Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

"Seventh stronghold confirmed cleared. All three underground levels have collapsed. No further heat sources, no civilian casualties. Operation took six minutes."

After the telemetry and control operator finished reporting the data, he released the intercom button. His fingers didn't immediately leave the keyboard; they paused on the microphone for a moment, as if confirming that the signal wouldn't reappear.

He Yuzhu didn't speak immediately. He stood in front of the control console, the infrared heat source marker slowly fading from the screen, like a drop of water seeping into dry soil, the edges blurring first, then disappearing completely. "All seven strongholds, eliminated?"

"All cleared." The controller paused for a moment. "Signal confirmation at the last stronghold was completed three minutes ago. All seven targets have collapsed. No identifiable structures remain. No subsequent activity signals."

He Yuzhu didn't reply. He waited a few seconds, as if waiting for something remaining to surface from the silence. Nothing surfaced. He could hear the hum of the air conditioning system and the faint, high-frequency vibrations of the power lights on the row of equipment behind the control console. "The bio-warriors are done," he said slowly, as if letting the word settle before moving on. "Next step—Japanese Self-Defense Force warships, aircraft, and missile bases. Take them down one by one."

Yang Xiaobing stood before the nautical chart. The map of Japan's mainland defenses before him was densely marked with directional markers, some indicating known base locations, others being speculative points yet to be confirmed. He held a red pen in his hand, but didn't add any new markings; he simply looked down at the already drawn arcs and arrows. "The warships and missile bases are all on land. The Xuan Nu can't completely wipe them out. To thoroughly eliminate them, we must advance from the ground." He paused here, as if waiting for He Yuzhu's reaction, or perhaps confirming that his words hadn't deviated from his original intention. "There are strongholds in Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu, each with its own independent defense system and backup routes. If we don't advance from multiple directions simultaneously, it's easy to leave gaps."

He Yuzhu's gaze never left the nautical chart. "Then let's proceed simultaneously." As he said this, Yang Xiaobing saw his fingers resting on the crease at the edge of the map, as if repeatedly measuring the width of that crease, like something that had been left unused for a long time slowly shifting from one plane to another. Yang Xiaobing didn't ask any further questions. He put away the red pen, turned and left, his steps neither fast nor slow. The sound of the pen cap being tightened echoed in the corridor before being drowned out by his footsteps.

He Nianhua spoke after Yang Xiaobing left. "Ground advances require time and preparation. The navy and air force must coordinate to ensure that we don't become passive due to the loss of air superiority during the advance." His voice was lower than usual, as if he were carefully stating his thoughts. "We can first control the surrounding waters, then advance inland from the coastline, gradually shrinking the enemy's defensive perimeter. This will reduce the intensity of direct conflict and allow for more flexibility in subsequent cleanup operations."

He Yuzhu didn't answer. He walked to the window, where the light and his own silhouette were reflected. His silhouette was darker than usual in the glass, its edges blurred by the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors. He stood there, motionless. He wondered how long he had waited, from the first bomb falling until now, from the first word "fight" until now, how many nights had passed. He couldn't find that clear finish line—it had disappeared at some moment he could no longer remember, perhaps at the instant the last stronghold was confirmed cleared, or perhaps even earlier. He didn't look for it. He didn't turn around either.

He Yuzhu didn't immediately open the folder. He looked at the document on the edge of the control panel, then picked it up, opened to the first page, and began reading the map that had already been folded twice. Yang Xiaobing didn't leave; he stood in the doorway, watching He Yuzhu's profile. After reading for a while, he put the map down. "First, verify these locations again. Confirm the defensive forces, the surrounding terrain, and possible support routes. Once confirmed, set a time. The simultaneous advance plan remains unchanged, but we need to clarify whether the advance speed in each direction is consistent. If one direction is slow, the others will be held back."

Yang Xiaobing walked back to the control panel and picked up the map. "Submit the verification results within two days," He Yuzhu said. Yang Xiaobing had already folded the map and put it back in the folder. He didn't say "okay" or nod. He walked out, the lights in the corridor going out one by one after he passed, the last echo ending at the stairwell, cut off by a closed door. He Yuzhu stood in front of the control panel; the door was already closed. He looked down at the empty desktop, the outline of the door still lingering in his peripheral vision, like a slowly fading stroke of ink. He Nianhua switched the screen to the nautical chart interface, marked three arrow lines in the directions of Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu, then saved the markings without closing the window. The arrow lines on the nautical chart were extending in a constant direction, like a slowly unfolding topographical line.