A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

With the colonel still somewhat stiffly seeing him off, Uncle Kim calmly left the command room.

He didn't turn back, and his figure quickly blended into the interplay of light and shadow and the shadows of the sentries within the base, as if he had never been there.

An inconspicuous black sedan silently pulled up beside Uncle Jin. Jin opened the car door and got in. The car smoothly drove away from the base gate and merged into the sparse night traffic along the Tokyo Bay coast.

The light and shadow outside the car window flickered on Jin's tired but calm face.

He leaned back slightly, closed his eyes, and the composure and imposing aura he had felt in the command room gradually faded, replaced by a deeper sense of exhaustion.

Uncle Jin stared blankly out the window, lost in thought. Only when the neon lights outside swept across his face did his eyes move.

Who would have thought?

Just over a decade ago, this land beneath our feet was a wasteland ravaged by incendiary and atomic bombs. Devastation was everywhere, walls were broken, and people struggled in hunger and despair…

The turning point came from the sudden hot war that broke out on the peninsula.

For Japan, which was occupied after its defeat and whose economy was on the verge of collapse, this war, which took place so close by, became a turning point in its fate.

The enormous military needs of the bald eagle and its allies instantly surged toward this nearest, controllable "rear base" and "arsenal."

This is what is known as the "special demand boom".

From car and truck repair to military uniform and sandbag production, from port services to material transshipment, almost all of Japan's industrial sectors were mobilized to serve the "United Nations forces."

The dying factory is emitting thick smoke again, the idle docks are bustling once more, and foreign exchange is flowing in like a life-saving spring.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, the precursors to the later powerful military-industrial complexes, gained respite, funding, and initial technological accumulation while repairing ships and vehicles for the US Navy and even producing some military supplies.

At the same time, based on its Cold War strategy, the United States rapidly shifted its policy toward them from restriction to support, providing not only substantial economic aid but also preferential treatment in technology, markets, and administration.

The Dodge route stabilized Japan's financial system, which was on the verge of collapse, while the Shinmu boom marked the beginning of Japan's high-speed economic growth.

By the late 1950s and early 1960s, they were no longer just war ruins. Under the export-oriented strategy, industries such as steel, shipbuilding, and home appliances developed rapidly, and the national income doubling plan was launched. The whole society was filled with a restless and hopeful atmosphere that "hard work can lead to wealth".

Completed in 1958, Tokyo Tower serves as a symbol of the nation's struggle to emerge from the mire of defeat and to rise again as an economic giant.

Uncle Jin looked away, his expressionless face reflected in the car window.

The neon lights continued to glow, but in his eyes, they seemed to carry the undercurrent of gunpowder. The irony and cruelty of history could not be greater than that of a nation's "miracle," which stemmed from its all-out support for another war.

"Damn it, all our efforts to defend our country have ended up with them getting the biggest advantage!"

"So, even if I went a little too far this time, it's just to collect some interest..." Uncle Jin silently calculated in his mind.

If it weren't for Uncle Kim being one of our elites...

That's what he thought, and actually, Little Notebook's Bald Eagle Daddy thought the same thing. It's just that Uncle Jin is starting to fleece people now, while Little Notebook's Bald Eagle Daddy will have to wait more than a decade.

Everything in this world comes at a price...

To take a recent example, the emperor who was so wealthy that he was a favorite minister of the country, whose greed was known to the emperor but was tolerated for a long time, ultimately became the most abundant "replenishment of the national treasury" and "popular dividend" when the new emperor ascended the throne.

Today's support and indulgence may just be a prepayment for tomorrow's harvest.

In the game of those in power, there is never a free lunch, only chips with a price tag and a pre-selected time to reap the rewards.

"This time... it was a bit risky." Uncle Jin continued to silently review the situation in his mind.

Back home, they always think three steps ahead before taking a single step, emphasizing a down-to-earth approach and a solid foundation. But this time, in conjunction with that "idiot's" wildly imaginative and audacious plan, it's a risky and reckless move, pushing the boundaries to the extreme.

By exploiting accidents, creating chaos, and taking risks, they directly targeted the core issue, then swiftly withdrew. Highly efficient, but also... too unconventional, taking a risky approach, leaving many loose ends that need mending.

Going to the sea by yourself may seem risky, but it is actually the safest choice under the current circumstances.

The affair between Junichiro and the "Hayashio" is far too complex, and the technology transfer agreement is the core issue that must never be made public. Having a mid-level power player like Shinohara exert pressure and oversight is more effective and discreet than any external pressure.

Uncle Kim must remain hidden behind Shinohara and his "white gloves" to ensure that the remote control is both secure and discreet. If everything relies on remote commands or third-party intermediaries, the effectiveness will inevitably diminish, and misunderstandings or loopholes can easily arise in complex processes.

Only by being there in person and exerting that silent yet all-encompassing sense of pressure up close can one most quickly and thoroughly cultivate a "qualified tool consciousness" like Shinohara's.

After all, fear is purest when faced with it, and loyalty is most complete when there is no way to retreat.

"It's all that brat's fault!"

Uncle Jin silently thought to himself, but the corners of his mouth curved into an almost imperceptible smile. That kid had a reckless, adventurous spirit and an unbelievable stroke of luck that actually managed to turn this seemingly hopeless situation around.

However, this time it was truly a tough situation. If Uncle Jin hadn't reacted quickly enough, had enough aliases, and hadn't been able to cover up several key points in time, the plan would inevitably have revealed some unnatural flaws during its execution. At that point, dealing with it wouldn't be as simple as just warning one or two "Shinoharas."

However, risks and rewards go hand in hand. Uncle Jin slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the neon lights rushing past the car window, and he fell into thought again.

The gentle old man's decision to allow him to get deeply involved this time, and even tacitly permitting him to use some higher-level "resources" to cooperate with Jiangxia's plan, probably had several deeper meanings.

Firstly, it is naturally due to the immense value that the subsequent "Huang Shiren Plan" may bring in related technologies and even deeper intelligence networks, which is worth taking a certain risk for.

Secondly, this is, after all, Japanese territory. Although it is also heavily fortified, it is still much "closer" than the US mainland.

The depth of operations, room for maneuver, and even the possibility of "physical contact" at critical moments have all increased significantly. In old terms, this is called "grabbing a piece of the pie and running away, with a relatively high safety margin."

The gentle old man must have weighed the options before daring to let Uncle Jin "jump around" like that.

Third...

Uncle Jin's gaze softened for a moment as he recalled the decoding process that Anderson had interrupted.

Although I didn't read the whole thing, the gentle old man's barely perceptible guilt and protectiveness were already evident on the page...