The next day.

Early morning.

As dawn broke, the eastern sky began to lighten, revealing a pale, fish-belly white hue.

The rout of the First Infantry Brigade soldiers appeared at the headquarters of the Red Eagle Division.

"What!"

"My First Infantry Brigade has been decimated?"

"Even the brigade commander died a heroic death?"

Major General Arvind Johan, commander of the Red Eagle Division, looked shocked, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Because the power was cut off and the surrounding magnetic field was affected by the special aura of Niyadra, the communications officer of the First Infantry Brigade was unable to send out the message until his death.

The Red Eagle Division headquarters received no news throughout the night.

It wasn't until this morning, when the routed soldiers appeared, that the situation of the First Infantry Brigade was fully reported to the division headquarters.

The operations staff were also shocked, their faces showing disbelief.

"The First Infantry Brigade is the elite of the Red Eagle Division. How could its entire organization be dismantled overnight!"

"Neither the Dragon Kingdom nor any other country detected their troop movements. How could the First Infantry Brigade have been suddenly attacked!"

"This is absolutely outrageous! I can't believe the entire brigade was decimated overnight!"

"The First Infantry Brigade is not stationed on the border, so how could it have suffered such a crushing defeat?"

"Those were soldiers from an entire brigade! And they were just routed like that?"

Arvind Johan, his face contorted with anger, forced himself to control his emotions. "Shut up, all of you!"

He looked at the chief of staff. "Is there any other valuable intelligence?"

"According to the reports from the defeated soldiers, the enemy that attacked the First Infantry Brigade was actually a large group of monsters that had never been seen before!" The chief of staff thought for a moment and then replied.

“A monster? How is that possible? That’s utter nonsense!” Arvind Johan shook his head, completely disbelieving.

"Those defeated soldiers described it in great detail, mentioning ferocious canine creatures, tall, upright serpentine creatures, and giant monsters that resembled war chariots," the chief of staff said.

Arvind Johan scoffed: "These defeated soldiers are just making excuses to desert after losing the battle!"

"I think so too. It must be that the defeated soldiers colluded and prepared their story in advance!" The chief of staff nodded in agreement.

"Come with me to the 1st Infantry Brigade's base. I want to see for myself what kind of battle last night could cripple an entire brigade!"

Arvind Johan's gaze was sharp, his eyes filled with a hint of murderous intent: "No matter which country or force dares to attack the great Indian Empire, they will suffer unparalleled retaliation from the Indian Empire!"

...

...

An hour later.

The First Infantry Brigade's base.

Arvind Johan stood there, surrounded by a scene of utter devastation.

This field camp has almost been reduced to ruins.

The building collapsed, and there were black marks everywhere from the fire.

The ground was charred black, and guns and bullet casings were scattered everywhere.

The ground was littered with mutilated soldiers' corpses, their blood seeping into the earth, a vibrant crimson tinged with the charred black.

Damn it!

"how so?"

"Who is it?!"

"They dared to penetrate deep into our country's borders under cover of night and openly attack our troops!"

Arvind Johan's expression changed drastically, and a surge of anger welled up in his heart.

"Commander, look!" The chief of staff moved a metal plate aside.

A corpse suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes.

He is the commander of the First Infantry Brigade!

A huge bone needle pierced his chest, his eyes wide open, dying with his eyes still open.

"Whoever dares to lay a hand on the Red Eagle Division! I will kill them all and grind their corpses to dust!"

Arvind Johan's face changed color almost instantly, his facial muscles trembling with rage.

The commander of the First Infantry Brigade was his confidant.

He was also the successor he designated for the future.

Arvind Johan's sudden and tragic death has brought his anger to its peak.

"It's a cold weapon!" The chief of staff, wearing white gloves, stroked the sharp bone needle. "It's very hard, but I don't know what it's made of."

"The enemy is utterly depraved; they actually used cold weapons to brutally murder my men! I swear I will not rest until I avenge this!"

Arvind Johan roared, his eyes wide with rage, "Move out the troops immediately and search the surrounding area for a hundred miles! We must intercept and kill this enemy force before they escape the Indian Empire!"

"Yes, sir!" The chief of staff saluted. "Furthermore, the Southwest Command attaches great importance to this matter and has dispatched troops to begin a comprehensive, multi-dimensional search!"

"Did the radar signals and satellite monitoring system detect any enemy movements last night?" Arvind Johan asked.

The chief of staff shook his head. "It's strange, really. Yesterday, a strange electromagnetic storm suddenly appeared in the area where the First Infantry Brigade is stationed. Both radar signals and satellite signals were affected, and nothing was detected."

"Damn it! Why such bad luck! Of all times, it had to be this electromagnetic storm," Arvind Johan said bitterly.

"However, monitoring stations in the surrounding area show that no aircraft have been seen in this area from last night until now!"

"In other words, the only way this enemy can escape is by land!"

"As long as we lay a tight net, we will surely be able to intercept and kill the enemy!"

"When the time comes, I will personally torture and kill the enemy commander!"

"I, Arvind Johan, will make sure the enemy knows that the prestige of the Red Eagle Division and the prestige of the Indian Empire are absolutely not to be challenged!"

The accompanying guards all shouted, "Kill the enemy and avenge our compatriots!"

"Could this attack have been carried out by China's special forces?" The chief of staff hesitated for a moment before voicing his doubts: "Because of that incident, China is very likely to retaliate against us."

"The border troops of the Dragon Kingdom are under our close surveillance, and there has been no movement or abnormal signs."

Arvind Johan continued, "Moreover, the Dragon Kingdom does not have any real evidence, so they dare not risk the wrath of the world by crossing the border and penetrating deep into our territory to launch an attack."

"No! Those who attacked us last night were definitely not from China!" A surviving regimental commander of the First Infantry Brigade ran to the front and shouted.

"Then tell me! Which country's army launched the attack last night?" Arvind Johan turned his head and asked.

"The enemy isn't from China, nor is it an army from any other country!" The regimental commander's face was filled with terror, and his voice trembled slightly. "They...they aren't even human!"

“Nonsense! You are a soldier, and you must be responsible for what you say!” Arvind Johan said with displeasure.

"I saw it clearly. They were a group of monsters, using sharp claws and blades to slaughter our soldiers at will! They could also spray corrosive liquid that could melt the soldiers' bodies, and even steel!"

The regimental commander trembled all over, his pupils filled with fear.

“Nonsense! Is this your excuse for this defeat?” Arvind Johan snapped.

"The enemy is a bunch of monsters! They are demons from hell, impervious to swords and bullets, even artillery shells cannot harm them!" The commander's voice was sharp, and his face turned pale.

"You're insane!" Arvind Johan waved his hand. "Guards! Disrupting morale! Take him to a court-martial!"

"Commander, you have to believe me! I have evidence, look at the footprints on the ground!" The regimental commander quickly lay down, trying to find the traces left by the insect swarm.

However, before retreating last night, Su Bai had already ordered that all traces of the insect swarm's existence be erased.

In addition, the devastation caused by the fire has completely eradicated the footprints of springtails, hydralisks, and cockroaches in the military camp.

As for the bone needle inserted into the heart of the First Infantry Brigade Commander, it was deliberately left by Su Bai.

After all, it would be too boring if there were no traces at all.

"Where are the footprints?" The chief of staff asked, his face full of displeasure. "Guards, drag this madman away!"

"Commander! Chief of Staff! The enemy isn't human, they're a bunch of monsters!"

The regimental commander roared loudly.

The sound only disappeared after it was towed away by a military vehicle.

"The defeat of the 1st Infantry Brigade was entirely due to the enemy's surprise attack and the initiative! Now that their whereabouts have been exposed, as long as we can find them, we can wipe them out!"

Arvind Johan spoke each word with confidence.

"The Red Eagle Division will never be defeated!"

"Pass down the order: the entire division will cooperate with higher command and launch a full-scale search!"

"Even if we have to go without food and water, we must find the enemy!"

Centered on the garrison of the First Infantry Brigade, the Indian military dispatched a large number of troops to conduct a thorough search.

The sheer scale of the event left the border troops of the Dragon Kingdom utterly perplexed.

What's wrong with these Indians now?

...

...

The border of the Dragon Kingdom.

Secret military base.

"Intelligence indicates that the Indian military has launched a full-scale search. Your troops won't be discovered, will they?"

Wang Zhenguo, with a pistol at his waist, looked worried: "Although the insect soldiers are strong, they are fighting alone. If they are discovered by the enemy, they will suffer heavy casualties."

"It won't be discovered!" Su Bai smiled slightly, his voice confident.

He picked up the teacup in front of him and took a small sip. "After last night's battle, the swarm, led by Niyadra, has found a very well-hidden hiding place."