Chapter 1517: Kazili Zerg

Chanaisaikong paced back and forth in his bedroom in agitation, finally returning to his desk to sit down.

The Communication Device at the corner of the desk vibrated again; Chanaisaikong connected the call.

Jiadelin's voice came through the Communication Device's speaker.

"Chanaisaikong, have you received the reply from the Fleet Intelligence Division on your end?"

Chanaisaikong tried his best to keep his voice steady.

"I have."

"I have seen the wording of the reply; the deputy division chief from the Fleet Intelligence Division copied a duplicate to me."

Jiadelin said, deliberating.

"You haven't had any emotional fluctuations because of this matter, have you?"

Chanaisaikong sat before the desk, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"He used the phrase 'wasting soldiers' lives'; I truly did not expect to receive that wording."

"My original intention in compiling that document was to provide some new perspectives. If the fleet Commander felt my plan was unreasonable, they could have rejected it. For him to respond by saying I am wasting soldiers' lives—what is he doing!"

Jiadelin's voice came from the speaker.

"Chanaisaikong, I need you to understand this point: the Fleet Intelligence Division is under immense pressure right now."

"The advance speed of the Kaoquanzao Free Territory is nearly a day faster than expected, and the frontline Commander is facing a battlefield that has expanded beyond the scope of the original operational plan."

"In their view, a new perspective is equivalent to a new variable, and they do not have the leeway to test new variables in their current operational tempo."

The agitation in Chanaisaikong's heart subsided slightly.

"I understand their pressure, but my analysis document never suggested they directly apply the tactics of the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance."

"And then they replied to me saying I am making a joke of soldiers' lives; for someone with no malicious intent, this is an accusation that exceeds reasonable bounds."

Jiadelin said in a solemn tone.

"Let this matter end here. At the current stage, do not concern yourself with border affairs anymore; I have other work to hand over to you."

"What work?"

"The term of the Xikushi United Nations representative to the Federal Trade Council expires next month, and a new candidate is needed to take over. The issues involved in the Council's next round of meetings include adjustments to the Bianyuan Xingyu navigation rights agreement and updates to multilateral trade rules; your diplomatic experience and cross-faction negotiation skills fit the requirements of this position perfectly."

"After you go there, you will mainly handle consultation work related to the updating of trade rules; you will not need to touch military affairs, nor will you have any work interface with the fleet system."

Chanaisaikong's eyes narrowed slightly when he heard the half-sentence about not needing to touch military affairs.

"Is this a temporary arrangement or a long-term transfer?"

"The current arrangement is term-based; you will first take over the remaining term. If subsequent work goes smoothly, a reappointment can be considered."

"This job does not require you to be stationed at Zhongshu Xing; most of the time you will be active on the planet where the Council is based, which is very far from the border war zone."

"The diplomatic resources you previously accumulated can all be used there; you do not need to rebuild a work network."

Chanaisaikong calmed his emotions and spoke.

"Fine, I will take on the work of taking over the term. When can I start reviewing the relevant handover materials?"

"Tomorrow morning, the relevant data will be sent to your internal terminal. You have about five days to familiarize yourself with the framework of the Council's current round of issues, after which you will need to depart for the Council's base. Others will coordinate with you on the remaining handover details."

"Understood, I will complete the handover on time."

"That is good. Rest for now; tomorrow you will enter the work rhythm."

The communication hung up.

Xikushi United Nations border, Disan Zhimin Xingqiu.

Commander Gedeng stood before the central holographic tactical table; the tactical table in front of him displayed the real-time status of various defense nodes on the planet's surface.

An Adjutant ran in from the side door and reported.

"Commander, the third reinforcement of the Fifth Defense Position has been repelled. The Kaoquanzao troops have pushed forward about twenty kilometers under the cover of their orbital bombardment."

"Our remaining defense units are retreating to the rear of the Fourth Position. The rate of ammunition consumption is nearly twice as fast as expected. If we continue to fight at the current tempo, our ammunition reserves can last at most another twelve standard hours."

Gedeng looked at the edge of the green defensive line that was constantly retreating and asked.

"How much longer until the support fleet arrives?"

The Adjutant lowered his head to look at the latest communication record on his Data Pad.

"Latest news: the support fleet encountered an interception formation from the Kaoquanzao Free Territory on the way, which slowed their voyage by about half a day."

"The estimated time of arrival in orbital range has been extended from the original four days to four and a half days."

Gedeng's fingers tightened on the tabletop, and a flash of resolution crossed his eyes.

"To have been forced to this point—there is no other way. I must use my final life to buy time for the Xikushi United Nations."

"Activate the Force Field System. Activate all force field generators on the outskirts of the Shengfu Chengqu and narrow the coverage to the corridor between the core area of the Shengfu Chengqu and the Orbital Port."

Someone in the Command Center looked up at him.

An officer in charge of energy system scheduling stood up from behind a Control Console.

"Commander, if we activate the force field to cover the core area, the outer defense positions and residential areas will lose protection. There are also a large number of civilians who have not completed evacuation."

Gedeng said loudly.

"The outer positions can no longer be held. Have the troops still remaining on the outskirts retreat into the force field coverage area in two batches; save as many as you can. The evacuation of residents will proceed simultaneously; prioritize the evacuation of women and children. There is not much time left. If the force field is not activated, the next round of orbital bombardment from Kaoquanzao will wipe the entire Shengfu Chengqu off the ground."

The energy scheduling officer did not speak again; he turned and quickly issued the force field activation command to the operators at the Control Console.

At the same time, inside the flagship of the Kaoquanzao Free Territory above the orbit, Commander Delin stood before the main display screen on the Bridge, preparing to order the Capital Ship in orbit to complete the final round of fire coverage. A burst of urgent alarms suddenly came from the sensor monitoring console on the side of the Bridge.

"Commander! Deep-space sensors have detected a large target approaching rapidly! Signal characteristics... comparing with the database... signal characteristics match the typical data of a Kazili Zerg Insect Hive Mother Ship! Confirmed!"

"The Kazili Zerg Insect Hive Mother Ship is moving in the direction of this planet; the estimated time to enter orbital range is in about three standard hours!"