The Northern Lands.
Inside an abandoned Surface Base.
"Move it, you bunch of useless idiots! Don't just eat without doing any work."
A bald man stood on a raised platform, shouting at the workers below.
Below, an engineer was directing the workers as they assembled a mecha. The mecha was basically complete, with only some of its external armor left to install.
Clearly, this was an illegal assembly plant.
After the war ended five years ago, scrapped mecha could be found everywhere. Although the Strategic Affairs Department later reclaimed and destroyed most of them, civilian smuggling groups still hauled mecha away, modified them, and sold them to people in need.
Such modifications were extremely dangerous. There were not many mecha engineers among the civilians with sufficient ability, and the mecha they hastily assembled always caused one mishap or another when used.
Even so, mecha smuggling remained impossible to stamp out.
Like the illegal plant before them, these people had disregarded the Strategic Affairs Department's regulations and assembled mecha in secret.
Just then.
A voice suddenly rang out from outside.
"People inside, listen up! I'm Ye Xiaodao, captain of the Earthly Hero Squad of the Strategic Affairs Department's Tiangang Dragon Riders."
"You have illegally assembled mecha, violating Article 23 of the Strategic Affairs Department's mecha management regulations. You are surrounded. Everyone, leave the plant in an orderly fashion and cooperate with our work."
Immediately.
The factory erupted into chaos.
The workers cried out and dropped their tools before running for the main entrance or windows, only to be easily tackled by the soldiers stationed around the building.
The bald man on the platform was clearly the plant's leader. His expression changed, and he leaped off the platform before charging toward the mecha.
He intended to use the mecha to break through