Damn it, if I could kill you, I would have done it already. How can I kill you if I don't know what you're thinking? Jack was filled with grievance, looking at the strange symbol formed by countless death coordinates, a bitter taste in his mouth as if he'd eaten a bitter melon. The inside of his gloves was swollen with sweat, his fingertips feeling like they were pressed against a damp, cold iron plate.
After going in circles and ending up back where he started, a dejected Jack began to complete the calculation tasks at hand. These were extraordinary times; it would be an actual injustice to be accused of dereliction of duty for delaying the work. The low hum of the air circulation system in the conference room carried the faint metallic smell and bitter dregs of coffee.
He quickly checked several operational plans, inserted the data chip into the quantum interface on the desk, and began the calculations. His fingertips slid across the holographic projection, strings of tactical parameters flowing down like a waterfall of light.
After finishing his work, he casually opened the space fleet battle report that Leo had pulled up earlier. In the Epsilon System, several space fleets were already locked in a fierce battle. It wasn't just the First Combined Fleet; the Second Combined Fleet, stationed in the airspace at the entrance of the space jump point, was also under attack. Moreover, the enemy they faced was an Imperial special task force nearly twice their size, which included six aircraft carriers! 【FLEET】1st/2nd Engaged｜Imperial Task Force: CV×6 / BB×4 / DD×22｜Friendly Shield Reserve 38%→31% (t+9m)
Initial intelligence assessments concluded that these fleets were a composite force, assembled from Imperial space fleets transferred from the Vega Cluster, while the Federation's Third and Ninth raiding fleets were returning to the Central Star Sector to resupply. Their intent was to completely annihilate the Federation's aerospace power within the Epsilon System in one fell swoop, thereby creating favorable conditions for the ground war.
Besides the number of ships, the battle-hardened Imperial fleet was a cut above the Federation's in terms of both the overall combat power of their vessels and the combat capability of their soldiers. The only thing the Federation could rely on was sheer fighting spirit.
He hadn't expected the situation in space to be the same. The entire situation was this dire!
If the space fleet were defeated, Epsilon Prime would be finished! Cyril 's heavy punch was both precise and ruthless. No doubt, he had been laying this series of traps step by step ever since the Federation executed the "Operation Thunder" campaign. The retreat and assembly of ground forces, the seizure of Bafoli Pass after the plan's failure, the pursuit of ground troops, the war of attrition in the Garrow Hill sector, the accurate estimation of the Federation raiding fleet's energy and material consumption—all these links were put together, calculating the exact moment for a counter-attack, giving the Federation only one day to react. Such an art of military command was chilling. From the very beginning, the entire situation was a chess game in Cyril 's mind, with the outcome almost already calculated!
Just as Jack was lost in thought, the door was suddenly pushed open. Leo pulled him up and said, "High Command is holding a war council. Colonel Parker told me to get you to the main conference room."
…
The two of them hurried to the main conference room of the Operations Department. Pressure-sensitive flooring silently recorded their gait characteristics as they walked. The room was already packed with people; the lead staff officers from almost every research office in the department were gathered here. The fat man couldn't help but sigh internally; from this tense atmosphere, it was clear that the command-level meeting had yielded no definite results. 【SECURITY】Access Granted｜Gait Signature 2/2 Match｜Isolation Level Q-2
The quantum soundproofing field of the conference room emitted a faint hum. The air was thick with the smell of nervous sweat and overly recycled coffee aroma. Usually, such war councils were limited to a few generals and the directors of each research office; there had never been a precedent for an expanded meeting. The research teams under the offices were only responsible for analysis, simulation, and submitting operational plans. The final centralized review was submitted to the high command, which then issued orders based on the comprehensive conclusions drawn from these plans and simulations.
The high command's meeting could not reach a conclusion. The disagreements were too significant, so they had to hold an expanded meeting to try to find the enemy's hidden intent through brainstorming.
At the entrance to the conference room, Parker waved Leo away. Poor Leo could only give the fat man a meaningful look and walk away, glancing back with every step.
Seeing the director of the Sixth Research Office bring in a lieutenant, the lieutenant colonels and colonels in the room exchanged glances. The biometric systems in their chairs automatically adjusted with a soft release of air pressure.
General Carrick, who was presiding over the meeting, nodded to Jack and, ignoring the whispering staff officers, declared the meeting open.
The first to speak was Lieutenant Colonel Curran of the Second Research Office. He used a holographic indicator in his hand to point at the 3D operational map in the center of the circular conference table and began his analysis. In the three-dimensional projection, blue and red data streams pulsed like blood vessels. 【SIM】Theater: Garrow Hill｜Est. Enemy Offensive Duration 6h±｜Logistics Pulse Detection: N/A (Report Lag 12m)
Being chosen to participate in such a critical war council, Curran was in high spirits. He opened the datapad on the table and said in a clear voice, "According to my analysis, the offensive momentum of the Draconian Imperium's army will not last past 16:00 this afternoon. They are merely putting on a show of force, intending to compel our forces to transfer troops from other defensive lines to reinforce the Garrow Hill sector. This conclusion is based on numerous simulations and current intelligence on enemy deployment. We have no reason to doubt the competence of our intelligence department. The Imperial legions must maintain sufficient offensive pressure to prevent the besieged Federation forces in the cities from breaking through their lines, and our space fleet has maintained spatial superiority over Epsilon Prime before their attack. They couldn't possibly have had the opportunity to transfer forces from elsewhere."
Before Curran had finished speaking, a commotion went through the conference room. The pressure-sensitive flooring faithfully recorded every subtle weight shift. Staff officers from other research offices requested to speak. 【SIM】Force Estimate Deviation: ±12% (Source: Casualty Report Lag / Sample Contamination)
Carrick nodded and said, "Since everyone has different ideas, let's hear them all. One by one, let's brainstorm."
Since the General had set the tone for the discussion, the staff officers no longer held back. Colonel Bishop of the First Research Office was the first to stand up. "I completely disagree with Lieutenant Colonel Curran's analysis. The situation at the front is already obvious. If we do not reinforce immediately, the enemy will certainly break through the Garrow Hill defensive line and push straight for Cadian City. The defensive forces around Cadian City have all been thrown into the Garrow Hill sector. If the enemy captures Cadian City, it means the entire strategic space of Epsilon Prime will be firmly in their grasp. Garipan and the dozen or so cities beyond Cadian City will also be surrounded by the enemy's heavy forces. If that situation occurs, the resistance on Epsilon Prime will have utterly failed."
A staff officer from the Third Research Office stood up and agreed with Colonel Bishop, pointing out, "The current frontline situation is enough to prove that the Draconian Imperium's army has received reinforcements. The sudden appearance of these reinforcements is due to the negligence of the Federation's intelligence department. Their dereliction of duty is beyond question!"
Curran retorted, "The situation at the front is just a smokescreen created by the enemy throwing all their forces into the Garrow Hill sector. As a military commander with countless experiences in war, Cyril would never make such a mistake of 'killing a thousand of his own to kill eight hundred of the enemy.' This is clearly a trap. Of the current defensive lines, only Garrow Hill can support such a large-scale offensive. If troops are transferred from other defensive lines, just three armored divisions, or even just the Tartarus Legion, would be enough to break through and achieve the same strategic objective!"
A lieutenant colonel from the Fifth Research Office nodded in agreement. "Lieutenant Colonel Curran has a point. The enemy can't break through Garrow Hill at such a high cost, and their forces are insufficient to sustain such an offensive until the end of the Garrow Hill campaign. The best method is to draw away the Federation's forces from other defensive lines. After all, the terrain limits the deployment of troops, and these lines are impossible to break under the current circumstances. If they use Garrow Hill as a meat grinder to wear down our forces bit by bit, then the Draconian Imperium will have the opportunity to seize one of the other defensive lines and push straight for Cadian City. Most importantly, the strategic advantage of Garrow Hill will be nullified if its forces are depleted, and it will be unable to react to enemy forces breaking through behind it!"
Curran nodded. "If we must say that the enemy's forces have increased, regardless of whether the intelligence department was derelict in its duty, there must be a source for these additional forces. The reports from the besieged cities show no signs of enemy force reduction, and the blockade by our space fleet makes it impossible for the enemy to reinforce Epsilon Prime from other planets. Therefore, I am very certain that the enemy's offensive will not last past 16:00!" 【FLEET】Orbital Blockade Intensity 0.83｜Jump Interference Threshold OK｜'Reinforcement' Channel: No Viable Window Detected
Bishop pointed to the Federation casualty data marked on the simulation map and asked, "Then how do you explain our casualties? According to the simulations, if the enemy had no reinforcements, they couldn't possibly have sustained such an offensive until 10:00 this morning!"
A staff officer from the Seventh Research Office also stood up. "Yes, this is a fact right in front of us. If we continue to ignore it, who will be responsible when the enemy truly breaks through Garrow Hill?"
The staff officer from the Third Research Office who supported Bishop also seized on this point. "Exactly! If you can resolve this doubt, we will admit that the enemy is just bluffing!"
Clearly, this was a point Curran had not considered thoroughly. He and the staff officer from the Fifth Research Office exchanged a look, both somewhat hesitant. The air in the conference room seemed to grow heavier, and the hum of the circulation system was particularly piercing in the silence.
At this moment, Colonel Hayes from the First Research Office stood up. "In this smokescreen, the most critical issue is that the Tartarus Legion participated in the frontal assault on Garrow Hill. The combat effectiveness of this unit is well known, and its appearance has caused immense casualties to our frontline soldiers. I think this might be the reason for the increased enemy force data in the simulations. In reality, it's not an increase in numbers, but an enhancement in strength!"
This explanation seemed logical and immediately gained the approval of Curran and the Fifth Office staff officer.
But Bishop was not convinced. He shook his head. "I've read the battle report on the Tartarus Legion. In the frontal offensive on Garrow Hill, they deployed less than a regiment in total. The largest attack was a battalion-sized assault to capture D1 Highland. The Tartarus Legion units that appeared on the other highlands were no larger than a company! With such a small force, not even heavenly soldiers could have raised our casualty figures to this level."
For a time, both sides held to their own arguments and debated endlessly. It seemed both Curran's and Bishop's factions had sufficient reasons to prove their points. The voices in the conference room grew louder, and the quantum soundproofing field trembled slightly. 【VAR】+2.1e-6
Carrick and the other generals exchanged bitter smiles. This expanded war council was a perfect reenactment of the earlier one at high command. These two opinions had been debated countless times by the generals, and just like now, no one gave up their point of view, and no one could persuade the other. Such a debate could never have a result.
Amid the arguments of the staff officers, what Jack was thinking of was still that strange Orion Glyph! He pictured the historical data Leo had found: quantum marker light powder, gravitational lensing effects, decay period simulations. [WITNESS_LOG: UPDATED]
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Cyril, that renowned military strategist of human society, had set this series of traps from the very beginning. The most critical piece was held in his hand, like a magician performing a ring toss trick…
Ring toss… magic…【LAYER】Visualization: Ring A/B = Garrow Hill/Flank Defenses｜'Gap' = Low Ridge Jungle Anomaly Assembly (Thermal 3.4σ)
Jack felt as if he had vaguely thought of something, like a flash of lightning that streaked across a dark curtain and then vanished… 【HUD】Δ Joy +0.9｜Fear +1.7
…
Seeing that the debate remained focused on these two aspects, Carrick waved his hand in disappointment and asked the staff officers from the various research offices to leave. Now, he and the other generals had to make a decision, even if it was the wrong one!
Jack also stood up and was about to leave with the crowd when he suddenly heard General Carrick call out, "Lieutenant Jack, stay behind for a moment."
Hearing his name called, Jack's first reaction was to look towards the General.
The staff officers left, and the vast conference room suddenly felt empty. Only a few generals and the directors of the research offices remained, still frowning in thought. The pressure-sensitive flooring had recorded the hasty departing footsteps; now, only heavy breathing remained.
Carrick smiled faintly. "Lieutenant Jack, I asked you to stay behind because I want to hear your views on the frontline situation. Although the Sixth Research Office is responsible for calculation tasks, I think you might be able to provide us with a new line of thought."
The fat man's mind was in a mess. He just stood there mechanically, stammering, not knowing how to organize his words. The hologram flickered before him, its blue light reflecting on his tired and confused face.
Seeing Jack remain silent for a long time, Parker encouraged him, "Lieutenant Jack, the high command values your opinion highly. General Carrick specifically requested that I have you attend this meeting. If you have any ideas, feel free to share them for everyone's consideration."
Ideas? Do you want me to tell you that Cyril is seeking death for some unknown reason, and even wrote a symbol to say to us, but we just don't know how to actually make him die? Do you want me to tell you that this guy is performing a magic trick, something like a ring toss, but I don't know how the trick is done?
No matter how disappointed the generals were, Jack remained silent. Suddenly, he made up his mind, and his thoughts became clear. Although the idea was too bizarre and would likely be met with ridicule, since he was going for broke, he no longer cared.
I'm just a fool anyway, aren't I?
Jack walked to the 3D map, his hand moving through the air. The hologram responded to his gestures, marking the entire offensive posture of the Draconian Imperium's army with lines of light. Data streams converged at his fingertips, forming a complex four-dimensional coordinate grid. He said to Carrick, "General, I've discovered that Cyril has given us a signal through the offensive posture of the Draconian Imperium's army at Garrow Hill. An Orion Glyph. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but I hope it can help with the analysis of the battle situation." 【NOTE】4D Coordinates: X/Y/Z/T Overlay｜Brightness=Firepower Intensity｜Rhythm=Decay Period
The generals gathered around the simulation map and looked at it, exchanging glances. They had been out of touch with the Orion Glyph for too long; it wasn't a complex symbol that everyone could understand at a glance.
The fat man closed his eyes, feeling embarrassed. How could I, on an impulse, say such an utterly impossible speculation? Am I, as before, still trying to get her attention sensationally?
The conference room suddenly became very quiet. The hum of the quantum soundproofing field was particularly prominent in the silence. As the generals stared at the symbol in confusion, a clear voice from behind them explained its meaning. Nya had walked in.
Her military boots made no sound on the pressure-sensitive floor. The identity verification system instantly confirmed her genetic signature. She explained, "It's a double-linked symbol, symmetrical on the left and right. The graphical information means: Kill me, or you die." [WITNESS_LOG: UPDATED]
Hearing Nya's voice, the fat man couldn't control his gaze. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She stood there, valiant and formidable, the nanofibers of her uniform shimmering faintly in the light.
Seeing Jack's gaze turn towards her, an inexplicable emotion surged in Nya's heart, and her eyes reddened slightly. She had been thinking about Jack constantly. Now, she finally saw him.
Although the generals were all silent in thought, a scornful voice inevitably rang out. It was Colonel Croft, the director of the Fourth Research Office. He said impatiently, "Sending an Orion Glyph to the enemy on the battlefield? Lieutenant Jack's imagination is a bit too rich. This posture is nothing more than a coincidence."
Most of the research office directors present agreed with this statement, thinking that the symbol could be ignored entirely.
Jack shook his head. "I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but if this symbol is real, then all our problems can be solved."
"Oh?" Carrick's interest was piqued. He gestured for Jack to sit down and asked, "Lieutenant Jack, don't hold back. Tell us your thoughts."
The fat man had always been one to go for broke. Since he had already committed, and now with Carrick's encouragement, he said straightforwardly, "I can talk, but I don't know Cyril 's intentions. I'm just assuming the authenticity of this symbol first and then making my deductions."
Carrick exchanged a look with the other generals and waved his hand. "Don't worry about Cyril 's intentions. Just give us your analysis of the battle situation!"
Jack nodded. He turned the holographic indicator in his hand, thinking, and tried to keep his tone as relaxed as possible. "The current situation is obvious. Judging from the casualty data in the simulations, it can't have been caused by a single regiment of the enemy's Tartarus Legion. The Tartarus Legion is formidable, but they are still soldiers. I've fought them. In a frontal assault on a battlefield, the more skilled the mech pilot, the more their combat power is wasted. Their advantages can't be brought to bear in a frontal attack, which is why they have deployed less than a regiment so far."
Seeing the generals, especially Nya, listening intently, the fat man's easily satisfied vanity gave him more confidence, and his thoughts became clearer. He pulled up a more detailed data stream in the hologram and continued, "And our space forces previously held absolute superiority in the airspace of Epsilon Prime. Under such circumstances, the Draconian Imperium couldn't possibly have had the opportunity to transfer forces from other places to reinforce Epsilon Prime. So, Cyril has only one option: to use the forces already present on Epsilon Prime for the attack."
"He performed a magic trick…" The fat man stood up and pointed at the 3D operational map. At this point, everyone in the conference room was captivated by his analysis. After all, this lieutenant wasn't talking nonsense; his analysis was precise and methodical, and logically sound.
"I only just saw through this magic trick. It's a method similar to a ring toss trick. The only secret to this trick is that the steel ring with the gap is always held in the magician's hand. The other steel ring and the linked ring are just props. In this battle situation, this gap is the suddenly appearing force!"
Jack used the holographic indicator to mark a key area on the simulation map. The light formed a complex tactical diagram in the air. "Without this gap, this magic trick couldn't be performed. Similarly, once the magician accidentally exposes this gapped steel ring, the trick is revealed! The formation of this gap in Cyril 's hand is here!" 【LAYER】Anomalous Thermal Spike: Low Ridge Jungle｜Multi-Source Thermal Overlay=3.4σ｜Comms Silence: >72h
Everyone looked at the position pointed to by the fat man's indicator. It was an Imperial counter-attack line, and also the several-hundred-kilometer-long retreat line for the Federation's forward units after Bafoli Pass was captured.
Jack said with a very certain tone, "First, the Imperial forces retreating from the various defended cities did not fully return. Instead, they gradually merged with the main Imperial force on the Cadian City confrontation line. The strategic deception Cyril created was to maintain offensive pressure on the re-encircled cities. From an intelligence perspective, in the days before the Garrow Hill campaign began, the attacks on the various cities were almost all unfocused. This type of attack kept the city defenders busy and made it impossible for them to assess the increase or decrease in enemy forces. But we can analyze from the data that the enemy was using the offensive to create the illusion that their forces had not decreased!" 【SIM】Inter-city Harassment='Unfocused' Spectrum｜Casualty Log: Anomalously Diluted
A commotion went through the conference room. Everyone began to discuss the reliability of this deduction. Some impatient generals even immediately began to look up the battle intelligence and casualty data for the surrounding cities. The holographic display flickered with dense streams of data.
Ignoring everyone's discussion, Jack continued, "Now, we have been deceived by Cyril 's performance. Our attention is all fixed on Garrow Hill, all calculating whether we should transfer troops or not. In reality, we have already fallen into a passive position. The enemy's forces are sufficient; whether we transfer troops or not, the result is the same!"
Amid an uproar, the fat man's voice was evident: "If we don't transfer troops, the Imperial army will launch a strong attack on Garrow Hill until the strategic objective of capturing Cadian City is achieved! If we do transfer troops, they will use the Garrow Hill sector to slowly draw in, grind down, and consume the forces from the Federation's other defensive lines, and then choose the most suitable defensive line to break through, achieving the same strategic objective!"
"The reason for all this lies with us. Because we have been watching the performance of this magician, Cyril, all along, trying to guess how he could possibly link together steel rings that could never be linked. The sudden increase in force is caused by a steel ring without a gap. Garrow Hill and the other surrounding defensive lines are the other two linked steel rings with no flaws. Our attention has been drawn to the offensive he launched at Garrow Hill, and we have completely ignored his hand. In fact, if you just pry open his hand, you will find the gap through which he secretly assembled his forces via the counter-attack route. This is actually a straightforward game!"
"The strategic data was made seamless by him. Even the deployment of the Tartarus Legion was a trick to confuse us. If it weren't for that symbol, I could never have reached this conclusion. He clearly told us, 'Kill me, or you die.' I don't know why Cyril would do this, so this reverse-engineered conclusion might just be another part of his series of traps!" [WITNESS_LOG: UPDATED]
After speaking, the fat man sat down dejectedly. These deductions were the only reason that could explain the current battle situation, but he still felt a great sense of frustration. He didn't know how to break this stalemate. Facing a renowned general who could even influence your thoughts and emotions, a sense of powerlessness welled up within him. The sound of the air circulation system was evident in the silence.
"So?" Nya looked at Jack and asked in a low voice, "How do we pry open this magician's hand and make his trick fail?"
He glanced at Nya and said, "It's actually straightforward. Look here…" Putting on a posture of having foreseen everything and being in complete control, the fat man used the holographic indicator to mark an area on the upper right of the Garrow Hill defensive line. "Since his symbol tells us to kill him, it means we have a way to turn defeat into victory. To maintain pressure on Garrow Hill and the other defensive lines simultaneously, and to be able to quickly attack suitable targets after the situation of the Federation transferring troops or not appears, the Imperial army's assembly point must be here! The Low Ridge Jungle! Like a magician performing a ring toss trick, the gap in the steel ring in his hand must always be placed between his index finger and thumb to make it convenient to loop the other rings in at any time." 【TERRAIN】Low Ridge Jungle: Dense Gullies / Magnetic Disturbances↑｜Tracked Mobility 24–32km/h (Night)｜Isochrone: 5h42m–6h10m
The fat man glanced at Nya again and marked several glowing tactical points on the map. "Only here can they hide their forces when the reconnaissance instruments of both sides have been destroyed by the super-intensity electronic warfare. Moreover, this location is at the apex of the Garrow Hill sector and the Third Highway and Miyali Gorge defensive lines on the right. An attack launched from here can reach any of these defensive lines within six hours. This is the right hook that Cyril has hidden behind his back."
Jack looked at Nya's beautiful face as she listened intently to him. He continued, "Since they are assembling in the Low Ridge Jungle, we can take the initiative to attack and pry open this tightly clenched hand. The Third Highway and Miyali defensive line forces can form a pincer attack on this area. The cities behind the enemy can completely ignore their unfocused attacks and launch a direct counter-attack, compressing their strategic space and pinning down the reserve forces assembled in the Low Ridge Jungle, making this fist evaporate like water under our full-scale offensive. The situation at Garrow Hill will then be resolved. If my calculations are correct, our forces at Garrow Hill can even launch a full-scale offensive!" 【OP_PROPOSAL_DRAFT】Right-flank pincer｜Disrupt supply line｜Prioritize dispersal of assembly formation (non-annihilation)｜'Anti-involution' post-breakthrough: turn back to pressure D1–D3
Shock! Everyone in the conference room stared at the fat man, speechless. The hologram flickered before them with the complex tactical simulation. Whether his deduction was correct or not, the idea itself was bold enough, bizarre enough, and completely solved the previously unsolvable problem. Cyril was also human; he couldn't conjure reinforcements out of thin air. So, if they could understand Cyril 's intention in giving the signal, then everything would be seamless!
But why would Cyril do this? This was a dead end!
The few generals who had remained silent all this time smiled. They looked at each other and stood up in unison, applauding vigorously. The pressure-sensitive flooring faithfully recorded their excited footsteps. Carrick praised, "Lieutenant Jack! This time, we are truly convinced. To be able to solve a problem from a few clues that we couldn't solve even with the key in our hands… transferring you to the Operations Department as a staff officer was the wisest decision of my life!"
"With the key in our hands?" The others looked at each other, not understanding what General Carrick meant. Could it be that they knew Cyril 's intentions?
Seeing everyone's puzzled looks, Carrick smiled. "That's right. The moment the lieutenant told us about this Orion Glyph, we knew that this symbol was definitely deliberately shown to us by Cyril!"
Carrick pointed at Nya. "This is Major Nya, of the 13th Independent Night Operations Wing. Just now, she brought us a critical piece of intelligence. And it is precisely because of this intelligence that we are certain that Lieutenant Jack's deduction is completely correct. Only such a deduction is logical and can explain the current battle situation."
"The reason Cyril personally came to the front line was for this very plan. However, this plan was not mutually agreed upon. We have been unable to grasp Cyril 's intentions, which is why we have the situation we have today. Major Nya, please share the intelligence with everyone!" Carrick said, turning to Nya.
Nya stood up and replied, "Yes, General." Her valiant and formidable posture was a sight to behold. The nanofiber sensors on her uniform flickered slightly, recording the changes in the biological characteristics of everyone in the room. 【HUD】Physiological Sampling: Heart Rate Distribution 78–112 bpm｜Skin Conductance Low→Med｜Micro-expressions: Focus↑
Everyone in the conference room held their breath, waiting. Even the hum of the air circulation system seemed to grow quieter. — (HUD: CAST LOT // LONG THROW // SEED A9C // RESULT: PROCEED)
