April 2, 1899 — Shanghai, China
The clamor of cranes and clanking of steel echoed across the Shanghai docks. The air was thick with the smell of coal smoke and salt water as steamships bearing the bold insignia of the Hesh Corporation unloaded their cargo. Dozens of crates marked "Precision Agricultural Equipment," "Telegraph Components," and "Hydraulic Survey Tools" were hoisted carefully onto waiting carts. Few outside the supply teams knew the true contents: bolt-action rifles, breech-loading field guns, and advanced wireless telegraphs—state-of-the-art military equipment for a region rapidly embracing modern warfare.
