Chapter 135: Deployment

Just as the Great Liao Empire’s army was retreating, inside the leader’s residence in Grassland City, the capital of the Raptor Olmec Empire, Leader Yuri Gotner was reviewing his daily briefing.

Yuri felt deeply uneasy. The relentless emergence of new crises left him overwhelmed; he had never expected such a turn of events, as no previous catastrophe had ever arrived in such a cluster.

Over the past year, several new situations had arisen. First, the mysterious aliens who emerged from the space portal could not be tracked down. That alone was manageable, as a single entity might not cause much trouble.

However, immediately after, problems erupted at his own Mountain Base. He had intended to suppress the rebellion, but unexpectedly, a new insurgent base called Gekuer appeared, and the Mountain Base was destroyed.

Later, after destroying the Gekuer base, he thought the rebellion had been quelled. To his surprise, the insurgency had only grown stronger, and its leader had even established a Galaxy Empire. Although Yuri refused to recognize it as a legitimate state, it was already a reality.

Then, the Atlanteans from the seabed stopped being passive. They were no longer merely engaging in minor harassment; they had fought the Olmec military all the way into space. Had it not been for a sudden solar flare, it was unclear how that conflict would have ended.

Following that, he sent troops to the Dzungarian Basin to quell a rebellion, thinking it would be an easy task and that Goba Shchov would be defeated effortlessly. Yet, he hadn't anticipated that Shchov would integrate a massive number of primitive kin—something Yuri himself had failed to do. Though Yuri was deeply resentful of this, he had no choice but to accept the fact that Shchov had used this new strength to defeat the Olmec suppression force.

This result forced Yuri to admit that Shchov’s ideology regarding those primitive kin held some merit. Now, he was forced to call a truce with Shchov to deal with a much greater crisis.

Even more unexpectedly, the task of eliminating the human Gandor tribe, who had been controlled by the extraterrestrial Gomar race during the suppression campaign, had also been taken over by Shchov. Furthermore, they had encountered interference and obstruction from the Gomar themselves.

This meant the Gomar were about to launch a retaliatory strike. Consequently, Yuri had to prepare for every possible contingency, ready to face a Gomar invasion at any moment.

With these problems piling up, the leader of the Raptor Olmec Empire was suffering from a splitting headache. Just then, someone knocked on his office door, and he immediately called out, "Enter."

The person who entered was his Chief of Staff, Damor King. Damor approached the desk, and upon seeing who it was, Yuri invited him to sit.

Damor began: "My Leader, the mysterious nuclear explosion in the Ulaangom region forces us to face a difficult question."

Yuri replied immediately: "Yes, I also believe the Goba Shchov group must have exhausted their nuclear reserves, which is why they demanded our nuclear strike on Ulaangom as a condition for our army’s safe withdrawal. But the reality is that we, too, have no nuclear reserves left, yet a nuclear explosion occurred there—it is very strange."

Damor said: "Indeed. If the Shchov group hadn't truly run out of nuclear weapons, they wouldn't have been so generous. But that strange explosion makes me suspect that another force is involved in this incident."

Yuri said thoughtfully: "Are you suggesting that another highly intelligent civilization is meddling?"

Damor replied: "Yes. Moreover, Leader, according to data recently collected by Intelligence Director Kaba Dur, there have been many mysterious disappearances in Hezhou City, a northern town in the human Daxing Kingdom, regardless of age. Here are the detailed files, personally organized by Director Kaba Dur. Please review them, Leader."

Damor handed over the intelligence, which Yuri began to examine closely. After a moment, Yuri asked, "What do you suggest?"

Damor answered: "I suggest strengthening our aerial defenses to prevent a surprise attack from any unforeseen force. We must try to delay until after we have dealt with the Gomar retaliatory strike."

Yuri nodded: "Very well. You are in charge of seeing this through. By the way, how do you suggest we respond to this Gomar offensive? You know they have allied with the Neo-Atlantis Empire on this planet to cause trouble. We are currently facing both powerful external enemies and multiple internal rebellions."

Damor said: "I suggest we minimize losses by ensuring the incoming Gomar forces suffer heavy casualties before they even enter the planet's atmosphere. Then, we can free up more strength to deal with the Neo-Atlantis."

Yuri asked: "How specifically should we do that?"

Damor replied: "I believe we should immediately send an envoy to sign an 'Anti-Enemy Armistice' with the Goba Shchov group, ensuring both our forces can be fully utilized to resist the Gomar invasion."

Yuri nodded in agreement: "What are your other suggestions?"

Damor said: "At the same time, I suggest deploying a large number of space mines in orbital lanes. Once the Gomar enter, they will be destroyed. For example, since they prefer using planetary gravity to shift orbits to conserve energy, we should concentrate our deployment there."

Space mines are small satellites suspended in high altitude or space, designed to target satellites, shuttles, and space stations. Because satellites travel at extremely high speeds in orbit, even the smallest object can cause immense damage. Thus, the concept of the space mine was born. It is an orbital blockade weapon consisting of an explosive device, a fuse, remote control, and a propulsion system, deployed to create obstacles.

When military spacecraft enter the minefield, the space mines detonate via their own fuses or ground commands, destroying the craft with fragments.

Another approach involves satellites carrying vast quantities of non-motorized small objects, released when needed to create an orbital blockade zone. Due to the high relative velocity, any target passing through would be damaged or destroyed.

Though the space mine scheme was proposed by the Soviet Union to counter the American "Star Wars" program—being low-cost and highly effective—it remained in the experimental phase. However, it remains a potential anti-satellite option.

After listening, Yuri thought for a moment and asked, "Should we also deploy electromagnetic railguns near some of the lanes to enhance our defensive effectiveness?"

Damor replied: "My Leader, that might not be advisable."

Yuri asked: "If we deploy railguns, we could achieve a surprise effect. Why do you think it won't work?"

Damor said: "Instead of railguns, I suggest laser cannons. If we use railguns in space, their fatal flaws will be exposed."

Yuri looked attentive. Damor explained: Railguns are electrically driven cannons that fire projectiles. Combat in space happens over distances of hundreds or thousands of kilometers, placing extreme demands on range and accuracy. Railguns have a range of about 300km, but they rely on ballistic trajectories. Without Earth's gravity, projectiles cannot fly in a straight line; they orbit the planet. The energy loss in a vacuum is significant, and the speed is only about 10 times the speed of sound.

In contrast, laser cannons do not fire projectiles. Their speed is tens of thousands of times faster than a railgun. Lasers are not restricted by gravity; they travel in a straight line. Sight is the trajectory—if you can see it, you can hit it. In terms of range, accuracy, and speed, they are far superior to railguns.

Regarding cost, railguns fire solid metal projectiles; while not overly expensive, they are costlier than lasers, which require no ammunition. Furthermore, railguns require a strong support structure to absorb recoil, which is impossible in space. The resulting change in posture or orbit would require the carrier to burn fuel to compensate, adding to the cost. Laser cannons have no such issue.

Therefore, laser cannons are clearly more suitable for space warfare. Laser weapons are directed-energy weapons that use high-intensity laser beams to destroy or disable targets. They are categorized into tactical and strategic types. Because they travel at the speed of light, no "lead" is required, though they are weather-dependent. They are the key weapons of the information warfare era.

Currently, Russia leads in theoretical research, while the U.S. leads in application. A laser cannon requires high-energy pulses, typically stored in superconducting energy storage devices, to generate high-intensity beams. High frequency is also vital; low-frequency firing risks missing opportunities and compromising safety.

Yuri nodded: "I see. It seems I must catch up on new knowledge as soon as possible, or I will remain ignorant."

Damor said: "Not at all, Leader. You are busy with state affairs; it is normal to miss minor details."

Before Damor could finish, Yuri waved his hand to interrupt: "Enough, my friend. I understand your meaning. I will decide how to proceed. You may go and carry out your tasks."

Damor saluted: "Yes, my Leader!!!"

As Damor left, Yuri began to calculate his next moves.

Meanwhile, in the leader’s residence in Basin City, the capital of the Raptor Galaxy Empire, Leader Goba Shchov was also reviewing his daily briefing. Unlike the perpetually grim Yuri Gotner, Shchov wore a different expression.

His office was playing grand, impassioned music, signaling his excellent mood. Everything was developing in his favor.

As he reviewed his briefing, his Chief of Staff, Mor Ross, knocked on the door and entered with permission. Mor Ross saluted: "Congratulations to the Leader on your great victory!"

Shchov, in high spirits, said: "Ah, my friend. Please, sit!"

After Mor Ross sat, Shchov asked: "Is the Yuri Gotner group finally willing to negotiate officially?"

Mor Ross said excitedly: "Yes, Leader. I just received word from Yuri’s Chief of Staff, Damor King. He asked me to tell you they are willing to negotiate and hope we can choose a neutral location."

Shchov said dismissively: "A neutral location? Ha! Tell them it will be in the newly developed territory of the Galaxy Empire, the Uliastai region. Otherwise, there is nothing to discuss."

Mor Ross said: "Yes, Leader. However, the Gomar are coming soon. If an anti-enemy agreement cannot be reached, it may not be favorable for either side."

Shchov replied: "Rest assured. I believe Yuri Gotner is a sensible man and won't quibble over such a small demand. Ha!"

Mor Ross thought for a moment and said: "Brilliant, truly brilliant. I understand, Leader."

Shchov said: "Good. Go!"

As Mor Ross turned to leave, Shchov called him back: "Wait. Arrange for someone to go to Mars immediately."

Mor Ross paused: "Why, Leader? Please instruct."

Shchov said: "No need to ask. I am simply very interested in Mars."

Mor Ross replied: "Yes, Leader. Our exploration team will set out at once."

Shchov smiled with satisfaction: "Go, my friend."

Mor Ross saluted and left.

Meanwhile, at the Liu Family Trading House in Hezhou City, the stone-gambling convention had been underway for some time. Many were winning or losing, but Zhang Desen was using detection equipment left by the ancient humans to distinguish which raw stones would contain jade, and he was accurate every time.

As a result, Zhang Desen’s group became the "dark horse" of the auction, drawing the resentment of many other buyers.