Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 189 The End of the Mother Nest
Louis raised his right hand, his gesture concise and decisive: "Continue, prepare for the second phase."

"Yes!" The flag bearer immediately raised the signal flag high and waved his arms several times in quick succession.

The battle flag signaled the attack.

Below the high ground, the fire team, which had been lying in ambush for a long time, suddenly moved.

"Operation order! Advance to the front lines immediately!"

The knight captain roared in a low voice, his armor clanging heavily in the night. He flicked his blade, and his warhorse leaped off, leading the elite knights behind him in a sudden charge.

The heavy torches were raised high, and what was thrown out was kerosene that had been mixed to near boiling point.

Bang-!
The flames engulfed the front line in an instant; the wall of fire seemed to have a life of its own, roaring and surging, cutting the entire position into several sections.

The moment the insect corpse was licked by the flames, it let out a grotesque, hoarse scream like a wild beast.

But the next moment, even with half their bodies charred, they were still crawling and biting, as if burning was just another force driving them forward.

The elite knight captain rode forward, his blue cloak stained with gray-black sparks, and coldly shouted, "Briel, you lead the left wing, the rest of you follow me to the right. Don't let them crawl out of the line of fire!"

"As ordered!"

The elite knights of the North have been mobilized.

They are veterans who have traversed mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and pierced the throats of monsters in the snow and ice; each of them is capable of taking on three opponents at once.

But this time the enemy is not human.

"Aaaaaah! Get away!"

A knight swung his sword and beheaded a worm-like corpse, but even its final blow before death was filled with madness.
Its severed arm still climbed up his leg armor and clung to it tightly.

"Sean! Sean, you!"

Another knight lunged forward and slapped the arm away, but the knight had already fallen to the ground, blood gushing from his neck guard, instantly staining his gray-white armor bright red.

The fire line continued to advance, the wall of fire twisting like a giant snake, sealing off the insect corpses section by section.

But some elite knights were dragged into the fire during the melee and burned along with their enemies.

"Wait...that's—Benito?!"

A gasp startled several knights, momentarily rendering them momentarily stunned. That figure…

They were once comrades-in-arms, laughing and drinking with each other, sleeping in the same tent, and vowing to take care of each other on the battlefield.

Now he is rotting all over, his pupils are green, he spews out sharp hisses, and a string of parasitic nerves like tentacles trail behind him.

"He... is no longer human."

"Behead him!"

Benito lunged forward, roaring, his eyes devoid of any human emotion.

Amidst flames and tears, the comrades joined forces to kill their former friend, finally bringing him to his knees in the fire.

As his head hit the ground, he seemed to be uttering indistinct syllables.

Flames rolled and smoke filled the sky; the wall of fire, like a cage, locked up the insect corpses and cut off their routes.

The high-level insect corpses that tried to return to help surged in from the other side, but were forced to retreat by the raging flames, rolling and struggling in the heat, turning into charred bones.

At the forefront of the battle, the knights of the blockade team held fast to prevent any stragglers from breaking through.

Long swords are like walls, flesh and blood are like ramparts, even if someone falls, someone will take their place.

"As long as the firewall stands, we can suppress them!"

A knight covered in blood shouted through gritted teeth.

Duke Edmund stood on high ground, gazing at the churning battlefield.

His hand gripped the sword hilt tightly, and a rare hint of solemnity appeared in his eyes.

“…I see.” He murmured, “This is not a free-for-all, this is…a game of chess.”

Louis…this is simply pushing the enemy step by step towards their doom.”

The fire was still spreading, and the insect corpses tried to break through, but were blocked by the wall of fire.

The high-level insect corpses tried to turn back to provide reinforcements, but were repelled by the scorching heat.

The entire battlefield seemed to be completely locked down by a giant net of fire.

“It’s done.” The knight captain stood amidst the fireworks, gazing at the severed swarms of insects ahead. “We’ve cut off their root systems, preventing them from moving as a group and returning to their mother nest.”

“But this is not the end.” He looked up into the distance, at the silent area beyond the wall of fire.

That's where the assault team's target is.

"Now, it's time for that young lord... to unleash his true killing move."

Thick smoke obscured the sun, and flames surged like a tide on the battlefield.

The elite knights, with blood and fire, tore open an unhealable rift in the enemy ranks, creating the only and crucial window for the most lethal blow—the surprise attack by the assault team.

Amidst the billowing smoke, Louis stood on the hillside, his cloak billowing wildly, firelight dancing in his eyes.

He saw the cracks in the battlefield finally take shape.

The insect corpses were torn apart by the fire, the command structure was completely disrupted, and the enemy ranks howled like beasts, falling into chaotic chaos.

"Now," he said in a low voice, a cold, sharp smile playing on his lips.

"Raise the flag—the assault begins."

The flag bearer raised the battle flag high and waved it sharply, the flag drawing an arc in the billowing smoke!
The attack signal has been given.

On the distant front line, Lambert suddenly turned around and saw that familiar flag rising amidst the sea of ​​fire.

Beneath his mask, the corner of his mouth twitched, and his voice, sharp as metal slicing through the air, rang out: "Now."

Strike force deployed!
Their heavy armor clanged, their footsteps thundered.

Everyone knew that they were walking a bloody path that allowed no room for hesitation.

They charged into the inferno woven of fire and corpses, like a sharp blade forged by battle intent, aiming straight for the core of the insect hive.

The flames roared behind us like a raging beast, the fire waves howled and whipped up scorching winds, and the smell of burning flesh assaulted our senses, almost suffocating us.

The charred insect corpses were piled up haphazardly, some still twitching slightly, others with their mouths open as if chewing on death.

"Clear the way!" Lambert commanded.

A dark shadow swept past, and a surviving insect corpse had just leaped into the air when a thin sword was driven into its eye socket. In its struggle, the heavy-armored soldier stomped on its head and crushed it.

"At three o'clock on the left, the highway is approaching!"

Upon hearing this, the other knight immediately drew his sword. With a flash of cold light, a worm-like shadow was severed, its severed limbs flung into the flames and instantly charred.

Keep going!
The remaining insect corpses lunged out from the shadows, like a swarm of sharks drawn by the blood, only to be crushed by the symphony of iron and fire.

The fiery bottle traced an arc before landing among a swarm of writhing insect corpses.

"ignite."

Bang-!
Flames exploded, and the insect corpses screamed and rolled in the fire, their struggling limbs pounding the ground as if playing music for hell.

Their skin burst open, bodily fluids gushed out, and a scorching stench filled the air.

But the assault team ignored all of that and pressed on relentlessly.

It wasn't because they were fearless, but because they knew they were the sharpest knife, meant only to pierce the enemy's heart.

Finally, they ventured deep into the insect hive.

The air felt like solidified viscous liquid, making breathing heavy.

The flames could not fully illuminate the path ahead; the light in this area seemed to be swallowed up by some invisible substance, barely illuminating the area a few steps ahead.

The wall was neither stone nor earth, but something dark red, damp, and warm.

Like the entrails of a giant beast, it throbbed slightly, as if it were breathing slowly.

Irregular folds rippled around them, and flowing shadows and... faces were vaguely visible.

That wasn't an illusion; it was something that was truly present on the surface of the "flesh wall," blurry, distorted, and even familiar.

His eyes were closed, and his lips moved as if he were whispering.

The next moment, they opened their eyes and looked at the knights.

"Did you see that?" a knight suddenly whispered, his voice trembling. "That's... my brother's face..."

"Shut up!" Lambert roared, cutting off the conversation. "Attention everyone, the Hive is controlling your senses! Don't look! Don't listen!"

But can humans completely shut down their senses?
Some heard their mothers calling them home, while others heard their comrades' dying murmurs.

Some even heard their own dying voice, low and hoarse, calling their own name.

"Charge forward, don't look back," Lambert repeated, his tone icy.

Ahead lies the heart of the insect hive.

A huge hollow cavity suddenly appeared, like a temple that should not exist in the human world.

The inner wall of the cavity is covered with soft tentacles and a spiral "hatching layer", where hundreds of insect eggs float like bubbles in putrid liquid.

The "nucleus" is suspended in the center of the cavity.

It does not belong to this world.

The translucent biological structure pulsated gently, like a heart, or like the unopened eye of some ancient deity.

With each beat, the surrounding walls pulsate gently, breathing, beating, resonating...

The entire insect hive seems to be an extension of this cyst nucleus.

“It’s it,” the shooter said softly. His voice was muffled, as if suppressed at the bottom of his mouth; an instinctive resistance and fear prevented him from speaking loudly.

Then “it” opened its eyes.

A hole slowly cracked open in the center of the sac, revealing a swirling, eerie red light inside.

That was not light, but some kind of pure spiritual pollution, like pupils staring, like hell opening its bloody maw.

The knights held their breath for a moment.

Some people's knees were trembling, some people's bodies were stiff, and sweat soaked through their inner linings.

But no one backed down.

Their armor was burning hot, their hearts were pounding, and their breathing was heavy as hammers, yet they still raised their weapons, lowered their bodies, and charged forward.

They are the guardians of the Crimson Tide Territory, the only blade capable of traversing chaos amidst the burning flames.

"Red Platinum Bullet—Fire!!" Lambert's command boomed like thunder.

The assault team did not hesitate at all.

boom! !

Dozens of red platinum magic explosive bombs sliced ​​through the air almost simultaneously, leaving long, blinding trails of fire, and accurately struck the core of the capsule.

"Withdraw!" Lambert roared.
No one waited for the outcome; the next second, everyone turned and retreated at full speed!

They don't need to confirm a hit; just getting close is enough.

A series of explosions suddenly erupted behind them!
The intense heat fell like a blazing sun, and the magical explosion tremors were like an invisible hammer, shattering the entire cavity's structure from its very foundation.

The scorching flames roared through the incubation layer, igniting, carbonizing, and devouring the wriggling egg sacs and soft parasitic tubes into a cloud of fire!

The core twisted and struggled amidst the exploding flames, with dozens of black tentacles drooping from the top of the cavity, frantically trying to intercept the red platinum bullet.

But they can't even last a second under high temperatures, just like dry grass encountering the flames of purgatory, igniting instantly and charring in a flash.

That enormous, heart-like structure seemed to sense the impending destruction.

It trembled, convulsed, and its wide-open "eyes" revealed terror and hatred before collapsing completely amidst flames and tremors.

Like a beast on its deathbed, the mother hive descends into madness in the moments before its demise.

Driven by some unknown will, the remaining insect corpses roared and charged like mad dogs, self-destructing, tearing, and burning, turning themselves into a final sacrifice!

They are no longer an army, but a horde of out-of-control curses.

Every rotting body groaned and burst, trying to hold back the retreating assault team and drag them into the darkness of mutual destruction.

"Block it!"

Lambert roared, raised his knife, and cleaved a frantically attacking insect corpse in two, black blood splattering everywhere.

The vice-captain followed closely behind, using a spinning slash to repel another exploding insect corpse.

The next instant, with a loud bang, acid sprayed out like molten iron!

"Ahhh!"

Caught off guard, a knight's entire visor was corroded and collapsed by the acid, the metal and flesh smoking, charring, and crumbling together.

Instead of backing down, he gritted his teeth and roared in a distorted voice:

"I'm blocking your way! You all get out of the way!"

He raised his shield high, like a burning iron wall, standing horizontally in front of the only exit, using his charred arms to firmly hold the fire shield against the edge of the collapse, blocking the surging torrent of insect corpses!
He was covered in smoke, his figure swaying in the firelight, yet he remained unmoved, like a gatekeeper whose resolve could not be shaken even by death.

The last few knights dragged his body out of the tunnel, and behind them, an explosion shook the earth. The entire insect hive tunnel collapsed suddenly like a volcanic eruption, swallowing everything!
A scorching wave of air swept out, tossing them into the air before they crashed to the ground.

Behind them was a collapsing underground cavern with flames soaring into the sky, like the heart of a monster being uprooted from its very roots.

They did it.

Meanwhile, the external battlefield underwent a sudden and dramatic change.

The once formidable army of insectoid zombies, advancing like a tidal wave, completely collapsed the moment the explosion occurred.

They seemed to have had their central nervous system pierced by some kind of spiritual blade.

The monsters suddenly stopped, convulsed, and growled; the light in their eyes disappeared, replaced by a frenzied murmur.

The once-imposing military formation crumbled instantly. The insect corpses that had once terrified the knights were now charging, staggering, and rolling around like madmen, crushing themselves and their kind into the mud.

Severed limbs, mangled bodies, blood, and organs were mixed together, forming a nauseating blood-red swamp.

Amidst the swarm of insects, screams, shrieks, chewing sounds, and the cracking of bones blended into a symphony of hell.

At this moment, however, no one on the battlefield gave the order to attack.

Because everyone was witnessing it in awe.

Even the seasoned Frost Halberd Knights had never seen such a crazy and terrifying scene.

Louis stood quietly on the high platform, his gaze fixed on the battlefield.

But there was no wavering in his eyes; instead, a hidden glimmer of light appeared.

"It's done."

His tone was calm, as if he were confirming an outcome he had long anticipated.

"Everyone, retreat along the designated route."

He ordered the flag bearers beside him, "Open up the encirclement, build up the defensive line, and there is no need to launch any further attacks."

Flags waved, and orders arrived like a shadow. The knights at the front lines swiftly and orderly withdrew from the battlefield, like the receding tide, without the slightest sign of panic.

Duke Edmund, standing beside him, was initially not fully aware of what was happening.

He stared at the sight of the insect swarm killing each other, his brow furrowed: "What's going on? Why are they suddenly killing each other?"

Then his eyes flashed as he recalled the earth-shattering explosion from just moments before.

The puzzle pieces came together instantly, and everything became clear.

Could it be that... the mother hive was destroyed?
After the mother hive exploded, the uncontrolled insect corpses went completely mad.

He turned to look at Louis, who was still as weathered as ever, his black hair now gray from the ravages of war, his expression calm, with no joy or arrogance in his eyes, as if everything was as expected.

He did it? He really did it?!
"Relying on that 'flame cut'? Relying on a single assault? A small squad of projectiles and knights?"

Edmund didn't show the turmoil in his heart, but his gaze lingered on the boy's back for a long time.

He had never underestimated Louis.

After the battle at Qingfeng Ridge, he realized that this young man was extraordinary.

He possesses exceptional courage and decisiveness, which, while partly due to luck, is also backed by on-the-spot wisdom and a keen understanding of the battlefield.

At that time, he already had a judgment in his mind: this is a promising talent who can be cultivated and may become a pillar of the North in the future, which is why he married his daughter to him.

But the Duke didn't expect that Louis's brilliance lay not in the future, but in the present.

Louis's composure and calmness were not feigned.

His strategic planning was not a fluke.

That ability to grasp the situation and the decisiveness to calmly cut off the enemy's central command have long surpassed the realm of "promising"; they are those of a person who can truly control the situation.

"I see." He sighed softly, his expression complex.

For the first time, Duke Edmund truly let go of his condescending attitude as a noble elder.

Instead, there is a complex, quiet respect.

The chaos following the out-of-control insect swarm did not last long.

The swarm of insect corpses, deprived of the mother hive's commands, is like an empty shell with its soul drained. After struggling wildly for a while, it begins to rapidly "digest itself."

Hundreds of thousands of insect corpses were reduced to a pile of bloody mud and broken armor in a very short time.

When all was quiet, Louis gave a low order: "Clean up the battlefield and take stock of the casualties."

But when the inventory results came back, Louis remained silent.

The Crimson Tide Knights suffered three elite knights killed in action, and twelve regular knights perished in battle.

Although it was a good casualty ratio, he was still somewhat saddened.

Among them, some were the first to trek with him across the snowfields and into the north, and others... were chatting and laughing with him just last night.

The blood mist on the battlefield had not yet dissipated, and the flames still flickered in the embers.

The knights dragged their wounded bodies back to their ranks, their fire shields burned through and their armor charred black, yet they still stood upright in place, their faces a mixture of sorrow and pride.

They knew they had won, and they also knew the cost of that victory.

But then Edmund noticed something:

Louis did not show any joy.

He simply stood there, his brows slightly furrowed, gazing at the ruins of the insect hive in silence for a long time.

It seemed that in his eyes, this victory was not perfect, and even... regrettable.

"Isn't this enough?!" Edmund was slightly shaken.

If it were anyone else, after destroying the mother nest and annihilating the insect swarm, even the most composed person would have breathed a sigh of relief and felt happy, but he did not.

It wasn't feigned calmness, but a genuine feeling that there was a better solution and that there were soldiers who could be saved.

This strictness made him feel that the younger generation was formidable.

(End of this chapter)