Basali paused briefly, looking at everyone present, then spoke slowly, "Since there are no outsiders here, I'll be direct. I've been receiving messages from someone, but I don't know who they are. They only identify themselves as our friend."
Martin laughed, "Are you always so trusting? This person could be our enemy."
Basali gave him a sidelong glance before explaining, "The intelligence they've provided has proven accurate every time, so I've chosen to trust them."
Alena thought to herself, "Could it be Sean and his people again? What kind of organization are they? Why are they so mysterious?" She turned to De Silva and asked, "If they send aircraft, how will we counter them?"
"Well..." De Silva had no solution. His hundred-round shooter only had a range of five hundred meters—useless against high-flying aircraft.
While everyone was struggling for ideas, Daechir walked in. "You're still talking? Fighting has already broken out outside."
Collin asked in shock, "The Illuminati have attacked?"
The fight was between two young men from the Hamo tribe and several warriors from the "Courage Alliance." By the time Alena and the others arrived, the two Hamo men had been killed. The conflict started because these two men had monopolized all the women in the Hamo tribe—which wasn't entirely their fault, as the tribe practiced polygamy. The men from the "Courage Alliance" couldn't tolerate this. What began as hand-to-hand combat quickly turned deadly when the outnumbered Hamo men went for weapons and were killed. Now only women and children remained in the Hamo tribe, but surprisingly, they integrated harmoniously with the "Courage Alliance" people.
The meeting continued with Daechir joining in. "Don't worry about the aircraft," she said. "I have weapons specifically designed to deal with them."
"You're always so capable," Alena exclaimed delightedly.
De Silva felt uncomfortable hearing this, feeling outclassed by a robot.
After learning that the Illuminati had over eight thousand fighters, everyone abandoned any thoughts of launching an offensive. Alena installed remote-controlled explosives in areas likely to become battlegrounds. According to the latest intelligence, the Illuminati would attack in ten days.
Eagle's Nest became busy again as everyone prepared for the coming battle. The potato robot had even oiled its wheels to move faster. Seeing this, Daechir joked, "Would you like me to replace those with legs?"
"Is that really possible?"
"Of course, but I'd have to dismantle you completely. Are you willing?"
The potato robot shook its head vigorously. "Better not. You'd break me apart."
Daechir's expression suddenly turned serious. "If Eagle's Nest falls, I'll destroy this place."
The potato robot asked in surprise, "Why?" Then, a moment later, he realized, "You want to protect the secret?"
"Yes."
"What about the 'Courage Alliance' people? And the members of the Watson family?"
"I'll evacuate them beforehand, of course. As for the others, their fate depends on luck."
"Wouldn't that destroy Passage Sixteen too?"
Instead of answering directly, Daechir said, "When the battle starts, hide in Passage Eighteen. You're of little use here anyway. If we lose, I'll bring the Watson family members to find you."
"You have so little confidence in yourself?"
"The enemy's numbers are overwhelming, and they may have tactics I don't know about. We have to prepare for the worst."
Eagle's Nest had twelve rooms, with everyone else living in tents. De Silva and Basali shared one of these rooms. During a conversation, De Silva asked, "The person giving you intelligence—is it a man?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Do you really not know who it is?"
After a long silence, Basali finally admitted, "Alright, I'll tell you the truth. He was my boyfriend."
De Silva wasn't surprised, merely responding with a simple "Oh" before asking, "You went to see him the last time you left?"
"Which time?"
"When you returned with the two doctors."
"You knew about that?" Basali was astonished. After a moment, she asked, "Did Caroline tell you?"
De Silva nodded. "I hope you won't hold it against her."
"So she's your spy?"
"No, she volunteered the information."
"Why would she do that?"
"Perhaps she didn't want to see me deceived." With that, De Silva walked out. Basali watched him leave, whispering, "I'm sorry."
The next day, De Silva moved out, officially ending their relationship. What he didn't know was that Basali was pregnant, though she herself wasn't sure who the father was.
A week passed imperceptibly. Alena was in the command center when an intelligence team member rushed in. "Leader, the Illuminati will attack this afternoon."
"I understand. Alert everyone to prepare for battle."
Three minutes later, alarms sounded. The fighters were divided into five groups of fifty. The first group would ambush the enemy along their expected route. The second and third groups were positioned at the base of the mountain, while the fourth and fifth would provide support. The potato robot accompanied four snipers targeting key enemy personnel.
Daechir stationed Afastin at the entrance to Passage Eighteen, along with Eve, who was getting increasingly plump—perhaps due to pregnancy or simply from eating too much. Martin, having resigned as captain, stayed by Daechir's side. The two now stood at the entrance to Eagle's Nest.
Nicola and the remaining two hundred personnel prepared to receive the wounded. In the command center, Alena asked De Silva, "Brother, how do you think they'll attack?"
"They'll probably send an advance force to test our defenses before launching a full-scale attack."
"Then we'll let them in first."
Unfortunately, De Silva's prediction proved wrong. The Illuminati first deployed four fighter jets that launched missiles at the fortifications at the mountain's base. The two groups sheltering behind sandbags were helpless against the bombardment, suffering heavy casualties. Alena hurriedly ordered them to retreat into Eagle's Nest.
She was perplexed—Daechir had promised to handle the aircraft, but there was no sign of countermeasures. The bombardment continued for over ten minutes before the Illuminati ground forces moved in, not by land but by helicopter, landing directly at the mountain's base. This bypassed the first combat group's ambush, rendering all of the "Courage Alliance's" preparations useless.
In the command center, Alena felt deeply frustrated, realizing that spies must have infiltrated her forces. De Silva immediately suspected Basali, whom he hadn't seen since morning.
The Illuminati forces began advancing up the mountain, with reinforcements continuously arriving from the sky. The fourth and fifth groups engaged them, killing over twenty enemies thanks to their advantageous position. However, the Illuminati warriors kept surging upward like a tide, while the "Courage Alliance" fighters were steadily diminishing in number.