"After entering the star system, the Well Sub-Fleet will split into three groups."
Yang Shao's finger swiped through the air, and the star chart responded accordingly.
"The Ranger and Poison Spider Sub-Level Fleets will head to the fourth planet, Planet Shiva. The orbital shipyard there is one of the three major shipbuilding bases in the Ten Stone Starfield."
A red arrow split into three. The first pointed toward the fourth planet.
"The Brown Bear and Fire Fox Sub-Level Fleets will head to the fifth planet, Planet Oak. It's the Federation's largest Helium-3 refining center, supplying forty percent of the fusion fuel for the entire starfield."
The second arrow pointed toward the fifth planet.
"Finally."
Yang Shao paused as the third arrow pointed to the sixth orbit of the star system.
"The Dragon Lizard Sub-Level Fleet will head to Planet Agbat."
The holographic image zoomed in, displaying a grayish-blue rocky planet surrounded by three distinct man-made structures: an Orbital Defense Platform, a Mining Space Station, and farther out, a silver, spindle-shaped Space City.
"Planet Agbat."
Yang Shao brought up a data panel.
"It is rich in Kasim Crystals, a key mineral for the core catalyst of Warp Engines."
The conference room was silent, save for the faint hum of the holographic projector.
"Our mission," Yang Shao's voice turned cold and hard, "is for the entire Iron Fist Sub-Fleet to deploy and intercept these three enemy forces separately. The specific deployment is as follows.
"The Neptune and Uranus Fleets will proceed to Planet Shiva to annihilate the Ranger and Poison Spider fleets.
"The Polaris and Vega Fleets will proceed to Planet Oak to annihilate the Brown Bear and Fire Fox fleets.
"The fifth Sub-Level Fleet..."
He paused, his gaze shifting to Qin Bei Wang.
"The Pluto Fleet will proceed to Planet Agbat to annihilate the Dragon Lizard fleet."
Before his words had even faded, a loud bang echoed from the left side of the conference room.
Smack!
Lieutenant Commander Zhao Rui, Commander of the Uranus Fleet, slammed his palm on the table. He shot to his feet, staring straight at Qin Bei Wang.
He was about forty, with a full, bushy beard. A prominent laser burn scar ran across his left cheek—a memento from the "Blood Moon Campaign" five years ago.
"Commander Yang, I object to this arrangement!" Zhao Rui's voice boomed like thunder.
"The Dragon Lizard fleet? That third-rate unit from the Furey Empire? Their flagship is still a 'Fire Lizard' battleship from twenty years ago. Its firepower is only sixty percent of our T4-Class battleships! It can only be considered a Tier 3.5 Starship. And Planet Agbat has the Aegis Platform. It's equipped with six Orbital-grade Railguns, thirty-two missile silos, and full-coverage Energy Shields. It's more than capable of repelling an attack from a T4-Class fleet!"
Yang Shao's expression remained impassive. "Lieutenant Commander Zhao, watch your attitude."
"My attitude is perfectly clear!" Zhao Rui didn't back down, pointing a finger directly at Qin Bei Wang. "The Pluto Fleet is the most powerful Sub-Level Fleet in our Iron Fist Sub-Fleet! The Kunlun Mountain is a Tier 5 Battleship, armed with two 'Sky-Opening' class Heavy Particle Beam Main Cannons! Its two Gale Class ships are the latest models! Sending such an elite force to fight the Dragon Lizard fleet is like using an orbital cannon to shoot a mosquito—a complete waste!"
He glanced around. Although the other commanders remained silent, their eyes betrayed the same doubt.
"Not to mention Planet Agbat's defenses," Zhao Rui continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's questionable whether those few rust buckets of the Dragon Lizard fleet can even break through the Aegis Platform's outer shields! This mission is basically just going to watch a show! Commander, if you're giving Lieutenant Commander Qin special treatment because he's the son of the First Fleet's Commander, you might as well just let him stay in the rear safe zone. Why waste an elite fleet on a mission even a rookie could complete?"
The air in the conference room practically froze.
Qin Bei Wang felt Zhuang ZhiXuan's body tense up beside him. He himself was rapidly processing this information.
Just then, the system's window appeared again.
[Query data on the Dragon Lizard fleet?]
Qin Bei Wang immediately confirmed with his thoughts.
The Dragon Lizard fleet was composed of one old Raider-Class Battlecruiser, three Raider-Class Cruisers, and five Dagger-Class Destroyers.
Indeed, whether in terms of firepower, protection, or technological level, it was completely outmatched by the Pluto Fleet.
Meanwhile, Planet Agbat's defenses were highlighted in a deep blue on the star chart data. That was the marker for "Extremely High Threat/Heavy Defenses." The Aegis Platform's defense rating was assessed as capable of withstanding a standard T4-Class fleet.
Zhao Rui was right. On the surface, this mission was absurdly simple.
"Are you finished?" Yang Shao's voice was terrifyingly calm.
Zhao Rui opened his mouth, then finally sat down heavily, his chest still heaving with anger.
"This mission assignment was decided after tactical simulations by Command Headquarters," Yang Shao said, scanning the room.
"First, Planet Agbat has a civilian population of 884,000. Any breach in its defenses could lead to catastrophic consequences. We must ensure it is absolutely foolproof.
"Second, although the Dragon Lizard fleet is poorly equipped, its commander, Gore Victor, is a renowned defensive warfare expert in the Furey Empire. He excels at using a weaker force to bog down a stronger one and exploiting defensive vulnerabilities.
"Third..." He looked at Qin Bei Wang, his expression complex. "The Pluto Fleet is the only unit in the Iron Fist Sub-Fleet fully equipped with the latest model of Warp Jammer. This will prevent the Dragon Lizard fleet from warping away if the battle turns against them. Annihilating the enemy force is one of the core objectives of this operation; we cannot let them escape to report our defensive layout."
The reasons were sound, but Qin Bei Wang could tell from the subtle shifts in Yang Shao's expression that this wasn't the whole truth.
The other commanders in the room clearly thought so too. Their gazes shifted between Yang Shao and Qin Bei Wang, filled with speculation.
"Lieutenant Commander Qin," Yang Shao called on him directly. "Can your fleet be ready to deploy in ten minutes?"
"Yes, Commander." Qin Bei Wang stood up, his voice steady. "The Pluto Fleet will complete all pre-battle preparations within ten minutes and ensure the complete annihilation of the Dragon Lizard fleet, leaving no enemy ship behind."
A flicker of surprise crossed Yang Shao's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by his usual calm. "Very good. All fleets, begin pre-battle checks at 09:20. Depart punctually at 09:30. Dismissed."
"Commander!" Zhuang ZhiXuan said in a low voice. "The Dragon Lizard fleet is indeed poorly equipped, but Gore Victor's tactical style is very... tricky. He's skilled at setting traps and fighting wars of attrition. He once used an outdated fleet to hold off two of our fleets for a full seventy-two hours until his reinforcements arrived."
"I know," Qin Bei Wang said, simultaneously pulling up Gore Victor's tactical file on his system panel. The system quickly analyzed the commander's seven most common tactical patterns and deduced the three most likely scenarios he would employ in this operation.
Zhuang ZhiXuan looked at his calm profile, a hint of confusion in her eyes. The Qin Bei Wang of today was like a completely different person from the drunk, indifferent commander she was used to.
On the way back to the bridge of the Kunlun Mountain, Qin Bei Wang continued to test the Commander System.