Chapter 356: Front Line Collapse

At the same time, the enemy troops on the front line had already fallen into total panic.

"Retreat! Full retreat!" an enemy Colonel roared into his radio, "The biochemical contamination zone is expanding; everyone, evacuate west immediately by at least 100 kilometers!"

But this order brought only greater chaos. Soldiers abandoned their weapons and equipment one after another, scrambling to flee toward the rear. Military discipline was non-existent; everyone just wanted to escape this death zone as quickly as possible.

"Where are the gas masks? Where the hell are my gas masks?" an officer frantically rummaged through a supply crate.

"They've been gone for ages! Headquarters said they would air-drop chemical defense gear, but we haven't seen a damn thing!" another soldier shouted in despair.

The panicked retreat soon devolved into a rout. On the crowded roads, military vehicles, tanks, and infantry collided and shoved each other; some even opened fire on their own comrades just to seize a spot to escape.

Just then, the Long Country's second wave of rocket artillery arrived right on schedule.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Amidst the dense explosions, the fleeing enemy troops fell into chaos once again. The Rocket Shells landed precisely on key nodes of the retreat route, cutting off their path of escape.

"We're surrounded!" an enemy soldier screamed, "In front is the Long Country's artillery fire, and behind us is the poison gas! We're finished!"

In just a few short hours, the enemy country's once-proud front-line troops had transformed from an elite force into a group of headless flies. The death toll was rising rapidly, and the most terrifying part was that no one knew when this nightmare would end.

……

In the enemy country's capital, inside the emergency conference room, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

"This is an absolute disaster!" Defense Minister Williams slammed the table and stood up, his face flushed red, "General Havier's 'Terminator' project has not only failed completely, it has pushed us into the abyss! Can someone tell me why the Long Country people seem to have known our plans in advance and precisely struck every one of our vital points?"

Chief of Staff Johnson's expression was grim: "The latest reports show that the Remote Rocket Launchers and precision-guided Missiles used by the Long Country are all new weapons developed suddenly in the recent period. This technological breakthrough is too unusual; it completely exceeds our intelligence estimates."

Intelligence Director Smith bit his lip: "According to our analysis, both of these weapons were very likely developed by that person named Li Mingyuan. This person... is not quite normal. His speed and depth of technological innovation exceed the normal cognitive range of humanity."

"Li Mingyuan? Is that the guy who created the long-range missiles that cost us an aircraft carrier battle group?" Williams gritted his teeth, "Why has our assassination plan failed time and again?"

Smith's expression grew even uglier: "The Long Country's protection of him is unusually tight. But the more critical question is, he seems to always know our movements in advance, as if... as if..."

"As if what?" the Chief of Staff pressed.

"As if he can foresee the future," Smith whispered this absurd speculation.

The conference room erupted in an uproar.

"Absurd!" Williams scoffed, "Don't use this kind of superstitious nonsense to fob us off! The key question is, why could the Long Country know about our 'Terminator' project in advance? Why could their missiles precisely strike our secret biochemical weapons bases?"

Smith took a deep breath and stated a terrifying guess: "We likely have... a traitor inside."

This sentence detonated like a bomb inside the conference room.

"Who? Who is the traitor?" Williams demanded sternly, scanning everyone in the room, his eyes full of suspicion.

"That is exactly what we need to investigate," Smith said calmly, "but the people who could access the 'Terminator' project and the locations of the biochemical weapons bases are all the highest-level officers and intelligence personnel. The traitor is very likely in this room."

As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere in the room instantly became tense and hostile. Everyone was suspicious of their colleagues, their former comrades-in-arms and partners.

"I propose we immediately launch an internal investigation," Smith continued, "From now on, all personnel who participated in the 'Terminator' project will be subject to review, including everyone present."

The Chief of Staff narrowed his eyes: "Smith, what are you implying? As the Intelligence Director, with such a major leak in security, don't you think you should bear the primary responsibility?"

Smith sneered: "General Johnson, please mind your accusations. If we are going to talk about responsibility, who approved that insane 'Terminator' project? Who agreed to use experimental biochemical weapons? These decisions are the root of the disaster!"

Williams stood up abruptly: "Enough! Mutual finger-pointing is meaningless now! We need to take action immediately to control the situation!"

But it was already too late. The conference room had split into several hostile camps, accusing and blaming one another. Meanwhile, bad news from the front line continued to pour in.

"Report! The Fifth Army Corps has lost contact!"

"The northwest defense line has collapsed, the Long Country's armored troops have broken through our army's final line of defense!"

"The biochemical contamination zone continues to expand and has already affected three major cities; civilian casualties are incalculable!"

These reports were like sharp swords, piercing the final dignity and confidence of the enemy country's high command.

After the meeting ended, Smith immediately launched a large-scale internal purge. Hundreds of officers and intelligence personnel were taken away for questioning; for a time, everyone in the enemy military was in a state of panic, seeing enemies everywhere.

"Have you heard? The Intelligence Department arrested the entire communications department, saying they leaked the 'Terminator' project to the Long Country."

"Nonsense! I heard it was the people in the Quartermaster's Office who betrayed us; they sold the blueprints of the biochemical weapons base locations to Long Country agents!"

"Stop guessing, maybe it's someone from the top brass? Those generals, who knows if there's a Long Country spy among them?"

Such rumors spread rapidly through the enemy army, and morale plummeted to rock bottom. Soldiers began to doubt every order and every superior. Even more terrifying, a new rumor began to circulate on the front line:

"The Long Country has a divine weapon that can foresee the future and precisely strike every one of our secret bases!"

"I heard that Li Mingyuan is not an ordinary person; he can see every step of our plans!"

"Our superiors are all crazy; they still want to continue this war, but we can't win at all! The Long Country people have future technology!"

These absurd rumors should have been scoffed at, but in the face of one crushing defeat after another, they became increasingly believable. Soldiers began to desert in large numbers, officers began to resist orders, and the combat effectiveness of the entire enemy army was disintegrating at an alarming speed.

And among the high command, a terrifying strategic panic was also spreading.