Ding Ling no longer resembled the lonely little girl on the streets; both her appearance and stature underwent certain changes. Over the next year, the fully enclosed military training almost made Ren Bonian overlook her.
Ren Bonian once told the girls, "From the moment you enter special training in the military region, you must embrace the belief of becoming the most outstanding female soldiers in the military region and strive tirelessly."
The other children chosen by Saint Father David, like the sun, would emit astonishing heat after some time; their talents, their perseverance, all met all of Ren Bonian’s requirements for female soldiers’ training. Compared to them, Ding Ling was more like the gentle moon. This girl, cultivated by Saint Father David, exhibited the least noticeable changes.
This might have been related to the training direction Saint Father David set for her, different from the specific roles of the other seven in G8, Ding Ling’s training was tedious and lacked specialization. She never systematically practiced shooting, nor did she learn demolition techniques; she knew some Reconnaissance Skill, some negotiation skills, and had learned emergency medical skills—she knew a little about everything but was not proficient in anything, hence Ren Bonian suggested Ding Ling should specialize in one area. However, Saint Father David did not agree, "Her existence, and her codename in G8, Ling, represents infinite possibilities and signifying both the beginning and the end."
Over the next four to five years, through multiple encounters, Ding Ling’s traits gradually became evident. She had a warm personality and did not feel inferior because she was reliant on others. Among the eight, only Ding Ling would consistently call him "Grandpa Ren," not Marshal. For a girl nearly the same age as his youngest grandson, Ren Bonian did not enforce a change in how she addressed him.
Each member of G8 had exceptional talents, but also a will as steadfast as stone; those learning shooting, at the slightest disagreement, would draw guns on each other. Those learning combat, upon disagreement, would show outright hostility. These children from different parts of the country had one thing in common: they all came from dysfunctional families and were brought together into G8 by the David Sect. Their personalities also had certain deficiencies.
Saint Father David provided the best training environment and conditions for growth but did not offer much affection. Saint Father David was a god-like figure; the greatest advantage of a god is universal love, and the greatest flaw is the absence of love.
Each member of G8 showed great respect towards Saint Father David and Ren Bonian, acting very cautiously in their presence, except for Ding Ling. Ding Ling often spoke of her parents and her "brother." Her well-rounded character was largely due to the good upbringing at home, and partly due to this "brother" - a little boy she met by chance on the streets after losing her support.
Saint Father David did not like when the children brought up their past families; therefore, Ding Ling gradually mentioned the little boy less, though during breaks in training, she would occasionally zone out,
and after being reprimanded, she would hurry back to her senses.
Perhaps Ding Ling wasn’t the most outstanding in G8, but she was certainly the most gentle-natured. Whenever her peers had arguments or disputes, she always tried to calm the parties involved.
When Ding Ling was fourteen, the oldest girl in G8 was already twenty-five years old. Spanning ages from fourteen to twenty-five, all these orphaned girls formed the G8 organization and embarked on their first real mission.
Starting with annihilating a city-level mafia overnight, within a year, G8’s reach infiltrated the darkest edges of Hua Country. The following year included international money laundering and arms smuggling, no one told these young girls whether the things they were dealing with were black or white. Each time they carried out a mission, they were told: "For Hua Country." They were raised by the state and repaying the state with their youth and blood was the most direct practice.
Until Ding Ling turned sixteen, one night Ren Bonian returned home to find his bedroom window open. Ding Ling sat in his room, and when she saw Ren Bonian, she simply called out, "Grandpa Ren."
By then, Ding Ling was no longer just a common street girl; Ren Bonian knew, although she participated in the fewest missions and killed the least in G8, just a week before her sixteenth birthday, she had become the leader of G8. She had become one of the top mafia leaders in Hua Country.
Such a character, lurking in the room of an army marshal representing justice and power at night, was undoubtedly dangerous. Moreover, Ren Bonian listened to what she said next.
Ren Bonian immediately pressed the alarm; Ding Ling fled in a panic. Thinking back, Ren Bonian still had some regrets; that night, Ding Ling looked unusually vulnerable. Ding Ling could be tame or unrestrained, but she was never fragile.
After that, Saint Father David intervened and forcibly demanded G8 be disbanded. Whether the disbandment was successful remains unknown, but during an outing, Ren Bonian was targeted by a sniper attack from former G8 members, resulting in two members dying on the spot.
Ding Ling was pursued by the military and eventually died in foreign international waters, her body devoured entirely by fish.
When the military command to destroy G8 was issued, he did not stop it, and from that moment on, Ren Bonian had aged. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote, your support is my greatest motivation.)