Chen Jinzhao was met by members of the Jiangnan Military Region as soon as he alighted from the vehicle.
The man who greeted him was the secretary to the head of the Jiangnan Military Region, named Li Zengqi. Li Zengqi wore a military uniform and a pair of rimless glasses, exuding a gentle and refined scholarly aura that seemed out of place with the iron-blooded military.
However, those who knew him well understood that he was also a formidable figure, a "white-faced devil king"!
A person's reputation precedes them.
Li Zengqi was extremely courteous to Chen Jinzhao, smiling as he said, "Old Wu originally planned to meet you personally, but there's a last-minute meeting in the capital. So, Old Wu sent me to escort you to the Zhulong Special Forces base."
The "Old Wu" he referred to was Wu Dingfeng, the head of the Jiangnan Military Region.
Chen Jinzhao replied just as politely, "I've met Old Wu a few times before, and he left a deep impression on me. When I have the chance next time, I must invite Old Wu for a few drinks."
"Old Wu would be very pleased to know that," Li Zengqi replied.
"Then, shall we go in?"
Chen Jinzhao nodded.
The Zhulong Special Forces base was located on the outskirts of the Jiangnan Military Region, not directly under its jurisdiction. It was directly led and managed by Xu Hanchen.
It could be foreseen that after Xu Hanchen retired, Chen Jinzhao would become the absolute leader of this special forces team!
After walking for over ten minutes,
The group finally arrived at the temporary base of the Zhulong Special Forces.
Li Zengqi said to Chen Jinzhao, "I'll escort you this far. It's not convenient for me to proceed further. If you need anything, feel free to contact me at any time."
Chen Jinzhao nodded, "Thank you for your trouble."
Shangguan Yu'an watched Li Zengqi leave, then said to Chen Jinzhao, "The special forces team reformed by Old Xu has a total of 200 members. They are all elites from the military, selected through multiple rigorous assessments. So, you don't need to worry about their quality. The only thing you need to be wary of is whether they will obey your orders."
Chen Jinzhao couldn't help but smile.
These raw recruits were incredibly arrogant, believing themselves to be invincible and unwilling to submit to the discipline of their instructors.
He had gone through the same thing himself.
"Go and gather them. I'll be there shortly," Chen Jinzhao said.
Shangguan Yu'an nodded in agreement.
Wu Gang also obediently followed Shangguan Yu'an back to the ranks, wondering in his heart if Chen Jinzhao would show off his skills today.
Chen Jinzhao wandered alone on the training ground, looking at the familiar layout and scenery, inevitably feeling a sense of nostalgia. Three years. For three years, he had dreamed of returning to the barracks countless times, and now it was finally a reality.
Unfortunately—
The battle-hardened Zhulong Special Forces of that era had been disbanded, leaving behind only a mythical legend.
Looking at the new recruits assembling in the distance, Chen Jinzhao couldn't help but let out a wry smile.
He murmured, "Old comrades, can you see this? These new recruits are just like we were back then. I wonder how many of them will grow to reach our heights."
"I wonder how far this new Zhulong Special Forces will go."
Ten minutes later.
Shangguan Yu'an ran up to Chen Jinzhao, saluted him, and said, "Instructor, all members of the team have assembled. Please inspect them!"
Chen Jinzhao nodded, "Begin the inspection."
Meanwhile.
The two hundred members of the team were all waiting for the appearance of the mysterious instructor.
They had heard about this instructor long ago and were filled with curiosity. After all, they all knew that the Zhulong Special Forces was a unit personally trained by Xu Hanchen, and held a high position within the military!
Anyone appointed as the chief instructor of Zhulong must surely be an absolute powerhouse in the military!
Before long.
Chen Jinzhao and Shangguan Yu'an appeared before the assembled troops.
When the Zhulong team members saw Chen Jinzhao, they all looked utterly bewildered.
Why was he so young?
And judging by Chen Jinzhao's appearance, he didn't look like a master at all!
The members of the Zhulong Special Forces felt a sense of deception. The brief bewilderment quickly turned into anger. The instructor of the renowned Zhulong Special Forces was an unknown young man?
Wasn't that ridiculous?
Perhaps Chen Jinzhao was just the scion of some prominent family, sent to the Zhulong Special Forces for training.
For a moment.
The two-hundred-man formation began to whisper, expressing their dissatisfaction.
At the forefront of the formation stood a middle-aged man in uniform, his body ramrod straight and unmoving. The muscles in his temples bulged, and his narrow eyes blazed with a sharp light.
Chen Jinzhao's gaze immediately fell upon this man.
This must be the deputy instructor, Yang Qinghu. He had been appreciated by Xu Hanchen in his early years and had earned considerable merit for his missions on the southwestern border.
Their gazes met, and Chen Jinzhao could clearly feel the discontent in Yang Qinghu's eyes.
It was understandable.
Yang Qinghu probably didn't even know him.
Shangguan Yu'an stood beside Chen Jinzhao and yelled at the noisy formation, "Silence! What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket? Anyone who didn't know would think this was a marketplace!"
"What kind of discipline is this?!"
The team members had witnessed Shangguan Yu'an's thunderous wrath before.
Not long ago, a new recruit had defied orders and openly teased Shangguan Yu'an. He was swiftly subdued by Shangguan Yu'an in a single move. Since then, these recruits dared not provoke Shangguan Yu'an.
The training ground fell silent.
Shangguan Yu'an then said, "I would like to solemnly introduce to you all, the man standing beside me is Chen Jinzhao, the Chief Instructor of the Zhulong Special Forces, and the totem of our Zhulong Special Forces!"
"Let us welcome our Chief Instructor with applause!"
Shangguan Yu'an led the applause.
To Chen Jinzhao's embarrassment, not a single person in the two-hundred-strong team applauded in welcome. They stood as still as javelins rooted to the ground.
The atmosphere became eerily strange.
Shangguan Yu'an's expression changed slightly, and a trace of anger began to surface in her brows.
She turned to Chen Jinzhao beside her. Chen Jinzhao smiled faintly, "It's alright, we're just meeting for the first time, and everyone isn't familiar with each other yet."
"But..."
"They don't seem to welcome you," Shangguan Yu'an frowned.
Chen Jinzhao smiled, unperturbed.
Seeing this, Shangguan Yu'an pursed her lips, also curious to see how Chen Jinzhao would handle this situation. If it were her, she would definitely order these unsophisticated recruits to undergo a hundred-kilometer ruck march!
Chen Jinzhao's gaze fell upon the formation, sweeping across their determined and unyielding faces.
Did they seem to look down on him?
Interesting!
At this moment.
Before Chen Jinzhao could speak, Yang Qinghu, standing at the front of the formation, suddenly said, "Let us welcome our Chief Instructor's arrival with the warmest applause."
*Clap clap clap!*
Yang Qinghu was the only one applauding.
With him leading the way, the formation behind him finally erupted in warm applause.
Hmm?
Shangguan Yu'an's brow furrowed deeply.
She didn't believe Yang Qinghu was giving Chen Jinzhao an easy way out. Instead, she suspected it was a direct challenge, a "show of force" to assert dominance.
Chen Jinzhao was no fool; he could also see this.
It seemed he had no choice but to act today, otherwise, these new recruits would never truly respect him.
So be it.
He hadn't acted in many years. It was time to let these people witness his true abilities.
Yang Qinghu's eyes flickered, a surge of fighting spirit rising within him.