Spirit, Will

The hall was filled with mourners, yet the coming and going of people was not boisterous or noisy.

There were no guards maintaining order either.

With more than half the room filled with soldiers in dark green uniforms, their presence alone was enough to command the entire space.

Who would dare to be loud or disruptive? This wasn't a marketplace...

Even the so-called local gangsters would curl up like cats here.

Suddenly, a few soldiers entered and spoke a few words to the camera crew in the corner.

The cameras were all turned off, and the reporters stopped their live broadcasts.

The soldiers in the hall all sat up straight.

This caused some confusion among the local citizens and the families of martyrs who had come to mourn.

They wondered who this important figure was to warrant such a grand display.

Even the highest-ranking official in the city wouldn't command such a presence.

Because among the soldiers present were many high-ranking officers adorned with stars, their ranks already at a level where they could see all mountains from the peak.

And now, they were all serious and focused, as if carefully listening to a leader's speech.

Although they couldn't understand the words and found it tedious, they maintained an expression of attentive learning, taking notes, cough cough...

Soon, a black tide surged into the hall.

That was naturally Xiao Shou and his group.

Because only the Jaeger Combat Department wore black uniforms.

Well, like security guards' black...

Actually, it wasn't wrong to say that. Security guards protect the peace of their neighborhoods, while the Jaeger Combat Department protects the peace of the entire Z Nation's Pan-Pacific Defense Line.

Security guards guard against thieves, and well, nowadays, delivery personnel too...

The Jaeger Combat Department guards against Kaiju invasions.

You see, their functions are quite similar...

This time, over a hundred people from the Jaeger Combat Department had arrived, with senior officers making up the majority.

Don't let the number fool you; the Jaeger Combat Department isn't that large to begin with.

The total authorized personnel for the Jaeger Combat Department is only around eight thousand.

And the majority of those are technical personnel like logistics engineers and scientists.

The combat units consist only of the escort fighter squadrons led by Colonel Lin Huixin and a guard company for sentry duty.

However, the Jaeger Combat Department doesn't need other combat units; Jaegers are enough.

Facing these nearly ninety-meter-tall steel giants, who could possibly object?

Leading them was Commander Mao Shucheng. Although he wasn't previously part of the Eastern Theater Command's establishment, the Sky Breaker Squad was mobilized under his call, so it was only right and proper for him to attend the memorial.

Deputy Commander Zhu Qian and Team Leader Jin Rong remained at the Shatterdome base.

Surprisingly, Colonel Lin Huixin was also absent, not at the base either.

He had an excellent relationship with Colonel Li Yunxiao; they were truly comrades-in-arms who had faced danger together.

However, not everyone could be present at once; although still in the city, some needed to stay behind.

Xiao Shou and Xie Yushan blended into the crowd, appearing unremarkable, and no one paid them much attention.

This was a special arrangement. For Jaeger pilots, safety was paramount, and their identities needed to be kept confidential.

Under Mao Shucheng's lead, the over one hundred members of the Jaeger Combat Department saluted in unison.

Yes, they couldn't lose in terms of presence; they had it completely under control.

Due to prior warnings, no one was taking photos of them.

This caused some uninformed guests to whisper and speculate amongst themselves.

Their black uniforms and the military salute they rendered exuded an air of mystery.

It was as if they belonged to some special department.

Only the soldiers present and some of the martyrs' families knew their true identities.

After the salute, Mao Shucheng led everyone to their seats.

Of course, they weren't waiting for the banquet to start. The Jaeger Combat Department, no matter how idle, wouldn't be so idle as to have most of its officers attend a feast together...

Instead, they were waiting for the broadcast.

A nationwide memorial broadcast.

This was not only a memorial for the entire twenty-two members of the Sky Breaker Squad who sacrificed their lives in the "Mad Ape" battle in Hawaii.

It was also a memorial for the eight thousand seven hundred and thirty-two soldiers who perished in the earlier "Shanlan" campaign.

Soon, a white cloth was set up in the center of the hall for projection, and the images quickly appeared.

The first thing that met their eyes was a huge conference room.

It was the People's Grand Assembly Hall in Kyoto, a place where citizens participated in being masters of their own destiny.

Behind the conference room, rows upon rows of dense photographs were pasted on the wall.

Several flags were also planted in front.

These were the unit flags of those annihilated in the "Shanlan" campaign.

We truly lost a lot in that war.

Below the conference room's podium, representatives from all walks of life had taken their seats.

Of course, there were also several cameras conducting live broadcasts.

Without waiting long, an elder in formal attire walked from behind the scenes to the lectern on the stage.

His expression was tinged with grief. Although his hair was still as black as ever, it couldn't hide the sorrow and heartache of an elder sending off a younger generation.

"Today, I am going to confess a truth to the general public."

"A truth that was once concealed by us."

"Just yesterday, I believe some of you are aware, the Kaiju 'Mad Ape' that landed in Hawaii has been subdued. Our 'Taishan' and E Nation's 'Cherno Alpha' joined forces to defeat it."

"But before that, the entire Sky Breaker Squad, who were sent on a delaying mission, perished. Twenty-two heroes died for their country."

"Today is a memorial for them, but not just them."

"Six months ago, the Kaiju codenamed 'Shanlan' was annihilated by our military."

"We suffered nearly ten thousand casualties among ordinary citizens, and the entire nation mourned."

"However, we concealed the number of soldiers lost in that battle."

"In that battle, eight thousand seven hundred and thirty-two of our soldiers sacrificed their lives, and three thousand six hundred and fifty-four were forced into retirement due to severe injuries."

As the elder revealed everything, the public watching the live broadcast gasped, as did the representatives present.

For a moment, the venue was in slight disarray.

Most people were whispering to each other. Even as representatives, they were unaware of this matter.

This was because it was classified information. Apart from some people in the Eastern Theater Command, only a few elders knew about it, and the news was strictly controlled.

With a wave of the elder's hand, the commotion in the venue gradually subsided. The public wanted to know the reason.

"At that time, we didn't have the best solution or weapon to deal with the Kaiju. For the stability of the people's lives, we concealed this number and ordered the families of the martyrs not to disclose the secret."

"This was our mistake. But we had no choice. To prevent the society we had painstakingly built from falling into further turmoil."

"To allow more people to live and work in peace, we could only resort to this measure."

"It is only now, with the emergence of 'Taishan,' capable of standing on its own and protecting our great nation, that we have the confidence to confront the Kaiju head-on! Only then can we say our defenses are impregnable!"

"And now, we are releasing this number, releasing the information of those sacrificed martyrs, to give them closure!"

"For their sacrifice, for the injustice their families endured due to the concealment, this closure has come too late!"

"Their names deserve to be remembered by us, their achievements to last forever!"

The elder's eyes looked forward, gazing into the distance.

It was the location of the monument pillar.

There were inscribed the names of all those who had sacrificed their lives in the war of the people becoming masters seventy years ago.

That dark era was like a bottomless quagmire.

But we would never sink into it. Whenever danger loomed, there were always those who would stand up.

When facing life and death, and when the winds of change blew, heroes emerged.

They shed their heads and spilled their blood!

Using their lives and passion as fuel, they illuminated this dark cage.

They broke open the shackles of darkness, the old ways of thinking that had confined us for thousands of years.

They allowed us to step out of our backward state and take the long-stalled steps forward.

Of course, every transformation is never smooth sailing; bloodshed and sacrifice are inevitable.

But they were never afraid, only for the fire and light in their hearts.

It was they who, with their very lives, filled that void!

Our lives then gained hope and prospects.

They made us independent, prosperous, and unafraid of any threat.

Even the so-called Kaiju, or "them" behind the Kaiju.

That monument pillar is the unyielding spirit and the torch of will passed down through generations of the Zhonghua Family.

"Now, new names must be added to that monument pillar."

"The will passed down through generations will not be broken. Never."