Dust and smoke dissipated.
There were no metal fragments, no parts blasted into dust, and certainly no pieces of a dismantled tin mecha toy.
The mecha, ten meters tall and matte-colored, was still inching forward at a snail's pace, like an old man shuffling along with a cane, on the verge of collapse.
Yet, its mecha shell bore no scars… not only were there no dents left by the cluster missile bombardment, but not even the slightest trace of scorching from high temperatures.
Were it not for the deep craters in the snowy ground beneath the tin mecha toy from Great Xia, and the melted water from the missile explosions.
Everyone would have doubted whether the Alvi anti-tank robot's targeting system had malfunctioned, causing all dozen-plus cluster missiles to miss their mark.
Beep!
Beep beep beep!
Before the stunned officers could react.
The Alvi anti-tank robots, having not been counter-attacked and destroyed, initiated a continuous, multi-wave assault.
Seven to eight waves of attacks followed.
Over a hundred cluster missiles shrieked through the air.
The deafening explosions finally cracked the distant snow-capped mountains.
The surging snowmelt triggered a shocking avalanche.
With the launch of the last equipped missile!
The Alvi anti-tank robots, rendered incapable of further attack, lay dormant in the snow… their trickery exhausted!
On the other hand, the mecha.
It continued to move steadily towards its designated target a hundred meters away, following the operator's commands.
Behind the mecha, a long trail was etched by the melting snow caused by the cluster missile explosions.
The half-meter thick snow cover had been melted by the high temperatures, even exposing the dark brown permafrost that had not seen the sun in countless years.
And the tin mecha, classified as a "toy," remained completely unmarked.
With a "beep."
The tin toy mecha reached its predetermined target and emitted a clear alert sound.
The stunned officers finally snapped back to reality.
They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with incredulous astonishment.
"Cough… cough cough!"
Major General Gude Yef was the first to break the silence.
"The first military robot test, not a bad result!"
"The Alvi anti-tank robot from Gaul possesses excellent firepower and stealth capabilities!"
"As for this mecha toy from Great Xia… no, this mecha robot's defensive capabilities have simply exceeded our expectations!"
As expected of someone who could become a major general.
His ability to adapt to the situation was truly top-notch.
In the blink of an eye, he had transformed his earlier statement of "using the tin mecha toy from Great Xia as a target for the Alvi anti-tank robot" into "the first military robot test."
This "toy" mecha from Great Xia had completely changed Major General Gude Yef's perception.
He even generously expressed his praise to Tuojinisi, stating that it was enough.
"Your Excellency Tuojinisi, I retract my previous words."
"Your military procurement action this time has been excellent."
"Just for the robust defensive capabilities of this mecha robot from Great Xia, this million Great Xia coins were well spent!"
A "toy" metal mecha worth one million Great Xia coins, which converted to about 150,000 US dollars, had withstood all attacks from the 3.5 million US dollar Alvi anti-tank robot.
It was unclear whether the private mechanical technology in Great Xia had become too advanced over the years, or if the military industries of the Western Alliance countries had regressed significantly.
However, regardless.
A mecha costing $150,000 that withstood attacks from a $3.5 million anti-tank robot was a massive profit by any measure.
In fact.
Major General Gude Yef was already considering whether to add this "toy" metal robot from Great Xia to the procurement plan and submit it to the military budget department for approval and purchase.
A mecha with such terrifying defensive capabilities.
Even without considering other functions.
Simply buying it to use as a mobile shield.
It would still be a huge bargain, wouldn't it?!
Each unit costing only $150,000!
What more could one ask for?
Seeing Major General Gude Yef praise him ever so slightly in public for the first time in years.
Tuojinisi, who was usually treated as a useless person, was on the verge of tears.
After so many years.
This was the first time he had received recognition.
And it was from his direct superior, Major General Gude Yef, who had never acknowledged him. It seemed he wouldn't be sent to the Black Sea to catch fish!
Looking at the metal mecha with its green indicator lights flashing on its face, sold as a toy, Tuojinisi, who felt like his luck had turned, was filled with a myriad of emotions.
How many secrets were hidden by the mysterious Great Xia.
Even the "toys" developed and manufactured by private entities could be so cool, domineering, and awesome.
Truly, true masters were among the common folk!
...
Seeing that Tuojinisi, whom they had dismissed as useless, had suddenly become their biggest competitor.
Those procurement officers who had been dazzled by the metal mecha, despite their scalps tingling, couldn't help but voice their objections.
"How is that possible? This is a product from a private enterprise in Great Xia, how could it possess such terrifying defensive capabilities?!"
"Could this kid Tuojinisi be lying and have colluded with a military enterprise in Great Xia!"
"What kind of awesome toy can withstand the bombardment of over a hundred cluster missiles? This thing is not a toy, nor is it produced by a civilian enterprise. It must be secretly supported by an old, established military enterprise in Great Xia."
"Is it too soon to declare this mecha's performance extremely powerful… if it only has defensive capabilities and lacks offensive power, mobility, and other comprehensive abilities, it's just a sitting duck!"
...
Facing the objections of many procurement officers under his command, Major General Gude Yef nodded in agreement.
Indeed.
The defensive capabilities of this mecha were outstanding.
However, modern warfare military robots required both offensive and defensive capabilities, multi-functional integration, and superior overall performance.
If it only had defensive capabilities, and its indicators for firepower, mobility, speed, and repair rate couldn't keep up, large-scale procurement would be impossible.
At most, a few million US dollars would be invested to procure a small number, specifically equipped for special units that needed them.
It would be impossible to achieve large-scale procurement, large-scale deployment, and large-scale implementation.
Seeing that Major General Gude Yef was being persuaded again.
His subordinate officers immediately scrambled to promote their chosen products, like vendors hawking their wares.
"Your Excellency, you are right. With only defensive capabilities, it's a sitting duck!"
"In modern warfare, multi-functional military robots are the preferred choice."
"This humanoid mecha does not conform to military mechanical engineering principles at all… and its slow movement makes it extremely vulnerable to capture by the enemy on the battlefield!"
"..."
Just as the scene became noisy, with everyone arguing incessantly.
A technical officer responsible for monitoring and operating the military robot's operation let out a startled cry that attracted everyone's attention.