Within the command channels of the Snow Leopard, Divine Arrow, and Swift Cavalry fleets.
The faint whispers that had just been circulating about "receiving a defeated army" and the "young master's fleet" instantly evaporated.
In their place was a silence so profound it seemed to crackle with static.
On the bridge of the Balrog Fleet's flagship, the Magma.
Adjutant Zhou Junfeng's face first paled, then rapidly flushed red, his eyes filled with disbelief and an instinctive resistance born of having his worldview overturned.
"This... this is impossible!"
He whipped his head around to look at Nie Xinghe, his voice distorted with agitation, even forgetting to lower his volume.
"A classified fleet!
Even if they have two Tier 5s and an aircraft carrier!
How could they possibly have successively dealt heavy blows to Obsidian, Bloodblade, and Iron Curtain deep within enemy territory?
And still found time to take out Langkawi Base?
And then annihilated Megalodon at Jump Point Z-78?!"
He gestured wildly at the screen, as if trying to poke holes in what he saw as an utterly absurd battle report.
"These results are too outrageous!
Senior Colonel! This defies all logic!
Since when can a sub-fleet stand toe-to-toe with, let alone annihilate, so many of the Empire's main forces?
This is sheer fantasy!"
He took a gasping breath, a mix of jealousy, resentment, and the self-righteous anger of someone who believes they've seen through a lie surging to his head. He hissed through gritted teeth:
"It must be fabricated military merit!
Yes! That's it! The usual tricks of those high-born brats!
Turning skirmishes into great victories, damage into destruction, retreats into tactical advances!
Claiming others' achievements as their own!
Using massive resources to scrape together a bit of success, then exaggerating it beyond all reason!"
The more he spoke, the more convinced he became that he had grasped the truth, and his voice grew louder.
"Annihilated Megalodon?
They probably just took out a scout detachment!
Heavily damaged Obsidian? Probably just a distant exchange that barely scratched the paint!
We've all been deceived! The Theater Command has probably been fooled too!
This kind of battle report—"
SMACK!
A sharp, resounding slap landed squarely on Zhou Junfeng's face.
The force was so great it sent Zhou Junfeng staggering, nearly knocking him off his feet.
A clear handprint instantly bloomed on his cheek.
On the bridge, every officer turned in shock to witness the scene, not daring to breathe.
Nie Xinghe slowly withdrew his hand, his face ashen, eyes burning with suppressed fury and a trace of profound disappointment.
Fortunately, the real-time communication link with the Pluto Fleet had already been severed. Had those words been transmitted, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
He stared at the dazed Zhou Junfeng, his voice as cold as the absolute zero of the void outside the ship.
"That slap is for your disregard of military discipline, your reckless criticism of a superior's conclusion, and for sowing discord!"
"This battle report comes from the Theater Command. It has undergone FCB intelligence cross-verification, review by the Joint Staff Department, and approval by the Supreme Command!
How dare you, a mere colonel, with your pitiful imagination and narrow-minded prejudice, question this highest-level report, verified through multiple layers and concerning the reputation of the entire theater, even the Federation itself?"
Nie Xinghe took a step forward, his oppressive presence enveloping Zhou Junfeng like a mountain.
"You doubt Qin Beiwang?
You suspect he used resources to inflate his achievements?
Then let me ask you—"
He suddenly pointed toward the Savannah region on the star chart, his voice rising sharply with a roar of frustration.
"What kind of resources could enable a fleet, trapped under heavy Imperial encirclement, to execute such penetrations, such ambushes, such annihilation battles!
Tell me! You command the Balrog Fleet—if I gave you double, triple the resources, could you produce even one of those 'falsified' battle results!"
Zhou Junfeng covered his face, speechless under Nie Xinghe's furious glare. His complexion shifted from red to pale, cold sweat dripping down.
"If you can't understand it, that's your incompetence."
Nie Xinghe's voice returned to icy calm, but each word struck like a nail.
"If you can't understand it yet still recklessly speculate and slander a comrade's achievements—that's stupidity!"
"If I ever hear such nonsense questioning a meritorious officer from your mouth, or from anyone in the Balrog Fleet—"
His gaze swept across the entire bridge like a blade.
"Military discipline will be enforced without leniency!"
"Now, get to the communications room and submit a thorough self-criticism to the Theater Command!
Encryption Level: Maximum!"
Zhou Junfeng, both relieved and deeply ashamed, lowered his head and nearly scurried off the bridge.
The synthesized voice continued, announcing with unquestionable authority an even more impactful order following the battle report:
"...In light of Lieutenant Colonel Qin Beiwang's exceptional command ability, extraordinary tactical daring, and decisive achievements demonstrated in this battle."
"Upon recommendation by the Wanshi Star Sector Theater Command, review by the Federal Joint Staff, and special approval from the Supreme Command—"
"Promote Qin Beiwang to Federal Navy—"
"Senior Colonel."
On the bridge, even the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
A double promotion! From Lieutenant Colonel, skipping ranks directly to Senior Colonel!
"Simultaneously,"
The synthesized voice continued without pause, delivering an even weightier decree.
"The original Pluto Rapid Task Force is hereby expanded and elevated to—"
"Pluto Rapid Maneuver Strike Group (carrier fleet structure)."
"Senior Colonel Qin Beiwang is appointed as the group's inaugural commander."
"All participating officers and crew of the original Pluto Fleet are promoted one rank based on military merit and performance.
Specific promotion lists and medal awards will be issued separately by the Theater Command."
The broadcast ended, and the communication signal cut off.
The main screen reverted to the navigation star chart.
But the entire joint communication channel fell into a deeper, more profound silence than when the battle report was heard.
If the earlier battle report was a thunderclap that overturned perceptions,
Then this subsequent promotion and expansion order was the rivet that hammered that thunderclap into an unshakable fact.
Senior Colonel.
Carrier fleet commander.
These two terms carried immense weight within the Federal Navy system.
Senior Colonel was the final and most crucial step before entering the hall of military stars.
Countless talented officers spent half their lives stagnating, unable to cross this threshold.
A carrier fleet commander was the true seed of a general who commanded a star domain and wielded strategic power.
A position countless fleet commanders dreamed of their entire lives.
And now, a twenty-two-year-old youth had stepped into it with a single battle.
Doubt?
In the face of such an exceptional promotion, endorsed by the Supreme Command and tied to earth-shattering military achievements, any doubts based on "seniority," "age," or "convention" seemed so feeble, laughable, and even... ill-timed.
The commander of the Snow Leopard Fleet, a seasoned colonel known for his steadiness, instinctively straightened his collar. His gaze, filled with complexity, turned toward the direction of the Pluto Fleet, ultimately dissolving into an almost imperceptible sigh, followed by a nod of resignation.