219: Chapter 219 Iron Hooves Pressing in at the Outpost! Lu Chen Decides to Play the Long Game

2:17 PM.

Cockpit.

After the signal strength indicator finished its flash, the readings on the screen dropped back to the noise floor.

Lu Chen placed his right hand on the signal gain knob and turned it all the way up.

The radar scanning line completed another rotation.

Ten seconds.

As it swept past six degrees west of true north, the indicator light flashed again.

This time the strength had changed; it was medium-weak, stabilizing just above the threshold line without attenuation or drift.

"Zhou Yuan," Lu Chen called out.

"I see it." Zhou Yuan straightened up in his chair, his face nearly pressed against the panel as he stared at the signal readings.

Zhao Tiezhu took half a step back to give Zhou Yuan a better view, his right hand resting on the communicator at his waist without pressing it.

Lin Xiao's chair moved forward two inches. His fingers were interlaced and pressed against his knees, veins bulging on the backs of his hands.

Lin Wan sat next to Zhou Yuan, her notebook spread across her knees. The tip of her pen hovered in the air, not yet touching the paper.

"Bearing," Lu Chen reported the numbers. "Six degrees west of true north. That's a one-degree difference from the seven degrees Forge gave us this morning."

"Anything within one degree is measurement error," Zhou Yuan said, eyes fixed on the screen. "It's them."

"Distance."

"Right on the eight-kilometer line. The signal strength matches the radar cross-section of a light scout vehicle." Zhou Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed. "City Lord, two echoes. We can't separate them; they're too close together."

"What's the spacing?"

"Based on the signal width, the two vehicles are about a hundred to two hundred meters apart, moving in formation."

Lu Chen stared at the panel.

The scanning line rotated again.

The third echo appeared.

The bearing shifted by 0.3 degrees, and the signal strength went up by one bar.

"They're moving," Lu Chen said. "Bearing shifted 0.3 degrees, signal's a bit stronger."

"They're coming for us," Zhao Tiezhu's voice came from behind, sounding muffled.

"Not necessarily." Zhou Yuan pointed at the panel. "A 0.3-degree shift at this distance converts to a lateral displacement of less than fifty meters. They might just be performing a sector scan."

"A sector scan," Lu Chen repeated.

"Standard Iron Hoof Legion reconnaissance protocol," Zhou Yuan explained. "When scout vehicles reach a target area, they don't just charge straight in. They start by tracing an arc on the periphery, using on-board equipment to scan the electromagnetic environment. Once they confirm they haven't been spotted by active radar, they begin their penetration."

"Can they detect our radar?" Lin Xiao leaned forward in his chair, his voice very low.

"No," Lu Chen replied. "Polaris uses passive scanning. The transmission power is low, and its clutter camouflage is two orders of magnitude better than The City-State's system. From eight kilometers away, the receivers on light scout vehicles won't be able to distinguish it."

"So, are they coming for us or The City-State?" Lin Xiao pressed.

"In the Rustwind Wasteland, the most obvious target is the Black Rock City-State," Zhou Yuan answered. "A hunk of iron eight hundred meters long and four hundred meters wide sitting there—its thermal radiation signal can be captured from thirty kilometers away. Most of Polaris's thermal signature is suppressed by the dissipation generator, but The City-State doesn't have that."

"What they see is The City-State," Lu Chen concluded.

"The City-State is immobilized," Lin Xiao's throat tightened. "The main engine is dead, and the auxiliary engines are burning through the last of the coolant. Once the scout vehicles sweep the area, they'll know it's a sitting duck."

The Cockpit fell silent for a few seconds.

The fourth rotation of the scanning line.

The bearing shifted another 0.2 degrees; the intensity remained unchanged.

"Still tracing the arc," Zhou Yuan concluded.

Lu Chen opened a drawer on the left side of the console, pulled out a stubby pencil, and sketched a rough diagram in his notebook.

He marked a circle for Polaris, a large square next to it for The City-State, and two small dots eight kilometers away at six degrees west of true north for the scout vehicles.

He drew an arc around the two dots.

"Zhou Yuan."

"Here."

"What's the standard angle for a scout vehicle's sector scan?"

"According to Iron Hoof field manuals," Zhou Yuan recalled the information, "the first round of peripheral scanning for scout reconnaissance usually covers forty-five degrees to the left and right of the target's front, totaling a ninety-degree arc. After completing one arc, they advance two to three kilometers inward and trace a second one."

"After the second arc, how far are they from the target?"

"Five to six kilometers."

"Five kilometers," Lu Chen marked the number on the diagram.

He mentally reviewed the effective ranges of Polaris's weapons.

Ray Cannon: four kilometers.

Phalanx Close-In Weapon System: fifteen hundred meters.

Heavy Machine Gun: twelve hundred meters.

Harpoon Cannon: eight hundred meters.

Napalm Projection Tower: eighty meters.

At five kilometers, none of them could reach.

"What about a third arc?" Lu Chen continued.

"There is no third arc. After finishing the second, the scout vehicles turn back to report. The whole process takes four to six hours by the book."

He calculated the timeline on the paper.

Entered at 2:17 PM; four to six hours of scanning means they'll finish between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM.

After that, they'll head back north at their arrival speed of sixty to seventy kilometers per hour. The distance back depends on where the main force is currently located.

"Zhou Yuan," Lu Chen set down his pen. "After the scout vehicles finish their scan and turn back, their signal will disappear from our radar. There's a gap between that disappearance and them reporting back to the main formation."

"Correct."

"Can Forge's Beacon Station fill that gap?"

"The Beacon Station is fixed at the South Pass," Zhou Yuan calculated. "When the scout vehicles headed south into our radar range, the Beacon Station detected them first. But when they turn back north to return to the main force, it depends on where the main force is parked. If the main force is still near the South Pass, the scouts will pass through the station's coverage area again on their way back. If the main force has already cleared the South Pass and stopped somewhere between there and us, the scouts won't go through the pass on their return trip."

"In other words, we still don't know exactly where the main force is."

"Unless the scout vehicles send a transmission themselves," Zhou Yuan added. "Standard operating procedure for scout vehicles is to send a shortwave report to the main force after scanning. Our monitoring equipment can intercept the direction and duration of that shortwave, but we can't decrypt it."

"The direction is enough," Lu Chen reasoned it out. "The direction of the scout vehicles' transmission is the direction of the main force. Combined with the timestamp from Forge's South Pass, we'll have two points to roughly pin down the main force's location."

Zhou Yuan nodded.

"Provided the scout vehicles transmit while within our radar range," he added.

"What if they transmit outside our range?"

"Then we'll be deaf."

Lu Chen closed his notebook and returned his gaze to the panel.

The sixth rotation.

The signal was still there.

The bearing had shifted to 5.8 degrees west of true north, moving slowly.

"City Lord," Zhao Tiezhu spoke up from behind.

"Speak."

"Are we attacking or not?"

Three words.

Lu Chen didn't look back.

"If we attack, how would we do it?" he countered.

"The Ray Cannon's effective range is four kilometers. The scout vehicles are currently eight kilometers away; we can't hit them. Even when they advance to the second arc at five to six kilometers, we still won't be able to reach them." Zhao Tiezhu recited the data perfectly.

"What if we chase them?" Lin Xiao asked.

"If we chase them with Polaris's engines at full throttle, they'll hear us and bolt. A light scout vehicle can hit sixty or seventy kilometers per hour, while Polaris can do forty at most; we can't catch them," Zhao Tiezhu explained in detail. "Besides, chasing them means exposing ourselves. Right now, we're using passive radar, so they don't know we're here. If we start the engines and charge north at full speed, our thermal signature and acoustic waves will give away our position immediately."

"We're not chasing," Lu Chen decided.

"So we're not attacking?" Zhao Tiezhu followed up.

"We can't attack now." Lu Chen turned his chair to face the four people in the Cockpit.

He opened his notebook and pointed to the diagram he had just sketched.

"The arrival of the scout vehicles means the main force isn't far from the Rustwind Wasteland. If we take out these two scout vehicles and the main force receives no report, what do you think will happen?"

"They'll send a second wave," Zhou Yuan replied.

"Exactly. They'll send a second wave, and if those are taken out too, the main force will know there's a combat-capable presence in this area. Instead of following standard protocols to establish a base, they'll switch to a full-speed advance." Lu Chen clarified, "Taking out the scout vehicles buys us no more than a day. The price we pay is alerting the enemy."

"So we just let them go back and report?" Lin Xiao frowned.

"What would they report?" Lu Chen countered. "Their target is the Black Rock City-State, a sitting duck eight hundred meters long. They see The City-State's remains and head back to tell the main force: target confirmed, it's just an immobilized hunk of scrap metal."

"Once the main force receives the report, they'll judge the threat level as low and proceed with standard base-building protocols instead of rushing the attack," Zhou Yuan followed the logic. "That gives us a window for Degradation."

"Exactly." Lu Chen placed the notebook back on the desk.

"But when they scan, can they detect Polaris?" Lin Wan spoke up.

All four pairs of eyes turned toward her.

"Polaris is parked a hundred meters to the side of The City-State." Lin Wan flipped her notebook to a data page. "It's 206 meters long, 82 meters wide, and 31 meters high, sitting right next to an 800-meter-long iron mass. City Lord, can their reconnaissance equipment distinguish us from The City-State's shadow?"

Lu Chen and Zhou Yuan exchanged a look.

"It depends on the precision of their vehicle's sensors," Zhou Yuan replied. "Generally, Iron Hoof light scout vehicles are equipped with passive thermal imaging and sonar. From five kilometers away, The City-State's thermal radiation will completely drown out Polaris's signal. They'll just see one massive heat source and won't be able to tell there's a smaller one attached to it."

"But what if they have active radar?" Lin Wan pressed.

"light scout vehicles don't carry active radar," Zhao Tiezhu interjected. "They can't handle the bulk; active radar is mounted on large units of lv.3 or above."

"So that means they won't pick us up," Lin Wan confirmed.

"They won't," Lu Chen stated firmly. "As long as Polaris doesn't start its engines, send signals, or turn on its lights, all they'll see is the thermal shadow of The City-State and an attached structure. They won't be able to tell it's a mobile combat vehicle."

He turned his chair back toward the panel.

The eighth scan line swept past.

The signal was steady at 5.6 degrees west of true north.

Still tracing the arc.

"City Lord," Zhou Yuan spoke again. "It's time to notify Forge."

Lu Chen nodded.

"Send it," he said. "Send it as is. Two scout vehicles entered Polaris's eight-kilometer radar range at 2:17 PM, bearing six degrees west of true north, moving in formation, currently executing the first round of peripheral sector scanning."

"Include the time projections?"

"Yes. Tell Forge that the scout vehicles' scanning cycle is four to six hours, expected to end between 6:00 and 8:00 tonight. They will then turn back north to report. The main force's position is not yet confirmed, but the arrival of the scout vehicles in the Rustwind Wasteland suggests the main force is no more than a day's journey away."

"Any additional conditions?"

"None. Let Forge decide how to use it. With the debates over today's proposals continuing, he knows the weight of this real-time intelligence better than we do."

Zhou Yuan stood up, took out his communicator, and walked to the telegraph station in the corner of the Cockpit to begin drafting the encrypted message.

Lu Chen turned back to the panel, staring at the two echoes moving slowly along the eight-kilometer boundary.

He added a line to his notebook.

Day 67, 2:17 PM. Two Iron Hoof Legion scout reconnaissance vehicles entered eight-kilometer radar range.

Policy: Do not attack, do not chase, do not expose. Let them return and report that all is well.

He set the pen down, reclined his chair back by a centimeter, and rested his palms on the edge of the console.

The scan line on the panel rotated unhurriedly. The two small points of light shifted slowly to the northwest, tracing an arc invisible to the naked eye.

Lin Wan opened the notebook on her knees and wrote a single line on a blank page.

The scout vehicles have arrived.

She capped her pen and wrote no more.

The five people in the Cockpit all stared at the panel.

No one made a sound.