"Using fake jumps from fixed points to draw our attention, while conducting real infiltration reconnaissance along the boundary?
A feint?
Or perhaps…
Are these along the boundary the real vanguard, and the jump signals from those three points just a diversion?
To make us concentrate our main forces in the wrong places, making it easier for his infiltration units to slip through?"
Lancaster did not answer immediately.
Qin Bei Wang's tactical intentions were becoming unclear.
If it was merely infiltration along the boundary, why go to such lengths to carry out three highly realistic fake jumps?
If the main attack direction was still those three warp points, why expose real engine traces along the boundary? Wouldn't that alert the enemy?
Just then, a fourth jump signal arrived.
The pressure of the fourth jump signal, along with the vague but undeniable engine activity traces along the boundary, made Lancaster feel a long-unfamiliar sense of difficulty when facing an unknown strategy.
He quickly weighed the pros and cons.
Take the initiative, split forces to intercept the boundary infiltration while strictly guarding the warp points?
But the enemy's true strength was unclear, and dispersing forces might lead to a breakthrough at any point.
Hold firm at the main defensive nodes and allow the boundary infiltration?
That could allow small enemy units to penetrate deep into the rear, causing harassment or even damaging critical facilities.
Time was running out.
The fourth jump signal was ongoing, ready at any moment to transform into a real steel tide.
Lancaster's eyes regained the steadiness and decisiveness of a veteran commander.
He chose the path he believed was the safest and most aligned with traditional defensive wisdom:
Consolidate forces, secure key points, and respond to changes with constancy.
"Orders!"
His voice was resolute, cutting through the murmurs on the bridge.
"Sapphire, Ruby, and Beryl Fleets, abandon your current patrol positions immediately.
Return at full speed to the vicinity of Warp Points L-7, N-12, and S-22, and establish high-intensity interception blockade lines!
Do not allow any enemy ships to complete their jumps from these three points!"
"As for the anomalous boundary area…"
He glanced at the faint, flickering signal markers on the star chart.
"Maintain only minimal remote monitoring for now.
Dispatch a small number of high-speed reconnaissance craft for long-distance observation, but do not approach to avoid ambushes.
All main forces must not be diverted by these small, uncertain signals!"
"Directly Subordinate Fleet!"
He finally pointed at the star chart.
"Maneuver here—behind Warp Point L-7, at the third alert line position.
This is the nearest major threat point to the boundary line and also the central position connecting the defensive zones of the other two warp points.
From here, we can support any point as needed while also keeping an eye on potential… subsequent developments along the boundary direction."
This was a classic, conservative defensive decision.
In Lancaster's view, it was the most reasonable approach to the current fog of war.
Even if forces were split and fleets dispatched to patrol the boundary line, it would be futile.
Instead, an entire fleet might be wiped out.
Better to hold the easily defensible warp points and wait for reinforcements from Bloodblade and Iron Curtain.
Then, gather superior forces to crush Qin Bei Wang.
The staff officers swiftly carried out the orders.
The massive Obsidian Fleet began retracting its scattered tendrils, with three crucial sub-fleets altering their course.
Like swarming bees returning to their hive, they raced toward the three warp points that had already been harassed four times by false signals. The Directly Subordinate Fleet also gradually activated, moving toward the predetermined position behind Point L-7.
Lancaster stood on the bridge, watching the blue dots representing their own fleet converge toward their designated positions, the formation becoming clear and solid, which slightly eased his mind.
He trusted his own judgment, believing that with the strength of the Obsidian Fleet and its orderly defensive formation, they could repel any attack emerging from fixed warp points.
He did not know, nor could he foresee.
That his earlier "prudent" decision—
to concentrate the main force and hold the warp points while adopting a wait-and-see approach toward the seemingly "weak" infiltration signals along the boundary—
had precisely fallen into the tactical trap meticulously woven by Qin Beiwang.
He had personally left a gap in his sturdy shield, one that appeared insignificant but was enough for a lethal blade to silently slip through.
At the boundary between the Savannah Star System and the Elvira Star System, in the vast and dim interstellar space.
The main force of Qin Beiwang's "Pluto" Fleet did not emerge from the warp points in a blaze of glory as the Empire had anticipated.
Instead, like a school of silent deep-sea leviathans, they crossed the invisible boundary line between the two star systems—a line sparsely dotted with monitoring buoys—in a neat cruising formation.
The special coating on the ships' hulls absorbed most forms of radiation, and the engines operated in a highly efficient, low-signature mode, leaving the entire fleet with only faint traces in the Empire's passive monitoring network—traces easily overlooked or dismissed as background noise.
The fleet's course was clear.
It headed straight for the predetermined warp point deepest inside the Savannah Star System: S-22.
On the bridge of the flagship Kunlun Mountain - Modified, Qin Beiwang stood before the massive tactical star chart, his gaze calm.
He issued an order that left the two newly assigned Sub-Level Fleet commanders stunned.
"Shadowless-class First to Sixteenth Special Reconnaissance Ships, detach from the fleet.
Advance to designated positions according to the 'Spider Web' contingency plan."
He recited a series of complex coordinates.
"Maintain a constant distance from the flagship: 780 million kilometers. Maintain absolute silence throughout, activate all passive sensors, receive only, do not transmit.
Do not initiate contact with the flagship without special authorization."
780 million kilometers!
Lieutenant Commander Feng Shaojun, commander of the Mizar Fleet, and Lieutenant Commander Fan Jingxuan, commander of the Alkaid Fleet, both gasped almost simultaneously.
This distance far exceeded the maximum range for effective coordination between a Sub-Level Fleet and the main force, as defined in the Federation Fleet's standard tactical doctrine.
At such a vast separation, even with the most advanced quantum encrypted communication, the signal delay would amount to approximately 1.1 hours!
"Commander!"
Feng Shaojun couldn't help but speak up, his voice filled with incredulous concern.
"At this distance... the communication delay exceeds an hour!
If the reconnaissance ships encounter enemy forces, or if we need to adjust our deployment here,
the back-and-forth transmission of information will be severely delayed, and the battlefield situation could have completely changed by then!
This is tantamount to having the reconnaissance ships operate almost independently—the risk is too high!
Could we... shorten the distance a bit?
Even 500 million kilometers would cut the delay by nearly half!"
Fan Jingxuan immediately chimed in agreement.
"That's right, Commander."
The current enemy situation in Sector S-22 remains unclear, and the movements of the Obsidian Fleet are difficult to fully ascertain.
Deploying our precious Special Reconnaissance Ships so far out—if they are discovered and engaged by Empire patrols, we simply cannot provide timely support or direct their withdrawal.
Isn't this… too risky?"
The concerns of the two Lieutenant Commanders were entirely reasonable.
In the uncertain terrain of enemy territory, extending our reconnaissance so far is almost equivalent to temporarily "blinding" and "deafening" ourselves for a period. This violates the conventional tactical principle of concentrating forces and maintaining immediate responsiveness.