North Island Naval Command.

The sound of hurried footsteps and conversations continued, and the crowd was busy.

Since the Sandbank Island incident, the powder keg in the southern seas has been planted with a fuse, and now it is just a spark that ignites it.

This "quiet" war has entered the most critical stage, the chips on the table are getting higher and higher, and both sides are tense up and tighten the cards in their hands.

In particular, the command center of the entire federal navy has been overworked for a month, and Charles has moved his office from the presidential palace here, throwing some complicated and inconsequential daily chores to the puppet vice president he appointed.

No matter how bad the governance is, it will not affect his position as president, but if he loses, everything is gone, and he knows very well which is more important.

The time lasted from September to October, and in a few days the new destroyer would be launched.

It would be the newest and most advanced destroyer in the history of the Federation, and although it would not be enough to affect the entire battle, it would add a chip to his hands.

While Charas was patiently waiting for the timing of the decisive battle, the situation suddenly took a new turn.

And in a direction that is beneficial to the Federation!

The Reef, which had been captured by the South China Sea Alliance, suddenly sent a telegram, in which it not only revealed its patrol route and the relevant situation of the South China Sea Alliance, but also expressed its dissatisfaction with the South China Sea Alliance's extreme distrust of itself and its desire to return to the Federation.

Here we have to mention the South China Sea Alliance's strategy towards this "captive ship".

Because the South China Sea Alliance has insufficient officer reserves, and there are no experienced sailors who can completely replace the crew on the Reef, the South China Sea Alliance authorities have retained 80% of the original strength, and replaced the remaining 20% of the strength with South China Sea Alliance monitors, controlling the destroyer's communications, radar, and daily security.

At present, the Reef is equivalent to being under surveillance, like a blindfolded donkey, which can only unilaterally receive combat orders from the Anle Island Command, and can neither participate in the discussion of the battle plan, nor do it have any right to speak at the operational meeting.

The lives of all the officers and men on board the destroyer could not be guaranteed, and even the "monitors" who were monitoring the destroyer Reef felt deeply uneasy and dissatisfied with the arbitrary and tyrannical Commander Lee Minghui.

Anyway, they are all only husbands, why not choose a stronger one?

Zhang Ruowen, who is still the captain of the destroyer Reef, successfully bribed a monitor who operated the radio and sent this secret message to Beidao while on duty.

Logically and logically, it makes sense.

The captain of the destroyer Reef did not surrender on his own initiative, but was captured by the Alliance's frogman forces, and although he was still sitting in the captain's position, he was only forced to be helpless, and it was normal not to be trusted.

But if the Southern Alliance had a substitute general who could take up the position of captain, he would definitely be replaced without hesitation.

If not, he will be sent to a military court.

Of course, the North Island Command did not immediately reply to the secret message, but waited patiently for a few days to confirm that the destroyer Reef was indeed patrolling according to the road map in the secret message, and only then did contact according to the contact information mentioned in the secret message.

In the communication, the two sides communicated a series of operational details, including the rescue route and even the blocking of the pursuing troops, to ensure that the destroyer Reef could return to the military port of the North Island intact.

Once this matter is successful, it will undoubtedly be a great boost to the morale of the military and civilians in the North Island!

The entire rescue plan can be said to be personally operated by Charas, who has done a detailed review of every detail of the plan and strives to be foolproof.

However, at the moment when he was about to make a move, there was still a trace of uneasiness in his heart, and he looked at the staff officer standing on the side and confirmed repeatedly.

"Is the information reliable?"

The staff officer replied immediately.

"You can't be wrong."

Charas nodded, but felt his eyelids jump so hard that he couldn't help but ask again.

"Will there be fraud?"

"It should-" The staff officer wanted to say, "It shouldn't be," but after being asked too much, he couldn't help but doubt himself, and after hesitating for a while, he said, "It's very unlikely." ”

Charas said suddenly.

"That is, not for nothing."

That's for sure.

A single meal can choke someone to death, let alone such a tedious plan of action.

"Yes." The staff officer nodded, staring at him intently, waiting for him to give the order.

Charas's brow furrowed, lost in thought, and suddenly became undecided.

It's not going well.

First the loss of Sandbank Island, and then the loss of the Reef, the entire Northern Federation panicked.

What's even worse is that the various forces in the wasteland, which had been inseparable from each other, suddenly united, and I heard that even the natives of Borneo Province ran to the Ten Peaks Mountain to join in the fun, and the situation was becoming more and more unfavorable for the Torch Church.

Although I don't know what the situation of the war in the north is, the flames of war have burned into the sea, and no matter how you interpret it, it is difficult to understand this as an advantage.

The Torch Church is trying to increase the power of the southern seas to open up strategic space to the south.

The same strategy applies to the South China Sea Alliance.

Although their fleet strength is slightly inferior, they can completely hold themselves back, maintain the situation, and wait until the war of the torch is over, and everything will naturally be over.

The pressure on the south is entirely on its side......

Even if it was for his own sake, he had to help the Torch Church open strategic space to the south.

Only when he was about to make a decision did a deafening voice suddenly come from his ears.

"Idiot! That's a trap! ”

Arzu suddenly appeared beside Charas, startling him.

The golden figure could only be seen by himself, and the others cast confused glances at him, wondering what had suddenly happened to him.

Charas woke up suddenly, and a drop of cold sweat slowly slid down his forehead.

It's dangerous!

I almost fell for it!

In fact, he should have reacted a long time ago, and he had vaguely sensed something wrong before Arzu could speak.

In the previous landing operation on Shazhou Island, Zhang Ruowen, the captain of the Reef, clearly refused to carry out his order, and instead of bombing the settlement, he smashed shells on the outskirts of the settlement.

The mutants who landed ashore were set on fire by the Alliance Airborne Forces, and an entire team of 1,000 men was wiped out.

That guy already had a precedent of disobeying his orders, how could he change his mind at this time?

He is afraid of the military tribunal of the South China Sea Alliance, so he is not afraid to face his own accountability?

Seeing that Charas did not speak, Arzu, who was standing beside him like a ghost, spoke slowly.

"I planted the Holy Land on Zhang Ruowen's body...... He's already turned to the South Sea Alliance, and the so-called defection is just a decoy, and they plan to lure your battleship Haiya out of port, and then sink it with their new equipment, a giant submarine capable of taking off and landing carrier-based aircraft. ”

The Sanctuary is independent of each other, but the exchange of information occurs when the network is unobstructed, and is not under the control of the host.

Just now, when the North Island Military Base was in regular contact with the destroyer Reef, he sensed the news from the chip on that Zhang Ruowen's body-

The so-called defection is actually a decoy.

The fleet of the South Sea Alliance is in ambush not far from the vicinity!

Charas narrowed his eyes and glanced at Arzu.

"When did this happen?"

Arzu calmly replied, "It's the last time." ”

Charas continued to ask, word for word, "What I'm asking is, when did you plant the Sanctuary in my officer's head?" ”

Arzu chuckled at the questioning gaze, a hint of mockery rising from the corners of his mouth.

"He was already an apostle of the torch before the Commonwealth fell apart...... Why are you asking me in such a tone? And if I hadn't prepared for the rainy day, you and your fleet would have crashed into the trap of the South China Sea Alliance fleet like a headless fly, and you should thank me for saving your life. ”

Charas sneered.

"I don't need you to warn me, I can guess it's a trap."

"Really?" Arzu smiled noncommittally and disappeared silently from the command table, as if he had never been there.

Pairs of eyes were fixed on Charas, and all the officers were waiting for the boss's orders.

Containing his fluctuating emotions, Charas cleared his throat and glanced around at the table as he spoke in a slow, coherent voice.

"It's a trap!"

There was a commotion in the command room, and all the officers looked at each other, exchanging stunned eyes.

"I really don't rule out this possibility......" The fleet commander touched his chin, his expression gradually solemn.

The staff officer on the side also nodded.

"I think it'...... too"

The people who were still discussing the details of the operation a second ago suddenly made a 180-degree turn, and they all felt that there might be fraud in this, and the analysis was reasonable and well-founded, and what they said was the truth.

Seeing that these guys turned into the wind, Charas's eyebrows twitched fiercely, but he didn't say anything.

He is actually sober in his heart, which is an inevitable problem for almost all single husbands.

Once a person is stamped with the ideological seal of "no disobedience", he is destined to lose the ability to think in reverse. It is impossible to say that while maintaining a unity like a worker bee, it is possible to express a different opinion from the queen bee on the issue of forging a hive.

Even if it's an insight from the professional field.

When he became a lone husband, he was destined to hear only what he wanted to hear.

People will only follow his words, consciously or unconsciously, even in the "field of expertise" where he wants to get a different opinion.

Therefore, when he said that he wanted to save the Reef, even the most experienced officers did not dare to think in his direction, only thinking about how to save it, and did not think about whether it could be saved.

Fortunately, he found it in time, otherwise he would have almost fallen into the pit dug on the opposite side.

"Are you going to give up the Reef?" The Commander looked at Charas and cautiously asked the boss for his opinion.

Just as it was to be saved, "The Reef is a Trap" has now become the new and indisputable thing.

"Give up? Why give up. Charas smiled and continued slowly, "In order to make it easier to attack, the fleet of the South China Sea Alliance must be ambushed somewhere near the Reef, including the submarine that can take off and land carrier-based aircraft that appeared in the intelligence. ”

The officers exchanged glances and whispered a few words.

This is indeed not impossible.

Or rather, almost certainly.

Glancing around at his generals, Charas clenched his right fist, rested heavily on the command table, and said excitedly.

"Ladies and gentlemen! It's a trap, but it's also an opportunity! The traitors to the south do not know yet that we have seen through their tricks and that our daggers are at their throats! ”

"A new battle plan, codenamed 'Hit the Rocks'! Simultaneous with the 'Tropic of Cancer'! ”

"Respond to the Reef! Tell them we're done! Let them go to our designated coordinates to rendezvous! ”

The officers stood up and gave a military salute.

"Yes!"

……

On the rough sea, a lone ship was slowly heading northwest.

Zhang Ruowen suddenly felt that this ship was very much like himself, or maybe he was very much like this ship.

He didn't know where he was supposed to go.

This confusion is even more so in the wake of Charas's new manifesto.

Over the past 200 years, the survivors of the southern seas have done many things, but it seems that everything has been in vain, and in the end they are still repeating the mistakes of 200 years ago.

The Federation was born in flames, and then fell apart in even more vigorous flames.

They fell to the torch because of the enemy's opposition, but the overheated energy burned them all.

So what is all this for?

“…… It's normal for you to be confused, and the root of all the mistakes lies in the human species itself. This is the limit of physiological determination, and the old human beings belonged only to the earth and were only suitable to live on the earth. If a fish wants to go ashore, it has to evolve limbs, and only four limbs are not enough to go to the distant starry sky, and we still lack a revolution in our own life form. ”

The peaceful voice came from the depths of the sea of knowledge, like the gospel from heaven, and gave him a moment of peace.

Zhang Ruowen glanced sideways slightly, looked at the old man standing in the captain's room, but said with a smile.

"Then why don't you simply give up your flesh like your kind."

He knew that this guy was a high-ranking member of the Torch Church.

And he was the only apostle who did not become a forerunner and was granted the authority of the Holy Domain.

"That's extreme." Arzu shook his head and said slowly, "They hurriedly drew a line with people, but they put themselves in a disadvantageous position. If it were me, I would make use of my human identity to maximize the recovery of the legacy of the old civilization, and then carry out the final change. ”

If it is according to his method, although Torch can't deceive the academy, it can still deceive the enterprise.

The inhabitants of Ideal City still have some guilt about what happened 150 years ago, otherwise they would not have thrown money at the wasteland, let alone tried to correct the mistakes they had made in the past.

As for the Legion, it can be bought with the technology that the Willantes crave and the promise of their domination of the Great Rift. Even if the eastward expansion faction failed, there were still a considerable number of Willantes outside the Eastern Army who were eager to "take revenge" against the construction committee.

The subversion of the Great Rift and the freedom from the suzerainty are also desired by the Free States, who can form a tacit community of interests as they did during the Bone Chewing Rebellion.

In this way, even if the alliance uses all its resources, it will be difficult to pull up a siege network like the one now.

However, it is unfortunate that those pioneers regarded themselves too noblely, believing that "advanced ideas and concepts" would definitely be able to defeat the old, but mistakenly regarded what had not yet become history as a historical necessity.

And that's the end result.

In the end, it was up to him, a human who still had a physical body, to turn the tide.

Arzu sighed softly.

Thanks to his slight means, otherwise the situation would have been irreparable.

The other chip self should have alerted Charas, and now the North Island side should have known that the whole operation was a hoax.

The South China Sea Alliance probably wouldn't have thought that the captain of the Reef was actually its own apostle. And this apostle probably wouldn't have thought that he knew all his secrets.

The two men were silent, each with their own thoughts, looking at the turbulent waves outside the bridge.

At this time, there was a sound of footsteps outside the corridor, and the adjutant pushed the door in and gave a military salute, with a serious expression.

"Report sir! As you commanded, we've signaled...... The North Island Naval Base replied to us that they had received a request and that the destroyer USS Exocet was reinforcing the coordinates of the designated area. ”

"Hmm." Zhang Ruowen nodded, "Just do everything according to the plan." ”

The bait scheme is highly secretive.

Except for him, no one on the entire destroyer knew the code name "Laken", let alone that he was a decoy.

His cronies only knew that they were going to defect to the north, and most of the rank-and-file sailors didn't even know that the ship had deviated from the patrol lane, let alone that the ship's whereabouts had been exposed to the Northern fleet.

Everything is part of the plan.

Looking at Zhang Ruowen, who was expressionless, the adjutant hesitated slightly and said in a low voice.

"Sir......

Zhang Ruowen said casually.

"What's wrong?"

The adjutant was silent for a moment before continuing.

"Do this...... Is it really suitable? ”

Zhang Ruowen looked at him and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think Charas will trust you more than General Lee Minghui...... Back in the North Island, we may be welcomed in name, but the reality may be even worse. And ......"

The lieutenant hesitated, as if he was hesitating whether this was something he should say.

But after a moment of silence, he finally gritted his teeth and said what was in his heart.

"And I think...... More than Charas, the declaration advocated by the Southern Union is what we really need. ”

What they need is not false peace and unity, but real union!

Hearing this, Zhang Ruowen was silent for a while, as if he was waiting for something.

And at the same time that the needle and the minute hand coincided, he suddenly laughed twice, and said in a very soft voice.

"Yes, that's good."

The adjutant was stunned.

"Good?"

Zhang Ruowen nodded, smiled and continued.

"It's good that you've started thinking about our future...... Although I haven't figured out where I'm going to go in the future, at least some people are thinking, maybe my confusion is only temporary. ”

Looking at the confused adjutant, he continued.

"I chose Charas in large part because I didn't know what to do, and maybe a guy who was tough enough and a little bit of a guy could think for the guys...... At least he won't be as indecisive as Mongo, who babbles from dark to dawn like our cabinet, but can't come up with a reason. ”

"Maybe that guy isn't bad either...... At first, I thought that he might lead us to a brighter future. ”

But then I suddenly realized...... It was really just my laziness and delusion, that fool was no smarter than any of us, and that he would make the same mistakes we made because of our quarrels, and again and again, and so on, and so on. ”

I heard that the survivors of the southern seas have also been going out one after another, taking the legacy of the Age of Prosperity with them to change the rest of the wasteland and unite more people.

If it were Charas, they probably wouldn't have been allowed to do this.

That guy also tried in vain to build a huge sea power empire after settling the alliance, using the biological technology provided by the torch to compete with the legions, enterprises, and academies, and using the survivors of the southern seas as pawns and bargaining chips for his chess game.

It's so small......

Both ability and ambition.

He has become the president of the Federation, but he doesn't even dare to dream of being bigger!

Obviously, there was a wider sea of stars above them, but the guy could only see the pond at his feet.

If they follow that guy, they won't want to go back to the place they once set foot on in their lives!

The corners of Zhang Ruowen's mouth curled up with a smile, and he was extremely glad that he had made the most correct choice at that time, that is, he hesitated for two seconds when he received Charas's order.

However, looking at the smile on his face, the adjutant asked with a wry smile.

"Since you think Charas is unreliable, do you still want to choose him in the end?"

He didn't approve of the chief's defection, but it seemed too late to say anything.

The Reef has gone into radio silence, cutting off all communication with the South Sea Alliance.

No matter how sluggish Commander Li Minghui was, it would be time to realize that the Reef had mutinied.

At present, only the North Island command post knows their location and course, and they can only go one way to the dark.

At least in his opinion.

"You only see the surface...... It's normal to think so," Zhang Ruowen took out the binoculars, glanced in the direction of the north, paused and said, "There is no need to keep secrets now...... I can tell you unequivocally that we are just bait, and a decisive battle codenamed 'Laken' has begun! ”

"Pass my orders! The whole ship has entered the first level of combat readiness! Get ready to meet our ships! ”

As he expected, he looked at the adjutant's face with blazing eyes.

Including the other officers on the bridge, they were unaware of the sudden change, and they did not expect that a routine patrol or defection would turn into a final decisive battle with the Northern Federation!

Except for one person.

That is the Arzu that only Zhang Ruowen himself can see.

The latter's facial muscles gradually distorted, revealing a grim smile like that of a sea beast.

Really!

This guy is really a fake surrender and really leads the way!

This guy finally has a showdown!

Before entering the radio silence, he had already informed the North Island Naval Command that as long as the guys continued along the same route, what awaited them would not be the destroyer Exocet, but the cruiser Laeken!

That's an anti-ship ship designed specifically for destroyers!

In the past century, Vault 70 has not only feared the subversion of the Legion of the War Construction Committee, but also the survivors of the Southern Seas, and has designed a series of counterbalances to prevent them from using the technology brought by the Vault against the Vault.

At the same time, the battleship Haiya will be under the cover of the Exocet and the destroyer Defender, and at the same time against the ambush forces of the South China Sea Alliance at sea and under the sea!

No matter how powerful the submarine mother and carrier-based aircraft are, they cannot be the opponent of destroyers designed specifically for anti-submarine.

Of course, it's even worse if it floats to the surface!

As for the cruiser Harpoon, which provided cover for the submarines, as well as two other destroyers, it was a joke in front of the main guns of the battleship Haiya!

Arzu looked at Captain Zhang Ruowen with a smile, but he didn't want the latter to be looking at him as well.

There was no ripple on that expressionless face.

However, at this moment, Argumi noticed an unusual smile on the corner of his calm mouth.

This guy is laughing!

He can even laugh?

Suddenly, Arzu suddenly thought of something, and the void hole suddenly shrank.

And so on -

Codename Raken!?

The operation code name of the South China Sea Alliance's decoy plan is actually called Laken!

This is no coincidence!

There is only one explanation, the gang went to the cruiser Laeken in the first place!

They had predicted their own and Charas' predictions, that Charas would not believe the Reef, and that they would even be able to read the apostles' thoughts and leak the secrets...... Even if the secret torch has never been revealed to anyone!

Even Charas doesn't know!

"I guess you're surprised by now, how I managed to hide the code name of the operation from you, right?" Looking at the smile that gradually turned from ecstasy to fear, Zhang Ruowen said in a very soft voice.

Without disconnecting consciousness, Arzu's Adam's apple moved. He nodded slowly.

Zhang Ruowen didn't care, and continued casually.

"If you want to fool your opponent, you have to fool yourself first...... To tell you the truth, I just found out what the code name of this operation was. ”

"How is that possible!" Arzu stared at him deadly, only to find that he had not panicked.

A terrible conjecture came to his mind, and with it, a drop of cold sweat that didn't exist.

Zhang Ruowen continued.

"You already know it's an ambush, so it's not another destroyer that came to 'pick up' me. Neither Exocet nor Defender is possible, it will take a while to get results, and it can't be a battleship...... That guy from Charas wasn't going to risk his only treasure out of the protection of the fleet just to destroy a destroyer. ”

"So I think it can only be the Laken. After all, you have made it clear that it will be an anti-submarine destroyer that will 'pick up' me, and we will not let any of the submarines follow the Reef if we are sure that the plan has not been revealed, but will certainly ambush further away. ”

"In this way, even if the Laken's anti-submarine capabilities are weak, there will be plenty of time to turn around and join your ambushed fleet nearby after sinking us, and attract the surface and underwater fleets of the South China Sea Alliance into your ambush circle."

If that were the case, it would undoubtedly be a disaster.

The submarines of the South Sea Alliance were powerless in the face of the destroyers of the Northern Federation, and the only cruiser of the South Sea Alliance, the Harpoon, could not be the match of the battleship Haiya.

The whole battle will end cleanly like rock-paper-scissors, without the slightest suspense.

However, it is precisely because of this that they can take advantage of this, in turn, using Charas's prejudgment of the "South China Sea Alliance"!

If he guessed correctly, there must be an ambush of a South Sea Alliance submarine near him at this moment, and it has already aimed at the "Laken" that falsely claims to be the Exocet and is approaching this area!

"Lee Ming-hui didn't tell me the code name of this operation, so it's all my guess, and if the code name of the operation is actually Exocet or something, then it proves that I was wrong."

Looking at Arzu with a frightened look on his face, Zhang Ruowen's eyes looked through the empty face, looking at the rolling waves outside the bridge and the "Laken" hidden behind the waves, and a surging smile appeared on his face.

"But your reaction tells me that I guessed right!"