Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

General Smith let out a piercing, maniacal laugh, which sounded particularly jarring and insane in the narrow bridge filled with the smell of burning.

He abruptly swung his hand, smashing the extinguished cigar under his foot, his gleaming leather boots grinding the expensive ash over and over.

"Threatening me? He's threatening the dominant power on the ocean?"

Smith turned around and roared at the group of pale-faced, sweating officers behind him, his eyes flashing with an almost morbid excitement.

"Did you hear that? That Eastern boy named Liu Ming is actually demanding we turn around in a tone that sounds like he's reciting a Shakespearean play? Does he think this is a Hollywood blockbuster?"

"General, but... our radar is still black, and the power system is experiencing severe nonlinear fluctuations." A combat staff officer boldly reminded him, his voice trembling like a withered leaf in the wind.

"That was an accident! It was a coincidence caused by some kind of high-frequency electromagnetic storm!"

Smith suddenly leaned close to the staff officer, his ferocious face almost touching the tip of the other's nose, and spat in his face.

"The Chinese are masters of bluffing! They think they possess divine power just because they have a few firecrackers that can fly into the sky? What a joke! Our Aegis system has perfect redundancy, and our armor can withstand the impact of a nuclear explosion! They wouldn't dare fire! Absolutely not!"

In Smith's mind, this was still a game of courage and face, a traditional spectacle called "great power rivalry".

He had roamed this ocean for thirty years. He was used to warnings. He was tired of condemnations.

Every time he aligns the bow of his massive aircraft carrier with the enemy's red line, those seemingly tough opponents eventually retreat quietly under the pretext of "considering the bigger picture."

In his view, this time, there will be no surprises either.

……

At this moment, in the city, in the corridors of high-rise buildings, echoes of hurried and heavy footsteps reverberated.

Those retired leaders, disregarding their status and rules, gathered in front of the giant broadcast screen.

Old Lin stared intently at the screen, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"Not only did he not turn, he accelerated! He's betting we wouldn't dare to actually take him down with us!"

The top leader sat in the front row, his back looking somewhat lonely under the dim lights, but the majesty he exuded, honed through countless battles, was like a mountain, calming everyone's minds.

He made the wrong bet.

The leader's voice was soft, yet it carried a tenacity that could penetrate the soul.

"Because what he is facing is no longer the Kyushu that needs to be patient and buy time."

"He was facing a Liu Ming who had grown fangs and was ready to tear apart the old order."

……

At this moment, at the "Dragon's Lair" command post.

Liu Ming sat there, his profile outlined in the dim light, cold and devoid of any human warmth, amidst rows of red warning codes flashing in the center of the screen.

"Boss, instead of slowing down, they've activated their afterburner!"

The speed at which Ghost Hand's fingers typed on the keyboard was so fast that it was impossible for the naked eye to catch it.

"The Enterprise has reached a speed of 35 knots! They're only three nautical miles away from that red line!"

On the screen, two red dots representing the enemy aircraft carriers, like two mad meteors, with an arrogant spirit of fearlessness, fiercely pierced the phantom symbolizing the sovereignty and dignity of Kyushu.

"They're laughing at us."

Tank stood behind Liu Ming, his muscles, as strong as cast iron, trembling slightly. It wasn't fear, but rather the trembling of extreme repression.

"Boss, give the order! I can't wait to hear those bastards crying and begging for mercy!"

Liu Ming ignored the tank's shouts.

He simply stared at his watch, watching the numbers tick away second by second.

That calmness sent a chill down the spines of the seasoned generals around him.

If Smith's arrogance is an outward-fiery blaze, then Liu Ming's composure is a deep, frigid abyss capable of freezing everything to dust.

……

On the sea, the waves were surging and several meters high.

General Smith walked to the floor-to-ceiling window of the bridge, looking at the faint outline of the coastline in the distance, his eyes filled with greed and arrogance.

"Pass on my orders!"

Smith let out a final, furious roar at the entire carrier strike group.

"Full speed ahead! Cross that line!"

"I'm going to hold a grand luncheon in their territorial waters!"

"I want everyone in Kyushu to know that this sea has never belonged to 'Liu,' nor to 'Kyushu'!"

"Its surname is—Hegemony!"

Following Smith's command, the two massive aircraft carriers, accompanied by dozens of escort ships, cleaved through the deep blue sea under the blood-red setting sun.

White spray crashed wildly against the bow of the ship.

That was a trampling of the rules and a final mockery of peace.

Five nautical miles, three nautical miles, one nautical mile!

……

"drop--"

"Enemy flagship has been detected to have crossed the 'red alert line'."

"The 'Tianji' No. 1 railgun has completed automatic locking."

"The Dongfeng series missile camp is ready and the data loading is successful."

Ghost Hand's voice rang out in the command center, no longer with its usual playful smile, but instead like an emotionless AI voice.

"Boss."

Ghost Hand turned his head and looked at Liu Ming.

"Countdown has reached zero."

At that moment, it was as if someone had pressed the pause button on the entire world.

The barrage of comments that had been flooding social media disappeared, and the representatives from various countries who had been arguing incessantly at the United Nations headquarters held their breath.

The crowd that had been cheering in the square in the capital city subconsciously shut their mouths and stared intently at the huge screens.

Liu Ming slowly raised her head.

In that instant, deep within his pupils, it seemed as if a blood-red hell was slowly opening.

That was the will of "Asura," the ultimate eruption after the Kyushu had been humiliated, suppressed, and blocked countless times over the past century.

Smith thought it was just an expensive fireworks show, and he thought Liu Ming was just playing mind games with him.

Unfortunately, he will never have the chance to know just how steady the hand of the man who pulled the trigger was when the dignity of a nation was challenged to its limit.

Liu Ming looked at the red icon on the screen, which was now superimposed on the red line.

He didn't pick up the silver microphone again, nor did he issue another warning.

Because the dead don't need to listen to reason.

He simply extended his hand, which was covered in tiny scars but harder than a rock.

On that blood-red launch button, there was an utterly calm yet resolute expression.

Press down.

"court death."

Liu Ming's voice was very soft, as soft as a breeze.

But in the next second, it ignited the night over the entire East China Sea.