I started by watching videos, and I chose 10,000 combat power.

Upon hearing Elder Long's order, the general immediately stood up at attention, saluted, and then turned and quickly left the conference room.

Old Long's gaze finally landed on a middle-aged man wearing glasses in the corner; he was a leader from the Ministry of Science and Technology.

"Xiao Wu, you should immediately organize all relevant experts to study this suit of armor overnight. The primary task is to figure out its technical principles, and at the same time, you must keep it confidential."

The middle-aged man pushed up his glasses, nodded solemnly, quickly jotted down a few notes in his notebook, then closed the notebook, got up, and left the meeting room.

Finally, Elder Long stood up and straightened his clothes. Everyone in the conference room followed suit.

He looked at Luo Fei, his eyes filled with a complex and indescribable emotion. But he didn't say anything more, just smiled and nodded before turning and leaving.

The people in the meeting room gradually began to leave.

As Li Zhengxun left, he patted Luo Fei's shoulder forcefully, making a loud "bang" sound.

He said nothing, but the weighty force he conveyed spoke louder than a thousand words.

Before leaving, Director Qin shook hands with Luo Fei, said "Keep in touch," and then departed as well.

The conference room suddenly became empty.

Luo Fei stood alone by the long table, his gaze falling on the scattered documents, the unfinished tea, and the crooked pen.

He stood there for a moment, then with a thought, he teleported into the spaceship.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The announcement from the Dragon Kingdom was released at 10:00 AM.

On the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' official website, the text is in black on a white background, and the wording is concise.

The title consisted of only two words: "Announcement".

The main text is less than two hundred words long, and the last paragraph reads: "From the time this announcement is issued, the Dragon Kingdom shall exercise all rights over Dongdu Island and its affiliated islands. Any form of resistance or external interference shall be considered a serious infringement upon the Dragon Kingdom, and the Dragon Kingdom shall take all necessary measures to resolutely counter it."

Within a minute of the announcement being released, social media in China was abuzz.

Nine out of the top ten trending topics are related to this incident.

"Back tomorrow!"

"The Dragon Kingdom exercises all rights!"

Full text of the announcement!

"I've been waiting for so long, today has finally arrived!"

"go home!"

Each trending topic is followed by the word "Explosive".

In the comments section, messages refresh at a rapid pace, almost like a waterfall, making it difficult to keep up.

"The day has finally come!"

"I've been waiting since I was born, for over thirty years."

"When I saw this, tears immediately streamed down my face."

"The Dragon Kingdom is mighty and powerful!"

"Baby, let's go home quickly."

"This is what the Dragon Kingdom should be like."

Someone posted a picture of a flag, saying, "I'm going to hang it on my balcony tomorrow."

Someone shared an old black and white photo showing an elderly man standing on the beach, gazing into the distance from behind, with the caption, "Grandpa, can you see this?"

Some people didn't say anything, only sent a string of crying emojis.

However, there are also some more sober voices.

Some are analyzing the wording of the announcement; others are discussing the international community's reaction, believing that the US and Japan are unlikely to let the matter rest; still others are worried about potential conflict and say that comprehensive preparations should be made.

But no matter what people said, their tone couldn't hide their barely suppressed excitement—this day was truly coming, and they would witness history.

As for Dongdu Island, it already appeared extremely flustered after the Dragon Kingdom issued its announcement.

A series of directives were issued from higher authorities.

On the streets, sirens wailed, and announcements were repeatedly broadcast, urging people to remain calm and not panic.

However, those at the top were the ones who were truly panicked.

Inside an office building, the telephones in the corridor rang incessantly, unanswered and unhooked, just ringing on and on.

The meeting room was filled with smoke. Several people sat around a long table, with ashtrays piled high with cigarette butts in front of them.

Some people were looking down at documents, some were looking up at the ceiling, and some were standing by the window, gazing at the gray sky outside, without saying a word.

A middle-aged man in military uniform pushed open the door and entered, his face grave and his voice somewhat hoarse: "Report, we have made all the preparations, but..."

Silence fell over the meeting room.

The person standing by the window turned around, their face hidden in shadow, making their expression impossible to see, but their voice was very soft: "They're really coming."

No one responded.

Most people are actually well aware that the outcome is already decided, and it's not something they can change by making preparations.

On the other hand, the Japanese reaction was much more intense than expected.

Less than an hour after the announcement from the Dragon Kingdom, Japan held a press conference.

The spokesperson stood behind the podium, his expression solemn, and announced word by word to dozens of cameras: "Japan strongly protests against China's unilateral change to the status quo on Dongdu Island. If they dare to use force first, we will definitely intervene militarily."

The press conference was immediately thrown into an uproar.

A reporter raised their hand and asked, "Your Excellency, what specific actions would your 'military intervention' include? Could you elaborate?"

The spokesperson did not answer the reporter's question, but waved his sleeve and turned to leave the venue with a serious expression.

The manuscript paper on the podium was scattered on the ground by his sleeve, but no one went forward to pick it up and tidy it up.

News of the press conference quickly reached China, sparking another round of heated discussions on social media.

"The Japanese are making a fool of themselves again!"

"Military intervention? Is this a double celebration?"

"If they really dare to come this time, let them taste what true 'life and death' means."

The United States' response was slightly slower, but also more complex.

Inside a war room on the ground floor of the white house, the lights were on.

The long table was filled with people, some in military uniforms, some in suits, and some in just shirts, each with a different expression.

Some people frowned and stared intently at the documents in front of them, some leaned back in their chairs and closed their eyes in deep thought, while others were talking in hushed tones to the people next to them.

The meeting was chaired by National Security Advisor James Miller, who had a long, thin face and deep-set eyes, and looked several years older than at the last meeting.

He tapped on the table, and everyone fell silent.

"Gentlemen, you have all seen the announcement from the Dragon Kingdom. Now the question is—how should we respond?"

Someone spoke first; it was the Chief of Naval Operations, and his voice seemed to be squeezed out from his chest.

"The Seventh Fleet's aircraft carriers are patrolling the Western Pacific. We can order them to patrol nearby waters to demonstrate our presence and resolve. At the same time, our air force can also scramble to engage their aircraft. These are routine operations, and we've done them many times before."

Some people in the meeting room nodded in agreement.

But another person spoke up, his voice low, but his tone was icy. He was Robert from the CIA.

"Don't forget, that person is currently in China. If the aircraft carrier group sails over there and accidentally angers that person, there's a high chance it will be silenced in that sea and won't be able to return."

As soon as Robert finished speaking, the conference room fell silent.

Some people lowered their heads to think, some twirled their pens, and some picked up their cold coffee cups and took a sip.

The Chief of Naval Operations' expression changed, and his lips moved as if he wanted to refute him, but he couldn't find the right words.

The silence was quickly broken by a young man sitting in the corner.

He was in his early thirties, wearing a dark suit and silver-rimmed glasses, looking like a recent graduate.

"Gentlemen, I have a somewhat immature idea."

The person chairing the meeting nodded, signaling him to continue.

The young man stood up, walked to the projection screen, and drew a line on the screen with his finger.

"The core of China's operation this time may not be the military, but that person. All their military deployments are likely centered around that person. If our aircraft carrier group intervenes directly, we will most likely be facing that person—the outcome is self-evident."

He paused for a moment and pointed to the location marked "Japanese Chicken" on the map.

"But what if we don't intervene directly? What if we send the Japanese fleet to intervene?"

The Chief of Naval Operations frowned: "With Japan's meager military strength, what can they possibly achieve? They're barely enough to fill someone else's teeth, are they?"

The young man smiled slightly, a faint smile that revealed a hint of calculation.

"Japan is indeed no match for China and that person. But Japan has the few mushroom bombs we provided, which we have already secretly transported there. They just need to be deployed on a few of Japan's warships. In addition, they are hostile to China, which is enough to make them lose their minds and launch a preemptive strike."

He paused briefly.

"We can send Japanese warships there carrying nuclear bombs. We can then deliberately spread the word that the person in question will inevitably intervene. At that point, we can remotely detonate the bombs. Whether or not we manage to kill him, we can shift the blame entirely to Japan, claiming that they manufactured and used nuclear weapons without authorization, and that we were completely unaware of it and had no consent or involvement whatsoever."

The conference room fell silent.

Some people stared in disbelief, some stared intently at the young man, and some dropped their pens, but no one bent down to pick them up.

James Miller remained silent for a long time.

Then he spoke, his voice low and soft.

"What if even a mushroom bomb can't completely destroy him?"

The young man pushed up his glasses.

"That means we have no way to deal with him anymore. At that point, we can only accept the reality that the Dragon Kingdom is no longer an opponent we can contain."