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

If you shift your perspective from that small courtyard house in the city to an altitude of ten thousand meters, you will see a magnificent panorama that would make all emperors and generals throughout history tremble and go mad.

That was a truly awakened Eastern dragon.

Across the vast land of Kyushu, a silver high-speed rail network, like dense blood vessels, spreads and intertwines among mountains and rivers at an almost frenzied pace. Maglev trains, traveling at speeds exceeding 600 kilometers per hour, are like streaks of lightning flying close to the ground, tightly connecting the heart of this vast empire with every remote nerve ending.

"Dear passengers, this train has arrived at its final destination, 'Motuo.' Thanks to the adoption of the latest anti-gravity shock absorption system, the train has arrived 15 minutes ahead of schedule. We wish you a pleasant journey."

When this announcement rang out in the carriage, several Western tourists who were visiting for the first time looked out the window at the Himalayas, which had once been known as a "no-man's-land" and were so shocked that they dropped their cameras.

In their country, building a subway line that is only a few kilometers long can take ten years due to disputes over environmental protection and budget. But here, the high-speed rail that traverses the roof of the world was completed in less than three years.

……

The gaze is directed eastward.

Along the vast coastline of the eastern coast, the traditional heavy industrial plants that spewed black smoke are no longer visible. In their place are countless fully automated "super factories" with futuristic designs, invested and built by the Nangong Group.

"Mr. Liu, this is the province's industrial output report for last month."

The newly appointed director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission stood before a massive holographic sand table, his voice brimming with undisguised pride, "Thanks to the full grid integration of the 'Pangu' nuclear fusion energy source, our industrial electricity costs are now negligible. Coupled with the large-scale application of AI and robots, the monthly production capacity of Jiangnan Province is now equivalent to the total annual output of the entire Europe!"

"and."

He paused, his eyes gleaming. "They're all high-end manufacturing. Those precision instruments, lithography machines, and large aircraft engines that once held us back—not only have they achieved 100% domestic substitution, but they're also being exported overseas in large quantities. Even the West's top laboratories are lining up to buy our core equipment!"

Liu Ming's "overtaking on a different track" strategy has unleashed devastating power.

When the Western tycoons who were trying to trap China with patent barriers finally realized what was happening, they were horrified to find that their proud technological systems were like sandcastles on the beach, instantly washed away and submerged before this terrifying Eastern torrent could even make a ripple.

……

"Boom—!!!"

Our gaze then shifts to the northwest.

That once barren desert, with its endless yellow sand and not a blade of grass, is now enveloped in a tremendous roar.

But that wasn't the sound of a storm; it was the roar of hope.

Dozens of super-large seawater desalination towers, each hundreds of meters high, operate day and night, powered by nuclear fusion energy. A continuous stream of clear, fresh water nourishes this land that has been parched for millions of years through an underground irrigation system that acts like capillaries.

"They've sprouted! Old Li, look! They've sprouted!"

A dark-skinned man from Northwest China knelt on the ground, holding a handful of damp soil. Looking at the scattered green shoots, he burst into tears like a child.

Behind him stretched an endless expanse of fertile farmland protected by windbreak and sand-fixing forests. Further away, modern "eco-cities" rose from the ground, their glass curtain walls gleaming coldly in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Without internal strife and corruption, when a superpower with 1.4 billion people unites all its forces and unleashes the transformative power to change the world, turning a desert into an oasis can happen in just a few years.

……

But what is most awe-inspiring about this land is not these cold engineering marvels.

Rather...people.

In the evening, in the squares and parks of major cities, the elderly leisurely play chess and dance, while children play and run in a safe and carefree environment.

After get off work, young people no longer worry about losing hair because of their meager salaries. They eat barbecue skewers on clean and tidy streets and enjoy the fun brought by technology in holographic virtual reality experience halls.

"Boss, two skewers of lamb, extra cumin, please!"

"Okay! Scan the QR code or use facial recognition?"

"Face recognition!"

"Beep—Payment successful, buddy. Did you hear? Tomorrow, the second phase of our country's 'Moon Palace' lunar base project is officially starting. They say they're sending 500 engineers up there!"

"Absolutely! My cousin works at NASA, and he says his future goal is Mars! It seems our generation might really be able to travel to outer space!"

The faces of ordinary people radiated an unprecedented confidence and composure, a confidence born from freedom from want and a sense of security from fear.

In this peaceful and prosperous era, no one dares to ride roughshod over the common people like Wang Dawei and Luo Binwang, because they know that deep within the red walls of the city, there is a pair of eyes watching the world at all times.

Anyone who dares to extend their claws will be mercilessly struck down by that incomparably sharp "Emperor's Sword".

……

In the city, at the National Astronomical Observatories Control Center.

Liu Ming stood with his hands behind his back in front of the ultra-high-definition screen that occupied an entire wall.

On the screen, the deep and vast universe is slowly rotating. And on that gray-white planet 380,000 kilometers away from Earth, a few faint but determined artificial lights are flickering in the darkness.

That was the first permanent lunar base established by the Dragon Kingdom, and also the first step of human civilization into deep space.

"Reporting to the Chief Consultant!"

A space commander, carrying a star on his shoulder, strode up behind Liu Ming, gave her a standard military salute, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"The 'Mysterious Bird III' heavy-duty space carrier has completed its final full-load test! All nuclear fusion engines are operating stably! The space folding defense system has completed its self-check!" "It is ready to perform near-Earth orbit cruise and deep space exploration missions at any time!"

"Please give instructions!"

Liu Ming did not turn around. His gaze pierced through the atmosphere, as if he could see the super warship, thousands of meters long, like a steel behemoth, quietly lurking in the space dock.

That was a true "national treasure" that he painstakingly created for this nation, using the full resources of the country.

With it, those so-called aircraft carrier groups of the West are as laughable as primitive rafts in front of China. With it, the endless resources of this vast universe will open their doors to the land of China.

"very good."

Liu Ming's voice was soft, yet carried an indescribable weight, echoing in the hall filled with cutting-edge technology.

He turned around and looked at the scientists and generals whose hair had turned white from working on this project, and at the burning fervor in their eyes as they witnessed history.

He slowly raised his right hand and returned an extremely solemn military salute.

"Tell the comrades."

"Well done."

"From today onward, our journey will no longer be confined to this small Earth."

A light, more dazzling and wilder than the stars, burst forth in Liu Ming's eyes.

"This vast universe of stars."

"It's time to engrave the name of our Kyushu on it too."

……

That night, countless Chinese people gazed at the starry sky. They may not know how much the man behind the scenes had sacrificed. But they could all feel that this land beneath their feet was rising and taking off at a dazzling pace.

This is an era without humiliation, hunger, or fear; an era that dares to declare war on the stars.

This is a great era belonging to the Dragon Kingdom.