Commander Li Wenqiang did not argue when he was called into a meeting the moment the convoy had returned to base.
Again.
After the third unsuccessful mission.
He stood through the briefing, listened to Meilan's father, the Minister of Civil Security, repeat the same objective three different ways, and watched as language shifted without its meaning ever changing.
Secure the property. Remove the occupants. Recover anything of value.
The phrasing had been changed, but the intent did not.
By the time Li was dismissed, the words had blurred into something dull and persistent, the kind of repetition that didn't clarify a situation so much as grind against it until it became unavoidable.
It left him with a low, steady headache and the clear understanding that nothing he said would alter the outcome.
What was worse was that, by the time he left command, the order had already spread through the operational chain.
