6: Chapter 6 Cannibalism

Artemis's furious voice echoed in the room, lingering for a long time. Achira's death was like the final straw that broke the camel's back, completely igniting the long-simmering rage in his heart. The Nightmare Immortal Cult, an evil organization that existed in his eyes like a maggot on a bone, had finally bared its fangs at him.

"Pass down the order! Assemble all troops, target—the Nightmare Immortal Cult headquarters!" Murderous intent flared in Artemis's eyes, and every word seemed squeezed out from between his teeth. "I will make Kleid pay for what he has done!"

The clouds of war rapidly shrouded the entire planet. As one of the five major warlords, Artemis commanded a well-trained and well-equipped army. This time, he was mobilizing everything he had, vowing to completely wipe the Nightmare Immortal Cult from the face of the planet. All the major powers on the planet were closely watching the progress of this war, as everyone understood that its outcome would directly affect the future landscape of the planet.

When the news reached the Nightmare Immortal Cult headquarters, Kleid heard that Artemis had declared war without warning. A cold arc curled at the corner of his mouth. "Foolish fellow, do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

A hint of cunning flashed in his eyes. "Pass down the order, initiate Project 'Night Owl'."

That night, several of Artemis's important logistical supply points were attacked by unidentified personnel. Although the attackers were quickly repelled, the losses at the supply points were an undeniable fact.

"Damn it! That despicable Kleid!" Upon receiving the news, Artemis was so angry that he crushed the wine glass in his hand. "Does he think he can wear us down like this? Pure wishful thinking!"

"My Lord, what should we do next?" asked the adjutant beside him.

Artemis took a deep breath, suppressing the fury in his heart as a cold light flashed in his eyes. "Since Kleid wants to play dirty, we'll play with him until the end! Pass my command, deploy the 'Nighthawks'. I want to know the specific locations of all the Nightmare Immortal Cult's logistical supplies!"

The "Nighthawks" were the most elite reconnaissance unit under Artemis's command. They were like ghosts, coming and going without a trace, specializing in covert operations to gather intelligence.

A few days later, the captain of the "Nighthawks" returned to Artemis's command post, but his expression was not good.

"Reporting, My Lord. We have searched all possible locations, but we have not found any of the Nightmare Immortal Cult's logistical supply points." The captain knelt on one knee, a hint of guilt in his voice.

"What? How could you find nothing?" Artemis stood up abruptly and slammed his fist on the table. The solid wood table immediately developed cracks. "Does Kleid know magic? Can he make their supplies vanish into thin air?"

"This..." The captain lowered his head, not daring to speak.

Artemis paced back and forth. He knew that logistical supplies were crucial to a war. If they couldn't cut off the Nightmare Immortal Cult's supply lines, then this war would become exceptionally difficult.

"It seems I can only go find him..." Artemis stopped pacing, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

The "him" he referred to was Jonnison, the boss of the largest intelligence organization on the planet. He had connections everywhere, and there was almost nothing he didn't know. Of course, getting intelligence from him required paying a high price... Jonnison's office was located on the top floor of a skyscraper in the most prosperous part of the planet. Through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, one could overlook the entire city.

"Lord Artemis, it's been a long time. What wind blows you here to me?" Jonnison sat behind a wide desk, holding a glass of red wine, with a warm smile on his face, looking just like a kind and amiable neighbor.

But Artemis knew in his heart that this was just Jonnison's disguise. This man was like a poisonous snake that could give you a fatal strike at any moment.

"Mr. Jonnison, I think you know the purpose of my visit today." Artemis didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point. "I need all the intelligence on the Nightmare Immortal Cult's logistical supplies."

Jonnison gently swirled the wine in his glass, his smile unchanging. "Of course, I would be very happy to serve you, it's just that..."

He intentionally trailed off, staring intently at Artemis.

Artemis naturally understood his meaning. "Speak, what are your conditions?"

"Excellent!" Jonnison snapped his fingers. "One price, this much."

He held out one hand, five fingers spread wide.

"Fifty million?!" Artemis's pupils shrank. The price Jonnison quoted was actually five times the market rate!

"Mr. Jonnison, you are clearly taking advantage of our crisis!" Artemis's adjutant couldn't help but shout in anger.

Jonnison unhurriedly took a sip of red wine and said slowly, "You can't put it that way, my friend. The Nightmare Immortal Cult is no ordinary organization. Their intelligence is naturally much more expensive than ordinary intelligence."

Artemis wouldn't agree easily. Although he desperately needed this intelligence, that didn't mean Jonnison could fleece him at will.

Faced with Artemis's firm attitude, Jonnison remained unmoved. "Mr. Artemis, you know that these are special times..."

"Special times?" Artemis sneered. "I think you're just looting a burning house!"

Jonnison calmly poured himself another glass of wine, took a small sip, and said leisurely, "You're being too harsh, sir. I'm just making a reasonable quote based on market conditions. The Nightmare Immortal Cult acts secretly; finding their intelligence is exceptionally difficult. My people are risking their lives..."

"Enough nonsense," Artemis interrupted him crudely. "Just tell me, can you find it or not?"

Jonnison put down his wine glass, his smile gradually fading, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes. "As long as the price is right, nothing is impossible."

"Fine, I'll give you fifty percent more than usual. That's my limit," Artemis said, suppressing his anger.

Jonnison shook his head. "Not enough."

The two of them went back and forth, trading verbal blows and refusing to back down. In the end, Artemis made a concession and secured the intelligence at double the usual price—twenty million.

Jonnison handed a chip to Artemis, still wearing that hypocritical smile. "Everything you want is inside. A pleasure doing business with you, Lord Artemis. I hope this intelligence satisfies you."

After Artemis got the storage chip, he didn't stay any longer and immediately turned to leave. He knew time was tight; he had to get back as soon as possible to formulate the next step of the plan.

Back in his own territory, Artemis impatiently inserted the chip into the decoder and began reviewing the contents. However, when he saw the intelligence, his face instantly turned incredibly pale.

"This..." Artemis looked at the information on the screen in disbelief, a chill rising from the soles of his feet to his heart.

The intelligence showed that the Nightmare Immortal Cult had no logistical supply lines in the traditional sense. Their soldiers obtained food in a gruesome manner—the corpses on the battlefield and some prisoners of war became their means of sustenance! Their weapons and equipment came from the factions they destroyed. Their replenishment of battle losses was even more bizarre; they seemed to possess a weird method to brainwash some captives, turning them into their own and throwing them directly onto the battlefield!

"These lunatics..." Artemis murmured to himself, his eyes full of shock and fear. He knew the Nightmare Immortal Cult acted evilly, but he hadn't expected them to be so utterly devoid of humanity.

"My Lord..." Seeing Artemis's expression, the adjutant felt a faint sense of unease. "What's wrong? Could it be..."

Artemis didn't speak, but simply handed the storage device to the adjutant, signaling him to see for himself.

The adjutant took the storage device and scanned the contents rapidly. Soon, his face became as pale as Artemis's, his brow furrowed, and fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

"These lunatics, they are simply inhuman!" the strategist said through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with anger and disgust. "My Lord, what do we do now?"

Artemis fell silent. His original plan was to attack the Nightmare Immortal Cult's logistical supply lines, cut off their food supply, and force them to surrender. But now it seemed that path was completely unviable. The Nightmare Immortal Cult had no traditional supply lines; they were like a swarm of locusts, eating wherever they went and plundering all usable resources.

"Are we really going to have a direct confrontation with them?" The adjutant's voice trembled slightly. He knew this would be an incredibly tragic war, and both sides would pay an extremely heavy price.

Artemis took a deep breath, a look of determination flashing in his eyes. "We have no choice but to do so!"

"But..." The adjutant wanted to say something more, but was cut off by Artemis's wave.

"I know what you want to say," Artemis said in a heavy voice, "but after seeing this intelligence, can you still hope for a lucky break?"

The adjutant opened his mouth as if to speak but hesitated, finally sighing and saying nothing.

"Pass down the order, assemble the entire army, and prepare for the final battle!" Artemis's tone was full of resolve, without a hint of hesitation.