All for the Greater Good

Ten o'clock the next morning.

Xiao Shou carried a stack of lunchboxes onto the tram, heading towards the military base.

The military base was built on the docks of Lushunkou District.

The entire structure stood at a height of two hundred meters.

It was like a steel city wall guarding Dalian.

Although Xiao Shou knew a military base had been established here.

He had never visited it before.

In fact, visits weren't allowed; at most, you could look at its exterior from a distance.

Getting too close would result in being stopped by the soldiers guarding the main gate.

This two-hundred-meter-tall steel base was awe-inspiring even from afar.

Seeing it up close was an entirely new experience.

Xiao Shou felt that the "Shanlan" hadn't put him under as much pressure as this did.

Standing at the base of the structure made one feel incredibly small, insignificant like a drop in the ocean.

More than half of the base extended over the sea, and its six massive hangar doors could likely accommodate aircraft carriers.

The landward section featured spacious landing pads, where helicopters would frequently land or take off.

In the past, Xiao Shou had thought the military base stationed in Dalian was just for show, with a few planes and tanks.

But seeing it now, that wasn't the case. Not even counting the firepower he couldn't see.

The base itself was enough to halt the advance of any monster.

At the very least, it would buy enough time for people to evacuate while the monster was busy trying to tear it down.

Xiao Shou looked up at the colossal steel behemoth, his body involuntarily moving forward.

He was finally stopped by the guards near the main gate.

Xiao Shou snapped back to reality.

He quickly explained his purpose to the soldier, asking him to inform Aunt Rong.

Unfortunately, the weather turned sour, and a light drizzle began to fall.

The rain wasn't heavy, and Xiao Shou didn't really mind.

However, to avoid getting the lunchboxes wet, he chose to take shelter under the eaves of the gate's security post.

The guards didn't stop him but assigned one soldier to keep an eye on Xiao Shou.

With nothing else to do, Xiao Shou continued to gaze up at the steel giant.

He watched the light rain fall on the base, making no sound.

Xiao Shou mused that even a storm wouldn't be able to shake this steel behemoth in the slightest.

Lost in thought, Xiao Shou was unexpectedly pushed over by an external force.

It turned out to be a female soldier, rushing to avoid the rain and only looking down, not seeing Xiao Shou under the security booth.

She had bumped right into him.

The female soldier quickly got up and pulled Xiao Shou to his feet, repeatedly apologizing.

It was then that Xiao Shou saw the "culprit."

She was about his age, with a delicate, oval face and exquisite features.

Even in her military uniform, her stunning beauty was undeniable.

Xiao Shou naturally wouldn't hold a grudge, saying it was fine.

He picked up the lunchboxes that had rolled onto the ground and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw they were undamaged.

These were longevity noodles and a few side dishes that Grandma He had painstakingly prepared for her daughter.

She had spent the entire morning preparing the broth, even temporarily closing her shop.

This wasn't just a meal being delivered; it was a mother's love for her child.

It couldn't be ruined. Fortunately, nothing was damaged.

Inside the military base.

The base was actually named Shatterdome.

It was Z Nation's first Shatterdome base, specifically designed to house mechs.

Over eleven thousand elite engineers had been involved.

The nation had invested over two hundred billion in funding.

It took nearly half a year to complete the construction.

The mech's various components were processed by factories across the country, and even some overseas.

All the parts only arrived at the Dalian Shatterdome base half a month ago.

Assembly was carried out here.

Now, it's basically assembled.

The entire mech is black and dark blue, standing eighty-nine meters tall and weighing three thousand two hundred tons.

It's powered by nuclear energy.

There's a nuclear-powered turbine engine in its chest.

It has a built-in nuclear reactor.

The mech's right arm is equipped with an electromagnetic gravitic device.

It can attract surrounding objects, especially steel and metal, to strike targets.

It can also directly fire an electromagnetic particle cannon.

There's also a small rocket-powered thruster at the elbow.

The left arm is thick and can automatically assemble into a shield when necessary.

A "Mo Dao" is hidden in the right leg.

The cockpit is located in the mech's head.

The mech as a whole exudes a violent aesthetic everywhere.

At this moment, several mechanical arms are continuously installing and welding at the mech's joints.

Below the mech, a group of soldiers are conducting neuron connection tests for the pilot and testing the synesthetic connection of the mech's consciousness sensing system.

From time to time, someone would remove the neural synesthesia connector, shake their head, and walk away with a sigh.

Then the next person would connect, and so on, in a cycle.

Directly above the mech is a suspended command center.

This command center offers a clear view of everything within the base, even at eye level with the mech's "eyes."

At this moment, three people are standing in front of the command center's observation window.

They are watching the people below conducting the synesthetic connection tests.

"Alas, almost all outstanding soldiers under thirty-five from the seven military regions have come for the synesthetic connection test. This is the last batch, and the highest synesthetic connection rate with the mech's consciousness is only seventy-one percent."

"Compared to the mech's standard synesthetic rate of eighty percent, we are still far off."

The middle-aged military officer on the far right sighed.

He wore the rank of Colonel, with two bars and four stars on his shoulders.

He was none other than Colonel Zhu Qian, the Deputy Commander of the Dalian Shatterdome Base.

Forty-five years old, of medium build, he joined the army at twenty and has served for twenty-five years.

"We should expand the scope of people being tested. We shouldn't be limited to military personnel."

Standing on the left was a woman, Lieutenant Colonel Jin Rong.

She served as the head of the mech combat information analysis team.

"I wish I could do that, but the military headquarters has strictly ordered us to prioritize selecting pilots from the military class. They say it's easier to manage and control the mech's combat power. After all, the mech has strength comparable to monsters. If the pilot defects at a critical moment due to issues, it would be a huge problem for us."

"But that's just their excuse. It's all about power struggles. Our Mech Combat Command operates independently of the military headquarters; we have great autonomous command authority. This is a special privilege granted to us by the higher-ups."

"Those people in the military headquarters are getting restless. Especially since the mech's number one pilot comes from our own mech combat forces. They naturally want to secure the remaining pilot positions to control us."

The middle-aged military officer in the center, who was in charge, smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"Heh, if they can produce a pilot with a perfect synesthetic connection, what does it matter if they get their way."

"We don't care about this so-called power. Everything we do is for the safety of the people."

"When even our homes are gone, what use is power or profit!"

The middle-aged military officer turned around and said to Zhu Qian and Jin Rong.

The middle-aged military officer was named Mao Shucheng. He was also of medium build, with a resolute face and sharp features, exuding a fierce and resolute aura unique to soldiers.

He wore a general's star on his shoulder, the rank of Rear Admiral, and was forty-eight years old.

He served as the Commander of the Z Nation's Mech Combat Command and the head of the Z Nation's theater for the Pan-Pacific Defense Line.

However, due to Z Nation currently only having one mech, its headquarters was temporarily established at the Dalian Shatterdome Base.

But, one day, Z Nation will have more than just this one mech.

There will also be more than one Shatterdome base.

That day will not be far off.

"I have already submitted a notice to the military headquarters to expand the scope of mech synesthetic detection to include the entire nation, but the military headquarters has not approved this proposal."

"However, what we must do is resist the monster's attack and hold up a sky for the billions of our compatriots behind us, for the entire Pan-Pacific Defense Line theater."

"Everything we do is for the greater good, with no selfish intentions!"

"Will you support me?"

Jin Rong naturally had no objections; she was the one who had proposed it in the first place.

Mao Shucheng looked at Zhu Qian, waiting for his statement.

"Of course, old friend, I've always been on your side, always."