A massive, towering fortress stood on the wasteland.

Countless engineering machines were placed on the towering walls, with many fine soldiers patrolling back and forth, observing the surroundings.

Soldiers in the watchtower were vigilantly observing the surroundings, guarding against a sudden demon attack.

The soldiers on the watchtower saw rolling smoke and dust approaching from a distance and immediately looked carefully in that direction with heightened alertness.

As the smoke and dust came closer, the features of that centaur troop became clear; it was indeed Kane Squad, whom had not been seen for several days.

Kane Squad was quite famous within the stronghold of the second line of defense, and the soldier immediately recognized them, thus putting down his guard.

Seeing the fortress in the distance, Kane, riding on horseback, began to gradually slow the warhorse's gallop.

Upon reaching the fortress gate, the soldiers on duty immediately approached and took over the warhorses from under Kane and his companion.

The remaining soldiers immediately stood straight, hammering their right hands to their chests and shouting to Kane, "Commander Kane."

Kane nodded to these soldiers, then quickly led his teammates into the fortress.

They did not waste any time this time but headed straight for the command center in the heart of the fortress.

Just as they arrived at the entrance of the command post, they bumped into the Captain just coming out from the inside. This Captain was burly, with a noticeable scar on his face.

This was precisely their main target of interest, Farid.

Upon seeing Kane and his team, Farid warmly greeted them.

"Oh, Commander Kane, it's been a few days. I heard you went after the demons. I wonder if you made any gains this time. But with Commander Kane and your team's involvement, I believe the harvest is not small, hahaha."

Looking at Farid, who was talking non-stop in front of him, with a carefree and hearty demeanor.

Kane smiled and replied, "Captain Farid, you jest. We didn't gain any significant clues this time. Let's not chat for now; we have urgent information to report to Commander Sakerem."

With that said, he led his teammates past Farid and proceeded inside.

Watching Kane and his company leave, Farid slightly squinted his eyes, scratched his beard with his palm, and with a pondering expression, hurriedly left.

Upon entering the interior of the command post, they saw Sakerem standing by the sand table, his hands continuously moving over the pieces, explaining something to his subordinates.

Seeing Kane and his team arrive, Sakerem halted his movements.

"Commander Kane, is there something urgent you need to report with such a hurried expression? I hope you have some good news for me. Recently, it's been nothing but bad news, which is overwhelming me."

Upon hearing Sakerem's jest, Kane did not answer but instead looked at him seriously.

Sakerem instantly understood Kane's implication and waved to the remaining people in the command post, saying, "You all go out first. Remember to guard the entrance and don't let anyone in without my order."

Once everyone left the command post, only an armored knight remained behind Sakerem.

"Alright, you can speak now. Everyone here is completely trustworthy."

Hearing his words, Kane didn't hesitate and began to slowly recount the intelligence his squad had gathered.

"What! There is actually an entire village worshipping demons, and it's right within the second line of defense." Sakerem was utterly shocked upon hearing Kane's news.

It was no wonder he was shocked. The inside of the second line of defense was central when the three defense lines still existed.

For many years, it had not suffered any considerable demon damage.

Many supply routes and various material supplies were provided by the villages within the second line of defense.

The largest ironstone mine in this region was also within the second line of defense, an essential strategic resource.

If the second line of defense fell and could not be recovered in a short time, they would enter a phase of slow demise, gradually being devoured by the demons.

After hearing Kane's report, Sakerem frowned deeply, constantly contemplating strategies and the consequences and impacts these pieces of information and decisions would bring.

Noticing his expression, Kane continued, "There are leaders within the second line of defense who are followers of demons."

Upon hearing this information, Sakerem didn't appear shocked because such things were unavoidable.

This was borne out of their nearly hundred years of experience and lessons. There would always be humans continuously defecting to the demon side, coming one after another, endlessly.

Rather, he was surprised at how quickly Kane and his team identified a traitor among their ranks.

"It seems Commander Sakollem isn't surprised by this news," Kane remarked, observing his response.

Sakerem nodded, saying, "Such matters cannot be avoided, so when we find traitors within our ranks, we generally don't deal with them swiftly. Instead, we allow them to remain under close observation, identify potential accomplices, and feed them false intelligence."

Listening to Sakerem's response, Kane nodded in agreement.

This indeed made sense, as they had been fighting demons for nearly a century. If their internal structure could be so easily infiltrated and turned to sand, they would have failed long ago and could not have lasted so long.

Not to mention being able to occasionally repel the demons and extend the defensive line.

"So, Commander Sakerem, what are your ideas regarding the current situation?"

Sakerem, with deeply furrowed brows, thought for a moment and said, "I now need to gather personnel and the other army commanders. Commander Kane and your squad should first rest. Thank you for your reconnaissance during this time, and regroup at the command post by dusk. We need to launch a swift operation."

"Understood, we shall take our leave then."

After Kane and his team left, Sakerem summoned the waiting subordinates outside and began issuing orders.

Both false and true intelligence was judiciously transmitted to the appropriate places by him.

Kane was quite satisfied with Sakerem's actions. This commander was experienced and cordial, always efficient in his duties.

Since he was so confident, Kane and his team only needed to coordinate accordingly.

Everyone returned to their quarters.

Longbei flopped directly onto the soft sofa, exhaling comfortably, "Clearing such dungeons is truly somewhat troublesome."

Hearing Longbei's sigh, everyone expressed agreement.

After all, the dungeons they previously cleared only required mindlessly fighting through.

"Alright, let's rest first, we have things to do tonight."

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