179: Chapter 179 Iron Hoof Calls for the Main Force! Drive Away the Tibetans – One of Four Options

8:11 AM.

When Lu Chen walked in, Zhou Yuan was already sitting in the co-pilot's seat.

Zhao Tiezhu stood to the side, his back straight and hands clasped behind him.

Neither of them spoke; both were staring at the console panel.

In the signal log column at the bottom right of the panel, four dark red records were lined up, flashing in sequence from top to bottom.

The first: 0.3 seconds, 15 degrees North-Northwest.

The second: 0.7 seconds, 13 degrees North-Northwest.

The third: 1.4 seconds, 11 degrees North-Northwest.

The fourth: 2.1 seconds, 9 degrees North-Northwest.

Lu Chen sat down in the driver's seat and spread a notebook out on his lap.

"Have you seen them?"

"I have," Zhou Yuan spoke first, his speech a beat slower than usual. "City Lord, the waveform encoding level of this signal is one grade higher than the first three. The structure of the pulse group is completely different from the previous ones."

"What level?"

"A calling signal." Zhou Yuan leaned forward in the co-pilot's seat. "The vanguard vehicle is requesting advance confirmation from the Iron Hoof Legion's main base. It means the reconnaissance phase is complete, and the coordinates and terrain of the target area have all been summarized and reported. The vanguard is waiting for the main force's next command."

Zhao Tiezhu interjected from the side.

"How long will the reply take?"

"Uncertain." Zhou Yuan turned to look at him. "Our understanding of the Iron Hoof Legion's communication system isn't detailed enough. After the main base receives the request, it still has to go through an internal chain of command approval process. If they're fast, it's half a day; if they're slow, two to three days."

"Meaning, at the earliest, the Iron Hoof Legion will order the main force to depart in half a day," Lu Chen said.

"Correct."

The cockpit fell silent for three seconds.

Zhao Tiezhu's fingers tightened behind his back.

"City Lord, it's four hundred kilometers from the southern mouth of the Roaring Ice Abyss to the northern edge of the Rustwind Wasteland. At their advance speed, it will take them twelve days at the earliest and sixteen at the latest."

"Including today," Lu Chen wrote a line in his notebook, "that's between the 71st and 75th day at the earliest."

"Consistent with our previous assessment," Zhou Yuan said. "But the speed at which the intervals are shortening exceeds expectations. There were less than two days between the third and fourth signals, which means the vanguard vehicle's scouting efficiency is higher than I estimated."

"By how much?"

"It finished its reconnaissance at least two to three days early." Zhou Yuan leaned back in the co-pilot's seat. "City Lord, I originally estimated the reconnaissance phase would need another three to five days to conclude, but the fourth signal indicates it's already over."

Lu Chen shifted his gaze from Zhou Yuan to the panel.

The radar sweep line rotated at a constant speed. There were no blips within an eight-kilometer radius; the north was empty.

"Three things," Lu Chen began.

Zhou Yuan and Zhao Tiezhu looked at him simultaneously.

"First, maintain signal monitoring every ten minutes. If a fifth signal appears, notify me immediately regardless of the time. The significance of the fifth signal is completely different from the first four; it represents that the main force has received the vanguard's report and issued the order to advance."

"Understood," Zhou Yuan said.

"Second, Zhao Tiezhu, what is the current status of your twelve-man Reconnaissance Platoon?"

Zhao Tiezhu answered quickly.

"Ready to depart at a moment's notice. Fully equipped, with three snowmobiles on standby in the Docking Area."

"Put them on Level 2 readiness. They won't depart yet, but they must be able to leave instantly. If the fifth signal appears, I will need to send them five to ten kilometers north for a forward reconnaissance mission to confirm the exact position of the Iron Hoof vanguard vehicle."

"Understood." Zhao Tiezhu nodded.

"Third." Lu Chen flipped to a new page in his notebook. "Lin Xiao is coming to the cockpit at 3:00 PM. I want to lay out the first draft of the Iron Hoof Legion response plan for discussion. Zhou Yuan, you must be present."

"I'll be here."

"There are four options in the plan: fight, flee, hide, or negotiate. I've already drafted the prerequisites and resource consumption for each, but I need you to correct some of the data."

Zhou Yuan pulled a pen from his pocket.

"City Lord, what data?"

"The variables regarding the Dawn Legion." Lu Chen looked at him. "Regarding Forge's proposal for a joint strike, how much support do you think he can secure in the Council?"

Zhou Yuan thought for two seconds.

"Forge himself only has one of the twelve votes in the Council. His allies have three or four at most. Evening Bell's isolationist faction has at least six. Without external variables, the joint strike proposal won't pass the Council."

"We are the external variable."

"Exactly," Zhou Yuan replied. "If Polaris publicly supports the joint strike, Forge gains external endorsement. He can argue in the Council that a lv.3 fortress-class is willing to fight alongside them, proving it's not just his personal idea. That card could sway one or two swing votes."

"And after they're swayed?"

"It would be five or six votes against six. It'll be a tie or a one-vote difference," Zhou Yuan said. "It depends on whether Evening Bell's stance is firm enough. If Evening Bell feels the external pressure shifting, there's a chance they'll abstain, and then Forge wins."

"The probability of Evening Bell abstaining?"

"Very low." Zhou Yuan shook his head. "The old man is sixty and has sat in the Council Chairman's seat for eight years. This policy divergence is his core position; he won't change it just because of a Lv.3's endorsement."

Lu Chen processed this information in his mind.

"So the probability of the joint strike path working out is no more than thirty percent."

"My assessment is between twenty and thirty percent."

"But it's worth keeping as an option."

"It is." Zhou Yuan looked at him. "Because if it works, the payoff is the largest of all options. A Lv.5 plus two Lv.4s and a Lv.3 united against the Iron Hoof Legion—while they still couldn't beat the crusher itself, they could inflict significant attrition on its escort fleet, forcing the Iron Hoof Legion to re-evaluate the cost of heading south."

The blue light from the cockpit panel cast cold tones across the three men's faces.

Zhao Tiezhu stood to the side, remaining silent the whole time.

Lu Chen glanced at him.

"Zhao Tiezhu, do you have something to say?"

Zhao Tiezhu paused for a beat before speaking.

"City Lord, I don't understand diplomacy, but I understand defense."

"Speak."

"If we end up choosing to flee or hide, Polaris's Omni-directional Tracks will be key. Turning in place in eighteen seconds is more important than straight-line speed in complex terrain like the Ash Rift Valley."

"Your point being?"

"My point is, regardless of which option is chosen, Polaris's mobility is our trump card." Zhao Tiezhu stared straight ahead. "City Lord, your decision to unlock the Omni-directional Tracks was correct."

Lu Chen did not respond to the praise.

He closed his notebook.

"Before 3:00 PM, I want you both to prepare reports on the Iron Hoof Legion. Zhou Yuan, compile all known information from the Dawn Legion's side, including Forge's attitude and the detail that Dawn requires three days of preparation to evacuate. Zhao Tiezhu, compile a status list of all current weapon systems and ammunition reserves for Polaris."

"Understood," the two replied in unison.

"Dismissed."

Zhou Yuan stood up and walked toward the elevator.

Zhao Tiezhu followed behind him.

Before the elevator doors closed, Zhou Yuan glanced back at the cockpit.

Lu Chen had already lowered his head, writing in his notebook.

On the panel, the four dark red signal records continued to flash.