In the days that followed, Qin Bei Wang became a frequent visitor to Haiyang Planet.
Whenever he had a spare moment, he would rush there.
Apart from immersing himself in the Advanced Technology Research Bureau, familiarizing himself with the performance of various new equipment one by one, and finalizing the details of the refit,
he would also make time to specifically visit the temporary garrison of the Pluto Fleet.
To check on the officers and soldiers under his command.
At the same time, the personnel replenishment and warship resupply work for the Pluto Fleet were steadily progressing.
Thanks to the illustrious Military Merit earned in the previous Battle of the Bushman System, the Pluto Fleet had already become a star fleet within the Federation military, its prestige soaring to unprecedented heights.
Many top graduates from elite Military Academies unhesitatingly listed the Pluto Fleet as their first choice upon enlisting.
Precisely because of this, the newly supplemented soldiers and junior officers for the Pluto Fleet this time
were almost exclusively outstanding talents who had distinguished themselves from various Military Academies.
Whether in terms of physical fitness, military proficiency, or adaptability, they were the highest quality batch among their peers.
Two months later, inside the roundtable conference room of the Federal Supreme Command, the atmosphere was so tense it was almost suffocating.
The Seven Grand Marshals sat in a circle, all with furrowed brows.
Their gazes were fixed intently on the massive screen ahead, their expressions filled with gloom.
Projected on the screen was top-secret intelligence secretly transmitted from behind enemy lines in the Empire by a senior agent codenamed Tulip.
The main body of the intelligence consisted of several photos with blurry quality yet immense impact.
In the images, dense clusters of blue dots were moving in an orderly fashion toward an Interstellar Jump Point, as regimented as a migrating swarm of bees.
According to Tulip's appended note, these dots were all large Engineering Ships and transport ships of the Empire, their numbers astonishingly vast.
Due to the Empire's stringent layers of secrecy measures, she had been unable to ascertain the final destination of these vessels, let alone the specific items loaded within the transport ship holds.
But the Seven Grand Marshals present were all seasoned veterans who had navigated the Federation military for decades, even a century—how could they fail to see the implications?
For the Empire to mobilize so many large Engineering Ships and transport ships at this critical juncture of the stalemated war
was by no means aimless; they were undoubtedly planning some earth-shattering major operation.
Just as the conference room fell into a brief silence, with everyone lost in their own thoughts,
Xue Jintong, Director of the Strategic Intelligence Bureau, slowly raised her hand, crossed her arms on the table, and gently rested her chin on her thumbs.
With a grave expression, carrying a sense of conviction born of careful deliberation, she slowly spoke.
"Although we have not yet determined the destination of these transport ships or the items loaded in their holds,
I have a strong premonition.
All of this is absolutely inseparable from the Opal Star Sector!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Marshal Ruan Zhixu beside her slowly nodded in agreement, his tone resolute.
"Well said.
Now, after this campaign, the Opal Star Sector is severely depleted of troops, its defenses hollowed out.
As long as those fellows in the Empire aren't fools, they must be able to guess that our Federation will certainly press the advantage, aiming to capture the entire Opal Star Sector in one go!
They are making preparations in advance, ready for a desperate last stand!"
Immediately after, Ruan Zhixu shook his head, speaking with some regret.
"If it weren't for the initial concern that our forces were still insufficient, that old fox Strauss would have lured the enemy in deep, deliberately stretching our supply lines. Otherwise, I'd have loved to keep pressing the attack and take the entire Opal Star Sector!"
However, Chief of Staff Su Qingyang retorted sarcastically, "Fight, fight, fight—that's all you ever think about! There are still four Sequence Fleets stationed in the Savis Star System within the Opal Star Sector! If you dare to attack the Bushman Star System, do you think Strauss would hesitate to abandon Savis just to stab you in the back? He could easily turn around and counter-encircle us!"
Hearing this, Ruan Zhixu scratched the back of his head and said with a smile, "But aren't there still four Sequence Fleets keeping an eye on them? If it weren't for the worry that the Ruidu Sector might send reinforcements, we could turn around and wipe out those four fleets! Anyway, we have plenty of options right now. Whether we turn back to swallow up the Savis Star System or continue pushing into the Bushman Star System, it'll give those Empire guys a massive headache!"
At that moment, Qin Qianfan turned to Interstellar Logistics Chief Ji Wangshu. "Marshal Ji, roughly how many fleets have been fully prepared so far? Before the planned general offensive next month, can we muster three Sequence Fleets? With three new fleets added to the existing six, we'd have a total of nine Sequence Fleets. With nine fleets, it might even be possible to conquer the entire Opal Star Sector in one battle!"
Facing Qin Qianfan's fervent gaze, Ji Wangshu smiled slightly. "Originally, this would have been an almost impossible task. After all, the losses on the front lines have been heavy—for example, the Vault Fleet's organization has been nearly wiped out. Fortunately, we have our old Ruan here!" As he spoke, Ji Wangshu looked at Ruan Zhixu, his eyes filled with admiration as he joked, "Hahaha, it really takes someone like you, old Ruan, to inspire people!"
"Ever since you gave that impassioned speech at Triumph Square last time, enthusiasm for enlisting has skyrocketed across the Federation. The number of soldiers re-enlisting has exploded! If it weren't for the lag in warship and equipment production, forget just replenishing our forces—I could easily raise six new Sequence Fleets!"
Praised publicly by Ji Wangshu, Ruan Zhixu's face flushed slightly. He waved his hand and explained modestly, "How is this my credit? It's all because Qin's son, Qin Bei Wang, has been so incredibly fierce! Thanks to his glorious achievements, he's greatly inspired the young people. Otherwise, how could we have achieved such great results?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Qin Qianfan. He smiled helplessly and waved his hand. "Alright, alright, I've heard enough flattery like this over the past two months to make my ears callous."
Ever since the battle in the Bushman Star System, whenever he met someone, they would inevitably steer the conversation toward his son. The praise came in all forms and variations, leaving him both pleased and somewhat worried. Honestly, Qin Qianfan felt a faint sense of crisis growing within him. If things continued like this, who knew—one day, when people mentioned him, their first thought might be, "Oh, Qin Bei Wang's father."
He had promised his wife to protect Qin Bei Wang properly. But given the current situation... it might not be long before he ended up relying on his son for protection instead. Qin Qianfan shook his head, pushing those distracting thoughts out of his mind.
When the time truly comes, just do your best to assist him.
He withdrew his thoughts, his gaze settling on Ji Wangshu.
Understanding his meaning, Ji Wangshu immediately spoke.
"Before the general offensive, we can guarantee the delivery of three Sequence Fleets to the front line."
Hearing this, Qin Qianfan nodded in satisfaction.
"No matter what schemes or tricks the Empire tries to pull, in the face of absolute numerical superiority,
their only outcome is defeat!"
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