Glory of Special Forces Episode 10 Recap
> Glory of Special Forces Recap
When Yan Poyue returned to the kitchen to help, Fan Jin, the Squad Leader, expressed his pleasure but cautioned Yan Poyue to be mindful of his new role in Squad One under Zhang Tian Yang. He reminded Yan Poyue that Zhang Tian Yang was now his squad leader, but Yan Poyue responded that Zhang Tianyang was not 'that kind of person'. Lu Xiao Tian, delighted to see Yan Poyue, jokingly complained about doing all the chores since Yan Poyue transferred.
Zhou Zi Jian arrived for his meal, overtly challenging Yan Poyue to the grappling training scheduled for the afternoon. Lu Xiao Tian muttered that Zhou Zi Jian, having lost to Yan Poyue before, had no reason to be so confident. During the afternoon grappling training, Li Xiang announced that the results would speak for themselves, allowing any techniques as long as they did not go beyond what was necessary.
In one match, Gao Zhun cheated by using sand against Xiao Yun Jie. Yan Poyue reported this, but Li Xiang dismissed the complaint, reminding him that enemies would also use such tactics. Gao Zhun was declared the winner. When it was Yan Poyue's turn to face Zhou Zi Jian, Zhou Zi Jian deliberately stalled. Suddenly, Xiao Fei arrived with his squad, openly challenging the Special Service Company, claiming he heard someone wished to surpass him.
Yan Poyue stepped forward, admitting he was the one who made the claim and expressed his desire to learn from a veteran like Xiao Fei. Although Li Xiang offered to fight in Yan Poyue’s place, Yan Poyue insisted on representing the Special Service Company. Li Xiang agreed, again cautioning him to show restraint. Xiao Fei then dramatically produced a knife, challenging Yan Poyue to inflict a "blood mark" on him to win.
While others worried, Yan Poyue, recalling Fan Jin's past training methods, confidently accepted. Yan Poyue successfully achieved the "blood mark," and Xiao Fei, acknowledging defeat, led his squad away. Afterwards, as Zhang Tian Yang and Xiao Yun Jie attended to Yan Poyue's minor injuries, they discovered Guan Yong had tied sand weights to his legs, believing it would make him faster for the next day's cross-country run, which he thought was the final event.
Zhang Tian Yang promptly removed the weights, explaining that such a practice would only injure his legs. Li Xiang then announced that the final assessment would be a realistic combat simulation designed to allow the soldiers to experience the intense feeling of facing death, where time seems to slow down, enhancing focus. The task was to cross a fortified area and retrieve a red flag within ten minutes, while Li Xiang would fire rubber bullets from a watchtower.
He assured them this extreme test had been authorized by the training department. Yan Poyue, Zhang Tian Yang, and Xiao Yun Jie's group struggled with the obstacles, including a high wall. When morale began to falter, Yan Poyue, analyzing Li Xiang’s firing rhythm, deduced that he would have a brief interval to reload his Type 88 GPMG. Seizing this opportunity, they surged forward amidst mortar fire.
Xiao Yun Jie was hit and injured, but he and Zhang Tian Yang rallied to support Yan Poyue, urging him to get the flag. Inspired by their comrades' sacrifice and hope, Yan Poyue pushed through, reached the hill, and triumphantly waved the red flag, securing victory for their team. Following their success, Li Xiang declared Zhang Tian Yang's group the winner but stated that Xiao Yun Jie had "sacrificed." He ordered Yan Poyue to step forward and remove his uniform.
Confused, Yan Poyue complied. Li Xiang questioned why he hadn't used the rope ladder on the stone wall. Yan Poyue explained that under such heavy fire, more people would result in more casualties, and he felt he could complete the mission alone. Li Xiang acknowledged Yan Poyue's bravery but starkly pointed out that those who charge machine gun fire either become heroes or die, with heroes being a rare exception.
He then proceeded to conduct a mock memorial service for Yan Poyue. Zhang Tian Yang was instructed to take Yan Poyue's uniform. Li Xiang delivered a poignant eulogy, imagining Yan Poyue's father as an old, lonely man whose only solace would be his son's military medals. Yan Poyue attempted to protest, but Li Xiang continued, asserting that Yan Poyue's actions were self-serving. He emphasized that in a real combat scenario with live ammunition, Yan Poyue would have been killed instantly.
Li Xiang explained that using the rope ladder would have allowed his comrades to provide cover, offering a better chance for survival and mission completion. By acting alone, Yan Poyue had completely disregarded the value of his comrades. He severely criticized Yan Poyue for treating soldiers as "consumables" and making "seemingly valiant but actually foolish choices" purely to display individual bravery, rather than utilizing their extensive training for effective teamwork.
Stunned, Yan Poyue remained rooted to the spot even after Li Xiang dismissed the squad. Chen Min Tao remarked to Li Xiang that he might have gone too far. Li Xiang, without a word, offered a blanket to Xiao Yun Jie. Xiao Yun Jie then explained to Li Xiang that his injury had made him feel like a burden, which was why he had urged Yan Poyue to go on alone.
Later, Zhou Zi Jian, though accepting his defeat in the challenge and apologizing to Yan Poyue, made it clear that his personal dislike for Yan Poyue and Xiao Yun Jie had not diminished. With Kun Meng's death, drug trafficking routes into the mainland were severed. Xing Tian, despite the increased Chinese military patrols along the border, decided to risk reopening the routes, seeking capable individuals who knew the terrain, were ruthless, and spoke Mandarin.
Meanwhile, Lu Xiao Tian prepared a special meal for Yan Poyue and Xiao Yun Jie. Yan Poyue immediately recognized Fan Jin's distinctive use of peppercorns. Lu Xiao Tian revealed that Fan Jin's chronic rheumatism had flared up, sending him to the medical unit. He also mentioned that Fan Jin was due to retire next year, making the three of them his last cohort of soldiers. Later, the Special Service Company was briefed on a new anti-drug operation.
The police had obtained updated intelligence on the traffickers, and the Special Service Company would collaborate with the Public Security Bureau for their apprehension. Yan Poyue, excited by the prospect of real combat, was confirmed by Li Xiang that this was not an exercise and they would be using live ammunition. Yan Poyue and Xiao Yun Jie were assigned to guard a seemingly quiet, unnamed path.
Yan Poyue was frustrated, believing that real traffickers would never use such a path due to the adjacent cliffs, suggesting a flaw in the plan and leading him to suspect it was still an exercise. Zhang Tian Yang, however, ordered them to follow their instructions. After two hours of uneventful waiting, gunfire erupted. Yan Poyue identified the sound as an AK-47.
Deciding to take initiative, he convinced Xiao Yun Jie to move to the river, reasoning that traffickers would likely use the waterway to escape. There, they spotted three traffickers. Yan Poyue decided to force them into the river and capture them alive. The traffickers, attempting to deceive them, claimed to be lost tourists. As they approached, they tried to disarm Yan Poyue and Xiao Yun Jie. In the ensuing struggle, Yan Poyue shot and killed one of the traffickers.
The sudden reality of taking a life, combined with the heavy body and knife, left Yan Poyue breathless and Xiao Yun Jie visibly shaken. Zhang Tian Yang soon arrived with backup and pursued the two remaining traffickers across the river. Despite Yan Poyue's leg injury, he and Xiao Yun Jie, still unyielding in their conviction, attempted to follow. Zhang Tian Yang pulled them aside, reiterating that their unauthorized position was a critical mistake.
Despite his explanation, they remained stubborn, forcing Zhang Tian Yang to keep them closely supervised. Zhang Tian Yang led his team to search a hydropower station, suspecting it was a hideout. The gatekeeper, Luo Fu Gui, acted evasively, attempting to conceal something. It was revealed that the traffickers had taken his wife and children hostage inside.
As Zhang Tian Yang noticed a trafficker preparing to shoot from the rooftop, he bravely pushed Yan Poyue out of the way, taking a bullet himself and falling unconscious. Yan Poyue, seeing his squad leader down, immediately shed his gear and offered himself as a hostage in exchange for Luo Fu Gui's family. The traffickers agreed, instructing Luo Fu Gui to tie up Yan Poyue.
Luo Fu Gui complied, and in a tense exchange, his wife and children were released, while he and Yan Poyue were taken across the Chinese border. The traffickers discussed killing Luo Fu Gui and selling Yan Poyue. However, Yan Poyue, observing his surroundings, managed to untie his bonds and swiftly kill both traffickers. As they died, the traffickers issued a final threat, warning that their leader's brother was nearby and escape would be impossible.
Yan Poyue sustained a gunshot wound to his leg and was drenched in sweat. The traumatic experience of killing for the first time triggered severe emotional distress, causing him to faint while driving the traffickers' getaway vehicle. Yan Poyue had set booby traps near the dead traffickers, but they did not stop other drug dealers who soon arrived, placing a $100,000 bounty on his head. Yan Poyue's leg wound became infected, causing a high fever and paleness.
He urged Luo Fu Gui to leave him, emphasizing that Luo Fu Gui had a family to return to, while Yan Poyue, as a soldier, would find a worthy death. However, Luo Fu Gui, deeply grateful for Yan Poyue saving his children, refused to abandon him and was determined to bring him to safety. Luo Fu Gui gathered dandelion roots, applying some to Yan Poyue's wound and making him ingest others.
He shared his lifelong dream of becoming a soldier, which was thwarted by his father's illness, forcing him to remain and guard their ancestral land. He reiterated his commitment to protecting Yan Poyue as Yan Poyue had protected his family. Yan Poyue, in his delirium, called Luo Fu Gui foolish, stating that even if he died, he might not be honored as a martyr, but a soldier's duty was to die for the people in crucial moments.
Luo Fu Gui continued to drag the unconscious Yan Poyue. Suddenly, the traffickers' phone, which they had found earlier, rang. Yan Poyue, with newfound urgency, instructed Luo Fu Gui to retrace their path to find a signal to call for help.
