August 1st arrived quickly. At 8 a.m., it was time for China's first warship to be launched for sea testing. Through these days of strict guarding, many people inside and outside the city were arrested. However, no one relaxed their vigilance until everything was settled.

After 7 o'clock, everyone returned to their posts. "Pay close attention to all ships passing by at sea," Huo Haocheng said to the people on the other ships around him while standing on the escort vessel.

"Deng Yi, you will lead a team to assist Shao Qin in completing the patrol work later." Today, Huo Haocheng and Ruan Shaokun had a lot of work to do, not only to command but also to complete the guard work together. Therefore, he sent Bai Sirui and Su Yanqiu out early in the morning.

"Yes, Captain," Deng Yi, who was standing beside him, said, looking at the calm sea.

It is said that beneath the calm surface of the sea lie turbulent waves.

They want to see just how much trouble those people can stir up today.

As the deadline drew ever closer, everyone felt a mixture of tension and excitement. The tension stemmed from the fear that those seemingly insignificant individuals might actually attempt sabotage without restraint; the excitement came from the fact that our country now possessed its own warships.

Just as everyone was gearing up and ready to get to work, in the Yuncheng Military Region compound, thousands of miles away from Haicheng, Ruan Rongang finished feeding the children and checked the time.

"Bai Ze, could you go and see this magnificent sight for me?"

"Master, are you worried about Huo Haocheng?"

"No, I believe in him, and I believe in our soldiers. It's just that our first warship is about to be put into service, and I can't see it in person. So, could you go and take a look for me?"

She was a little worried, but more than anything, she wanted to see it for herself. As an outstanding soldier, no one would want to miss witnessing their country's breakthrough.

Bai Ze lay in his own space, peeking out and looking at Ruan Ruan. At this moment, from an outsider's perspective, all that could be seen was a small kitten, with only its head and front paws, floating in mid-air. Not only was it not dead, but it could also speak human language. He wanted to see if his master truly thought this way, or if it was just an excuse made up because Huo Haocheng had said he wanted the independent regiment to complete the mission alone when he left.

However, to his disappointment, Ruan Ruan remained completely calm, and his expression showed absolutely nothing.

"Okay~_~ boring." Seeing that she was no longer talking, Bai Ze could only happily turn his gaze away and disappear from Ruan Ruan's sight.

"That's wonderful!" Ruan Ruan sighed, watching the direction he left. She wasn't sure if she meant it was wonderful to have Bai Ze, or wonderful that the country was becoming stronger. She figured it was probably both!

A few minutes later, Bai Ze arrived above Haicheng. He became invisible and hung himself on the flagpole of the ship where Huo Haocheng was.

At this moment, he watched the ships sailing out to sea, and then looked at the warships not far away, which were much larger than these small boats. Together, they slowly sailed out to sea as the sun rose.

Now, seeing the national flag rising over the sea, Bai Ze finally understood why Ruan Ruan had asked him to witness this momentous occasion for her. The scene was truly breathtaking. He immediately pulled out his camera from his spatial storage—a brand-new model he had specifically requested from his master, Ruan Ruan's junior sister, when Ruan Ruan gave birth. He snapped away at the scene.

After taking pictures of the sea, he turned the camera on Huo Haocheng and his group, capturing their solemn and proud demeanor.

He was probably too focused on taking pictures and completely forgot to turn off the flash. Although it wasn't very obvious in the sunlight, it was still captured by Huo Haocheng through the lens.

"...Kitty?" Huo Haocheng looked around but found nothing unusual. Then he saw the flash moving in other directions. Finally, he focused on the flagpole above his head. In his mind, only their kitten could have such an invisibility ability, so he called out uncertainly.

"Huh?" The kitten, still immersed in the joy of taking photos, answered Huo Haocheng, a completely subconscious action.

"Captain, what did you say?" The soldier next to Huo Haocheng hadn't heard what Huo Haocheng had just said. He was worried that he had been distracted in front of his captain and would be punished when he got back, when he heard Huo Haocheng say, "Nothing, just watch out for the surrounding islands."

Once the soldier was certain that Huo Haocheng hadn't actually been talking to him, his tense body relaxed. He just couldn't understand it. There were only him and the captain on the ship; if Huo Haocheng hadn't been talking to him, then who was he talking to?

After confirming that it was a kitten, Huo Haocheng relaxed his guard.

Now that Huo Haocheng knew he was there, the kitten naturally landed on his shoulder. "Huo Haocheng, how did you know it was me? Can you see me now?" The kitten looked at itself suspiciously, then waved its little paw in front of Huo Haocheng's eyes.

I felt a slight weight on my shoulder, and then I heard the kitten's voice in my ear, "No, I can't see you, but what were you doing just now? What was that flashing thing?"

Hearing Huo Haocheng say that, the kitten realized what was happening and looked at the camera still hanging around its neck. "Oh, I forgot to turn off the camera's flash."

When he heard that it was a camera, Huo Haocheng thought for a moment. The cameras he had seen were all the kind that could be used outdoors, found in photo studios or overseas Chinese stores in Shanghai and Beijing. But no matter what kind of camera it was, Huo Haocheng couldn't imagine a kitten holding it and taking pictures, because they were all too big for him.

However, that wasn't his concern right now; he had more important things to do.

"Then go ahead and take the pictures!" Huo Haocheng didn't ask him why he was there or why he was taking pictures. These things were not important to him. The only reason he did this was because Ruan Ruan had asked him to.

Huo Haocheng had nothing to ask, and he was happy to be at ease. After turning off the flash, he jumped back up to the top and started snapping photos randomly.

After the kitten left, Huo Haocheng turned his attention back to the sea. A moment later, he saw a flash of light again from the small island to his right. This time he was certain that someone was lying in ambush there.

"Pass the word down: be careful of an ambush to the right front," Huo Haocheng said to the soldiers behind him.

"Yes, Captain!" The soldier immediately relayed the information to the surrounding patrol team using the navy's unique signaling system. Upon receiving the signal, the patrol team and two ships at sea quickly surrounded the island from the side. Soon, the two men lying in ambush were captured silently.

The warship tests are still ongoing.

Huo Haocheng and the others were still focused on their surroundings.