A squad member asked, "Captain, what should we do? Their numbers are overwhelming, and we've lost half our forces."
"Hold on a little longer. The other three groups will arrive soon to support us."
Daechir and Martin had returned to Eagle's Nest. Sensing the moment was right, she said to Martin, "Tell Alena's people to retreat into Eagle's Nest."
After the "Courage Alliance" forces had fully withdrawn, Daechir activated the heavy weapons they had previously captured. Artillery shells fired simultaneously from three directions on the mountainside. Within ten minutes, over a thousand Illuminati fighters were blown to pieces.
The battle temporarily subsided. Both sides had suffered casualties—seventy-two dead and forty-six wounded for the "Courage Alliance." De Silva's weapons had proven completely ineffective.
Daechir entered the command center and asked Alena, "What's your next move?"
None of Alena's plans had worked, and she felt deflated. Shaking her head, she replied, "I don't know."
"They'll likely shell this position next. Your people are of little use now—going out would be suicide. I suggest you withdraw from here. I'll handle the rest," Daechir said.
"Where should we retreat to?"
"Leave Eagle's Nest through Passage Five. It leads to the town of Ike."
De Silva spoke up, "Are you planning to face them alone?"
Martin stepped forward from behind, announcing loudly, "She's not alone. She has me, her most loyal follower."
Daechir turned to him, speaking softly, "You should go with them too."
"No. Protecting you is my mission," Martin refused immediately.
Daechir suddenly struck him, knocking him unconscious, then said to Alena, "Take him with you."
Daechir's prediction proved correct. The Illuminati set up heavy weapons and began bombarding the mountainside relentlessly.
De Silva tugged at Alena's sleeve, whispering, "Let's do as she says. We're truly of no use here."
Once the retreat order was given, everyone began packing, taking everything they could carry. The Hamo tribe's women and children joined them, bringing their total number to over 400.
Fifteen minutes later, Eagle's Nest stood eerily empty. Daechir deployed 500 poisonous spider robots to guard the entrance, then retreated with the potato robot to the entrance of Passage Eighteen. They deliberately opened Eagle's Nest's main entrance.
The first Illuminati wave of over 300 fighters had just descended the stairs when the spider robots attacked. They died without understanding what had killed them, as all lights went out during the attack. The second wave, twice as large, was quickly eliminated as well.
Now afraid to enter, the Illuminati pumped poison gas into the entrance, though the spider robots remained unaffected. Half an hour later, a third wave of 100 fighters descended, each wearing gas masks. Seeing their small number, Daechir didn't order the spiders to attack. As these fighters reached the bottom of the stairs, one asked, "Strange, these are all our bodies. Not a single 'Courage Alliance' casualty?"
"Everyone be careful. There could be an ambush," someone warned loudly.
Moving cautiously, they reached a five-way intersection. Someone asked, "Captain, which way should we go?"
"Let's split up."
The unit immediately divided into five groups of about twenty each. One group reached the iron door leading to Eden. Someone asked, "How do we open this?"
Another replied, "We should call the demolition team."
A third added, "It seems the 'Courage Alliance' members are hiding inside. We need more people down here."
This time, over 700 more fighters descended, gathering in front of the massive iron door and preparing to attack. As the three-person demolition team approached the door, a massive boulder suddenly fell from above, blocking the entrance and instantly crushing them. Hundreds of spiders then attacked the assembled fighters. Within minutes, silence fell again, and Eagle's Nest's entrance was resealed.
The Illuminati now dared not send any more people up the mountain. Instead, they surrounded the entire mountain from below.
In Passage Eighteen, the potato robot asked, "What do we do now?"
"It seems the Illuminati are afraid to come up again. This place is completely exposed now—it's time to end it."
"Do you really want to destroy this place?"
"Do you have a better idea?"
"We could just destroy the front portion and preserve Eden inside. They probably won't notice," the potato robot suggested.
After a moment's thought, Daechir replied, "Fine, I'll listen to you this once."
Moments later, a tremendous explosion collapsed the front section of Eagle's Nest. The Illuminati believed this was their demolition team's explosives at work. By that afternoon, they had withdrawn from around Eagle's Nest.
Learning this, the potato robot happily emerged, saying, "See? In the crucial moment, I was wiser than you."
Afastin, slow to realize what had happened, asked, "Where are Alena, De Silva, and the others?"
"They've left Eagle's Nest. From now on, it's just the four of us here," Daechir explained. After the "Courage Alliance" personnel had departed, she immediately sealed all three open passages.
Only after leaving the passage did Alena realize that Basali wasn't with them. She asked her brother, "Where's your woman?"
De Silva sighed, "Don't mention her. She probably betrayed us."
Alena looked incredulous. "How is that possible?"
"She disappeared this morning. She must have gone down the mountain ahead of us."
Alena sighed inwardly, then changed the subject. "Brother, where should we go now?"
"With so many people, we'll be easily spotted wherever we go."
They had booked all the hotels in the small town, costing over 20,000 shillings per day.
"What if we buy several large trucks? Everyone could live in them, making it easier to evacuate," Alena suggested.
De Silva shook his head. "That won't work. We'd need twenty trucks, and the Illuminati would find us within two days."
As they struggled for a solution, someone's arrival brought them hope. Alena looked at the newcomer in surprise. "Sean, how did you know we were here?"
He looked embarrassed and didn't answer. Alena thought to herself, "It seems someone in our ranks is his informant."
The atmosphere grew tense. De Silva asked, "What do you want from us?"
"Please trust me. I mean no harm. Our goal is the same as yours—to kill Corey and eliminate the Illuminati."
"I believe you," Alena said.
"Thank you!" After a brief pause, Sean continued, "I know your situation. Twenty kilometers from here is a farm owned by a friend of mine. If you don't mind, you could stay there temporarily."
Alena exclaimed happily, "That would be wonderful. Thank you so much!"