Chapter 35

Arriving at the division command headquarters with the prisoners, Daniel sent the wounded soldiers to the medical unit and unpacked his gear.

Taking a deep breath, Daniel tried to unwind his accumulated fatigue with a sip of officer’s supply whiskey (bourbon), but the timing wasn’t right.

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

Without a moment to rest, Daniel nodded and followed the division commander’s aide-de-camp to the temporary operations headquarters.

Though the exterior looked intact, inside, the corridors were littered with scattered pebbles and bits of wood rolling around.

It was a far cry from the lavish and tidy corridors of the general staff headquarters, which brought to mind a hotel.

‘Well, we did drive out the Royal Army that was originally here and occupied this building…’

He couldn’t really complain about the lack of cleaning.

Besides, demanding cleanliness in a battlefield where bullets fly like rain is something only a lunatic would do.

With these few thoughts crossing his mind as he walked, Daniel eventually reached the command post on the third floor.

After the aide knocked and announced Daniel’s arrival, a voice from within invited him in.

The aide gave a slight nod and opened the door, allowing Daniel to see Feldrahamm, the major general, seated at the head of the long conference table.

Feldrahamm, whose massive build made the large table look small, stared at Daniel with thick eyebrows raised.

The atmosphere was already oppressive, but it grew heavier when Daniel realized that Feldrahamm wasn’t alone—numerous high-ranking officers lined the table.

Here, even the lowest-ranked officer present was a colonel.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all the star-studded figures of the division command were gathered here.

It felt like someone had just slammed a weight onto his chest.

When eyes met Heinrich, who subtly waved a hand in recognition, Daniel only felt awkward.

Sighing inwardly, Daniel stepped into the command post and saluted sharply.

“Sir! I’ve been summoned!”

Feldrahamm chuckled lightly and returned the salute.

“Indeed. I called you here for cross-verification of a radio operator’s report. According to the report, you attacked an enemy supply brigade, killing 135 and capturing 192 as prisoners. Is this true?”

Daniel relaxed his stance slightly and replied while looking straight ahead.

“It was just luck, sir.”

“Enough with the modesty. There are too many parts that can’t be explained by luck alone. Anyway, Captain Daniel Steiner, have you discovered anything about the enemy’s supply route?”

Supply route? All he had done was intercept the supply brigade; there was no way he knew the route.

“I apologize, sir. I don’t know the route.”

“Is there a possibility of extracting this information by interrogating the captured brigade commander?”

“The man has a strong will. Even under intense interrogation, the likelihood of him divulging any information seems low.”

At Daniel’s answer, murmurs arose from various corners of the room.

Given how desperate everyone was to uncover the enemy’s supply route, Daniel’s reply was bound to disappoint them.

Still, none of them dared criticize him outright.

His achievements shone far too brightly to be overshadowed by a few disappointing words.

“I like your honesty. You’re better than those other staff officers who talk big but deliver nothing.”

Feldrahamm glanced around the table before refocusing on Daniel.

“In that case, Captain Daniel, if you could speculate on what you think might be the enemy’s supply route, that would help. Even guesses are fine. We want to keep all possibilities open.”

All eyes in the room turned to Daniel.

In the heavy silence, Daniel thought.

‘Hold on. If I blurt out nonsense here…’

It wasn’t just about disappointing the division commander—it could leave a bad impression on every senior officer present.

This was literally a golden opportunity to tank his performance review.

There might not be another chance like this. Taking a deep breath, Daniel blurted out something random:

“Underground tunnels…earth tunnels, to be precise.”

A murmur rippled through the command post at the suggestion that the enemy’s supply route was underground tunnels.

A brigadier general sitting nearby frowned and spoke up.

“Come now, Captain Daniel. Isn’t that a bit far-fetched? From the point where you attacked the supply brigade to Nordia, the distance is approximately 58 kilometers. Are you suggesting that such a long tunnel exists?”

Clearly, they couldn’t imagine a tunnel stretching that far.

If they knew that Vietnamese soldiers had constructed a 250-kilometer-long underground tunnel system, they’d probably faint.

To these people, unfamiliar with such concepts, ultra-long-distance underground tunnels were more like mythical territory.

“Common sense dictates that it’s hard to believe a 58-kilometer-long underground tunnel exists!”

“But our enemies are managing their supplies without naval or air support, breaking through our supposedly solid encirclement! Underground tunnels would explain everything!”

“It’s more realistic to assume they’re using gaps in our encirclement instead.”

The officers around the table began arguing heatedly.

Daniel, who unintentionally sparked the debate, stood quietly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

As voices grew louder, Feldrahamm raised a hand to stop them.

“That’s enough. Let’s hear more from Captain Daniel. Do you have any reason to believe the enemy is using underground tunnels for supply?”

None. But fabricating one wouldn’t be hard.

“The enemy troops were all lightly armed, acting as though they didn’t expect to encounter opposition. If they were breaking through our encirclement to supply themselves, they should’ve had heavily armed soldiers.”

“That’s not convincing.”

“True. But every single soldier equipped with light arms also carried portable flashlights, as if they were trying to move quickly through dark areas.”

Flashlights? While it wasn’t strange for soldiers to carry portable flashlights, they weren’t part of the standard uniform for the Royal Army’s supply units.

“Hmm…”

Perplexed, Feldrahamm tapped the table, prompting Daniel to continue.

“If the enemy is indeed using underground tunnels for supplies, we must launch a search operation immediately. This is a clear opportunity!”

“And why do you think so?”

“After suppressing the supply brigade, I examined their equipment. They had radios, but the batteries were all removed. It seems they were trying to avoid interception.”

Everyone in the Imperial intelligence department knew that they had complete control over the Royal Army’s communications.

They had successfully cracked the Royal Army’s cipher codes, leading to their current reluctance to use communication systems.

So why was this an opportunity? After some contemplation, Feldrahamm arrived at a quiet realization.

‘If the enemy’s supply route…can become our invasion route!’

Delays in supply are common in battlefields, lasting sometimes up to a week.

Since the supply brigade avoided communication, the Ironclad Division in Nordia likely only knows that “supply support has departed” and nothing more.

That means they wouldn’t know the supply brigade had been attacked.

What if we exploit this gap, send in a Magic Mobile Army brigade via the underground tunnel, and march the entire division toward Nordia?

‘…We’ll capture it!’

The vision of Nordia falling so easily seemed vivid before his eyes.

Exposed both internally and externally to enemy attacks, the Nordia Ironclad Division would surely raise the white flag without much resistance.

Truly, it was a devilish strategy that made Feldrahamm tremble.

Regaining his composure after trembling with excitement, Feldrahamm thought critically.

‘The tactics are perfect. But this boils down to probability.’

Everything depended on whether Daniel Steiner’s claims were accurate.

Frankly, it was hard to fully trust the word of a mere captain-level staff officer.

‘But…’

It was worth betting on.

“…Very well. Captain Daniel Steiner, let’s give your theory a shot. I’ll order all available personnel, including the reconnaissance battalion, to thoroughly search the area near where the enemy supply brigade was located.”

“I’m honored to have earned your trust, sir.”

While speaking earnestly, Daniel smiled inwardly.

‘Underground tunnels? That’s ridiculous.’

Honestly, Daniel shared the skepticism of most officers at the table.

Using ultra-long-distance underground tunnels for supply simply defied logic. It was clearly absurd.

Even if such a tunnel existed, the Royal Army wouldn’t leave it exposed—it would be nearly impossible to find.

‘Ultimately, I’ll end up being the main culprit causing confusion within the Imperial Army…’

His evaluation would plummet, and he’d easily earn the division commander’s disfavor.

With a bit of luck, he might even manage to retire from military service.

Thinking this, Daniel smirked subtly.

Seeing this, Feldrahamm sighed inwardly.

‘Is he smiling because he’s so confident in the strategy he proposed?’

Unlike capable staff officers who usually fretted about their speculations failing, Daniel was actually smiling during a discussion about the impending massacre of the enemy.

As a result, Feldrahamm felt his impression of Daniel completely shift.

‘An elite staff officer from headquarters? A hero of the system?’

What a laughable title.

Looking at Daniel, Feldrahamm smirked ferociously.

To Feldrahamm, Daniel Steiner was an excellent warrior hungry for blood.

*

Late at night.

Division Command Headquarters Reconnaissance Battalion.

“Are you sure there’s an underground tunnel nearby?”

“I dunno. Just doing what we’re told. Honestly, it’s hard to believe…”

Grumbling, the reconnaissance soldiers trudged along.

Ordered suddenly by headquarters to search the area where the enemy supply brigade was captured, they had been wandering around for six hours.

Not only was there no sign of underground tunnels, but even animal burrows were scarce.

Just as they wondered how much longer they’d have to endure this foolishness…

KONG…

A sound akin to stepping on metal rang in their ears.

Glancing down, they couldn’t tell what they had stepped on due to the covering of branches and leaves.

“What? Why’d you stop?”

“No, didn’t you hear that? I think I stepped on something. Is it…a mine?”

“What? Shit! Hold on. Don’t move your foot!”

The soldier with his rifle slung behind him knelt down and cleared away the branches and leaves around his comrade’s foot.

Instead of a mine, a giant steel door appeared.

Stunned momentarily, the two soldiers exchanged glances and stepped back.

“Could this be…?”

Silently agreeing, they grabbed the handle protruding from the steel door and pulled it open.

Inside lay pitch darkness.

“Flashlight. Turn on the flashlight.”

Nodding, the soldier lifted his flashlight and pressed the power button.

Click—

The beam spread fan-like, illuminating a staircase leading underground.

Simultaneously, the soldiers froze in shock.

There was no doubt.

“This is…”

It was the underground tunnel the division command had asked them to find—the Kingdom Army’s secret passage.