Chapter 539: Boss Morin Debates 2.0

"So you're telling me you were all captured by Colonel Morin single-handedly?"

A few days later, in a conference room in the east wing of the Imperial Palace, Emperor Albert II, seated at the head of the table, looked at the "defending force" led by General of the Infantry Rheinbaben with an extremely complicated expression.

Sitting opposite General Rheinbaben, Master Röntgen, Patricia, and the others, Morin watched the Emperor's face, getting the distinct feeling that Albert II was desperately trying to suppress something.

It was a subtle feeling, hovering somewhere between "wanting to laugh" and "feeling it's inappropriate to laugh in this setting."

Albert II quickly realized his phrasing wasn't quite rigorous... or rather, inappropriate. He coughed lightly and corrected himself: "I mean, Colonel Morin single-handedly breached the defense tower's multiple defensive lines and secured the core control room."

This rephrasing only made Rheinbaben's face flush deeper.

As the Director of the Army Ministry's Military Economy and Weapons Testing Department, General of the Infantry Heinrich von Lüttwitz Rheinbaben was also the primary initiator and driving force behind the "Anti-Magic Surveillance and Defense Tower" project.

The initial success of the "Thunder Warrior Project," especially their crucial role in capturing the Malta naval port, had already earned him considerable attention and praise within the military.

He had hoped this new project would propel his career even further. After all, the defense of the capital was a matter of paramount concern to the Emperor himself; doing it well would guarantee substantial rewards.

But the results of this exercise were essentially a bucket of ice water dumped over his head.

A defense facility touted before the exercise as capable of intercepting supernatural assaults had its core control room breached in its very first small-scale drill...

It was far too embarrassing to make public. Thus, the initially planned public release of the exercise results was temporarily sealed, leading to the convening of this "inquiry session" today.

Rheinbaben remained silent for quite a while. Although he was known in the Army Ministry for his skill at "claiming credit," he didn't shy away when it was time to take responsibility. It was precisely this pragmatic approach that had gotten him to his current position.

Finally, the Infantry General forced himself to speak.

"Your Majesty... this exercise indeed exposed many problems."

As he spoke, images from that day flashed uncontrollably through his mind.

That morning, after "shooting down" the two mages, the exercise progressed exactly as Morin had orchestrated.

First, Klaus led the Thunder Warriors in an assault from the south. The 27 "Mjolnir" armors operating at full power were captured by the magic fluctuation detection devices the instant they crossed the three-kilometer perimeter.

This relatively strong magical fluctuation convinced the defense tower that this was Morin's main avenue of attack.

They believed this was the most powerful offensive force Morin possessed, and he couldn't possibly be using these Thunder Warriors for a mere feint.

This was a misconception shared by many within the Saxon Empire. Compared to the enemies who faced Morin's attacks directly on the battlefield, their understanding of the "Great Saxon Imperial Star's" battlefield impact was clearly lacking in detail.

They knew Colonel Morin was strong, but they didn't know exactly how strong...

And the extreme speed at which Klaus and the Thunder Warriors advanced on the ground made the 3-kilometer alert perimeter seem almost too short, causing a severe misjudgment by the defenders and solidifying their belief that this was the "main attack."

Simultaneously, the "Anti-Magic Surveillance and Defense Tower" exposed its first flaw— some of the anti-aircraft weapons mounted on the tower couldn't engage ground targets due to depression angle limitations.

This directly resulted in a firepower vacuum appearing directly beneath the tower once the enemy breached a certain distance.

Although the large "Anti-Air Magitech Device" at the top of the tower managed to "kill" several Thunder Warriors with its sweeping beams at its maximum depression angle, and the outer perimeter defenders all rushed to the south, they still failed to stop Klaus's assault.

What threw the defenders into even greater disarray was that activity erupted almost simultaneously from the west.

Kane, who had maintained a stealthy approach, led the 1st Company veterans right up to the checkpoint. Just as the defenders realized something was wrong, they ripped open the outer defensive line with a brief but ferocious charge.

This was the instruction unit's specialty. The capital garrison troops, having never seen real combat, were completely overwhelmed by the ferocity of the 1st Class veterans in close-quarters engagements.

Because blank ammunition still posed a hazard at close range, exercise rules dictated that if opposing forces closed to an extreme distance, they transitioned directly to hand-to-hand combat.

How could garrison soldiers who stayed in the capital every day hope to defeat 1st Company veterans who had fought across entire campaigns in hand-to-hand combat?

If the exercise umpires hadn't intervened promptly, ruling that the 1st Company was "repelled" after garrison reinforcements arrived, the area around the checkpoint would likely have been wiped clean.

And while everyone's attention was drawn to these two directions, Morin had quietly slipped close to the defense tower.

Because he hadn't cast any spells on himself, relying purely on his physical stamina and agility, the magitech technicians, their attention focused on the Thunder Warriors, failed to notice the faint fluctuations captured by the detection devices from other directions.

Thus, Morin emerged from the depression scouted by the point men. Using the lingering morning mist and haystacks for cover, he advanced unopposed through the firepower vacuum right up to the base of the tower.

It wasn't until he attempted to use 【Invisibility】 to enter the tower that the magic fluctuation detection equipment finally issued an alert.

"At the very end, we did detect Colonel Morin..."

Rheinbaben added, his tone betraying obvious frustration.

"The moment he cast his spell, our detection system reacted... Furthermore, the 'directional beam illumination device' developed by Master Röntgen swept over his figure at the entrance."

"But what does it matter? Detecting him is one thing, stopping him is another."

Master Röntgen took over, his tone much calmer than Rheinbaben's.

"Upon being detected, Colonel Morin didn't pause for a moment. He immediately dropped 【Invisibility】 and forced his way deep into the tower at maximum speed... By the time the guards reacted, he had already reached the underground power supply sector."

Sitting beside Master Röntgen, Patricia turned a page in her notes and added details.

"From the moment the detection device issued the alert to when Colonel Morin shut down the defense tower's hybrid power supply unit, less than ten minutes elapsed."

This timeframe caused everyone in the conference room to look at Morin again. Patricia also looked up at him, asking with some confusion, "Colonel Morin, this should have been your first time encountering the 'Anti-Magic Surveillance and Defense Tower.' How did you manage to grasp the tower's structure and locate the power supply sector in such a short time?"

Morin obviously couldn't tell Patricia that the moment he entered, his system instantly generated a structural model of the defense tower and highlighted the underground power supply sector...

"As a spellcaster, I can sense the flow of mana. Furthermore, I must point out that the tower's structure is somewhat overly conventional, and there were no redundancies prepared..."

This was actually the truth. Because the mana flow inside the defense tower was extremely obvious, Morin could have found the power supply sector with a little extra time even without the system's guidance.

After Morin finished speaking, Albert II tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest twice, then asked, "So what was the reaction in the control room at that moment?"

The corner of Rheinbaben's mouth twitched.

"After the power supply unit was severed, all magitech equipment in the tower shut down... The detection systems paralyzed, the anti-air magitech devices lost power, the communication relays disconnected... Even the lights in the control room went out."

"Then we heard a series of loud bangs outside, followed by approaching footsteps."

Rheinbaben paused; the image was simply too deeply ingrained.

In the pitch-black control room, while everyone was scrambling to light backup illumination, the heavy metal door was kicked open.

A figure stood in the doorway and even waved at them.

"Good morning, everyone! However, I regret to inform you that you are all my prisoners~"

Those were the first words Morin spoke. That cheeky, grinning demeanor made Rheinbaben want to curse.

"Hmm... I see."

Albert II finally lost his composure, remembering that Rheinbaben and his team had initially planned to invite him to observe the exercise personally.

If not for a scheduling conflict, he might have been "captured" by Morin in the core control room alongside them.

Thinking of this, Albert II's mouth twitched slightly before he quickly restored his regal dignity.

He turned to Morin.

"Sir Friedrich, what are your thoughts on this defense tower and the current state of the entire defense system?"

Hearing this question, Rheinbaben instinctively tensed up.

Because in his view, the project was practically condemned to death. If a defense facility couldn't even pass its first test... and had its core control room taken out directly, further investment was basically out of the question.

He had even prepared a mental draft on how to clean up the mess once the project was temporarily shelved. After all, he represented not just his own interests, but the interests of those behind him.

"Your Majesty, although the attacking force achieved ultimate victory in this exercise, I do not believe this means the defense tower itself served no purpose."

The moment these words left Morin's mouth, Rheinbaben's brain buzzed.

He turned stiffly to look at the excessively young Colonel across from him. Morin, wearing an incredibly serious expression, was continuing to address the Emperor: "On the contrary, during the exercise, the defense tower's magic fluctuation detection system demonstrated quite excellent sensitivity and response speed."

"Master Röntgen's beam illumination device also proved that even against invisible supernatural units, we possess means of detection."

"These are all valuable. The problem merely lies in... the current plan focused too heavily on anti-aircraft defense, somewhat neglecting defense against ground infiltration."

Rheinbaben opened his mouth but failed to react in time. The stomachful of justifications he had prepared were suddenly useless.

It took the Infantry General several seconds to digest the meaning behind Morin's words.

He's actually making excuses for this project? This isn't right...

Rheinbaben turned his head to stare intently at Morin, trying to read his expression to see if he was joking. But Morin's face was incomparably serious right now, without a hint of mockery.

Rheinbaben clearly didn't understand the principle that "those who want to win don't smile." Besides, he had no time to think further, as Albert II leaned slightly forward and said to Morin, "Continue, Sir Friedrich... expand on your thoughts."

Morin stood up from his seat, noticing a massive blackboard meant for military briefings against the wall.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty. I'd like to borrow this blackboard."

Without waiting for a response, he picked up a piece of chalk and began drawing.

Morin had been mulling this over for the past few days. With the war still ongoing, an accident in the capital would be quite fatal.

Furthermore, Cecilia and Helga spent their days in Dresden. Morin didn't want their safety compromised.

Given that he would likely spend the rest of his life rooted in this world, Morin obviously didn't want his country to lose this great war.

It was human nature...

After all, Morin had built a foundation in the Saxon Empire, established a network, and found people he cared about... If this war was lost, based on the experience of that other world, scenarios he definitely didn't want to see would unfold.

So he wanted to win. He wanted to win more than anyone else. It had become something of an obsession.

This was why, the moment he snuck into the defense tower during the exercise, all the information about the "Flak Towers of Berlin" from his memories of another world began surging wildly into his mind.

Coupled with the system's 【Scientific Research】 interface unexpectedly popping up after a long silence, providing an adjusted plan adapted to this world's conditions, Morin drew almost without pause.

"First is the fundamental conceptual issue—"

The chalk rapidly sketched the outline of a building on the blackboard. It was at least three times thicker than the existing defense tower, looking more like a castle than a tower.

"A defense tower should not be an isolated facility. It must be integrated into the entire city defense system."

"Secondly, a single tower within a defense sector must be expanded into a multi-tower complex... Dispersing key functional blocks while forming mutually supporting fields of overlapping fire."

Morin drew three squares arranged in a triangle, marking lines of fire between them.

"The core command room and the magic fluctuation detection devices—these two critical modules must be deployed separately from the main firepower platforms... Don't put all your eggs in one basket!"

"The reason I was able to take down the entire tower by myself and have the exercise umpires rule it captured was because cutting off the power paralyzed most key functions simultaneously."

Albert II's gaze swept over the rough sketches Morin was rapidly drawing. This was the first time he realized Morin possessed such drafting skills beyond military map work.

"What is this large one?" he asked, pointing to the thick-outlined building in the center.

"The Firepower Tower," Morin wrote the name above it. "The primary anti-air and ground firepower platform, built to the specifications of a reinforced concrete fortress."

"Wait... why a concrete fortress?" Rheinbaben couldn't help but ask.

"Exactly."

Morin turned his head to look at him, then continued, "It must support the load-bearing requirements of 150mm heavy guns while withstanding long-range enemy strikes. The wall thickness must be at least two meters. For the upper sections susceptible to direct hits, I recommend a thickness of 3.5 meters."

"Two meters..."

Rheinbaben inhaled sharply. As the Director of the Military Economy and Weapons Testing Department, frequently dealing with engineering projects, he quickly estimated the staggering volume of construction and material consumption that figure represented.

Ignoring his reaction, Morin continued, "Based on the combat reports I reviewed, the 150mm heavy guns demonstrated excellent combat effectiveness against airborne mages in the recent Mediterranean naval battles... especially when paired with the 'magitech proximity fuse' developed by Miss Patricia von Seeckt. The lethal efficiency has been greatly enhanced!"

At this point, Morin's gaze swept toward Patricia.

"According to detailed reports, the dense shrapnel and shockwaves produced by 150mm heavy guns equipped with proximity fuses significantly increase the hit rate against flying targets. Even high-circle mages would find it difficult to escape unscathed from such a dense barrage."

Patricia's shoulders tensed slightly.

Being specifically named and praised by Morin in front of the Emperor and so many Imperial high officials caused a faint pink flush to rise on her ears, even as she tried hard to maintain a "calm and professional" expression.

Her lips pursed slightly.

See, she really is a tsundere.

Morin mentally quipped, withdrew his gaze, and continued adding details to the blackboard.

"Besides the two Firepower Towers, there is the Detection and Command Tower. This is dedicated to magic fluctuation detection, early warning, and coordinating the entire defense sector, while possessing a degree of self-defense firepower..."

"The Detection and Command Tower is kept at a distance from the Firepower Towers. This way, even if one is breached, the other can continue operating."

Albert II stared at the layout on the blackboard for quite a while before asking a key question.

"What about ground defense? Aside from strengthening the Firepower Towers' ground attack capabilities, are there other measures to improve it?"

"This is the part I want to emphasize."

Morin set down the chalk and turned to face everyone.

"The biggest reason I was able to easily infiltrate the vicinity of the tower during this exercise wasn't that the defense tower itself was weak..."

"...It was because along the several-kilometer route from our staging area to the defense tower, not a single patrol force discovered us."

"How did the ordinary soldiers of the 1st Company reach the checkpoint? They walked there... encountering zero patrols and triggering zero early warnings along the way."

"Setting up a checkpoint near the defense tower is truly meaningless. Aside from checking passing civilians, I don't see what purpose it serves."

"If there were patrols operating on the perimeter, even if they only fired a flare or a warning shot, the entire tempo of the battle would change completely... The defenders would gain precious reaction time, and the defense tower could adjust its firepower deployment in advance."

Morin surveyed the room.

"Therefore, the defense tower is only one link in the system... Daily patrols by the city defense forces, roving sentries, street-level control by the police—only when these 'soft' forces are combined with the 'hard' defense towers does it form a complete defense system."

"After all, in the future, I believe the capital will face not only direct attacks from enemies but, more likely, infiltration by various intelligence operatives..."

The conference room was quiet for a few seconds.

Rheinbaben and the other participating Army officers lowered their heads to digest this information, while Master Röntgen nodded repeatedly.

Patricia had picked up her pen, jotting things down rapidly in her notebook, occasionally looking up at the sketches on the blackboard.

After the silence stretched on, Albert II finally spoke, but his first question wasn't about the defense towers.

"Sir Friedrich... I notice you seem very concerned that Dresden will suffer a large-scale attack?"

Hearing this, Morin gathered his thoughts and spoke earnestly: "Your Majesty, technological development is fastest during wartime."

"If we can reverse-engineer the Britannians' large 'anti-air magitech devices,' the enemy is equally capable of developing their own weapons and equipment based on our concepts! And do not forget... their magical foundation is far deeper than ours."

"Furthermore, after the Teutonic Order equipped shaped-charge armor-piercing weapons on a large scale, the Britannians quickly equipped their Armored Knights with similar weapons, proving they indeed possess the capacity to learn..."

"If one day the Britannians decide to launch a long-range strike against the Imperial capital, led by high-circle mages through a massive mage infiltration, or perhaps through some method we haven't anticipated..."

Morin returned the chalk to its tray, speaking solemnly, "If we wait until then to scramble for solutions, the cost will be far greater than building a defense system now."

Albert II fell into deep thought for a long time.

Finally, the Emperor let out a long breath.

"Sir Friedrich, the way you speak sometimes... gives me the illusion that you can see the future."

Morin shook his head.

"It is not about 'seeing the future,' Your Majesty... I simply feel that after the Balkan campaign ended, many within the Empire have grown overly optimistic in their estimation of this war."

If anyone else had spoken words so clearly damaging to morale, Albert II would have been furious.

But the problem was, Morin wasn't just "anyone else."

Setting aside his tangible military merits, his wargaming of the Balkan and Mediterranean theaters—especially his validated predictions regarding the Britannian Navy's movements—was enough to command Albert II's serious attention.

It was precisely based on their acknowledgment of Morin's prior wargaming that the Navy deployed accordingly in the Mediterranean, securing an unprecedented, glorious victory...

At least in the history of fighting the Royal Navy of Britannia, this victory was worthy of being recorded in the annals of history.

Of course, what he didn't know was that the words Morin left unspoken... were that he truly worried about a specific scenario.

In the other world, British bomber fleets began bombing Berlin and other vital areas early on, even while their homeland was under attack.

In this world with magic, it might be even easier for the Britannians to do something similar, perhaps even appearing earlier during WWI.

If the Britannians were pushed into a corner, and a group of mages above the 7th circle... perhaps even 9th-circle mages, became dead set on launching a reckless suicide attack, the devastation they could cause might be more terrifying than a bomber formation.

However, he didn't need to lay all of this out. Just touching upon it was enough. The people present, including General Rheinbaben, were all smart men; they would quickly understand that Morin wasn't speaking nonsense.

"Sir Friedrich, I understand your concerns."

Albert II, who had other engagements to attend to, stood up, signaling the end of the meeting.

"However, you should also be aware that constructing to the specifications you described will cost an astronomical figure... Just the volume of concrete required for three towers in a single defense sector is likely beyond imagination."

"Given the Empire's currently strained finances, I will need to have deeper discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and relevant departments to determine where we can squeeze this budget from."

Morin bowed slightly.

"Of course, Your Majesty... These policy-level matters are not my concern... I merely offer what I believe are reasonable suggestions from a purely military perspective. This was one of the purposes of the exercise, was it not?"

Albert II nodded, then spoke a few words to Rheinbaben—

The gist of it was to have his department cooperate with Master Röntgen to first patch up the basic flaws of the existing defense tower, while simultaneously initiating a feasibility assessment of Morin's proposed new plan.

Rheinbaben accepted the orders, looking much better than when the meeting began.

At least the project hadn't been axed. And judging from the Emperor's phrasing, "cooperate in assessing the new plan," it was entirely possible they would receive even greater investment moving forward.

Although he had lost face in this battle, it seemed he hadn't lost substance?

With this thought, Rheinbaben even glanced at Morin as he stood up. Morin nodded slightly to him, his expression natural.

In that instant, General Rheinbaben even felt a fleeting illusion of "mutual appreciation among heroes."

But in the next second, he also realized he had already chosen a side. Unless Morin chose to join them, it was highly likely the two would have no further interactions.

The meeting concluded.

Stepping out the palace doors, Morin took a deep breath of the outside air.

The afternoon sun of Dresden draped lazily over the cobblestone streets. The sound of carriages passing could be heard in the distance.

Compared to the artillery fire of the front lines, the capital always projected an image of peaceful tranquility.

He was just about to signal the orderly waiting outside to arrange a car back to the garrison when he heard the sound of jogging footsteps behind him.

"Friedrich!"

Patricia caught up to him.

She had clearly just stepped out of the conference room as well. She still held the stack of notes in her hand, a few strands of her golden hair falling over her shoulders from the brief jog.

"Miss Patricia." Morin stopped and turned around. "Is there something else?"

Patricia stopped in front of him, first adjusting her wind-tousled hair before speaking.

"The plan you proposed during the meeting..."

"Yes?"

"Were you really just 'preparing for a rainy day'?"

Morin tilted his head.

"Why do you think I wasn't?"

Patricia pursed her lips, crossing her arms.

"Because normal 'preparing for a rainy day' doesn't result in pulling out such a complete system design on the spot... What you drew on the blackboard, whether it was the tower cluster layout, decentralized command, or anti-aircraft firepower deployment... the level of detail was such that professionals could practically use it directly for construction after a bit of polishing."

"Coupled with your views on the entire capital defense system and your concerns about the Britannians, this obviously wasn't something you thought of on the fly."

Morin raised an eyebrow. He had to admit, Patricia's powers of observation were always acute.

But he truly couldn't tell her, "Because in the world before I transmigrated, there was a thing called the Flak Towers of Berlin."

"I started thinking about this while I was in the Balkan Peninsula."

Morin spun a reasonably plausible excuse.

"When you spend enough time on the battlefield, you always think, 'What if the enemy attacks me this way?'... Then your thoughts wander, and you start thinking about what you would do if you had to defend the capital."

Patricia stared at him for several seconds.

Morin was far too familiar with that expression of "I know you're humoring me, but I can't find the flaw for now."

Her older brother, Ludwig, often wore the same look when Morin "bamboozled" him. They truly were siblings.

"Fine."

Patricia didn't press further, though her face clearly said "I don't believe you."

"You always have an excuse like this... Forget it."

Morin breathed a sigh of relief and changed the subject: "Are you heading straight back to the Institute? Or..."

"Back to Lady Falkenstein's estate."

Although she had grown quite familiar with Cecilia, Patricia still used her surname outside out of respect.

"This task force project has exhausted me. If I don't go back and rest, I'll drop dead in the Institute sooner or later."

Morin: "So you worked yourselves half to death just to come up with that thing?"

"..."

Patricia couldn't help clenching her fists, finally delivering a vicious punch to Morin's arm.

"Friedrich, do you know that sometimes the things you say can literally infuriate someone to death?"

"Of course I know~"

"..."

Seeing Patricia about to explode, Morin smiled and took her leather briefcase, then strode forward.

"Alright, let's go, Young Miss... You can just ride back in my car."

Patricia said nothing more, though she blushed slightly after Morin took her briefcase, falling into step beside him as they walked out of the palace.

Since returning home, Morin basically alternated his living arrangements between the instruction unit garrison and Cecilia's estate.

Because her brother and father were both out of the country, Patricia had been living at the estate since the war began, looked after by Cecilia.

As the two reached the gates of the Grand Palace to wait for the car, Patricia spoke up again.

"By the way, when I returned to the estate yesterday, I ran into Helga."

"Mhm," Morin replied, holding the car door open for Patricia to get in first.

"What's wrong?"

Patricia slid into the cabin, took her briefcase back from Morin, and set it on her lap. Her expression was somewhat perplexed.

"There's something off about her."

"Uh... what do you mean?" Morin instantly went on "high alert."

"You should have seen it..."

Patricia leaned back, looking out the window at the scenery beginning to recede as she spoke. "When I took the initiative to talk to her, her reaction was very strange... Although she wasn't very talkative before either, we had at least become relatively familiar with each other, and we could chat normally."

"But yesterday, she was avoiding me the whole time, keeping her answers as short as possible. It was that kind of... how should I put it... the kind of avoidance someone has when they have a guilty conscience."

Morin, who was just adjusting the angle of his right leg, froze.

Patricia, not noticing his pause, continued speaking to herself.

"The strangest part was that she blushed when she left! I don't know if the recent temperature rise made it too stuffy, but it certainly wasn't that hot inside the estate yesterday..."

Morin forced himself to maintain a normal expression. He knew better than anyone why Helga had reacted that way...

And evidently, Cecilia hadn't yet found the opportunity for a "heart-to-heart" with Helga.

So it wasn't surprising that Helga felt a guilty conscience when facing Patricia... Having matured overnight, Helga had clearly also noticed the ambiguous relationship between Morin and Patricia.

"Perhaps... you two haven't seen each other in a long time, and she was just a bit unaccustomed to it?"

Morin offered an excuse even he found perfunctory.

Patricia turned her head to stare at him. The distance between them suddenly became rather subtle.

"Friedrich."

"Hmm?"

"Do you know something?"

"What are you talking about? How would I know anything about Helga?"

"You answered too quickly."

Patricia set her briefcase aside and turned fully toward him.

"And your tone was off when you mentioned Helga just now."

Morin felt his forehead growing warm.

He hadn't blinked when facing enemy heavy artillery bombardments on the battlefield. He could calmly deal with the attacks of Britannian mages.

But now, under Patricia's direct interrogation, he actually felt the urge to jump out of the moving car.

"Miss Patricia, you are a researcher at the Imperial Magitech Research Institute, not an interrogator for the intelligence department..."

"You're changing the subject, Friedrich."

"..."

At a critical moment, the driver turned onto a bumpy stretch of road. The carriage jolted violently, interrupting Patricia's questioning.

She was jostled so hard she nearly hit the carriage wall. When she steadied herself and turned back, she found she was securely held in Morin's arms. Her face instantly flushed bright red. Not knowing what to say, her brain completely shut down.

Seeing Patricia stop asking questions, Morin breathed a sigh of relief.

Praise early shock absorbers!