Chapter 1

Seven-thirty in the evening, near the Zhanan Industrial Zone of Dragon City.

At the junction of the Dragon River and the inner sea, an old man in worn-out cotton clothes stood on the weed-covered bank, laboriously hauling a fishing net from the water.

The old man was probably in his sixties, his skin rough and dark, a local fisherman. He had secretly cast this net into the water in the early hours of the morning.

Not far from him, a little boy, also wrapped in a cotton coat, around seven or eight years old, was squatting on the ground, tirelessly skipping stones across the water.

The night wind was cold, carrying the dampness of the Dragon River, cutting at their faces like a knife. The old man gasped for breath, pulling the fishing net with swift, decisive movements, gradually drawing it ashore.

"It's coming up!"

The little boy threw his stone and ran over, his little behind wiggling.

By the light of the flashlight, they saw only a dozen small fish flopping weakly in the net.

The old man couldn't help but sigh, his face showing disappointment. He glanced around warily, making sure no water police were patrolling, before quickly dumping the fish into a prepared fish trap.

The little boy counted the fish and couldn't help but complain, "Why are there so few fish?"

Hearing his grandson's words, the old man pointed to the fleet on the sea in the distance and said softly, "Those big ships with cannons are dumping sewage here, so the fish don't come."

The little boy leaned against his grandfather's leg and said, "Grandpa, let's not come next time! Those marine police uncles will catch us!"

The old man stroked his grandson's head. "If we're too afraid of getting caught, your grandpa and you will starve to death. Let's go home..."

With that, the old man dragged the fishing net towards the tricycle parked beside them.

"Wooo-ooo-"

Just then, a deafening alarm sounded in their ears!

The sound instantly reverberated across the water, echoing throughout Dragon City!

The old man stood there in astonishment, instinctively looking towards the sea in the distance. Lights flashed on the sea, and sixty or seventy bombers, with their navigation lights on, flew towards them just above the water!

"Boom boom!"

Almost in the blink of an eye, the fighter jets swept over their heads, with a roar that shook the air, flying towards the industrial area behind them.

"Shoo-shoo-shoo!"

"Boom boom boom!"

A hail of shells fell from the sky, and the entire Zhanan Industrial Zone was engulfed in flames!

The earth trembled, and explosions rang out one after another!

Immediately afterward, Zhanan's power system failed!

"Shua shua shua!"

One area after another went dark, until only the raging fire remained, illuminating the city with a crimson glow!

The old man suddenly woke up, pointed at the little boy, and shouted, "Quick! Hide under the bridge over there!"

The little boy burst into tears and staggered to the bridge, where he lay trembling on the ground.

The old man turned his head and saw his tricycle, which helped him with his work, only two or three meters away.

He gritted his teeth, took a step and ran over, got on, and twisted the throttle.

The little boy lay on the ground, crying incessantly, "Grandpa, come here, Grandpa!"

"Soon, soon! I'll be right there!"

The tricycle finally started. Sweat poured from the old man's forehead as he revved the engine and drove towards the bridge.

"Shoo-shoo!"

In the sky, more shells fell.

"Boom boom!"

A section of the bridge collapsed, and billowing dust rose into the sky, with rubble falling everywhere.

The little boy's hiding place didn't collapse, and he narrowly escaped disaster. He trembled as he raised his head, only to find that he was surrounded by a sea of fire, and his grandfather was gone...

At 7:45 p.m., District One officially declared war on Dragon City!

The heavy industrial area along the coast of Dragon City Port, as well as the power system, were completely destroyed in the first wave of attacks! Dragon City's air defense system, facing District One's fully modernized long-range strike fleet, was as fragile as paper, offering little effective resistance and quickly riddled with holes.

The warships successfully completed their mission, and the entire Dragon City military readiness system was instantly paralyzed.

...

Meanwhile, at the Dragon City forward command base.

Tan Hengqiang stood with his hands behind his back in front of the large screen, watching the heavy industrial base engulfed in flames, with no surprise in his eyes. As the commander-in-chief, he was all too aware of Dragon City's military defense capabilities and knew that he could not stop this district-level war strike.

Dragon City's limited land area and its reliance on seaport trade as an economic lifeline created a natural disadvantage in the area of self-sufficient military capabilities.

"Avoiding war!! This is what some people have always wanted—avoiding war!"

Beside him, An Zecheng pointed to the heavy industrial area burning fiercely on the screen, turned to the thirty or so generals beside him, and said forcefully, "Some people have been saying that this war doesn't need to be fought because we have already integrated with District One! Look for yourselves, is this the integration you're talking about? If you don't listen, the planes and cannons come! Did anyone leave us any room for maneuver?!"

Everyone in the room was pale and silent.

At this moment, Tan Hengqiang waved his hand and shouted, "District One's armored forces will advance soon! Notify all units to pay attention, and counterattack with all their might according to the previously designated areas!"

"Yes!"

All the officers saluted and quickly got busy.

The defense of Dragon City soon began, and the sound of gunfire was deafening everywhere!

...

Ten o'clock in the evening, in the Xinlai area.

Mo De'amon sat at his desk in the war room, drinking coffee and waiting for news.

Around him, his officers were busy.

Just then, the chief of staff walked in and said in Mo De'amon's ear, "General, the forward battlefield reports have been collected. Now it's basically certain that after District One's round of sea, land, and air strikes, Dragon City's internal military supply system has been paralyzed. The power has been destroyed, the water source has been contaminated, and the heavy industrial area has been completely scrapped. Two hours ago, a dozen or so garrison locations of the Dragon City garrison engaged in fierce battles with the enemy. As of now, although they have temporarily defended, judging from the intensity of District One's attack, the Dragon City outer defense line will not last long, collapsing in at most a day!"

Mo De'amon felt a pang in his heart when he heard this.

The chief of staff then added, "If we make a move now, we will win District One's great favor."

But Mo De'amon waved his hand. "A smart hunter is never too hasty. We must make corresponding judgments based on the situation on the ground. Don't worry, wait a little longer."

"Yes..."

As the two were talking, the officer in charge of reconnaissance on Lao Mo's forward battlefield suddenly turned and shouted, "General, look, the rebels have launched a general offensive!"

Hearing this, Mo De'amon immediately got up and walked over.

On the projected large screen, the rebels' hundreds of thousands of troops had begun to move. Under the firepower of six regimental artillery units, they launched a frenzied attack on the area around Huarei Town with overwhelming force!

The large screen looked like a war movie. After the artillery units had covered the area for more than ten minutes, District One's air force took action, coordinating with the rebels to advance towards Huarei Town, determined to devour the 300,000-strong army in one gulp!

Watching these scenes, Mo De'amon's eyes kept changing, as if he was considering something.

...

Lao Mo's official army forward command base.

Wang Dingyuan stood in the command post and said to Zhao Weihu in front of him, "Notify Santos! Have all his troops hold the area near Huarei Town and put on a show!"

Zhao Weihu replied, "I've already communicated with him."

Wang Dingyuan said urgently, "Now the turning point of the entire battle is in Huarei Town! Call Santos again and tell him not to hesitate, don't overthink it! I need his troops to lure them out!! Get all the fish out from under the water!"

...

Hua District, South Shanghai City.

In the conference room of the Foreign Affairs Hotel, Jiang Zhou and a group of people were fiercely discussing the front-line battles.

Su Tianyu pushed his wheelchair to the window, picked up his phone, and dialed Bai Hongbo's number: "Hello, the people I want...!"