Xiao Shou stepped off the helicopter with a mournful expression.
Because this was Kyoto, he had to catch a direct flight from Kyoto to San Francisco, The U.S.
Yes, civilian air travel. And economy class at that...
He vaguely remembered the conversation he had had with Mao Shucheng before coming here...
"Xiao Shou, the helicopter will take you to Kyoto Airport. Then you'll take a civilian flight straight to San Francisco. Here are the tickets. Keep them safe."
With that, Mao Shucheng handed the tickets to the bewildered Xiao Shou and Xie Yushan.
"Commander, aren't fighter jets supposed to take us directly to our destination?"
"What are you thinking? How can Nation Z's fighter jets enter another country's territory? That would cause an international dispute."
"Weren't we invited by them?"
"You foolish boy, The U.S. military isn't a unified bloc either. The U.S. president, Chuanpu, has always had a problem with us. For the sake of harmony and stability, don't provoke him. There's something wrong with his brain."
Zhu Qian coughed from the side, signaling Mao Shucheng not to be so blunt.
Xiao Shou looked at his ticket, then at Xie Yushan's first-class ticket, his face turning dark.
"Then why am I the only one in economy class..."
"Ahem, well, as the saying goes, raise boys poor and girls rich!"
"You should know how to cherish this, kid. I paid for it out of my own pocket! Do you know how tight our funding is for building bases and mechs? I saved every penny for this!"
"..."
As if I'd believe that crap from you, you old fart!
If there had been a direct railway to The U.S., Xiao Shou would have suspected Old Mao of booking him a train ticket and sending him there on a green-skin train.
And it would have been a hard seat!
Xiao Shou sat down in the waiting area, utterly lifeless.
It was not really because of the economy-class seat. The main problem was that the wait was agonizing.
Civilian flights had fixed schedules. They would not depart early just because you personally had something urgent to do.
He had heard that the pilots from other countries had all taken private planes to San Francisco.
What the hell? Only his side had to miserably wait for a civilian flight.
No matter how he looked at it, this was not the treatment a protagonist deserved.
Though he had never been abroad before. Come to think of it, he did not seem to have even left his province.
Except for that time when Mount Tai had deployed.
Back then, he had only been thinking about how to fight. How could he have had time to admire the scenery along the way?
He had heard Hong Kong was beautiful too, but unfortunately, he had not seen it either.
If there had been a Shatterdome base in Hong Kong at the time, Mount Tai could have temporarily rested and resupplied there.
But the decision to build another Shatterdome base had only been made after the war.
Most people liked traveling, but Xiao Shou was the exact opposite.
He was introverted and solitary. He did not like going out, especially not on long trips.
Xie Yushan beside him was also a quiet sort. She put on an eye mask and began resting with her eyes closed in her seat.
Xiao Shou wanted to sleep for a while too, but the waiting area was too noisy. There were people constantly passing by and talking, as well as parents with children.
How was he supposed to sleep? He could only sit there and stare blankly.
Just as Xiao Shou was bored out of his mind with nothing to do, a woman walked toward him.
She was dressed stylishly, wearing a leather vest over her upper body and dark-blue skinny jeans that accentuated her pair of proud, long legs.
She was around 1.6 meters tall and had a fine figure, curvy in all the right places.
She wore a large mask. Though her facial features could not be seen clearly, judging from her exposed eyes and face shape, she presumably was not unattractive.
The woman held a phone mounted on a selfie stick, looking like some enthusiastic traveler.
She looked around and saw that the only empty seat was beside Xiao Shou. Without any embarrassment, she sat down openly.
"Brothers, as you requested, I'm livestreaming my visit to PPDC headquarters. I'm already on my way now. Look, this is Kyoto Airport. I'm about to board a direct flight to San Francisco, The U.S.!"
After saying that, she raised her phone and waved it around the airport.
"Fine, she isn't a travel enthusiast at all. She's a streamer chasing clout!"
Xiao Shou thought.
This sort of thing was hardly unusual.
After all, mechs bore the responsibility of protecting the Pan-Pacific Defense Line.
They concerned the safety of all human life.
Besides, mechs themselves were enough to stir people's blood.
It was only natural that they attracted attention.
The emergence of Mount Tai had allowed all 1.4 billion people in the country to stand tall.
It was just like when nuclear weapons had first been successfully developed.
It was hardly strange that it had ignited the people's love for mechs.
However, Shatterdome bases were classified. The public had no idea where they were located.
That had to do with the caution ingrained in them.
After all, even military unit designations had once been classified information.
Not to mention today's Shatterdome bases and mech data.
Could not find one domestically? Easy. Go abroad.
That was simply how The U.S. operated. If they had mechs, they wished the whole world knew so they could flaunt their military strength.
They made no effort to conceal their mechs or Shatterdome bases.
They directly disclosed their locations.
Mech pilots even gave speeches everywhere and appeared on television shows like celebrities.
That would be impossible in Nation Z.
In Nation Z, there were only unsung heroes.
"Though no one knows your names, your achievements shall endure forever!"
To be honest, that was unfair to the martyrs who had sacrificed themselves.
Their deeds deserved to be remembered by us. We had the right to thank them!
The soldiers and commanders at The U.S. PPDC headquarters did not have so many ulterior motives.
They simply wanted to reassure the people of the world.
Look! We have mechs! We can protect everyone!
Soldiers had been worthy of respect since ancient times.
Do not laugh at those drunk on the battlefield; since ancient times, how many who went to war ever returned?
Perhaps politics was filthy, but soldiers were pure.
(PS: Except invaders.)
The woman was indeed a streamer, and a major one on the Shark streaming platform.
Her nickname was Sister Zhou. She was twenty-six or twenty-seven, had a goofy personality, many fans, and was extremely popular.
After she spoke, the barrage of comments came nonstop, nearly obscuring her face.
"No wonder Sister Zhou is wearing a mask. She's at the airport."
"Sister Zhou is really going to PPDC headquarters? Can you get a photo with Wanderer for me?"
"You must be dreaming. Even if PPDC headquarters' location is public, they won't let people casually wander in. You'd be lucky just to photograph the base gates."
"It's such a shame our country's mech base isn't public. I really want to see Mount Tai and its base again!"
The comments kept pouring in. Once the viewers heard that Sister Zhou really was heading to PPDC headquarters to try her luck at filming mechs, they became even more excited.
"Alright, brothers. There won't be any signal once I board the plane. We'll start the stream again after we land. See you then!"
After ending the stream, Sister Zhou gave Xiao Shou an apologetic smile. She had been loud as soon as she arrived and had disturbed the peace here.
"Hello. Ever since I was little, my parents hoped I would grow up to be a gentle and charming lady, so they named me Zhou Shushu."
"..."
"Xiao Shou."
Xie Yushan, who had opened her eyes at some point, leaned over as well.
"Xie Yushan, his girlfriend."
Zhou Shushu immediately took the hint and stopped chatting with Xiao Shou.
Xiao Shou looked at her with a baffled expression.
"In your dreams. The team leader specifically told me that you're at an age when you're young and inexperienced. You need to be cautious around the opposite sex, because it will directly affect your neural synchronization connection value."
"Take some advice from your big sister. These waters run too deep for you to handle!"
"..."
Before you continue