Chapter 61.2
The two snapped back to attention and rushed to the monitor. On the screen, red dots representing high-energy entities had appeared within the surveillance range.
“Is it the Expeditionary Force attacking—” Before the sentence could be completed, the green background of the screen was already filled with red dots of various sizes, and they were rapidly approaching!
The alarm sounded louder and louder, and blood-red warning symbols popped up one after another, filling up almost half of the monitoring screen.
After nearly ten seconds of shock, the officers on duty fearfully pressed the red button and loudly reported, “Enemy attack! Unidentified fleet approaching rapidly!”
Beneath the pitch-black curtain of space, the Jiangling led the way, with the vast fleet of starships moving like shadows sneaking through the night, piercing toward the distance like a dagger.
Over the communication channel, Duchamp of the Jiangling reported, “The enemy has deployed the ‘Clairvoyants’ to scout our situation. It seems they’ve finally noticed us after all this time.”
Lu Fenghan acknowledged with a grunt, directing Pojun to locate the position of the Clairvoyants and transmit it to the fighter ships near the Jiangling.
The ‘Clairvoyante’ were remote surveillance devices commonly used in space warfare, capable of transmitting real-time images over long distances. Although they had no intention of hiding their movements, Lu Fenghan still ordered them to be shot down like birds, purely to apply psychological pressure.
At the same time, he issued the command, “Check internal communications again for any disruptions.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a wall-sized virtual screen displayed an image of the fleet, with countless green dots lighting up one after another. Green indicated clear communication, and red indicated no connection.
Lu Fenghan commanded, “Confirm the status of all starships, run self-checks on the central control systems, preheat the long-range missile thrusters, and ensure all personnel are at their posts. Prepare for battle!”
With the command issued, everyone in the Expeditionary Force took their positions, the missile thrusters mounted on the ships silently rising in unison, their dark barrels aimed straight at the enemy.
When the Jiangling entered firing range, Lu Fenghan ordered, “Launch the first batch of missiles.”
Outside the portholes, missiles could already be seen streaking through space, propelled by their thrusters, raining down on the rebel forces in a relentless barrage.
Explosive flames erupted.
Shortly after, Pojun reported, “After correction by the central control system, hit rate is at 79%.”
Before the advent of central control systems in starships, long-range missiles had relied solely on quantity, with accuracy being less than commendable.
This was due to the complexities of space environments and the multitude of factors affecting trajectories, as well as the fact that enemy starships were not lifeless hunks of metal sitting still.
With the introduction of central control systems, the goal of ‘precision guidance’ was preliminary achieved.
The central control system could instantly capture data on the space environment, predict the movements of enemy targets, and correct the missile trajectory 0.1 seconds before the missile left the thruster, reducing the circular error probability to within one meter and increasing the direct hit probability to around 80%.
This was also why, for a long time, the rebel forces were suppressed by the Expeditionary Force, and Y skyrocketed to the top of the blacklist.
Simply because at that time, the hit rate of long-range missiles for both sides was only around 50%. Yet overnight, the Alliance gained three more missiles out of every ten that could hit their targets. This seemingly simple data was terrifying on the battlefield.
Even to this day, despite the rebel army’s multiple system updates, they have yet to catch up to this number, which was why they were so determined to seize the central control system’s architecture.
Duchamp’s voice echoed once again over the communication channel. “They’ve started to counterattack!”
Magelyn, following behind the Jiangling, excitedly chimed in, “Good! Let’s all fight together!”
She sounded like a sorority leader getting ready to brawl outside the school after class.
Lu Fenghan’s gaze fixed on the multi-dimensional starmap. “Switch to a conical formation, with the Jiangling at the tip. Raise anti-missile interceptors on both flanks. Attack and break through the enemy’s fleet formation.”
The first voice to respond over the communication channel was Long Xiyun’s. “Roger!”
Meanwhile, Duchamp had already taken the lead, the Jiangling fleet thrusting like a spearhead towards the oncoming rebel army.
Lu Fenghan, having a clear grasp of the overall situation, glanced at Qi Yan, who was carefully studying the multi-dimensional starmap.
The cyan light reflected on his features, like a thin layer of glaze on porcelain.
“What are you looking at?”
Unlike his commanding tone earlier, Lu Fenghan’s voice was soft, as if he was afraid of startling Qi Yan.
“General, are we using Clairvoyant too?”
Lu Fenghan nodded. “That’s correct.”
Qi Yan shifted his gaze away from the multi-dimensional starmap. “I have an idea. What if I could create a frequency that interferes with the images sent back to the main ship by the Clairvoyant? For example, if the Chanyuan, Dingyuan, and Jiangling all engage in battle simultaneously, this frequency would modify the transmitted images to show the Chanyuan, Dingyuan, and a medium-sized ship instead.”
Lu Fenghan understood immediately.
If there really was such a frequency that could affect the transmission of images from the Clairvoyant, then it would be entirely possible to mislead the enemy. This deception would be quickly exposed and wouldn’t last long, but in certain situations, it could be extremely useful.
Before Lu Fenghan could respond, several voices erupted over the communication channel, with Magelyn’s voice being the loudest. “Commander, where did you find this treasure?”
Lu Fenghan’s tone turned dangerous. “Is that what you should call him?”
Magelyn quickly grasped the situation and rephrased, “Commander, where did you find such a little genius like Qi Yan!”
Leaning back in his chair, Lu Fenghan smirked. “Even if you know, is it useful?”
Stirred up, Magelyn fiercely raised her middle finger in the video communication frame.
Just then, a red alert popped up on the virtual screen, followed by the voice of Long Xiyun: “The rebel army has forcibly breached the right flank’s defenses by self-destructing their starships!”
Magelyn cursed under her breath. “Idiots willing to sacrifice themselves for their God, typical rebel army!”
“Dispatch reinforcements from the Pingning to seal the breach. Pojun, analyze the trajectories of any unusual enemy starships. I’m granting you control of the flank turrets. Once identified, use laser beams to destroy them and prevent further self-destruct attacks.”
Pojun: “Yes, General.”
Meanwhile, Donald, whose plans were repeatedly intercepted, wasn’t feeling particularly comfortable.
First, there was that bizarre method of precisely intercepting them at jump points, and now, beyond imagination, they were somehow able to accurately target his self-destructing starships meant to break the stalemate!
Adding to his frustration was the fact that their military factory was raided, depriving him of new weapons and limiting ammunition supplies. This left Donald with a feeling of being controlled by the enemy.
What bothered him even more was that as the 11th Corps of the rebel army, their base was the closest to the Expeditionary Force, serving as a barrier and defense line. If breached, the Expeditionary Force could advance directly, and he would face severe punishment from the Sage.
For example, the former commander of the 11th Corps didn’t die at Lu Fenghan’s hands but had escaped after defeat to plead for mercy from the Sage.
His death had been far from dignified.
A report came in: “Another three small ships broke away from the fleet to head towards the flank of the Expeditionary Force, but they were precisely bombed within thirty-three seconds.”
Donald felt anxious. As he twirled two metal balls in his hand, he couldn’t help but think that Lu Fenghan had become even more formidable.
He lacked too much information about the new tactics of the Expeditionary Force, and even Lu Fenghan’s strategic approach had undergone noticeable changes.
Facing an opponent whose depth was unknown always made people uneasy and wary.
Long Xiyun also noticed this. He mentioned over the communication channel, “Commander, your tactics have changed a lot.”
Lu Fenghan had never mentioned his experience on the Dawn planet to anyone, just passing it with two sentences. “Because I played thousands of strategic games with Pojun. If you have time, you can try it too.”
Pojun had an incredibly vast database, capable of simulating the strategic styles of famous generals throughout history. Lu Fenghan hadn’t just played countless games for nothing, but how much he had absorbed from each confrontation was unclear even to himself. Perhaps only the enemies who fell under his command would know.
Hearing this, Qi Yan stood beside Lu Fenghan. Under the table, he lightly hooked his pinky finger with Lu Fenghan’s.
Not content with just hooking, he also gave a little shake.
A very discreet little gesture.
The communication channel was still open, and several video call windows remained active, connecting not only Magelyn and the others but also supply ships, reconnaissance ships, escort ships, and destroyers.
To Lu Fenghan, Qi Yan’s small gesture felt like a soft, delicate feather brushing across his palm, sending a tingling sensation through half his arm.
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