The snowfall stopped when the morning came.
After breakfast, Xia Lei followed Huang He and the rest to the open space. The field was already bustling with activity. All the participating countries were already busy preparing themselves for the biathlon. Weirdly, only the Chinese men were calm. No one seemed to be doing any real work. The few Type 99 Tanks were still in the same round-shaped formation as they were last night, surrounding the massive tank in the centre.
“Comrade Xia Lei, are you confident?” Huang He looked a little concerned.
Xia Lei returned a smile. “General Huang, there’s no need to worry. This tank of mine could defeat all of Asia and East Europe’s best tanks. I’m sure if the Europeans had participated in this, we’ll be able to defeat them as well.”
“Hahaha!” A smile broke out on Huang He’s face. The older man placed a few pats on Xia Lei’s shoulder. “It comforts me to hear those words. But the ZTZ100 main battle tank is an all-new tank. My tankers hadn’t had the chance to get used to it so I’m afraid you might need to drive it yourself. I’ll hand you two assistants, the best assistants I can vouch for.”
Xia Lei uttered a reply which surprised him. “There’s no need for that. I can handle this myself.”
“Huh?” Huang He was shocked. “You? Alone? Really?”
Xia Lei chuckled. “General Huang, this is a highly intelligent tank. Ninety per cent of its core functions are automated. I only have to pilot the remaining ten per cent.”
“You don’t need to reload it?”
“It’s got an automatic reload system and it could select a choice of ammunition according to my instructions,” mentioned Xia Lei confidently.
“I look forward to seeing it dash through the field!” Huang He was very emotional. “Since you said that controlling it alone is possible, then I’ll let you handle this alone.”
Following that, the general ordered his man. A hoard of tank soldiers climbed into their respective Type 99s and moved the tanks towards the contest field.
“Are the Chinese going to keep their front till the end?” A Japanese soldier commented audibly. He made no effort to conceal his words.
“I’m certain that the tank will remain covered until the contest ends. It’ll just return home like that.”
“Haha! I suspect that it's just a model.”
“Even if it’s real, what can they do about us? The Chinese tanks are all the same, they look fierce but are very old-fashioned. They don’t even have a decent engine!”
“Right? If this is a real war, I’m sure one Type 10 Tank can easily destroy three Type 99s!”
The Japanese soldiers continued to chatter and laugh among themselves. They spoke in Japanese, not holding back with their choice of words. Unbeknownst to them, Xia Lei had understood them but chose not to retaliate. He searched for Hattori Mei and Hattori Masao among the Japanese soldiers, finally locating them.
Clearly, the father and daughter pair had heard their soldiers well but chose not to interfere. The two of them had their attention focused on Xia Lei and the covered ZTZ100 main battle tank.
Huang He had a few Special Forces loosened the ropes binding the canvas. Soon, the canvas was lifted off the tank.
The minute the covering hit the ground, everyone’s eyes were immediately on the ZTZ100.
With a barrel length of twelve metres and a width of nearly four metres, ZTZ100 had made the Japanese Type 10 and Indian Arjun tanks look like toys in comparison. Coupled with its science fiction-like appearance, the main battle tank was a shocking visual that seemed like an alien weapon.
“Whoa…” Those Japanese soldiers who were mocking the ZTZ100 earlier couldn’t help stare in awe.
“It’s so huge! It looks bigger than the American M1A3! This is probably the world’s largest tank, no?”
“What are they trying to achieve with the size? It’s just a shell, I’m certain that its space inside is enough to fit our barbeque session.”
“Hopefully their engine is as big as their shell. If not, it’s quite the embarrassment.”
“Such a big tank and yet so weak in the engine department. Do you think it could run thirty kilometres?”
“Hahaha…”
Amidst the laughter, Hattori Mei took out her phone and began snapping photos of the ZTZ100.
Xia Lei made no move to stop her. He intended for this to be a publicity stunt for his new tank. He only spared her a glance and proceeded to climb into the tank.
Was the space inside the ZTZ100 enough to accommodate a barbeque session?
Nope, not at all. The tank was filled with electronics and automation devices. There was enough space to fit three people. Since Xia Lei was the only one manoeuvring it, he had quite a bit of space to move around.
After Xia Lei made it into the ZTZ100, the main battle tank soon let out a roar and leapt into life. It began its slow crawl towards the contest field, which frankly looked rather weak to its spectators.
“I knew it. A tank this size is like a small horse trying to pull a large carriage. There’s no way this can be fast on the battlefield. It’s essentially a sitting duck.”
“Only the Chinese would make such a weird thing.”
“Their media is bound to sensationalize this. Just you wait, they’ll be writing up bluffs to make this new tank seem strong.”
The Indian soldiers were also mocking the ZTZ100.
At this moment, a short Caucasian joined the Japanese crowd. The petite man was dressed in Japanese military uniform but he was clearly not Asian.
The man walked toward Hattori Mei. He said nothing, only tossing her a glance.
Hattori Mei too was silent, only nodding in response. With a wave of Hattori Masao’s arm, two Japanese soldiers nodded in unison and began to head towards their respective Type 10 Tanks. The short Caucasian too went towards an improved Type 10 Tank.
After that, the Japanese tanks began their drive in tandem towards the field. Following behind them were the Indians and other countries. The majestic scene was like a torrent of steel. It was one that could make the male adrenaline soar.
Hattori Mei sent out the ZTZ100 photos taken earlier.
“Was that for Madam Folsom?” questioned Hattori Masao.
She nodded meekly. “Yes. The direction Thunder Horse is heading in has already triggered the Lockheed Martin higher-up along with the White House and Pentagon.”
Hattori Masao’s smirk was icily ominous. “He’s going to die.”
“Come on, father. Let’s go take a look too.” Hattori Mei mustered up a smile. “I really want to know how well the Thunder Horse tank can perform.”
“I’m not expecting anything from it.” Hattori Masao scoffed. “A slow and large tank like that is just going to become a vulnerable shooting target in a war.”
The tanks were gathered on the contest field.
A large Russian Air Force cargo aircraft passed over them in low altitude with a whistle, spraying water onto the tanks beneath it. This was a typical view of the Russian tank biathlon.
Following that, the judging panel led by the Russians made their entry. The contest had now entered its countdown.
Huang He was invited to watch the competition over on an observation platform. Along with him were the Hattori father-daughter pair and officials of the other participating countries.
Before the competition had started, discussions and debates regarding the ZTZ100 were heating up real quick.
A Russian official pointed to the parked ZTZ100. “What tank is that? When did we supply those parts to China?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe the technology was sourced from Ukraine?”
“The sheer size of it seems very Russian, but I don’t think I can run up to sixty kilometres.”
Translating the comments of the Russian officials to Huang He, the man furrowed his brows. “Jeez, they’re so against us. Tell them, that is the main battle tank made by China’s Thunder Horse Organization. It is the most advanced tank in this world.”
“Really? Do I really say that?” The translator was hesitant.
“Say it! This is an order!” Huang He was pissed, he shall not let them trample over the pride of the military!
The translator heeded his instructions and translated his words into Russian to the officials.
The recipients clapped in response, gesturing their acknowledgement. However, it wasn’t difficult to tell their contempt and arrogance. China’s national defence had long relied on Russian technology and weapons, those officials were long used to the subjective consciousness that underestimated the Chinese. To them, any weapon China produces could not stray far from Russian technology.
The other officials discussed the tanks with lowered voices, seemingly afraid of offending the fuming Huang He.
A few minutes later, a Russian official announced the commencement of the tank biathlon.
With the light explosion of the signal flare, the participating tanks rushed out of the starting point and dashed towards the rugged terrain.
“I bet that so-called most advanced tank will be left behind with ten kilometres to catch,” said an Indian official.
His comment triggered a round of laughter. The man had spoken in Hindi, so only the few Indians around him had caught it. However, in the midst of their boisterous laughter, the slower ZTZ100 roared into action. In a whoosh, it sprinted forward. Its massive size sent snow upwards as it moved, making it look like a moving white hurricane.
In a blink of an eye, the Indian Arjun tank and the Japanese Type 10 Tank and even the Russian T90 Tank were left far behind.
The bewildering sight had Hattori Masao stand up from his seat. The man had his widened eyes glued onto the accelerating ZTZ100 main battle tank. “Is Xia Lei the only one driving it?”
“I didn’t see anyone else entering the tank so most likely he is.” Hattori Mei too was now standing up in fear. Well-versed in AI technology, Hattori Mei knew exactly what it indicated. The ZTZ100 main battle tank possessed automation technology beyond their imagination!
More and more people started to stand to get a good look at the tank.
But this was merely the beginning! The ZTZ100 continued to zoom forward in the snow. It was as if the rugged terrain was flat ground under its tracks! The other tanks had required more caution when climbing up the forty-five-degree slope. But the ZTZ100 had just roared upwards without any hesitation. Xia Lei didn’t even need to move his feet away from the pedal. What was even more impressive was that the sixty-five-tonne tank was fleeting at the top of the slope like a car!
With its astonishing 2500 hp, the ZTZ100 main battle tank was the Lamborghini of all tanks!