Rebirth in the Dragon Kingdom: The Strongest Blade

The atmosphere in the military region's operations conference room was heavy. On the huge projection screen, satellite maps of the area surrounding the Eagle's Beak Cliff outpost clearly showed the traces of battle—scorched woodlands, scattered shell casings, and mottled bloodstains.

Commander Chen Jianfeng sat in the main seat, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, producing a dull sound. On either side sat the military region's leadership team and the commanders of various operational units, each with an exceptionally serious expression.

"Two hundred and thirty-seven men, fully armed, crossed the border seven kilometers and openly attacked our outpost." Chen Jianfeng's voice was not loud, but every word struck the hearts of those present like a heavy hammer. "If this attack had succeeded, and sixteen soldiers at the Eagle's Beak Cliff outpost had been killed, what would the international media have written the next day? 'China's border defenses are practically non-existent'? 'Military militants freely cross the border'?"

The conference room was silent except for the hum of the air conditioner.

The chief of staff stood up and reported: "According to the battle report and on-site reconnaissance, this attack was a retaliatory action by the 'Scorpion' gang. They suffered heavy losses and setbacks at Eagle's Beak Cliff, so they resorted to this desperate measure."

"But that's not an excuse," the political commissar said in a deep voice. "The fact that over two hundred people could sneak up right under the nose of the outpost shows that there are still loopholes in our border surveillance. This time, it was Comrade Lin Zhe's high vigilance and early detection of the anomaly that prevented a tragedy. What if it had been a different outpost?"

Director Li Wei adjusted his glasses: "I'd like to add something from a technical perspective. The successful counterattack this time was not only due to Comrade Lin Zhe's personal abilities, but also to the crucial role his improved individual soldier communication system played. When the various groups were dispersed for guerrilla warfare, they were able to maintain real-time communication, allowing for seamless command and coordination. With older equipment, the signal would have been lost long ago."

Chen Jianfeng nodded and looked at the operations director: "Have all the reports from the participating personnel been submitted?"

"Everything is here. In particular, Comrade Lin Zhe's report, which details the entire battle process, from the discovery of the anomaly to the tactical deployment and the final counterattack. There is also a supplementary report from Captain Qin Feng of the Hunter Blade Special Forces Brigade."

The projection screen switched to display a summary of Lin Zhe's battle report. When they saw the line "He personally killed forty enemies, including seventeen in close combat," gasps of astonishment filled the conference room.

"Forty people?" a major general asked incredulously. "Did Qin Feng verify this?"

The Operations Chief nodded: "The Hunter Blade Special Forces participated in the battlefield cleanup, and Captain Qin Feng personally verified the findings. Twenty-three people were shot in the forehead, nine were killed in close combat, and eight were assassinated while lying in wait. All the wounds and bullet trajectories on the bodies match Lin Zhe's report. Captain Qin Feng's exact words were: 'These killing skills have reached or even surpassed the level of elite special forces.'"

Silence fell over the meeting room once again. One man, outnumbered and outgunned, killed forty militants—a feat that would be legendary in the entire army.

"Regarding rewards and punishments," Chen Jianfeng finally spoke. "This incident exposed loopholes in our border surveillance system, and the relevant responsible units must rectify them. However, the officers and soldiers who participated in the battle were brave and tenacious, achieving a victory against overwhelming odds, and they must be heavily rewarded. In particular, Comrade Lin Zhe played a decisive role."

The political commissar opened his notebook: "The sixteen officers and soldiers of Eagle Beak Cliff Outpost are recommended for a collective first-class merit. Other participants will be evaluated based on their combat merits, with seven recommended for second-class merit and twelve for third-class merit. As for Comrade Lin Zhe..."

He paused for a moment: "A first-class merit is certain. But in terms of rank, he was only promoted to captain three months ago. Promoting him too quickly might..."

"No rush." ​​Chen Jianfeng waved his hand. "Comrade Lin Zhe is only nineteen years old and is already a captain. Promoting him to major would attract too much attention. We can award him a first-class merit, but we'll postpone his rank promotion for now."

"Agreed," everyone agreed.

A week later, the commendation order was delivered to the 127th Regiment. This time, the level of recognition was even higher—the deputy commander of the military region personally led a large convoy of more than a dozen vehicles.

In the regimental auditorium, all the officers and soldiers of the regiment stood in formation. When the deputy commander announced, "Comrade Lin Zhe is awarded the First-Class Merit," thunderous applause erupted from the audience. The soldiers' gazes towards Lin Zhe were no longer just admiration, but almost worship.

Lin Zhe stood on the stage, the captain's star on his shoulder insignia gleaming under the lights, the First-Class Merit Medal on his chest weighing heavily. A sentence from his past life flashed through his mind: "First-Class Merit, received while lying down; Second-Class Merit, received by the family." It was a joke among soldiers in peacetime, but it revealed the difficulty of obtaining First-Class Merit—either making earth-shattering contributions or paying the price with one's life.

And now, he stands here, wearing the First Class Medal of Honor on his chest. Although the military level of this world is backward, the weight of this honor is by no means light.

After the medal-awarding ceremony, Lin Zhe finally had the chance to call home. In the regimental communications room, he dialed his home number first.

"Feed?" It was the voice of her mother, Su Wan.

"Mom, it's me."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by suppressed sobs: "Xiao Zhe... are you alright?"

"Mom, I'm fine, perfectly fine." Lin Zhe tried to keep his voice light. "I even did a meritorious service, a first-class merit."

"Mom doesn't need you to achieve anything, Mom just wants you to be safe..." Su Wan choked up, "Your father went to a meeting..."

After comforting his mother for a while, Lin Zhe dialed the phone number for his grandfather's nursing home. Zhang Jian answered the phone.

"Uncle Zhang, it's me. Is Grandpa home?"

"I'm here, waiting for you." Zhang Jian's voice was tinged with laughter. "You little rascal, you've stirred up trouble again."

The call was transferred to Lin Weiguo. The old man's voice was loud and clear: "Xiao Zhe, well done!"

"Grandpa, you knew all along?"

"That kid Chen Jianfeng called me and told me everything," Lin Weiguo said, his voice brimming with pride. "He took down forty of them all by himself! Good! That's more like my grandson, Lin Weiguo! But, he wasn't hurt, was he?"

"It was just a minor scratch, it's healed quickly."

"That's good." Lin Weiguo paused, his tone becoming serious. "Xiao Zhe, the First-Class Merit is one of the highest honors for a soldier. But remember, honor is the past, responsibility is the future. Don't let medals weigh you down; keep looking forward."

"I understand, Grandpa."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Zhe walked out of the communications room. Wang Dashan was waiting for him in the courtyard of the regimental headquarters.

"Finished the call?" Wang Dashan offered Lin Zhe a cigarette, but Lin Zhe waved it away and lit it himself. "Your family must be worried, right?"

"Yes. Mother cried."

"That's normal." Wang Dashan took a deep drag on his cigarette. "The families of soldiers all need to have stronger hearts than the average person. But Lin Zhe, after this, your days in the border defense company may be numbered."

Lin Zhe looked at him: "Company Commander, what you're saying..."

"It's not that I'm trying to get rid of you," Wang Dashan said with a wry smile. "It's just that you're too outstanding, so outstanding that this small pond can no longer contain your dragon. The military region definitely has a bigger plan for you. In the past few months, you've led the reconnaissance company to become the best in the entire regiment and won seven individual championships in the competition. This is already your limit."

Lin Zhe remained silent. He understood what Wang Dashan meant. The tempering at the border was complete; it was time to step onto a broader stage.

Sure enough, three days later, the military region's order arrived: Comrade Lin Zhe was to be temporarily transferred to the Military Region's Military Technology Research Institute to assist with the equipment improvement project.

The research institute was located in a valley 30 kilometers away from the military region's base, and was heavily guarded. When Lin Zhe entered the main building, Director Li Wei personally greeted him at the door.

"Comrade Lin Zhe, welcome!" Li Wei shook hands warmly. "We've been studying your three reports for several months and have made some progress, but there's still a gap between what you described and the expected results. We invited you here today hoping you could provide personal guidance."

Lin Zhe walked into the laboratory. Familiar instruments, familiar smells, familiar workbenches... Memories of his thirty-five years of military research in his previous life flooded back. He stood in front of a spectrometer, his fingers gently tracing the cold metal casing, his eyes slightly warm.

"Comrade Lin Zhe?" Li Wei noticed his unusual behavior.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things from the past." Lin Zhe withdrew his hand, his eyes regaining their clarity. "Director Li, I'd like to see your current progress first."

Over the next two hours, Lin Zhe meticulously examined the prototype the research institute had built based on his report. The night vision device's image resolution was insufficient, exhibiting snow-like noise; the thermal imaging response was too slow; and the communication equipment's frequency modulation algorithm had flaws...

"The main problems lie in the materials and algorithms." Lin Zhe put down the prototype. "The photomultiplier tube for the night vision device requires higher purity materials, and the detector for thermal imaging is not sensitive enough. I can rewrite the algorithm for the communication equipment."

Li Wei's eyes lit up: "What do you need? Just tell me!"

"An independent laboratory, a computer, and..." Lin Zhe rattled off a long list of materials and equipment.

The research institute fully cooperated. That afternoon, Lin Zhe immediately got to work. He locked himself in the lab, rarely leaving except to eat and sleep. His knowledge from his past life was unleashed at that moment—formulas, parameters, and process details buried deep in his memory, like unsealed treasures, poured forth endlessly.

In the early hours of the third day, Lin Zhe walked out of the laboratory, holding a brand-new night vision prototype in his hand.

"Director Li, try this."

Li Wei and several researchers took the prototype with some skepticism and went into the darkroom to test it. When the image appeared on the screen, everyone was stunned—the clarity was five times better than existing equipment! There was almost no noise!

"How...how did they do that?" an elderly researcher asked, his voice trembling.

"We've improved the photoelectric conversion structure and optimized the signal processing algorithm," Lin Zhe said casually. "The prototype for thermal imaging should be ready tomorrow."

Sure enough, the next day, the thermal imaging prototype was unveiled, with performance parameters that surpassed existing equipment in all aspects, while reducing costs by 30%.

The research institute was abuzz with excitement. These technical problems that had plagued them for months, even years, were child's play in Lin Zhe's hands. The young researchers looked at Lin Zhe as if he were a god.

But Lin Zhe didn't stop. He began to tackle the individual soldier communication system. This time, he was no longer limited to the improvement plans in the report, but directly used technologies from his previous life—digitalization, networking, and miniaturization.

On the computer screen, code flowed like a waterfall. Lin Zhe's fingers danced across the keyboard, so fast they left afterimages. He wasn't just writing a communication program; he was writing a complete individual combat system: positioning, navigation, enemy/friendly identification, battlefield information sharing...

At dawn on the twelfth day, Lin Zhe finally stopped typing. On the screen, a simple interface flashed—Individual Combat System V1.0, testing complete.

He picked up a watch-sized terminal device from the table. It was a rudimentary device he had modified using materials available at the research institute, but it was fully functional: a touchscreen displayed maps and commands, a miniature microphone and speaker provided communication, and the built-in positioning chip had an accuracy of ten meters.

"Director Li, you can start the test now."

Commander Chen Jianfeng personally attended the test. On the research institute's simulated battlefield, five soldiers, equipped with new gear, conducted a combat exercise.

Real-time location sharing, clear and stable voice commands, and real-time updates of battlefield information... the performance demonstrated by the new system left all observers speechless.

"Commander, look," Li Wei pointed to the monitor screen, "The Blue Team is now divided into three groups, but the commander can clearly know the location of each person. The Red Team is trying to encircle them, but the Blue Team, having received advance notice through the system, has instead set up an ambush..."

Chen Jianfeng's eyes grew brighter and brighter. As a veteran, he knew all too well the value of this system—it wasn't just an upgrade of communication equipment; it was a revolution in warfare!

After the drill ended, Chen Jianfeng strode up to Lin Zhe and asked, "Comrade Lin Zhe, can this system be mass-produced?"

"Yes, but we need to optimize the production process," Lin Zhe replied. "The current prototype is modified from existing parts, which is still too costly. If we design the chips and circuits specifically, the cost can be reduced to one-third of what it is now."

"How long will it take?"

"If we put in full effort, we can produce an engineering prototype in three months and start small-batch trial assembly in six months."

Chen Jianfeng took a deep breath and made a major decision: "Lin Zhe, pack your things and come with me to Jinghua."

"Beijing?"

"Yes, the General Armaments Department." Chen Jianfeng's eyes gleamed. "This system must be seen by the highest levels. You will report to them personally."

Two hours later, a military special plane took off from the Southwest Military Region airport, heading straight for Beijing. Inside the cabin, Chen Jianfeng looked at the sea of ​​clouds outside the window, then glanced at Lin Zhe beside him who was organizing documents, and was filled with mixed emotions.

This nineteen-year-old is like a bottomless treasure trove; every excavation reveals new surprises.

Lin Zhe stroked the individual soldier terminal in his hand and looked out the window. In his previous life, he had designed countless advanced pieces of equipment, but never had the opportunity to personally lead them onto the battlefield. In this life, he would personally drive the military transformation of this country.

The special plane pierced through the clouds and flew towards the heart of the Dragon Kingdom.