— Huu — Ha —
Admiral Mike suddenly woke up from a nightmare, his bloodshot eyes opening wide.
He tried to get up, but his whole body felt weak and aching. He couldn't move at all.
A scruffy-looking aide quickly came to support him.
"Admiral Mike, are you feeling better?" the aide asked anxiously.
"Water... water," Mike croaked.
"Yes! Get some water! Quickly!"
The aide held Mike's back firmly to prevent him from falling back onto the bed.
He helped Mike sip water little by little from a military canteen.
After Mike's dry lips and hoarse throat were moistened, he raised his eyes to look around.
This was not a hospital, nor a civilian house, and definitely not a military camp.
They were inside a cave.
Not far away, a campfire burned, and several soldiers wrapped in bandages stood by the bed, by the walls, and near the cave's entrance, watching.
Even stranger was a man lying on the ground, eyes closed, face pale and stiff.
No one in the cave paid any attention to him.
"What... what happened?" Mike's memory was blurry.
"Don't you remember?" the aide said with a troubled expression.
"Well, after you were cursed, you passed out."
He pointed to the stiff corpse on the ground.
"Exorcist McLorne sacrificed his own life to remove the curse on you and saved you from the brink of death."
Mike blinked his dry eyes and slowly began to understand what had happened.
He glanced at the corpse on the floor and his face showed a hint of horror.
Exorcist McLorne was one of his guards, and Mike knew his abilities well.
That curse could have taken his life — it must have been extremely dangerous.
"You... tell me everything that happened during this time. Don't leave anything out!"
The aide then spent a quarter of an hour carefully explaining all the events of the past week.
Admiral Mike felt a chill down his spine when he heard that several of his key subordinates had also been struck by the "curse" and had already died.
There was only one exorcist, and to remove this kind of "curse," the exorcist had to sacrifice their own life.
Naturally, the exorcist was ready to give their life to save Admiral Mike.
However, the death of those few generals who had the talent to lead the army meant a very serious consequence.
Sure enough, the strategist soon reported how their frontline troops were falling apart and thrown into chaos.
All communication between units and with the rear base had been cut off.
Monsters attacked from all directions under the cover of darkness and stormy winds, killing countless soldiers.
The guards protecting Admiral Mike could only shield him and the strategist as they retreated.
Along the way, they faced several ambushes, and one by one, the guards fell.
His beloved toad sunglasses and corn-cob pipe were also lost during the escape.
Finally, a week later, they ended up in their current state, with very few people left around them.
Admiral Mike felt dizzy and nearly fainted.
Fortunately, having been through many big battles before, he managed to calm himself.
"Where are we now? How far is it to the coastal fortress and the wreckage of BW1?"
The strategist quickly pulled out a map.
"Admiral Mike, we are approximately here."
Admiral Mike looked at the spot circled on the map, then estimated the distance to the nearest coastal fortress.
His breathing quickened.
Although the frontline army advanced slowly, they had eventually pushed deep into the new continent.
Their current location was just a point on the originally long supply line.
To walk back from here to the coastal fortress would take a very long time.
Not to mention the dangers of potential attacks or getting lost along the way.
"We still have any equipment left? How many people? Can we contact other units or the rear base?" Admiral Mike asked again, unwilling to give up.
The staff officer answered one by one.
Most of their weapons and gear had been lost along the way. They originally had a few off-road vehicles, but since the target was too large and vulnerable to attacks, the subordinates acting as bait had driven them away.
As for manpower, only the people in front of them remained, and contacting the rear base was impossible.
"Actually, the birds controlled by Cluck from the Hunter Association once found us," the staff officer suddenly said.
Admiral Mike couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope, but it was quickly extinguished by what the staff officer said next.
"However, the beasts soon discovered this and killed all those controlled birds. We lost contact with the rear again."
"Tch." Admiral Mike felt extremely frustrated, his head throbbing. The more he thought about what had happened, the more regret he felt.
If only he had asked the Hunter Association for help earlier, maybe made some concessions, he wouldn't have ended up in such a desperate situation.
"Those birds, they should have brought some news, right?" Admiral Mike asked.
The staff officer quickly replied, "Yes, that bird brought a letter."
"A letter?"
"A staff officer originally carried it, but he was attacked by the beasts, and the letter was lost with him."
Admiral Mike frowned and pressed, "What was written on the letter?"
"The letter said, 'The Germain squad is on the way.'"
"Ger…" Admiral Mike almost reflexively said that a small squad coming wouldn't help.
But when he realized the leader was that Germain, his attitude shifted a little.
"When will they arrive? Where are we supposed to meet them?"
"The letter didn't mention a meeting point, but we estimate that Germain's squad should reach the frontline within these few days."
Admiral Mike clenched his teeth. "Isn't this just leaving it to luck, hoping we'll run into them?!"
He cursed a few times, then suddenly lost heart. He buried his face in his hands, realizing that this conquest war could never end before the year's close.
Right now, the chaotic frontline forces might already be facing a crushing defeat.
And as their highest-ranking commander, he would inevitably have to take responsibility for it.
This whole situation depended on him surviving and making it back to the human settlement...
Admiral Mike's pride struggled to accept the bleak future his fate had become — all because of this huge failure caused by reckless advancement and ambition.
Yet misfortune seemed to cling to him relentlessly.
Inside the cave, Mike and his subordinates suddenly heard strange, eerie screeches outside.
The screeches grew louder and more frequent, mixed with bizarre howls.
Soon, a soldier stumbled in, shouting incoherently, "They're coming... the beasts... so many! So many!"
The color drained from Mike and his officers' faces. For a moment, they felt dizzy and uncertain about how to respond.
The guards and soldiers grew anxious. They gathered around Admiral Mike, waiting for orders.
Mike swallowed hard, then finally said one word: "Breakthrough... Breakthrough!"
*******
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