149: The 14th Great Xia

Huasheng Shield, Government Press Briefing Room.

Blond President Jack stood at the podium. Behind him was a massive projection screen displaying photos of the mecha.

His face beamed with pride, and his neatly combed golden hair shimmered under the bright lights.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

Jack opened his arms with his signature smug smile.

"Today is a great day. A day that will go down in history."

The reporters below snapped photos frantically, their flashes merging into a continuous blaze.

"Many people have been asking: Is the USA still number one in the world? Is our technological strength declining?"

He paused, raising his voice:

"Now, here is the answer!"

He turned and pointed at the photo of the mecha on the screen:

"Look at this! This is the power of the USA! This is our technology!"

Enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

"A 44-meter-tall humanoid mecha that can fly, fight, and carry heavy weaponry. This is a massive Breakthrough in the history of human technology!"

Jack grew more and more excited as he spoke:

"I want to thank our great scientists, our defense enterprises, and everyone who contributed to this project—"

Then his tone shifted:

"And I also want certain countries to see reality clearly. What rise of a great power? What Eastern miracle? In the face of true technology, they're all a joke!"

"We have mechas. What do they have? Cheap labor? Knockoff products?"

The audience burst into roaring laughter.

A reporter stood up: "Mr. President, how much money was invested in this mecha project?"

"That's classified." Jack smiled mysteriously. "But I can tell you, it was worth it. Well worth it."

"When will the mecha be mass-produced?"

"Very soon." Jack gave a thumbs-up. "Our industrial capacity is the strongest. Mass production won't be a problem. When that time comes—"

He made an exaggerated gesture:

"One for every carrier strike group, one for every military base, deployed globally!"

Thunderous applause shook the hall.

Right at that moment—

Jack's personal assistant suddenly rushed in from the side door, his face pale and disturbed.

He walked briskly to the edge of the podium and whispered a few words into Jack's ear.

Jack's smile froze.

"What?"

His voice wasn't loud, but the microphone caught it.

The reporters below keenly sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere.

The assistant whispered a few more frantic words.

Jack's face turned white at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Are you sure?"

The assistant nodded and handed him a tablet.

Jack took the tablet and glanced at it.

Then he froze completely in place.

At the same time, in Yokosuka Port.

On the aircraft carrier deck, soldiers were still excitedly taking photos.

"Quick! Take a few more!"

"Get a better angle!"

"It looks so badass from this angle!"

Inside the cockpit, Zhang Dabiao listened to Su Mingyuan's voice over the comms channel:

"Dabiao, that's about enough. Time to let them see clearly."

"Understood!"

Zhang Dabiao grinned.

The next second—the mecha began to turn around.

Slowly, yet smoothly.

Its massive body rotated 180 degrees.

Turning its back to the soldiers on the deck.

"Hey, what is it doing?"

"Did it turn around?"

The soldiers were a bit confused, but they kept taking photos anyway.

On the back of the mecha, right beneath the twin-linked cannon barrels,

A line of small text was visible in the morning light. The font wasn't large, but it was perfectly clear.

It was printed right beside the seam of the armor plate.

Dark blue lettering on a silver-gray background.

At first, no one noticed it.

Everyone was taking wide shots of the mecha; who would pay attention to such fine details?

But a sharp-eyed soldier happened to be zooming in with his phone camera.

The lens was focused right on the armor plate.

And then—he saw that line of text.

"Made in... Great Xia?"

His voice choked.

He nearly dropped his phone on the ground.

"What's wrong?" asked a comrade beside him.

He didn't speak, just handed his phone over.

The comrade took it and glanced at the screen.

He froze completely.

"Th-This is impossible..."

"What's impossible?"

More and more people gathered around.

Then, one by one, everyone froze in shock.

Made in Great Xia.

Made in Great Xia.

A dead silence fell.

The deck that was cheering moments ago became so quiet that only the sound of the ocean waves could be heard.

Everyone stared blankly at that line of text.

Some rubbed their eyes.

Some pinched themselves.

Some zoomed in on the photo over and over, trying to see if their eyes were playing tricks on them.

But no matter how they looked—that line of text remained there.

Clear as day.

Made in Great Xia.

The captain rushed onto the deck, out of breath.

"What's going on? Why did it suddenly get so quiet—"

He caught sight of the text.

The words choked in his throat.

His face drained of color instantly.

"Th-This..."

The communications officer ran over, his voice trembling:

"Captain! A call from the Pentagon! They're asking if this is our weapon! How should I answer?"

The captain opened his mouth.

Not a single word came out.

He stared at the line of text, his mind going completely blank.

It wasn't the USA's.

It was Great Xia's.

Great Xia's mecha.

It had penetrated all radar defenses.

Landed right on the USA's aircraft carrier.

And they had just been cheering moments ago.

Taking photos.

Bragging on Twitter...

The captain felt a burning sensation on his face.

As if he had been slapped a hundred times.

The White House Press Briefing Room.

Jack stared at the photo on the tablet screen.

That line of small blue text on the back of the mecha.

Made in Great Xia.

His hands were shaking.

His face turned from white to red, and from red to purple.

The reporters below sensed something was wrong.

"Mr. President?"

"What happened?"

"Is there a problem with the mecha?"

Jack suddenly snapped his head up.

His eyes were completely bloodshot.

"Meeting adjourned!"

He roared, turning on his heel and walking off.

The assistant followed behind, wanting to say something, but swallowed his words upon seeing Jack's face.

The reporters exchanged bewildered glances.

What happened?

Everything was fine a moment ago; why did he suddenly end the briefing?

They began frantically checking for news.

Very soon—

On Twitter, someone posted a new photo.

A close-up of the mecha's back.

That line of text was unmistakable.

Made in Great Xia.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

And then—

The entire internet blew up.

"WTF?!"

"Made in Great Xia?!"

"Is this fake? It must be photoshopped!"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

The netizens who had been wildly bragging moments ago all lost their voices.

Those posts shouting "USA mighty" now looked ridiculously absurd.

The comment section instantly turned into a massive face-slapping scene.

"Hahaha I'm dying! Who was saying this was the USA's secret weapon just now?"

"Does your face hurt?"

"The face-slap came fast as a tornado!"

"So... Great Xia's mecha landed on the USA's aircraft carrier, and the USA soldiers were taking photos and celebrating?"

"This isn't just a face-slap; this is a public execution!"

Japan.

Inside the meeting room of the Prime Ministers Official Residence, dead silence reigned.

Xiao Jianbi stared at the line of text on the screen, looking as if his spine had been removed.

Just moments ago, he was boasting about the "technological leadership of the free world."

Now...

He felt like the whole world was laughing at him.

The Minister of Defense's face was also extremely grim:

"Your Excellency Prime Minister... the press conference just now..."

"Shut up!"

Xiao Jianbi barked.

The meeting room grew even quieter.

Stick Country, the Blue House.

The President stared at the computer screen, his fingers gripping the mouse in a vise-like hold.

The tweet he had posted just moments ago—

"USA Oppa's mecha technology once again proves the technological superiority of the free camp..."

The comment section below had completely exploded:

"Oppa? Are you sure you want to call Great Xia 'Oppa'?"

"Change it quick! Call Great Xia 'Daddy'!"

"LMAO, Stick Country sucked up to the wrong person again!"

The President slammed his hand hard onto the desk.

Monkey Country, Maid Country, Kangaroo Country...

All the countries that had jumped out to mock earlier were now dead silent.

As if choked by the throat.

Those posted tweets and mocking words now looked like a clown performance.

The netizens' comments were even harsher:

"Suggesting these countries rename themselves the 'Face-Slapping Alliance'."

"The more gleefully they mocked earlier, the harder their faces hurt now."

"Great Xia: Keep performing, I'm watching."