rules. During the recruit period, romantic relationships between soldiers were strictly forbidden, and even more so, relationships resulting in physical intimacy between male and female recruits.

Such incidents would result in immediate expulsion, plus the revocation of their citizen status, meaning they would lose all rights to state medical care and other benefits.

To put it bluntly, if such a person were beaten to death on the street, the perpetrator would face minimal punishment.

Without citizenship, life for people in the Federation was grim.

Of course, most of the people surviving in places like the Golden Triangle lacked Federation citizenship.

It could be said that those without citizenship either had to work tirelessly to create benefits for the Federation to regain their status, or they headed to regions like the Golden Triangle. Those places didn't require citizenship; as long as one possessed a useful skill, one could live quite comfortably.

Most people who lost their citizenship chose to go to the Golden Triangle or Saturn, as regaining citizenship was no easy feat.

Reading the documents, Qin Fen couldn't help but chuckle repeatedly. It seemed the police had planned this mission with meticulous detail.

The following sections contained various police proposals on how to approach Wang Hao, along with details of the support the police could offer for each scenario, all aimed at ensuring Qin Fen could execute a safe withdrawal after completing the task.

It took Qin Fen two days to memorize all the material.

The Major General who had previously departed reappeared before Qin Fen, this time accompanied by a woman.

The woman listed in Qin Fen's profile as his spouse: Lin Ling.

"Qin Fen, this is your partner for this mission," the Major General stepped aside. "I trust you are already familiar with each other to some extent. Over the next week, you will be living together to familiarize yourselves and build greater rapport."

Qin Fen looked around the room and asked, "Will we still be here?"

The Major General shrugged. "Of course not. What kind of understanding can you build here? The Military Headquarters has provided you with funds to rent a house outside. That will yield the best results."

"Then, during this period, I won't return to the barracks?" Qin Fen stretched his body. "You are aware of my strength; sending me now to kill Wang Hao might result in me being killed instead. I am early-stage Meteor level; he is already early-stage Comet."

"I am aware of that," the Major General nodded. "You do indeed need to raise your strength."

"Exactly. If possible, I hope to find someone to spar with me. Preferably not just one person."

Since his life was at stake, Qin Fen was direct in stating his requirements.

The Major General paused for thought before nodding in agreement. "No problem! I heard about what happened with you in the gravity room a few days ago. I will find more people to assist you in a short-term specialized training. Hopefully, it will help."