?!
Leon paused for a moment as the voice from the headset broke his concentration.
However, he quickly refocused, and his initial surprise was swiftly replaced with calm as he responded in a steady voice:
"This is Kennedy."
"Director Kennedy!"
When the female officer confirmed it was Leon, her tone lifted slightly, clearly relieved to hear that the officer was unharmed.
She immediately quickened her pace, but her words were still clear as she reported:
"Our stealth-class ship has reached Idu and is preparing to deploy the special operations team to infiltrate the Empire's Death Star research facility and capture all the researchers involved in the Death Star project, including Galen Erso."
She paused briefly, perhaps organizing the information before continuing:
"Additionally, we will create the illusion that Galen Erso and others have been killed by the Rebel Alliance, in order to deceive the Galactic Empire into making erroneous assessments of the current situation—particularly regarding the Death Star project—to buy us more time for our subsequent operations."
As the female officer explained, she uploaded the relevant mission report to Leon.
A series of real-time data appeared in his holographic glasses. Leon quickly scanned through the reports, checking each line carefully to ensure no critical details were overlooked.
The most notable information was displayed clearly in the top right corner:
"Special Operations Team Estimated Arrival Time: 4 Minutes."
Seeing this, Leon immediately understood that both the Intelligence and Investigation Departments had refined their operations based on his and Cassian's movements, allowing the Empire to more accurately target the current location in the "One-Seven" universe, which in turn made their mission much more precise.
Thus, barely after leaving hyperspace aboard the U-Wing, they had pinpointed Idu and sent elite forces from the Investigation Department to assist.
Leon processed the new intelligence and quickly responded:
"Good. Once the special operations team completes their airdrop, I will launch a direct assault on the research facility with them."
"Understood, Director."
The female officer replied before briefly cutting off the communication to report the progress to higher command and start coordinating further deployment.
Leon's finger gently pressed the safety switch on his sidearm, and with a slight "click," his gaze became more focused as he observed the shuttle station ahead, waiting patiently for the next few minutes.
He knew well that every second could alter the course of the situation, so he kept part of his attention on the data flow in his AR vision, especially the radar signals in the top-left corner.
Suddenly, a multitude of green "△" triangle markers appeared on the radar.
Each triangle represented the position of an ally.
These markers, indicating the positions of the special operations team, were quickly approaching the shuttle station platform and hangar, showing that the airdrop was nearing its final stage. Each marker almost followed the other, forming a tight, web-like formation.
Leon tilted his head slightly. Although he knew that, amid the thunder and lightning of the storm, it was impossible for the naked eye to track the trajectory of the airdrop pods—especially with thick clouds covering the sky—his holographic glasses' visual assist function helped him trace the outlines and descent paths of the airdrop pods through the layers of mist.
Soon, Leon observed over a hundred airdrop pods simultaneously ejecting thousands, if not tens of thousands, of cheap decoy drones.
The decoy drones spread rapidly, like fireworks scattering sparks, rising into the sky, resembling beams of light darting through the stormy night sky.
Some of the more dazzling light points could even be vaguely seen through the thick clouds.
This maneuver successfully attracted the attention of the facility's defense systems.
In Leon's holographic vision, multiple red warning markers appeared, indicating the anti-aircraft turrets of the research facility, which seemed to have released a locking signal.
Immediately after, the sharp mechanical sound of dozens of anti-aircraft turrets activating filled the air, followed by the crackling of electricity, signaling they were fully operational.
Ri~whoosh—whoosh—!
The anti-aircraft turrets began unleashing a barrage of explosive energy beams, cutting through the darkness with brilliant green light.
The decoy drones, scattered across the air, immediately became the target of these automated turrets.
Soon, the beams collided with the drones, causing explosions in the air, and the flashing fire and thick smoke quickly spread.
Boom. Boom—!
The violent explosions continued, while the exploding firelight and the lightning from the clouds illuminated Leon's slightly "speechless" expression.
For the decoy drones, any level of anti-aircraft firepower was expected.
Their mission was to act as targets, drawing enemy fire to allow the actual airdrop operation to proceed smoothly.
These drones, with their cheap and efficient design, played a critical role in misleading and distracting the enemy's defense systems.
What surprised Leon, however, was how underdeveloped the "One-Seven" universe's air defense was.
The firepower density and level of automation were clearly not prepared to handle higher-tier tactics or coordinated military forces.
He had assumed that with such a critical facility nearby, the Galactic Empire's air defense would be highly advanced and capable of intercepting effectively in a short amount of time.
But in comparison to the Main Universe Empire's air defense systems, this response seemed too rudimentary and primitive.
At the very least, they should have a close-in weapon system to create a flak barrage.
The Main Universe Empire typically uses six-barrel 40mm Gauss close-in weapon systems, which can unleash 30,000 flechette rounds into a targeted area within a minute.
Once the flechette rounds detect heat sources, they automatically detonate, sending out fragments with very low yield, forming a dense barrier to intercept aerial threats.
However, the research facility's anti-air turrets were simply no match for the airdrop pods, firing hundreds of explosive energy beams that were utterly ineffective at preventing the pods' descent.
Whoosh~—whoosh—!
At that moment, a sharp engine roar, like a blade slicing through the air, caught Leon's attention.
Turning his head toward the source of the sound, he saw a group of uniquely designed fighter jets, emerging in waves from the research facility's hangar.
These fighters had a distinct appearance, resembling inverted "工" shapes, two parallel three-dimensional frames. They appeared somewhat clumsy as they navigated through the storm.
As Leon focused on these rapidly appearing fighters, his holographic glasses immediately analyzed the data, displaying brief intelligence on these aircraft.
According to the data provided by the glasses, these weren't ordinary fighters; they were TIE// TIE-class fighters, the most numerous and varied models in the Galactic Empire.
These TIE-class fighters were designed for simplicity and efficiency, or rather, they were designed to control costs.
They lacked hyperdrive engines, meaning they had to be stationed in base hangars or large ships.
Their spherical cockpits lacked life support systems, and their armament consisted only of two laser cannons and proton torpedoes.
Thus, TIE-class fighters typically operated in swarms, relying on overwhelming numbers to secure victories, becoming one of the main pillars of the Galactic Empire's air combat strategy.
However, these fighters relied on human pilots, who had to manually fly the vulnerable aircraft into battle, bearing immense risks.
To Leon, this tactic seemed less efficient than the Main Universe Empire's unmanned drone swarms or aerial and space-based hunters.
The use of pilots to operate such simple and fragile fighters seemed not only highly inefficient but also an extreme waste of life.
Of course, the Galactic Empire viewed human lives as expendable resources, easily replaceable, which was why their tactics appeared so cold and crude.
At this moment, even though the research facility had deployed numerous TIE-class fighters, emitting spine-chilling engine roars and cannon fire, they couldn't prevent the airdrop pods from landing.
Moreover, the TIE fighter pilots focused all their attention on the decoy drones and completely ignored the more than a hundred airdrop pods already beginning their descent.
Soon—
Boom—Boom—!!
The airdrop pods began crashing onto the platforms or punching through the hangar's roof.
Boom—Boom!
With the sound of hatch doors popping open, the special ops team members, dressed in nanotech combat suits and armed with Gauss rifles, appeared in Leon's vision.
Tap—Tap!
Then came the "pleasing" sound of gunfire echoing throughout the canyon.
The special operations team members, once emerging from the airdrop pods, immediately began launching coordinated attacks on the disoriented assault squads, working in teams of two or three.
These "white soldiers" wore armor that could effectively resist energy and laser-based attacks, but it was ineffective against the Gauss flechette rounds, designed specifically to pierce armor.
According to intelligence reports, the assault squads' armor was essentially a "low-end" version of powered armor.
Each assault squad member wore tight black "power shirts" that adjusted internal temperature and humidity while filtering toxic gases.
This made the Imperial assault squads highly adaptable to most harsh environments.
Unfortunately, the sudden and overwhelming assault by the special ops team, coupled with the airdrop's surprise, overwhelmed the assault squad's defenses.
Moreover, accompanying the special ops team were four heavily armored Tyrant units equipped with rotating Gauss guns and a Cyclops mech armed with a mini-missile launcher.
Boom—Boom!!
Faced with the unexpected and fierce assault, the assault squad guarding the research facility had no ability to resist.
Various types and calibers of flechette rounds pierced their armor and power shirts, shredding and tearing their bodies.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
"We need reinforcements!"
"Ah~!"
The assault squad's members, their helmets muffling their cries of pain and frustration, tried to regroup, but it was already too late.
The TIE fighter pilots, once they recovered and attempted to support the assault squad, found it was too late.
Whoosh—Whoosh—!!
Missiles fired from the stealth-class ship "Diana V" pierced through the thick clouds, then disbanded and launched hundreds of smaller missiles.
These small missiles accelerated, quickly breaking the sound barrier and heading straight for the TIE-class fighters locked in their sights.
Boom—Boom—!!
The next moment, the TIE-class fighters erupted in a brilliant "firework show" above the sky.
Seeing this, Leon immediately gathered his strength and rushed toward the shuttle station, climbing the cliff.
Once at the research facility's lower level, he quickly scaled the ladder and reached the platform at the top.
Simultaneously, Leon noticed the special ops team waiting to assist.
Among them was Rebecca, armed with a smart Gauss machine gun.
Without waiting for her to speak, Leon headed toward the entrance to the research facility, giving the order:
"Before the Galactic Empire sends more reinforcements, locate Galen Erso."
"Yes, sir!"
Then, Leon and his team practically "stormed" the research facility in search of their target.
Along the way, any assault squad members who tried to stop them were either ruthlessly killed or surrendered and were "physically anesthetized" (knocked unconscious through force).
"This is Squad 014, sir. We've successfully captured all key targets."
Not long after, the report came through the comms.
Upon hearing this, Leon, now in what appeared to be an archive room, immediately responded:
"Escort the targets to the shuttle station, and call in a transport fleet for pickup. Also, send a transport craft to the U-Wing crash site to recover Captain Cassian Andor and the others."
"Yes, sir."
After receiving the orders, the 014 squad leader immediately cut the communication.
Meanwhile, Rebecca and the others, without needing further orders from Leon, began collecting all the storage modules that could be taken, to be handed over to the Main Universe Empire researchers for analysis.
As soon as their mission was completed and they exited the research facility, the communication rang again from the female officer:
"Director Kennedy, we've detected multiple hyperspace fluctuations in Idu's low Earth orbit."
------------------
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