February 11, 2023. Clear weather, the twenty-first day of the first lunar month, a full week past the Start of Spring. Temperatures were uneven from place to place — around Huai'an City it held at fifteen degrees Celsius, a little lower in the morning, roughly seven or eight.

A cold wind was blowing.

Shen Cong was running a final check on the vehicle's supplies. "Activity fruit, full measure. Jin beast meat in the cold storage, full measure. Firearms and ammunition stocked in the supply room, full measure. Core armaments, full measure… all full measure."

The check complete, Shen Cong circled the Core-Totem Great Vajra for one last inspection of its components.

Half an hour later, the inspection work was done.

Shen Cong called out toward the Four-Legged Dragon playing in the distance. "Little Four, come back."

The Four-Legged Dragon crawled back snake-like, and following Shen Cong's pointing finger, coiled herself into the second trailer.

This trailer was just a steel bed ten meters long and five meters wide, with eight enormous tires, its overall structure quite simple, without any high technology — a trailer that could be discarded at any time, whose sole purpose was to haul Shen Cong's battle pet, the Four-Legged Dragon. The Four-Legged Dragon was enormous in build, but with a snakelike body, she could bend herself comfortably inside it.

Behind that was another trailer, wrapped in sheet iron, reserved for the migration of the Vajra Ant colony — fifteen meters long, five wide, eight tall.

Three cars, coupled together, like a little train.

Just as he was preparing to leave Huai'an City, he received notice from the Military Committee that he was required to attend this full session of the Military Committee.

"What's the agenda?"

"The Eastern Theater Command's future development strategy."

"You all discuss it; I won't be going." Shen Cong hadn't the slightest interest in this sort of meeting. He no longer trusted Liu Yiwu and the others, nor did he want any further entanglement with the Command.

Then Liu Yiwu himself gave notice over the radio. "Commander Hu, this is a major meeting…