Rebirth in the Dragon Kingdom: The Strongest Blade

Midnight in the deep ocean.

The transport plane's cabin door opened, and a howling wind rushed in. Lin Zhe and his four companions stood at the doorway, below which lay the pitch-black ocean, with only the faint moonlight casting fragmented spots of light on its surface.

"Altitude 3,000, wind speed 15, you can jump." The captain's voice came through the headset.

Lin Zhe gave the equipment a final check, then nodded to the four people behind him: "Jump!"

The five people leaped out of the hatch one after another, like five black pebbles thrown into the dark sea.

Freefalling, the wind whistling in his ears. Lin Zhe adjusted his posture, looking down at the sea that was getting closer and closer. When the altitude dropped to one thousand meters, he deployed his parachute.

"Bang!"

The parachutes opened, and the descent speed decreased sharply. The other four people also opened their parachutes in succession, and five black parachutes slowly fell into the night sky.

When they were still 500 meters from the sea surface, the seawater below suddenly changed.

The once calm sea began to churn. A massive black shadow rose from the depths, breaking the surface to reveal a steel spine. It was a submarine, entirely black, gleaming coldly in the moonlight. There were no markings on its hull, but its sleek lines and futuristic design clearly distinguished it from any ordinary submarine.

"Dragon Abyss level, we've arrived," Lin Zhe said via encrypted communication.

The five men adjusted their direction above the sea and landed precisely on the submarine deck. As soon as they landed, the hatch on the deck opened, and several people in naval training uniforms quickly pulled them inside the submarine.

The hatch closed, and the submarine submerged again; the entire process took less than three minutes.

Inside the submarine, the lights were on. A colonel-level officer in his forties approached and saluted Lin Zhe: "Colonel Lin, I am Wang Hai, the captain of the Longyuan-7 submarine. I am here to provide support."

Lin Zhe returned the greeting: "Captain Wang, thank you for your hard work."

"It's no trouble at all." Wang Hai's eyes were filled with respect. "It's our honor to carry out missions for 'Hidden Dragon.' Please come with me; the rest room is ready."

The five men followed Wang Hai through the narrow passage. The submarine was quiet, save for the low rumble of the engines. The occasional sailor they encountered stood at attention and saluted, their eyes filled with admiration.

The lounge wasn't large, but it was fully equipped. There were five beds, a small table, and a Pacific Ocean chart hanging on the wall.

"The journey is expected to take twelve days," Wang Hai said. "During this time, you can rest and prepare here. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you," Lin Zhe said.

After Wang Hai left, the five men began to organize their equipment. They changed out of their soaked combat uniforms, checked their weapons, and tested their communication equipment...

As Longya cleaned his gun, he said, "This submarine is really good. Its soundproofing is much better than the one I rode in last time."

"Of course it's powerful," Lin Zhe said. "This 'Longyuan-class' uses the magnetohydrodynamic propulsion technology and new anechoic tiles I provided, making its noise level 15 decibels lower than the most advanced 'Seawolf-class' in the United States. Right now, right under the noses of the US Navy's anti-submarine network, they can't even detect it."

Long Ying adjusted his glasses: "This is the power of technology. Before, if we wanted to infiltrate the US mainland, we had to go around most of the planet and worry about being discovered. Now, we can just go there in a submarine."

"So this mission must succeed." Lin Zhe looked at the four of them. "We need to let the United States know that times have changed. They can swagger around in front of other people's houses, and others can set fire to their backyards."

The five men fell silent and rested. The submarine sailed silently in the deep sea, like a giant black whale, heading towards the other side of the ocean.

Twelve days later, fifty nautical miles off the west coast of country M.

The submarine hovered at a depth of 300 meters, like a lurking giant beast.

In the rest area, Lin Zhe and his four companions were fully armed. Combat uniforms, bulletproof vests, helmets, weapons, backpacks... everything was checked three times.

Wang Hai walked in: "Everyone, we've reached the designated location. The sea conditions are good; there are no patrol boats."

Lin Zhe nodded: "Get ready to go."

The five men entered the launch bay. There was a specially designed sealed chamber there, specifically for underwater infiltration. They went inside, the hatch closed, and water was pumped in.

When the internal and external pressures reach equilibrium, the outer hatch opens. Five people, carrying underwater propulsion devices, shoot into the dark sea like five swordfish.

The thrusters were quiet, almost silent. They advanced to a depth of twenty meters, avoiding sonar detection. Fifty minutes later, the outline of the coastline appeared ahead.

A secluded beach, surrounded by cliffs, with no sign of human habitation.

The five men shut down their thrusters and surfaced. The night was dark, with only the faint light of a distant lighthouse.

They quickly reached the shore and hid behind the rocks. Lin Zhe glanced at his watch: "1:20 AM. As planned, split up and meet back here in five days."

"clear."

The five men bumped fists with each other, then disappeared into the night like five shadows.

Day 1, Rocky City.

Disguised as a tourist, Longya walked along a bustling street with a backpack. His target was a private research institute on the outskirts of the city—ostensibly a biotechnology company, but actually a biological weapons research site funded by the US military.

In the evening, he sneaked into the company building. The security system was advanced, but it was useless to Longya. He easily entered the underground laboratory using a specially made access card.

Inside the laboratory, researchers in white lab coats were busy at work. Dragon Fang moved like a ghost, planting miniature bombs on several key pieces of equipment. The timer—three hours later.

Before leaving, he also planted a virus on the computer in the supervisor's office. This virus would automatically activate after the explosion, delete all research data, and anonymously send a document to the media—revealing the company's true research content.

At 10 p.m., Longya sat in a coffee shop, looking out the window. Three hours had passed.

"boom--"

A muffled explosion echoed in the distance, and flames lit up half the sky. Chaos broke out in the streets, and sirens blared.

Longya finished his coffee and got up to leave. No one noticed this ordinary Asian tourist.

The next day, Wharton, D.C.

Dragon Claw's target is a think tank—ostensibly a private research institution, but actually an external organization of the M country's military and intelligence agencies, specifically designed to formulate strategies against the Dragon Country.

He disguised himself as a cleaner and sneaked into the building. Late at night, the building was deserted. Dragon Claw entered the server room and connected to the main server using his personal computer.

The firewall was cracked in ten minutes.

Twenty minutes to download confidential documents.

Thirty minutes later, a Trojan program was implanted.

After doing all this, he also installed listening devices in the offices of several important figures. These devices would transmit all their conversations over the next month back to China.

As he was leaving, Dragon Claw encountered a security guard in the elevator.

"Still working so late?" the security guard asked casually.

"Yes, there's a lot of work," Dragon Claw replied in fluent English, with a slight Latin accent.

The security guard didn't suspect anything, nodded, and left.

Dragon Claw walked out of the building and disappeared into the night. An hour later, the think tank's website was hacked, and the homepage was replaced with a large text: "Stop interfering in other countries' internal affairs!"

Day 3, Button City.

Long Ying's mission is financial sabotage. He infiltrates a major Wall Street investment bank—a firm that has long been shorting Chinese companies and has also lobbied in the political circles of the United States to push for sanctions against China.

Long Ying didn't use violence. He used a more sophisticated method—cyberattacks.

Sitting in a hotel room, Long Ying turned on his computer. His computer had been specially modified, its performance comparable to a supercomputer. His fingers flew across the keyboard, code flowing like a waterfall.

Three hours later, the investment bank's trading system malfunctioned. A large number of automated trading orders were altered, causing the company to lose billions of dollars within an hour. Even more devastatingly, the company's client data was leaked, including the secret accounts of many politicians and billionaires.

The next day, the company's stock plummeted, and the CEO resigned. Meanwhile, Long Ying was already on a flight to the next city.

Day 4, Chicago.

Dragon Thorn's target is the private estate of an arms dealer. This arms dealer has a long history of supplying weapons to hostile forces in China and has been lobbying on Capitol Hill to push for a ban on arms sales to China.

The manor was heavily guarded, with private bodyguards, police dogs, and a surveillance system. But for Dragon Thorn, these were all just for show.

He climbed the wall like a gecko, dodging infrared detectors and avoiding patrolling bodyguards. He entered the main building and found the arms dealer's bedroom.

The arms dealer was asleep. Instead of killing him, Dragon Thorn used a tranquilizer dart to render him unconscious. Then, he found a large number of classified documents on the arms dealer's computer—including records of illegal arms deals, evidence of bribing politicians, and conspiracy plans against the Dragon Nation.

Dragon Thorn copied all the files and even placed a badge in the arms dealer's safe—the "Hidden Dragon" badge.

The next day, the arms dealer woke up and saw the badge on his pillow, and was terrified. He knew he had messed with the wrong person.

Day 5, Old Mountain.

Lin Zhe's ultimate target was the intelligence center of the US Navy in the XX region. This center held all military intelligence targeting China and served as the brain directing military operations in the Asia-Pacific region.

The intelligence center is located inside a mountain, with a concealed entrance and tight security. It is guarded by troops, equipped with air defense systems and electronic jamming equipment.

But Lin Zhe still went in.

He disguised himself as a maintenance worker and infiltrated the base. Using forged credentials, he bypassed layers of checks and entered the core area. In the server room, he installed a specially designed device—a device that continuously sent real-time data to the intelligence center of the Dragon Kingdom, including radar signals, communication records, troop deployments, and more…

After installing the device, Lin Zhe did not leave immediately. He also went to the command center and tampered with several key pieces of equipment. These devices would "accidentally" malfunction at some critical moment in the future, causing the command system to collapse.

Having done all this, Lin Zhe quietly withdrew. By the time he left the base, it was almost dawn.

Late on the fifth night, at the beach where we first landed.

Five people returned one after another. Each of them looked travel-worn, but their eyes were bright.

"Done." Longya grinned.

"Successfully." Dragon Claw nodded.

"No trace was left." Long Ying pushed up his glasses.

"Quite a haul." Longci patted his backpack.

Lin Zhe looked at the four of them: "Are you all alright?"

"No problem." Longya stretched his shoulders. "It's just that a few of the bodyguards were pretty good fighters, so it took a bit of effort."

"Alright, it's time to retreat." Lin Zhe glanced at the time. "The submarine will surface in one hour."

The five men went back into the water, activated the propulsion system, and swam toward the designated coordinates.

On the sea surface, the submarine surfaced on time. Five people boarded, the hatch closed, and the submarine quickly submerged and disappeared into the deep sea.

Inside the submarine, Captain Wang Hai and all the sailors lined up to greet them. When Lin Zhe and his four companions entered the cabin, everyone stood at attention and saluted.

It was a deep respect—these five men had carried out an impossible mission on enemy soil and escaped unscathed.

"You've worked hard!" Wang Hai said excitedly. "We've received news back home that the US is in complete chaos!"

Lin Zhe nodded: "Let's head back."

"yes!"

The submarine changed course and headed towards the Dragon Kingdom.

In the break room, the five men were finally able to relax. They took off their combat uniforms, treated their minor injuries, and ate hot food.

While eating compressed biscuits, Longya said, "What do you think the US is looking at right now?"

"They must be furious." Dragon Claw laughed. "The homeland has been turned upside down like this, and they still can't find out who did it."

"They should be able to guess it's us," Long Ying said, "but without evidence, we can only suffer in silence."

"That's exactly the effect we wanted," Lin Zhe said. "To let them know that China is not to be trifled with. If they dare to provoke us, they'll have to bear the consequences."

The five people looked at each other and laughed.

This mission was perfect.

Meanwhile, the situation in the United States had already caused an uproar.

Within five days, the Rocky Institute exploded, the Wharton Institute was hacked, Button Investment Bank collapsed, Chicago arms dealers were warned, and the Old Hill Intelligence Center was infiltrated…

Each of these events was headline-worthy, and when five of them happened at once, the entire country was thrown into panic.

The media reported extensively on the events, politicians argued in Congress, the military held emergency meetings, and the intelligence agencies were overwhelmed with work.

But what terrified them most was the inability to find the killer.

The entire scene was spotless, as if done by a professional team. There were no fingerprints, no DNA, and no surveillance footage. It was like a ghost committing a crime, appearing and disappearing without a trace.

In his office, the president slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Who?! Who on earth is it?!"

The intelligence chief, head bowed, said, "Based on current assessments... it's likely a special forces unit from China."

"Where's the evidence?!"

"No... there's no direct evidence. But this was found at several crime scenes..."

The intelligence chief handed over a photograph. The photograph showed a badge—a dragon-shaped design with the character "潜" (Qian, meaning "undercover" or "undercover") in the center.

"What is this?"

"'Hidden Dragon.' The most secretive special forces unit in the Dragon Kingdom, reporting directly to the highest levels. We tried to capture their members before, but failed. This time... it might be retaliation."

The president slumped in his chair, his face deathly pale.

Revenge...revenge on one's own soil...

This was beyond his comprehension. It had always been the US causing trouble in other countries' homes; when did it become someone else's turn to set fire to their own?

"Strengthen security..." he said weakly. "Also...suspend all provocative actions against the Dragon Kingdom. We need to... reassess this adversary."

The order was given, but it was too late.

The "Hidden Dragon" of the Dragon Kingdom used this action to declare to the world—times have changed.

That era of being bullied by the United States has come to an end.

Now, it's China's turn to show its strength.

Lin Zhe and his group of five were already on their way back to China.

The submarine sails in the deep sea, quiet and steadfast.

Like this country, silent, yet unstoppable.

And this sword has already shown the world its sharpness.