Homo Sapiens

Tianzhu.

Delhi.

Inside an underground nuclear bunker.

Dharma, looking much more haggard, listened to the report from the hook-nosed old man. His expression was grim.

”The 21st and 36th Divisions were shelled by the rebels. Their command posts and ammunition were destroyed. We lost 1,327 personnel, and they’ve currently lost all offensive capability.”

”The air force at the front lines lost another four fighter jets tonight...”

The more the hook-nosed old man spoke, the more dejected his expression became.

Dharma turned to Jia Mu, the head of the intelligence department. ”What have you found in your investigation?”

”According to our satellite analysis, Nepal, Dongba, Hongsawaddy, and the northern border are all under martial law. We haven’t detected any signs of large transport vehicles operating in these areas,” Jia Mu said, placing several ultra-high-definition satellite maps on the table.

”Nothing? Are you sure you’ve investigated thoroughly?” The hook-nosed old man was incredulous.

But Jia Mu shook his head. ”This is the result of cross-referencing our satellite data with Lucia’s. While we can’t rule out the existence of some smaller trails, they are completely incapable of transporting large artillery pieces and so many drone components.”

”As for the drones, they could just fly them into Assam at low altitudes. That would be difficult to monitor, wouldn’t it?” The hook-nosed old man still looked northward with suspicion.

Jia Mu reminded him, ”But what about the heavy artillery? These are massive 300mm cannons. They can’t just be spirited into Assam without anyone noticing, can they?”

”Well...” The hook-nosed old man hesitated.

Currently, there were no 300mm super-heavy cannons in active service anywhere in the world. Furthermore, this type of heavy artillery was difficult to manufacture and extremely cumbersome.

Based on an analysis of various data from tonight’s engagement, they could roughly surmise that Assam had at least five or six heavy cannons of this type. Transporting so many of them into Assam would indeed be a major problem.

Apparently, the rapid movement of the Thunder Dragon I had created a false impression for Tianzhu’s intelligence agencies, leading them to believe the enemy had deployed numerous heavy cannons.

Jia Mu offered another theory. ”Perhaps it’s Dongba.”

After a long silence, Dharma spoke up. ”Dongba? Do you have any leads?”

Jia Mu quickly explained, ”My speculation is based on current intelligence. Nepal and Zuyu can basically be ruled out. The one to the north is unlikely due to terrain constraints; they couldn’t transport large equipment over the mountains. The border area between Hongsawaddy and Assam is also predominantly mountainous.”

Then he pointed to Dongba on the sand table. ”This is the Brahmaputra River. The river is wide enough. If they bribed the local border officials, they could easily use transport ships to secretly move large equipment into Assam under the cover of night.”

”Is that possible?” Dharma mused.

Jia Mu added, ”If it were just Dongba, of course not. They don’t have the capability to produce so many drones and heavy cannons. But...”

Jia Mu didn’t need to finish. Dharma and the others had already guessed the possibilities.

Some other power was secretly supplying the Assam Rebel Army with weapons and equipment through Dongba’s waterways.

In fact, it wasn’t just Tianzhu’s intelligence agency thinking this. Major powers like America and Lucia were thinking the same thing.

However, the subjects of their suspicions differed.

Tianzhu, for example, suspected its northern neighbor and America were stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

Lucia suspected America.

America suspected a certain Eastern power.

And that certain Eastern power suspected America and Hongsawaddy.

But on matters like this, they couldn’t trust each other or be candid, so exchanging intelligence was out of the question. A chain of suspicion is a difficult thing to break.

All of a sudden, Dongba became a very busy place.

Hongsawaddy, on the other hand, was busy building a barrier wall on its border, which diverted the world’s attention from its mountain valleys.

After all, common sense dictated that a 300mm self-propelled howitzer would weigh at least a hundred tons. It wasn’t something an ordinary vehicle could haul.

Given the few dilapidated roads between Hongsawaddy and Assam—roads that ran through mountain ravines at that—transporting a hundred-ton heavy self-propelled howitzer would be exceedingly difficult.

Thus, Dongba, with its wide-open river, became the prime suspect.

This included Lester’s team from Black Ship, who were currently in Dongba, trying to make contact with Assam while investigating the secret channels hidden there.

Dongba.

Gurigram City.

This was a riverside city on the Brahmaputra River. Traveling about 21 kilometers northeast along the river would lead into the Assam Region.

The city now had a considerable number of foreign ”tourists” and ”business delegations.”

Disguised as foreign tourists, Lester’s team had contacted several Dongba merchants who had previously done business in Assam, using a local Convert as an intermediary.

To be precise, these merchants were involved in rather shady business.

Seated in an assault boat, Lester scanned the dense reeds and the nearby river surface with his binoculars.

Before long, they arrived at a small island surrounded by swamps and reeds.

There was a small village here.

The merchant he was there to see was holed up in this village.

With the Convert’s introduction, the two parties soon met in a stilt house made of bamboo, built over the water.

A large, dark-skinned man with small eyes glanced at Lester, a smile spreading across his face. ”You must be Mr. Bob? I’m Bambi.”

”A pleasure to meet you. I’m Bob.” Lester extended his hand with a friendly smile.

After a handshake, Bambi poured him a cup of black tea. ”Mr. Bob, you want to go to Assam? That’s not a very good idea.”

”What’s the situation over there now?” Lester probed.

Bambi took a sip of his tea and replied with a meaningful look, ”All of my people over there have gone dark. Do you know what that means? That was 172 people, spread across various cities, all with different covers.”

”Then do you know if anyone has sent things to Assam this year? Things like this.” Lester patted the pistol at his waist.

But Bambi just smiled without saying a word.

Lester took out 100,000 US Dollars and placed it on the table.

Bambi picked up the money, then shook his head with a smile. ”No. I can assure you, if any boats came through here, they wouldn’t escape my notice.”

Lester was well aware that a local kingpin like this would have an incredibly strong network in the area. That was precisely why he had sought him out directly.

”No, at least not through any back channels. If they managed to hide the goods on a cargo ship through a legitimate company, then I wouldn’t know,” Bambi said with a shrug.

Lester’s brow furrowed. He then asked, ”Is there really no way to get into Assam right now?”

Bambi chuckled. ”To be honest with you, it’s impossible. Even my ’snake paths’ have been sealed off. If you’re willing to walk up to the border and declare your identity, maybe they’ll let you in.”

Lester wasn’t surprised that Bambi might have guessed his identity. After all, people who operated in the gray areas were extremely perceptive about such matters. He hadn’t expected to be able to hide it from him.

Lester thought for a moment, then took out another 500,000 US Dollars from his backpack. ”Here’s half a million. I hope Mr. Bambi can help me keep an eye on the surrounding area, especially on anyone who might have connections to Assam. If you find any leads, money won’t be an issue.”

”No problem. A pleasure doing business with you.” Bambi’s eyes greedily scanned the US Dollars on the table.

Lester wasn’t the only one looking for a breakthrough here. Tianzhu’s intelligence agency, Torch Fire, and others had also set their sights on this border city.

While Assam remained shrouded in a fog of mystery, the international stage was brewing with turmoil.