Great Xia, Blue Star, Arctic Naval Base.
Ever since the Eagle Country Military Exercise ended, General Liu had walked with a spring in his step these past few days.
At the morning meeting of generals, he sat at the conference table with his chin slightly raised.
He lifted his teacup and took a small sip.
He looked positively smug.
"Liu, don't get too carried away."
An air force general spoke with a smile.
"Long Zhan's been on that top-secret mission for almost two months, and we haven't heard a thing."
He paused, drawing out his words.
"When he comes back, his achievements will definitely outshine yours."
The smile froze on General Liu's face.
"Exactly. Several army divisions have disappeared too. They must be preparing something big."
Another general took the opportunity to kick him while he was down, raising his teacup to hide the sneer at the corner of his mouth.
Voices around the conference room chimed in. Clearly, they had endured plenty of General Liu's boasting these past few days.
General Liu: "..."
His grip on his teacup tightened.
For the rest of the meeting, his expression remained dark, his mind elsewhere.
After the meeting ended, he returned to his office.
The moment the door closed, he snatched up the phone.
"Sir, I'm requesting to join Long Zhan's mission!"
He got straight to the point.
There were two seconds of silence on the other end.
"Liu, what's the rush?"
Elder Zhao's voice was unhurried, and General Liu could even hear the smile in it.
General Liu lowered his voice and leaned closer to the receiver.
"I'm not stupid. With so many army personnel disappearing, it must have something to do with the New Hope Plan, right?"
"Yes, you guessed correctly." Elder Zhao did not deny it.
"Long Zhan has