"Look!"
He extended his hand, pointing at the intelligence report.
"Look, look!"
"This is the true hero of our Federation!"
His gaze swept over everyone present.
"Creating a black hole single-handedly!"
"Directly destroying the Stargate, annihilating two Joint Fleets!"
"Eliminating Imperial warships..."
He paused, enunciating each word clearly.
"Over thirty-five thousand ships!"
A low murmur of agreement rippled through the Wargaming Hall.
Admiral Tang Huaiqian shook his head with a smile.
"Major General Chen, don't get too excited just yet."
He paused, his tone carrying the steady calm unique to seasoned veterans.
"We should think sooner rather than later about how to reward our hero."
His eyes fell on the intelligence report, his voice tinged with emotion.
"If it weren't for Senior Colonel Qin Bei Wang leading a team alone into the Bushman Star System, risking almost certain death to destroy the Stargate..."
He looked up at the assembly.
"Our Federation would likely have lost eight entire star systems this time."
He paused, then continued.
"Eight star systems—that's nearly equivalent to most of a star domain."
Beside him, Admiral Zou Qishen, uncharacteristically, did not refute him.
This old general, known for his caution and conservatism, actually wore a faint smile on his face.
He spoke slowly, his voice not loud but clear enough for everyone to hear.
"A twenty-two-year-old Major General..."
He paused, as if savoring the weight of those words.
"Probably unheard of in the entire history of the Federation, right?"
A wave of good-natured laughter filled the Wargaming Hall.
Someone immediately chimed in.
"A mother-class fleet? That would be wasting his talent."
"At least a Duke-class Fleet would be needed for Qin Bei Wang's abilities to be fully utilized."
"Duke-class? I think even a Sequence Fleet would work!"
"Don't rush, take it step by step..."
The laughter grew louder.
The atmosphere was relaxed, unlike a typical strategic meeting.
Just then.
A discordant voice sounded.
"Hmph."
General Ruan Xingwei curled his lip.
That "hmph" wasn't loud, but in the Wargaming Hall where the laughter was fading, it stood out sharply.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Ruan Xingwei leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, wearing an expression that said, "You're all being too naive."
He spoke slowly, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Drawing conclusions so quickly based solely on intelligence from Rose..."
He paused, then continued.
"Isn't it a bit premature?"
Chen Qingyu's brow furrowed.
"General Ruan, what do you mean by that?"
Ignoring him, Ruan Xingwei went on.
"Rose's intelligence doesn't explicitly state the fleet's number."
He reached out and tapped the report.
"From beginning to end, it only says 'Federation Fleet.'"
"As for whether it's the Pluto Fleet..."
He spread his hands.
"Who knows?"
The Wargaming Hall fell silent for a moment.
Ruan Xingwei continued, his pace unhurried, but each word seemed to challenge everyone's optimism.
"Besides..."
He paused, his tone laced with skepticism.
"That's a black hole we're talking about."
"A black hole with a diameter exceeding ten million kilometers."
His eyes swept over everyone present.
"With our current technology..."
He shook his head.
"Can we really create something like that?"
No one spoke.
Ruan Xingwei's voice continued to echo in the quiet Wargaming Hall.
"Perhaps..."
He drew out his tone.
"The Empire's monitoring personnel were negligent and built the Stargate near a black hole."
"As a result, the Stargate was swallowed by the black hole, and they were too embarrassed to admit it, so they fabricated the lie that it was destroyed by the Federation Fleet."
"Such things have happened before."
After Ruan Xingwei finished speaking, a subtle silence fell over the Wargaming Hall.
No one spoke.
Because what Ruan Xingwei said was not entirely unreasonable.
After so many years of war between the Federation and the Empire, haven't such incidents been seen all too often?
Those high-ranking officials' children, those border Fleet commanders—once something goes wrong...
"Encountered an ambush by Enemy forces."
"The Enemy forces used new weapons."
"Intelligence was faulty."
Blame the enemy.
Blame accidents.
Blame anything that can be blamed.
Shirk all responsibility cleanly.
Such things are far too common.
No one could guarantee that this time wasn't just the Empire's lot shirking responsibility.
Chen Qingyu stood there, staring at Ruan Xingwei, silent for a few seconds.
Then he let out a cold laugh.
The laughter wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet Wargaming Hall.
"General Ruan Xingwei."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried an irrepressible mockery.
"You've truly regressed with age."
Ruan Xingwei's brow furrowed slightly.
Chen Qingyu continued.
"The Stargate."
He reached out and tapped the line of text on the intelligence report.
"What is that thing?"
He paused, answering his own question.
"It's the lifeline of the Empire's three Sequence Fleets."
"The only channel for them to rapidly deploy forces to the front line of the Ten Stone Starfield."
"The Key Node of this campaign."
His gaze fixed intently on Ruan Xingwei.
"Would the Empire be so foolish..."
He emphasized the word "foolish" heavily.
"...as to install such a lifeline in a place where a black hole might exist?"
Ruan Xingwei didn't answer directly.
He simply spread his hands and shrugged.
"Who knows?"
His tone was light and airy.
"Anything is possible in the cosmos."
He paused, then continued.
"A safe Navigation Route today might sprout a black hole or a wormhole tomorrow."
"There are precedents for this."
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Perhaps..."
"God is helping us?"
The mockery in his tone was unmistakable to anyone.
The atmosphere in the Wargaming Hall grew increasingly tense.
Chen Qingyu's expression darkened.
He took a step forward, about to speak.
Tap.
A soft sound.
Lü Yanlin rapped the table.
The sound wasn't loud, but it carried a steadiness that demanded attention.
Everyone looked at him.
Lü Yanlin's gaze swept over Chen Qingyu and Ruan Xingwei's faces before he slowly spoke.
"Enough."
He paused, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.
"Whether the intelligence is true or false, arguing about it now is meaningless."
Chen Qingyu opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
Lü Yanlin raised a hand to stop him.
His voice echoed in the quiet Wargaming Hall, not loud, yet clear enough for everyone to hear.
"When the Pluto Fleet returns..."
He paused, then continued.
"...everything will become clear."
Not long after, in the Blue Moon Star System.
On the Bridge of the Sirius, Flagship of the Sirius Fleet.
Commander Lu Chengfeng stood before the communication screen, staring at the newly decoded order.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Finally, it's our turn."
He turned and issued the command over the fleet-wide channel.
"Sirius Fleet, all units, attention."
"Destination: Tyrol Galaxy."
"Full speed ahead."
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