Wen Tingtao fell silent for a full three seconds.
Then he slowly leaned back in his chair, his gaze shifting from the document in Wen Shiheng's hand to the massive holographic star map.
On the star map, the Bushman Star System was highlighted.
It was located a full star system's depth away from the front line, surrounded by densely packed Empire monitoring stations and patrol routes.
His eyes lingered on that glowing point for a long time.
Then he looked back at Wen Shiheng.
The intelligence report never once mentioned the Pluto Fleet.
It never specified which Federation Fleet had carried out the mission.
But everyone in the operations room knew.
That mission, with its near-certain death, that mission deep behind enemy lines where the entire force could be wiped out at any moment—
In the entire Myriad Stones Star Domain Theater, only one fleet had accepted it.
Only one man, leading those four hundred warships, had crossed what seemed an impassable defensive line, striking deep within the Empire's heartland to achieve such a result.
Wen Tingtao's voice slowly broke the silence, carrying a tone of confirmation.
"The Abuja Stellar Ring you just mentioned…"
He paused.
"Is that the Abuja Stellar Ring with the Prairie Fire Fortress Cannon, the one that can obliterate a Sub-Level Fleet with a single shot?"
Wen Shiheng nodded.
"That's the one."
He added:
"Intelligence confirms the Wildfire Cannon has been destroyed.
The docking zone is severely damaged and will not resume transport functions in the short term."
Wen Tingtao fell silent again for a few seconds.
Then he gave a light chuckle.
The smile spread from the corner of his mouth, tugging at the fine lines around his eyes, eventually turning into a soft sigh tinged with complex emotions.
"Good lad," he said.
His voice was quiet, almost as if speaking to himself.
"You really did it."
No one in the operations room spoke.
Everyone was watching him, watching the rare expression of mingled relief and pride on the Theater Commander-in-Chief's face.
The Stargate.
It was the Empire's most critical strategic node in the direction of the Ten Stone Starfield, their key channel for rapidly deploying large fleets to the front line.
How many forces would the Empire commit to defend that gate?
Wen Tingtao didn't know the exact number.
But he could guess the scale.
At least three Joint Fleets. A defensive force of over sixty thousand starships.
Layers upon layers of defense platforms, early warning arrays, and patrol formations.
Without Sequence Fleet-level strength, breaking through to the Stargate's defensive perimeter would be impossible.
So, when he had issued the order, Wen Tingtao had known deep down.
It wasn't truly a mission to destroy the Stargate.
It was a… probe.
Or rather, a gamble.
He had sent Qin Bei Wang and those three hundred warships out, not betting on their ability to complete the mission.
He was betting that this fleet could survive in the Empire's heartland.
Survival itself would be a victory.
If they could harass a few supply lines, give the Empire's logistics department a headache for a few days, that would be a pleasant surprise.
If they could delay the enemy's offensive tempo by one or two weeks, buying time for their own reinforcements—
That would be a profit.
As for destroying the Stargate?
Wen Tingtao had never truly counted on it.
He had merely pushed his only playable card onto the betting table.
That was all.
And now.
He lowered his head, looking at the top-secret intelligence in his hand.
Demon Claw Fleet Annihilation.
Annihilated—over three hundred warships, with none surviving.
Severe damage to the Abuja Stellar Ring.
The Docking Zone was critically damaged, temporarily unable to perform transport ship docking functions.
The Prairie Fire Fortress Cannon, said to be capable of obliterating an entire Sub-Level Fleet with a single shot, was destroyed.
Frequent attacks on the Imperial Transport Fleet.
Wen Tingtao's fingers lightly traced the edge of the document.
His gaze lingered on those lines of text for a long time.
Then he let out a soft sigh.
As that breath left his chest, it carried a tremor even he himself hadn't noticed.
Not fear.
But… some indescribable emotion.
The Abuja Stellar Ring.
He knew that place.
It wasn't just an Energy Relay Station, nor merely a logistics hub.
It was one of the Empire's most important Military Fortresses in the Bushman Star System.
That Prairie Fire Cannon was a true Strategic-grade Weapon in every sense.
The claim that it could obliterate a Sub-Level Fleet with one shot wasn't an exaggeration—it was verified data.
Any fleet attempting a frontal assault on the Abuja Ring would first have to weigh how many of its warships could survive under that cannon's fire.
And Qin Bei Wang…
Wen Tingtao shook his head slightly.
He hadn't launched a frontal assault.
He must have used some other method.
Infiltration, sabotage, Special Operations.
Or some tactic Wen Tingtao couldn't yet fathom.
But the result was clear.
That cannon was silenced.
That ring was crippled.
As a Military Fortress, as a Transfer Station for the Empire's Support Fleets.
The Abuja Stellar Ring had temporarily lost its core functionality.
What did this mean?
Wen Tingtao turned and walked back to the conference table.
He sat down again, placed the intelligence on the table, and gently smoothed it with his palm.
This meant that for at least the next two weeks, or even longer, the Empire's Deployment speed of fleets to the front line would be significantly slowed.
Every Imperial Fleet requiring rest, resupply, or transfer via the Abuja Ring would have to reroute, seek alternative nodes, and endure additional Jump Transition Loss and time delays.
And time…
Wen Tingtao looked up at the massive Holographic Star Map.
On the star map, the green dots representing Federation reinforcements were slowly moving toward the Transition Channel.
Every minute, every second, they drew closer to the front line.
Every minute, every second, was bought with blood and fire behind enemy lines by Qin Bei Wang and his Pluto Fleet.
Wen Tingtao remained silent for a long time.
Then he smiled faintly.
The smile was so faint it was almost imperceptible.
But Wen Shiheng saw it.
He heard Wen Tingtao murmur softly, as if speaking to himself.
"When I sent him…"
He paused.
"All I wanted was to buy a few days."
"I never expected…"
He didn't finish.
But Wen Shiheng understood.
I never expected you to give me so much.
I never expected a fleet everyone saw as expendable to achieve such results.
I never expected Qin Qianfan's son to be even more ruthless than his father was back then.
The operations room was quiet.
Only the faint hum of the slowly rotating Holographic Star Map filled the air.
Suddenly, Wen Tingtao murmured to himself.
His voice was soft, as if speaking only to himself:
"Perhaps…"
He paused, then continued.
"Perhaps they really can accomplish the mission I gave them."
Behind him, the war room instantly fell silent.
Wen Shiheng abruptly raised his head.
The staff officers present simultaneously stopped what they were doing.
Everyone stared at Wen Tingtao's back.
Destroy the Stargate.
These four words had been discussed countless times in this war room.
The conclusion of every discussion was the same.
Impossible.