Chapter Summaries

After seizing Siam’s throne, Poom blamed Jieko Group for King Raha’s assassination and ordered the country into wartime mobilization, while secretly continuing his alliance with the CIA, the real conspirators. A Jieko Group intelligence operative overheard Poom’s meeting with the CIA agents, revealing that their plans were being recorded.

• After a week of infighting, Poom defeated or eliminated his rivals and became Siam’s king.
• At his succession ceremony, Poom showed surveillance footage and accused Jieko Group of sending Super Soldiers to assassinate King Raha.
• Poom declared nationwide war mobilization and demanded that Jieko Group hand over the assassins and that Su Jie apologize publicly within a month.
• Poom met CIA agents Shawang and Smith in private and acknowledged that their cooperation had helped him take the throne, though he knew they had killed his father.
• Shawang and Smith discussed their plan to make Siam fight Jieko Group and draw other Southeast Asian countries into a coalition against it.
• A genetically modified Jieko Group intelligence operative wearing a baseball cap secretly recorded the conversation with his flying-fox ears.

Shao Mengjun brought Su Jie evidence that Siam's King Poom had colluded with the CIA to assassinate the old king and frame Jieko Group. After hearing Shao Mengjun argue that war could deter Siam and its neighbors, Su Jie revealed that he had already prepared Operation Overlord and intended to attack Siam.

• Shao Mengjun and Cang Baomiao watched protests in Mande City and discussed finding allies among Siam's sidelined princes.
• Pu Lie returned with video and documents showing Poom conspiring with Shawang and the CIA, and Shao Mengjun decided to take the evidence to Su Jie.
• Su Jie discovered that his Ninth-grade Sacred Lotus had sprouted a fourth leaf before receiving Shao Mengjun and the intelligence team at Fumen Ranch.
• Shao Mengjun showed Su Jie evidence that the CIA had helped Poom seize power and frame Jieko Group, while Liu Yingying condemned the conspiracy.
• Shao Mengjun recommended fighting Siam to deter other countries, and Su Jie praised his reasoning before revealing the prepared war plan, Operation Overlord.

The Jieke Group and Siam escalated their dispute over the alleged assassination into open war after months of hostile propaganda, military preparations, and border clashes. As the fighting began, Su Jie sent the Jieke Group’s secret weapons into battle, and the Steel Battalion attacked a Siamese camp where recruit Siwawen had been abused.

• Liu Yingying denied Siam’s assassination accusation, while King Phupong demanded an apology and compensation or threatened war.
• The Jieke Group and Siam severed diplomatic relations, staged opposing military exercises, evacuated citizens, and prepared their forces as regional countries took sides.
• On December 24, a border firefight killed or wounded more than a dozen people, and both sides declared war on December 25.
• Su Jie ordered an officer to deploy the Jieke Group’s concealed machines from Mande City Underground Base One.
• At Sangka military camp, veterans beat and tortured recruit Siwawen until Steel Battalion soldiers in biological exosuits and heavy mechs stormed the Siamese regiment and began a massacre.

Sivawen survived the Steel Battalion’s massacre of the Sangka military camp and fled, while Miao Lun’s forces prepared to lure Siam’s heavy armored division into battle. Cao Yangchun learned that the newly formed First Mech Combat Brigade would confront the division with a massive Spider-type Main Battle Mech.

• Shi Genshang and the Steel Battalion annihilated the Siamese soldiers at Sangka, while Sivawen hid in a shell crater and survived.
• After the battle, Sivawen crawled out, vomited at the sight of the dead, and fled the camp, unsure whether to report what happened or desert.
• Cao Yangchun reported the attack to Miao Lun, who explained that assaults on three military camps were meant to lure out Siam’s heavy armored division.
• Hao Guang told Cao Yangchun that the First Mech Combat Brigade had been created to counter the enemy’s armored forces.
• Hao Guang revealed the Spider-type Main Battle Mech, a heavily armed, 98-ton machine piloted by a gene warrior, leaving Cao Yangchun stunned.

Cao Yangchun visited the First Mech Combat Brigade, learned how to pilot a Spider-type Main Battle Mech, and saw the brigade prepare for an ambush. The 132 mechs concealed themselves underground near Dulan Highway, leaving Miao Lun’s Steel Battalion to lure the Siam Heavy Armored Division into their trap.

• Hao Guang showed Cao Yangchun the First Mech Combat Brigade’s 132 Spider-type Main Battle Mechs and explained their organization and support forces.
• Hao Guyu helped Cao Yangchun put on a Bio-Mech suit and pilot a Spider-type Main Battle Mech, which Cao learned to control after several hours of practice.
• Hao Guang received word that the Siam Heavy Armored Division was moving, and he ordered the brigade to prepare for the planned ambush near Dulan Highway.
• The First Mech Combat Brigade fueled, armed, and inspected its mechs before moving out of the mine under cover of night.
• The 132 Spider-type Main Battle Mechs dug into the open ground and concealed themselves, while Hao Guang told Miao Lun that the Steel Battalion had to lure the enemy into the trap.

King Poom ordered Siam’s armored forces to encircle and destroy the Steel Battalion after his commanders argued that the unit could be defeated on open plains. When Basong’s 35,000 troops reached Kanchanaburi Province, they pursued the Steel Battalion toward Red Maple Mountain, and satellite-watching countries concluded the unit was doomed.

• Nalong persuaded King Poom that the Steel Battalion’s appearance near the Dulan Highway offered a chance to destroy it, and Basong recommended deploying the 1st Heavy Armored Division and the 2nd Cavalry Division.
• King Poom ordered the two divisions to mobilize and encircle the Steel Battalion, praising Basong and Nalong as his Wolong and Fengchu.
• On December 27, Basong and Shenimo led a combined armored force of more than 35,000 troops into Kanchanaburi Province and approached Xiangyu City.
• A reconnaissance aircraft reported that the Steel Battalion was moving toward Red Maple Mountain, so Basong ordered the entire force to advance and annihilate it.
• The armored force swept south across the plains, while countries monitoring the battle concluded that the Steel Battalion could not withstand it.

Hao Guyu piloted Spider-type Main Battle Mech A-180 as it ambushed the Siamese armored torrent and devastated its tanks, infantry, and artillery. More than a hundred Spider Mechs joined the battle, and their unprecedented firepower shocked military observers around the world.

• Hao Guyu waited until the Siamese armored forces entered the planned hunting range, then burst from underground and crushed Rillian's Stryker vehicle.
• Black Bowie attacked A-180 with machine-gun fire and tank rounds, but the mech's tumors absorbed the damage and repaired its wounds.
• Hao Guyu unleashed the Spider Mech's cannons and machine guns, destroying armored vehicles and soldiers while surviving an Apache's rocket attack.
• Hao Guyu ensnared the Apache with webbing and brought it down as more than a hundred Spider Mechs emerged across the plain.
• Black Bowie tried to retreat, but Hao Guyu destroyed his M1A2 with a 203-millimeter shell.
• The Spider Mechs bombarded Siamese artillery positions, while satellite observers around the world witnessed their destructive power.

The Spider-type Main Battle Mechs overwhelmed the Siamese armored forces, and the First Mech Combat Brigade captured several senior officers while annihilating most of the enemy army. After Siamese aircraft inflicted further losses, the brigade withdrew through the tunnel toward Zen Kingdom as Zen Kingdom's air force intercepted them.

• The Spider Mechs crushed Siamese tanks, vehicles, helicopters, and infantry, while Hao Guyu and the Brigade Commander Hao Guang ordered that no prisoners be taken.
• Hao Guyu's mech killed surrendering Siamese soldiers, and the First Mech Combat Brigade pursued the fleeing army across the plain.
• Hao Guyu attacked Basong's command vehicle, killed Dunimo when he resisted capture, and took Basong and the other senior officers prisoner.
• The battle ended with Jieko Group destroying two Siamese armored forces and killing more than 30,000 soldiers.
• Siamese aircraft destroyed seven or eight Spider Mechs, but Zen Kingdom's air force intervened as the brigade retrieved casualties and retreated through the underground tunnel.

After Siam’s armored divisions were devastated by Jieko Group’s Spider Mechs, King Poom dismissed Nalong as Chief of the General Staff. Chan Kingdom then invaded Siam, while footage of the mechs’ victory sparked a global arms race and left countries rushing to develop their own mechs.

• Poom learned that Siam’s two armored divisions had suffered catastrophic losses, Dunimo had died, and Basong had been captured by the Jieko Group.
• Poom blamed Nalong for the defeat, dismissed him as Chief of the General Staff, and appointed Wanyan Ting to replace him.
• An aide reported that Chan Kingdom’s forces had crossed into four Siamese provinces and broken through the first line of defense, prompting Poom to call for help from Beautiful Country.
• The next day, videos of Jieko Group’s Spider Mechs destroying Siamese armor spread worldwide and drew intense public and military attention.
• Countries around the world sharply increased mech research funding, setting off a global arms race.

Kojero Clayton examined Spider Mech flesh recovered in Siam, but the material rotted before Beautiful Country could study it, while the CIA pushed Siam’s neighbors toward war. Jieko Group launched its offensive against Siam, and Annan, Laos, and Cambodia sent troops to join the conflict, prompting Liu Yingying to warn that they were on Jieko Group’s strike list.

• Kojero Clayton tested the Spider Mech’s unusually elastic, heat-resistant flesh and learned that it could absorb bullets, repair itself, and help support the mech’s immense weight.
• The stored flesh began to rot despite the researchers’ efforts, and Shawang reported the loss to CIA director Judien, who blamed Jieko Group and approved Poom’s request for assistance.
• Shawang agreed to stir up more trouble among Siam’s neighbors, while a Jieko Group intelligence soldier reported the CIA’s conversation to his superior.
• On December 30, 2025, Jieko Group began an all-out offensive against Siam, broke through its first two defensive lines, and advanced toward the heavily fortified position in Nonthaburi Province.
• Annan, Laos, and Cambodia declared that they would intervene on Siam’s behalf and sent a combined 450,000 troops into Siam, with Annan supplying the bulk of the force.
• Liu Yingying warned that every country opposing Jieko Group had been placed on its strike list.

Su Jie sent the Jieko Group’s newly modified Osprey fighters into combat to secure air superiority before the ground offensive. Wu Boyan shot down two Siamese fighters and eagerly searched for another opponent.

• Su Jie ordered twenty-four Osprey fighters and other Chan aircraft to launch against Siam and its allies.
• Wu Boyan used the Osprey’s biological radar and stealth to detect and destroy a Siamese Gripen with a guided missile.
• Wu Boyan evaded a missile from a second enemy aircraft and closed in until both fighters entered dogfighting range.
• Wu Boyan identified the opponent as an F-35 flown by Somjet Thorne and outmaneuvered its cannon fire.
• Wu Boyan shot down Somjet’s F-35 with the Osprey’s autocannon and celebrated his second kill as he searched for another target.

The Jieko Group launched air raids against Cambodia, Laos, Annan, and Siam, destroying air assets and striking military forces across the region. The chapter ended with Osprey fighters sinking the Siamese aircraft carrier Chakri Naruebet and devastating its fleet.

• Jieko Group fighters bombed Cambodia's Huiping Airport, destroying its aircraft and helicopters, and then wiped out Laos's weak air force in a surprise raid.
• Eight Jieko Group fighters dropped cluster bombs on the 338th Infantry Division's camp in Annan, killing or wounding thousands of soldiers.
• Annan sent fighters across Cambodia to retaliate, but Jieko Group early-warning aircraft detected them and Osprey fighters engaged them over Cambodian airspace.
• On January 20, Jieko Group Osprey fighters attacked the Siamese fleet in the Gulf of Siam, sinking two frigates and damaging others.
• Wu Boyan and the Osprey formation concentrated Flying Fish missiles on the Chakri Naruebet, whose ammunition depot exploded and sent the carrier capsizing and sinking.

The Jieko Group’s air campaign devastated Siam and neighboring countries, and Liu Yingying faced their accusations at a United Nations Security Council mediation conference. She rejected their demands, made sweeping demands of her own, and ended by revealing evidence that Siam’s King Poom and the CIA had conspired to frame the Jieko Group for his father’s assassination.

• The Jieko Group’s modified Osprey fighters won an advantage over Siamese aircraft, while three days of strikes destroyed military targets and sank three Siamese warships, including the Chakri Naruebet.
• At the Security Council conference, Liu Yingying rebuffed accusations from Siam, Annam, and Beautiful Country about the Jieko Group’s attacks, cluster bombs, and genetic weapons.
• Siam, Annam, Chenla, and Laos demanded compensation, while Liu Yingying countered with demands for territory, reparations, trade privileges, jurisdiction, and military bases.
• Liu Yingying justified Chenla’s territorial claims by invoking the Toungoo Dynasty, provoking furious protests from the four countries.
• When Siam accused the Jieko Group of assassinating its former king, Liu Yingying played videos and photographs showing King Poom conspiring with the CIA to frame the Jieko Group.

After the ceasefire talks collapsed, the Jieko Group released evidence accusing King Poom and the Beautiful Country’s CIA of conspiring against Siam, prompting protests and a crackdown in Siam. As both sides prepared to resume fighting at the Khrim defensive line, military observers gathered to see what new equipment the Jieko Group had brought.

• Liu Yingying presented evidence of King Poom’s alleged crimes and offered ceasefire terms, but representatives of Siam, Annan, Zhenla, and Laos rejected the proposal, ending negotiations.
• The Jieko Group published its evidence online, triggering international outrage and protests in Siam; Poom denied the accusations, arrested opponents, imposed censorship and curfews, and rallied support for war.
• The Jieko Group gained air superiority during three days of strikes as both sides prepared for a major battle at the heavily fortified Khrim defensive line.
• Western military observers debated whether the defensive line could halt the Jieko Group, while Vargas and Song Ziming discussed the difficulty of breaking through it quickly.
• A train arrived carrying new equipment, and Vargas and Song Ziming saw savage-looking war machines beneath its tarpaulin.

Su Jie arrived at the front with a massive force of Spider-type Main Battle Mechs and rallied his soldiers for the coming war against Siam and its allies. The chapter left the troops united and fired up to defeat the enemy, while Song Ziming reflected on Su Jie’s extraordinary influence.

• Vargas admired a Spider-type Main Battle Mech, and Hao Guyu agreed to let him pilot one if Vargas won their drinking contest; Hao Guang also offered Song Ziming a chance to try one.
• Hao Guang showed Vargas and Song Ziming the growing force of more than three hundred mechs, including Scorpion Flamethrower Mechs and Fly-type Rocket Artillery.
• Su Jie arrived with Han Ruyan, inspected Hao Guang’s force, and greeted Vargas and Song Ziming.
• Su Jie used Hao Guyu’s A-180 as a speaking platform and urged the soldiers to fight for Hua Country, its people, and their dignity against Beautiful Country and its allies.
• The soldiers, Hao Guyu, and Vargas joined in shouting that the Jieko Group would prevail, while Song Ziming considered Su Jie’s influence over the troops.

The Jieko Group launched its assault on the Khrim Line, using artillery to clear mines before Spider Mechs and elite infantry advanced together. As the Siamese and Annamese defenders buckled under the mechs’ fire, Hao Guyu deployed Cao Yangchun’s Steel Battalion soldiers to engage enemy positions.

• The Jieko Group bombarded the Khrim Line for two hours, clearing minefields and opening routes for its ground forces.
• Hao Guang led the Mech Combat Brigade’s Spider Mechs forward against the Siamese defenses.
• Ruan Chengfu and the other defenders left their bunker and panicked at the sight of the advancing mechs.
• A Spider Mech’s autocannon and main cannon killed and wounded defenders, while Ruan Chengfu froze after a soldier’s headless body fell into his arms.
• Hao Guyu lowered her Spider Mech so Cao Yangchun and the Steel Battalion’s Super Soldiers could dismount and attack enemy firing positions.
• Cao Yangchun and his soldiers sniped at missile teams while the Spider Mechs suppressed the trenches, beginning an infantry-mech coordinated assault.

Hao Guyu and Cao Yangchun led a Spider Mech and its accompanying Gene Warriors and Super Soldiers through the Khrim defensive line, crushing Siamese positions while the infantry protected the mech from ambushes. After enemy artillery damaged the Spider Mech, Hao Guyu escaped the bombardment and retaliated by striking a distant artillery position with its 203mm cannon.

• Hao Guyu piloted the Spider Mech through trenches and fortifications while Super Soldiers killed Siamese troops attempting close-range ambushes.
• Hao Guyu destroyed a camouflaged tank that threatened Cao Yangchun, and Cao Yangchun supported the mech by sniping enemy soldiers.
• The Spider Mech and heavy infantry broke through successive trenches, killing Ruan Chengfu, Li Junmin, and Ruan Chengli as they resisted.
• Hao Guyu advanced three kilometers with Cao Yangchun and the Super Soldiers riding on the mech, but Siamese artillery opened fire and a rocket struck the Spider Mech, breaking two legs and damaging its upper body.
• Hao Guyu used the biological radar and Eye Worm reconnaissance to locate the artillery and fired the 203mm cannon, destroying a rocket launcher at the distant position.

Hao Guyu used fighter support to destroy a Siamese artillery battalion, then rejoined the Jieko Group's advancing mech force as it assaulted Annamese defenses on the Khrim Front. The force's rockets and Scorpion Flamethrower Mechs overwhelmed the hill fortifications and underground tunnels, leaving the Annamese defenders in flames.

• Hao Guyu called in two Jieko Group fighter jets, which dropped eight guided bombs and devastated the Siamese artillery position.
• Cao Yangchun and the others recovered from the shelling, and Hao Guyu drove Spider Mech A-180 to rejoin the main force.
• Jieko Group mechs and ground troops broke through the Khrim Front, while fighters suppressed Siamese radar and air defenses.
• A Fly-type Rocket Mech fired a barrage of 220-millimeter rockets at an Annamese hill position, then reloaded and attacked again.
• Scorpion Flamethrower Mechs and Spider Main Battle Mechs assaulted the hill, burning soldiers in its trenches and underground fortress.
• Hao Guyu watched as the advancing force set more Annamese defensive positions ablaze and drove the defenders to flee.

Jieko Group’s mech forces smashed through the Khrim defensive line, using specialized combat, transport, and engineering mechs to overwhelm the defenders and keep the advance moving. Song Ziming and Vargas witnessed the mechs’ capabilities as the offensive drove deep into the line and encircled Siamese troops.

• A Bee-type Anti-aircraft Mech shot down three Siamese armed helicopters, including an Apache, then turned its guns on fleeing Annamese soldiers.
• Vargas showed Song Ziming a Locust Transport Mech unloading soldiers, tanks, and other equipment to support the advancing forces.
• After Siamese troops destroyed a bridge, an Ant-type Engineering Mech crossed the river and built a pontoon bridge for the ground forces.
• Song Ziming and Vargas agreed to report the mechs’ effectiveness and recommend cooperation on mech research and development.
• Jieko Group’s mech forces launched a rapid, air-supported blitzkrieg, penetrating the Khrim defensive line and encircling large numbers of Siamese troops.
• The 350,000 four-nation Siamese forces lost their supply lines and began collapsing as Jieko Group continued advancing through the defensive line.

The Jieko Group broke through the Khrim Defense Line and prepared to encircle the 350,000 Siamese troops defending it by sending Spider Mechs across the Bilaoshan Mountains. After Nimison warned Wanyan Ting of the danger, the Siamese commander agreed to seek the King’s approval for a withdrawal.

• The Jieko Group captured Lunyancheng, encircled and destroyed the Siamese Second Army, and advanced toward the Gulf of Siam.
• Horatio spotted Jieko Group Spider Mechs crossing the Bilaoshan Mountains and concluded they planned to cut off the Khrim Defense Line’s retreat route.
• Horatio and Andrei argued over Horatio’s comparison of the looming encirclement to the Maginot Line, then fought.
• Nimison hurried to the Siamese command center and warned Wanyan Ting that the Jieko Group planned to trap the 350,000 troops at the Khrim Defense Line.
• Wanyan Ting agreed to report to the King and arrange for the troops to withdraw as soon as possible.