When Ji Chenjiao participated in the Special Criminal Mixed Training, he had personally experienced the “skills” of these cunning old leaders. If an elite from a classified unit came along, they absolutely wouldn’t let him go easily. They would force out all his core skills and let the trainees suffer enough before letting him return.

This could be considered the inheritance of a fine tradition.

Ji Chenjiao had no choice but to agree. When he went back and told Ling Lie, Ling Lie jumped down from the table. “There’s such a good thing?”

Ji Chenjiao pressed on his head. “Don’t get so excited. Save some energy when you go.”

Ling Lie: “Of course, I’m excited. In the future, the entire police force of Xiarong City will be my disciples and grand-disciples!”

Ji Chenjiao: “…”

Ling Lie pushed his luck. “Hey, grandson! Come kowtow to Grandpa, make it loud!”

Ji Chenjiao: “Get lost!”

When they got home that night, Ling Lie quickly dug out his suitcase. This suitcase was new, bright yellow, bought for him by Ji Chenjiao. His original duffel bag was worn out.

When Ji Chenjiao came out of the shower, he heard Ling Lie singing, wildly off-key like a funeral dirge. He was extremely excited about being an instructor; judging by the scene, he looked like he wanted to stuff every single piece of clothing he owned into the suitcase.

The little yellow suitcase was almost at its breaking point.

Ji Chenjiao squatted down. “Teacher Ling.”

“Huh?”

“Do I need to remind you that the SWAT team is right next door to us?”

Ling Lie stopped what he was doing.

Ji Chenjiao: “You’re coming back after training, or do you want to sleep in someone else’s dorm?”

Ling Lie also squatted down. “Little Ji, why do you have no sense of responsibility?”

Ji Chenjiao: “…” How did he have no sense of responsibility?

Ling Lie earnestly instructed: “Our new team members value this special training very much. Who among them isn’t the treasure of their parents at home? They packed their bags and came to the solemn and sacred SWAT detachment. Their instructor—”

Ling Lie patted his chest. “That is, me. How can I go empty-handed?”

Ji Chenjiao: “…”

Ling Lie: “Although I don’t need to live in the dorms, and I still have to come back every night to sleep with my boyfriend, in terms of action, I should be consistent with them. For example, packing luggage.”

Ji Chenjiao raised an eyebrow. Oh, he still knew he had to come back to sleep with his boyfriend.

Ling Lie pressed hard on the suitcase. “Little Ji, don’t be idle. Come help me pack. One more person saves a bit of time.”

Ji Chenjiao: “I see you packing with such passion, do you still need my help?”

Ling Lie looked up, gazing at him with pure sincerity. “I just want to get it done sooner. I have things to do later.”

“Hmm? What things?”

“Sleep with my boyfriend.”

“…”

---

Autumn is the season of harvest. The Municipal Bureau harvested a crop of new team members who began special training after a period of adaptation, while new employees in some companies also gradually adapted through friction a few months after joining.

There was a reputable small appliance company in Xiarong City called Fanfei Electric. It started early making staplers, and over the years, riding the trends, it launched many small appliances sought after by young people, selling widely at home and abroad.

In recent years, Fanfei pushed for the intelligence of small appliances and established an engineer center, internally called the “Code Farmer Studio.” The workload was intense, and every year they recruited many graduates from key universities and poached people from major internet companies.

This year, after internships and assessments, more than twenty people actually stayed in the Code Farmer Studio. The work arrangements were mostly settled, leaving only a routine outdoor expansion activity.

Many companies arrange outdoor expansion for newcomers. A group of people new to the workplace cooperate and compete in the mountains and rivers like students. It’s said to promote corporate culture and strengthen cohesion, but most new employees are quite averse to it.

But no matter how averse they were, they had to participate.

Zhao Jie was a veteran of the Code Farmer Studio, in his thirties. He was poached by Fanfei a few years ago and now led a small group with good performance. The newcomers all called him Teacher Zhao. Most employees in the studio were male; there were only three girls among the newcomers, and they felt a bit awkward getting along with other male employees but had a good relationship with him.

That day, an hour before getting off work, Zhao Jie’s group suddenly got a job. He was preparing to call the team members for a meeting when HR suddenly knocked on the door, beaming. “Teacher Zhao, come here for a moment.”

So Zhao Jie went to the Human Resources Department. The HR smiled and said, “Teacher Zhao, it’s a new year again. Winter is coming soon. Before it gets completely cold, we need to hurry up and do the outdoor expansion. This year, we still want to trouble you.”

Zhao Jie scratched his hair. “This… didn’t I lead it last year?”

“Everyone says you led it well, so we want you to continue leading,” HR said gently but with an implication that allowed no refusal. “I’ve sorted out the personnel list for you, and the projects are all here.”

HR pushed a stack of A4 printed paper in front of Zhao Jie. “Teacher Zhao, thanks for your hard work again this time. Weekend overtime pay will be counted.”

Zhao Jie sighed and took the paper. “Okay, I’ll go prepare.”

HR walked Zhao Jie to the elevator and even pressed the button for him. Zhao Jie kept a slightly cramped smile on his face. HR was used to the expressions of these programmers and didn’t find it strange at all.

The elevator doors opened, HR waved with a smile again, and Zhao Jie walked in. He was alone inside.

The elevator began to ascend, returning to the floor where the Engineer Center was located. He looked at the printed paper in his hand, and the forced smile gradually stiffened and disappeared from his lips.

But he was still smiling. In the instant before the elevator doors opened, the glass reflected the bizarre curve of the corners of his mouth. It was a smile as sinister as a ghost.

---

The most basic part of SWAT training is the obstacle course, including 200 meters and 400 meters. The playground is set up with high walls, scaling ladders, low crawl nets, single-plank bridges, etc. Jump over pits, leap over walls.

SWAT officers had to train on this stuff in the police academy, but once in Ling Lie’s hands, the intensity increased sharply. Ling Lie was like a robot with no fatigue nerves. When they sprinted, he sprinted even faster than them, holding a firearm picked from the armory. The gunshots never stopped; whoever slowed down a bit would have a semicircle drawn by a burst of bullets at their feet.

Although they were all blanks, for this group of new team members, it was still very exciting and scary.

Ling Lie didn’t let anyone rest. After a 400-meter round trip, they immediately had to hold the gun and shoot. Many team members couldn’t aim at all; their heart rates were high, and their hands were shaking. He simply demonstrated for them personally, his hand as steady as if he had just slept for eight hours.

Probably because he had been stifled in the Criminal Investigation Detachment, Ling Lie was like an unbridled sheepdog on the SWAT detachment’s playground. He ran happily himself and still drove the sheep to run wildly.

One little SWAT officer was tormented until he vomited on the sidelines. His teammate ran over to pour water on his head, panting, “Sheep, keep running—”

The little SWAT officer’s eyes were red, and he almost blurted out “Dame” (No/Stop).

Even like this, Ling Lie felt it was just an appetizer. Other SWAT instructors wouldn’t chase behind and fire bullets while the team members were running wild. He couldn’t chase so many people alone, so he had a brainstorm and simply set up simulated explosives on the obstacle course route.

The moment they jumped onto the scaling ladder—BOOM!

The moment they jumped down from the high wall—BOOM!

During the few minutes crawling under the low net—BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—

The entire playground was filled with smoke, explosions, and gunshots. The new team members all suffered soul shocks, while Ling Lie was already pondering whether to use virtual poison gas.

These difficulties were small cases. In the Special Action Team, Xiao Yuan messed with him in much more advanced ways. He also wanted to try those methods, but this was a city after all, different from the Special Action Team’s base. If the commotion was too big, it would probably disturb the residents.

While Ling Lie was thinking about how to upgrade the special training, the leader in charge of the SWAT team came to inspect. Ling Lie didn’t care about leaders or whatever; he stood aside and started chatting with the man.

This leader wasn’t the theoretical kind. He had spent a long time in the SWAT detachment in the past, fighting on the front lines. He laughed as soon as he saw Ling Lie’s training methods, thinking of his own glorious years. So when Ling Lie mentioned wanting to do field training, the leader agreed immediately and asked Ling Lie to draft a training schedule right away.

Hearing they were going for field training, the SWAT officers were quite excited. Although they knew field training was harder than training in the bureau, it was interesting and closer to real combat atmosphere. Moreover, for field training, they would surely have to rest and reorganize before going, which meant a chance to breathe.

But young people really lack experience; they were optimistic too early. Because for their devil instructor Ling Lie—What? Rest and reorganize? Isn’t marching from the Municipal Bureau to the wild considered resting and reorganizing?

Wails of despair instantly filled the training camp.

However, although Ling Lie handed in the training schedule quickly, logistics needed time to choose a location and set up the site. They couldn’t just leave immediately like the Special Action Team.

Ling Lie didn’t stay idle either, driving the team members to practice combat fighting. Not a single minute could be wasted.

The new team members had far more theory than practice. The one-on-one fights looked beautiful. But Ling Lie frowned as soon as he saw it. Because in actual combat, who cares about beauty? Fights often end in seconds. It’s not about whose moves look good, or even about technique or strength; it’s about who is more insidious and cunning.

He vaulted over the railing into the arena and called over the team member who had just won. The other party ran over smiling, thinking he would be praised or receive some pointers. Before he could speak, and before his eyes could even catch how Ling Lie moved, he felt the world spin, his vision went black, and he was lying on the ground with a knee pressing on his back.

The entire venue was silent.

Ling Lie started one-versus-many, not caring at all if his moves were upright or good-looking. His sole purpose was to subdue the opponent as quickly as possible. Where had the new team members seen such “dirty” fighting styles? They couldn’t handle it at all. Often before they could figure out how to respond, they had become “ghosts” under Ling Lie’s fists.

Ling Lie didn’t hold back either. Pain would make these people who hadn’t experienced real combat remember that life is actually very fragile. A little mercy, a little hesitation, and the enemy’s bullet would pierce your skull or artery.

Ji Chenjiao hadn’t bothered Ling Lie with cases for the past two days. Every night, Ling Lie came back as if nothing had happened, and when mentioning the training, he would say nonchalantly, “Just practicing casually.”

Ji Chenjiao spent most of his day running around outside. When Ling Lie said casual practice, he really thought it was casual practice—after all, he couldn’t hear the wails of the little SWAT officers.

Until today, just as he parked the car and was about to go upstairs, a familiar squadron leader from the SWAT detachment shouted, “Captain Ji! Captain Ji, come look quickly! Your Teacher Ling is going to train our team members to death!”

Ji Chenjiao was stunned and hurriedly rushed to the SWAT detachment with him.

The combat hall could be renamed the “combat coffin” at this moment. A pile of people lay solidly on the floor. As soon as Ji Chenjiao arrived, he saw Ling Lie leaping high, his leg whip creating a blur at high speed. The team member in front of him had no time to block; before he could even form a stance, he was dismantled and kicked far away.

Ling Lie shouted, “Again!”

Ji Chenjiao: “…” Who said casual practice? I believed your nonsense!

This was a wheel battle. Ling Lie was unscathed. The little SWAT officers could barely get close to him, while he fought however he wanted. Ji Chenjiao watched for a while, his eyes growing darker. Ling Lie usually kept his sharpness firmly hidden, often pretending to be weak with him. But this Ling Lie was the real Ling Lie; he was a weapon honed by the Special Action Team. His mind, his body, everything was a weapon.

Ji Chenjiao himself had experienced the Special Criminal Mixed Training, which was simply hell. All of them who struggled in it had incredibly resilient wills, tempered into similar, shining souls. He could imagine the torment Ling Lie endured at a younger age. How old was Ling Lie when he experienced all this? Eighteen? Twenty?

Seeming to notice a burning gaze, Ling Lie followed the gaze and looked over. At the moment their eyes met, Ji Chenjiao saw an unusual killing intent in his eyes—a genuine killing intent born from the battlefield.

But soon, realizing who was in his sight, Ling Lie’s gaze softened, the corners of his lips curled up, and he raised his right hand to wave, innocent and romantic like a teenager.

Ji Chenjiao also curled his lips and waved at him.

The squadron leader seized the opportunity to shout, “Rest! Rest! That’s all for today!”

The new team members cheered weakly.

Ling Lie said unhappily, “Resting already? No way, no way!”

The squadron leader put his palms together and pleaded with Ji Chenjiao.

Ji Chenjiao walked forward quickly and saw Ling Lie covered in sweat. It was only a few degrees outside, and the combat hall didn’t have the AC on. Ling Lie wore only a tank top and SWAT uniform pants. His hair was wet with sweat, his face shiny with perspiration, and his smooth, beautiful muscles glistened. His cheeks were flushed from the heat, and his chest heaved a bit fast.

This person was like a lean and perfect cheetah.

Ji Chenjiao took his forearm and pretended to check his pulse. “Teacher Ling, look at you, your pulse isn’t normal. Better listen to Captain Wang and rest for a bit?”

Ling Lie nodded then. “I’m so thirsty. I want to drink milk tea.”

The half-dead new team members were dumbfounded. What? Drink milk tea? What kind of coquetry was this devil surnamed Ling acting out?

Ji Chenjiao smiled. “Put on your clothes, I’ll go buy it for you.”

The two walked towards the door, leaving the squadron leader and team members looking at each other. After a few seconds, a team member said, “Captain Wang, I want to drink milk tea too.”

“Me too!”

“Captain, Captain, me too!”

Squadron Leader: “…Drink! Everybody drinks!”

Ji Chenjiao carried Ling Lie’s SWAT jacket—this outfit was issued after Ling Lie was borrowed. The cold wind howled outside the combat hall, making one shiver with every gust. Ling Lie refused to wear it, feeling he was covered in sweat and wanted to dry off before wearing it.

Ji Chenjiao frowned and scolded him, “If you dry off, you’ll catch a cold.”

Ling Lie grinned mischievously. “Not that serious, not that serious.”

Ji Chenjiao still wrapped the jacket around him.

Ling Lie said while putting it on, “Oh, you are so domineering, bullying us common folks.”

Ji Chenjiao scraped his nose bridge. “Are there common folks who fight this fiercely?”

There was a milk tea shop right outside the Municipal Bureau. Ji Chenjiao bought two hot cups, and the two sat on high stools by the window to drink.

Ling Lie couldn’t stay still even while drinking milk tea. After drinking for a while, he took out his straw and wanted to poke Ji Chenjiao’s milk tea.

“What are you doing?”

“Let me suck up some boba.”

“…What about yours?”

“Wasn’t I exercising intensely? Finished it.”

Ji Chenjiao pushed the milk tea to him. “Suck, suck, suck, you only know how to suck.”

Ling Lie finished the boba in two mouthfuls and returned the milk tea to Ji Chenjiao. “Petty Little Ji.”

Ji Chenjiao was speechless. “I let you suck it all, and I’m still petty?”

Ling Lie laughed. “I wasn’t talking about that.”

“Then what?”

“You actually came to check up on me!”

Ji Chenjiao thought about it and felt greatly wronged. “It was Captain Wang who said you were about to train his team members to death, so I came to see!”

Ling Lie blinked his big eyes. “Train to death? Old Wang is too protective of his calves. That intensity of mine is nothing.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Comparing the local police force to the Special Action Team?”

Ling Lie suddenly became serious. “But when the local police force faces criminals, are the opponents holding toy guns?”

Ji Chenjiao frowned slightly.

Ling Lie said, “The local police force also faces life-and-death moments, just relatively fewer than the Special Action Team or military special services. But whether it’s one in ten, one in a hundred, or one in ten thousand, when you are in that moment, you are facing one hundred percent danger.”

Ji Chenjiao fell silent. He understood what Ling Lie meant because he had also been a team member facing one hundred percent danger.

“Since they asked me to help, I don’t want to just go through the motions. My time is precious, not to be wasted on formalities.” As he said this, that coldness of walking on the edge of danger appeared in Ling Lie’s eyes again. “I’ll teach as much as I can. I’ve always given my all.”

Suddenly, the back of his hand was covered by a rough and warm touch. Ling Lie paused, turned his face, and saw Ji Chenjiao looking at him, holding his hand.

Ji Chenjiao took Ling Lie’s hand off the long table and held it in both of his. Ling Lie’s hands were rougher than his, a result of past extreme training and high-intensity missions.

Ji Chenjiao said, “How did you train?”

Ling Lie stared into Ji Chenjiao’s eyes, serious at first, then broke into a brilliant smile. “What, spying on military intelligence? How can the secret training of the Special Action Team be spoken of casually?”

Ji Chenjiao knew he didn’t want to say. Sweat, blood, and pain had grown into the toughest armor. Those wearing this armor disdained revealing their past cries of pain and hot tears.

“Then you can spar with me when you’re free, right?” Ji Chenjiao said, “You know, I also know the SWAT stuff.”

Ling Lie’s eyes rolled, and Ji Chenjiao felt he was brewing some bad idea again.

Sure enough, he hooked Ji Chenjiao’s neck, breathing warm air against Ji Chenjiao’s ear. “Boyfriend, what do you want to practice?”

Ji Chenjiao’s heart palpitated. Before he could speak, Ling Lie suddenly bit his earlobe. “Where do we practice?”

Ji Chenjiao countered, gripping the back of his neck, and whispered, “Does that even need asking?”

---

On Thursday, logistics planned the field training route in the mountain forest in the western suburbs. This mountain wasn’t a jungle in the true sense; some outdoor clubs had long staked out territory here, and companies often came for employee outdoor expansion. The Municipal Bureau ultimately couldn’t do field training like the army; being able to find such a site quickly was already good enough in Ling Lie’s opinion. He dragged Ji Chenjiao along as a driver, saying they needed to check it out in advance.

A chilly wind blew in the mountains. Ling Lie shivered as soon as he got out of the car. Ji Chenjiao took a shopping bag from the back seat and pulled out a woolen hat that young people would consider very fashionable. Ling Lie was dumbfounded. “You… what are you doing?”

Ji Chenjiao pulled him directly in front of him, seriously put the hat on him, and pulled down the edges to cover his freezing cold ears.

Ling Lie: “I won’t wear it!”

“It’s cold in the mountains. Your head will hurt from the cold.”

“It’s cold in the mountains, why aren’t you wearing one?”

“I…” Ji Chenjiao paused, unwilling to say the rest.

Ling Lie: “Hm? Little Ji, what scheme are you plotting?”

Ji Chenjiao sighed. “There are many nerves inside the head.”

Ling Lie felt this sentence was weird. Just as he wanted to pull the hat off, Ji Chenjiao held him down. “You’re not allowed to take it off.”

“Then give me a reason. Otherwise, I won’t wear it!”

Ji Chenjiao hesitated, then had to say, “Your hearing problem…”

Ling Lie: “…”

Ji Chenjiao: “Better be careful. If your head gets cold and you get a fever or something, indirectly triggering hearing loss…”

He didn’t know he would stutter so much expressing “sensorineural hearing loss”! As he spoke, he stole a glance at Ling Lie, a bit worried about hurting Ling Lie’s self-esteem.

Ling Lie took off the hat to look at it. “Yo, it’s a brand name. How much was it?”

Ji Chenjiao said a number.

Ling Lie quickly put the hat back on, muttering, “The spendthrift man starts again.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing!” He ran off after speaking.

People bound by the city for a long time seem to drop invisible chains once in the wild. Ji Chenjiao chased Ling Lie from behind, showing none of his usual reserve in the Major Crimes Unit.

As they ran, a cluster of low stone buildings appeared ahead.

Ling Lie stopped. “What’s that?”

Ji Chenjiao looked too. “Isn’t that a maze?”

The walls were gray-white, covered in moss, over two meters high, square, and looked very old. There was also some rusted fitness equipment nearby. It was likely built by businesses doing outdoor activities in the mountains early on, but business failed, and this area was abandoned.

Ling Lie suddenly got interested. “Let’s go, go in and play hide-and-seek.”

The maze was built okay; there were many paths inside, very narrow, allowing only one person to pass. Ling Lie hit dead ends several times and couldn’t find the exit for ages. Ji Chenjiao climbed onto the maze wall to stand, seeing the paths clearly, and started directing Ling Lie on how to go.

Ling Lie said angrily, “Do you have any spirit of entertainment! If I listen to your remote control, what the hell am I playing for?”

Ji Chenjiao laughed and jumped down.

After walking through it once, Ling Lie lost interest in doing it again. “I remembered something.”

“Hm?”

“When you stayed at Linglan Xiang (Valley of Lily of the Valley), did you know that if you go north from Linglan Xiang, there’s also a maze similar to this one on the wasteland there?”