Chapter Summaries

Katerina arranged to use the purchased Big Ivan nuclear bomb as a delayed trump card while preparing a massive fleet for war against Lin Ye. The bomb would arrive in six days, leaving Singh behind in Big Macaque Country as Katerina gathered forces and ships at Cam Ranh Bay.

• A San believers donated their points so Singh could buy Big Ivan, but the Command Console announced that the nuclear bomb and its launch vehicle would arrive in six days.
• Katerina told Singh to stay in Big Macaque Country and guard the bomb, revealing that she considered his role fulfilled after he paid for the weapons.
• Katerina led the Challengers from Daluo City to Cam Ranh Bay, where she admired the fleet and declared her intention to test Lin Ye's strength and seize his naval technology.
• Katerina ordered her attendants to recruit Big Macaque people with maritime piloting experience and collect even the defective ships traded from Eagle Sauce Country.

Ding Chang watched Lin Ye’s Instance from his hospital bed as Bai Tianhao explained the threat posed by Katerina’s immense fleet and nuclear weapon. After hearing Lin Ye’s message, Ding Chang resolved to hold on until Lin Ye reached the pinnacle of Azure Star.

• Bai Tianhao told Ding Chang that Lin Ye’s Instance had wiped out the South Korea Settlement, and Ding Chang chose to stop chemotherapy and focus on watching the livestream.
• Bai Tianhao described Katerina’s rapid rise and formidable fleet, and Ding Chang recounted her unusual naval tactics and past victories.
• Bai Tianhao worried that Katerina’s forces and Big Ivan nuclear bomb put Lin Ye in danger, but Ding Chang urged him to trust Lin Ye’s preparations.
• Bai Tianhao told Ding Chang that Lin Ye had visited and asked him to hold on until Lin Ye reached the pinnacle of Azure Star.
• Ding Chang laughed and vowed to wait for Lin Ye’s success, recalling that Lin Ye had given him hope of fulfilling his long-cherished wish.

Fulangche and Joseph prepared their forces in India, with Joseph assembling a powerful air force and Fulangche relying on Gaul-designed ground weapons. Fulangche planned to use Nepal and the Himalayas to bypass Lin Ye’s technological advantage and attack Dragon Country.

• Joseph used Singh’s 300 million points to acquire advanced Eagle Sauce Country aircraft, while the Gauls also brought 400,000 Dewoitine D.520 fighters into the instance.
• Fulangche reviewed his varied Gaul-designed ground forces and studied the map as the Gauls patiently prepared for battle.
• Joseph asked Fulangche why he did not buy Lin Ye’s weapons, and Fulangche argued that using them could mean falling into Lin Ye’s trap.
• Fulangche explained that the Gauls would rely on terrain and surprise, then pointed to the mountains between Dragon Country and India as their battlefield.
• Fulangche planned for the Gauls to enter Nepal, declare war on Dragon Country, draw its troops toward India, and infiltrate the snow-covered Himalayas.

Fulangche explained his plan to attack Tibet through the Himalayan Sacred Mountain, arguing that Dragon Country would avoid bombing its own territory. He addressed Joseph’s remaining concerns and called Dai Le into the room as a potential general to hold Dragon Country’s forces in India.

• Joseph questioned whether Gaul’s forces could fight in the Himalayan Sacred Mountain’s extreme cold and high altitude, and Fulangche ordered challengers to prepare cold-weather clothing.
• Fulangche said the harsh conditions would narrow the gap between Gaul and Dragon Country’s weapons, and argued that Dragon Country would not bomb its own territory with missiles or nuclear weapons.
• Fulangche claimed that a bombing of the Sacred Mountain would trigger an avalanche that could destroy Tibet’s main city, allowing Gaul to seize Tibet.
• Fulangche showed Joseph a lower-altitude valley route into Dragon Country for aerial operations and ordered him to bomb Sunlight City if Gaul fought on the Sacred Mountain.
• Joseph warned that Dragon Country could attack through India while Gaul’s forces were in Tibet, and Fulangche agreed that a general was needed to hold them back.
• Fulangche called Dai Le into the room.

Fulangche appointed the young Level 2 Challenger Dai Le to command 300,000 troops against Dragon Country, while he and Joseph prepared India Country’s invasion. From Nepal, Fulangche formally declared war on Dragon Country, triggering the war of self-defense and counterattack.

• Dai Le entered Fulangche’s office and accepted command of 300,000 troops tasked with holding back Dragon Country’s forces in India.
• Joseph questioned Fulangche’s decision to entrust the mission to a Level 2 newcomer, and Fulangche praised Dai Le’s talent and potential.
• On the third day of the Instance, Fulangche led a million troops and Joseph led 500,000 Air Force personnel into Nepal and reached Mandu without resistance.
• Fulangche ordered Joseph to tell Katerina to wait for his signal before attacking Dragon Country or engaging its army.
• Fulangche declared war on Dragon Country from Nepal, and the Firmament announced that Dragon Country’s army would launch a war of self-defense and counterattack.

After India declared war, Dragon Country activated buffs that sent its forces toward the Indian battlefield and threatened to pursue every Indian military force. Fulangche ordered the Challengers to hide in Nepal and support Dai Le, while Katerina prepared to strike Dragon Country after its fleet moved away.

• Dragon Country's Firmament alerts activated Though Far Away, They Shall Be Hunted Down and Self-Defense Counterattack, then announced deployments by its Western and Southern Theater Commands.
• Fulangche ordered the Challengers in Nepal to conceal themselves in mountain forests and told Dai Le to hold his ground in India.
• Fulangche adjusted the plan to keep the Challengers out of Dragon Country's territory and take advantage of its promise not to use nuclear weapons first.
• Katerina watched the Nanming Fleet from her carrier, the Queen, and prepared her Surface, Submarine, and Decoy Fleets for battle.
• Katerina followed her uncle's order to wait until Dragon Country and India were officially engaged, then planned to attack Qiong Island while Fulangche attacked Tibet.

Katerina realized her fleet was being used as bait to draw Dragon Country’s forces toward Big Macaque Country, so she cut contact with India Country and prepared to fight alone. She watched Dragon Country’s fleet approach and discovered that its unfamiliar transport ships were carrying a large land force toward India.

• Katerina concluded that her fleet’s role was to keep watch and draw Dragon Country’s forces toward Big Macaque Country.
• Katerina left Watchtower No. 1’s high-level communications channel, cut contact with India Country, and encrypted her fleet’s commands.
• Katerina detected Dragon Country’s Nanming Fleet approaching, including five Type 815A Electronic Reconnaissance Ships and three carrier groups.
• Katerina recognized the threat posed by the Type 055-Class Destroyers and hoped India Country would draw them away from her fleet.
• Katerina saw three enormous ships carrying tanks, armored vehicles, and rocket launchers, and realized Dragon Country intended to transport land forces directly to India.

Katerina watched Dragon Country move amphibious assault ships and stealth aircraft toward India, realizing its forces could coordinate across sea, land, and air far more effectively than she had expected. She withheld a warning to her uncle and ordered her fleet to the high seas outside Big Macaque Country to wait for a chance to attack Dragon Country.

• Katerina recognized the three ships as Dragon Country's Wudu, Qiangui, and Sanjiangyuan, and considered but rejected attacking them because their escorts could destroy her fleet.
• She watched the amphibious assault ships sail through waters around Big Macaque Country and realized Dragon Country was transporting its Army overseas.
• A formation of undetected Dragon Country stealth fighters flew overhead, convincing Katerina that the Air Force had also deployed.
• Katerina decided not to warn Fulangche because Dragon Country's reconnaissance ship could detect her transmission and ruin her plan to attack Qiong Island.
• Katerina told the Challengers in her fleet to head for the high seas outside Big Macaque Country, wait, and prepare to attack Dragon Country when an opportunity arose.

Dai Le deployed India Country’s 300,000 troops across five mountainous formations to prepare for Dragon Country’s invasion, while Lin Ye watched and judged the strategy’s weakness. As Dragon Country’s Nanming Fleet approached, Lin Ye noted that six Combined Arms Brigades were being sent to attack India and sympathized with Dai Le.

• Dai Le split his 300,000 troops into five formations across India Country’s mountainous terrain and equipped them with Gaul’s artillery vehicles.
• Dai Le received encouragement from spectators but remained nervous about commanding his first Instance battle against Lin Ye.
• The Firmament announced that Dragon Country’s Nanming Fleet would arrive in ten minutes, and Dai Le ordered the Challengers to prepare defenses and locate its landing point.
• Lin Ye watched the livestream and considered Fulangche’s deployment clever but flawed because Dragon Country’s Army was far more powerful than the Challengers realized.
• Lin Ye reflected that six Dragon Country Combined Arms Brigades were attacking India Country and felt sorry for Dai Le, who had only recently begun challenging Instances.

Lin Ye explained the overwhelming capabilities of Dragon Country’s Combined Arms Brigades, then Dragon Country began its invasion of India Country with air strikes ahead of amphibious landings. Dai Le’s forces suffered casualties, and Delhi came under bombardment.

• Lin Ye described Dragon Country’s eighty-two elite Combined Arms Brigades and said the twelve deployed against India Country could overwhelm Fulangche’s forces.
• Dragon Country’s fleet entered India Country’s territorial waters and prepared to land at Calcutta and Mumbai.
• Dragon Country split its air fleet and bombed areas from Calcutta to New Delhi and across the Eastern and Western Ghats.
• The air strikes hit four of Dai Le’s five formations, killing around 2,000 Challengers and prompting calls for help over his communications channel.
• Dai Le saw Dragon Country’s aircraft pass over Delhi, ordered everyone to take cover, and sheltered as explosions shook the city.

Dragon Country launched air raids over Delhi as its ground forces secretly landed, and Dai Le struggled to respond to the overwhelming assault. The 1st Heavy Combined Arms Brigade annihilated the Eastern Ghats formation in under five minutes, leaving Dai Le stunned by Dragon Country’s strength.

• Dragon Country’s planes bombed Delhi’s outskirts, causing fires and panic, while Dai Le learned that his anti-aircraft guns could not reach them.
• Dai Le ordered his troops to avoid firing on the planes and use mountains and forests for cover.
• The Eastern Ghats formation reported Dragon Country tanks and armored vehicles near Calcutta, where they were already under attack.
• Dai Le realized the air raids had covered Dragon Country’s ground landing and ordered the Eastern Ghats formation to lure the enemy into the hills.
• The Firmament announced that the 1st Heavy Combined Arms Brigade had annihilated the Eastern Ghats formation, wiping out sixty thousand Challengers.
• Dai Le checked the Instance population and confirmed that the brigade had destroyed the formation in less than five minutes.

After Dragon Country crushed the Eastern Ghats Formation, Dai Le ordered the remaining formations to avoid direct battles and stall for time. Dragon Country then landed a heavily armed brigade at Mumbai, while the Western Ghats Formation watched from concealment as it began advancing through the city.

• Dai Le discovered that the Eastern Ghats Formation had been wiped out and ordered the remaining formations to hide and avoid confronting Dragon Country's troops.
• The Western Ghats Formation reported that Dragon Country was landing at Mumbai, prompting Dai Le to inspect the landing through the console's light screen.
• Dai Le saw Dragon Country bombard Mumbai's harbor and unload tanks, missile vehicles, and other equipment from the amphibious assault ship Sanjiangyuan.
• When the Western Ghats commander proposed attacking the transport ships, Dai Le forbade opening fire and ordered the formation to wait for the troops to enter the mountain forests before launching harassment attacks.
• The Sanjiangyuan completed its landing, and the 2nd Heavy Combined-Arms Brigade of Dragon Country's Dian City 14th Group Army began sweeping through Mumbai with about five thousand soldiers and a wide range of military equipment.

Dragon Country's Combined Arms Brigade took Mumbai and used drones to locate the Challengers hiding in the Western Ghats. Dai Le ordered a retreat and then a counterattack, but Dragon Country's forces overwhelmed the Challengers and drove their armored units back.

• Dai Le watched Dragon Country's Combined Arms Brigade seize Mumbai with a swift, precise assault and ordered his Challengers to remain concealed in the Western Ghats.
• The Firmament warned that Dragon Country's 2nd Heavy Combined-Arms Brigade had found the Challenger camp, and Dai Le learned drones had spotted their positions.
• Dai Le ordered the Challengers to retreat east and lure the brigade into a valley, but Dragon Country immediately destroyed their artillery positions, killing five thousand Challengers.
• With retreat cut off, Dai Le ordered the sixty-thousand-strong Western Ghats formation to attack from the flanks as it withdrew.
• Dragon Country's tanks and soldiers advanced through the mountain forests, forcing the Challengers' armored units to retreat.

Dragon Country’s 2nd Heavy Combined Arms Brigade annihilated India’s Western Ghats Formation in ten minutes, leaving Dai Le shaken and unable to command after electronic warfare cut his communications. The livestream audience reeled at the brigade’s strength as the war continued and Dai Le tried to steady himself for what came next.

• Dragon Country’s infantry used mobility and coordination to board enemy tanks, kill their crews, seize weapons, and turn the tanks against one another.
• Dai Le ordered the Western Ghats troops to fight back, but Dragon Country’s electronic warfare disabled their tank communications and cut off his command channel.
• Dragon Country’s brigade surrounded the formation and overwhelmed it with coordinated artillery, drones, and tank fire.
• The Western Ghats Formation was completely annihilated, and India Country’s Instance population fell to 1,680,000.
• Dai Le slumped in exhaustion, then tried to calm himself and consider his next move.
• The livestream audience reacted with shock and argued over Dragon Country’s overwhelming military strength and the fate of Dai Le’s strategy.

Dai Le abandoned his defensive strategy and ordered his remaining units to resist Dragon Country’s advance, hoping to buy time for Fulangche. At the Himalayan Sacred Mountain, Fulangche dismissed Joseph’s doubts and ordered his army to enter the mountain and attack Dragon Country.

• Dai Le resolved to fight rather than keep hiding as Dragon Country’s forces advanced.
• Dai Le ordered the Naga Hills Unit to prepare defenses and attack Dragon Country’s troops if the opportunity arose, with Bangladesh as a fallback.
• Dai Le sent the Aravalli Range Unit northwest through the India Great Desert toward the Kashmir Region and ordered the Delhi unit to hold the city against Dragon Country.
• Joseph told Fulangche that Dai Le had lost two units and doubted the veteran army could match Dragon Country’s combined arms brigades.
• Fulangche defended Dai Le, acknowledged Dragon Country’s strength, and ordered his army to enter the Himalayan Sacred Mountain area.

After India Country’s defeats left Katerina under pressure, she led Big Macaque Country’s fleet toward Qiong Island, hoping to force Dragon Country to divide its forces. Dragon Country detected her plans, and after her fleet destroyed a Type 815A reconnaissance ship, all-out war began.

• Katerina realized India Country was losing quickly and decided Big Macaque Country had to attack Dragon Country to relieve the pressure.
• She ordered her fleet to sail toward Qiong Island, but the Firmament warned that Dragon Country had decrypted her message and knew her intentions.
• Katerina ordered the fleet to destroy the Type 815A Electronic Reconnaissance Ship, and the ship sank after a fierce bombardment.
• Before it was destroyed, the reconnaissance ship sent Dragon Country an analysis of Katerina’s fleet strength and firepower.
• After Dragon Country declared all-out war, Katerina ordered Big Macaque Country’s forces to charge toward Qiong Island and open fire on any forces in their way.

Katerina ordered Prince Singh to delay Dragon Country’s advance through Big Macaque Country and target Qiong Island once the ultimate weapon was ready, but Singh dismissed the plan. Dai Le prepared to defend India Country, then received notice that Dragon Country had launched a huge missile attack on his Naga Hills formation.

• Katerina instructed Prince Singh to hold back Dragon Country’s army, hide if necessary, and fire the ultimate weapon at Qiong Island when it was ready.
• Singh refused to help, convinced that Dragon Country would not invade Big Macaque Country, and returned to enjoying his coffee.
• Dai Le reviewed his forces and devised a plan to use his formations and Challengers to counter Dragon Country’s advance into India Country.
• The Firmament announced that Dragon Country had located the Naga Hills formation and would launch Dongfeng 1 missiles, prompting Dai Le to order his troops to scatter.
• The Challengers saw more than a thousand Dongfeng 1 missiles fill the sky above the Naga Hills as the countdown ran out.

Dragon Country annihilated the Naga Hills formation with a barrage of Dongfeng 1 missiles, leaving Dai Le shaken but still determined to fight. When the Aravalli Range formation reached Kashmir and Dragon Country’s troops stopped, Dai Le spotted a way to exploit the border and tie down the enemy.

• Dragon Country fired over a thousand Dongfeng 1 missiles at the Naga Hills, destroying the formation and killing another 60,000 Challengers.
• Dai Le resolved not to give up and turned his attention to the Aravalli Range and De Le formations still under his command.
• Dai Le ordered the Aravalli Range formation to hurry through the Great Indian Desert toward Kashmir while Dragon Country’s aircraft and ground forces pursued it.
• After two hours, the Aravalli Range formation entered Kashmir, and Dragon Country’s troops stopped firing and turned back.
• Dai Le realized he could repeatedly send the formation across Kashmir’s border to keep Dragon Country’s army tied down.

Dai Le tried to exploit the Kashmir border to draw Dragon Country's forces away, but his maneuver triggered Pakistan's entry into the war. Pakistan's forces devastated the Challengers, and the Aravalli Range formation was destroyed.

• Dai Le ordered the Challengers to maneuver across the Kashmir border and draw Dragon Country's fire.
• Firmament announced the Iron Brother Support buff, sending Pakistan's forces to attack the Challengers and fight for the rest of the Instance.
• Pakistan's aircraft arrived and bombed the Challengers' faction, destroying much of Gaul's military hardware.
• Pakistan's ground forces entered Kashmir with thousands of VT-4A tanks and began a fierce barrage against the Challengers.
• After half an hour of fighting, Pakistan and the Challengers had suffered heavy losses, and the Aravalli Range formation was buried in smoke and dust.

After India Country's Aravalli Range formation was destroyed, Dai Le accepted that the Challengers could not defeat Dragon Country and ordered his remaining forces to make a final stand outside Delhi. The sixty thousand Challengers assembled to face six Dragon Country combined arms brigades, whose troops and equipment filled them with fear.

• The Firmament announced that India Country's Aravalli Range formation had been annihilated and that six Dragon Country combined arms brigades would encircle Delhi.
• Dai Le regretted sending the Aravalli Range formation to Kashmir, then concluded that Lin Ye's Instance was too powerful for the Challengers to conquer.
• A Challenger reported that Dragon Country's six brigades had assembled outside Delhi and called on the defenders to meet them beyond the city.
• Dai Le ordered the Challengers in Delhi to assemble outside the city for a final battle, explaining that it was their last chance to defend their dignity.
• Dai Le's sixty thousand troops formed up outside Delhi opposite the six Dragon Country brigades, and the Challengers trembled at the sight of the force before them.