Chapter 1018: General Gelan Changes Strategy

Fengqi Star Alliance, Southern Theater Headquarters.

General Gelan is pacing in the command room.

"Reinforcements... when exactly will the reinforcements arrive?"

Gelan stops, looks at the star map—the territories of the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Star Sectors—and mutters to himself.

Gelan's Adjutant pulls up a data stream.

"General, according to the latest notice from the committee, the Third, Ninth, and Fourteenth Fleet Clusters drawn from the Eastern and Northern Theaters are in the hyperspace lane; it is expected to take at least seventy standard hours for them to arrive at our assembly point one after another.

Additionally, the 'Thunder's Fury' Guardian heavy fleet directly under the headquarters is also in the mobilization sequence, but their heavy equipment transfer requires more time."

Gelan rubs his brow and says.

"Seventy standard hours... plus the time for integration, resupply, and familiarization with the battlefield environment... there is no telling when the Xiuluo Saint's attack might arrive."

Gelan points toward the direction of the Seventh Star Sector.

"Our primary counterattack target is set at the important hub connecting the Sixth and Seventh Star Sectors. Taking it would cut off the connection between the main Xiuluo Saint force in the Sixth Star Sector and their rear, at least forcing them to attend to one end while neglecting the other. However..."

Gelan pauses, then continues.

"According to intelligence, the defensive strength of the Seventh Star Sector is even more formidable than the front lines of the Sixth Star Sector. With our current forces, a frontal assault on the 'Anvil' has less than a forty percent chance of success, and even with the incoming reinforcements, we would have to pay a heavy price. Moreover, once the enemy in the Sixth Star Sector reinforces in time, we could very well be caught in a pincer attack."

Just then, the side door of the command room slides open, and Lieutenant Colonel Lynn from the theater intelligence department walks in quickly.

"General! Urgent military intelligence!"

Lieutenant Colonel Lynn does not have time for a standard salute before inserting an encrypted data chip into the holographic table's interface.

"Speak."

General Gelan looks at Lynn and says concisely.

"Our reconnaissance detachment, while conducting routine surveillance in the 'Death Walk' asteroid belt outside the Sixth Star Sector as planned, captured abnormal hyperspace fluctuations and bio-energy signals."

As Lynn speaks, he pulls up the processed observation footage and data stream.

A small-scale, high-speed light fleet is performing irregular maneuvers.

Behind the light fleet, a massive, ferocious bio-mass aggregate appears; its enormous size and the red light radiating from it, representing high-energy reactions, cause a chorus of gasps in the command room.

"This is... an Insect Hive Mother Ship! A 'Reaper' sub-cluster! How could they appear there?!"

Lieutenant Colonel Lynn slows his speech.

"The even stranger part is this: this light fleet is intentionally guiding this swarm. They keep launching high-energy signal decoys and adjusting their course, always keeping the swarm within a certain distance. Their final guided destination, according to our calculations, has a ninety-two percent probability of directly crashing into the 'Ximao' star and its surrounding planets in the Sixth Star Sector, which are currently firmly controlled by the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance!"

"What?!"

"Guiding a swarm?! Are they crazy?!"

The command room erupts.

Using the swarm? This idea is too crazy, too contrary to common sense! This is no different from playing with fire next to a forest fire; if not controlled properly, the one who lit it will also be burned to Ashes.

General Gelan watches the bizarre "chase" on the star map, his brain racing.

After the initial shock, the prototype of a bold plan emerges.

"Quiet!"

The command room falls silent, and everyone looks at General Gelan.

Gelan looks at Lynn and asks in a deep voice.

"Confirm the scale of the swarm and the assessment of this light fleet's guidance success rate?"

"Confirmed! The 'Reaper' sub-cluster possesses one main Mother Ship, over twenty Bio-Escort Ships, and the number of Spore Cysts and attack units cannot be precisely counted, but it is enough to pose a serious threat to the defense systems of dozens of planet-level bodies.

As for the guidance success rate... based on the superb technology currently displayed by the light fleet and the reaction patterns of the swarm, we believe they have over a seventy percent chance of successfully leading the swarm into the core area of the Sixth Star Sector."

"Seventy percent..."

Gelan repeats it in a low voice, turns back to the holographic star map, points his finger at the red area representing the Sixth Star Sector, and says.

"Everyone! It seems that over at the General Headquarters, someone made up their mind earlier than we did and used some... extreme measures!

Think about it: what would happen if a medium-sized Insect Hive Mother Ship sub-cluster suddenly appeared in the Sixth Star Sector occupied by the Xiuluo Saint?"

A quick-witted young staff officer blurts out.

"Chaos! They would have to mobilize a massive amount of troops, ships, and resources to deal with the threat of the swarm! The swarm doesn't care if you are Fengqi or Xiuluo Saint; they will only Devour everything in front of them!"

"Exactly! Chaos! And an unprecedentedly great chaos! The swarm's attack is destructive and indiscriminate. The Xiuluo Saint's defensive forces in the Sixth Star Sector will be greatly tied down, perhaps even severely crippled! No matter how well their Super Soldiers can fight, how many can they kill when facing an endless sea of insects?"

Another senior staff officer adds.

"It's not just the Sixth Star Sector itself! With the Sixth Star Sector under attack, according to conventional logic, they will inevitably call for help from the neighboring Seventh Star Sector, which serves as their logistics and reserve base! The garrison forces of the Seventh Star Sector will likely be drawn away to support the Sixth Star Sector!"

"Yes! That's it! If the enemy in the Seventh Star Sector is mobilized and their forces become thin, then..."

Gelan does not need to continue; everyone understands.

The hard nut that originally had less than a forty percent chance of success has suddenly become a soft persimmon that might be exploited!

"General, do you mean... we change our main attack direction? Take advantage of the emptiness and launch a surprise attack on the Seventh Star Sector?"

"Not just a surprise attack! This is a chain reaction! The swarm attacks the Sixth Star Sector, forcing the Seventh Star Sector to support it, while we concentrate our forces and strike directly at the thinly defended Seventh Star Sector! Destroy their logistics hub, cut off their retreat and reinforcement routes! By then, the enemy in the Sixth Star Sector will have the endless swarm in front of them and their home base captured by us behind them—they will be trapped like turtles in a jar!"

General Gelan becomes more excited as he speaks, his train of thought becoming clearer.

"This will yield far greater results than our original plan of simply attacking the Seventh Star Sector! Once successful, we will not only recover large swathes of lost territory in the Seventh Star Sector but also put the main Xiuluo Saint force in the Sixth Star Sector in a death trap! This will be a glorious victory capable of turning the entire southern theater of war around!"

The staff officers are also encouraged by this bold plan and begin to offer their suggestions one after another.

"We need to adjust our deployment immediately! Guide the incoming reinforcements directly to the jump point on the edge of the Seventh Star Sector!"

"Reconnaissance forces must be doubled! Closely monitor the battle situation in the Sixth Star Sector and the mobilization of enemy forces in the Seventh Star Sector!"

"Logistics supply lines must be re-planned to ensure the sustained combat capability of our assault forces!"

"Should we report our plan change to the General Headquarters?"

The Adjutant reminds him.