Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 212 The Arrival of the Insect Corpses
October 9th, Red Tide Territory.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but the sky above the Red Tide Territory was quieter than usual.

There was no bustling street noise, no children's laughter, and no rumbling of carriages and horses.

One family after another, dragging their luggage and carrying their infants on their backs, silently walked into those earthen buildings.

"Go in, this is the lord's arrangement." An old woman with gray hair murmured, as if reciting a divine oracle, "The great Lord Louis... will not harm us."

No one refused, and no one complained.

Even though the Tulou was small and crowded, they still lined up in an orderly manner to enter.

Because that was Louis's order.

They clearly remember that just over a year ago, they were huddled in the icy wind and mud, sleeping in cracked tents, and eating porridge mixed with grass roots and bone scraps.

Back then, children froze to death every night, and adults would silently dig graves in the early morning.

It was Louis who lit the fireplace in the snowstorm, brought medicine during the epidemic, and built the granary by hand during the war.

Because of him, they were able to eat their fill, have firewood, and have clothes to wear.

Tents were transformed into brick houses, hot springs appeared on cold nights, wheat fields grew at the foot of the mountain, and new irrigation canals were dug on the mountain.

The roads were repaired, the warehouses were sealed off, and the clinic was staffed.

These are not miracles obtained through prayer.

He gave it to me.

It was Louis Calvin who brought this reality to life.

So today, when he personally gave the order, "Enter the Tulou, do not go out, and be sure to cooperate," everyone felt as if they had heard the whispers of a god.

They didn't hesitate, they didn't question, they just said things that showed they believed in Louis.

“The great lord will not harm us.”

"We are his people."

"His commands are divine pronouncements."

Food, water, and necessities were prepared in the Tulou and distributed in an orderly manner according to the number of people.

Several boxes of firewood and simple lamps were piled up in the corner, as if they had anticipated the long period of closure.

"It's just a short stay, you'll be fine soon," a boy said to his sister with a smile.

But no one knows exactly how long it will take.

Meanwhile, inside Red Tide City, near the edge of the city wall, simple yet sturdy camps had already been set up.

The main tent was in the center, surrounded by sentry posts and torches. Crimson Tide Knights stood in neat rows, their armor gleaming and their banners fluttering silently.

There was no bugle call, no mobilization oath.

Because they didn't know who the enemy was.

But they knew who gave the order—Louis Calvin.

He didn't explain much or reveal the reason.

Through Louis's repeated actions, they were instilled with a fundamental belief: "Even if we cannot see the whole picture, we must choose to obey Lord Louis."

So when the order was given, they did not waver, but only remained determined to grip the hilt of their swords.

The entire red tide seemed to enter into some kind of silent ritual.

Everyone believed that a torrential rain was about to fall.

But their faith is ready to face anything.

Soon it was the morning of October 10th.

Before dawn, the area outside the camp was silent, with only a thin mist hanging low and a chill seeping into the bones.

The moment Louis opened his eyes, his intuition was already sounding alarm bells.

Today, the prophecy is for that day.

Without a moment's hesitation, he sat up almost reflexively and raised his hand to summon the interface that belonged only to him—the "Daily Intelligence System".

A semi-transparent blue-white interface, suspended in the air, hummed softly, as lines of text rapidly loaded and then froze:
[Daily intelligence update complete]

[1: The Witch of Despair has awakened the Endhive. The insect mist released by the Endhive completely enveloped the Snowsworn's main forces last night, and over six thousand Snowsworn have been transformed into a mindless army of insect corpses. They will begin their full-scale advance into the North by destroying Frostspear, attempting to drag the North and even the entire world into chaos.]

[2: The Witch of Despair has activated the Mother Nest in Azure Rock Rift, which is expected to reach the outer edge of Crimson Tide Territory within three hours. If the defenses fall, the insect carcasses will affect all local residents and knights.]

[3: The mother nest in Frost Ice Valley has also been awakened, and the insect corpses will attack Crimson Cloud Territory, White Fox Territory, and Cliffless Territory.]

[4: The Witch of Despair has scattered 23 nest embryos in the North, 12 of which are currently activated. A mysterious mental link exists between the nests.]

……

Louis read through the list one by one, his gaze lingering on the first line on the screen.

The Witch of Despair summoned the Endbringer, and the insect mist released by the Endbringer completely covered the Snowsworn Army's main force last night...

An uncontrollable chill rose in his heart.

Six thousand.

It's not sixty, it's not six hundred.

The six thousand Snowsworn were already a dangerous enemy for the entire Northern Territory.

Now, they have turned into insect corpses.

An immortal body, undiminished fighting spirit and skills, and the instinctive killing intent honed in blood and snow. Add to that its contagiousness and tendency to congregate...

This is simply an invincible zombie army.

In an instant, an image flashed through Louis's mind:

The insect fog surged, the mother nest stood guard, and the insect corpses ran through the fog. Their skin was decaying, but their movements were as fast as the wind. A punch shattered a stone wall, a sword ripped away a shield, and even when cut in half, they continued to wriggle forward...

Worse still, the source of all this is the "End Nest".

The name itself speaks for itself. It is not merely an enlarged version of an ordinary nest, but rather the final form and ultimate structure of the entire system.

He suddenly recalled the vague prophecy in the daily intelligence system:

The evil nurtured by the Snowsworn is stirring, and a crisis will sweep across the North this winter.

So, this was the "evil spirit".

The evil had already taken root in the blood and faith of the Oath-Swearers, and they didn't even need any "sacrifice"—they themselves were the sacrifice.

Now it's up to the Duke of Edmund to decide how to handle this.

Louis let out a soft breath, his eyes regaining their composure.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to contribute; he was well aware that the military force he had spent two years building would crumble at the slightest touch if it clashed head-on with the insectoid army.

The Red Tide Territory was the foundation he had firmly established using every means at his disposal, and he could not afford to lose it.

Let alone expanding support, just being able to hold onto Xuefeng County and protect tens of thousands of people in this chaotic world is a victory in itself.

He can stabilize Xuefeng County, at least this land will not fall into chaos first.

He may not be able to confront the End Nest head-on, but if the daily intelligence system can provide useful information that can determine the outcome of the battle, he will still seize it.

If I can help, I will.

It was not only for the empire, but also for themselves.

If the North falls, his territory will certainly not be spared either.

His gaze then fell on the second piece of information.

The Witch of Despair has activated the Mother Nest in Azure Rock Rift, which is expected to arrive at the outer edge of Crimson Tide Territory within three hours...

This made his pupils shrink slightly in an instant.

This time it was no longer the distant Frostspear City, nor the frozen valley, but the land beneath his feet.

Red Tide Territory, his base.

I've sent people to investigate the Qingyan Rift Valley, that geological fault near the eastern edge of the Red Tide, but they found nothing unusual.

But no one expected that such a quiet and deserted area would actually hide a mother nest, and that it would be a combat unit that could reach the outer edge of the Red Tide within three hours.

"...much closer than I expected." Louis's brow finally furrowed.

This is not fear, but extreme vigilance.

I wasn't unprepared; I've already taken various defensive measures around the Red Tide Territory.

Moreover, with his knightly strength, dealing with a Mother Nest is no problem at all.

If it comes along a predetermined path... it should be able to be intercepted in advance.

We should be prepared, but we must never let our guard down.

Insect corpses are not ordinary enemies; they feel no pain and have no possibility of retreating.

He knew that if he couldn't eliminate them all at once, the situation would reverse instantly.

Louis continued scrolling down to look at the third piece of information.

The mother nest in Frost Ice Valley has also been awakened and will sweep through Crimson Cloud Territory, White Fox Territory, and Cliffless Territory...

The territories near these three Frost Valleys are all within his Snowpeak County.

The Crimson Cloud Territory was the fiefdom of his half-brother, Veris.

"Seriously, one thing leads to another." He sighed and rubbed his temples.

He couldn't ignore the situation there, not out of family affection, but out of a sense of responsibility and order.

Unfortunately... he can't leave right now.

The Red Tide must stabilize the situation first and suppress the movements of the Azure Rock Mother Nest as soon as possible.

As for Crimson Cloud, White Fox, and Boundless Cliff...

Louis could only hope that they could hold out for a few more hours until he resolved the crisis here, and then he could lead his troops over.

He gently swiped his finger, and the interface continued to scroll down.

To date, a total of twenty-three mother nests have been confirmed to have recovered...

Even with Louis's composure, he frowned at that moment.

A single mother hive can devour an entire county without warning.

But now, the intelligence report says: "Twenty-three bodies".

Even disregarding the "Mother Nest of the End," this number alone is enough to crush the entire Northern Territory into a wasteland.

This is not a local crisis, but a systemic collapse.

"Hopefully, Duke Edmund's warning will really put those lords to their senses," he said in a low voice.

His tone was low.

Months earlier, when Duke Edmund destroyed the first Broodmother, he had already sensed something was wrong and ordered the lords to prepare in advance.

Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to follow the "prophecy".

If they are not prepared, their territory will be plunged into utter ruin in a very short time, and may even drag down the entire Northern Territory.

The intelligence system is still being updated...

Louis reviewed them one by one, but compared to the first three pieces of information, they were not very important to him.

It's not useless, but it's irrelevant at the moment.

He silently jotted down this information in his notebook, knowing he might need it in the future, but not now.

Right now, there's only one important thing—

Three hours later, the eastern part of Red Tide Territory will witness its first real attack by insect corpses.

(End of this chapter)