China's military parade before the world's cameras on Wednesday showed off a growing arsenal capable, perhaps, of overturning the West's long-held grip on international order.
But behind the columns of tanks and rows of soldiers marching in perfect unison, a small white box sat atop a transporter, posed the greatest challenge to the status quo.
Xi Jinping, flanked by Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, took the opportunity to show off the LY-1 shipborne laser weapon, an addition to its navy to thrust China into the next generation of warfare.
China is not the first to develop such a weapon, but it is quickly surpassing the capabilities of its potential adversaries.
The United States and Britain have made strides towards developing their own energy weapons in recent years, rising to the challenge of a growing superpower in the east.
