Special Forces: At the beginning, An Ran pulled him to get his certificate.

Chapter 1385 Searching for Someone in the Snow

"Commander, I am a border guard. I am not afraid of the cold. There are many poachers and drug dealers here, but we have never been afraid." The young border guard stood tall and straight, his face flushed red from the cold wind, but his eyes were still resolute as he spoke loudly to Chen Jun.

"Are there many armed poachers here?" Chen Jun nodded slightly, his gaze deep as he asked. His thoughts drifted back to his years on the border, when he, too, had been filled with fervor, guarding the motherland's borders. On the border, the greatest enemy sometimes wasn't the military forces of other countries, but rather those poachers blinded by greed. These poachers, driven by exorbitant profits, were willing to take any risks, and their weaponry was quite advanced. Once discovered by border guards, they would open fire without hesitation, even resorting to despicable tactics like sneak attacks, posing a significant threat to the border guards.

Chatting with these young border guards, Chen Jun felt as if he had traveled back in time to those passionate years. Back then, he, too, stood ramrod straight on the border line, vigilantly patrolling every inch of the motherland, just like the soldiers before him. It wasn't until his squad leader, Shi Guo, got into trouble that his life trajectory changed, leading him down a different path. Unbeknownst to him, he had become a high-ranking general. "Life is like a dream..." Chen Jun thought to himself with a sigh.

"You're very good. Seeing you reminds me of my own youth. I also started as a border guard, except I was in the Southeast Military Region and you were in the North," Chen Jun said with a smile, his eyes filled with warmth and reminiscence.

"Commander, you're also... a border guard?" The young soldier looked at Chen Jun's general's rank with astonishment. He never imagined that this commander, who looked not much older than him, had also come from the border. In his understanding, the highest-ranking platoon leader here was only a lieutenant, while Chen Jun was already a general. How could someone from the border guards rise so quickly? This filled the young soldier with doubt.

Just as Chen Jun was about to answer the young soldier's question, Lieutenant Fang Xingwu, who was on duty inside, led a group of soldiers out in neat formation. They quickly lined up in a row, their posture as straight as pine trees, their eyes firm and focused. Fang Xingwu strode up to Chen Jun, gave a standard salute, and said in a loud voice, "Comrade Commander, this is Northern Outpost No. 2. We warmly welcome you to guide our work. Please give us your instructions."

Chen Jun returned the salute solemnly, his gaze slowly sweeping over the soldiers who stood guard in the wind and rain, and asked, "Is this all of you?"

Fang Xingwu hurriedly replied, "No, sir. Our deputy platoon leader, Comrade Wang Chao, led his squad out to patrol the border. They set off early this morning and, as usual, won't return until evening. Due to the long border and the bad weather, we can't notify them to return now. I'm truly sorry, sir!" Fang Xingwu had assumed Chen Jun was gathering everyone together to announce an important order from above. In fact, before Chen Jun arrived, he had received notification that a high-ranking officer was coming to inspect Area 2, and he was instructed to prepare for their arrival. He just hadn't expected Chen Jun and his men to come up the mountain themselves without notifying the outpost to send someone down to pick them up. What surprised Fang Xingwu even more was that this excessively young general was the highest-ranking officer he had ever seen; even the leader of the Northern Group was only a lieutenant general.

Chen Jun nodded slightly in understanding of Fang Xingwu's statement. He was well aware that with such a long border, hundreds of kilometers of travel, and harsh weather conditions, it was impossible for Wang Chao and his men to return immediately. It was just a pity that this deputy platoon leader, Wang Chao, was one of the elite members he had come to find.

"Wang Chao, the number one fighter in the North for three consecutive years, right?" Chen Jun asked.

Upon hearing this, Fang Xingwu paused for a moment, then quickly nodded and said, "Yes, sir. He is very capable and originally had the opportunity to join the special forces. But at that time, the border defense needed an experienced deputy platoon leader, and the superiors arranged for him to be promoted, so he came to Area 2."

"Yes, there's another one named Chen Zhi, Lin Chao, are they here?" Chen Jun continued to ask.

“Sorry, sir, they happen to be in the same squad as Deputy Platoon Leader Wang Chao, and they were both taken out to patrol the border. Chen Zhi is a famous sharpshooter in our Northern Military Region, with superb shooting skills; Lin Chao, on the other hand, has excellent physical strength and super endurance, hence the title ‘King of Endurance’…” Fang Xingwu roughly guessed Chen Jun’s purpose and deliberately gave a detailed introduction to their situation.

After listening, Chen Jun nodded slightly and said, "Then let's wait until they come back. You mean they won't be back until after dark?"

“Generally speaking, they will be back before dark, unless something unexpected happens,” Fang Xingwu replied.

"Alright, you don't need to line up here anymore. I don't have any special instructions. Everyone can continue doing what they're doing. I'll just wander around here for a bit," Chen Jun said.

"Disband!" Fang Xingwu shouted the order.

After the unit disbanded, the soldiers were filled with curiosity about Chen Jun's identity, but out of discipline, none of them dared to ask him which unit he came from. Fang Xingwu hesitated for a moment, then walked up to Chen Jun and mustered his courage to ask, "Commander, I heard that you came here to take these three men to another unit, right?"

“Yes, given their abilities, they can take on greater challenges in new positions,” Chen Jun replied confidently.

It really was true… A look of shock appeared on Fang Xingwu’s face. A general personally came to take Wang Chao and his two companions away, which was enough to show how much importance was placed on them. Of course, Fang Xingwu was not disappointed that his brothers had been taken away; on the contrary, he was genuinely happy for them. In his opinion, life in Area 2 was too monotonous and too arduous. Only those who had actually served as border guards there could understand the hardships. Everyone who left would be greeted with a song of blessing. Moreover, the border guards had deep bonds and would maintain contact even after retirement. If Wang Chao and his two companions could advance to higher positions, they would become the eyes, ears, and network of connections for Area 2, able to speak for their brothers at the outpost and even, to some extent, determine their future.

"Commander, I see you climbed the snow-capped mountain on your own, and you must be hungry and thirsty. I'll get you some hot tea. However, it's not mealtime yet, and we only have canned food here. You see..." Fang Xingwu said with concern.

“It’s alright, canned food will do. Before I came, I learned that you only get supplies once every three months. The conditions are too harsh, and I completely understand. I was a border guard myself…” Chen Jun said.

"Commander, you're from the border defense?" Fang Xingwu reacted much like the young soldier on guard duty, his eyes widening instantly as he stared at Chen Jun in astonishment.

Chen Jun opened the pre-heated can of food and said, "Yes, life on the border is really tough. For us border guards, being able to eat canned meat is the greatest luxury. Sometimes we might not get to eat meat even once every two weeks. I understand you all too well." Chen Jun paused, then continued, "Later, for some reasons, I joined the special forces, established my own base, and accumulated military merits while continuously carrying out missions, gradually getting to where I am today."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xingwu was speechless, inwardly exclaiming, "Holy crap..." He understood every word, but he simply couldn't fathom what had happened behind the scenes. What kind of military achievements, what kind of base had been established, could enable someone to become a general in their early twenties? That's equivalent to the rank of a military region commander! This is too outrageous! Of course, out of respect for his superior, Fang Xingwu dared not ask about these specific questions rashly.

At this moment, Chen Jun and Fan Tianlei were indeed hungry; this was their first meal of the day. Just as they were eating, suddenly, the wailing alarm sounded from the outpost.

Upon hearing the alarm, almost reflexively, Chen Jun and Lao Fan immediately put down their food and stood up simultaneously. The soldiers of the entire outpost rushed out, fully armed, their movements swift and decisive, demonstrating exceptional military skills and the ability to respond to emergencies.

"Comrade Commander, we just received news from above that a group of poachers, after being driven away by troops from other areas, entered our Area 2 and attempted to cross the border through our territory. The order from above is that we must intercept them, so we are about to set off," Fang Xingwu reported to Chen Jun.

Chen Jun's expression instantly turned serious. Just moments before, when he was chatting with the young soldiers, they had mentioned the rampant poaching in the area. He hadn't expected to encounter such an emergency so soon. It seemed the situation in Area 2 was indeed far from peaceful.

"Platoon Leader Fang, we can't get in touch with Deputy Platoon Leader Wang Chao. They've lost signal over there," the communications soldier reported anxiously as he ran over.

“Generally speaking, it’s normal to lose signal occasionally in stormy weather like this, but this is an emergency, so it’s different,” Fang Xingwu said, frowning.

Upon hearing that they couldn't be contacted, Fang Xingwu became anxious and shouted, "We must contact them immediately! There's an emergency. I'm afraid they might encounter armed men, which would be very dangerous."

"Perhaps they just happened to be in the eye of the storm, so losing contact at this time is normal," the communications officer said.

"We must make contact as soon as possible. The patrol route that Wang Chao and his team are on happens to be the route that the armed men take. Those people are good at ambushes. If Wang Chao and his team don't prepare in advance, they will suffer a great loss," Fang Xingwu said anxiously.

"Understood!" the communications soldier shouted, his voice quickly dissipating in the howling storm.

Seeing this, Chen Jun had a bad feeling. He quickly walked over and said to Fang Xingwu, "Platoon Leader Fang, I feel something is wrong. How about this, you find me a soldier who can identify directions, and I'll go first and find Wang Chao and the others."

"You..." Fang Xingwu stared wide-eyed at Chen Jun, who had a somewhat scholarly air about him. In his mind, Chen Jun didn't seem like someone with strong military skills; he even suspected he might be a civilian employee. Otherwise, how could he have been promoted so quickly? Asking him to go find Wang Chao and the others in such terrible stormy weather? It was practically a huge joke on the border defense.

At that moment, Chen Jun roared at him, "Platoon Leader, carry out the order immediately!" His voice was firm and authoritative, echoing in the howling wind...

……

Amidst the vast snowstorm, Wang Chao led the soldiers of the 3rd Platoon, trudging through the snow. Their steps were arduous, often sinking deep into their calves with a single step, leaving a trail of footprints behind them. However, the storm quickly covered up the traces.

Among the soldiers was one nicknamed "Little Monkey." He had only recently arrived at the border and was only 17 years old. He was hardworking but physically weak.

"Little monkey, hurry up, I'll give you a treat when we get back, I promise there will be meat."

As the deputy platoon leader, Wang Chao took great care of the little monkey. In him, he seemed to see himself when he first joined the army, thinking about eating meat every day and being extremely hungry. Actually, he wasn't really hungry, but after the intensity of training, his body was filled with cravings for meat.

Once, he went to help out in the mess hall. The squad leader asked him to cook a dish: stewed potatoes and braised pork. But that night, everyone ate stewed potatoes instead of braised pork. The squad leader just chuckled and didn't say anything. Only afterwards did he scold him as a little monkey!

The young monkey, a southerner, couldn't withstand the blizzard. He kept panting and said, "Platoon leader, it's not this cold in the south. We eat meat every day. But don't worry, I'll definitely get used to it. I definitely won't hold everyone back for too long..."

"You little monkey, did I say you were holding us back? But let me tell you, this is just the beginning. It's going to get even colder. The wind here is really weird. Usually, if people don't come out, there won't be much wind or snow. But once they do come out, it's like they recognize people, and a storm breaks out immediately. Damn it, this weather, haha..."

The one who spoke this time was machine gunner Chen Zhi, one of the people Chen Jun was looking for.

"Then let the storm rage on. When I retire, I can tell my old man in the south, 'Old Deng, I've seen the fiercest storms and the harshest border conditions. What are you, an old Deng soldier, compared to that? Bring it on...'"

Everyone was infected by the little monkey's enthusiasm and laughed.

Strangely enough, as soon as he finished speaking, hail began to fall from the sky.