Rebirth in the Dragon Kingdom: The Strongest Blade

Six o'clock in the morning, underground command center of Qianlong Base.

Lin Zhe stood before a massive electronic sand table, on which a world map was marked with over a dozen red dots—the locations of all the recent provocations. Behind him, all forty members of the Qianlong team were present, completely silent.

"The R country's warships have provoked us in the East China Sea a total of forty-three times, the most recent time coming within eight nautical miles of our territorial waters." Long Ying pulled up satellite images. "According to intelligence, they plan to hold a large-scale military exercise in three days, simulating an island landing operation."

"The number of our vessels seized by Country J has increased to five, with a total of 287 crew members," Long Qing added. "Country J's coast guard is on full alert."

"Anti-Chinese sentiment has been incited in Country X. Yesterday, three more shops owned by Chinese were vandalized, and five people were injured and hospitalized." Longya clenched his fist. "The local police not only did not stop it, but also participated in it."

"In the waters off Somalia, another of our cargo ships was hijacked early yesterday morning. The pirates are demanding a ransom of 200 million Chinese Yuan." Dragon Claw's voice was icy. "According to drone reconnaissance, there are traces of foreign military advisors operating from the pirate stronghold."

Lin Zhe listened quietly, his face expressionless. But the two Qianlong Guards standing behind him could feel the surrounding air growing colder.

"What about the US?" Lin Zhe asked.

"There's no direct action yet," Long Qing said, pulling up the monitoring report. "But their three carrier strike groups are moving towards the area and are expected to arrive in the relevant waters within a week. Meanwhile, they've provided R and J countries with the latest anti-ship missiles and radar systems."

Lin Zhe nodded and turned to face the forty team members.

"Comrades," his voice was calm yet firm, "we have endured for far too long. Some people think that endurance is weakness. Some people think that developing the economy will come at the expense of security. Some people think that we will be bullied again, just like we were a hundred years ago."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each young and resolute face: "Today, I'm going to tell them—they're wrong."

"Dragon Fang!"

"arrive!"

"You will lead a team of eight to infiltrate the US mainland. Specific mission details await further orders."

"yes!"

"Dragon Claw!"

"arrive!"

"You will lead a second squad of ten men to infiltrate R country."

"yes!"

"Dragon Shadow!"

"arrive!"

"You will lead a third squad of ten men to the waters off Somalia. Await orders. Mission: Eliminate the pirate stronghold and rescue the kidnapped crew members."

"yes!"

"Dragon Thorn!"

"arrive!"

"You will lead the fourth squad of four to infiltrate Japan."

"yes!"

"Long Qing, Long Yan, and Long Yan, the three of you will stay with me at the command center, responsible for communications, intelligence, and electronic warfare support."

"yes!"

Lin Zhe walked to the control panel and pulled up the top-secret operational plan. The screen displayed all the military forces that the Dragon Kingdom had secretly deployed over the past year:

"Order: The 'Longxing' carrier battle group shall immediately proceed to direction M."

"Order: The 1st, 3rd and 7th Air Brigades of the 'Mighty Dragon-20' stealth fighters shall enter a state of first-level combat readiness and be on standby 24 hours a day."

"Order: 'Dragon-41 Modified' missile units, lock onto important military bases in Country R, ​​and be ready to launch at any time."

"Order: Border troops of the Southwest Military Region shall assemble at the border of Country X and conduct live-fire exercises."

Commands were issued through encrypted channels. The war machine of the entire Dragon Kingdom, after two years of silence, was fully activated for the first time.

Nine o'clock in the morning, the studio of the Dragon Kingdom National Television.

This was Lin Zhe's first public appearance since being promoted to general. He wore a crisp general's uniform, the three gold stars on his shoulders gleaming under the lights. Without makeup or a teleprompter, he sat calmly in front of the camera.

"Good morning, viewers across the country. I am Lin Zhe, advisor to the Central Military Commission of China."

The studio was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All the staff held their breath, watching the legendary young general.

"Recently, the safety of our citizens overseas has been seriously threatened, our territorial sovereignty has been frequently challenged, and our merchant ships have been unreasonably detained in international waters. As a soldier, I feel deeply saddened and angry."

Lin Zhe's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear and forceful:

"Now, on behalf of the Central Military Commission of China, I formally make a solemn demand to all relevant parties."

"First, Country R must immediately cease all provocative actions, withdraw all ships and aircraft that have conducted close-in reconnaissance, and formally apologize to our country for the recent incidents and compensate for the losses. Deadline: 24 hours."

"Second, Country J must immediately and unconditionally release the five Chinese merchant ships and 287 crew members it has detained, compensate the ship owners for their losses, and guarantee that similar incidents will not occur again. Deadline: 24 hours."

"Third, the government of Country X must immediately stop the violence against Chinese people within its borders, punish the perpetrators, compensate the victims for their losses, and guarantee the safety of our citizens. Deadline: 24 hours."

"Fourth, the Somali pirates must immediately release our hijacked crew members and ships. Deadline: 24 hours."

He paused, his eyes sharp as knives:

"If the above demands are not met within 24 hours, our country will take all necessary measures to defend national sovereignty and the rights and interests of its citizens."

"Don't say you weren't warned."

The camera cut off. In the studio, everyone was still immersed in the atmosphere from just now.

The director wiped the sweat from his brow: "My God... this is tougher than a declaration of war..."

At 10 a.m., the news was broadcast nationwide via television, radio, and the internet.

In a subway car in Jinghua City, many people were watching the news live on their phones. When they heard Lin Zhe's last words, "Don't say you weren't warned," the entire car erupted in cheers.

"Good! That's tough!"

"This is the true demeanor of a great nation!"

"General Lin Zhe is awesome!"

A middle-aged man stood up excitedly: "My son is on the ship that's been detained! The government has finally stepped in!"

The person next to him patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, the country won't abandon us!"

A coffee shop in Shanghai.

Lin Zhe's speech was being replayed on television. When the image froze on Lin Zhe's resolute face, applause erupted in the coffee shop.

"This is the kind of general we need!" a young man exclaimed excitedly. "Young, decisive, and with great courage!"

"Look at his eyes," an old man remarked. "That's the look of someone who has truly been on the battlefield and seen blood."

"I checked online, and although there wasn't much information, someone found out that General Lin Zhe rose through the ranks from the border defense forces and accumulated many merits," said a female office worker. "Becoming a general at twenty-nine years old is definitely not due to connections, but to his ability!"

A border town in southwestern China.

A large screen was set up in the town square, broadcasting news. When Lin Zhe demanded that Country X cease violence within 24 hours, hundreds of people in the square cheered in unison.

"It should have been done a long time ago!" a shop owner said, his eyes red. "My brother owns a supermarket in country X, and he was beaten and hospitalized just two days ago! The local police there don't care at all!"

"Now that the government has stepped in, let's see if they still dare to be arrogant!"

A retired veteran stood tall and said, "If needed, these old bones of mine can still go to the battlefield!"

On the internet, public opinion was in an uproar.

The top ten trending topics on Weibo were all occupied by related topics:

#General Lin Zhe's 24-Hour Ultimatum#

#Don't say you weren't warned#

#China has finally stood up#

#ReleaseOurChineseSeafarers#

The most liked comment reads:

"We endured a century of humiliation. We endured decades of blockade. But today, we no longer need to endure! Because we have a powerful army, courageous generals, and 1.4 billion united people!"

"We can wait 24 hours. But if anyone dares to provoke us after 24 hours, we'll show them what the Dragon's Wrath is all about!"

This comment received over ten million likes within half an hour.

However, the situation is quite different internationally.

Country M, Situation Room.

The president watched Lin Zhe's speech on the screen, a disdainful smile playing on his lips: "A 24-hour ultimatum? Who does China think it is??"

Defense Secretary James frowned: "Mr. President, we shouldn't underestimate this. According to intelligence, China's military development has been rapid in the last two years; they might..."

"Maybe what?" the president interrupted him. "Maybe they really have the strength to challenge us? James, you need to wake up. In this world, there is only one superpower, and that is our United States. China? It's just bluffing."

"But Lin Zhe is..."

"What kind of ability can a 29-year-old kid who rose to the rank of general through connections have?" the president scoffed. "Does he think this is a movie? A 24-hour ultimatum, how ridiculous."

He turned to the Secretary of State and said, "Inform R, J, and X countries not to be afraid and to continue applying pressure. I want to see what China can do in 24 hours."

"Yes."

Country R, ​​the official residence of the Prime Minister.

The Defense Minister said with some concern, "Prime Minister, the Dragon Kingdom's attitude this time is unusually tough. Should we...?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" the Prime Minister sneered. "With the US backing us up, China won't dare to actually make a move. At most, they'll protest, conduct exercises, and launch missiles to scare us. Pass the order: tomorrow's military exercises will proceed as scheduled, and on an even larger scale!"

"But Lin Zhe said..."

"You believe the words of a mere boy?" The Prime Minister waved his hand dismissively. "Go and prepare. Tomorrow, I will show the world that R Country is not to be trifled with!"

J country, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The officials looked at the Dragon Kingdom's ultimatum and exchanged bewildered glances.

"Twenty-four hours...should we release the boat?"

"What are you talking about! The US said we should hold on. China doesn't dare to really fight; they still need our market and investment."

"But what about the crew members..."

"Who cares? They won't die if they're detained for a few days."

Twenty-four hours, the countdown begins.

The whole world is watching.

The people of the Dragon Kingdom are filled with anticipation, while the enemy is mocking them.

Lin Zhe sat in the command center, looking at the clock on the wall.

The second hand ticked away, one tick at a time.

He is waiting.

Wait for time to pass.

Those people will pay the price for their arrogance.