Homo Sapiens

kilometers southeast of Mandalay lies Dongzhi, the capital of Shan State.

Domino, currently in Dongzhi, lounged on a sofa and watched the large, wall-mounted screen. It displayed the charade playing out between Wu Kailuo’s adjutant and Mao Gu.

She smiled. "The fish has taken the bait."

Mao Gu, who had already received his instructions, strung the man along for a while with idle talk. Then, by playing hard to get, he made the adjutant feel there was a chance to persuade him.

After securing a number of concessions, Mao Gu agreed not to interfere in Wu Kailuo’s matters. He even promised to help defend against the threat from the Kachin Army in the north.

With Yang Mengjiao and Domino secretly fanning the flames, Wu Kailuo, who now saw himself as the people’s choice, could no longer contain his ambition.

「In the early hours of November 18th.」

Fearing that delays could breed trouble, Wu Kailuo took immediate action, personally leading three divisions straight for Bamana.

The straight-line distance between Mandalay and Bamana is only about 230 kilometers. A railway connects the two cities, and because the track is remarkably straight, its total length is only about 240 kilometers.

With help from insiders like Mao An, Wu Kailuo’s forces quickly seized control of the railway and imposed a communications blackout to prevent news from leaking.

At around 3:00 AM, a commandeered train carrying Wu Kailuo’s Guard Corps, Wu Dao Da’s 501st Division, and their equipment sped rapidly southward.

However, Wu Kailuo’s contingent was not the vanguard.

The vanguard was Wu Yao’s 502nd Division. This unit advanced using armored vehicles and commandeered motorcycles, taking a highway that ran roughly parallel to the railway.

That’s right. The vanguard was the 502nd Division on the highway.

This was because the railways in Hongsawaddy were in abysmal condition, forcing trains to move at a snail’s pace.

Even though the River Valley Plain between Mandalay and Bamana was relatively flat, the 240-kilometer journey by rail still took six to seven hours, averaging only about 35 to 40 kilometers per hour.

In contrast, the armored vehicles and motorcycles on the highway could reach speeds of 60 to 70 kilometers per hour, making them much faster than the train.

The other unit, the 504th Division, was also heading to Bamana via the highway. However, their armored vehicles and motorcycles had been loaned to the 502nd Division, leaving them to advance on foot.

Wu Yao sat in an armored vehicle, constantly glancing between his watch and the map.

The highway route to Bamana was approximately 245 kilometers. He estimated they would arrive in about four hours, just as day was breaking.

The seconds and minutes ticked by slowly.

Any civilian vehicles encountered along the way were turned back by soldiers under the pretext of a military exercise.

At 6:44 a.m., a scout reported in.

"Reporting! We’ve reached the outskirts of Bamana."

Upon hearing the scout’s report, Wu Yao immediately grabbed his radio and ordered his subordinates, "Proceed according to the plan. We’ll be having breakfast in Bamana."

"First Regiment, copy!"

"Second Regiment..."

At his command, the regimental and battalion commanders, who had long known their assignments, charged into the urban center to seize control of the railway station, airport, television station, and government buildings.

Since day had just broken, most people were still asleep. They were surrounded before they could even process what was happening, left utterly bewildered.

The atmosphere in the city suddenly grew heavy.

Meanwhile, the two Defense Divisions stationed nearby seemed completely unaware of anything unusual. Not only did their soldiers remain in their barracks, but they also jammed all radio and cell phone signals in their area.

Armed with intelligence gathered by military intelligence, Wu Yao swiftly moved down his list, "inviting" each target to his temporary military encampment.

Looking at the terrified figures, he cracked a small smile and commanded his adjutant, "Watch them closely. If you let a single one escape, I’ll personally execute you."

"Yes, sir," the adjutant replied, his face grim.

Around ten o’clock that morning, the slow-moving train finally pulled into Bamana Railway Station. Wu Kailuo quickly disembarked with his trusted aides and the 501st Division.

Wu Yao was personally at the station to greet him.

Seeing that Wu Yao and the 502nd Division had completed the mission effortlessly, a very pleased Wu Kailuo patted him on the shoulder. "Wu Yao, you’ve done well."

"It is all thanks to your guidance, General. I dare not take the credit," Wu Yao replied quickly.

Wu Kailuo was even more pleased, but he was more concerned about the two Defense Divisions. "By the way, what’s the status of those two Defense Divisions? Anything unusual?"

"Nothing. They’re still stationed in Laiwei Town to the southwest. I’ve sent the 3rd Regiment to keep an eye on them."

"Excellent." Wu Kailuo was overjoyed. He turned to his adjutant and ordered, "Get the television station staff ready at once. I’m holding a press conference."

The adjutant was already prepared. "We should be able to use the Bamana television station’s equipment in about half an hour."

Just after the adjutant left, Wu Yao added, "General, I was concerned someone in the city might try something desperate, so I had all the targets moved to the 502nd Division’s temporary encampment."

"Good. I have confidence in your work." Wu Kailuo agreed that Wu Yao had handled it well.

A little over half an hour later, the television station staff, under a combination of threats and incentives, finished calibrating the equipment.

After Wu Kailuo finished recording his address in the studio, the television staff quickly edited the footage and began broadcasting the pre-recorded message to televisions throughout the country.

On the television screen, Wu Kailuo wore an expression of someone certain of victory. Domino, who had infiltrated Laiwei Town, took it all in. She immediately used a Messenger Dragonfly to send an activation order to her inside contact.

At the same time, the televised press conference was broadcast across all of Hongsawaddy.

While this sudden development came as a surprise to many, it also felt strangely inevitable. After all, decades of ups and downs in Hongsawaddy had made the local populace accustomed to such events.

But unlike the apathetic civilians, the great families, powerful merchants, and minor warlords began to stir with undercurrents of their own.

The reaction from Yangon was the most intense.

The heads of a dozen local families held a meeting that very afternoon.

Ostensibly, the meeting was to discuss how to respond to Wu Kailuo’s faction. In reality, of the thirteen great families present, seven were already in "deep cooperation" with Domino. The remaining six were completely in the dark.

As a result, the discussion revolved around how to compromise with Wu Kailuo’s faction. Meanwhile, some families proposed secretly winning over the Mao Gu Corps and the southern Wu Gang Corps to act as a check on Wu Kailuo’s power.

The six families who were none the wiser also felt this was the best available option.

As for rescuing the people in Bamana, they were in no rush. Though some of their own family members were among the captives, they knew that haste would be pointless. It would only give Wu Kailuo a bargaining chip to use against them.

The great families were just that pragmatic. If they could have their cake and eat it too, that would be for the best. But if forced to choose, they would almost certainly choose their interests over their kinsmen.

Their weakness was on full display. As long as their own lives weren’t at stake, everything was open to compromise and negotiation.

Domino had exploited this very weakness, which was why an eerie calm had fallen over Hongsawaddy.

Most people were on the sidelines, waiting to see what would happen. No one wanted to be the first to make a move.

Wu Kailuo’s intelligence agents, previously stationed in various regions, quickly reported these local situations back to him.

Seeing these reports, Wu Kailuo finally relaxed.

Misled by this illusion of calm, Wu Kailuo believed the situation had stabilized. He thought that all he had to do now was persuade the various factions one by one, and he would finally become the master of Hongsawaddy.