Chapter 250: What, 15 Sequence Fleets?
Whoosh!
The heavy alloy door of the conference room slid open abruptly.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the sound, only to see Communications Chief Lieutenant Colonel Jiao Jinghui standing rigidly at the entrance.
In his right hand, he clutched a crumpled paper report tightly.
His expression was fraught with anxiety, his forehead beaded with fine droplets of cold sweat that trickled down his temples.
His chest heaved violently, his breathing rapid and unsteady.
Clearly, he had sprinted all the way here without even a moment to catch his breath.
Jiao Jinghui's gaze swept swiftly across the people in the conference room. Without the slightest delay, he immediately locked eyes with Wen Tingtao, who was seated at the head of the table.
He strode forward, quickly crossing the conference table and walking straight to Wen Tingtao's side.
Then, with both hands, he respectfully presented the weighty report.
"Commander, urgent intelligence!
Just transmitted from Agent Rose—it's extremely critical!"
Wen Tingtao's expression turned stern as he immediately took the report.
He lowered his head and began scanning it rapidly.
The next second.
His originally composed demeanor instantly shattered, his eyes widening abruptly.
His face was etched with utter disbelief.
That expression was as if he had witnessed a terrifying sight capable of overturning the entire war situation.
The attendees exchanged glances, their curiosity and unease instantly heightened to the limit.
For the Theater Commander-in-Chief of the Myriad Stones Star Domain Theater, a seasoned General who had weathered countless battles, to display such a loss of composure—
Just how earth-shattering must the contents of this report be?
The conference room fell into a deathly silence.
After what felt like an eternity.
Wen Tingtao slowly raised his head, his voice tinged with a trace of barely concealed shock and gravity.
"The Empire is preparing to secretly deploy portable stargates in the Bushman Star System."
And the next sentence struck like a heavy bomb, crashing down upon everyone's hearts.
"And not just one!"
Portable stargates.
These five words exploded like thunder in the conference room, instantly shattering everyone's composure.
Every commander present paled drastically, their eyes filled with incredulous horror.
They would never forget.
In the last campaign, the Empire had relied on a single portable stargate to stealthily deploy two Sequence Fleets deep into the hinterland of the Myriad Stones Star Domain.
Catching them completely off guard.
The Myriad Stones Star Domain had nearly lost a full eight star systems at that time, paying a painful price.
And now, the Empire actually intended to deploy not just one portable stargate?
As soon as this thought arose, a chill ran through everyone's hearts.
It was hard not to conclude.
That the Empire was preparing to exert its full force, gathering a massive fleet in the Bushman Star System to launch an overwhelming, large-scale war against the Myriad Stones Star Domain!
General Lu Chengfeng, commander of the Sirius Fleet, was the first to snap out of the shock.
He leaned forward abruptly, his gaze fixed intently on Wen Tingtao as he asked in a low voice.
"Commander, is this information accurate?
Could it be false intelligence deliberately leaked by the Empire to deceive us?"
He paused slightly, voicing the doubt in his heart.
"In the last Battle of the Bushman System, they only used one portable stargate.
This time, they're bringing out more than one all at once!"
Before his words could fade.
Lu Chengfeng's gaze suddenly sharpened, his tone carrying a hint of disbelief as he speculated.
"Could it be... that the Empire has fully mastered the mass production technology of portable stargates?"
Lu Chengfeng's words struck like a bolt of clarity.
Instantly snapping everyone present out of their extreme shock.
They all composed themselves and began to reexamine the authenticity of this sudden intelligence.
Upon careful consideration, there were indeed many questionable points hidden within.
If the Empire truly had mastered the mass production technology of portable stargates,
why did they only use one during the last Battle of the Bushman System?
Had they deployed two, three, or even more at that time,
they could have deployed rear fleets faster and more densely.
The Ten Stone Starfield would likely have been completely breached long ago.
It wouldn't have ended with only two Sequence Fleets being deployed into the hinterland, only to be annihilated in the end.
Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that last time, the Opal Sector War Zone had limited forces available for mobilization,
and the opposing commander was a cautious individual unwilling to take risks.
The conference room fell into silence once more, everyone frowning deeply, lost in their own thoughts.
The dead silence in the conference room hadn't lasted long before it was violently shattered by a series of rapid, drum-like footsteps.
Everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward the door, their eyes locking onto the sensor door in unison.
The next second, the sensor door slowly slid open.
Wen Shiheng behind it nearly sprinted in.
He leaned heavily against the cold wall with one hand, gasping for breath in large, ragged gulps.
Without waiting to catch his breath,
he abruptly raised his head, his eyes sweeping across the room.
He spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Latest intelligence from Tulip!"
"Tulip!"
As soon as those three words were uttered, the expressions of everyone present stiffened in unison.
All eyes were fixed intently on Wen Shiheng.
Wen Shiheng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his rapid panting.
He then continued.
"Two months ago, the Empire's Supreme Command held a secret meeting, with the core agenda being the dispatch of troops to support the Opal Sector War Zone."
"In order to win over allies, the Reinhardt Family actually went so far as to cede all core interests in the Opal Star Sector and the Ten Stone Starfield, in exchange for military assistance from other top families."
"And the total reinforcements they dispatched..."
He deliberately paused, his voice instantly dropping, carrying an unmistakable gravity.
"Amount to fifteen Sequence Fleets!"
"Boom!"
This statement exploded like thunder, instantly freezing the air in the conference room, creating a suffocating pressure.
Fifteen Sequence Fleets—what a terrifying force that was.
Enough to stir up a storm sweeping across the entire star domain.
Without stopping, Wen Shiheng continued at a rapid pace, each sentence further shattering everyone's understanding.
"Currently, five Sequence Fleets have already successfully arrived at the Bushman Star System, completing preliminary deployment."
"The remaining ten Sequence Fleets will be transported in batches via the portable stargates deployed by the Empire.
They will eventually make their way to the Bushman Star System to rendezvous with the vanguard forces."
As his words fell, the conference room plunged into deathly silence.
Ten Sequence Fleets.
Transported in batches via portable stargates.
If before, people still doubted the authenticity of the intelligence about the Empire deploying multiple portable stargates,
still harbored the fluke hope that this was the Empire's bluff,
then at this moment, all doubts were completely shattered.
Several consecutive pieces of intelligence corroborated each other, interlocking seamlessly without a single flaw.
Even the most suspicious and cautious individuals.
Now had to face a brutal truth.
The Empire was determined this time, at any cost, to launch a massive assault on the Ten Stone Starfield.
Their deployment of multiple Portable Stargates in the Bushman Star System was no empty threat.
In the silence, General Zhou Yushen, Commander of the Thunder Fleet, suddenly raised his head, a flash of realization in his eyes.
"So that's it!
No wonder they were building War Fortresses on a large scale at the border of the Bushman Star System!"