Chapter Twenty-Eight: Shattering Dreams

“Count the number of people, organize an immediate counterattack!” Chen Diwen’s bloodshot eyes flashed as he gripped his sniper rifle, his hoarse voice growling low. Chen Cao was clearly targeting him. Just as he was about to use himself as bait to lure the enemy into firing and exposing their position, Chen Cao refrained from shooting; instead, he systematically picked off his teammates one by one. This was a contemptuous provocation, his intent deeply malicious. Everything he did was designed to isolate Chen Diwen, to leave him friendless and betrayed.

On hearing Chen Diwen’s order, all the team members except Xiao Li and Bear paused in confusion, a flicker of doubt passing through their eyes. In that fleeting moment, Chen Diwen realized something was wrong. Everyone here was an elite—not one of them was foolish. Anyone could see through Chen Cao’s blatant tactics.

“Chen Cao’s ruthless approach is directed mainly at the commander!”

“Brothers, I know what you’re thinking!” Faced with the situation, Chen Diwen became calm instead, lowering his rifle and speaking in a voice loud enough for the dozen team members around him to hear. “I believe there’s no need for me to explain. You all know in your hearts—we’re up against a cunning and terrifying opponent. You have no confidence in this endless battle, and are full of fear. So am I. The enemy is using the same strategies and tactics as we are, dragging us out, exhausting our time and energy!”

The group listened, bewildered. As newcomers who had only been in the unit for a year, their minds were not yet mature. Now, confronted by the equally young Chen Diwen, they heard their innermost thoughts spoken aloud.

For a moment, silence reigned. It was nearly dusk; in the forest whose dense foliage blocked the sunlight, the light grew dimmer. In just over an hour, night would fall, and they would lose all advantages in battle. Everyone’s thoughts were the same; their spirits had sunk to the lowest point. Even Bear, usually fiery and explosive, kept silent, unable to devise a solution. Facing Chen Cao’s bizarre tactics, his courage and skills were of no use.

A gleam flashed in Chen Diwen’s eyes. He raised his voice: “Brothers, honestly, I feel the same as you. My heart is full of fear. But as your temporary commander, I cannot give in to fear. Because, besides fear, another emotion fills my heart!”

He deliberately paused here. As the low-spirited team members strained to listen, their attention focused on him, he managed a faint smile and squeezed two words from his lips: “Dreams! Honestly, over this past year, our training has been several times that of ordinary troops. You all know this. But what sustains us? Dreams! Yes, it’s dreams!”

Chen Diwen extended his hand, as if his dream lay before him. His voice trembled: “Did we come here to defend home and country? No. We are here to uphold our family’s honor, which itself is built upon defending home and country. Imagine our ancestors, facing countless hardships with crude weapons, carving out a vast territory. What sustained them? Courage. Their blood runs in our veins. Are we to give up because of a minor setback?”

He lapsed into silence, knowing the moment was ripe and his purpose achieved. He saw the knuckles of every team member gripping their steel rifles turn white, creaking with tension.

“So now, we should pick up our rifles, clear our minds, and use this opportunity to test the fruits of a year’s training. Whether we succeed or fail, we will only become stronger, more battle-ready!” Chen Diwen raised his assault rifle, looking resolutely at each of them.

“Boss Chen!” A cadet stepped forward from the ranks, his face smeared with camouflage, glasses gleaming. Thin and scholarly, he looked every bit the academic, yet his head was held high, eyes wide and voice powerful. Clearly, Chen Diwen’s speech had stirred his blood. “We sincerely apologize to you. Because of our hesitation, we missed a perfect chance to pursue the enemy!”

Chen Diwen smiled gently, walked over, and patted his shoulder. “Ming An, it’s not your fault. It’s mine as commander.” He raised his head and looked around at the others. “Trust me. You have entrusted your dreams to me, and I will make this mistake only once. Now, let’s begin the battle!”

Ming An gazed at Chen Diwen’s confident face, then silently returned to his place.

Chen Diwen looked deeply at him, then turned to Xiao Li at his side. Xiao Li nodded, knowing this was not his moment to speak. Chen Diwen clearly had a complete plan in mind.

Chen Cao crouched quietly amid the trees, watching Chen Diwen’s impassioned speech. His own heart began to stir. To be honest, all that he’d done today was little more than mischief. Yet, undeniably, Chen Diwen had touched something deep within him.

He was the true warrior, the one with dreams. But where were his dreams? He bore little family honor. His father was a businessman—his uncle a soldier—but beyond this past year, he had no connection to the military, the battlefield, or passion.

A wave of disappointment washed over him. He was a pathetic mutant, told he possessed extraordinary power, born for the battlefield, yet utterly disconnected from it.

With this thought, Chen Cao’s eyes narrowed. “Fine, let me tear off your hypocritical mask!” he muttered, slowly vanishing into the woods.

Chen Diwen waved his empty hand, speaking softly: “I know this is a test of endurance and skill. Remember the tactics we learned?”

He drew a circle in the air; the trainees’ eyes lit up. This tactic was one they had practiced together countless times—it was almost ingrained in their souls.

“Visibility is still good. Let’s move!” Chen Cao pulled out a small red flag, directing the team’s tactical maneuvers.

Within the multi-member battle group, Chen Cao sneered: “Looks like Chen Diwen is at the end of his rope, sending his men to die so he can face me alone. All right, I’ll keep playing, let’s end this boring game quickly!”

He fastened Duan Tianya’s “Parting Twin Blade” at his waist, grabbed his gear, and melted into the forest.

The tactical formation for multi-member combat groups was the most common and widely-used on the battlefield, especially suited for jungle search missions. The group formed an isosceles triangle dozens of meters across, with the commander at the center, all sides connected and mutually supporting. This ensured both the safety of the command core and combat power when meeting the enemy.

At the point of the triangle, Bear took the lead, machete in hand, cutting a path with an aura of unstoppable force—slaying gods and Buddhas alike.

Chen Diwen continually used coded signals to coordinate their movements and direction, while the strategist Xiao Li, adept at tracking, reported clues from the terrain, providing guidance for command decisions. Along the way, they swept aside all obstacles, even recruiting scattered fighters who had returned from the command post, swelling their ranks in a short time.

Bang, bang! For the third time, Chen Cao clashed directly with the enemy, only to be overwhelmed by their concentrated firepower, unable to fight back. If not for Professor Wang Hu Sheng’s lessons in geomancy, he would have been riddled with bullets.

“It seems Xiao Li, the tracker, and Bear, the vanguard, are key!” Chen Cao leaned against a tree, panting, loading bullets into his sniper rifle, and charged forward with reckless speed.

Beneath a pile of boulders in the woods, Chen Cao lay prone, aiming his weapon. When the crosshairs aligned with Bear’s head, his finger curled around the crescent trigger—but he hesitated.

They were only three hundred meters away; eliminating Bear would be no problem, their tactics were sound. But the real issue lay with the Committee’s rules. He had become the hunted. On the surface, Chen Diwen seemed to be sacrificing his men as bait, but in truth, he himself was also bait. Clearly, Chen Diwen had thoroughly studied the Committee’s rules.

If he killed Bear, he would rid Chen Diwen of his most capable assistant—but also reveal his own position. Xiao Li would not let him escape. If he killed Xiao Li, Bear’s speed and strength in the jungle would make him terrifying; he could reach Chen Cao in no time and engage him in close combat.

At close range, Chen Cao believed his skills matched Bear’s, but it would waste time and attract attacks from the group of elite trainees—a fatal danger for him.

Suddenly, Chen Cao understood—what he lacked was training. His gap was with this well-trained, tightly coordinated special force. A surge of helplessness and loneliness rose in his heart.

“Fine, you have numbers, you have valor, you have dreams—I don’t. So I’ll shatter your dreams!” Chen Cao tossed aside his sniper rifle and drew the knife at his waist.

Flame King 28_Flame King Full Text Free Reading_Chapter 28: Shattering Dreams updated!

All content collected by this site is from the internet. If there is any infringement, we will delete it as soon as possible. Website Map