268: Chapter 266 No, I can't laugh yet.

"Beep—beep—"

At this moment, Siren Constellation V09.66 was like a pressure cooker with a blocked exhaust valve; the situation was on the verge of exploding—

Four full First Mobile Fleets had already taken their designated positions, coldly watching the fleet from the periphery slowly step into the trap named death.

"Report, the enemy fleet has completed its rendezvous and is currently reorganizing its formation at coordinates (7752203, 527772339, 12486653)."

"Copy that, this is the Third Mobile Fleet. We are closing the encirclement and are expected to be in position in sixty-two seconds."

"Headquarters understands. Maintain silent operations and be careful not to expose yourselves."

"Copy, Headquarters. We have applied special treatment to the exhaust plumes and gravitational waves. No one will notice us until we actively expose ourselves."

"As long as you know what you're doing. Prepare for fire immediately after reaching your positions."

"Understood!"

Indeed, the four fleets lying in wait here were making the final preparations before the start of the battle—the most important "closing the door" step in the "closing the door to beat the dog" strategy.

The commander-in-chief of this operation was Colonel Oran of the First Mobile Fleet—no, he is now a Rear Admiral:

After the battle to retake Tianjin Seat V89 (Chapter 207), Xi Hai had intended to promote him. He directly nominated him to the Legion, starting the promotion review process.

The Legion also attached great importance to this matter. The complex process was completed within seven days. Subsequently, the rank of Rear Admiral and the appointment letter were immediately delivered to Oran, who was still playing games with the alien VAN.

Of course, following the formal process wasn't because Xi Hai lacked the power to appoint him. On the contrary, even if Xi Hai immediately designated a certain private to be promoted to a General of the Legion that very day, the Legion would offer no resistance.

But this would undoubtedly run counter to the principles of "regularization, professionalization, and institutionalization" that he had adhered to from the beginning—

He hoped that the Legion, and the entire Tianjin Seat V89, could have a set of reasonable and stable operating rules and regulations, rather than centering around a specific person and running entirely on so-called "orders" and "instructions."

Because once the latter lost that specific person, it would become difficult to move an inch, or even collapse entirely.

"Report, Rear Admiral. Except for the Third Mobile Fleet, all other combat units are in position. The weapon safeties have been disengaged, awaiting your next instructions."

The Legion's frontline command for this operation was established on the First Mobile Fleet's flagship—the southern cross Marshal-class carrier, the "Thunder."

The name was given by Xi Hai. After learning about the First Mobile Fleet's achievements, he was thinking about how to commend the fleet.

After much consideration, he decided to personally name their flagship to show his commendation and the importance he placed on them—

So Xi Hai decided to give the First Mobile Fleet's flagship a very thunderous, badass, awesome, explosive, and incredibly thunderous name,

But he couldn't think of one.

The more he thought about those "thunderous" names, the more he couldn't hold back his laughter,

So, when it came time to make the final decision, he simply used the name "Thunder"—

Anyway, Thunder is also very sacred.

But in any case, everyone in the First fleet, especially the flagship's crew, was very satisfied with this sacred name: they believed it was praising their unstoppable, thunder-like momentum when facing the enemy—

"Is the fire support group all ready?"

On the Bridge of the Thunder, Oran looked at the electronic sand table in front of him, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the hem of his clothes.

"Report, we are in position and ready to launch the first round of strikes at any time."

"Confirm the deployment of the strike formation composed of the newly commissioned 'aio'-class cruisers one last time."

"The Legion's higher-ups specifically instructed that those things' main guns are indiscriminate spatial strikes. The Quartermaster Department prioritized allocating them to us because of Lord Chusiro's trust and high regard!"

"We must never let the first case of friendly fire occur here!"

"Understood, Rear Admiral." A technician pulled up a panel provided by night lamp and projected it onto the sand table.

"This is the AIO-class formation. They are at the very front of the fleet. Every attack direction has been calculated in detail by night lamp. Factoring in variables, the probability of accidental friendly fire is less than one in a hundred thousand."

In the image, hundreds of brand-new, bone-white Battleships were lined up in a row, facing the direction of the strike—just like a heavy cavalry square from the ancient planetary era, with lances pointed directly at the enemy formation.

However, the destructive power of these hundreds of Warships was far greater than any heavy cavalry—if they charged, everything in front of them would be physically crushed into powder, torn to shreds by violent spatial dislocations.

"As long as it's confirmed."

Oran nodded slightly. Then, the content on the electronic sand table changed back to the star map of Siren Constellation V09.66.

The red dots on the map representing enemy Warships were densely packed into a large mass—that was at least 150,000 enemy ships.

Sixty seconds, sixty seconds left.

Watching his own encirclement slowly close on the sand table, Oran forced down the corners of his mouth and turned his gaze toward the starry sky outside the Bridge.

No, I can't laugh yet!

Hold it in for one more minute!