Chapter Fourteen: The Shaken Base

It was an iron door that looked utterly ordinary, narrow and low as if embedded in a towering wall. Yet beyond it lay an expansive tunnel, the ground paved smooth with cement, its ceiling and walls cast in thick, impenetrable concrete. Along the walls, lamp after lamp shone with dazzling brightness, stretching like an endless white dragon.

What stunned Lei Dong most was that this fully enclosed tunnel, nearly ten kilometers long, descended underground at a gentle incline. Its width, over twenty meters, could accommodate two heavy main battle tanks side by side; its height, almost twenty meters, allowed missile launch vehicles loaded with medium-range missiles to pass through without hindrance.

At the tunnel’s end stood a colossal door, reaching from ceiling to floor, twenty meters high. Forged from an unknown alloy, it gleamed with a deep, dark brilliance. At its center, a red dragon was painted—just a few swift strokes, yet the soaring body, the roaring head, the tension of its stance seemed almost to burst forth from the surface.

Above the dragon’s head, blood-red characters in wild, cursive script proclaimed: "When the Divine Dragon is enraged, the world trembles!"

Majestic. Defiant. Dominant. The ancient republic’s totem, the dragon, was rendered with stunning intensity by a simple painting and those fierce letters.

Gazing at the dragon that seemed poised to burst through the wall, and at the characters that almost came alive, Lei Dong suddenly sensed a faint flow of energy moving between them. At that moment, the small nascent soul forming within his golden core opened its eyes, emitting two beams of dark golden light. A warm current rose from his chest, rolling and surging, connecting with the energy outside. Suddenly, Lei Dong felt the world filled with a vast, boundless, intangible yet almost tangible aura, stirring his blood and meridians uncontrollably.

Under this agitation, every muscle in Lei Dong's body began to tremble at speeds far beyond human perception. In an instant, he felt his strength growing at a pace he could clearly sense, his spiritual awareness expanding and expanding, connecting with the vastness of the cosmos.

What was there? The scattered stars, the shining rivers of light, the dense nebulae—all seemed to slowly awaken in Lei Dong's mind, swirling steadily and relentlessly. A golden dragon suddenly broke through the void, its mighty form obscuring countless stars, its sharp claws making celestial bodies seem like toys in a child’s hand. As its powerful body swept through the infinite expanse, soaring among stars and nebulas, the entire universe seemed to dim in its presence.

Suddenly, the dragon appeared provoked. It threw back its head and let out a silent but universe-shaking roar. Instantly, the void trembled, and the myriad stars seemed to shudder in fear.

This was the spirit of the dragon! This was the power of the dragon! This was the soul of the dragon!

Immersed in this strange vision, Lei Dong felt a vast stream of energy burst from his golden core, a mysterious force rising from every pore, ready to flood the world.

Just as this power was about to erupt, a powerful resistance emerged from his chest, blocking the surge from his golden core. The force within him, like a flood meeting a sturdy dam, retreated, causing his body to tremble violently, and his spiritual connection to the cosmos was forcibly severed. His vital energy shook, his blood surged, his chest ached faintly.

"The Celestial Seal—damn it, I still can't break through!" Ever since discovering his unique constitution, Lei Dong had tried countless ways with his old master to overcome this bone-deep shackle, hoping to fully unleash his cultivation talent and become a true cultivator. Each time, they could only shake their heads in disappointment.

Just now, when his energy connected with the vast cosmic force, Lei Dong consciously tried to use his true energy to break through with external help. But the stubborn, powerful Celestial Seal forcibly cut off the connection.

"Even such immense power can't shatter this shackle. What on earth is this thing?" After calming his turbulent energy, Lei Dong was filled with both frustration and anger.

"Are you alright?" As Lei Dong emerged from his dejection, Wu Yun’s voice sounded nearby.

Lei Dong shook his head, forcing a strained smile, but said nothing. Because his energy had locked all his senses, he hadn't noticed that at the moment his energy surged, Wu Yun had felt something, his body trembling involuntarily as he stared at Lei Dong for over ten seconds, his eyes wide with shock.

Wu Yun glanced at Lei Dong with a complicated expression, then pressed a button on the massive alloy door. With a faint electrical hum, the two-meter-thick, twenty-meter-tall door slid open, revealing a gap about two meters wide.

"What am I seeing?" Following Wu Yun through the opening, Lei Dong could hardly believe his eyes.

A vast military base—an enormous underground military base!

From one glance, the base stretched at least ten kilometers in both length and width. In the center lay a tactical training ground nearly a kilometer across, with uneven terrain—mountains, dense forests, trenches everywhere, strict security.

Around the lawns were wide roads leading to massive, closed buildings. Along the roads, every kind of weapon imaginable was displayed, from early national models to the latest: howitzers, mortars, self-propelled guns, anti-tank guns, 40mm, 60mm...

59 tanks, 63 amphibious tanks, 85 tanks, 99 tanks, the latest 08 main battle tanks...

Fighter jets—7, 8, 10, 20 models, bombers—5, 6, 8 strategic bombers, sword and stealth drones...

Even experimental, not yet deployed, ten-times-supersonic B-3 hypersonic aircraft!

Beyond that, there were almost every type of conventional weapon from countries around the world.

It was practically a museum of weapons!

Stunned, Lei Dong stared as Wu Yun smiled mysteriously. "Impressive, isn't it?"

"Impressive!" Lei Dong replied, lost in awe.

"Majestic, right?"

"Majestic!"

"Shocking?"

"Utterly shocking!"

"That’s right!" Wu Yun’s tone shifted, "Except for missions and field training, most of your life will be spent here. Here, you'll systematically learn all kinds of combat skills, familiarize yourself with every piece of equipment—" Wu Yun swept his arm across his chest, as if embracing the entire base, "All of this will be the most important part of your life. Learn it, master it, use it to defend our country, to destroy every enemy, until you can no longer lift your weapon!"

Wu Yun's voice grew louder, more resonant, a righteous energy rising from him. His face shed its usual cheerfulness for solemnity and indomitable spirit—Lei Dong stood straight, feeling the surge of righteous energy fill the air, his blood boiling.

But then Lei Dong was shaken again: in the direction Wu Yun pointed, behind a modest two-story hall at the end of the plaza, a dozen deep caves appeared. Dim lights shone from within, but even without them, Lei Dong could see clearly: in each cave rested a heavy S-5320 tractor, engines humming quietly, ready.

What shocked Lei Dong more was that each trailer’s split doors were open, and each carried a missile over sixteen meters long and nearly three meters in diameter, standing upright and pointing skyward!

Intercontinental missiles! Legendary, never officially confirmed, solid-fuel, triple-stage rockets with a range over 18,000 kilometers, able to strike anywhere in the world, carrying fifteen warheads of 500 kilotons each, using MIRV reentry for unstoppable attacks, with a fifty-meter accuracy, mobile and ready to launch in one minute—the Red Wave-51 intercontinental missile!

According to the world's top military power, the Minia Federation, the Republic only needed twenty-five reloadable Red Wave-51 launchers to cover all Federation towns over fifty thousand people. In a nuclear war, they could deliver a comprehensive, saturating nuclear strike!

In some sense, the Red Wave-51 was the Republic’s ace in the nuclear arsenal, its ultimate national deterrent—no major power would dare act recklessly against such strategic force.

Yet here, ten of them stood, all on combat duty?

"What—what is that?" Lei Dong could no longer contain his awe, his trembling voice echoing across the plaza, his heart pounding.

Wu Yun looked at Lei Dong in surprise. Those vehicles were ten kilometers away—how could this young man notice? But thinking of what was there, Wu Yun’s expression grew solemn. He took a deep breath and said, "That is our last line of defense."

The Reconnaissance Academy was founded in the late 1960s, when relations between the Republic and the Suss Federation were at their most tense.

At that time, friction between the two nations was constant—over five thousand border incidents in just five years, mostly provoked by the Suss Federation. After a fierce battle near Pearl Island, with heavy casualties and even two commanding officers killed, the Suss Federation massed a million troops along the border, fully motorized, heavily armed with artillery, tanks, aircraft, and its leaders threatened surgical nuclear strikes against the Republic.

The Republic had only recently tested its atomic bombs and missiles. Nuclear-armed short and medium-range missiles had just been test-fired; long-range and intercontinental missiles were still in development. The army’s artillery, armored units, air force numbers and quality were severely inferior.

Once war broke out, Republic forces would face dire battles, and the suffering people would be plunged into total war, enduring immense pain and devastation.

As the conflict neared, the founding leader denounced Suss actions internationally, maneuvered among other great powers to secure support, urgently ordered all forces to prepare, and evacuated central leaders to safeguard command continuity.

Hidden beneath these public moves were several unusual actions: The Reconnaissance Academy selected the nation’s elite scouts for hellish training—not to defend Hanjing or protect leaders, but to prepare, should war become inevitable, to strike deep into Suss territory, sabotage, assassinate key officials, military commanders, vital facilities, and civilian targets with pinpoint attacks!

The nation’s few nuclear missiles were deployed at strategic border points; warheads without launchers were concentrated at the Academy, guarded round-the-clock. If all hope was lost, these most loyal, brave, fearless, and powerful warriors would carry them into enemy territory and detonate them in major cities.

Though the Republic’s nuclear arsenal was small, even a single detonation in the enemy’s homeland would plunge them into a nuclear winter of terror.

Thanks to deft diplomacy and support from powerful allies like the Minia Federation, the risk was averted, but the Academy’s mission and training methods became a tradition.

But nations have no eternal friends or enemies, only eternal interests. As global circumstances changed, former allies like the Minia Federation shifted to become the Republic’s strongest rival. Under relentless pressure from the world’s top power, the Republic’s security situation remained precarious for decades.

Thus, the Reconnaissance Academy’s legacy was passed down, day by day, for over fifty years. As the Republic grew in strength, its equipment and training advanced rapidly, backed by central leadership.

The most loyal and elite warriors were prioritized for selection; the most advanced and refined weapons for equipping; the most cutting-edge strike capabilities for storage; the most innovative technologies for testing...

Though small in scale, the Reconnaissance Academy had become the Republic’s most elite strategic strike force. When war called, their actions would be a desperate, all-or-nothing, earth-shaking blow.

"We are descendants of the dragon, reborn through centuries of hardship. The history where foreign powers could conquer a nation with a few cannons at our gates is gone forever! The people of the Republic, once they stand, shall never submit, never compromise, never be conquered!"

Wu Yun stood proud, an invisible aura of iron resolve rising skyward.

Beside him, Lei Dong listened to Wu Yun’s chest-deep roar, standing solemn and steadfast, his face as hard as iron, his heart swelling with boundless pride, dignity, and battle spirit—his emotions surging, impossible to calm!