Recaps

Worker Ant Defense presented its War Robots and soldier equipment at the defense exhibition, drawing international attention and skepticism over the robots’ claimed combat strength and price. Syria’s defense minister Franji arrived to examine the products and ended the chapter asking about the War Robots’ capabilities.

• Visitors and procurement teams crowded Worker Ant Defense’s booth to inspect its two War Robot models, and Lin Ziyun said each robot matched a well-trained special forces squad in combat strength and cost 80 million Hua Xia currency.
• Victor and other onlookers questioned the robots’ performance claims and price, while Lin Ziyun refused to reveal classified details or hold a public demonstration.
• Syria’s defense minister Franji arrived to explore weapons purchases for his country and met Zhu He, Worker Ant Defense’s general manager.
• Zhu He introduced the company’s bone-conduction headset, smart night-vision device, and smart aiming system, which Franji tested and asked about buying.
• Zhu He described a portable automatic firing system before leading Franji to the War Robots, where he asked about their capabilities.

At the defense exhibition, Zhu He introduced Worker Ant Defense’s War Robot to Syrian official Franji and UAE defense minister Rashid, claiming one robot could match a special forces squad. Rashid agreed to see a live test, and Zhu He explained the robot’s modes, defenses, and smart ammunition before the demonstration began.

• Zhu He told Franji the War Robot could rival a well-trained special forces squad and quoted a price of eighty million Hua Xia currency per unit.
• Franji left without discussing a purchase after finding the price steep.
• Rashid arrived, questioned Zhu He’s claims, and agreed to inspect the robot at the testing ground.
• Zhu He and her team brought a real War Robot to the range, where Rashid examined it and asked for a test.
• Zhu He explained the robot’s three modes, bullet-evading radar, and guided ammunition, then proposed a live-fire test.

Zhu He demonstrated the War Robot and Soldier Ant Equipment to Rashid, who was impressed by their battlefield capabilities and placed a large order. The purchase was limited by export quotas, leaving Rashid to seek approval from Huaxia’s authorities for more units.

• Zhu He demonstrated the War Robot’s Smart Bullets and controllable Smart Bombs, impressing Rashid with their accuracy and destructive power.
• Zhu He explained the robot’s armor and evasion abilities, then let Rashid test the Orion rifle and its Smart Aiming System.
• Rashid fired at the War Robot from six hundred meters, and the robot dodged all three shots.
• Zhu He described the War Robot’s combat and guardian capabilities and quoted a price of eighty million Hua Xia currency per unit.
• Rashid ordered three hundred War Robots, but Zhu He explained that export rules capped each customer’s purchase at fifty unless Huaxia’s authorities approved more.

After the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and Syria ordered War Robots following tests, officials in the United States and Israel worried about the robots’ capabilities and their impact on regional security. The chapter ended with Lieberman asking the Americans to obtain intelligence on the War Robots after Worker Ant Defense refused Israel a test.

• Franji arranged tests of Worker Ant Defense and Soldier Ant Equipment products before deciding whether Syria should buy them.
• Zhu He approved War Robot tests for Pakistan and Syria as more delegations sought to purchase the robots.
• Shanahan learned that the United Arab Emirates had ordered fifty War Robots and that Pakistan and Syria had also placed orders after testing them.
• Shanahan asked the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia to help the United States observe the War Robots’ capabilities.
• Lieberman learned that Worker Ant Defense had refused Israel a test and asked the Americans to obtain intelligence on the War Robots.

Chen Mo explained that Ant Army Group entered the military sector to protect itself amid rising global tensions, while Worker Ant Defense and Soldier Ant Equipment secured 16 billion in orders at the Abu Dhabi exhibition. Syria’s President Bashar planned to use the incoming weapons to defeat domestic armed groups and seek further support.

• Chen Mo told Zhao Min that military manufacturing gave the company a legitimate way to build War Robots and prepare for a more dangerous world.
• Zhong Lei and Zhu He reported 14.3 billion in Worker Ant Defense orders and 1.5 billion in Soldier Ant Equipment orders, including War Robots bought by the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and Syria.
• Rumors that Syria had bought War Robots and other advanced weapons spread as the Abu Dhabi International Defence Exhibition ended with 16 billion in combined orders.
• Franji told Bashar that Worker Ant Defense would deliver Syria’s equipment within a month and urged him to visit abroad and secure more robots.
• Bashar agreed to arrange a visit to major powers and planned to use the weapons to eliminate domestic armed groups.

Idlib’s armed groups, strengthened by Western support, launched a night attack on Halab, reigniting the Syrian war and drawing in outside powers. After Syria suffered casualties from the assault and subsequent airstrikes, Franji ordered a Russian-backed counterattack aimed at Idlib.

• Sim and Abdu Hiseit named their newly consolidated force the Wings of Freedom and chose Halab as their target.
• Chen Mo and Xiao Yu discussed opening a kindergarten for Wushuang, and Chen Mo agreed to the plan.
• Mo Nv told Chen Mo that the Idlib forces had attacked Halab, and he turned his attention back to researching the Spaceplane.
• The United States sent an aircraft carrier toward the Mediterranean, while Israel and Turkey intervened in Syria and fighting intensified.
• Franji received a report of sixteen dead and nineteen wounded and ordered Russia to provide air support for a counterattack on Idlib.

Suheil al-Hassan led the Tiger Forces and their newly integrated War Robots into Halab to destroy the rebels who had infiltrated the city. As the Devil Squad entered the battle for Salah al-Din, the War Robots began their first combat deployment.

• Suheil al-Hassan assessed the rebel offensive across Halab and chose to eliminate the rebels inside the city before addressing attacks outside it.
• Hassan arrived in Halab with his guards and the Silver Skull Battalion, then learned that Salah al-Din had fallen and fighting continued in Haydariya.
• Hassan ordered Akta to deploy the Devil Squad and commanded the forces to retake Salah al-Din without taking prisoners.
• Akta split the Devil Squad into two groups, activated the War Robots' war mode, and led them into the combat zone.
• The War Robots leaped into the street and aimed their guns at the opposing block as soldiers and war correspondents watched in shock.

Ten War Robots led by Devil Squad wiped out rebel forces in Halab, demonstrating their overwhelming battlefield capabilities. The battle alarmed US officials and prompted foreign governments to seek the robots, while Chinese authorities directed Worker Ant Defense to refuse export requests.

• Ten War Robots killed exposed rebel heavy-weapon crews and advanced through the battlefield, eliminating the rebels in Halab within ten minutes.
• Yang Zhen filmed the robots' return and marveled that they had killed 230 rebels while forcing more than 200 to surrender.
• Sim and Hissett reported the robots' performance, and Pentagon officials discussed their speed, rocket-dodging ability, and the lack of a way to counter them.
• The Syrian military publicly confirmed the robots' role in the victory, and news of the battle shook the world.
• Zhu He told Chen Mo that eight countries had requested War Robot purchases, and Chen Mo agreed to refuse them as directed by the higher-ups.

After the War Robots helped Syria retake Anadan and other territory, Hissett and Sim struggled to find a way to stop the Tiger Forces as their forces suffered heavy losses. Bashar announced that the army would liberate Idlib, and government troops advanced toward Bab al-Hawa, leaving Hissett convinced that their position was collapsing.

• Hissett and Sim discussed their defeats, the difficulty of capturing a War Robot, and the failure of negotiations for a ceasefire or direct foreign support.
• An intelligence chief reported that War Robots had attacked Atimay Town and that the military was requesting support.
• Hissett learned that the loss of Atimay Town had left Bab al-Hawa as their only remaining connection to the Turkish border.
• Bashar addressed Syria, urged armed groups in Idlib to surrender, and warned unauthorized foreign forces to leave the country.
• A chief reported that government forces were advancing toward Bab al-Hawa, and Hissett slumped into his chair, believing it was over.

After Hassan’s forces captured Idlib and drove Turkish troops from Syrian territory, the United States failed to secure international sanctions or a ban on War Robots. At CIA headquarters, Mellon’s Washington’s Hand planned to dismantle the Ant Army Group by targeting Chen Mo and exploiting tensions among his closest associates.

• Hassan’s Tiger Forces captured Idlib City, killed Hissett, and forced the Opposition Armed Forces to surrender or flee, ending the Syrian civil war in a government victory.
• Hassan’s forces attacked Turkish troops in Syria and drove them back to the border, then prepared to reclaim the Golan Heights as Israel halted its attacks and went on high alert.
• The United Nations rejected Turkey’s request for sanctions against Syria, while the Eastern great power vetoed the Western bloc’s proposed ban on War Robots.
• At a secret CIA meeting, Mellon argued that Chen Mo and the Ant Army Group’s united management were its greatest strengths and proposed undermining both.
• Mellon proposed using online trolls to damage Chen Mo’s reputation and fabricating rumors about Chen Mo and Zhao Min to divide Zhao Min from He Xiaoyu and destabilize the Ant Army Group.

Mellon approved a plan to use fabricated photographs and audio to damage the relationship between He Xiaoyu and Zhao Min, discredit Chen Mo, and divide Ant Army Group. Meanwhile, Chen Mo showed Zhao Min the nearly completed Flying Ant Aerospace Center, where robots were preparing to build his Ion Engine-powered Spaceplane.

• Vent gave Mellon convincing photographs and synthesized audio clips depicting people who resembled Chen Mo and Zhao Min.
• Mellon approved the plan to exploit the fabricated evidence and weaken Ant Army Group from within.
• Chen Mo and Zhao Min toured the nearly finished Flying Ant Aerospace Center as robots organized its hangar and equipment.
• Zhao Min wondered about the consequences of automation, and Chen Mo said he would introduce the technology gradually.
• Chen Mo explained that he would reveal advanced technologies over time, including the Spaceplane powered by Ion Engines.

Chen Mo and Zhao Min discovered convincing fake photos implying they were having an affair, and Chen ordered an investigation and legal action. The images spread widely despite an initial apology from Gou Wei, and Ant Army Group issued a statement denying them and warning rumor-spreaders.

• On the way back from the Flying Ant Aerospace Center, Chen Mo told Zhao Min he planned to pursue lunar exploration, a Lunar Base, and Mars after the Spaceplane was built.
• Mo Nv showed Chen Mo and Zhao Min fabricated shopping and bed photos posted by paparazzo Gou Wei, leaving Zhao Min furious and humiliated.
• Chen Mo told Mo Nv to have Li Huai report the matter to the police, remove the images, gather evidence, and find whoever was behind the smear campaign.
• Gou Wei claimed his account had been hacked and disabled comments, but the photos spread through online groups and rose on the trending charts.
• Ant Army Group's public relations team issued a statement denying the photos, confirming a police report, and warning people against spreading rumors.

Chen Mo and Xiao Yu recognized that the scandal rumors were meant to sow discord within their family and company, and Xiao Yu urged him not to give the plotters what they wanted. Meanwhile, the CIA’s Hand of Washington escalated its campaign against Ant Army Group, and Gou Wei was reported drowned in Thailand.

• Xiao Yu told Chen Mo she knew the scandal photos were fake and suspected someone was trying to turn her against Zhao Min and destabilize Ant Army Group.
• Xiao Yu assured Chen Mo that he should continue working with Zhao Min and said she would handle any concerns from their family.
• Chen Mo and Xiao Yu set aside their worries and played with Xiao Wushuang and Mo Nv as rumors about divorce and conflict spread online.
• At CIA headquarters, Mellon learned the agents had no reliable information about the effects of their rumor campaign and ordered them to increase the pressure.
• Three days later, reports said Gou Wei had drowned while swimming in Thailand.

After Gou Wei’s death was ruled an accidental drowning, Zhao Min prepared lawsuits against online rumor-spreaders while Chen Mo investigated who had orchestrated the scandal. Mo Nv identified the CIA as responsible, and Chen Mo decided to retaliate against the official he believed led the operation.

• Police announced that Gou Wei had died in an accidental drowning, but accusations against Chen Mo and the Ant Army Group continued to spread.
• Zhao Min rejected a public-relations response and ordered the legal team to prepare lawsuits against nearly a thousand people who had spread rumors and defamed the company.
• Chen Mo stayed at the aerospace center and had Mo Nv monitor people who might have been involved in the photos scandal.
• Mo Nv reported that the CIA had guided public opinion and contacted headquarters around Gou Wei’s death, identifying Mellon as the likely official in charge.
• Chen Mo ordered Mo Nv to watch Mellon in Langley and decided to send the CIA a retaliatory “big gift.”

The CIA and Pentagon suffered a devastating cyberattack that destroyed their networked computers and disrupted Langley’s power, while Linna faced blame from the President. The attack was only a small part of Chen Mo’s revenge, which had not yet ended.

• Dennis discovered that an intruder had breached the CIA’s Intelligent Firewall and blacked out his computer.
• Mellon and his agents discussed exploiting Ant Army Group’s internal tensions and using a recording to turn the Huaxia authorities against it.
• A female agent reported that hackers had destroyed the computers at CIA headquarters, and Linna learned that the Pentagon had suffered the same attack.
• Langley’s power system was hacked, and Linna ordered her staff to find the culprit while concealing the damage from the public.
• The President berated Linna over the repeated breaches, while Chen Mo’s revenge continued beyond the attack.

After failing to identify the hacker who attacked the CIA and Pentagon, CIA leaders blamed Huaxia publicly and planned to frame the Ant Army Group to gain support for a response against it. Chen Mo learned Mellon would travel to Washington and began preparing to act against him.

• Dennis suggested that the Ant Army Group's Fire Ant Laboratory might have breached the CIA's Intelligent Firewall, though he knew of no motive for an attack.
• Linna ordered Dennis and Morrison to report that Huaxia hackers were responsible, then told Mellon to accompany her to Washington with a plan to deal with the Ant Army Group.
• Linna told Mellon that evidence did not matter and that they would pin the cyberattacks on the Ant Army Group to win support for dealing with it.
• Mo Nv told Chen Mo that Mellon was going to Washington the day after tomorrow, and Chen Mo asked her to confirm his route if he traveled by plane.

As rumors accusing Chen Mo of murder and treason spread, he and Zhao Min prepared for the public storm to end while Chen Mo secretly readied a mission. He left Xiao Yu at home and flew with Mo Nv toward Washington, where his target, Mellon, was due to arrive.

• Online recordings accused Chen Mo of hiring Gou Wei's murder and selling advanced technology overseas, while the police and official media stayed silent.
• Zhao Min told Chen Mo that the rumors were still escalating and that she had fired employees who stirred up dissent; Chen Mo said the storm would end soon and hinted at a spectacle that night.
• Chen Mo showed Zhao Min satellite designs and said Ant Army Group would deploy them after the Spaceplane's test flight.
• Chen Mo reassured the worried Xiao Yu, put on his combat suit, and departed with Mo Nv from the villa's underground laboratory.
• Chen Mo and Mo Nv activated stealth mode, crossed out of Huaxia airspace, and flew at Mach 5 toward Washington.

Linna and Mellon traveled to Washington to report on efforts against Ant Army Group, while Chen Mo raced across the United States in his stealth armored suit to intercept them. He reached the skies south of Washington and checked their location.

• Linna told Mellon to exaggerate the threat posed by Ant Army Group to gain White House support, and Mellon said their plans and report were ready.
• Chen Mo chose to fly at Mach 5 despite the sonic booms, reasoning that subsonic flight would make him miss Linna and the others.
• The sonic booms over Los Angeles and cities along Chen Mo's route alarmed residents and military officials, but air-defense radar detected no unidentified aircraft.
• John Youngho ordered an investigation and contacted the Pentagon as fighters failed to catch up with the unknown object.
• Chen Mo reached the skies south of Washington and asked Mo Nv to locate Linna and the others.

Chen Mo hijacked Linna and Mellon's private jet to seize the plan against him, then killed Mellon and Linna. He left the plane under Mo Nv's control, with the surviving passengers still aboard.

• Mellon woke from a nightmare about Chen Mo and discussed the plan against him with Linna aboard their flight to Washington.
• Chen Mo intercepted the plane, cut open a window, sent mechanical spiders to open the cabin door, and ordered Mo Nv to steer it toward the Atlantic Ocean.
• Chen Mo entered the cabin, killed several security personnel, and took Mellon's briefcase despite the passengers' attempts to negotiate.
• Chen Mo found the plan against him in the briefcase, recognized that Mellon had guessed his identity, and killed him.
• Chen Mo crushed Linna's hidden recording devices and killed her after she threatened him and pleaded for her life.

After hijacking a CIA aircraft and killing its occupants, Chen Mo destroyed the plane’s black boxes and staged a mountain crash before returning to Bin Hai City. The crash exposed the deaths of CIA Director Linna and other senior officials, prompting worldwide speculation while Chen Mo slept beside Xiao Yu, who still knew nothing about his actions.

• At Richmond Tower, Oscar Munoz learned that Flight A4864 had vanished from radar, and the tower reported the aircraft missing.
• After Mo Nv informed him that the US Air Force had scrambled fighter jets, Chen Mo abandoned his plan to sink the plane in the Atlantic and ordered it crashed into a mountain.
• Chen Mo destroyed the black boxes, took Linna’s assistant and the co-pilot’s bodies to frame two missing people, and flew away as the plane exploded against a mountain ridge.
• Chen Mo returned to his villa in Bin Hai City, where Mo Nv told him that Xiao Yu had threatened to make him kneel on the keyboard for hiding things from her.
• Oscar learned that the crashed aircraft belonged to the CIA and that its passengers included Director Linna and senior officials, leaving him expecting investigators to target his company.
• News outlets reported that twenty-three people had died and two were missing, and the deaths of Linna and other CIA officials triggered worldwide speculation.

Chen Mo told Xiao Yu that he had killed the CIA officials behind the attacks on their family, and she supported him despite her fear. At the company, he showed Zhao Min the plot against them and planned to expose it while keeping his involvement secret.

• Xiao Yu saw news that a plane carrying senior CIA officials had crashed and realized Chen Mo had gone out to do something dangerous.
• Chen Mo admitted to Xiao Yu that he had killed the people responsible for the attacks, and she reassured him that she would support him.
• Zhao Min confronted Chen Mo at the company, and he confirmed that he had caused the crash and obtained the CIA's complete plan against them.
• Chen Mo explained that he had created signs of defection to direct suspicion toward two missing people and intended to expose the plan to clear Zhao Min's name.
• Zhao Min warned Chen Mo to keep his involvement secret, then said she would prepare to settle the score over the online smears.

Wiki Website published a genuine CIA document revealing that “Washington's Hand” had orchestrated the smear campaign against Ant Army Group. With public opinion turning in their favor, Zhao Min prepared lawsuits against those involved and ended the chapter reviewing a long list of targets.

• Hrafnsson verified an anonymous document and ordered Wiki Website to publish it.
• Wiki Website revealed that “Washington's Hand” had spread rumors about Chen Mo, Zhao Min, and He Xiaoyu and planned to take control of Ant Army Group.
• The American government demanded the document's removal and announced an investigation, while the revelations triggered worldwide uproar.
• Huaxia media reported on the document, and online attacks against Chen Mo disappeared as people learned the truth.
• Li Huai told Zhao Min that the company was ready to sue hundreds of internet users, media figures, companies, troll farms, and platforms.
• Zhao Min took the lawsuit files and said the targets were “plump enough.”

Zhao Min announced that the Ant Army Group would pursue legal action against those who spread rumors and attacked the company, its leadership, and their families. The company prepared lawsuits against more than a thousand defendants and refused to settle, drawing national attention to the case.

• Zhao Min held a press conference with Li Huai and said the truth about the rumors concerning her had already come out.
• Zhao Min announced that the Ant Army Group had collected evidence and would sue people who defamed and personally attacked them, while reporting rumor-mongering to the police.
• Zhao Min revealed that the initial lawsuits named 857 internet users, 83 self-media personalities, 9 media companies, 4 paid-comment companies, and 3 platforms.
• Zhao Min said the real number of defendants was much higher, that the company had hired 52 law firms and 156 lawyers, and that it would not accept settlements.
• The press conference spread widely, and the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate voiced close attention to the Ant Army Group's rights protection case.

Ant Army Group’s mass lawsuits against online smear campaigners silenced much of the abuse and renewed the company’s image, while Chen Mo continued working at the aerospace center. The chapter ended with Chen Mo seeing the completed spaceplane in a hangar.

• Yang Liang received a court summons from Ant Army Group, and his message triggered panic and departures in the paid-poster group.
• More smear campaigners, self-media operators, and companies received summonses, while defendants posted apologies, complaints, and defiant reactions online.
• Ant Army Group’s lawsuits drew national attention, helped spur calls for real-name registration and internet legislation, and caused online attacks and paid smear jobs to dwindle.
• A month later, the campaign had faded from public attention, but it had strengthened Ant Army Group’s reputation and employee cohesion.
• Chen Mo continued his research as the CIA’s investigation stalled and the Washington’s Hand scandal lost public attention.
• Chen Mo stood in the Flying Ant Aerospace Center hangar and looked down at the completed spaceplane.

Chen Mo and Zhao Min inspected the completed Spaceplane, named Divine Maiden, and discussed its design and commercial plans. Chen Mo sought approval for a test flight, while Li Chengzhi and Yao Yi began preparing to assist.

• Chen Mo and Zhao Min examined the completed Spaceplane, which Chen Mo named Divine Maiden.
• Chen Mo explained the Divine Maiden’s compartments and capacity, while Zhao Min outlined plans to profit from space tourism and other services.
• Chen Mo contacted Li Chengzhi to arrange military and air traffic control approval for a test flight.
• Li Chengzhi told Liu Jianjun that Chen Mo’s Spaceplane was ready to fly and that he would go to Bin Hai City.
• Zhao Min informed Yao Yi about the upcoming test flight, and Yao Yi asked to watch it once approval was granted.