Daniel arrived at the divisional headquarters of the forward base, leading the captured prisoners. After sending his wounded soldiers to the medical unit, he began unpacking his belongings.

    He had barely settled in when he considered pouring himself a glass of the officer’s supply whiskey to ease his fatigue. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right time.

    “Captain Daniel Steiner? The division commander requests your presence.”

    Without even a moment to rest, Daniel nodded and followed the adjutant toward the temporary operations headquarters.

    Although the building’s exterior appeared intact, the interior hallways were scattered with debris—broken stones and splintered wood.

    It was a stark contrast to the pristine and elegant hallways of the general staff headquarters in the capital, which resembled luxury hotels.

    ‘Well, this was originally occupied by the Kingdom’s forces before we drove them out and seized the building...’

    It wasn’t exactly fair to complain about the lack of cleaning.

    After all, only a madman would demand cleanliness in a battlefield riddled with bullets.

    With such idle observations in mind, Daniel made his way to the operations room on the third floor.

    The adjutant knocked and announced Daniel’s arrival, prompting a voice from inside to call him in.

    The adjutant gave Daniel a nod before opening the door, revealing Major General Felderham seated at the head of a massive table.

    Felderham’s large frame made the expansive table seem small. With his thick eyebrows furrowed, he stared directly at Daniel, radiating a sense of authority.

    The atmosphere was intimidating, and it wasn’t just Felderham.

    The table was lined with high-ranking officers.

    The lowest-ranking officer present was a major.

    It was a gathering of the division’s most formidable leaders—a collection of military elites.

    Daniel could feel the weight of their gazes pressing down on him, making it slightly difficult to breathe.

    Heinrich raised his hand slightly in acknowledgment, but to Daniel, the gesture only added to his discomfort.

    Suppressing a sigh, Daniel stepped forward and saluted crisply.

    “Commander, sir! I was informed you requested my presence!”

    Felderham gave a faint smile and returned the salute.

    “Yes. I called you here to verify the radio operator’s report. According to the briefing, you attacked an enemy supply battalion, killed 135 men, and captured 192—including their battalion commander. Is this true?”

    Standing at attention, Daniel maintained his composure as he replied.

    “It was merely good fortune, sir.”

    “Let’s skip the false modesty. Luck alone doesn’t account for results like that. More importantly, Captain Steiner, have you uncovered the enemy’s supply route?”

    Their supply route?

    Daniel had only ambushed the battalion during transit; he hadn’t learned their route.

    “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know the exact route.”

    “What about the captured battalion commander? Can we extract the information from him?”

    “I’ve spoken with him, sir. He’s a resolute man. Even under extreme interrogation, I doubt he’ll reveal anything.”@@@@

    The room filled with disappointed murmurs.

    Given their desperation to uncover the Kingdom’s supply lines, Daniel’s report was far from satisfying.

    However, no one dared openly criticize him.

    His achievements thus far shone too brightly to be overshadowed by a few unsatisfactory answers.

    “I like your honesty. It’s a refreshing change from all the other smooth-talking staff officers.”

    After scanning the room, Felderham turned his sharp gaze back to Daniel.

    “Now then, Captain Steiner. If you were to hazard a guess about the enemy’s supply route, what would it be? Even speculation is welcome at this point. We need to consider every possibility.”

    The entire room fell silent, all eyes focusing on Daniel.

    In the suffocating quiet, Daniel’s thoughts raced.

    ‘Wait a second. If I say something stupid here...’

    It wouldn’t just disappoint the division commander—it could leave a bad impression on every senior officer in the room.

    This was a golden opportunity to tank his performance review and get himself reassigned to the rear.

    An opportunity like this wouldn’t come again.

    Taking a deep breath, Daniel decided to throw out the most absurd idea he could think of.

    “Underground tunnels... In other words, burrows.”

    The Kingdom’s forces weren’t fools. If such a tunnel existed, they would have hidden it meticulously, making it nearly impossible to find.

    ‘And if this wild speculation turns out to be wrong...’

    Daniel would inevitably be blamed as the one who threw the Imperial forces into chaos.

    His performance review would plummet, and he’d quickly earn the disdain of the division commander.

    If things went well, this supposed “competence” he’d stumbled into so far could finally be buried under accusations of “incompetence.”

    Hell, he might even get himself discharged from the military.

    Smiling faintly at the thought, Daniel suppressed a chuckle.

    Felderham, however, nearly gasped at the sight.

    ‘He’s smiling? Does he truly have that much confidence in this plan?’

    Even the most talented staff officers usually showed signs of anxiety, worried their guesses might be wrong. But Daniel?

    He was smiling—calmly, almost cruelly—while discussing the massacre that would follow the plan’s success.

    Felderham felt his perception of Daniel shift entirely.

    ‘An elite strategist from the capital? The Empire’s hero?’

    Those labels suddenly felt laughable.

    Felderham’s lips curled into a fierce grin as he studied Daniel.

    To his eyes, Daniel Steiner wasn’t some decorated officer propped up by propaganda.

    No—he was a bloodthirsty warrior, ready to spill as much of the enemy’s blood as it took to win.

    *****

    Late Night

    Reconnaissance Battalion Under Divisional Headquarters

    “Are we really supposed to believe there’s an underground tunnel around here?”

    “I don’t know. Orders are orders. Honestly, though, this feels ridiculous...”

    Grumbling, the reconnaissance soldiers pressed forward.

    Headquarters had abruptly ordered them to search the area where the enemy supply battalion had been captured. They’d already been scouring the surroundings for six hours.

    But so far, there wasn’t even a hint of an underground tunnel—or even an animal burrow, for that matter.

    Just how long were they supposed to keep up this nonsense?

    That’s when it happened.

    Thud...

    The faint clang of metal beneath a boot sent vibrations through the air.

    Startled, the soldier glanced down, but the ground was covered in branches and dead leaves, making it impossible to see what he’d stepped on.

    “What the hell? Why did you stop?”

    “Wait, didn’t you hear that? I think I just stepped on something. A—a landmine?”

    “What? Shit! Don’t move! Keep your foot planted!”

    Slipping his rifle onto his back, the other soldier knelt and began brushing away the leaves and branches around his partner’s foot.

    And then it appeared—not a mine, but a massive iron door.

    The soldiers froze, exchanging wide-eyed glances before instinctively stepping back.

    “Is this... what I think it is?”

    Silence hung in the air.

    Nodding grimly, the two men cautiously reached out and gripped the handles protruding from the metal surface.

    With a groaning creak, the door opened, revealing pitch-black darkness inside.

    “Flashlight. Turn it on.”

    One of them nodded, pulling out a flashlight and flicking it on.

    Click—

    The light fanned out, cutting through the darkness and illuminating a set of stairs descending deep underground.

    The soldiers stood frozen, their breaths caught in their throats.

    There was no room for doubt.

    “This is...”

    It was the underground tunnel.

    The one the divisional headquarters had sent them to find—the Kingdom’s hidden supply route.