“Everyone, I understand your concerns, but the mechs are not yet as perfect as imagined. Testing them here could easily endanger everyone’s safety. Let’s wait for the specific test reports from the TW scientists! But there’s one thing I want all the journalists to remember: there are no longer any infantry in the world today who can harm it. Alright, that’s all for today’s press conference. There will be a cocktail party in the restaurant at the back in a moment. If you have time, I sincerely invite you all to attend.” Edward said as he walked toward the backstage. Rumor had it that only journalists from M country attended the cocktail party that evening.

“Alright, M country’s show is over. Now it’s our turn to perform.” David Clark turned off the TV and picked up the phone. “Secretary Brooks, immediately notify all military units to halt plans for advancing on the surrounding areas. We’ll rest in place for seven days. Except for normal patrols, other soldiers can be specially granted three days of local leave. Also, tell the people at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a statement explaining the reason for Z country’s troops resting in place.”

“Commander, what reason should we give?” Secretary Brooks was left dizzy by David Clark.

“Fool! Just say, ‘Z country, fearing that the four imperfect mechs M country leased to TW might cause accidental injuries to soldiers during testing, has suspended all military activities. We are waiting for TW to complete the mech tests before resuming the campaign to reclaim the territory.’ Anyway, say it in whatever way makes M country lose face the most.” David Clark hung up the phone. Leaning back in his chair, he sighed, “So tired. Why has a good fight turned into a competition of new weapons? Now we just have to wait for the arrival of the Special Task Force 7 from Central. I hope Z country’s twenty years of effort haven’t been in vain.”

At that moment, an image of someone suddenly flashed through David Clark’s mind. Excited, he stood up from his chair again, muttering to himself, “Could he be a member of the special task force? My god, if that’s true, M country, your plans are going to be much harder to pull off than you think!”

Meanwhile, at the wide airport of the Jinmen military base, a military transport plane was waiting to head to GX City.

“Final confirmation of orders: you will go to GX City in TW, and there you must fully obey Commander David Clark’s orders. This is your first mission after graduation. Do not fail!” In the darkness, a burly man was roaring at the four people in front of him.

“Sir, if he orders us to make pointless sacrifices, can we act according to the special task force regulations?” a female voice asked.

The officer thought for a moment and said, “Yes, you may refuse to carry out the order and even kill him. Now pick up your gear and board the plane.”

“Yes, sir!” the four replied in unison. Three of them picked up black bags weighing at least 100 kilograms from the ground and ran quickly toward the airport.

“NO13, do you have any other questions?” the officer asked the one person still standing in front of him.

“Sir, should the launch authority for the SEED special round be transferred to Commander David Clark?”

“No! When Central decided to appoint you as the sniper for Special Task Force 7, the launch authority for SEED was officially transferred to you. Whether to launch, and when to launch, is entirely up to you…” The officer’s face was expressionless, but after speaking, cold sweat soaked through the back of his uniform.

“NO13 understands!” The speaker was a boy of only seventeen or eighteen. He quickly picked up the black backpack beside him and ran toward the airport, soon catching up with his teammates ahead.

The officer watched his back and muttered to himself, “TW’s army probably has no idea what kind of people they’re about to face, right? Let’s just hope there’s no repeat of the ‘graduation exam’ incident! I believe you can make M country realize that we are just as strong…”

Chapter Two: Meeting Again

February 11, 2011, early morning

Today was not a good day. A rare thick fog had settled over GX, and the temperature had suddenly dropped by ten degrees. But David Clark still dragged Secretary Brooks out early, driving (a new bulletproof Hongqi sedan) to a desolate area on the outskirts of GX City. This was the edge of a forest, with a large grassy field and a cliff facing the ocean directly ahead.

“Commander Clark, who exactly are we waiting for?” Secretary Brooks sneezed from the cold.

“We’re waiting for reinforcements sent by Central,” David Clark replied casually.

“You must be joking, Commander Clark.” Secretary Brooks chuckled. “Those ragtag TW troops aren’t even worthy of us calling for reinforcements. If you hadn’t suddenly ordered the whole army on leave, half of TW would probably be ours by now…”

“Stop bragging. I gave you a break and you’re still not happy? You think I don’t want to take TW as soon as possible? The real issue now isn’t when we can take TW, but whether we can take it at all.”

“The commander is worried about those mechs from M country, right? Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. No matter how powerful it is, enough ants can bite an elephant to death.” Secretary Brooks said dismissively.

A trace of annoyance appeared at the corner of David Clark’s eyes. “That’s completely the wrong way to think. Back then, R country also thought the atomic bomb wasn’t a big deal, but M country quieted them down with just two. When unknown variables appear on the battlefield, caution comes first. I don’t want to lose a battle I could have won just because of my own arrogance.”