Chapter Summaries

The Jieko Group’s forces captured Guwahati City after Country A’s defenders surrendered, then helped the Six Eastern States break away from Country A and establish Assam Nation under Dai Ahong. The new nation became a buffer between the Jieko Group and Country A, which lost nearly 200,000 square kilometers and more than 50 million citizens.

• Dai Ahong’s 100,000 Sassu Armed Forces soldiers spent three days attacking Guwahati City but occupied less than a fifth of it and suffered heavy casualties.
• Shao Meng arrived and told Dai Ahong that Jieko Group troops would take over the assault, then Dai Ahong watched their armored force approach the city.
• The Jieko Group bombarded Guwahati City and advanced with Spider Main Battle Mechs, prompting most Country A defenders to surrender.
• The Jieko Group captured Guwahati City in four hours, and Dai Ahong resolved to rely on the group.
• The Jieko Group took control of the Six Eastern States and held a referendum in which 85 percent voted for independence from Country A.
• The Jieko Group recognized Assam Nation, whose first president was Dai Ahong, and Dai Ahong signed cooperation agreements with Su Jie in Mande City.

After the Jieko Group seized the Six Eastern States and established the Assam Nation, Su Jie rejected Country A’s ceasefire offer and demanded compensation, recognition of Assam’s independence, and the Andaman Islands. He then vowed to destroy Country A’s navy, leaving the war poised to escalate at sea.

• The Jieko Group’s victory and the creation of the Assam Nation drew praise from Hua Country netizens and condemnation from Western media, while Prime Minister Singh threatened to retake the Six Eastern States.
• The Jieko Group repelled further Country A attacks at the Siliguri Corridor, where more than 250,000 Country A troops faced its forces without daring to advance.
• Su Jie ordered Dai Ahong to recruit 300,000 troops for the Assam Nation, with the Jieko Group supplying training, weapons, and loans.
• Liu Yingying told Su Jie that Country A had offered ceasefire negotiations in exchange for the return of the Six Eastern States, and Su Jie rejected the offer.
• Su Jie set conditions for future negotiations, including Country A’s admission of defeat, $100 billion in compensation, recognition of Assam’s independence, and the cession of the Andaman Islands.
• Su Jie ordered preparations to destroy Country A’s navy and declared that its fleet would soon exist only in history textbooks.

The Jieko Group’s Irawaddy deliberately revealed itself to lure Country A’s navy into an underwater ambush. After losing satellite tracking, Country A’s leaders ordered their main fleet to pursue and destroy the lone cruiser, setting the stage for a major naval battle.

• Captain Manohar spotted the Irawaddy passing Sangpu Yuan Yu 028 and reported the warship to Country A’s authorities.
• Commander Peng Hongtai ordered the Irawaddy to head for sea area B-19 and summoned five other Devourer-class Deep Submergence Cruisers to prepare an ambush.
• Prime Minister Singh and naval officials learned that Country A had located the cruiser, but a Jieko Group satellite rammed their tracking satellite and the target disappeared.
• Jayant and Vip persuaded Singh to order the navy to sink the cruiser, and Country A’s main fleet assembled under the Vikrant and sailed in pursuit.
• News of Country A’s fleet mobilization spread worldwide as observers anticipated a major naval battle.

Country A’s fleet located the Irawaddy Devourer-class Deep Submergence Cruiser and sent twelve MiG-29K fighters to attack it. The Irawaddy’s air defenses destroyed all twelve fighters, while Peng Hongtai prepared a broader strike against the approaching fleet.

• Admiral Kumar received satellite and reconnaissance intelligence locating the Irawaddy cruiser and ordered Country A’s fleet to close in and launch its carrier aircraft.
• Peng Hongtai learned that Country A’s fleet was advancing and ordered the Irawaddy to prepare air defenses while the other cruisers readied a full-scale attack.
• Fipiton’s MiG-29K formation detected the Irawaddy and attempted to launch anti-ship missiles, but the cruiser’s surface-to-air missiles destroyed or damaged most of the fighters and intercepted their missiles.
• Fipiton attempted a kamikaze dive after fragments damaged his bomb-release mechanism and fuel tank, but the Irawaddy’s CIWS guns tore apart his fighter.
• The Irawaddy launched another wave of missiles and destroyed the remaining MiG-29Ks, leaving none of Country A’s twelve carrier-based fighters alive.

Five Jieko Group Devourer-class Deep Submergence Cruisers ambushed Country A’s fleet with rocket-assisted torpedoes and a massive anti-ship missile barrage. Kumar realized the cruiser he had pursued was a decoy and that his fleet had been trapped, leaving its fate uncertain.

• A Devourer-class Deep Submergence Cruiser detected Country A’s fleet and launched rocket-assisted torpedoes, while four more cruisers around the fleet launched their own salvo.
• Kumar and his officers aboard the Vikrant discussed the loss of their twelve MiG-29K fighters and expected their destroyers to catch the enemy cruiser.
• Country A’s fleet detected incoming missiles, activated its air defenses, and identified five approximate launch areas around the fleet.
• The rocket-assisted torpedoes struck the Hunter-killer and Ariygart nuclear submarines, killing all 208 sailors aboard.
• Reconnaissance drones spotted five Devourer-class cruisers surfacing and launching more than a thousand anti-ship missiles at the fleet.
• Kumar recognized that the cruiser he had pursued was a decoy and ordered the fleet to organize its air defenses against the encircling attack.

Kumar’s Country A carrier group launched a counterattack against five Devourer-class Deep Submergence Cruisers, but the cruisers intercepted nearly all of its missiles while their own saturation barrage devastated the fleet. With the Vikrant aircraft carrier burning and more anti-ship missiles approaching, Kumar watched Country A’s navy collapse.

• Kumar ordered the destroyers and frigates to fire all their anti-ship missiles at the five Devourer-class Deep Submergence Cruisers.
• A Swordfish missile struck the INS Parnam Destroyer’s ammunition depot, and the ship sank, opening a gap in Country A’s air-defense network.
• The missile barrage sank the INS Kochi Destroyer, the INS Brahmaputra Frigate, and several more ships, while a missile pierced the Vikrant aircraft carrier and started a fire.
• Kumar hoped Country A’s counterattack would sink the cruisers, but the Devourer-class ships intercepted the missiles with air-defense missiles, naval guns, living tentacles, and CIWS.
• Kumar learned that the carrier’s fire was spreading toward its ammunition depot and watched most of his fleet sink or burn as missiles approached the Vikrant.

The Jieko Group annihilated Country A's carrier battle group, sinking the Vikrant and capturing fleet commander Kumar. Peng Hongtai reported the victory and declared that the Jieko Group's navy would dominate the region's seas.

• Missiles crippled the Vikrant, and Kumar's officers dragged him from the bridge as the carrier's crew fought over lifeboats and turned on one another.
• The Vikrant endured repeated missile strikes before an explosion in its fuel depot set it ablaze and sank it; only eighty-seven of its 1,400 sailors were rescued, including Kumar.
• Peng Hongtai met the captured Kumar aboard the Irawaddy and ordered that he be treated well while the Jieko Group considered seeking a ransom.
• Peng Hongtai dictated a report to his adjutant declaring that the First Fleet had destroyed Country A's main naval force and would dominate the regional waters.

After Country A’s navy was annihilated in Bengal Bay, Singh dismissed Jayant and tried to draw Beautiful Country into the war by offering it the Andaman Islands, but its carrier group turned back. News of Jieko Group’s victory spread worldwide, sparking protests in Country A and celebrations in Zen Country.

• Singh blamed Jayant for the destruction of Country A’s fleet, stripped him of his posts, and had military police take him away.
• Singh and Vip rejected using nuclear weapons and considered leasing the Andaman Islands to Beautiful Country to involve it in the war against Jieko Group.
• A naval staff officer reported that Beautiful Country’s dual-carrier battle group had turned back, and Singh fainted in anger.
• On March 12, reports of Jieko Group sinking thirty warships, including the Vikrant, spread across global media and prompted countries to assess the battle’s impact.
• Hundreds of thousands of Country A citizens protested and demanded retaliation, while people in Zen Country celebrated Jieko Group’s victory.

After Singh ordered Vip to seize the Siliguri Corridor, Jieko Group routed Country A’s forces and captured three positions, deepening Singh’s humiliation. In Beautiful Country, Jesmin’s government decided against confronting Jieko Group for now, while considering its weapons and weighing Country A’s offer to lease the Andaman Islands.

• Singh sent Vip to lead an offensive to capture the Siliguri Corridor, but Jieko Group’s mechs and gene warriors crushed the attack.
• Jieko Group countercharged, triggering a mass flight that abandoned three positions and left more than twenty thousand Country A soldiers in captivity.
• Singh was hospitalized after hearing the news, while Vip ordered a retreat and later left the front lines amid impeachment motions.
• Judien gave Jesmin intelligence about the Devourer Cruiser Armory Ship, and Federico urged Beautiful Country to develop ships of its own while warning that they were difficult to locate and counter.
• Jesmin kept Beautiful Country’s carrier battle groups away from Bengal Bay and rejected Country A’s offer to lease the Andaman Islands, choosing to avoid being drawn into the war.

After Beautiful Country abandoned the Bengal Bay exercise, Southeast Asian states shifted toward the victorious Jieko Group. At Bangkok Port, Su Jie forced Johor’s president to accept extensive military and political concessions, leaving Johor under the Jieko Group’s influence as its cruisers returned.

• Beautiful Country withdrew its dual-carrier battle group from the Bengal Bay, then returned to the Indian Ocean after the Jieko Group’s six Devourer-class cruisers headed back to Bangkok Port.
• With the scheduled exercise abandoned, Thousand Island Strategy Alliance members sought better relations with the Jieko Group, and Johor cut off Tamasek’s supplies while pursuing cooperation with Su Jie.
• On March 18, crowds and reporters gathered at Bangkok Port for the Devourer-class cruisers’ return, where Giovanni Herman saw Su Jie arrive with Liu Yingying and Johor’s president, Datu Hou.
• Liu Yingying told Datu Hou that Johor had to accept Jieko Group military bases, guidance over its armed forces, and access to its ports.
• Su Jie warned Datu Hou that Johor could be devastated if it resisted, and Datu Hou agreed to follow the Jieko Group’s arrangements.

The Jieko Group welcomed the victorious First Fleet into Bangkok Harbor, displaying its six powerful Devourer-class cruisers and parading captured Country A sailors and spoils before cheering crowds. The public victory established the Jieko Group’s naval prestige, while Giovanni recognized its growing power and doubted it would stop expanding.

• Six Devourer-class Deep Submergence Cruisers surfaced, and the Irawaddy entered Bangkok Harbor as citizens and foreign reporters watched in awe.
• Peng Hongtai returned with the First Fleet, reported sinking thirty major warships including Country A’s Vikrant, and presented Kumar’s sidearm to Su Jie.
• Su Jie awarded Peng Hongtai a medal, then the Jieko Group paraded Country A prisoners, including Kumar, and displayed a captured frigate and other spoils.
• Country A netizens angrily reacted online to the captured frigate’s public exhibition, while Liu Yingying and Su Jie discussed the victory parade and its message.
• Giovanni acknowledged that the intact cruisers showed the Jieko Group’s overwhelming naval strength, and international media reported on its rise as a maritime power.

Jieko Group’s army entered Johor with the government’s approval and established control despite domestic protests. Johor then used a dispute over White Reef Island to launch an attack on Tamasek, capturing the New Johor-Singapore Causeway and beginning a wider invasion.

• More than one hundred thousand Jieko Group troops crossed into Johor after Johor’s military ordered the border opened.
• President Datu Hou announced a strategic alliance with Jieko Group, while Johor’s forces suppressed protests against the troops’ arrival.
• Jieko Group completed its takeover of Johor and built bases there, seeking control of its resources and strategic position near the Strait of Malacca.
• Johor’s 10th Parachute Brigade launched a surprise attack on Tamasek and captured the New Johor-Singapore Causeway.
• Datu Hou claimed Tamasek had provoked Johor and tried to seize White Reef Island, while Jieko Group continued building bases in Johor without commenting on the invasion.

Johor's invasion of Tamasek collapsed after the 2nd Infantry Division failed to break through the defenders and was routed by Tamasek's reinforcements. President Datu Hou urgently asked the Jieko Group to summon Commander Su for help.

• Tikpu ordered the Johor 2nd Infantry Division to attack Tamasek's defensive line after learning its forces were outnumbered four to one.
• Johor's artillery missed its first targets, and its disorganized tank and infantry assault was repelled by Tamasek soldiers using rockets, antitank missiles, and suicide drones.
• Tikpu's troops repeatedly retreated during the next ten hours, while Tamasek held its position and received reinforcements.
• Tamasek fighters and Leopard 2 tanks overwhelmed Johor's forces, and the 2nd Infantry Division fled in defeat.
• President Datu Hou, horrified by the invasion's failure, urgently asked the Jieko Group to report to Commander Su that Johor could not handle Tamasek.

After the Jieko Group declared war on Tamasek to support Johor, its forces invaded and conquered the country in two days. The chapter ended with Tamasek surrendering and neighboring nations fearing the Jieko Group’s military power.

• The Jieko Group declared war on Tamasek after Johor appealed for help, while Beautiful Country avoided committing troops to defend Tamasek.
• Hao Guang led the First Mech Combat Brigade into Tamasek, where Hao Guyu and the Spider Main Battle Mechs routed the First Mixed Division and forced Wen Ruiqun to surrender.
• The First Mech Combat Brigade broke through Tamasek in eleven hours, while the rest of the Jieko Group’s forces destroyed or captured the country’s remaining military units.
• On April 17, Jieko Group troops entered Tamasek City, and Hao Guang accepted Tamasek’s unconditional surrender after its leaders welcomed the invading army.
• Tamasek’s surrender undermined Beautiful Country’s attempt to convene a United Nations Security Council assembly, and Southeast Asian nations grew fearful of the Jieko Group.

The Jieko Group seized Changi Naval Base from the Beautiful Country after Tamasek’s surrender, overcoming the base’s forces with overwhelming naval and mechanized power. Tufengpu dismissed Naveen’s threats of war and affirmed the Jieko Group’s resolve under Commander Su.

• The Irawaddy surfaced off Changi Naval Base, and Tufengpu ordered its personnel to surrender while Naveen called for help and protested the takeover.
• Jieko Group landing ships brought troops and Spider Main Battle Mechs ashore as Naveen hesitated to attack without orders from Indo-Pacific Command.
• Jieko soldiers and gene warriors entered the base, captured its defenders, and stopped fleeing soldiers by destroying the Humvee at the gate.
• The Jieko Group took control of Changi Naval Base and gathered 677 Beautiful Country soldiers.
• Tufengpu confronted Naveen, rejected his claim that the base belonged to Tamasek, and said the Jieko Group would accept war to secure its descendants’ future.

After the Jieko Group seized Changi Naval Base and detained Beautiful Country troops, Jesmin approved a hard-line response while the two powers rallied allies and deployed forces. The chapter left Southeast Asia on the brink of war as the Jieko Group expanded its control and regional influence despite the Beautiful Country’s pressure.

• The Jieko Group seized Changi Naval Base and arrested the Beautiful Country soldiers stationed there, prompting Jesmin to debate retaliation with Grace Bond and Judien.
• Jesmin approved Grace Bond’s proposal for a forceful response, and the Beautiful Country threatened the Jieko Group while deploying forces.
• The Jieko Group demanded compensation from the Beautiful Country and refused to return its soldiers or warships until it was paid.
• The Beautiful Country enlisted support from Sakura Country, South Korea, Great Britain, and other allies, while their warships gathered near the region.
• The Jieko Group deployed forces across Johor and Tamasek, took the Andaman Islands, supported Paqi Nation’s attack on Country A, and proposed a regional currency.
• The Jieko Group and the Beautiful Country continued their military and political buildup, leaving Southeast Asia tense and close to open conflict.

The Jieko Group launched Dragon Coin as Beautiful Country escalated its military pressure, tying the new currency to the group’s wages, products, and trade. In the Congo, poor blood sellers initially rejected Dragon Coin but accepted it after they could exchange it for food, while multinational blood companies eagerly acquired it and its black-market value rose.

• Beautiful Country deployed a massive fleet of carriers and allied warships around Southeast Asia to intimidate the Jieko Group.
• On May 1, the Jieko Group introduced Dragon Coin and required its employees, supported countries, and product sales to use the currency.
• A gang in the Congo paid poor residents for their blood in Dragon Coin, prompting the sellers to protest and demand dollars.
• The gang leader explained that Dragon Coin bought food, and the blood sellers accepted it after exchanging it for rice and flour.
• Multinational blood companies stockpiled Dragon Coin to purchase Jieko Group products and settle blood sales, while its black-market exchange rate climbed to three Dragon Coins per dollar.

Su Jie advanced his cultivation and discovered how to break through to the Dao Platform Realm while Jieko Group faced opposition to Dragon Coins from Luzon and Java. After dismissing Beautiful Country’s military buildup as intimidation, he publicly warned the two countries that blocking Dragon Coins would bring consequences.

• Jieko Group rebutted Beautiful Country’s claims about Dragon Coins as Luzon and Java banned their circulation and use for settlement.
• Su Jie opened his left-eye aperture and learned that cleansing his body’s seven apertures alongside his Primordial Spirit with the Great Dao River’s aura would lead him to the Dao Platform Realm.
• Liu Yingying reported Beautiful Country’s carrier movements, and Su Jie judged that the deployment was meant to intimidate Jieko Group rather than start a war.
• A reporter questioned Su Jie about Luzon and Java, and he warned that their obstruction of Dragon Coins would not stop their spread and urged them to remember what they feared.

Gong Guokai’s blood and Jieko Group distribution businesses in Java Country were targeted after nationalist Wayanman took power and Java resisted the Dragon Coin’s expansion. The crackdown on Gong’s factory fueled widespread unrest in Ceylon City, while Java’s authorities struggled to contain the violence and mounting public pressure.

• Gong Guokai sent his nephew with gold and two hundred tons of blood to exchange for Dragon Coins, but Java’s anti-smuggling coast guard arrested him, killed three men, and seized the cargo.
• Gong Guokai learned that Wayanman’s government was resisting Jieko Group’s influence and used the political climate and Beautiful Country’s nearby fleet to justify targeting Chinese businesses.
• Java soldiers and police raided Gong Guokai’s factory, brutalized and arrested its Chinese employees, seized its goods, and took Gong into custody under Ketut’s command.
• Gong Guokai’s secretary uploaded footage of the raid, and the video spread online as Java officials portrayed the operation as a crackdown on a criminal organization.
• Javanese residents in Ceylon City looted stores and set fires over the next three days, while some soldiers and police joined in and an uprising threatened to spread.
• Java’s authorities arrested only a handful of participants and tried to suppress reports as demonstrations and outside pressure grew.

After Gong Guokai’s arrest, Jieko Group launched a massive air and missile campaign against Java Country, crippling its military and devastating Yagada. President Wayanman fled the capital and sought Beautiful Country’s intervention as the bombardment continued.

• Jieko Group announced an armed overseas evacuation operation in Java Country and sent Demon Bird Fighters from Johor to strike military bases, communications centers, and other vital targets.
• A Devourer-class Deep Submergence Cruiser attacked Surabaya Naval Base, sinking all ten frigates moored there and destroying shore facilities.
• A second Devourer-class cruiser fired hundreds of cruise missiles at military bases around Yagada, destroying installations and inflicting heavy casualties.
• Cruise missiles struck Yagada’s capitol building, police headquarters, and presidential palace, while President Wayanman escaped through a secret passage and ordered his guards to take him to the Good Underground Command Center.
• Three cruise missiles destroyed Yagada’s National Monument as Wayanman watched from his armored car, and he vowed to seek Beautiful Country’s help against Jieko Group.