Rebirth in the Dragon Kingdom: The Strongest Blade

As dawn broke, Jinghua City awoke.

No, it should be said that the entire Dragon Kingdom woke up earlier than usual.

At four o'clock in the morning, both sides of Jinghua Avenue were already crowded with people. There were reporters carrying long lenses and microphones, citizens waving national flags, and most of them ordinary people, who brought the elderly and children, along with water and dry food, and had already secured their spots early.

"Old Zhang, you've chosen a great spot!" A middle-aged man squeezed to the front and patted his acquaintance on the shoulder.

The man called Old Zhang was in his sixties. He proudly waved the folding stool in his hand: "Of course! I arrived at ten o'clock last night! I slept on the street all night!"

"Worth it! Absolutely worth it!" The middle-aged man gave a thumbs up. "This parade is something you might only see once in your lifetime!"

Indeed, today's military parade is unlike any other before.

The parade viewing platform is fifteen meters high and made entirely of silver-gray alloy material, which gleams with a cool luster in the morning light. Seating has already been arranged on the platform, with a row of long tables covered with red tablecloths at the front and tiered seating behind them.

At this moment, there was no one on the viewing platform, but the staff below were conducting final checks.

"Security double-checked!" A major general, holding a walkie-talkie, shouted. "Especially around the reviewing stand, not even a fly can get in!"

"Report! Security check on the east side complete!"

"West side complete!"

"Air traffic control has been activated, and a no-fly zone has been established!"

At six o'clock in the morning, the first group of guests arrived.

A dozen or so black sedans adorned with the flags of various countries slowly drove into the designated area. The doors opened, and heads of state and dignitaries stepped out.

The president of Country M walked at the front, looking up at the fifteen-meter-high reviewing stand with a complex expression. Three months ago, he was the nominal leader of this world. Three months later, he sat here as a "guest" watching the Dragon Kingdom's military parade.

"Mr. President, this way please," a staff member from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dragon Kingdom politely guided him.

Following behind him were the prime ministers of R country, J country, and X country... These countries that had previously participated in the provocations all had their heads down and were walking hurriedly, afraid that their expressions would be captured by the media.

People from European countries seemed relatively relaxed, but their eyes still held a sense of awe.

The Prime Minister of Country Y whispered to his aide, "Look at this spectacle... Compared to this, our military parades back then were like children playing house."

The president of Country F smiled wryly: "It's not just the show of force. Did you see those security personnel? They all have sharp eyes and move with practiced efficiency; they're clearly from the special forces. China is deliberately displaying its strength."

"Can we not show it off?" the Prime Minister of Country D sighed. "If we could defeat a four-nation coalition in an hour, we'd have to flex our muscles too."

At 7:00 a.m. sharp, the viewing platform was already full of people.

In the very center of the first row, there was a row of empty seats—those were the seats for the leaders of the Dragon Kingdom.

Below the stage, on both sides of Jinghua Avenue, there were huge crowds.

A young mother, holding her child, pointed to the reviewing stand and said, "Baby, look, General Lin will be coming out from over there soon!"

The three-year-old child asked in a childish voice, "Who is General Lin?"

"General Lin is our great hero!" a college student nearby eagerly answered. "He's the one who led us to victory in the war!"

Everyone around laughed.

At 7:30, the sound of cannons was heard in the distance.

The 21-gun salute shook the earth and the hearts of everyone.

As soon as the cannon fire subsided, military music began to play.

At that moment, hundreds of thousands of people sang in unison on both sides of Jinghua Avenue.

The singing was like a tidal wave, soaring straight to the sky.

On the viewing platform, the representatives from various countries were all awestruck by the sheer scale of the event.

The president of Country M instinctively sat up straight. He had attended many military parades, both those of Country M and its allies, but he had never heard such a unified and powerful chorus. It wasn't a rehearsed performance; it was a voice bursting forth from the depths of their hearts.

The Prime Minister of Country R turned pale. He finally understood why China could win—with such a nation, how could they possibly lose?

At 7:50, a convoy entered the square.

The car door opened, and Commander-in-Chief Long Guo stepped out first, followed by Liu Zhenguo, Zhao Tiesheng, and other leaders of the Central Military Commission, and then the commanders of the major theater commands and leaders of various ministries.

The last person to get off the bus caused the entire audience to erupt in cheers.

"General Lin!"

"General Lin Zhe!"

"Heroes! Our heroes!"

Lin Zhe was wearing a brand-new general's uniform today, the three gold stars on his shoulders gleaming in the morning light. Unlike the others, he didn't wave to the crowd, but stood at attention and saluted.

A standard military salute.

This one move alone triggered a deafening roar of cheers from the crowd.

On the reviewing stand, US Defense Secretary James whispered to the president, "This man... is only twenty-nine years old. To be able to command such national adoration at twenty-nine..."

The president remained silent.

He knew what James was trying to say—in the United States, a 29-year-old might protest in the streets or worry about finding a job, but he could never become a national hero, much less make the entire nation go crazy for him.

It's exactly eight o'clock.

The commander walked up to the microphone.

He didn't take a script; he simply looked calmly at the soldiers and civilians below the stage and at the sea of ​​people in the distance.

"Fellow countrymen, comrades, and friends—"

The sound was amplified throughout the square and transmitted globally via television signals.

"Today, we gather here solemnly to celebrate the National Day of the Dragon Kingdom, and also to celebrate our great victory in defending national sovereignty and safeguarding world peace!"

Thunderous applause erupted.

"This victory belongs to the valiant army of the Dragon Kingdom! It belongs to the great people of the Dragon Kingdom! It belongs to all those who have fought for peace!"

"Now, I declare—the military parade officially begins!"

The moment the words were spoken, a salute was fired.

Meanwhile, on the east side of the square, an open-top parade vehicle slowly drove out.

The driver was a young major, sitting ramrod straight. In the back seat, Lin Zhe also stood ramrod straight, his right hand raised to his eyebrows in a salute.

The parade vehicle slowly drove along Jinghua Avenue.

On both sides of the road, there were troops lined up in neat rows for the parade.

The first formation was the army cadets. They were all young men in their early twenties, all over 1.8 meters tall, wearing brand-new uniforms, holding rifles, and with resolute eyes.

The inspection vehicle continued its journey.

The naval formation, the air force formation, the rocket force formation, the strategic support force formation… every formation was perfectly aligned, as if measured with a ruler. Every soldier stood tall and proud, their eyes radiating confidence and determination.

On the viewing platform, representatives from various countries watched with bated breath.

The Prime Minister of Country Y whispered in his assistant's ear: "See that? The eyes of these soldiers... those are the eyes of true faith. That's exactly what our army lacks."

The assistant gave a wry smile: "Our soldiers join the army for a paycheck, while their soldiers join for their country. How can you compare them?"

But the most shocking part is yet to come.

As the parade vehicle passed the special forces formation, fifty members of the Qianlong team raised their right hands in unison—not a regular military salute, but a special forces salute with their palms angled towards their eyebrows.

They didn't shout slogans, but their murderous aura could be felt even from hundreds of meters away.

On the reviewing stand, intelligence officials from many countries quickly took photos—this was the first public appearance of the Submarine Force. Although there were only fifty people, everyone understood that behind these fifty was a terrifying force capable of changing the course of a battle overnight.

CIA Director Hansen of the United States turned ashen-faced: "It was this unit... that infiltrated our territory and assassinated seventeen high-ranking officers..."

After the inspection, Lin Zhe returned to the reviewing stand by car.

Next is the column layout.

"Welcome the national flag!!!"

At a command, two hundred members of the National Flag Guard marched in step, escorting the huge Chinese national flag, from the north side of the square to the flagpole.

Their steps were incredibly synchronized—two hundred people, their footsteps perfectly overlapping, as if they were walking as one person.

"Marching—forward!"

"Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!"

Every step struck the ground, and struck into everyone's heart.

On the viewing platform, many foreign delegates nodded unconsciously in rhythm.

As the national flag was raised, the entire audience sang the national anthem once again.

This time, even the foreign representatives on the viewing platform stood up—not as a rule, but out of subconscious respect.

The national flag was raised, and the parade officially began.

The first to pass the reviewing stand was the army infantry formation.

"Look to the right!!!"

The footsteps were like thunder, and the slogans were deafening.

Viewers across the country were in an uproar in front of their televisions.

In a small southern town, three generations of a family huddled together in front of the television.

"Grandpa, look! It's so neat!" the grandson pointed at the screen.

My grandfather is over eighty years old and participated in the War of Resistance against Japan. Looking at the screen, tears streamed down his face: "Good...good...if our troops back then had even half the equipment and half the spirit...how many fewer people would have died..."

The father patted the old man on the back: "Dad, things are different now. We're strong now."

"Being strong is good...being strong is good..." the old man said, wiping away his tears. "No one will dare to bully us anymore..."

The internet is buzzing with real-time discussions.

The top ten trending topics on Weibo were all related to the military parade:

#The military parade in China was so impressive#

#ThisIsTheMilitaryOfAGreatPower#

#General Lin Zhe is so cool#

#DragonFighterDeploymentMakesFirstAppearance#

The most upvoted comment read: "I'm studying abroad, and I was watching the live broadcast with my foreign classmates. When they saw our army march past, they were all stunned. One of my classmates from the US said, 'This is so much stronger than our army.' I burst into tears—after waiting for so many years, we've finally heard foreigners acknowledge our strength!"

The number of replies to this comment instantly exceeded 10,000:

"Brother, I'm overseas too, I feel the same way!"

"We used to be the ones envying others; now it's their turn to envy us!"

"With a strong motherland, we can stand tall abroad!"

Abroad, public reactions are more complex.

In Country M, a large screen in the square is broadcasting live. Many pedestrians stop to watch.

"My God... are these soldiers robots? How can they be so perfectly aligned?"

"Look at their equipment! Those guns! That camouflage! It's far more advanced than ours!"

"I heard it was this very unit that defeated our navy in just one hour..."

"Why can't our army do that?"

"Because our soldiers don't know who they're fighting for. Their soldiers do."

In Europe, many families are also watching the live stream.

"Mom, the Dragon Kingdom's army is so cool!" A blond little boy pointed at the TV.

The mother sighed, "Yeah...it's cool..."

"Then why doesn't our country have such a cool army?"

"Because...we don't have that kind of spirit."

In Country R, ​​many people watched the live broadcast with mixed feelings.

"If...if we hadn't provoked the Dragon Kingdom back then..."

"What's the point of saying all this now? A loss is a loss."

"At least they didn't massacre civilians...that's much better than our army back then..."

The parade lasted for half an hour, and all the marching contingents passed through.

Next up is the equipment formation.

When the first equipment formation appeared on camera, the whole world gasped.

That's not a tank or armored vehicle, but a land-based laser defense system.

Ten heavy trucks towed massive launchers, their silver-gray cannons pointing diagonally towards the sky. A sign beside them read: "The 'Dragon Shield-1' laser interception system can intercept any missile, aircraft, or satellite within a 1,000-kilometer range."

On the reviewing stand, US Defense Secretary James nearly stood up: "They...they've already put laser weapons into combat?!"

The president's face turned deathly pale: "And...it was displayed in public..."

Next up was the "Dragon-41 Modified" missile launcher.

A massive transporter-erector-launcher (TEL-41) vehicle carries a milky-white missile. The accompanying sign reads: "The 'Dragon-41 Modified' intercontinental ballistic missile has a range of 18,000 kilometers and can carry ten independently targetable nuclear warheads, giving it global precision strike capability."

Next is the ground display vehicle for the "Dragon-20" stealth fighter.

Next up is a model car of the "Longyuan-class" nuclear submarine.

Each piece of equipment that appeared elicited gasps of amazement.

But the climax is yet to come.

The air echelon has arrived.

The first thing to fly by was a formation of helicopters—armed helicopters, transport helicopters, and reconnaissance helicopters, a total of one hundred, darkening the sky.

Next came the fighter jet formation.

The "Mighty Dragon-20" stealth fighter flew low over the field in a three-aircraft formation, and the huge roar made the glass of the reviewing stand vibrate.

"My God... so many..." the F country's air force commander murmured. "They have at least two hundred stealth fighters... and we only have twelve..."

However, none of these were the most shocking.

When the last aerial formation appeared, the whole world fell silent.

That was... a huge shadow.

At first, people thought it was a cloud. But as the "cloud" drew closer and lower, everyone saw it clearly—

That was a ship.

A flying ship.

The ship has a silver-gray hull with a streamlined design, exceeding 300 meters in length and 50 meters in width. Huge folding wings are mounted on both sides of the hull, now fully deployed. At the stern, four plasma thrusters spew pale blue flames.

It flew slowly and steadily, just like sailing on the sea.

But it's in the sky.

"A...a space carrier..." The president of the United States' voice trembled, "They really built it..."

On the viewing platform, all the foreign leaders stood up, heads tilted back, mouths agape, like a group of mortals witnessing a miracle.

On the hull, two huge Chinese characters gleamed in the sunlight:

"Kunpeng"

At the same time, the commentator's excited voice came over the loudspeaker: "Now passing over the square is my country's independently developed aerospace carrier, the 'Kunpeng.' This ship maintains a stationary orbital altitude of 400 kilometers and can carry 24 aerospace fighters, possessing the capabilities for rapid global deployment, long-term deployment, and multi-mission execution. Its commissioning marks my country's official entry into the era of 'integrated air and space' warfare!"

The "Kunpeng" slowly flew over the square, over the viewing platform, and over the city of Beijing.

Wherever it passed, all was silent.

Everyone looked up, gazing at this marvel of human engineering.

An old man knelt down shakily and kowtowed to the sky: "Ancestors, please bless us... Ancestors, please bless us... Our Dragon Kingdom... has finally seen this day..."

Young people took photos and videos like crazy and posted them online.

The internet completely crashed—the traffic was too high.

On international social media, "China's space carrier" instantly became the top trending topic in all countries.

"Is this real? Or is it special effects?"

"God... the Dragon Kingdom can already make things like this?"

"Our aircraft carrier is still at sea, while theirs is already in the air..."

"Times have changed..."

On the viewing platform, the leaders of the Dragon Kingdom exchanged a smile.

Liu Zhenguo whispered to Lin Zhe, "This is quite a surprise."

Lin Zhe nodded: "That's the effect we want. We want them to know that we're not just one or two generations ahead, but an entire era."

The military parade drew to a close as the "Kunpeng" spacecraft disappeared into the distance.

The last formation was the mass parade formation, but by this moment, few people were paying attention—everyone was still immersed in the awe-inspiring experience of the space carrier.

The military parade ended at 11:00 AM.

The commander-in-chief stepped in front of the microphone again.

His voice remained calm, but every word carried immense weight:

"Today's military parade demonstrated our strength. But this strength is not for aggression or hegemony, but for peace and for protection."

"China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion. But we also have the determination and capability to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and protect the lives and property of our people."

"Any attempt to challenge this bottom line will be met with a firm response."

"This is the Dragon Kingdom today."

Thank you everyone.

The applause lasted for ten minutes.

Foreign leaders on the viewing platform left one by one with complex expressions.

They knew that from this day forward, the world order had truly changed.

The Dragon Kingdom has already stood at the pinnacle of the world.

And they can only look up in awe.

After the event ended, Lin Zhe was surrounded by reporters.

"General Lin, did you design the space carrier?"

"General Lin, what are the Dragon Kingdom's plans for the future?"

"General Lin, what are your views on world peace?"

Lin Zhe only answered one question.

A foreign journalist asked, "General Lin, isn't China afraid of triggering an arms race by displaying such formidable military power?"

Lin Zhe looked at him and said calmly:

"We are demonstrating our force to make it clear to certain people that the competition is over."

"We won."

After saying that, he turned and left.

The reporter was left standing there, pondering those words.

Yes, the competition is over.

China has won.

A complete and resounding victory.

And this world is about to enter a brand new era.

A peaceful, developing, and hopeful era led by the Dragon Kingdom.

As night falls, the city of Jinghua is illuminated with dazzling lights.

On the street, people were still excitedly discussing the military parade that had taken place during the day.

Proud voices can be heard everywhere – in restaurants, bars, and homes.

"Our country is truly awesome!"

"From now on, I can go out with my back straight!"

"My son says he wants to join the army when he grows up, like General Lin!"

Lin Zhe stood at the window of the Central Military Commission building, looking at the city lights.

Liu Zhenguo walked over from behind: "Are you tired? You've been standing all morning."

"I'm not tired." Lin Zhe shook his head. "Seeing the people so happy makes it all worthwhile, no matter how tired I am."

"Yes..." Liu Zhenguo sighed, "Why do we join the army? Isn't it for this day? To let the people live in peace and proudly say, 'I am a Chinese.'"

The two of them stared silently out the window.

After a long silence, Lin Zhe said softly:

"Sir, this is just the beginning."

"Space carriers are just the first step. Next, there will be lunar bases, Martian cities, and even further into space."

"We are about to embark on a path that no one has ever walked before."

Liu Zhenguo patted him on the shoulder:

"Then let's go."

"With you leading the way, with this country as our backing, and with the support of 1.4 billion people—"

"No matter how far the road, we can walk it."

Outside the window, thousands of lights shine.

Inside the window, two generals stood side by side.