Beijing, a military restricted area.
Mr. Li sat solemnly in the living room of the quadrangle courtyard, with Wu Jin seated diagonally across from him. A stack of docunts and photos rested on the table. The news of Lan Xue Team being attacked by missiles and avalanches was too overwhelming. Wu Jin didn't dare to conceal it and rushed to Beijing to report to Mr. Li in person. When Mr. Li heard the news, he was stunned, his hands trembling slightly. Even with years of navigating political unrest and not faltering under imnse pressure, this ti his heart was in turmoil.
Mr. Li had a heartfelt affection for Lan Xue, though he always kept a professional façade, even sending Lan Xue at the age of fifteen to the ruthless National Blade Training Base. But inside, he never let his guard down, especially when they were on missions. As a leader, Mr. Li couldn't favor his own interests, and the agony of that duality was sothing only he knew.
"Is it confird?" Mr. Li tried to speak in a calm tone, but the tremble in his voice was audible to anyone.
"It's not yet certain, old chief—I've let you down." Wu Jin hung his head in sha. The person he most respected had entrusted him with his dearest kin, and now he had failed. Wu Jin wished he could turn the gun on himself; he didn't dare to et Mr. Li's eyes.
"Not confird?" A glimr of hope flickered across Mr. Li's grave expression upon seeing Wu Jin's guilty deanor. Guessing what Wu Jin might be thinking, Mr. Li's face darkened, and he commanded, "Lift your head, puff out your chest, act like a man. This is not your fault. To die in battle is an honor for a soldier, and the best way to depart. Don't you think I understand that? I'm asking you, is it that we can't confirm, or is it unconfirmable? How about Arctic Bear?"
"The incident happened so suddenly, and the avalanche was massive; we can't confirm it, and neither can Arctic Bear," Wu Jin quickly straightened up, his eyes reddening and welling up as his face turned grim. He struggled to maintain eye contact with Mr. Li.
"So you're saying they might have been buried by the snow, or they might have escaped." Mr. Li gradually regained his composure, and his wise gaze began to flicker. Accustod to life and death, he quickly adjusted his ntality. He had to be strong in front of Wu Jin to prevent him from feeling too overwheld.
Wu Jin didn't dare suggest that no one could have survived such a massive avalanche. Clinging to any shred of hope, he nodded ambiguously. Mr. Li, shrewd with age, saw through Wu Jin's thoughts but didn't point it out. He fell into contemplation, the thought of possibly losing Lan Xue weighing heavily on his heart.
After a long while, Mr. Li steadied his emotions and spoke in as controlled a voice as possible, "Alright, let's talk about your views on this battle. It's always Snow Fox Team that deals with Snow Bear's matters, but it was Lan Xue Team's first direct encounter with them. It's an experience and a lesson. How do you see this fight?"
"This battle can be sumd up in two words, bold and calm," Wu Jin brought out the thoughts he had already considered. Seeing Mr. Li's inquiring expression, he continued, "First, regarding boldness, it's reflected in their tactics. Five people taking on ten Snow Bears, with adequate weaponry; but their clothing was hardly warm enough for the snow. Yet they dared to split their forces for an ambush, risking a pincer attack. Splitting forces ant diluting their firepower; a pincer attack raised the risk of one side getting encircled; and lying in wait in the snow could have led them to freeze."
"Hold on a mont," Mr. Li interrupted Wu Jin's analysis, pondering with his eyes slightly closed, as if deep in thought. After a while, he suddenly said, "You're correct in your analysis. No one dares to split their forces and perform a pincer attack when outnumbered by the enemy by half. Such a tactic is indeed bold, but it also indicates sothing else: the person who devised the tactic knows Snow Bear very well."
"Yes, I think the strategy was devised by Ghost. He has clashed with Snow Bear and understands their combat style. The first ti, he placed grenades inside the Snow Cave; the second ti, he placed them outside. He grasped Snow Bear's underestimation very accurately," Wu Jin said sincerely. The thought of the rising star, National Blade, perhaps coming to an end, made his mood grow even heavier, and his face reflected deep sorrow and anger.
"Given that Ghost knows Snow Bear so well, is it possible that he had a strategy to escape? Continue," Mr. Li said, his spirits lifting sowhat.
Upon hearing this, Wu Jin's face brightened with new vigor as he realized Mr. Li's reasoning held much truth, spawning hope. He continued, "I ntioned boldness, not only in the aspects of splitting forces and encircling but also in the detail of rushing towards the mountaintop at the risk of their lives. Our intelligence analyzed it, bullets were nearly grazing Ghost's back, missing by only a second."
"Truly bold, and who knows if this daredevil had a backup plan," Mr. Li said, his expression filled with hope.
"Uh?" A sheepish smile crossed Wu Jin's face before he went on, "The second word is 'calm.' Facing strong opponents, everyone concealed and remained still even in the frigid snow, not sothing ordinary people can do. They handled it very well; each ambush killed an enemy and, despite being exposed, they quickly found new hiding spots. While unable to counterattack, they still managed to exert imnse pressure on the enemy. They kept their cool to the very end, using Incendiary Bombs to cause avalanches and flush out the enemy, disconcerting them with random gunfire. The entire battle was of a high caliber, a classic example of winning against the odds in special forces combat. Their calmness is admirable."
"Indeed, the battle was not easy. We must record it and organize study and discussions around it," Mr. Li said earnestly, not waiting for Wu Jin's agreent before continuing, "No matter what, we must find them."
"Understood, the search troops are already en route," Wu Jin replied seriously.
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