Ukron Country was once a nation with great prospects.
After the dissolution of the Iron Alliance, as one of the founding countries, it received a good share of assets.
Apart from airplanes, tanks, artillery, and warships, it also inherited nuclear weapons! Coupled with vast and fertile land, Ukron Country had all the potential to become a major power.
Regrettably, it was persuaded to cripple its own military power, hastily giving up nuclear weapons in exchange for economic benefits, becoming a toothless tiger.
Over the years, the situation got worse and worse; what was once known as a breadbasket is now called a "brothel."
What Lu Yao found appealing was—the country's decline led to the year-round sale of military arms left from the Iron Alliance era!
The military, in order to survive, stole and traded weapons in the black market. As long as you have money, you can buy tanks, armored vehicles, Hind helicopters, anything!
Just pull out your phone and search, and you'll find news like this—
[According to the Ukron Ministry of Defense, about fifty portable missiles "disappeared" from an independent air mobile brigade's arms depot located not far from the Ukron and Vilnius border. These missiles were later found in the "underground black market" of Kiev.]
With 2 tons of cash in hand, Lu Yao naturally wanted to take a tour in such a country with good stuff to offer, despite its decline.
No sooner said than done, he logged onto the official website of the Ukron Embassy and processed his electronic visa.
Just upload the "applicant's financial statement," and with a balance of over 20 million, he believed it would be done quickly.
He could also wait for Zhao Ya to help design the Battle Armor, killing two birds with one stone.
~~~~~~~~
While Lu Yao was busy, things at the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the Star Alliance Country were also in full swing.
The technical department worked overtime and finally restored the blurry satellite photo to high definition.
At this moment, Director West sat upright, pulled out a pair of reading glasses and put them on, and squinted as he carefully examined the tablet in his hands.
True to his command, the photograph now allowed every pore on the man's face to be seen clearly.
Subordinate Andre spoke respectfully, "Although the man committing the act is wearing a mask, through the skin and hair, we can confirm he's of Asian descent. I've already contacted the best facial recognition experts, comparing against all recent entries and departures of Asians, and we should receive information very soon!"
Director West put down the tablet, neatly stroked his immaculate silver hair, and lit a cigar.
[Lu Yao, the plan won't work. Through software comparisons, when using an 8.3kg TNT explosive column (equivalent to the charge of a 155mm artillery shell) for experiments, even if the Battle Armor is well-sealed and attenuates about 98% of the explosive force, there would still be an internal overpressure of 200kPa, which could cause fatal injuries to the occupant.]
"Sister Zhao, you could make the Battle Armor a bit thicker."
[I've calculated it, if we want to reach the safety margin, the weight would definitely exceed 1 ton! Besides, the original structure would have to be completely redesigned...]
Lu Yao did some quick calculations—the strength post-marrow cleansing was 3000 kilograms and Blood-Exchange promised 5000! So, he decisively said:
"No problem, 1 ton is still acceptable, even a bit heavier is fine. Just go ahead and do it, but ensure authenticity! Don't forget this is for the Westerners to see!"
[Alright, if you don't mind the weight, it's actually quite simple, then this thing is just a large, decorative piece for show...]
"Thanks a lot, Sister Zhao~ Don't just be busy all the time, spend some time playing with Brother Li and Yi Nuo."
After sending that message, Zhao Ya didn't reply anymore, and Lu Yao didn't think much of it either.
~~~~~~~~~
Early the next morning, just as Lu Yao was preparing to head to the airport, he suddenly received a strange call, identified in his phone's address book as—National Foreign Affairs Ministry!?
Upon answering, a woman's voice said, "Mr. Lu Yao, I am an officer from the Consular Department, reminding you to please be cautious about traveling to Ukron. An armed conflict occurred there yesterday. You can refer to international news for details."
"Ah?... Okay, thank you, I'll consider changing my itinerary."
After hanging up, Lu Yao muttered a curse at his bad luck and took out his phone to search, only to find out that this was the Star Alliance's doing.
The Star Alliance was meddling in a color revolution there, turning protests into armed conflicts.
At the moment, the Ukron government had deployed its military to suppress it, and the conflict was on the verge of escalating into full-scale war.
"The Zhao family is still there, I hope they are safe. They can't be that unlucky. After what happened in Annan Country last time, it would be awful if it happened again..."
Holding his phone and hesitating whether to change his plans, Zhao Ya suddenly sent a video call request.
When he connected, he couldn't see any faces. The angle was odd; it seemed like the phone was hidden somewhere, the lens blocked by one-third, offering only a glimpse through a crack.
Lu Yao's pupils narrowed as he saw countless people with their hands on their heads, kneeling on the ground, surrounded by many armed individuals wielding AKs!
And most dire was that there was a 155mm artillery shell suspended above the hostages' heads!