Operation: Special Warfare Episode 25 Recap
> Operation: Special Warfare Recap
In the midst of a heavy downpour, Ning Meng stood on the training ground, tears streaming down her face as she looked at the parallel bars where she once competed with Yang Shu. Her Blue Lightning comrades silently stood by her side. Drenched from the rain, Ning Meng approached the detachment leader and commissar, formally requesting to transfer from Blue Lightning back to her original unit.
She explained that she had lost her basic combat capability and felt like a burden, no longer suitable to remain with the team. Qin Guan attempted to intervene, and the detachment leader initially dismissed her request as evasion. However, Ning Meng insisted her decision was for the good of Blue Lightning. The commissar granted her request, but just as she was about to leave, all the male and female soldiers of the Blue Lightning team rushed in.
They pleaded for Ning Meng to be given another chance, suggesting she could take on other roles if combat was an issue. Wen Jing then proposed that Ning Meng stay for a few more days, offering to personally help her through her struggles. Moved by the team's solidarity and Wen Jing's earnest plea, the commissar ultimately agreed to let Ning Meng stay.
Meanwhile, Wu Jie contacted Li Li, feigning concern and offering compensation for her past contributions, suggesting they meet to part ways amicably. Li Li agreed to the meeting but took a precaution: she uploaded all of Wu Jie's criminal evidence to a triple-password cloud drive, programmed to automatically send to the Public Security Bureau's email if she didn't interact with it within two hours. Upon arriving at the meeting, Li Li was surrounded by Wu Jie’s men.
He revealed his true intentions, stating that her continued existence now threatened their organization. Li Li then tried to leverage her cloud evidence, but Wu Jie confidently dismissed her "little trick," boasting that his associate, a hacking champion, had already cracked it. Li Li desperately pleaded for another chance, but her pleas were ignored, and she was subsequently eliminated by Wu Jie's men. Ning Meng woke from a nightmare, visibly shaken.
Wen Jing immediately went to her side, offering comfort and to make her noodles for breakfast, revealing she had learned the recipe from Ning Lei himself. A flashback showed Ning Lei lovingly preparing longevity noodles for Ning Meng on her birthday, playfully calling himself her exclusive correspondent and telling her to eat every last bit. Back in the present, Ning Meng confided in Wen Jing that she experienced only negative emotions whenever she thought of her brother.
Wen Jing, sharing her own past struggles, advised Ning Meng to focus on Ning Lei's beautiful memories to overcome her negative feelings, urging her to take her time. Ning Meng, touched by the counsel, thanked Wen Jing and promised to try. Wen Jing later spoke with Qin Guan, admitting Ning Meng's prognosis was uncertain and that she could offer no guarantees about her recovery. Soon after, Li Sisi attempted to visit Ning Meng, bringing her some food.
However, Qin Guan intercepted her, reminding her that such visits were not beneficial for Ning Meng's healing process and that anyone who truly cared should refrain from seeing her for the time being. Disappointed, Li Sisi returned to the dorm and explained the situation to her teammates. They expressed deep concern for Ning Meng, feeling her absence profoundly, especially when looking at her empty bed.
As they looked through old team photos, they reminisced about Ning Meng's bright smile and her consistent wisdom in helping them, admitting how much they missed her presence. To expedite preparations for Operation Lightning, headquarters deployed a guidance group of eight instructors, including Qin Guan's former classmate, Instructor Li, to train Blue Lightning on new weapon systems.
Qin Guan attempted to ease the tension with some friendly banter, but Instructor Li immediately set a stern tone, declaring that all past achievements were irrelevant; everyone in Blue Lightning was now a trainee, and strict standards would be enforced from that day forward. Qin Guan affirmed their commitment to strictly follow the guidance.
During a training session on the new, highly sensitive all-in-one attack drone, Xu Dongdong brought steamed buns to Lin Yi, who was practicing with a sniper rifle. Qin Guan caught them, reprimanding them for eating in a sniper training area and emphasizing the importance of weapon cleanliness and professionalism. Both Lin Yi and Xu Dongdong tried to take the blame, with Lin Yi asserting his rifle's paramount importance.
Qin Guan acknowledged their care for comrades but stressed the need to distinguish appropriate times and places for such actions. He dismissed Xu Dongdong and instructed Lin Yi to finish his food before resuming training. As a week passed with Ning Meng's fate at Blue Lightning still undecided, Wen Jing continued to support her, encouraging her to focus on positive thoughts to alleviate her pain.
During a walk, a new electronic armed police explosion-proof vehicle, equipped with an advanced "Tiger Wall system," drove by carrying her teammates. They enthusiastically called out to Ning Meng, expressing how much they missed her, asking if she was feeling better, and urging her not to give up, to recover quickly and return. Ning Meng, deeply moved, reassured them she was fine and promised she would never quit.
She ran alongside the vehicle, joining her teammates in chanting the team slogan, "The harder it is, the further we go!" Wen Jing embraced Ning Meng, understanding that her greatest happiness lay in remaining with her comrades. During a subsequent training session, a teammate requested a few minutes to speak with Ning Meng. Instructor Li sternly rejected the request, reprimanding the team for their lack of discipline and subsequently punishing everyone, including Qin Guan, with five laps after training.
Qin Guan stepped forward, offering to take sole responsibility by running ten laps instead. Later, the team grumbled about Instructor Li's strictness, though some acknowledged that both he and Qin Guan showed restraint by not stopping their earlier cheers for Ning Meng. Qin Guan then returned home to a surprise: his father, Qin Zhiwei, had brought home a new, much younger girlfriend, Yu Xi, who was moving in.
Qin Guan voiced his strong disapproval, finding the situation unreliable due to Yu Xi's age. Qin Zhiwei defended his decision, lamenting Qin Guan's infrequent visits and lack of concern for his father's health since his mother's passing. He asserted his right to choose who lives in his house, escalating the argument until Qin Guan angrily left, only for Qin Zhiwei to disown him in a fit of rage.
In an attempt to help Ning Meng overcome her psychological block, Qin Guan set up a target with Ning Lei's photo on it. He instructed her to imagine her brother was held hostage by a terrorist and to shoot the terrorist to save him. However, Ning Meng was paralyzed by the sight of Ning Lei's smiling face and was unable to pull the trigger.
Frustrated and desperate, Qin Guan called her "useless" and declared her unworthy of staying in Blue Lightning, ordering her to quit. Shortly after, Zhao Yun approached Qin Guan, making a sarcastic remark about his foul mood. Qin Guan, already at his breaking point, angrily warned Zhao Yun not to provoke him, then punched him when Zhao Yun criticized Ning Meng for her performance. Wen Jing intervened, scolding Qin Guan for assaulting a comrade.
Qin Guan defended his actions, stating that Zhao Yun had insulted Ning Meng, and he would not tolerate anyone insulting his soldiers. Wen Jing acknowledged Qin Guan's fierce protectiveness but pointed out his increasingly stubborn temper, attributing it to his deep worry for Ning Meng. She demanded he apologize to Zhao Yun. Qin Guan reluctantly sought out Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun playfully teased Qin Guan for his rare display of humility but then admitted he didn't hold a grudge.
He praised Qin Guan's exemplary devotion to his soldiers, something he felt inferior to, while also confessing his earlier harsh words were born from his inability to watch Qin Guan treat Ning Meng so cruelly. The two reconciled over a meal. Later, Wen Jing reminded Qin Guan to make time for his father. Qin Guan then called his father, Qin Zhiwei, who eagerly invited him home to talk.
However, upon hearing Yu Xi's voice in the background, Qin Guan quickly hung up, suggesting they speak in person another time. Sometime later, Qin Guan visited Qin Zhiwei, bringing him health supplements. He explained that after days of reflection, he understood his father genuinely needed a companion since his mother's passing and Qin Guan's own frequent absence. He told Qin Zhiwei he would no longer interfere in his relationship with Yu Xi.
Overjoyed by his son's acceptance, Qin Zhiwei enthusiastically invited Qin Guan to tour a magnificent club building, proudly describing it as his "masterpiece" and a premier architectural achievement in their city.
