"Thousands slaughtered each other in the Dìyù that day. And for what? The jungle didn’t care. It rose up and devoured us all the same anyway. The ground itself seemed to thirst, greedily drinking our blood. In the end, the jungle claimed all - troopers, Neo-Cong, it made no difference - the Dìyù grew fat on our flesh. We're all just fertilizer for Hell's garden.”

• Final Statement of KLN-224, Jade Domain Trooper, Executed for Treason, record sealed

In the waning days of 71AP, the Prime AI sends her emissaries out to influence the great powers of south-east Asia, the endless rainforest that is simply known as "Hell".

Through her emissaries, Prime influences the Jade Domain as well as the monks of the Bright Path, the spiritual leadership of the Neo-Cong. These two powers are locked in an endless conflict that Prime controls both sides of.

Having delivered their message, the AI collars self-destruct, with no regard for the life of the emissaries carrying them around their necks.

Spurned into action by the emissary's message, the Jade Queen instructs her generals to plan a mission in the Phu-Bac war zone.

Her instructions are quickly turned into a plan of action by the Jade Domain's High Command.

A few months later, thousands of Jade Domain Troopers, freshly delivered from the Prime cloning facility, are readied for their deployment into the Phu-Bac war zone.

The Jade Troopers are ready to board their drop ships.

​​To Hell! On day 27 of The Blooming Death, 72AP, a fleet of drop ships carries an entire division of ten thousand Jade Troopers straight into the Phu-Bac war zone.

30 small, agile landing craft, each carrying a platoon of 30 Jade Troopers, form the vanguard. They race ahead of the formation, their task to gain initial footholds on the ground.

10 mid-sized drop ships form the second wave. They carry complete companies of 100 Jade Troopers each. Their mission is to quickly reinforce any foothold the first wave may have gained.

The third wave is composed of eight heavy transports that carry entire regiments of 1000 Jade Troopers each. Their role is to link and reinforce the most successful landings.

Meanwhile, the monks of the Bright Path have amassed a vast Neo-Cong force in the Phu-Bac war zone. They have been given detailed information about the Jade Domain's battle plan by an Emissary of Prime. They plan to ambush and destroy the Jade Trooper division on arrival, when the drop ships slow down and are most vulnerable.

Throughout the region, thousands of warriors are drawn together and prepare for the coming battle. The Prime AI has equipped the Neo-Cong with an impressive arsenal of anti air defences.

As the Jade Domain drop ships arrive and slow down for the final approach, the Neo-Cong strike...

Many drop ships are shot out of the sky, especially the larger and slower heavy carriers. Half of the regimental carriers are shot down, killing almost 4000 Jade troopers before the battle on the ground has even begun.

Many damaged drop ships crash land in the jungle and the Phu-Bac river. Thousands of Jade Troopers perish, as the Neo-Cong celebrate their stunning success

Burning drop ships rain from the sky like a shower of meteorites, their crews despereately trying to save their sticken ships.

Many damaged drop ships attempt to put down in the Phu-Bac river, to avoid crashing into the jungle.

The surviving Jade Troopers evacuate from the wreckage of their drop ships and gather what equipment they can.

All across the operational zone, Jade Domain officers organise the survivors into new ad-hoc units.

The drop ships that survived the ambush unscathed, set down their Troops in the planned landing zones.

Neo-Cong snipers are waiting for them and take a heavy toll on the disembarking Jade Troopers.

The Jade Troopers break out of the landing zones and move under the canopy of the jungle. They must now cross the Phu-Bac river and push into the dense jungle beyond, in order to reach the relative safety of the Phu-Bac fortress.

As individual units of Troopers reach the river, they lose no time and begin to push across.

Yet again, Neo-Cong snipers are already waiting for them. The river soon runs red as exposed Jade Troopers are killed off while they slowly wade through the river.

As more and more Jade troopers arrive at the river, they finally manage to effectively return fire and suppress the snipers.

Despite their losses, the first wave of Troopers reaches the far side of the river and is pushing through the mud and up the riverbank.

With little to no cover, they take many casualties, and the banks of the river are soon littered with dead and dying Jade Troopers.

When the first troopers finally scale the riverbank, the fight quickly swings in their favour, thanks to their superior training and firepower.

As more and more Jade Troopers reach the river, the Neo-Cong finally fall back into the jungle. The river crossing has been bloody for both sides.

As the riverbank is taken, the Troopers take a moment to reorganise themselves and wait for the remainder of the force to cross the river. At this point in the battle, the division has already taken more than 60% percent casualties. The Troopers are brave and have been trained for war, but nothing could prepare them for this level of carnage on their first mission.

Back at the river, tragedy strikes as the remainder of the division begins to cross. Creatures that live in the mud of the river have been disturbed by the carnage of the battle...

They creatures rise and feed on the Troopers crossing the river. There is plenty of prey in the water and countless Troopers are pulled under the surface, never to be seen again.

After crossing the river, the remaining Troopers push into the dense jungle. Even though it is only the early afternoon, it is dark under the impenetrably dense canopy of jungle plants.

Yet again, the Troopers are ambushed. If they want to have any chance to survive, they must fight through the Neo-Cong to reach the Phu-Bac fortress. The battle lasts for hours, and as units and cohesion break down on both sides, it soon becomes a desperate fight for survival between individuals.

Bright Path shamans use their powers to turn the energy of nature into deadly blasts of energy.

Disturbed by the battle, the jungle and its creatures turn on warriors from both sides.

Throughout the chaos of the battle, Jade Troopers try to establish contact with the Phu-Bac fortress to call for support...

As the battle rages under the canopy of the endless rainforest, the air fills with fire and smoke.

The Neo-Cong throw everything at the Jade Troopers. Many of their warriors are simple peasants, armed with nothing more than bamboo spears or bows and arrows. They extract a heavy toll from the Jade Troopers, albeit at a heavy cost.

Over and over the NeoCong charge into an ever-shrinking force of Jade Troopers. They can't match the training or firepower of the Troopers, but their courage never falters, and their numbers seem endless...

When all seems lost for the remaining Jade Troopers, they make contact with the fortress at last!

After several human wave attacks have been repelled, the tired Neo-Cong rally for one final, all-out attack to finally break the Jade Troopers.

But the sound of incoming ground attack craft can suddenly be heard from above...

A Zhandou bomber squadron is responding to the request for close support and is ordered to deploy chemical weapons. Their order is to destroy as many of the Neo-Cong as possible, no matter the collateral damage to nearby friendly forces.

The attack begins! The bombers swoop in low and unleash hell on earth below them...

The fighting on the ground is so close and interwoven, that the strike hits warriors from both sides. Thousands die a horrific, agonising death within a few short moments, effectively ending the battle.

The few Jade Troopers that still have their protective equipment, take their chance and make a break for the Phu-Bac fortress.

Many of them don't make it, as their filters run out before they reach safety...

Eventually, a trickle of survivors emerges from the combat zone.

No one will ever know how many tens of thousands of casualties the Neo-Cong suffered that day...

...but the few that survived are marked by the experience forever.

The surviving Jade Troopers band together and push towards the Phu-Bac fortress.

As the day comes to an end, the Phu-Bac fortress finally comes into view.

The surviving troops enter the Phu-Bac military base.

Out in the jungle however, thousands of wounded warriors, as well as those simply lost and separated from their units, are left behind in the dark. A terrifying fate awaits them...

As the light fades, the jungle comes to life to take its due. The lucky ones are dead by now, but for the rest, the night will bring a fate of unimaginable terror…

The living jungle craves fresh meat, and carnivorous plants and creatures begin to devour the living and the wounded. As the screaming begins all around them, even former enemies band together for protection, but the weary survivors soon realise, that nothing can save them…

It is later said that a single Neo-Cong warrior came out of the jungle the following morning, after having killed one of the creatures with nothing but her bamboo spear...

...but these reports could never be verified and seem highly unlikely.

The very next day, the survivors are re-equipped at the Phu-Bac fortress to go into their next battle. After a single day at war, they have already become veterans that the next wave of Troopers will look up to.

Fresh recruits arrive at the Phu-Bac fortress.

Only a pitiful few of the Neo-Cong fighters have survived, but many new recruits are arriving already. These former workers, freshly liberated from the vast agrifarms of south-east Asia, are ready to be trained for the next battle.

And so, the vicious cycle of war continues. Welcome to Hell!