96: The forest sea devours the sky, igniting flames of war; the iron army, bathed in blood, breaks through the demonic vines.

Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Sea of Trees Devours the Sky and Ignites the Beacon Fire, the Iron Army Bathed in Blood Breaks the Demon Vines

Within three days of the Reconnaissance Squad's intelligence being transmitted back to the Central Hub Base, the alarm for the South Asian subcontinent was fully sounded.

The Spirit-Devouring Tree, worshipped as the "Brahma God Tree," underwent a terrifying frenzy of growth under the stimulation of a Catalytic Agent secretly deployed by the Skeleton Serpent. Overnight, dark green vines, like tens of thousands of venomous snakes, burst through the soil on both banks of the Ganges River, spreading wildly in all directions. These vines were as thick as pythons, with blood-red, mouth-like suckers at their tips; wherever they passed, houses were crushed, roads were torn apart, and even Mutants hiding in the ruins were instantly dragged underground to become nourishment for the tree.

Even more alarming were the survivors controlled by the sea of trees. Their pupils had turned completely dark green, and they followed the vines like the walking dead, shouting the slogan "Sacrifice for Eternal Life." Armed with crude weapons, they launched suicidal charges against neighboring small countries. In just three days, the sea of trees swallowed three states of India, the border defenses completely collapsed, and countless refugees fled toward China, wailing in despair. Behind them was the sun-blotting sea of trees and an army of controlled puppets.

"Report! The Spirit-Devouring Tree's vines have reached the Himalayas South Slope Defense Line at the China-India border!"

"Report! News from the border outposts indicates the vines can corrode Alloy Defensive Fortifications; conventional weapons are completely ineffective!"

"Report! The controlled puppet army is fearless and is currently assaulting our forward positions!"

Urgent reports flew into the command center like snowflakes, and Lin Zhou's face was as cold as iron. He slammed his hand onto the sand table, his fingertip landing heavily on the map of South Asia: "Southern Army Group, all units deploy! Zhao Shanhe! I appoint you as the frontline commander-in-chief. Lead three Armored Divisions, two Magneto-Shock Infantry Brigades, and one carrier-borne fighter jet formation to immediately reinforce the border! Stop the sea of trees at all costs!"

"Mission guaranteed!" Zhao Shanhe's forceful response came through the communicator, accompanied by the background roar of armored vehicles and the whistle of fighter jets.

Among the towering mountains of the southern border, the flames of war were instantly ignited.

Zhao Shanhe set up his headquarters at the summit of a snow-capped mountain three thousand meters above sea level. Watching the tide of vines and puppets surging below, a trace of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. "All armored units, ready your main cannons! Prioritize bombardment of the vine trunks! Magneto-Shock Infantry Brigades, split into two flanks and clear those puppets! carrier-borne fighter jet formation, conduct low-altitude bombing and blast the growth points of the sea of trees to pieces!"

The orders were issued, and gunfire tore through the sky.

The main cannons of the Main Battle Tanks let out earth-shaking roars, and Armor-Piercing Incendiary Rounds smashed into the vine trunks like meteors, exploding into clouds of dark green sap. To everyone's horror, the severed vines could heal within seconds and even split into more thin vines, coiling frantically toward the tanks.

"These damn things!" a tanker cursed, firing the turret continuously, but the vines clung like sticky candy, wrapping more and more until they finally overturned the entire tank.

The Magneto-Shock Infantry Brigades on the flanks fared relatively better. Blue electric currents spread like spiderwebs; when the controlled puppets touched the current, they collapsed to the ground twitching, the dark green in their eyes quickly fading to reveal a moment of clarity. But before the soldiers could move in to rescue them, countless thin vines reached out from underground and dragged them in, leaving only shrill screams.

The battle fell into a stalemate, with faint signs of an impending rout.

Zhao Shanhe watched the retreating defense lines on the screen, the veins on his forehead bulging. He ripped off his military cap and roared into the communicator: "Research Team! My troops are about to break! Where is the agent to counter the Spirit-Devouring Tree?!"

"General Zhao! The agent has been successfully developed!" The Research Team Leader's voice was filled with ecstasy. "It's made from deep-sea Mutant blood extract mixed with a Magneto Energy Catalyst! Codenamed 'Vine-Burning'! The fighter jet formation will air-drop it immediately! Remember, the agent must be injected into the core of the vine trunks!"

"Good!" Zhao Shanhe slammed his fist onto the command console. "carrier-borne fighter jet formation! Execute the air-drop mission immediately! Armored Regiment 1, charge with me! Clear a path for the fighter jets!"

Zhao Shanhe personally led Armored Regiment 1, driving the latest heavy Main Battle Tank and piercing into the battlefield like a sharp blade. The tank tracks crushed the puppets' corpses, and the main cannon blasted a path of blood, forcing their way to the front of the vine trunks.

"Now! Deploy!"

Dozens of carrier-borne fighter jets shrieked across the sky, precisely firing hundreds of specialized missiles loaded with the "Vine-Burning" agent into the cracks of the vine trunks.

The moment the agent contacted the vines, a blinding blue light erupted.

Sizzle—

An eerie sound echoed across the battlefield. Those indestructible vines actually melted away as quickly as snow meeting fire, and the dark green sap hitting the ground produced clouds of white smoke. Even more miraculously, under the radiance of the blue light, the dark green in the eyes of the controlled survivors completely vanished, and they regained their reason.

"It's working! Everyone, full fire!" Zhao Shanhe shouted, raising his arm.

The morale of the Dawn Army soared instantly. Main Battle Tank cannons fired frantically, the Magneto Shock Troopers' currents wove into a giant net, and the carrier-borne fighter jets' missiles fell like rain. The vines of the sea of trees retreated and melted away; the once sun-blotting Spirit-Devouring Trees were now reduced to bare trunks, collapsing with a crash amidst the gunfire.

As the trunk of the last Spirit-Devouring Tree turned to ash, the setting sun happened to fall on the summit of the snow-capped mountain.

Standing on the wreckage of a tank, Zhao Shanhe looked at the cheering soldiers and refugees across the mountains and smiled tiredly. But what he didn't know was that beneath a fallen trunk, a Skeleton Serpent signal transmitter was flashing, clearly marked with: Vine-Burning agent formula acquired.

In an underwater base deep in the Pacific Ocean, Zhulong looked at the formula data on the screen, a cold smile curling his lips.

"Lin Zhou, Zhao Shanhe... thank you for helping me complete the final experiment."

He turned and looked toward the incubation chamber deep within the base. There, a plant even more hideous than the Spirit-Devouring Tree was slowly unfurling its leaves.

A new storm was quietly brewing.