Chapter 785 - 376: The First Shot (Part 1)

They originally planned to take over the entire Maxiwa Delta, so it didn’t make much difference which edge they started from. However, the defense here was slightly higher than elsewhere, suggesting a tough battle ahead. Even if they could win, the cost wouldn’t be insignificant.

Su Jiameng remained silent, as Cui Hu was a professionally trained commander, and naturally more skilled than her. He even had a slight edge over her in overall coordination. Su Jiameng’s advantage was her past experience. Cui Hu’s expertise combined with her experience made a formidable team. At this point, she had to consider not only her own thoughts but also seek Cui Hu’s input to avoid friction and disagreements in their cooperation.

They initially planned to divide the battlefield into two routes, advancing simultaneously. Su Jiameng would lead one route, focusing on attack, while Cui Hu would lead the other, not aiming for swift conquest but mainly acting as a distraction. The combat capabilities of the forces barely met her satisfaction.

If all went well, there shouldn’t be significant changes. Securing the area wasn’t in question; the issue was the time! They were pressed for time, and completing the mission as quickly as possible would be ideal.

Su Jiameng listened to the conclusions of the discussions and then, with her trusted team, refined the plans. If they could achieve a successful start to the war, morale would surely rise, gaining a psychological advantage.

Liang Xiaonuo asked Su Jiameng, "Earlier, Jiameng mentioned using information warfare tactics. Is that suggestion still on the table?"

"Naturally, whether we can complete the mission within a year depends on this ’suggestion.’"

Su Jiameng lowered her head and organized the intelligence reports sent earlier by Lu Anchen, saying, "Due to geographical and political factors, Maxiwa Delta has always been on the periphery of major alliances, away from central politics. Here, the constraint of laws is at its lowest, almost nonexistent! It’s a paradise for criminals; they exclude ordinary people and are also shunned by them."

"Two-thirds of Maxiwa Delta’s residents are extremely vicious criminals, and the place accommodates increasing numbers of offenders. Hence, their private information has become confidential and significant. They use regional networks here, without connections to the interstellar network, and quite a few influential figures have even established personal local area networks..."

Liang Xiaonuo began to vaguely understand her idea. The coverage of the interstellar network is beyond human imagination.

Wherever there are creatures of the interstellar alliance, interstellar network points are set up, sharing a network with an energy magnitude beyond individual resistance. Regional and local area networks are fundamentally different, only covering parts of a few planets or certain areas of a planet. Compared to the interstellar network, the former are relatively easier to cut off and intercept.

Of course, this "simple" only applies "relatively;" the difficulty itself is still off the charts. From Su Jiameng’s earlier remarks, it seemed she intended to interfere with Maxiwa Delta’s information transmission to achieve information blockade.

Back in the Earth Era, without the network, there were other means of communication, ensuring considerable flexibility.

But in the future interstellar era, a network stands for more than anything else—no need for so-called phones or wireless communication devices, which aren’t even worth mentioning. People of the future interstellar era can freely connect to the interstellar network anytime within signal coverage, interacting with friends from different races and alliances across the interstellar space.

People of the future interstellar era have become reliant on the interstellar network and intelligent systems. Without these two things, they can’t function! Su Jiameng wanted to cut off the network in this area, partly to create a sense of panic, but mainly to blind them completely!

However, Liang Xiaonuo didn’t have much hope for this, "Jiameng, I don’t mean to dampen your spirits, but historically, there were times when network outages severely impacted the interstellar network’s economy. To prevent such incidents, many places have complete backup equipment for signal points... Worse still, we don’t know where these things are."

It’d be terribly disappointing to cut off the network only for someone to immediately use backup equipment to restore network connection.

Clearly, Su Jiameng’s decision showed she had considered all possible outcomes.

She furrowed her brow and said, "That’s not the point. In fact, I don’t intend to destroy the signal points; rather, I plan to forcibly break the network using external powers. Do you remember Chongming Ore? After being stimulated by special spiritual power, Chongming Ore produces a special spiritual magnetic field that can both weaken Mecha combat power and interfere with signal transmission..."

"Though Chongming Ore’s capability is limited, I’ve prepared other little tricks as well. When connecting various nodes, they will create an absolute signal vacuum environment. This method can’t be used on a large scale but is extremely effective for incremental encroachments. Su Jiameng added, "We aim for speed, striving to secure an area for a base before they react. Once stabilized, we can slowly advance. Without a stable footing, things will only get more difficult."

"A surprise attack? Catching them off guard?"

"Yes, that’s it. And about Shelier... They talked about cooperation, didn’t they? Once stabilized, we can gradually negotiate. Even if the outside world discovers their collaboration with the natives of Maxiwa Delta, they’ll only speculate that we’ve managed to subdue them."

As Su Jiameng was in this world, she had to abide by its rules. The influence of aristocratic families on alliance decisions was significant. If they accrued a bad reputation or something compromising in others’ hands, even Yu Feng couldn’t help.

After sending Liang Xiaonuo off, Su Jiameng shook her groggy head. Staying up too late recently made her feel somewhat lethargic.

For three consecutive days, the garrison troops remained quiet. At this time, under the command of Su Jiameng and Cui Hu, an advance troop of a hundred men, carrying some equipment, quietly approached the target.