209: Chapter 209 Thank you for the neighbor's hospitality

The orders from that underground meeting room The Other Side of the Ocean, like a silent mine dropped into deep water, sank wordlessly into the murky undercurrents of international power games.

No manifestos, no declarations.

But on the global geopolitical chessboard, several key pieces had already begun to move in the shadows.

At the southern tip of the Indochina Peninsula, the high-level communication channels of a certain small coastal nation suddenly became busy late that night.

Secret instructions, accompanied by promised interests and weapon support from The Other Side of the Ocean, were rushed to the frontline bases.

Meanwhile, the frenzy on Xia Country's internet regarding the "south heaven gate project" did not fade as night fell; instead, it fermented exponentially under the follow-up reports of various global media outlets.

That few-dozen-second video of the Chengying Mecha was analyzed frame by frame by netizens worldwide, with cumulative views exceeding a terrifying astronomical figure within twenty-four hours.

The collision between the old hegemony and the new miracle was imminent.

...

The next morning.

Xishan Base, private dormitory.

Lin Yuan woke up from a deep, dreamless sleep.

He didn't rush to get up, but instead leaned leisurely against the headboard, his consciousness shifting slightly.

A pale blue virtual panel unfolded silently in the depths of his consciousness.

The progress bar representing the lie confidence for the "south heaven gate project" suddenly jumped into view—

[54.8%]

It's past halfway.

Lin Yuan stared at the number, his lips slowly curling upward.

It only needs one last spark.

He picked up his phone from the bedside table.

A briefing sent through the highest encryption channel lay quietly on the screen.

The content was extremely short, only two lines.

Lin Yuan glanced at it, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

In that smile, there wasn't a hint of surprise, only the absolute certainty of a hunter seeing his prey step into the trap as expected.

“Just in time.”

He murmured softly, then got up to wash.

Fifteen minutes later.

Xishan Base, heavy final assembly workshop.

The moment Lin Yuan stepped through the workshop doors, the oncoming heat wave nearly blew back his collar.

Inside the workshop, hundreds of engineers were in the final assembly sprint around multiple parallel production lines.

The steel cables of the gantry cranes were taut, the joints of robotic arms rotated, and scheduling voices rose and fell over the intercoms.

And at the end of the production lines, units of Chengying Mecha, five to six meters tall, were completing final assembly one after another at a scalp-numbing speed.

They were neatly lined up in a temporary parking area deep in the workshop, with cold white shadowless lights pouring down, outlining the metallic glint on the composite armor of those steel shells.

One unit, ten units, a hundred units...

“Academician Lin!”

Seeing Lin Yuan, Shen Changhe's penetrating voice was the first to boom.

Wearing a hard hat and clutching an intercom, he rushed down from the metal walkway beside the production line, jogging all the way to Lin Yuan.

“Morning, Academician Lin!”

Shen Changhe grinned, a nearly manic excitement in his eyes, with every wrinkle on his rugged face filled with high spirits.

The busy engineers around them heard the commotion and looked up one after another.

Upon seeing Lin Yuan's tall and upright figure, their eyes collectively lit up with an extremely fanatical glow.

Some even subconsciously straightened their backs and worked even harder.

Lin Yuan nodded slightly, acknowledging the collective gaze.

After a few pleasantries, Shen Changhe suddenly rubbed his hands mysteriously, lowered his voice, and grabbed Lin Yuan's sleeve to lead him to one side of the workshop.

“Academician Lin, come with me.”

Beside an independent workstation on the side of the workshop, a heavy black shipping container, two meters square, sat quietly.

The box used the highest grade of explosion-proof wave-absorbing alloy, its surface sprayed with a deep matte coating, and the seams were perfectly flush.

The miniature panel in the center of the box flashed with the red light of a dual biometric lock for fingerprints and irises.

Just sitting there, it exuded a profound sense of technological oppression.

Shen Changhe slapped the box with a loud “thud” and chuckled.

“That set of individual mecha you mentioned in passing—we worked overtime and finished it last night.”

“It's packed right in here!”

Having said that, Shen Changhe rubbed his rough hands together and leaned in expectantly, his eyes burning like a child seeing a peerless toy.

“Academician Lin, do you want to unlock it now, open the box, and try it on for size?”

“And run a performance test while we're at it?”

As soon as he said this, the young researchers and several old experts who were originally maintaining equipment all pricked up their ears.

Although their hands didn't stop, their eyes uncontrollably drifted toward the climate-controlled area.

That was Iron Man, an individual mecha!

Now, it was lying quietly inside this box.

Everyone's breathing grew a bit heavier.

Facing these expectant gazes that were almost overflowing, Lin Yuan just smiled and waved his hand.

“No rush.”

His tone was calm as he lightly tapped the edge of the black box twice, his voice neither high nor low.

“The individual mecha isn't going anywhere; I can wear it anytime.”

With that, he withdrew his gaze from the shipping container, turned to look at Shen Changhe, and changed the subject.

“Chief Engineer Shen, what's the overall installation progress for the Chengying?”

Hearing this, Shen Changhe's expression became serious, and his voice rose.

“Reporting, Academician Lin!”

He pointed toward the brightly lit, full-speed production line behind him, his tone resonant.

“The production line is running at full power twenty-four hours a day. Everything is proceeding smoothly according to plan without any hitches!”

“At the current rate, by tomorrow morning—”

“Eight hundred units of Chengying heavy tactical mecha will have all completed final assembly and rolled off the line!”

Hearing this decisive number, Lin Yuan nodded with great satisfaction.

His gaze moved past Shen Changhe's shoulder, scanning the figures working hard deep in the workshop.

He knew this wasn't just the power of the system, but also a miracle forged by these master craftsmen of a great nation with their very lives.

“Thank you for your hard work, everyone.”

Lin Yuan withdrew his gaze, his tone sincere.

“In these past few days, everyone has given their all.”

“The fact that progress has moved so quickly is thanks to all of you.”

In the crowd, several old experts clenched their fists, their chests heaving with emotion.

Then, looking at the rows of mecha standing like a Great Wall of Steel, Lin Yuan said casually.

“Chief Engineer Shen, heavy military equipment has just rolled off the line. According to our rules, shouldn't we find a site for a field test?”

Shen Changhe was stunned for a moment, then nodded instinctively as if it were a matter of course.

“Of course! If we don't take them out for a spin, how will we know if the parameters can adapt to extreme environments?”

“Academician Lin, do you mean... we go to the desert firing range in the Northwest?”

Lin Yuan chuckled softly and shook his head.

“I just received a briefing.”

“Our neighbors over on the Indochina Peninsula have been jumping around in our Southern Sea Area since last night, making quite a few moves.”

“Since they're being so enthusiastic, coming all this way to help us set up a natural testing ground and even providing live targets for free...”

Lin Yuan tilted his head slightly, and under the bated breath of the hundreds of people present, he casually dropped the final few sentences.

“Then tomorrow, after these eight hundred mecha roll off the line, there's no need to go to any desert. Just take them all directly to the Southern Sea Area.”

“We'll use our good neighbors...”

“To conduct a field exercise.”