Gao Wu: A centenarian old man, many children and good fortune! Chapter 034

While Xiao Yan was comprehending, Lin Wei had already reported Xiao Yan’s words, verbatim, to her superiors!

Inside the Lin family, the news Lin Wei brought back once again stirred up a huge commotion.

“What?! One hundred million?! How dare he?!”

“A lion’s share! This is simply blackmail!”

“One percent of the shares valued at ten billion? Who does he think he is? A God of War?!”

“But… the ‘bet’ that Wei’er mentioned… if he can really do it…”

“Do it? Why? An old guy who just broke through not long ago, does he know what an ace vanguard means? Is that such an easy thing? What if he takes the money, then the mission fails, or he simply throws in the towel and leaves, who do we go to for justice?!”

“But what if… what if he really succeeds? Wei’er’s future, our Lin family…”

The high-ranking members of the Lin family debated endlessly, unable to reach a consensus.

Supporters believed it was a high-risk, high-reward political investment, worth a gamble. Opponents argued that the risk was too great, the cost too high, and Xiao Yan’s promise was too vague and unreliable.

Lin Tao and Lin Jianye, the two brothers, also fell into hesitation. They knew better than anyone else how great Xiao Yan’s potential might be, but one hundred million credit points was indeed no small sum and required extreme caution.

Ultimately, after intense discussion, the Lin family decided to temporarily shelve the dispute and wait and see.

They decided to give Xiao Yan some time to see how he would act and if he would take more concrete actions to prove that he was not just boasting.

…

Meanwhile, the personnel adjustments for the First Squad were finalized. Due to Zhou Kui’s severe injuries, which required at least a year of recuperation, Zhang Tie, the deputy of the Second Squad, ultimately took over as the First Squad Leader.

As soon as this news broke, the team members’ respect for Xiao Yan grew even stronger.

He destroyed Zhou Kui with one punch; he was a ruthless man!

And so, days passed by.

However, the soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade gradually discovered a strange phenomenon—their new, terrifyingly powerful captain seemed to have… “disappeared”?

Aside from the initial awe-inspiring disciplinary speech that shook the entire squad, and occasionally showing up in the office to receive Lin Wei’s regular reports, Xiao Yan almost never participated in the brigade’s daily training, let alone personally guided them.

Most of the time, the soldiers saw Deputy Captain Lin Wei giving orders on the training ground, meticulously supervising the progress of various training subjects.

After a long time, the soldiers’ sense of awe gradually faded, replaced by confusion and… a hint of dissatisfaction.

“What is our captain up to? Hiding in the office all day, is he in seclusion for cultivation?”

“Who knows? I heard he’s old, and breaking through to the Transcendent realm was already difficult for him, so maybe his foundation is unstable and he needs a long time to consolidate it?”

“I think he’s just afraid of revealing his true colors! That day he injured Captain Zhou, it might have really been good luck, or he used some secret technique. If he were to actually lead the team in training, he might expose himself!”

“Shhh… keep your voice down! Be careful not to be overheard!”

Various speculations and discussions quietly circulated in private. Although no one dared to openly question him, the prestige Xiao Yan had painstakingly built up was undoubtedly weakened considerably in the invisible.

Even Zhou Kui’s few trusted subordinates, who had been suppressed, seemed to be stirring again.

Lin Wei saw all of this and felt a mix of emotions.

The bold promise of the “one hundred million bet” also seemed to become increasingly illusory with Xiao Yan’s “disappearance.”

Lin Wei even began to suspect that Xiao Yan was merely speaking carelessly that day, or perhaps deliberately playing a trick on her and the Lin family. She never heard Xiao Yan mention the one hundred million again, as if those words had never been spoken.

However, what they didn’t know was that Xiao Yan was currently fully immersed in the dream reality device, wrestling with the book-like “Ninefold Thunderous Waves.”

Day and night.

Forgetting food and sleep.

He watched God of War Luo Feng’s demonstration over and over again, and attempted to strike the first introductory blow countless times.

But, it was too difficult!

“Ninefold Thunderous Waves” demanded a level of control over power, understanding of “momentum,” and precise manipulation of energy flow that was even more stringent than “Emperor’s Tai Chi Art”!

He possessed the immense True Essence of a Transcendent Fourth Grade, yet he was like a clumsy craftsman with a diamond drill who didn’t know how to handle porcelain work. He simply couldn’t guide that power smoothly and precisely along the trajectory required by the battle technique.

For the first strike’s “penetrating” momentum, he either exerted too much force, causing energy to go out of control, or he was too restrained, resulting in insufficient power.

The second strike’s “stacking” momentum was even more elusive. The timing and the superposition of power were off by a hair’s breadth, leading to a thousand miles of difference.

As for the third strike’s “condensing” momentum, he couldn’t even touch the threshold of attempting it!

“This damn battle technique… it’s harder to cultivate than a cultivation method!!” Xiao Yan panted in the virtual space, looking at his failed swing once again, and couldn’t help but let out a low roar.

Surrender is impossible!

I’ll do it, damn it!

I want to practice! I want to practice! I want to practice!

In this state of bitter struggle and no progress, another month quietly passed.

According to the original plan, the Special Operations Brigade’s three-month pre-war intensive training was about to end, and it would then be their turn to depart for their first three-month regional clear-out mission.

The soldiers were eager, both a little nervous and a little excited.

After all, actual combat was the best way to test training results, gain merit, and acquire resources.

However, at this moment, an order from the Captain’s office caused the entire brigade to explode.

Xiao Yan announced: The original departure plan is postponed by one month! All team members will continue basic intensive training!

This decision instantly ignited all sorts of dissatisfaction and questions within the camp!

“Postpone? Why postpone?!”

“We’re all ready! Equipment checked, tactics rehearsed! Why can it be postponed just like that?!”

“Exactly! Other special operations brigades have already departed, if we delay any longer, all the good mission areas will be snatched up!”

“I think the Captain just isn’t confident! He doesn’t dare to take us out!”

“This won’t do! We need to report to the higher-ups!”

The voices of doubt grew louder, and even some small squad leaders who had originally remained neutral began to feel dissatisfied.

Military orders were like mountains; training plans and mission cycles were meticulously arranged, how could they be changed at will? This not only disrupted everyone’s rhythm but could also affect the brigade’s annual mission rating!

Lin Wei was under immense pressure. She tried to communicate with Xiao Yan multiple times, asking for the reason for the postponement, but Xiao Yan always brushed her off with “the time is not right, continue training.”

The news quickly spread to the division headquarters, even alarming higher authorities.

Voices of doubt began to emerge; some believed Xiao Yan was stubborn and lacked command experience; others suspected he was cowardly and avoided battle, betraying the trust of the higher-ups.

But Xiao Yan’s appointment was personally issued by Commander Liu, so no one dared to directly intervene.

Even so, the pressure from the superiors grew stronger, demanding that Xiao Yan provide a reasonable explanation.

The entire Special Operations Brigade, and even the various forces paying attention to this place, focused their gaze on the tightly closed door of the Captain’s office.

A storm was brewing.

Just as this postponed month was about to end, and various doubts and pressures reached their peak.

“Creak—”

The heavy soundproof door of Xiao Yan’s exclusive training room, which had been tightly closed for a month, finally slowly opened.

Xiao Yan’s figure appeared at the doorway.

He didn’t seem to have changed much, still wearing his simple training uniform, and his eyes were still calm.

But for some reason, as his gaze swept across the corridor, all the soldiers who happened to be passing by or were attracted by the commotion felt an invisible, terrifying sharpness, as if it had been suppressed for a long time, flash from his body!

That feeling was like a peerless divine weapon, finally shedding all its dust, about to… reveal its earth-shattering sharpness!

Xiao Yan, had emerged from seclusion.