"Build like a fever dream," the Iron General barked, his voice echoing with the weight of decades of suppressed ambition. "Build without regard for cost. The era of steel rationing is dead."
He slammed a meaty fist onto the table, leaning forward until his shadow covered the map of the Pacific. "Every project that was mothballed because of material limits, every blueprint we debated for years because we couldn't afford the titanium-alloy or the specialized plating—start them all. Simultaneously."
His eyes burned as he looked at the Naval Liaisons. "Carrier strike groups. In the past, we spent years calculating the steel consumption for a single hull. No more. I want ten aircraft carrier battle groups laid down in the drydocks immediately!"
"And the century-projects," he continued, his voice rising. "The Super-Bridge spanning the Strait, the Hyperloop Mag-Levs through the Western massifs—if the blueprints exist, turn them into reality. We are no longer building for the decade; we are building for the millennium."
A shrewd economic strategist interjected, a cold glint in his eyes. "Once our domestic defense and infrastructure needs are met, we move to the global stage. We supply high-grade steel to the world at 80% of their local production costs."
A low gasp rippled through the room. It was a "Dimension-Reduction Strike." If the Federation flooded the market with high-quality steel at impossible prices, every foreign shipyard, tank factory, and skyscraper project would become dependent on Federation metal. To build a gun or a warship, the world would first have to ask for the Federation's permission.
Ethan gently tapped the table, cooling the room's fervor. "One detail: these resources currently exist as one-cubic-meter blocks. If we ship them out like that, it will lead to... unnecessary questions. We need to process the 'Minecraft' out of them."
"Rest assured, Director Ethan," an expert from the Metallurgical Institute replied, standing tall. "The blocks will be diverted to black-site smelters owned by the Military-Industrial groups. We will re-smelt and shape them into standard industrial ingots and plates. They will never be seen in their cubic form by the public eye."
An hour later, the "Iron Tide Strategic Plan" was finalized.
Energy First: Restart the national thermal grid with Astra-Coal to provide infinite, cheap power.Covert Gold: Launch a silent currency war to subvert global financial hegemony.The Steel Torrent: Fortify the nation's military before unleashing the industrial flood on the world.
The Central Office
Director Leland (Elder Li) sat at his desk, his eyes tracing the lines of the encrypted document titled: Emergency Plan for Phase One Strategic Allocation.
Usually placid, his eyes now held deep ripples of shock.
Restart the power. Subvert the gold. Forge the nation.
He put the document down and spoke into his secure comms, his voice imbued with a calm but terrifying power. "Anything that benefits the people and the nation... you don't need to ask me for permission. Do it."
"Yes, Director."
At that moment, the Federation—a sleeping dragon—opened its eyes.
A lightning-strike order from the National Energy Administration hit every major power group in the country: Restart all decommissioned thermal plants within 24 hours. Recall all personnel. Prepare for new fuel arrival.
Across the nation, engineers who had retired or been laid off received late-night calls that brought them to tears. Long-silent behemoths of steel roared back to life. Their chimneys didn't spew black soot; instead, they emitted a nearly invisible, clean vapor—the signature of Astra-Coal's perfect combustion.
However, an operation of this scale couldn't stay hidden. As the Federation's power grid surged, the internet ignited.
On social media, the "Defectives"—trolls and foreign shills—smelled blood.
[Tsk, so much for 'Green Energy.' Back to burning coal? How embarrassing.]
[LOL, shutting them down just to reopen them? What a waste of taxpayer money. 'Win' again, right guys?]
The Western media picked up the scent instantly.
BBC:Federation Energy Policy Suffers Catastrophic Setback; Carbon Goals Dead.
CNN:Shocking Regress! While the world goes green, the Eastern Power returns to fossil fuels. Sign of economic collapse?
Asahi Shimbun:Lack of foresight exposed. Re-reliance on coal shows the limit of their technology.
Pessimism and ridicule flooded the global airwaves. To the outside world, the Federation was a desperate giant clinging to the past.
Inside the Federation, the netizens fought back with fury.
[I'm laughing at your stupidity from my house with 24-hour cheap AC.]
[A bunch of media outlets that can't even control their own heating prices are lecturing us? Worry about your own winter first, idiots.]
Facing the storm of international mockery, Ethan sat in the command center, watching the global trends with a smirk. They thought the Federation was retracing its steps.
They had no idea the dragon wasn't stepping back—it was crouching before a leap that would shatter the world's foundations.
Would you like to move to Chapter 24 to see the "Fire-Drake" Gunships enter the Necro-Virus world?