The Seventh Base - Chapter 1261 - Capítulo 1261: 20: Hidden Motives
Capítulo 1261: Chapter 20: Hidden Motives
In the space outside of Prins Star, a fleet was slowly advancing.
Inside the main ship, Xu Mo looked at the two people in front of him, their captives. Xu Mo had already probed their memories and learned some information.
This turned out to be a trap. The other side already knew some things and would comprehensively attack the forces they had laid out on various planets. For this operation, the Kales Empire dispatched a powerful fleet.
So, this was a setup against them.
“As expected, the Church found out.” Xu Mo thought to himself. He had initially controlled a Church member very discreetly, commanding him to act normal and adhere to the Church’s instructions, with one condition: to secretly assist them in some operations.
The drawback was, once exposed, the other side could trace back through the controlled Church member to deduce their overall power and strike precisely.
And now, they were being targeted precisely.
As such, their decision had been to let local forces on each planet act as agents, keeping only core members behind the scenes, led by Ross, to build a massive agent network.
Now, the Kales Empire and the Church were prepared to join forces to destroy their agent forces across the planets.
Thus, it would cut off their economy, which would be fatal.
“How is it?” Ye Qingdie asked.
“The other side has a lot of information on us and will gradually take action against our forces on various planets,” Xu Mo said. “Before that, we need to intercept them.”
“Could it be intentional to lure us?” Ye Qingdie asked.
“Yes.” Xu Mo nodded. “Their goal is to get us to fight, not just to destroy our planetary forces.”
Evidently, for the Kales Empire and the Church, he himself, along with Gaia and Star Ring, were immensely more important than their planetary forces.
Thus, the true target was them.
“What is the strength of the opposing fleet?” Ye Qingdie inquired.
“They have a complete fleet with over a hundred warships, including several advanced warships,” Xu Mo stated.
Ye Qingdie furrowed her brows. Such fleet power was not to be underestimated.
“However, I suspect this is not all…” Xu Mo added, considering the controlled Church members had been discovered, the Church was bound to purge and reorganize.
Consequently, the Kales Empire and the Church would be aware of his memory-probing ability and hence might anticipate that, should their warships fall into his hands, he would glean some useful information from the captives.
This operation went smoothly without much trouble, so could the Kales Empire and the Church have deliberately left an opening, foreseeing this situation?
If the speculation was correct, would the Kales Empire and the Church provide true information to these warship crews?
Probably not.
“Xu Mo…” Gaia walked over and addressed Xu Mo, “If this matter was orchestrated by the Church, then it’s necessary to overestimate the opponent’s strength. The power we displayed in the battles at Asgard and Chloe Star, the Church should be aware of, and could infer something about our power. A fleet composed of a hundred warships is likely bait after estimating our strength.”
“Indeed.” Xu Mo nodded. “That seems to be the case.”
A fleet made up of a hundred warships, this figure, as if gauging the strength of their fleet, not too many nor too few, making them believe they could fight.
It does seem quite coincidental this way.
Moreover, if they don’t engage in battle, the opposite side would eradicate all their outposts, making it highly probable they’d choose to fight.
“What level does the gentleman think their fleet might be?” Xu Mo asked.
Currently, both sides were essentially in the dark.
He was unclear of the opposing fleet’s strength, and likewise, the other side was unaware of their fleet’s power.
If someone could completely grasp the opponent’s intelligence, the winning odds would be greater.
“Unclear.” Gaia shook his head and said, “But it is certain that they would estimate our strength to the maximum extent; assuming this is targeted layout against us, we need to be careful. Firstly, the power of the Star Ring, the strength we secretly controlled in the battle at Chloe Star, the opponent would factor in all these, including Master Qiong.”
After that fight at Asgard, Master Qiong had appeared, hijacking a Starship from the Church. The Church would be aware of this, so if the opponent dares to take action, they would account for the Destroyer.
This means they may face threats at the Destroyer level of existence.
Furthermore, they couldn’t ascertain at what level the enemy fleet’s strength lay.
“Considering all this, hastily starting warfare carries great risks,” Xu Mo said. “But if we don’t fight, all our layout and accumulation over the years would be for nothing.”
Over these years, Ross and others had strived hard to open up the situation, occupying markets on several planets in the O’Brian Republic, forming their economic base. If cut off, Skull Star’s development would be severely restricted.
“Though there is one fair point,” Gaia said. “We don’t know their strength, and they equally don’t know ours, which will certainly lead to faulty estimations. Due to the base’s existence, the Star Ring has developed much faster than expected, and I don’t think the Church will overestimate our strength.”
“Indeed.” Xu Mo nodded, acknowledging this point. Over these years, besides the commandeered Starships, they built many Starships from a base, now capable of forming a relatively large fleet.
At the higher-level combat capabilities, they also have Nidhogg, Alien Demon, and Tribal Warrior.
Nidhogg and Alien Demon’s defenses can definitely impact Starships, especially Nidhogg, which can even challenge advanced Starships.
Of course, some top-tier advanced Starships have enough firepower to threaten a Destroyer if they can hit… Nidhogg’s downside is its massive size, making it an easy target, so caution is needed to avoid becoming a sitting duck.
Therefore, the issue is, this battle seems inevitable.
But when it comes to fighting, how should it be fought?
Without clear insight into the opponent’s strength, they can’t afford to make mistakes; any misstep could lead to total annihilation, so prudence is essential.
“First, we need to find a way to gauge the opponent’s fleet strength.” Gaia showed a contemplative expression.
“Would deploying detectors around Prins Star be useful?” Xu Mo asked.
“No.” Gaia shook his head, “Last time we were in the dark while the war between the Republic and the Kales Empire was in the open, and we knew the battle would focus around Chloe Star. This time is different; before the battle starts, the ambush fleet won’t appear near the space of Prins Star, maintaining a distance to avoid detection signals, making the range too vast.”
“Contacting the O’Brian Republic for collaboration?” Xu Mo asked again.
“Timing is one issue; if contacting the O’Brian Republic, the opponent might receive news and avoid open conflict, opting instead to dismantle our forces across the planets.” Gaia replied, which is equally undesirable for them.
In some sense, the opponent’s strategy is correct, forcing them into conflict.
They seem to have no choice but to enter this trap or let the planetary forces be wiped out.
“The best way is to use the main ship as bait, but with a certain level of risk, if the main ship cannot withstand and is annihilated by the enemy fleet, then…” Gaia said and fell silent.
“Details?” Xu Mo seemed to realize what Gaia was getting at.
Gaia shared his idea with Xu Mo, and before Xu Mo could say anything, Ye Qingdie immediately voiced her opposition.
“I believe in Mr. Fred and his team’s abilities.” Xu Mo voiced his support for Gaia’s plan.
Before understanding the enemy fleet’s strength, this strategic plan seemed the most prudent.
Even if things go wrong, it won’t lead to complete annihilation.
Afterward, Xu Mo and Gaia went to the command room and announced his decision, causing a huge uproar, with many people opposing.
However, opposition was futile.
…
Prins Star is an ordinary planet, with the planet no longer housing Starships. The O’Brian Republic had long lost control over Prins Star.
At this moment, a fleet was heading towards Prins Star.
In the main ship, General Morris and the Red-clothed Archbishop were still savoring wine, but as they approached Prins Star, their mood became less relaxed.
The bait they laid had been taken by the opposite side, which must have gleaned information about them and understood what they were up to.
So, it’s time to ambush them, right?
Now, using their fleet as bait, it remained to be seen if the others would bite.
Just then, alarms suddenly blared, and a voice was heard: “Attention all personnel, fleet entering combat state, all personnel entering emergency combat status.”
“We have been locked on, and the opponent is a Super Starship, with detected energy levels not inferior to our main ship.”
General Morris furrowed his brows, standing up and heading toward the command room, as the urgent voice continued, “Prepare for battle, all fleets activate Starship shields.”
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
