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

Chapter 1480: The Path is Full of Pitfalls

The Raptor pickup truck roared as it rolled over the rough dirt roads and forest trails. Unexpectedly, the return journey was unusually peaceful, with no further ambushes or interceptions encountered.

Only when the outline of the Yan Kingdom's border checkpoint appeared ahead, and the familiar national flag fluttered on the watchtower, did the extremely tense battlefield atmosphere quietly dissipate. In its place came a subtle sense of relaxation, a return to a land of order, even though the smell of gunpowder and blood still lingered on their clothes.

The vehicle slowly came to a stop in front of the checkpoint. A sentry in a crisp military uniform, carrying a rifle, stepped forward and signaled for inspection.

Old Wen rolled down the car window, his face still showing signs of fatigue and travel, but his movements were swift and efficient. Without saying a word, he directly pulled out his identification from his pocket and handed it over. The identification was a deep navy blue, of a special texture, with no superfluous patterns, only simple emblems and lettering.

The sentry took it, examined it closely in the light, and his expression froze instantly. His eyes widened involuntarily, and he murmured, "...National Strategic Bureau?"

He quickly looked up, his gaze sweeping over the expressionless Chen Jun and the composed Lao Wen inside the car. He instinctively straightened his posture, raised his hand in a standard military salute, and his voice carried a hint of barely perceptible tension and respect: "Sir! Please wait a moment, I need to report and verify immediately!"

Old Wen casually returned the greeting, his tone normal: "Okay, go ahead."

The sentry dared not delay, clutching the unusually heavy identification badge tightly, and turned to jog towards the duty room, his steps quicker than usual. He had seen badges from all sorts of military units and departments during his long postings, but this was the first time he had ever seen one from the "National Strategic Bureau," a special department. It felt like he had stumbled upon a legendary figure out of nowhere; besides shock, the only word that swirled in his mind was "incredibly awesome," even though the two "commanders" inside the car appeared remarkably low-key, even somewhat disheveled.

Chen Jun sat in the passenger seat, his gaze calmly scanning the departing sentry through the window, then slowly sweeping over the solemn facilities of the checkpoint and the faint outline of the border in the distance. He didn't urge them, but waited quietly. He had gone through this procedure far too many times.

It didn't take long.

Soon, the sentry returned quickly, accompanied by an officer bearing the rank of major. The major appeared considerably older than the sentry, with a serious and capable demeanor. He first saluted Chen Jun and Lao Wen inside the vehicle, then handed the identification back to Lao Wen with both hands, his movements meticulous. He didn't ask any questions, simply saluted again, then stepped aside, watching the mud-covered, somewhat rugged-looking Raptor pickup truck slowly start, pass through the checkpoint, and enter the country.

In addition to the respect that should be shown, his eyes also carried a hint of inquiry and deep awe.

The car passed through the checkpoint and rejoined the relatively smooth domestic roads. The atmosphere inside the car seemed to relax a little more.

Chen Jun leaned back in his seat, his gaze fixed on the scenery rushing past the window. This was Border Area No. 1, and the terrain was familiar to him. Looking at the undulating mountains and familiar vegetation in the distance, his eyes gradually deepened, as if piercing through the scene before him and seeing into a more distant time and space.

Old Wen, who was driving, keenly noticed the subtle change in Chen Jun's aura. He grinned, a hint of mischief and curiosity in his eyes: "Boss, are you thinking about your recruit days? Around here, right? I heard about it. The first time you took action as 'Ghost,' wow, the scene... tsk tsk, they say you took down dozens of people in one go, completely stunning a group of border crossers. The news shocked a lot of people. Are you feeling nostalgic?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jun withdrew his gaze and glanced indifferently at Lao Wen. His calm, unwavering look caused Lao Wen's smile to freeze for a moment, and he awkwardly rubbed his nose. Chen Jun ignored his obviously flattering and curious remark, instead saying, "Alright, stop talking nonsense. Focus on driving. You've dug quite a few pits for this mission; don't let your guard down now and actually drive the car into a ditch."

"How could that be, boss? I drive very steadily..." Before Lao Wen could finish speaking, the car suddenly lurched due to a slightly larger bump. The tires seemed to have scraped against loose gravel on the shoulder, making a teeth-grinding sound. The car body tilted noticeably for a moment, almost plunging into the shallow drainage ditch next to it.

"Damn it!" Old Wen quickly swerved the steering wheel, narrowly pulling the car back to the middle of the road, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Chen Jun's body swayed slightly with the car's movement. After settling in, he looked at the road ahead, then at Lao Wen's profile, which clearly showed signs of exhaustion and bloodshot eyes. He decisively said, "Find the nearest hotel up ahead, stop, and rest. Don't drive anymore."

Old Wen instinctively wanted to retort, "Boss, I can still..."

“You’ve overdrawn your energy,” Chen Jun interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Your body is completely drained, isn’t it? There’s no use for pushing yourself.”

Old Wen opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't insist. Just then, a long yawn came uncontrollably, bringing tears to his eyes. He rubbed his sore eyes and gave a wry smile: "Sigh, you were right, boss. Age catches up with you. This mission was really intense; I didn't sleep for a day and a night, and my mind was on high alert. Now that I'm relaxing, I feel completely drained... Haha, I really need to rest."

He stopped trying to be brave and, while forcing himself to pay attention to the road conditions, began to look for roadside signs. Before long, at the entrance of a border town, he found a hotel that looked fairly clean.

After parking the car, the two walked into the hotel lobby. The receptionist was a middle-aged woman. When she saw two men who looked travel-worn, wearing combat uniforms (although she had tried her best to clean them, the traces were still obvious), and exuding an aura of gunpowder, she paused for a moment, but didn't ask any questions and skillfully processed their check-in.

After getting their room keys, they found their room. Upon entering, the two of them barely bothered to wash up, casually tossing their heavy backpacks on the floor, placing their weapons within easy reach but in a safe location, and then each pounced on a bed.

Exhaustion overwhelmed them instantly, like a tidal wave. Almost as soon as their heads touched the pillow, their heavy eyelids gave way, and intense sleepiness completely swallowed them both.

I slept soundly and soundly.

When Chen Jun woke up naturally and opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the hotel's slightly worn ceiling. The light coming in from the window had softened, carrying the hues of dusk. He took out his phone and glanced at the time—it was a little past four o'clock the next afternoon.

I slept for almost twenty hours.

The physical fatigue had mostly subsided, but the emptiness deep within his mind after the intense mission would take time to fill. He sat up, stretching his stiff neck and shoulders, his bones cracking slightly.

Then, he subconsciously turned his head and looked at Old Wen on the other bed next to him.

Upon seeing this, Chen Jun's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

Old Wen was lying on his back on the bed, fast asleep. His snoring had stopped, but his usually shrewd face was now completely relaxed. That was alright.

The key point is—this guy was completely naked!

He kicked a thin blanket to his feet, piling it into a ball. He lay there naked, completely exposed, his white skin standing out starkly in the dim afternoon light.

Chen Jun: "..."

He rubbed his temples. He remembered that while Lao Wen wasn't particularly particular about his sleep, he wouldn't sleep naked. It seemed he was truly exhausted this time; he probably felt his clothes were dirty and uncomfortable, so in his half-awake state, he stripped them off and fell into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

"This is truly... a sinkhole."

Chen Jun muttered something to himself, somewhat speechless. He got up, walked over, picked up the wad of blanket from the floor with his toe, and casually tossed it back onto Lao Wen, at least covering his vital parts.

If someone unaware of the situation were to accidentally witness this, the misunderstanding would be enormous. Those who didn't know better might think they had some kind of unusual fetish.