Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 228 The Attack!

When all tactics were rejected one by one, and silence was about to engulf the meeting room...

A young voice rang out from the corner: "Why don't you try my method?"

Everyone turned their heads in unison.

The owner of that voice was a young man sitting in an inconspicuous corner.

He was wearing a simple dark gray military uniform without any identification markings.

Only the Red Tide Collar badge on his cuff, the meaning of which few knew, revealed his identity.

“Louis?” a staff officer from the Cold Iron Legion whispered.

The Duke of Edmund's son-in-law, the young Viscount of the North.

“I have a magic explosion device,” Louis said slowly as he stood up, his tone calm. “It can effectively damage the shell of the Mother Nest. I’ve tried it a few times in battle, and it’s incredibly effective against the Mother Nest.”

A subtle hesitation and... soft laughter momentarily filled the air.

"Oh? A magic-explosive bomb that can blast through the Mother Nest's armor?" A councilor dressed in a tailored military uniform from the capital and sporting a short beard chuckled lightly. "Where did you dig this ancient artifact out of?"

Before the words had even finished, several councilors had already begun whispering among themselves, with occasional light, airy phrases escaping their lips:

"It's just a publicity stunt; the governor has really misjudged him."

"Are the disciples of the eight great families all this bad now?"

"...The North is indeed extremely desolate, even such tactical fantasies have emerged."

"I thought I was going to hear some real strategy."

Some of them even wore undisguised expressions of sarcasm.

To them, Louis was nothing more than a young nobleman with no experience and only his birthright.

How dare they interrupt at this top-level strategic meeting?

It's just a way to attract attention and grab everyone's eye.

Louis, however, remained unmoved despite all eyes being on him.

“I’m not joking,” Louis said calmly.

Hearing Louis's confident words, the laughter subsided somewhat, but few people still believed him.

At this moment, Duke Edmund spoke slowly: "So, you have a ready-made explosive device, and you know that it can effectively penetrate the shell of the mother hive?"

“Yes.” Louis nodded.

The Duke of Edmund's gaze was fixed on Louis, who stood there.

He stared intently at the young man, as if trying to discern any hypocrisy or flaw in his calm and composed expression.

Unfortunately not.

Louis remained standing there, without even a hint of anxiety about proving himself.

Edmund couldn't help but think of things about Louis.

This young man never wins anyone's trust by boasting.

He simply fulfilled every promise he made.

Moreover, he was indeed one of the few princesses in the North who kept the zombie horde at bay.

Even if this explosive device sounds absurd...

In the current situation, anything that has even a little bit of use is considered a good thing.

“...Even if there’s only a one percent chance,” Edmund said slowly, breaking the silence, “it would be useful in the current situation.”

He glanced at the record-keeping officer beside him and said calmly, "Include Louis's demolition plan in this operation as a backup plan. Louis himself will directly coordinate resources and lead the team to carry it out."

Upon hearing this, a subtle atmosphere permeated a corner of the meeting hall. Some officials from the capital didn't even bother to hide their disdain, letting out a soft snort with undisguised contempt.

"Heh... so it was all to save face for this son-in-law, huh?"

Some people shook their heads slightly, their faces showing an expression of "as expected".

"Well, failure won't drag down the overall battle; consider it just a scratch on the mother hive."

Some people curled their lips into an ambiguous smile, as if they finally understood why the Duke had inserted this inexplicable order.

And what about Louis?
He said nothing, only silently exhaling a breath in his heart.

It wasn't just for the military merits, status, and prestige that he was about to obtain.

It was also to... end the hatching of that mother nest as soon as possible, and to end that "mouth of hell" that was silently expanding.

The war should not drag on for too long.

Frostspear City's resources won't last that long, the people of the North won't last that long, and even the knights' will... won't last that long.

So now is the time.

It's time to show the world what real explosive art is.

This little incident briefly brought the meeting back to a calm.

But the atmosphere had subtly changed.

The confrontation was no longer as intense as before, and there were no more passionate pronouncements.

Because nobody has a better way.

Time is running out, resources are dwindling, yet the enemy continues to rebuild and incubate hell outside the city walls.

This is a war with no other choice.

“In that case,” Duke Edmund said slowly, his voice low and decisive, “we shall proceed with the current plan.”

"The Dragonblood Legion is advancing, their target is the core of the Mother Nest."

“Let’s try Louis’s magic bomb first…” He paused, then continued, “If that doesn’t work, we’ll switch to the self-destruct tactic.”

After he finished speaking, there was no applause or cheers in the meeting room.

They remained silent.

It's not that we doubt the decision; rather, everyone understands what it means.

"Okay, that's it."

"Mobilize the troops. All units, prepare immediately."

The commanders rose to their feet, their voices clamorous, but order was quickly restored.

Everyone threw themselves into their respective duties, like a wartime machine, quickly getting into high-speed operation after a brief period of adjustment.

Even the councilors who had previously mocked Louis remained silent.

They understood that no one could win this battle with words alone.

The somber atmosphere in the conference hall had not yet dissipated when people began to leave.

Louis was about to leave when a cheerful voice came from behind him: "You did a good job, Eighth Brother."

He turned around and saw a tall man striding towards him, his eyes filled with a familiar yet strange intimacy.

Gaius Calvin, the eldest son of the Calvin family, is a leading candidate for the future head of the family and also the vice-commander of the Dragonblood Knights.

Compared to his imposing and aloof demeanor during the meeting, his tone was much more relaxed now, and his gait carried a sense of pride, like that of a long-lost elder brother.

“Eighth brother,” Gaius walked up to him and patted Louis’s shoulder heavily without any politeness, “You’re really something. I heard you’ve made a name for yourself in the capital, but I didn’t expect that you would even have a seat at the Supreme Council after arriving in the North.”

Louis smiled slightly and nodded gently: "It's just because of my father and the governor's influence."

Gaius was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Ha, you're being modest."

As they talked, the two walked out of the hall. Gaius took out a portrait from his pocket and handed it to him: "Take a look at this."

The painting depicts a gentle-looking young woman holding an infant whose eyes are still closed.

Behind her stood Gaius, clad in armor, grinning with a rare gentleness in his smile.

“Your sister-in-law gave birth to a boy two months ago.” Gaius’s tone softened slightly. “I never thought I would have such a day.”

Louis looked at the portrait carefully and said softly, "She looks like my sister-in-law."

“Right!” Gaius grinned smugly. “Like me, I’m in trouble.”

He paused, then suddenly whispered, "I'm thinking that after this battle, I'll take them home to show my father."

After hearing this, Louis probably understood his worries, so he comforted him, "It will be alright, you still have to inherit the Calvin family."

Gaius was taken aback for a moment, then grinned: "Oh, you're actually quite concerned about me?"

“Just telling the truth,” Louis said softly, handing the portrait back to him.

Gaius took the portrait, put it back in his arms, and patted him on the shoulder: "You too, don't die. Eighth brother, I still want my son to call you 'Uncle Louis' in the future." After saying that, he waved to Louis and turned to leave.

The tall, imposing figure walked further and further away, and the lights in the conference hall gradually went out.

…………

The next day, before dawn, the wind and snow were still raging.

Before dawn, the training ground on the north side of Frostspear City was already trembling slightly from the heavy footsteps.

Hundreds of knights clad in crimson heavy armor stood in formation; they were the empire's sharpest spear—the Dragonblood Legion.

In the silence, a figure draped in a black and red cloak strode onto the high platform.

He removed his helmet, revealing a resolute and handsome face; he was none other than the deputy corps commander—Gaius Calvin.

“Everyone!!”

His voice was like thunder, striking the hearts of every knight.

"I won't waste words. You all know why I called you here today!"
The enemy we face is not a tribe, not a rebel army, not even a general who can be beheaded… but a living hell.

As soon as he finished speaking, the young knights in the front row couldn't help but grip their lances tightly, their fighting spirit surging.

Gaius waved his hand and continued:

"This operation... is dangerous, the most dangerous mission we've ever carried out. The corpses, black mist, and reconstructed monsters you've seen are just the appetizer."

Our target is that thing hidden deep inside the mountain; even the three of us top-tier knights weren't confident we could break its armor head-on.

But we had no other choice.

If we don't kill it today, it will crawl out of here tomorrow, and then crawl all the way into the capital, dragging your families, children, and comrades into hell!

We are the blood of the empire, the sharpest spear of His Majesty the Emperor!
If we all retreat, who will be left to stand on the front lines for this empire?

Within the ranks, breathing grew heavier, and morale surged like molten lava.

"So today, I ask only one question: Who is willing to follow me into the mother nest! Who will follow me to the death!!!"

The thunderous, synchronized response shook the entire north wall in an instant, and the red patterns on the armor lit up simultaneously, as if every knight had ignited the fire of blood within their bodies.

Arthur, the commander of the Dragonblood Legion and the strongest spearman of the empire, stood on the side of the high platform, his hands behind his back, scanning the entire formation with an expressionless face.

He offered no words of encouragement; he didn't need them.

His existence is the most silent yet most powerful pillar.

His eyes met Gaius's, and he nodded slightly.

…………

On the other side, atop the walls of Frostspear City.

The air seemed to freeze.

The black mist continued to churn in the distance, like the breath of death spewing from a crack in the earth, climbing all over the valley and almost swallowing the entire sky.

It was no longer a simple natural phenomenon, but a living calamity.

"Full power activation! Cold Flame Reactor!"

With a roar from the city's commander-in-chief, the Frost Flame Reactor, buried deep within the city's ley lines, roared to life. Its core magic crystal throbbed like the heart of a giant beast, unleashing a continuous stream of magical energy pulses.

The energy surged rapidly through the pre-laid node array, sweeping across the outside of the city.

Fifteen magical fortresses (originally seventeen, two of which have been extinguished due to energy depletion) are covered with intricate runes, and icy blue arcs of electricity gather at their tips, converging in the air like a net woven in the cold night, eventually forming a semi-transparent, enormous dome...

Super Barrier activated.

In an instant, the entire Frostspear City seemed to awaken from its slumber, emitting a mournful resonance.

But this awakening can only last for a few minutes.

"The reactor core temperature is rising, energy output is decreasing, and it has entered its ultimate load!"

"Hold on tight! We just need to hold out for the window of opportunity!"

At the same time, the catapult platforms on the main city wall were also deployed. Rows of giant catapults extended their frames amidst the roar, and the Frost Crystal Magic Bombs were ignited one after another, emitting a high-pitched whistling sound that pierced the dark sky.

"boom--!!!"

The azure tail flames traced arcs as they landed precisely in the heart of the insect swarm.

The first wave of explosions unleashed a storm resembling a mixture of ice mist and flesh.

The insect corpses in its path froze instantly, while the shards of crystal ejected from the explosion were like countless flying ice blades, tearing apart any flesh that had not yet been frozen.

The cold front was like a blade, and the storm was like a raging rage.

In just a few breaths, a sliver of space leading into the depths of the black mist was forcibly torn open at the front line of the valley.

But this is far from enough.

"Keep bombarding! Maintain the suppression! We must create a breakthrough within five minutes!"

"We don't have a second chance!!"

The soldiers manipulating the giant lever were drenched in cold sweat; even though their armor was frozen solid, no one retreated a single step.

In the distance, black mist swirls, and the insect swarm regroups.

It was not a simple collection of creatures, but a malicious jigsaw puzzle from the abyss.

In that fog that was like a furnace of flesh and blood, broken pieces of corpses, rotting limbs, and even remains frozen into ice sculptures all began to writhe, struggle, and merge.

They are not "dying," but "evolving."

A monster nailed to the rock wall suddenly emitted a piercing creaking sound, its bones folded in reverse, its limbs broke apart and then reassembled into a new arthropod form, and it got up again, this time faster.

A worm corpse that had been blown in two was "restored" with the help of the severed arm of a fallen dragonblood knight. It inherited the knight's combat skills and instincts, and displayed extremely skilled swordsmanship during the surprise attack.

They do not distinguish between friend and foe, nor do they discriminate based on materials.

The remains of comrades, the corpses of their own side, and frozen insect fragments all became their components.

It wriggled and emitted a piercing baby cry.

Even so, Frostspear City continues to fight and roar.

The frost storm continues to rage, and the entire Frostspear City's magical defenses are unleashing their full power without reservation.

Azure magical energy swept across the battlefield like an avalanche, detonating a large number of magic crystals in a chain reaction. These crystals were precisely distributed during the intervals between catapult strikes, creating several waves of destructive power.

Each explosion tears the front line of the insect swarm apart and rebuilds it, but it also constantly pushes it closer to its limit.

It was a gamble of endurance and time.

They're not trying to eradicate the insect swarm; that's practically impossible.

What they had to do was to carve out a passage through that inferno woven of flesh, ice crystals, and black mist for the Empire's elite forces to break into.

Just as the seventh wave of bombardment ended, the passage was briefly opened.

In the eye of the storm, the insect corpses temporarily ceased regeneration while frozen in the ice.

The black mist, like a torn curtain, revealed a crack, exposing the writhing, flesh-covered, hellish end beneath the distant mountains.

That was the real objective of this operation:

The final nest.

Imperial strategic orders were issued instantly, and horns resounded throughout Frosthalberd City:
"Dragonblood Legion! Attack!"

"Cold Iron Legion! Charge in formation!"

In an instant, the main city gates swung open, and a torrent of iron surged out from within.

The Dragonblood Legion, clad in heavy armor and shrouded in battle aura, surged into the crevice like a raging tide.

The Cold Iron Legion followed closely behind, their silver-blue full-body armor reflecting a silent, chilling light under the cold gleam.

These are the vanguard who are determined to fight to the death.

Everyone knew that this might be a journey of no return.

The End Nest is the core of the entire insect swarm; once you step into it, you may never return.

Even so, no one wavered.

Because they are the North’s strongest shield and the Empire’s strongest spear.

"For the Empire! For humanity!"

The shouts echoed amidst the wind, snow, and the aftershocks of magical energy, until the iron torrent completely merged into the depths of the battlefield.

Amidst the torrent of dragon blood and cold iron, a small squad of knights, each carrying a uniquely shaped metal device, silently followed.

(End of this chapter)