The Chairman was swamped with work, but upon hearing it was me seeking an audience, he pushed aside everything on his desk to meet me.

"Little Zhao, I should have paid you a New Year's visit yesterday, but you know our country ran into some trouble; I simply couldn't get away," he said.

What I really wanted to know now was how the nation planned to handle the matter of the Bird Country's warship, so I asked, "Mr. Chairman, what is the country planning to do?"

The Chairman lit a cigarette for himself. After taking a couple of puffs, he told me, "Protest the military exercises with demonstrations."

I didn't hide my true thoughts. "Mr. Chairman, are you perhaps overthinking this? Anti-Bird Country sentiment is soaring across the nation. Action like this will deeply wound our national pride."

The Chairman quickly finished that cigarette and immediately lit another, silently taking a few drags before speaking, "Under pressure, the Bird Country people have offered financial compensation for the deceased on one hand, but on the other, they are aggressively claiming that our oil and gas wells ABC severely infringe upon their interests. They demand we withdraw from the extraction zone and hand over all geological data, or else pay them several hundred million US dollars annually based on extraction volume. And just today, Star Country suddenly reaffirmed the 'Star-Bird Defense Pact.' They clearly had this premeditated. We cannot afford to act rashly based on emotion."

"What about the Type 096 submarines? Deploy a few to the East Sea and see who dares to defy us."

"We only had two originally, and one has been out of commission awaiting repairs. The one you just provided us needs another year and a half to finish installing the nuclear reactor. Our East Sea Fleet currently lacks the strength to confront them."

I was completely floored. The gap was too vast. If I had known it would be this complicated, I should have handled the nuclear reactor installation myself too. I opened my mouth but couldn't utter a single word. Silence descended.

Seeing me sitting there speechless, the Chairman said, "You don't seek out the Third Treasure Hall without a reason. Speak."

I had my own plans: secure the people I needed, then leave, and deal with those damned ones regardless of what they said. "Your Excellency granted me a nominal high command title; you must provide me with some personnel. I can't manage the command roles for the Army, Navy, or Air Force. At least give me a few cadres so I can manage things for a while."

The Chairman looked pleasantly surprised. "Oh, so soon? I thought it would take a few more years before you asked me for personnel."

Indeed, judging by their pace of installing a nuclear reactor, I might be dead before I could organize a true Tri-Service force.

"Our country lacks nothing in terms of talent. Tell me how many you need, and I'll give them to you. But let me be clear upfront: your unit currently has no official authorization, and everything you do is entirely unrelated to the government of our Great Dragon Country."

I truly couldn't help but offer a sincere compliment to the Chairman: "Experience truly counts; you've had me calculated for a long time. Fine, I actually don't want to drag the country into this. Hurry up and give me the people; I'll go beat up those bastards later."

The Chairman couldn't hide his delight either. "Come back tomorrow morning. I need some time to prepare."

As soon as I said I was leaving, I left to find Zhang Xiaoya back home.

Chairman Li picked up the phone on his desk with a slight tremor. "Notify Zhang Dahai, Operations Staff Officer of the Navy's East Sea Fleet; Liu Hu, of the Army Special Operations Section; and Shen Jian, Chief of Staff of the Air Force J-10 Flight Brigade, to report secretly to the Military Commission tomorrow."

To curb the influence of the Tan family, Chairman Li had long identified a core group of outstanding commanding talents, but he dared not expose their identities because the timing wasn't right—it would only draw the Tan family's premature attention. Now that someone dared to shoulder this heavy burden, the excitement bubbling inside him was immense.

Not long after hanging up, the phone rang again. The caller reported to Chairman Li that Shen Jian's father had been hit by a car, and Shen Jian had taken leave to handle the situation back home.

"Little Wu, you've worked under me for so many years, why are you still so hesitant? Which is more important, state affairs or personal matters?"

"Mr. Chairman, this matter is a bit tricky. The person who hit Shen Jian's father is a county magistrate, and more importantly, he is a distant relative of the Tan family. I didn't dare handle it without consulting you first."

"What's 'tricky' about it! Handle it exactly as you should! Even if Old Tan himself commits an offense, we will not show leniency. Immediately dispatch a special investigation team to look into this matter. Regardless of what, I must see Shen Jian safely in the capital tomorrow."

"Mr. Chairman, you've changed. You aren't as hesitant as you used to be."

"You little rascal, go get things done now."

I didn't return to the base that night. When I got home, my mother didn't ask many questions, just saying that if I had something important to do, I shouldn't worry about what my father said; just go if I needed to. Heh, I really don't know what medicine Fang Yanmeng and Xiao Chuchu gave my mother to make her so understanding.

Zhang Xiaoya was still home on leave. That night, we were intimately entwined in her room until midnight. Although she still wouldn't allow me to touch her completely, just holding each other and sharing sweet words was a blessing in itself.

In the morning, I dared not delay. Bringing Taozi along, I headed straight to the Chairman's office to find him.

"Zhao Qian!"

"Zhang Dahai? Liu Hu? Why are you two here?" Standing before me were two of the Four Tigers—I had already eliminated the third, and the remaining one always seemed to dislike me. These two certainly had their own designs on me.

Zhang Dahai and Liu Hu retorted, "We should be asking you that. How did you get here? This is the Chairman's private area; ordinary people can't get in."

I chuckled. "That just means I'm not an ordinary person, doesn't it?" Carrying a cat on my shoulder certainly wasn't ordinary.

Their faces were full of doubt. They found me a bit strange at the alumni gathering, but they never associated me with the Chairman of the National Military Commission. "We are here under orders to see the Chairman. What about you?"

I replied to them, "Me too. Let's go in together."

They didn't have time to ask more questions because I had already pulled open the door to the Chairman's office. They entered and snapped to attention, saluting smartly. I naturally followed behind, also saluting.

"Comrade Chairman, Zhang Dahai, Operations Staff Officer of the East Sea Fleet, and Liu Hu of the Army Academy Special Operations Section, report as ordered!"

I opened my mouth, realizing I had no title to report. I could only salute and be done with it.

"Sit down, sit down. Where is Shen Jian? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

As soon as the Chairman finished speaking, the office door was knocked upon again. Another young officer strode in, full of vigor, saluting to report.

"Shen Jian, Chief of Staff of the Air Force J-10 Flight Brigade, reports to the Chairman as ordered!"

The Chairman displayed a rare smile and quickly told everyone to sit down. "It's good that you are all here. I have been tracking your files for a long time. All three of you are rare military talents for our Great Dragon Country, the future backbone of our national military command."

The three of them blushed slightly at the praise. "Mr. Chairman, you flatter us. In truth, we all have many shortcomings."

The Chairman smiled. "As the saying goes, no one is perfect. From now on, you will follow Little Zhao and learn a great deal..."

"What! Which Little Zhao?" The three exclaimed in surprise, especially Zhang Dahai and Liu Hu. They were my alumni. If the Chairman was correct, could it be this very Zhao Qian standing here?

The Chairman turned to me. "Little Zhao, these three are the men you requested. With these three, you won't have to worry about the remaining personnel selection."

I walked over and shook hands with the trio. "Gentlemen, we are comrades now. The Chairman trusts you, and I have infinite trust in you too. We will conquer the world side-by-side from now on!"

Why did I always bring Taozi? Because it could vet people for me! After being screened by this elder, the political ideology of these three was absolutely qualified. Taozi told me to let them lead without reservation; even if something unexpected happened, the Beastmen Army and the mechanized soldiers were still under our control, and we could march in to crush anything then. Of course, I hoped such a thing wouldn't happen; what Taozi mentioned was just in case, and people vetted by it shouldn't cause trouble.

Although the three shook my hand, they still didn't understand. They turned back to the Chairman and asked, "Mr. Chairman, we still don't understand what you mean."

The Chairman stated solemnly, "Starting today, the three of you officially withdraw from the People's Liberation Army sequence and transfer to the Tri-Service Legion. From now on, you will only obey the command of Comrade Zhao Qian. I hope everyone can continue to uphold the hardworking spirit you displayed in your original units and assist Comrade Zhao Qian in forging the Tri-Service Army into the world's number one fighting force!"

I didn't have as many eloquent words as the Chairman, so I got straight to the point. "The three of you come from the Sea, Land, and Air services, respectively. After joining the Tri-Service Army, you will serve as the Commanders of the Army, Navy, and Air divisions. You might all have different opinions or questions. Don't voice them yet. I will take you to see the situation first. If you don't like joining the Tri-Service Army, I won't force you."

With that, I bid farewell to the Chairman and took the three back to the base. Unexpectedly, on the spaceship, Shen Jian directly saluted me and accepted his orders. Firstly, he didn't know I was just a tofu seller; secondly, this soldier, who was passionate about the air force, was utterly mesmerized by the small stealth spaceship. No explanation was needed; capability was the best proof.

With someone taking the lead, coupled with the nearly completed Mercury-class nuclear attack submarine waiting in the dock, Zhang Dahai solemnly swore into office. As for Liu Hu, he had no reason not to believe the future of the Army would be glorious. Thus, my headquarters for the three services was quickly established.

The first order of the establishment ceremony was playing the national anthem, the second was my speech, and the third was adjournment: everyone was to return to their original units and select personnel. No rejects, no ideologically corrupt individuals, and no underperformers.

Considering future Air Force and Army base needs, that very day I dispatched Engineer Ants to excavate the Great Tunnel in the Kunlun Mountain Range, hiding this surprise force deep within the vast mountains. This way, they would have a training ground for daily drills and large transport aircraft for missions. Furthermore, the Kunlun Mountains are not far from the T Desert, allowing for mutual support if needed.

In the following days, engineering progress was swift, mainly thanks to the new drilling machines. Once activated, they advanced rapidly like plowing farmland. Giant ore trucks carried the drilled debris one after another to the automatic ore separation machines. The waste material, after crushing and screening, was minimal, with most of it used as backfill to seal the excavated mining tunnels.

The use of the drilling machines freed up hundreds of thousands of Engineer Ants. Escorted by the Hope, these Engineer Ants headed deep beneath the vast ocean floor, where they would create another massive base nearly three kilometers under the Ryukyu Trench.

On the twelfth day of the Lunar New Year, the world was suddenly stunned by explosive news: an offshore company was announced in a Caribbean nation, named Omni-Com Group. Overnight, this company mysteriously launched 12 satellites, each with different functions. According to their announcement, they planned to launch another 24 satellites over the next month. These were primarily communication satellites but also included meteorological, Earth monitoring and remote sensing, and astronomical observation satellites.

The appearance of this company caused immense shock in the White House of Star Country. This covert and rapid satellite launch technology shattered the space monopoly held by Star Country and Bear Country. The Secretary of Defense of Star Country rashly declared that the company's satellites had encroached upon Star Country's national defense security, and if necessary, Star Country would launch a devastating strike against the company.

Following this blatant threat from Star Country, the 12 Omni-Com satellites suddenly deviated from their original orbits that very day, entering the orbital paths used by Star Country's military satellites, narrowly avoiding collisions several times. The next day, however, those 12 satellites automatically returned to their original flight paths.

The White House broke into a cold sweat and could only issue another statement: Space is the common property of humanity, the promised paradise of all Earthlings. Humanity should not bring war into this pure sky. Star Country is willing to engage in scientific research cooperation with all nations and individuals for the peaceful and mutually beneficial development of space.

Regarding these two contradictory statements, everyone on Earth understood that Omni-Com was an incredibly formidable company; it made Star Country afraid. Consequently, various investigations and speculations surfaced. Because the Caribbean nation maintained strict confidentiality regarding the offshore company's registrants, and because the company only maintained one liaison office in the capital of Dragon Country—where the few staff members, aside from handling daily reception and business processing, knew absolutely nothing about the company's operations, transmitting daily work summaries to the main server via computer and receiving all company directives the same way—Omni-Com instantly became the most mysterious and powerful company on Earth.

In contrast, the establishment of Terra Energy was extremely low-key, so much so that few people even knew the company existed until they used the new network mobile phones issued by Omni-Com. These devices astonishingly required no charging or battery replacement for an entire year! When people turned their attention to Terra Energy, they discovered that in just a few months, they had sprung up everywhere, refining oil, opening mines, and manufacturing high-energy batteries across the globe.

However, even more low-key than Terra Energy was Red Dragon Security. Red Dragon was so discreet that in half a year, they only took on a few cases: helping people find lost children, helping wives investigate husbands keeping mistresses, providing children rides to and from school, and manning the gates and greeting guests for a few small companies...

These were details for later. Back to the main story: on the night of the Lantern Festival in the Lunar Calendar, a fleet composed of five massive nuclear attack submarines from Dragon Country quietly entered Bird Country's defense perimeter...

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