Completing the resupply task for Zhao Chen's hundred-odd combat-type interstellar warships cost a bare three hours. But this resupply efficiency — were the Empire military's logistics department to learn of it, they'd surely have their jaws drop clean off! 10 T3 interstellar supply ships, carrying out a resupply task for the Owl Dragon Fleet — a fleet possessing close to 30 T3 warships, and 70 or 80 T2 warships besides — and it cost, of all things, a mere three hours' time? This resupply efficiency was several times that of the T3 interstellar supply ships currently in service in the Starlight Empire!
On the battlefield, this sort of logistics-resupply efficiency was, often, likewise a manifestation of combat power. Suppose both sides' interstellar warship numbers and combat power were the same, but the other side's interstellar supply ships could complete the resupply task faster than yours — that meant that within the same span of time, the other side's warships could deliver more firepower output! And so, naturally, the scales of victory on this battlefield would tilt toward that one side.
Over these three hours, Zhao Chen was likewise pondering just which battlefield to go to next.
He cast an eye over those three branch missions.
Branch mission one: The Defense of Planet SP118 battle.
Branch mission two: The Morton System hive-race battle.
Branch mission three: The Sapphire System Third Planet Rescue Battle (completed).
Of the three branch missions, Zhao Chen had already completed one. Two remained to choose from.
Zhao Chen began looking up the information on these two battle locations. First was Planet SP118. Planet SP118 lay, precisely, within the single most severely hive-race-struck system just now; though this planet hadn't yet utterly fallen, by the intelligence sent back, to defend this planet was of no small difficulty.
Zhao Chen looked again at the other location: the Morton System hive-race battle.
"Odd?"
Zhao Chen knit his brows, looking at the material before him. This was the hive-race disaster material the North Wind Governor had shared with the whole star-region, but by the intelligence shown upon it: the Morton System had, as of now, seen only three tier-2 cosmic bug-nests and under 10 tier-1 cosmic bug-nests appear. At the outset, it had indeed caused the Morton System no small chaos. But now, under the suppression of the lord-fleets and a small force of Empire-military fleet, it had basically tended toward calm, with only a portion of cleanup work remaining. And by now, these cosmic bug-nests had all vanished as well.
Seemingly, all was quite ordinary.
But Zhao Chen, on the contrary, felt something wasn't right — for a branch mission issued by the System would absolutely never be this simple. Though he'd now completed the Sapphire Third Planet branch mission, that had been under the circumstance of Zhao Chen acting boldly, "borrowing" a great quantity of private interstellar transports outright. Had Zhao Chen not made that move, he couldn't possibly have evacuated the Sapphire Third Planet's common people to safety in so short a span of time. For, mind you, just now, within the Sapphire System there was still half a hive-race fleet remaining; Zhao Chen's Owl Dragon Fleet had earlier merely stalled for time, and could not wholly annihilate these hive-race fleets. So this branch mission, in the end, had carried no small risk.
But looking at the Morton System's combat data — a very simple battle. The whole Morton System had had only a single corps-grade Empire-military fleet and 2,000 lord-fleet ships arranged there, and that had brought this system's hive-race fleet under control. This was wholly insufficient for the System to issue it as a "branch mission." It was for all the world as though, in the midst of an exhibition all of T3 warships, a single T1 warship had suddenly been set out on display.
Now tell me — is that odd, or is it not?
"Reporting, Commander — all our combat-type interstellar warships have completed the resupply task. At the same time, the strategic resources loaded aboard the 10 T3 interstellar supply ships can still resupply the whole fleet up to two more times," Lilith reported.
This was the benefit of carrying interstellar supply ships along with one. Zhao Chen's Owl Dragon Fleet had come back to life at full health once more!
But Zhao Chen just now had no heart to rejoice over this matter; his whole mind was full of the Morton System. He was uneasy and ill at ease.
"Lilith, bring up all the data on the Morton System for me," Zhao Chen said gravely.
Though Lilith didn't know why the Commander was so interested in this Morton System, she nonetheless soon brought up the relevant material. Zhao Chen looked at the material before him, searching for useful information.
The Morton System's lord was a Count; this Count possessed three system domains, the Morton System being his chief system. The Morton System was, moreover, a system ranking in the top five for resource richness in the North Wind Star Region — a resource-type system, with multiple mining zones within it. Just now, 30% of the North Wind Star Region's raw-material output came from the Morton System. The Count-lord of the Morton System had, besides, built in the Morton System the North Wind Star Region's largest foundational industry for raw-material extraction and smelting. One might put it this way: were the Morton System to run into any trouble, it would be the equal of severing one arm of the North Wind Star Region.
Zhao Chen at once had the notion of notifying the North Wind Governor. But he quickly reined it in again. Just now nothing had happened in the Morton System yet; were he to go notify the North Wind Governor now, the man would surely wonder just how, in the end, he'd come by this news. And he had no idea at all what event would befall the North Wind Star Region.
Zhao Chen clutched at his own head. He was, just now, facing a knotty problem and a choice. How to deal with this disaster about to occur?
"Commander?" Lilith looked at Zhao Chen, at a loss as to why, with so fine a situation before them, the Commander wore a face full of worry.
The Morton System could not be allowed to fall; the principle of "lips gone, teeth cold" — Zhao Chen knew it well. Though rescuing the Morton System would bring Zhao Chen no very great direct benefit, if some event befell the Morton System, it would work a whole chain of reactions upon the North Wind Star Region. But this news, again, couldn't be conveyed to the North Wind Governor in advance.
Zhao Chen raised a hand and brought up the whole battle situation of the North Wind Star Region at this moment — above all that around the Morton System.
"Lilith, help me calculate. Suppose the Morton System were to erupt in the most severe of disasters — how many forces could the North Wind Star Region mobilize toward the Morton System in the shortest possible time?" Zhao Chen looked at Lilith gravely.
The Morton System?
Though she didn't know why the Commander was so concerned about this Morton System, Lilith nonetheless did well her own proper work, and began to calculate. Before long, she'd arrived at a string of figures.
"Suppose the disaster erupting in the Morton System were severe enough. In the most urgent of circumstances, within five hours the nearest Empire Military 12th Corps, along with around 3,000 lord-fleet ships, could hurry to the battlefield of any region within the Morton System! Within 10 hours, the Empire Military 19th Corps, the Empire Military 22nd Corps, and the North Wind Star Region Governor's Corps could all support the Morton System. Because the whole North Wind Star Region is now in a wartime state, the work of mobilizing fleets would be a great deal easier than at the outset. The one problem is that this sort of mobilization would be under the circumstance of wholly disregarding their original combat tasks — that is, abandoning the hive-race fleets they were originally dealing with!" Lilith said.
"And if one wanted to attend to both ends — how many interstellar warships could be mobilized over?" Zhao Chen asked again.
This time Lilith at once gave a figure. "Within five hours, 1,000 Empire-military warships, and 2,000 lord-fleet ships. Within 10 hours, 2,000 Empire-military warships, 3,000 lord-fleet ships, and 2,000 Governor's-corps ships!"
10,000 interstellar warships!
Far, far from enough…
Zhao Chen pondered a moment, and then made a decision.