What kind of place was that?
It was the most crucial strategic node for the Empire in the direction of the Ten Stone Starfield.
It was the vital passage through which they rapidly deployed large fleets to the front line.
It was a core defensive point that would be garrisoned by forces at the level of a joint fleet.
A mother-class fleet, four hundred warships, attempting to breach such a defensive perimeter and destroy such a strategic target.
Wen Shiheng's Adam's apple bobbed.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.
A staff officer beside him instinctively drew in a sharp breath.
That breath was drawn so long, as if trying to inhale all the air in the entire operations room into his lungs.
Shocking.
If it were truly achieved…
What scale would this campaign reach?
Several images flashed rapidly through Wen Shiheng's mind.
The Erebus Fleet, the Ares Fleet, the Pandora Fleet.
Three Imperial Joint Fleets, over three hundred thousand warships, cut off from retreat, trapped on the front line of the Ten Stone Starfield, with nowhere to fall back to, their supplies severed.
Then the Federation's main forces would press forward.
Then…
He dared not think further.
That vision was too vast, too immense for his mind to contain.
Wen Tingtao seemed to sense the silence behind him.
He turned around, looking at the complex expressions on the faces of the staff officers.
Shock, disbelief, and a faint, unspoken hint of anticipation.
Then he smiled.
The smile spread from the corners of his mouth, tugging at the fine lines at the corners of his eyes, finally turning into a hearty, somewhat philosophical laugh.
"Hahaha!"
He waved his hand, his tone lightening.
"Who can say for sure about this?"
He paused, his gaze returning to the intelligence report.
"After all, Senior Colonel Qin Beiwang has already created enough miracles."
His voice carried an undisguised pride.
"Annihilating the Welles Fleet, heavily damaging Obsidian, Bloodblade, Iron Curtain, ambushing the Megalodon Fleet!"
He spoke each word deliberately:
"Which one wasn't a miracle?"
"One more…"
He shook his head gently:
"…isn't impossible either."
The atmosphere in the operations room eased slightly.
Someone softly exhaled.
The corners of someone's mouth lifted slightly.
Indeed.
That young man, from the moment he participated in the Elvira Campaign, had been continuously creating miracles.
What would one more matter?
Then Wen Tingtao's smile faded.
He slowly straightened up, squared his shoulders, the military stars on his epaulettes gleaming coldly under the light.
His expression turned serious, his voice regaining the steadiness and authority befitting a commander.
"Communications officer."
"Here."
Wen Tingtao's gaze swept past everyone, landing on the massive holographic star map.
On the star map, the red cursors representing the Empire's three fleets still occupied the critical positions on the front line of the Ten Stone Starfield.
"Copy this intelligence report to the Joint Staff Department."
He paused.
"At the same time, in my personal name, send a request to the Joint Staff Department."
His voice was not loud, but each word was firm and resolute.
"I need reinforcements."
"At least three sequence fleet-level reinforcements."
Wen Shiheng looked up at him.
Wen Tingtao continued:
"Currently, the Empire's logistics have been severely damaged by our Pluto Fleet."
"A large number of Imperial transport ships have been destroyed, and the Abuja Stellar Ring, one of the logistical centers, has been severely damaged, temporarily losing its transit and resupply capabilities."
His pace was measured, but his reasoning was clear, with every judgment supported by intelligence.
"The Empire's fleet deployment speed to the front line has been significantly delayed."
He paused, his gaze lingering for a moment on the three red cursors on the star chart.
"This is precisely the best opportunity for our forces to launch a large-scale offensive."
His voice rose slightly.
"As long as the Pluto Fleet successfully destroys the star gate..."
He extended his hand, drawing an arc on the star chart that encircled all three red cursors.
"Erebus, Ares, Pandora."
"These three Imperial fleets will become like fish out of water."
He withdrew his hand, shifting his gaze from the star chart to the red top-secret intelligence report.
In the signature section, under the column for the operation commander.
The three characters "Qin Bei Wang" rested quietly there.
His voice lowered, carrying a complex emotion only veterans who had experienced enough campaigns could understand.
"Become our..."
He paused before continuing.
"...trapped prey."
The operations room fell silent once more.
Only the faint hum of the slowly rotating holographic star map remained.
Wen Shiheng looked at Wen Tingtao, observing the serious, resolute, and somewhat desperate expression on the face of the Theater Commander-in-Chief.
He suddenly recalled an old saying he had learned during his military academy days.
Opportunities in war are reserved only for those who dare to seize them.
Wen Tingtao was gambling.
Betting that Qin Bei Wang could create another miracle.
Betting that those four hundred warships could tear open a breach deep within the Empire's heartland—a breach everyone believed impossible to breach.
Betting that the star gate guarded by the joint fleet would be destroyed by the Pluto Fleet.
And he, on the front line, had to prepare a stage large enough for the miracle that might arrive.
The communications officer's voice broke the silence.
"Orders confirmed, transmitting immediately."
Wen Tingtao nodded.
He did not look at the intelligence report again.
He simply turned around, once more facing the massive holographic star map.
On the star map, the blue marker representing the Pluto Fleet remained quietly within the shadow of the Bushman Star System.
They were still fighting.
Still creating miracles.
Wen Tingtao stared at that point of light, silent for a few seconds.
Then he softly uttered a sentence.
So softly that only he could hear it.
"Qin Bei Wang..."
"You have to come back alive."
"I will personally hammer the commodore's, even the vice admiral's, epaulettes onto your shoulders!"
Joint Staff Department.
Supreme Strategic Simulation Hall.
Within the vast circular space, the lights were dimmed.
Only the central holographic projection star map, over twenty meters in diameter, emitted a cold, bluish glow.
On the star map, the complete theater situation of the entire Ten Stone Starfield was displayed.
The red Empire-controlled zones, the blue Federation-controlled zones, the jagged front lines, and the densely packed garrison markers.
At this moment, everyone's gaze was focused on the highlighted area at the edge of the star map.
The Bushman Star System.
Veterans adorned with gold epaulettes and silver military stars sat around the circular seating surrounding the star map.
Each of their uniforms was adorned with densely packed medals and campaign commemorative badges.
At this moment, they were all debating the same issue.
How exactly did the Pluto Fleet infiltrate the Bushman Star System?
While the Wanshi Star Sector Theater Command received the FCB Intelligence, the Joint Staff Department also obtained Rose's top-secret intelligence.
A lean-faced admiral named Zou Qichen was the first to speak.
His voice carried a hint of impatience as he traced a finger through the air, turning the infiltration route recommended by the staff—which had been marked countless times—into a dotted line.
"Old Tang, you don't know a damn thing about infiltration."
He shot a sidelong glance at the slightly portly Admiral Tang Huaiqian sitting opposite him, who was sipping tea from a cup, his tone utterly unsparing.
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