"With the assistance of the Titan Legion, we have already breached the enemy's third line of defense, and our vanguard units are currently advancing steadily towards the core area." Inside the command post, the Commander of the First Strike Group, a Star Realm Army Lord General, stood before the holographic tactical sand table, his steady voice echoing through the command center.
His rough finger traced across the flickering red and blue projections, marking several key breakthrough points.
As he stated, with the deployment of the Titan Legion, progress on the battlefield was much smoother than anticipated.
The staff officers exchanged surprised glances—the Necrons defense line, which was originally expected to require heavy casualties to breach, was now as fragile as paper under the Titans' plasma fire.
"It seems the enemy is short on troops. Should we launch a general offensive?" one staff officer suggested.
Perhaps it was because Alex's prior, unhesitating orbital bombardment had eliminated the enemy's heavy vehicle units, or perhaps this method of attack had terrified the Necrons, but so far, they had not deployed any heavy units capable of stopping the Titans' advance.
On the tactical screen, the red markers representing enemy heavy units were few and far between, far from the scale predicted by pre-war intelligence.
Even the number of Monoliths and obelisks on the battlefield was decreasing, suggesting that this Necron Tomb World was genuinely short on troops.
The Adeptus Mechanicus Priests repeatedly verified the scan results, incredulously discovering that the Necrons were actively contracting their defense lines.
Because of this, the Expeditionary Force's progress was very smooth; they had already ascended to the planet's final plateau and begun probing attacks on the Necron Tomb World.
The results were also pleasing; although the enemy's counterattack was still sharp, their terrifying Gauss Weapons could still instantly vaporize entire squads, and the Necrons' various black technology weapons truly opened the eyes of the Adeptus Mechanicus Priests—a certain Archmagos was frantically recording data on a strange device that could distort space.
But none of this could obscure the fact that their defense lines were continuously shrinking.
In the 3k era, there was a classic saying: "Battle reports can lie, but the front line does not."
This statement revealed the most fundamental truth in war—no matter how much the propaganda machine embellished the situation, the actual advance or retreat of controlled territory on the battlefield was always the most honest indicator of victory or defeat.
If you are always winning, then your front line is bound to advance steadily.
Just like the current Expeditionary Force, wherever the Titan Legion went, enemy fortresses fell one after another, and controlled areas expanded at a visible rate on the map.
Every suppression of fire, every assault operation, was concretely translated into territorial occupation. The new occupied areas marked daily by the staff officers on the map were the most powerful proof of victory.
Conversely, if the front line is constantly retreating, then you cannot have won a battle.
Just like the General Headquarters reports during World War II, no matter how the command claimed "strategic withdrawal" or "luring the enemy deep," when soldiers saw their positions fall one after another and their supply lines constantly compressed, everyone knew the situation was deteriorating.
The front line was like a demon-revealing mirror, exposing all false military achievements and exaggerated results.
At this moment, the Titan Legion's advance on the battlefield was solid with every step.
This was not a "victory" hyped up by propaganda, but a real achievement gained inch by inch with steel and blood.
As that strategist from the 3k era said, battle reports might be embellished, but the front line is always honest.
On the staff's tactical map, the blue blocks representing controlled areas were steadily expanding, like ink spreading on paper.
However, facing a situation that could almost be described as overwhelmingly advantageous, the unease in Alex's heart grew stronger.
The battlefield situation was too smooth, too smooth to be fighting an ancient race with sixty million years of technology.
He tried to use psychic divination to foresee the future development of the battle.
But when he closed his eyes, his psychic tendrils had just touched the edge of the Warp when they seemed to be interfered with.
His psychic vision showed only a blurry green halo, as if shielded by some unknown technology; nothing could be seen clearly.
Facing this situation, Alex cautiously chose a relatively conservative strategy: "No, we will proceed steadily and not advance rashly! The Necrons are an alien race with very advanced technology, and we do not know how much more alien technology they possess that we haven't seen."
Alex's words undoubtedly received support from the Adeptus Mechanicus; both Cawl and Kristen were clearly very interested in Necrons technology.
During this time, besides assisting the Expeditionary Force in their attacks, they were collecting Necrons wreckage from the battlefield by various means and studying it.
Archmagos Cawl, in particular, was studying these things with an attitude that was almost fanatically obsessive.
Since Alex decided to proceed steadily, he naturally had to give his full support.
"But won't this miss a strategic opportunity?" another young staff officer couldn't help but interject. "The enemy's resistance has clearly weakened. If we don't press the advantage now—"
"No, don't forget, we are not just facing the enemy on this one planet," Alex raised a hand to interrupt him.
He brought up the Sub-Sector holographic map, pointing to the explored Necron Tomb Worlds on the star chart and said, "An entire Necron Dynasty is still in slumber. If we underestimate them and advance rashly, and accidentally awaken all the xenos, then the Expeditionary Force will fall into a bitter struggle."
A Necron Overlord was easy to deal with, but if it were a complete Necron Dynasty, even a minor one, Alex did not believe the current Expeditionary Force had sufficient strength to defeat it.
He was too clear about the terrifying nature of these ancient xenos—once those Necron Dynasties slumbering deep within the tombs fully awakened, they would be enough to plunge the entire Star District into war.
"An entire Necron Dynasty?" Archmagos Cawl of the Adeptus Mechanicus suddenly spoke, his bionic eyes flashing with excited red light: "Do you require more reinforcements?"
The Archmagos's voice betrayed an undisguised fanaticism, as if he had already seen an excellent opportunity to study Necrons technology.
Alex looked at the Archmagos and, after careful consideration, said, "If there are any, then that would certainly be for the best."
Although introducing the Adeptus Mechanicus would bring some unpredictable consequences, such as the Adeptus Mechanicus acting on their own to acquire alien technology, Alex weighed the pros and cons and still felt it was better to save trouble.
After all, if the Necron Dynasty truly awakened, he would still have to rely on Archmagos Cawl to lead the Adeptus Mechanicus to contend with them.
Those ancient alien technological creations could probably only be deciphered by the Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
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