Love Began with the First Meeting

"Print it out for me." "Yes, Ruler."

Eric put down the phone. The call had cut his train of thoughts. He stared blankly at the documents in his hand and then threw them aside, annoyed by the workload. Then he stood up from behind the desk and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. There, he stood silently with a cup of tea in his hand. As he looked out the window, his mind was carried far away from the hustle of his job. The main building of the National Congress was in the shape of the letter 'Z', a grand architecture with lucrative history. Its magnificent design somehow symbolized Dragon Island's spirit-undefeated and utterly powerful. It would stand the test of time and stay erect on this earth for thousands of years to come. Through the last few centuries, the island had developed into an independent country and had gained its own sovereignty. Originally, this place was home to only a few hundred thousand people. Now, more than seventy million people lived and worked on this beautiful and prosperous land. With its growing population and increasing demands, a change in the country's foreign policies was an undeniable need. The National Congress would be responsible for the change to come. Members of the Long family were also fully aware of the fact that it was high time they exposed themselves more to the international world and formed sound diplomatic relationship with other countries.

One of those countries in particular was their top priority. Country Z shared the same ancestors as Dragon Island's. The two countries even spoke the same language and had similar cultural traditions.

As he was immersed in his thoughts, he heard a knock.

Eric titled his head and uttered, "Come in." He then slowly turned around and looked at his secretary as she politely put down a file on the desk.

"Ruler, here is the email which was sent by Mr. Brian Long. I have printed it out for your reference," she reported to him in a smooth voice. "If you don't require anything else, I will leave you to it."

Eric simply nodded as he walked towards the desk. His attention was instantly drawn towards the file. As soon as his secretary left the room, he picked it up and quickly scanned through the contents. It was quite an interesting read. It listed the details of Brian's training program designed for Edgar's army. Many of these trainings were adapted from XK Intelligence Agency's own programs. The training periods varied from one week to even half a month.

"Bro, you are trying so hard here. It is so obvious." He was utterly surprised by his brother's move. A strange fire lit in his eyes as he raised his gaze from the paper. He called, "Lenny!"

"Yes, Young Master!" Lenny, who had been standing in the corner of the room, stepped forward. His face was as calm as a deep dark lake.

"Ask Committee He to prepare for the next mock battle." As he carefully put the file away into the desk drawer, Eric ordered solemnly, "I need the detailed proposal within the next three days."

"Yes. Young Master." Lenny received his order with a slight bow and then left the office immediately.

For a moment, the room fell into absolute silence. Sitting in his armed chair with a grin on his face, Eric murmured to himself, "Go ahead and amass all the help you need. However, I am still convinced that my troop will stand out."

Few days later, a mock battle was scheduled to take place in the vast forests of the rural part of Country Z. The troop from Dragon Island and Edgar's soldiers, wearing red and blue uniforms respectively, carried out a brutal military battle. Although it was held in a primary forest, the soldiers still had to take careful consideration of the villages nearby. Not to mention, there was also a municipal town somewhere close by the forest. In order to minimize the impact of the battle to the civilians living in the area, the soldiers had to be extra vigilant and considerate as they continued to carry out their military moves. Needless to say, the mock battle was unprecedented and was rated with a high level difficulty.

Usually, a mock battle would last no more than one month. However, this one turned into something tedious as both sides refused to give up and had the strong will to win. Eventually, despite fatigue and hunger, the troop from Dragon Island swiped the whole forest with their fearful attacks. There was no force in the world that could block the powerful march of the Dragon Island army. With the efficient leadership of its great ruler, it continued to advance and conquer. However, things took a sharp turn at the last moment. Despite their huge loss in the forest, several members of the Falcon Commando, under Daniel's leadership, broke into the headquarter of Dragon Island and effectively held all of Eric's commanders hostage. So, it was a hard call to say which team was the real winner of the mock battle. Everyone who was involved in the mock battle was greatly impressed by the professionalism of the Dragon Island army. On the other hand, the island's troop was surprised to see the elite force trained by Brian. These soldiers were the best of the best to begin with. However, under the devilish training bestowed upon them by Brian, they had turned into powerful military killing machines. They were physically strong and tactically wise, and were also able to adapt themselves to all kinds of changing combat environment. Brian's advanced training program had reshaped them mentally and physically into perfect men of war.

Brian looked handsome in his military uniform as he stood proudly in the training field. He was watching the soldiers as they carried out intensive drills under the scorching sun. Next to him stood Daniel, with a timer in his hand. Sweat beads had started to form on Daniel's forehead-not because of the merciless sun, but because he was concerned about the brutal exercises his boys were going through at that moment.

Brian noticed his uneasiness and said scornfully, "As their direct supervisor, you are in full control of the team now. If you cannot control your own emotions, how could your boys trust you with their lives in the field?"

Daniel's eyebrows furrowed in distress. As soon as he saw the last one jump through the obstacle, he stopped the timer. He checked the time, then he looked up and smiled contentedly, "Brian, they have all passed."

His young face was filled with a strong sense of pride. He even reached over and showed the timer to Brian so that he could cross-check. Confidently, he raised his head and said, "Once we are in the field, their lives and mine are closely related. I am fully aware of my duties as a Commander. However, during this hellish training stage, I can't help but feel bad for the pain they are going through. I am so proud of them. From the bottom of my heart, I am truly happy for what they have achieved today."

His voice was calm, but the look in his eyes was sharp and determined.