Counterfeit Hero

McKinley looked at the war report with a face as calm as water, saying nothing. Yuris’ words were taken over by another middle-aged man in a Silliac Federation Admiral uniform: ”It’s too early to draw conclusions now. General Douglas is cautious in his warfare, and Hanfrey may find it difficult to defeat him. Even if he can’t hold on, Douglas can always opt for a strategic retreat...”

”General Houseni, if Douglas chooses a strategic retreat at this time...” Standing on the left side of the simulation platform, Admiral Chuckna Simon Rabinsky raised his eyes and said indifferently: ”How is this different from defeat?”

Silliac Federation Admiral Amin Houseni shook his head and countered: ”From a broader perspective, we will indeed be very passive. It’s not an overstatement to call it a phased failure. However, if Marshal Hastings hadn’t planned this surprise attack two months ago, we might not even have the qualifications to stand here and hope! Moreover, who would have thought that just after General Douglas completed a perfect sneak attack, the fleet of the Western Alliance would arrive at the Central Leray Star Domain? Three parts human effort, seven parts destiny, Sobel would never have expected the Longbow Star System to be ambushed by our forces, everything is just coincidental. Even if the Nineteen Group Fleet lost the Longbow Star System, it’s not due to a lack of aggression. In my view, being able to carry out a successful assault on the Blue Stone Star, destroying the Western Alliance’s forward base there, is already an unexpected gain.”

”Saying such things, General Houseni, is just too lacking in ambition!” Rabinsky said coldly: ”Now, according to intelligence, the Mars Front Army that could threaten the Southeast Main Channel has already been defeated by the Suss Fleet led by Gershkov. If the Longbow Star System is lost again, not only will we lose the strategic balance in the Southeast Star Domain, but it would also affect the Resk Battle and the Newton Star System. You must know, the Western Alliance has long wanted to attack the Newton Star System to completely expel our alliance forces from the vicinity of the Leray Central Channel. And in Resk, the battle is at a crucial back-and-forth stage. Once the Suss gains support from the Western Alliance’s from the Southeast Main Channel and regains their footing at Resk, then all our previous efforts would be wasted...”

”Then what can be done?” Houseni shrugged and said to Rabinsky: ”Ultimately, we still have to face reality. Instead of hoping for Douglas to fight to the death with the Nineteen Group Fleet against Hanfrey, it’s better to preserve our strength. Or, hope Chuckna can recover Resk quickly. Chuckna needs to put more effort.”

”That’s easy to say...” Rabinsky sneered: ”Why don’t you try fighting it with the Silliac...”

”If it were with Silliac forces...”

Their voices grew louder as the argument heated up, their faces turning red as if they might come to blows at any moment. But no one interjected. The generals from various countries seemed accustomed to such scenes. McKinley continued to examine the war report, Yuris engaged in a whispered discussion with Puditok Federation Admiral Harvin Hest, while other generals nearby attended to their own duties.

”General Bernadotte, I heard that your Major General has already led the fleet away from the Mars Front Army to the Longbow Star System?” Chuckna Republic Vice Admiral Ailes Magira, the lowest-ranked senior officer at the command center, unwilling to dispute with a crowd of admirals and generals, stepped to the side and lightly touched his old friend Bernadotte’s arm, asking quietly. He noticed that since the strategic discussion had reached a stalemate, Bernadotte had been sitting calmly nearby, flipping through the computer, not engaging in others’ disputes.

”That’s not a secret anymore.” Bernadotte smiled bitterly and lifted his head: ”Don’t ask me where he is, I don’t know either.”

Marach shrugged his shoulders; he indeed wanted to ask about the fleet, reportedly composed of armed merchant ships and a few old military vessels, now somewhere in the Longbow Star System... Of course, he didn’t expect this fleet to save Douglas’s Nineteen Group Fleet. Just thinking about the comparison between armed merchant ships and the Binart [Giant Wave] class battleships would dispel any such absurd thoughts. He simply wanted to know if that fleet had any news from Douglas’s fleet. Bringing back a message could perhaps be the greatest use of that small fleet.

As he pondered, Marach glanced at the computer screen in front of Bernadotte.

”What is this?”

”Screenshots of Central SkyNet’s monitoring of rear cities.” Bernadotte slowly switched the images on the computer screen.

Images slid past Marach’s eyes.

On the streets of the Feiyang Capital, Hydefield, countless citizens gathered around the bulletin boards, public televisions, casualty lists, newspaper offices, television stations, and government news centers. These were faces heavy and hopeful, frozen at that moment, devoid of sound and color.

The same scenes appeared in Ryan, in Chuckna, and in many different countries, different cities, different streets.

”We are waiting...” Bernadotte let out a deep sigh: ”They are waiting as well.”

Marach looked at the timestamp on the surveillance screenshots, asking heavily: ”Are they waiting for the outcome of the Longbow Star System battle?”