"Click, click."
Inside the gigantic building, shaped like a grand auditorium cast as one solid piece of steel, the sound of fingernails tapping against a screen echoed through the space, making it seem lonely and vast.
A petite short-haired girl sat cross-legged on the steel throne at the far end of the auditorium, her hands rapidly tapping away at the tablet computer resting on her legs. Green streams of data flashed through her eyes.
The throne had a strange shape, as if steel in a half-melted state had suddenly solidified. Its edges were highly irregular, and it merged into the magnificent, expansive steel wall behind the backrest.
If one stared at the steel wall, one could see that its surface was not flat either. Numerous sculptures of "weapons" had been cast into it.
The styles ranged from Stone Age slings, to Bronze Age swords and spears, to the sabers, spears, shields, and halberds of feudal dynasties; from the most primitive firearms, muskets, and cannons, to bolt-action guns, automatic weapons, infantry fighting vehicles, missile carriers, bombers, battleships...
Every weapon of major significance in the history of human warfare—those that had caused countless deaths, injuries, and upheavals, while also transforming the face of society—had been cast into this wall.
The girl's petite figure atop it seemed rather out of place.
But that was all it was—out of place. Her body did not appear small beside the grandeur of her surroundings.
That body contained an equally supreme authority, one that seemed capable of making even the environment submit.
"Xiao Shen, straighten your back."
As the doors soundlessly opened and the words rang out, a middle-aged man entered through the auditorium's heavy main doors. He had a buzz cut and was not tall, but he was lean, strong, and powerful.
He wore a light-green