Gao Wu: A centenarian old man, many children and good fortune! Chapter 041

With the death of the Wolf King, the remaining pack of bloodthirsty demonic wolves immediately lost their command, falling into chaos and panic. They no longer charged the defensive line with suicidal bravery, but instead scattered and fled like headless flies.

The soldiers of the Special Operations Brigade seized the opportunity. Under the command of their squad leaders, they systematically pursued and encircled the wolves. Soon, the battlefield was completely cleared, leaving behind only a field of wolf corpses.

After careful inspection and on-site investigation, a startling deduction gradually became clear.

The size of this encountered small wolf pack and the characteristics of some of its wolf kings were highly consistent with the large pack of bloodthirsty demonic wolves that had gone missing in the southern city area! However, their numbers had sharply decreased from the originally estimated several hundred to less than a hundred! Moreover, this extraordinary Wolf King clearly had traces of old, unhealed wounds!

Combined with the extraordinary demonic insect parasitic in the Wolf King’s brain…

The large pack of bloodthirsty demonic wolves in the southern city area had suffered devastating blows after encountering the unknown terrifying entity that destroyed the Eighth Squad! The Wolf King was severely injured, and the pack suffered heavy casualties, ultimately leaving only these hundred or so remnants, who fled in disarray and eventually stumbled upon Xiao Yan and his team in this area!

And that incredibly hard, extraordinary demonic insect that burrowed out of the Wolf King’s brain… was very likely the… larva… produced by that unknown terrifying entity!

An extraordinary-level… larva?!

This deduction sent shivers down the spines of everyone who learned the truth, making them tremble with fear!

If a single larva was so terrifying and difficult to deal with, its carapace hardness even surpassing the extraordinary Wolf King’s skull, then how terrifying must its parent, or rather, the unknown entity that destroyed the entire large demonic wolf pack and instantly annihilated the Eighth Squad, be?!

What kind of peerless monstrous creature was hidden in that area south of the city?!

This discovery was even more frightening than mere speculation!

After Xiao Yan killed the strange black insect, the remaining soldiers quickly cleared the battlefield, carefully collecting the bodies of the fallen and severely wounded comrades. The air was filled with a strong smell of blood and an unsettling chill.

“Captain…” a squad leader walked up, his face pale, his voice trembling uncontrollably. “Are we… still going forward? There might be something even more terrifying ahead…”

As soon as he finished speaking, the other squad leaders and surviving soldiers also turned their gaze to Xiao Yan, their eyes filled with deep apprehension and… a desire to retreat.

Two consecutive engagements, one a complete annihilation, and the other, though a victory, involved an enemy so bizarre it was chilling, especially the extraordinarily defensive demonic insect, which left a huge psychological shadow on everyone.

The team’s morale had clearly plummeted to rock bottom.

Lin Wei also stepped forward. Though she didn’t say it directly, her tightly furrowed brows and worried eyes also showed her stance.

Xiao Yan’s gaze swept over everyone.

He could clearly feel the lingering fear and exhaustion in the soldiers’ hearts.

Continuous combat, especially against unknown horrors, was a huge blow to morale.

He pondered for a moment.

The team’s condition was no longer suitable for high-intensity combat.

And… he glanced at the shattered remains of the demonic insect he had cut apart, a hint of vigilance rising in his heart. If that thing was just a larva and so difficult to deal with, its parent or source would certainly not be easy to handle.

Although it was highly unlikely to be in their direction of advance, what if?

It was better to be cautious.

With this thought, Xiao Yan made his decision.

“A major unknown change has occurred in the mission target area, and the enemy’s situation is unclear. Our team has suffered casualties.” Xiao Yan’s voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable resolve. “Based on the current intelligence, continuing deeper carries too great a risk.”

He paused, looking at the clearly relieved expressions of the others, and continued to order: “Pass on my command: the entire team is to abandon the original objective, clear the battlefield, tally casualties, and return to camp… at the fastest possible speed!”

“Yes, Captain!” This time, the responding voices clearly carried a sense of relieved gratitude.

…

The journey back to camp remained calm.

Lin Wei once again took on the responsibility of writing the report.

This time, the report was more detailed and even more unsettling.

She not only described in detail the encounter with the extraordinary Wolf King and the strange demonic insect but also attached the remains of the demonic insect and energy analysis data, emphasizing that the demonic insect larva already possessed extraordinary strength and the potentially even more terrifying unknown threat behind it.

The report was once again submitted through encrypted channels.

Xiao Yan called Lin Wei to his office.

Looking at his valiant and capable deputy, whose brows were now slightly furrowed with fatigue and lingering fear, Xiao Yan tapped his fingers lightly on the desk and slowly began, “Deputy Captain Lin, this report…”

Lin Wei’s heart tightened, thinking the Captain was going to question or find fault with the report’s content. She quickly said, “Captain, please rest assured, the report’s content is absolutely true, and all details have been double-checked…”

“I’m not talking about that.” Xiao Yan interrupted her, looking at her calmly. “I mean, although this operation did not achieve its original objective, it successfully dealt with an extraordinary Wolf King and an unknown extraordinary demonic insect, acquiring extremely important intelligence and avoiding greater potential risks. This is no small merit.”

Lin Wei was stunned, not understanding why the Captain suddenly brought this up.

Xiao Yan continued, his tone flat: “In the report, regarding the description of the battle process and the final decision to retreat… in many places, the deputy commander’s calm judgment and auxiliary decision-making role at critical moments can be highlighted.”

Can be?

Lin Wei was exceptionally intelligent and instantly understood the hidden meaning in Xiao Yan’s words!

This wasn’t discussing the report at all; this was clearly… giving credit!

And it was done in a way that was undeniable yet left room for maneuver! The words “can be” meant the initiative was in his hands; if he was willing to give, she could take it!

Combined with the previous “one hundred million wager” proposal, Lin Wei’s heart pounded violently!

She understood! She completely understood!

Xiao Yan was using practical actions to tell her, to tell the Lin family—he not only possessed overwhelming strength but also had the ability to lead the team to achieve merit, and he was willing to share that merit!

This man in front of her was not only unfathomably strong but also shrewd and experienced!

“Captain…” Lin Wei’s voice held a trace of imperceptible excitement and gratitude. She took a deep breath and said solemnly, “Subordinate… subordinate understands! I will… handle the report appropriately!”

“Mm.” Xiao Yan nodded in satisfaction, saying no more.

Lin Wei respectfully saluted, turned, and quickly left. She needed to immediately report this latest situation and her judgment to her family!

This time, she believed her family would no longer hesitate!

As expected, when Lin Wei reported Xiao Yan’s attitude and the “results” of this operation to the Lin family, Lin Tao and Lin Jianye, the two brothers, no longer had any hesitation!

“Good! What a Xiao Yan! Not only is his strength astonishing, but his magnanimity and tactics are also extraordinary!” Lin Tao slammed the table, his eyes gleaming. “One hundred million! Give it to him! Immediately! Right now!”

Lin Jianye also nodded heavily: “This one hundred million buys not just his promise, but also decades of smooth sailing for our Lin family’s future! Wei’er, tell Xiao Yan, our Lin family is taking the gamble!”

Soon, she returned to Xiao Yan’s office. This time, her posture was even more respectful, and her eyes were filled with sincere admiration and… a trace of absolute obedience from a subordinate to a superior.

As the Special Operations Brigade returned to the camp, the two thrilling missions came to an end.

Although the second mission failed to achieve its set objective, encountering and dealing with the extraordinary Wolf King and the unknown extraordinary demonic insect, and bringing back extremely important intelligence and samples, was itself a significant achievement.

The report submitted by Lin Wei, under Xiao Yan’s “guidance,” described the entire process in detail and objectively, highlighting the brigade’s heroic struggle and the unknown dangers they encountered, while also appropriately showcasing Xiao Yan’s decisive leadership and powerful strength as the commander. At the same time, it subtly mentioned Deputy Commander Lin Wei’s auxiliary role at critical moments.

The report quickly received approval from higher-ups, who expressed understanding for the unexpected situations encountered by the Special Operations Brigade and highly praised the intelligence and samples they brought back.

As for the annual performance review, although the final results were not yet out, Xiao Yan knew that with the significance of these two missions, even if he didn’t get the highest S or A ratings, he would at least securely get a B rating, or possibly even higher. For Xiao Yan, who only wanted to develop steadily, this was enough.

He wasn’t the type to be overly competitive; as long as it wasn’t the worst D or E rating, he was fine.

Subsequent cleanup missions were naturally taken over by other units.

The Special Operations Brigade entered a period of several months of routine rest and training.

Xiao Yan finally got a rare period of leisure.

He briefed Lin Wei on daily training matters and then returned to his luxurious manor in the core area.

Back home, looking at his two wives’ increasingly bulging bellies and feeling the warmth brought by his little daughter’s babbling, Xiao Yan’s heart was at peace.

The first thing he did was visit the relevant management department to change the legal representative of the almost forgotten “Martial Arts Tutoring Class” to his father-in-law.

A few days after the legal representative change was completed, the one hundred million credit points promised by the Lin family were officially injected into the account of this “resurrected” Martial Arts Tutoring Class under the guise of “venture capital.”

Once the funds arrived, Xiao Yan immediately paid off the interest-free loan he had applied for earlier, feeling debt-free.

Although the remaining money in the account was still not much, he had already obtained the introductory teachings of the “Nine Waves of Startling Thunder,” which was the most important thing.

Time quietly passed in peaceful and warm family life and Xiao Yan’s diligent cultivation.

Li Xiuying and Chen Yuyao’s bellies grew larger day by day, and their movements gradually became somewhat inconvenient.

Fortunately, there were plenty of servants in the manor, and his in-laws had also moved in, taking meticulous care of them.

Watching the maternal glow on his two wives’ faces and their anticipation for the upcoming new lives, feeling the two increasingly strong life energies in their bellies, which were continuously feeding back to him through their bloodline connection, Xiao Yan’s heart was filled with expectation.

Only three months remained until their due date.