"Don't be disrespectful, call me brother!"
Yao Qiang slung an arm around Gao Fei's neck, pulling him aside. "What do you mean by the big surprise you mentioned? Do you have any trump cards left to turn the tables?"
"Brother Yao, I'm considered dead now, I can't speak!"
"Quickly tell me what kind of surprise it is!"
Yao Qiang pressed on, glancing at the soldiers retreating along the original route, and lowered his voice. "Even though you're the planner for this exercise, don't pull any shenanigans!"
"Don't worry, my surprise is all within the exercise rules, I won't cross the line!"
Seeing that Gao Fei was stubbornly refusing to reveal his surprise, Major Yao didn't press further. "Alright, then I'll wait for your surprise. Squad Five soldiers, escort the prisoner out and send him back to the command post!"
"Yes!"
Five hundred meters west of the encirclement site was a mountain road. As Gao Fei, disarmed, and the special operations team arrived at the mountain path where the transport vehicles were waiting, the Snake Team, soaked and sunbathing by the roadside with their arms bare, had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Gao Fei among the captured, the Snake Team sighed, realizing he couldn't escape defeat after all.
Noticing the captain's dejected expression, Da Wei quietly said, "Snake Team, don't be discouraged yet. I overheard Gao Fei talking to the instructor just now. Xiao Gao seems to have some contingency plans."
The Snake Team looked at the calm Gao Fei, pulled him aside, and asked curiously, "We've all been captured. What trump cards do you have left, Xiao Gao, to turn the tables?"
"I can't say for now. Anyway, Captain, rest assured, I've prepared a big surprise for the Blue Team."
Seeing his confident demeanor, the Snake Team didn't ask any more questions. However, he held little hope for Gao Fei's contingency plan.
The Sharpshooter Company and Reconnaissance Company also heard that Gao Fei had a backup plan. However, no one believed him. With the New Recruit Company and the Special Operations Team all captured, turning the tables would require divine intervention. Yet, among all of them, only one person had absolute faith in Gao Fei's words – Yao Qiang, the Blue Team's commander for this exercise.
"Instructor!"
"Old Yao... brother!"
Yao Qiang, who was now 'eliminated,' disarmed and unburdened by his equipment, boarded the same transport vehicle as Gao Fei and the others back to the command post. As he sat in the vehicle, he looked at Big Snake wiping away water stains with a towel and nodded with a smile. "Not bad, Xiao She. If I hadn't commanded the operation this time, the Blue Team would have been gradually dismantled from the outside by your dozen or so men and ultimately defeated!"
"Thank you for the compliment, instructor!" Big Snake put down his towel and pointed at Gao Fei not far away. "To be honest, my command was secondary. Xiao Gao's computer skills were the biggest help!" He didn't take all the credit; Gao Fei's hacking skills had indeed been a great assistance in quickly capturing the outer perimeter today.
Yao Qiang nodded in agreement and continued, "If I hadn't been here, with Xiao Gao's skills assisting you, you could indeed have ended the exercise today. However, I anticipated early on that this kid would hack into the Blue Team's command network, so I set a trap for you. I didn't expect you all to fall for it!"
In short, Gao Fei's hacking skills were a double-edged sword. Used wisely, it led to great victory. But with Yao Qiang, who knew him well, on the opposing side, he would undoubtedly use his own methods against him. As they spoke, the special operations team members began reminiscing in the carriage. Gao Fei, overhearing their conversations about the past, couldn't stop looking shocked. Based on what he heard, Old Brother Yao was undoubtedly the "Soldier King" of Dragon Country. His life experiences were even more exciting than the soldier king novels he had read in his previous life. His individual combat prowess wasn't as incredible as the protagonists in those novels, who could single-handedly take down a nation. However, if Old Brother Yao fought against a dozen people with weapons, he could handle them all.
After chatting for a while, Big Snake suddenly changed the subject and looked at Instructor Yao, who had been discreetly watching Gao Fei. "Instructor, besides reminiscing with us, are you actually keeping an eye on Xiao Gao?"
Yao Qiang tacitly nodded and stated directly, "You guys have only just met Xiao Gao and don't know his capabilities. Since this kid dares to say he has a contingency plan and a big surprise, he's not bluffing. I'm watching him the entire time, just to see where his contingency plan lies!"
Everyone turned to look at Gao Fei. They hadn't expected Instructor Yao to place such importance on this lone new recruit. But they were also curious about what Gao Fei's contingency plan was.
...
Blue Team Command Post.
After the transport vehicles entered the main position, they stopped at the prisoner-of-war camp. When Gao Fei and the special operations team were seen disembarking, the expectant new recruits and squad leaders all felt a sense of disappointment. They hadn't expected the most legendary special operations team in the military to be captured as well. Their capture meant complete annihilation, and the exercise was about to end.
"The Ace Company is one thing, but with Major Yao leading the command, is there any hope of victory?"
"Don't dwell on it. It's just a small-scale exercise. We'll try harder next time if we lose!"
Several soldiers from the Fifth Company were extremely unwilling. With Yao Qiang's command, they were captured on the periphery before even engaging in combat, and they were very unhappy about it.
After entering the barracks, Gao Fei quietly asked Li Dong, "Squad Leader, when we came out this morning, there were twelve classes. I just checked, and there are only six classes here. Where are the others?"
"They were captured too, and are being held in the northern POW camp!" Li Dong sighed. He then explained the plan that Company Commander Wu had arranged before the exercise. It turned out that Gao Fei's six classes, led by members of the special operations team, were the main assault force. The other six classes were responsible for providing cover from the rear. However, Yao Qiang had seen through Company Commander Wu's plan from the start. Before the main force could even engage in combat, they were captured en route. And the other six classes providing cover from the rear were all captured in a single strong push.
Learning the full details of the battlefield, Gao Fei couldn't help but marvel at Yao Qiang's commanding talent. What was supposed to be an assault operation was skillfully turned into an encirclement by Old Brother Yao. He then looked at the special operations team beside him and asked, "Snake Team, how long has it been since we were captured and brought to the Blue Team command post?"
"It's been twenty-five minutes and thirty-six seconds!" The Snake Team glanced at his watch and asked him with a puzzled look, "We're all on the same side now, can you tell us about your contingency plan?"
"The answer will be revealed soon, just wait, time is almost up!" Gao Fei still didn't reveal anything, instead, he began counting down in his mind.
...
As the thirteen individuals were escorted into the POW camp, Yao Qiang finally felt somewhat at ease. He instructed the guards to keep a close watch on Gao Fei, then hurried towards the Blue Team command center.
"What? Gao Fei still has a contingency plan? You've captured everyone, how could there be a contingency plan? Are you joking, Xiao Yao?" Battalion Commander Huang looked bewildered. As the overall commander of the military exercise, he was fully aware of all its procedures. Hearing that Gao Fei had a backup plan, he was momentarily unsure which procedure his contingency plan entailed.
"Battalion Commander, I'm a 'deceased' personnel now and cannot participate in command work, but you should still have someone investigate!" Yao Qiang said with some concern. "I'm not afraid of Xiao Gao having a contingency plan, I'm afraid this kid might cause big trouble!" Seeing his worried expression and his understanding of Gao Fei, Battalion Commander Huang immediately ordered an investigation into the exercise procedures.
As for the Fifth Company Commander of the Red Army, he looked at the Commander of the Sharpshooter Company and smiled, "Old Wu, hurry up and help. Don't think that capturing the New Recruit Company and our Fifth Company means victory. As long as that kid Gao Fei has a plan, it means the exercise isn't over yet."
However, Company Commander Wu was unconcerned, believing the new recruit was just bluffing. Moments later, after a thorough investigation, all aspects of the military exercise appeared to be normal. There were no abnormal phenomena! Company Commander Wu, who was convinced, grinned and said, "See, I told you there couldn't be a contingency plan. Just a little new recruit, already captured, what contingency plan or not, it's definitely bluffing."
"This time I agree with Old Wu. Old Wu, you think too highly of Comrade Xiao Gao!"
"Battalion Commander, since there are no abnormalities, should we formally announce the results of the exercise?" The company commanders spoke one after another. Yao Qiang, sitting nearby, frowned and fell into deep thought. No abnormal procedures? He looked towards the POW camp. Could it be that this kid was just trying to scare me with baseless claims? But remembering Gao Fei's smug expression, he felt it couldn't end like this! Where had this kid hidden his contingency plan?
Just as the Blue Team leaders were leaving the command post to announce the exercise results, Gao Fei, who was imprisoned, began his final countdown.
"3... 2... 1.... Time's up!" As his words fell, everyone froze, wondering what he was so excited about.
"Woooo!" Suddenly, an alarm blared across the Blue Team position, its siren wailing! Yao Qiang, Company Commander Wu, and others who had just walked out of the command post stared in shock, their faces changing dramatically!
"Prepare for air defense!" Company Commander Wu took off his hat and shouted. But it was already too late. High above, three fighter jets appeared in the clouds in a triangular formation. Wherever the jets flew, long white contrails trailed in the wind. In the area marked for bombing, there were continuous rumbling and explosions.
In the POW camp, Gao Fei gripped the fence, looked up at the circling fighter jets, and shouted excitedly, "Everyone, this is the surprise I prepared for the Blue Team. Exciting, isn't it!" Behind him, the twelve special forces soldiers, one hundred and twenty new recruits, and twelve squad leaders all stared blankly at the fighter jets roaring across the blue sky. No one had expected Gao Fei's contingency plan to be the deployment of military aircraft for a bombing run on the positions. This contingency plan was not only a surprise but also absolutely shocking.