Chapter 1 Under the Cover of Night

Twelve warships, cloaked in the darkness of night, slowly approached the edge of the Mad Sand Islands.

Huge, heavy iron anchors were cast into the sea, their dragging force slowly sinking them into the seabed's silt. As the warships drew nearer to the Mad Sand Islands, the weighty anchors generated braking force, gradually reducing the ships' speed until they came to a halt less than twenty meters from the shore.

*Buzzing!*

Several small drones ascended from the decks, initiating a comprehensive sweep of the Mad Sand Islands.

In this global situation, no one dared to dock undefended in territory not their own.

Colonel Nanfu stood on the deck, watching the drone-transmitted images on a tablet. His young adjutant, Kaiqi, stood beside him, his gaze fixed on Nanfu's profile, tinged with coldness and indifference.

Kaiqi did not like his superior, even harboring some discontent. He felt Colonel Nanfu was insufficiently decisive and ruthless. In the past, such behavior might have been harmless, but in the current global climate, Nanfu's actions seemed hesitant and indecisive.

Although they were affiliated with the European Union, not everyone wanted to drift aimlessly, waiting to die in some future war. Kaiqi, at least, did not.

He wanted to escape his current situation, to earn merit, to climb step by step from the role of an affiliated country into the EU's power center. That was his ambition.

But he was not in command of this fleet…

If the fleet achieved something, the EU would reward Colonel Nanfu first. If the fleet messed up, everyone in the fleet would suffer together…

Like Colonel Nanfu's decision a few days ago to release the prisoners. If the EU found out, it was questionable whether this fleet could continue to exist.

Although the prisoners were worthless, Colonel Nanfu's disregard for military orders would enrage the EU. Kaiqi believed the EU would not hesitate to eliminate everyone in the fleet, using such a brutal method to intimidate the armies of affiliated countries.

Even the lower classes of the EU itself were dying in large numbers. The lives of people from these affiliated countries were worth less than nothing…

And in this situation, Colonel Nanfu still couldn't see the reality, self-righteously displaying his ridiculous compassion!

"Truly foolish!" Kaiqi muttered inwardly, watching Colonel Nanfu's profile from the corner of his eye. "Our fates are controlled by people like this. It's infuriating… Following a superior like this, we'll be dragged into the abyss sooner or later."

Colonel Nanfu was unaware of his subordinate's thoughts. He stared intently at the drone-transmitted images. Suddenly, he saw a black shadow flash across the screen in the aerial view. His gaze sharpened as he rewound the recording and zoomed in.

In the dim light of the night, the black shadow in the image was identified by the intelligent system. A dotted line representing the form of the figure appeared around it.

The form outlined by the dotted lines clearly indicated a person!

Colonel Nanfu immediately looked up at the dark interior of the Mad Sand Islands. On this desolate island, someone was active?

"Launch flares! Second Combat Team, Third Combat Team, prepare for landing!" Colonel Nanfu issued orders rapidly. In this situation, anyone not identified as an ally was potentially an enemy. It was always right to strike first.

"Enemies on the island?" Kaiqi asked in a low voice.

"The drone spotted them." Colonel Nanfu handed the tablet to Kaiqi, then picked up the intercom. "Immediately lock onto Drone Two's location. Combat teams will search the area near the coordinates provided by Drone Two. Remember, capture them alive!"

Colonel Nanfu frowned deeply.

"Perhaps just survivors who escaped from elsewhere," Kaiqi said softly. "No need to be nervous!"

Colonel Nanfu nodded slightly.

If they were indeed survivors, that would be good. But if they were spies from some military force, then their motive for being on this desolate island was worth considering…

This island was uninhabited. No one had even developed or lived here before the world's changes. Now, signs of human activity had suddenly appeared, easily leading one to certain conclusions.

*Whoosh!*

A flare shot into the sky with a piercing shriek, exploding above the location where Drone Two had captured the figure, instantly illuminating the entire Mad Sand Islands as if it were daytime.

Under this light, over a hundred soldiers landed on the Mad Sand Islands, heading toward the drone's designated point.

"I hope I'm overreacting, and they're just survivors…" Colonel Nanfu muttered to himself.

"We are the 065th Fleet, under the White Elephant Division of the EU Navy! Personnel below, identify yourselves!" The drone transmitted a message, repeated in several different languages, echoing across the Mad Sand Islands, lingering for a long time.

But at that moment, a straight line of fire suddenly rose from the distance, heading towards the drone in the sky.

Colonel Nanfu narrowed his eyes, quickly identifying the line of fire.

"RPG!" Colonel Nanfu clenched his fist. His guess was correct. The figure he had seen was not a survivor, but a force possessing armed power!

*Boom!*

A loud explosion!

Drone Two was blown to pieces in the air, countless fragments falling. One of the feeds on the tablet in Kaiqi's hand went dark.

"Drones One and Three, cease patrol mission, replace Drone Two!" Colonel Nanfu instructed the drone control room via the intercom. Soon, two drones flew from a distance toward the location where Drone Two had been destroyed.

"Enemy location locked! Shall we engage?" A voice came from the control room.

"Give the location to the combat teams," Colonel Nanfu said. "No heavy firepower. Let the combat teams capture them."

The precise location coordinates rang in the earpieces of each combat team member. The two combat teams quickly surrounded the location, like wolves hunting, moving silently in the darkness.

A few minutes later, the sound of fierce gunfire erupted from the island, the gunshots sounding like firecrackers.

In the intercom system, screams and reports constantly rang out.

Colonel Nanfu clenched his fists tightly. The enemy's firepower seemed to be considerable, capable of resisting a regular army. And they opened fire without a word! This only confirmed his suspicion that their presence on this desolate island was no accident.

"Teams Three, Four, and Five, push forward! I want one of them captured alive!" Colonel Nanfu urged.