Lt. Hawn couldn’t even scream in pain as his blood continued to soak his uniform. He was completely stunned in place as he watched the tentacle-like thing slowly chew the head of his dead comrade.

Captain Wen’s red eyes completely swallowed the remaining whites as they seemingly absorbed the flesh on his body.

Lt. Park was worse; his fingers had elongated into segmented appendages.

The tips had hardened into points that punched through standard-issue body armor like wet paper. He moved through the scattered formation of soldiers, killing as he went.

Two of his best men were down by the second; he blinked.

Sergeant Liao had been the first, as Lt. Park had driven his hand clean through his chest plate before he could even draw his sidearm.

Corporal Yeung had lasted three seconds longer. It was long enough to fire two shots that bounced off Captain Wen’s torso.

Lt. Hawn managed to force himself to move and hide. He pressed his back against a tree trunk, his pulse gun shaking in both hands.

Twelve soldiers had entered this forest under General Hunter’s command. He could count five still standing, scattered among the trees.

Their panicked breathing was the only proof they were still alive.

A scream cut short was heard to his left.

Four.

"Fall back!" Lt. Hawn roared, though he knew it was futile.

Fall back to where? These Hybrid Lowborns, these Insectoids, kept erupting from the ground as the soil seeped into that concoction that Xavier had scattered around.

Each one had blocked their every retreat path. They scuttled between the trees in loose formation. Their exoskeletons clicked against roots and rocks, herding the surviving soldiers inward.

Closer toward Captain Wen and Lt. Park.

Lt. Hawn watched Corporal Diaz fire a volley into the treeline. The energy bolts lit up the darkness in staccato flashes, illuminating the horror in snapshots.

Captain Wen crouched over a body, feeding; Lt. Park wiped his elongated fingers against a tree trunk. New Insectoids emerging from the ground up, patient and unhurried.

Lt. Hawn’s jaw clenched. His hands steadied.

If he was going to die in this place, he might as well do it on his feet with a weapon in his hands.

So, he decisively stepped out from behind the tree and fired.

BANG!

General Xavier Hunter was laying face-flat down in the dirt.

He couldn’t move.

The pressure bore down on every square centimeter of his body. The invisible force was crushing him like a hydraulic press on a set weight and pressure.

He groaned as his lungs fought for every sip of air. His cheek was pressed into the soil that he could taste the dirt as he gasped for air. Its grains were embedding itself to his body.

His fingers twitched, arms and legs squirming around to escape, but that was all he could manage to do.

Above him, Ethan stood as he planted his foot beside Xavier’s head. He reached out for the twin daggers lying not too far from Xavier and studied them.

"Nice balance."

Ethan murmured, turning one of the blades so it caught the moonlight.

"Military-grade tritanium alloy, custom hilt wrapping. It even had a silk cord over shock-absorbing gel."

"Someone spent real money on these."

He glanced down at Xavier.

"Your mother? There’s no way—wait. Your stepmother’s the sentimental one, isn’t he? The infamous infertile ex-madam of the Hunter family, buying his fake child some pretty knives."

Xavier’s golden eyes burned with hatred, and his beast form surged beneath his skin. The White Tiger’s sacred golden stripes began to surface on his skin.

But the invisible force still managed to hold him down despite the semi-transformation.

He continued to struggle but was left utterly helpless.

And Ethan knew it.

Ethan savored each moment of it.

"You know what I find fascinating?"

Ethan continued, crouching down until his face was close to Xavier’s, smiling.

"You’re a general. An actual, battle-tested general of the Imperial Military and a whole lot of other luxury package."

He tilted his head.

"But you still stupidly walked into the most obvious trap I’ve ever set."

Xavier’s fingers dug into the earth, a vein pulsing at his temples.

"Oh, don’t beat yourself up about it. Well—"

Ethan gestured vaguely at Xavier’s pinned body.

"I suppose you can’t beat yourself up about anything at the moment. But my point is, it wasn’t entirely your fault."

He began poking at Xavier’s cheeks morbidly.

"I had done a few things behind your back with all these red eyes. You were working with incomplete information. And my master is just that great at planning this kind of stuff."

A distant explosion rumbled through the trees, but Ethan didn’t even glance toward the sound.

"Your men are dying out there," Xavier ground out, each word costing him a visible effort against the pressure on his chest.

"They’re not my men."

"Aren’t they fighting with you?"

"Are they?" Ethan smiled. "That’s debatable. By the time Hebi and Kiri are done with them, it’ll be irrelevant."

He stood up, brushing dirt from his knees.

"But I didn’t let you live just to discuss nonsense with you, Hunter. We’re in this situation because you stupidly made a decision to jump into my trap, blind, and now I have to figure out what to do with you."

Xavier managed to slightly lift his right shoulder before the force slammed him back down again.

Ethan watched this indifferently.

"Huh." His eyebrows rose. "You actually almost moved. That’s... impressive. Annoying, but impressive."

He narrowed his eyes, and the pressure doubled.

Xavier’s vision whited out, and when it returned, he could taste the blood in his mouth.

"You haven’t received your specialized mecha yet, have you?"

Xavier said nothing. His jaw was locked so tight the tendons in his neck stood out.

Ethan’s eyes widened, and he pressed a hand to his chest, mouth falling open in exaggerated shock.

"So, you haven’t. Oh, that’s—that’s really sad. The Golden Tiger of the Imperial Military, the man they’re grooming for Marshal’s successor—"

He broke into a laugh, bright and careless.

"And you don’t even have your weapon?"

"Shut your mouth," Xavier spat.