The Silver Mutual Aid Society's Misgivings
"Our Ship A73 are responsible for long-range firepower in this mission, while Ship D15 is responsible for amphibious landing operations. If support is needed, our two ships are ready to provide backup at any time..."
On the projected screen, Major Qi announced the new operational division of labor.
As expected, having connections makes things easier. The Ship A73, which was previously exploited and forced to do dirty and tiring work, is now truly seeing a turnaround.
They were actually used as cruisers, primarily for long-range strikes and cleanup operations, which greatly reduced their combat pressure.
As for the distribution ratio of military merits, even though it is now divided among the three parties, it has not actually decreased much.
Compared to the allocation standards during the period when the Ship D15 was dominant, the overall figure has only decreased by about 18%.
The Ship D15, whose military achievements were entirely taken by SA199.
Captain Isos listened to Major Qi's battle plan, his face already ashen, his cheek muscles twitching slightly.
He was naturally dissatisfied with the arrangement and couldn't say he was convinced by Major Qi.
Unfortunately, he ultimately remained silent and did not dare to object to Major Qi.
Of course, opposing it is useless; it will only bring shame upon oneself!
"This is the last combat point in the middle section, I hope everyone will be on high alert!"
"Since there are no objections now, we must not be negative during the battle. We must actively cooperate, follow orders, and do our utmost to win the battle!"
"If anyone's fighting, make excuses for it, hehe~!"
Major Qi's words were naturally meant for Major Isos's ears.
These words, spoken during an operations meeting of the three ships' senior officers, were tantamount to a direct warning to Major Isos.
Not long after the meeting ended, Major Qi sent another private message.
"How are you doing? Things haven't been easy lately, have they?"
In the private lounge, Lister nodded.
"I'm personally okay, but the captain is under a lot of pressure."
Besides himself, Captain Isos of D15 exerted the most pressure on Captain Boren.
In contrast, his personal abilities rendered all the pressure and underhanded tactics useless.
On the contrary, Captain Boren and the rest of the crew were bullied and oppressed by their superiors.
Leading reconnaissance for enemy warships and engaging in direct confrontation with the enemy fleet to draw their fire is one thing.
Even the replenishment of the D15 warship after each battle, and even the maintenance of individual weapons and the warship itself, were carried out by their own crew members.
Fortunately, this period of hardship did not last long, and Major Qi has finally freed them from their miserable days on the ship.
"After all, he served in the Civilization Army, so he must have experienced a lot of this kind of thing. He'll get used to it."
"You must have suffered a lot of injustice. Seeing that you're in good spirits now, I'm relieved!"
Sure enough, Major Qi's attitude towards him was completely different from his attitude towards Captain Boren.
It's likely that if it weren't for his presence, Major Qi would have simply accepted Captain Boren's predicament without question.
The disparity in status between the Central Army and the Civilization Army is thus evident.
Even though they hold the same military rank, the actual power and status of the two sides differ greatly.
"I've read the ship's recent combat report about you; your strength is growing rapidly!"
"It's about to undergo its third evolution, right?"
"Still waiting for an opportunity."
The third job change is a crucial milestone in the Galactic Federation.
In the Federation Military District, this is the core standard for officers at the rank of colonel; in the Federation Government, it would qualify them to run for Congress.
As for civilizations, it goes without saying that to advance to a Level 3 civilization, one needs an "advanced life form" that has undergone three stages of evolution.
Overall, it roughly corresponds to his memories from his previous life.
The Galactic Federation is a game with Third Advancement class system, and the difficulty spikes significantly after the Third Advancement in the game's previous version.
Whether it's leveling up or upgrading skills, the required experience points increase tenfold.
This period can be described as a very important time for development and accumulation.
Major Qi nodded and offered him a few words of comfort.
"With your talent, the opportunity for your third evolution is just a matter of time."
"It's good to accumulate more experience now. Judging from your current strength, becoming a 'Quasi-Hegemon' after evolution shouldn't be a problem."
"The real challenge lies in the path after the third evolution. Most of the 'Quasi-Hegemon' I've seen fall at this stage, losing their chance to become true Hegemon."
"You need to be prepared and stay calm!"
"I see!"
The Galactic Federation has accumulated many Hegemons over the years.
But only a handful can truly become Hegemons.
For ordinary people in this world, even if their rank and combat power can be continuously improved, evolution is not guaranteed; there are certain bottlenecks and difficulties.
In comparison, although Lister's Third Advancement quest was not easy, at least he could see the path.
He wasn't worried about whether he could become Hegemon in the future.
Lister's current goal is more about becoming World-Ending Level, that is, a leader of a major power during a great cosmic era.
Seeing his confidence, Major Qi then changed the subject and started talking about the mission.
"This mission is only just beginning."
"I spoke with Lieutenant Colonel Weiss about some current information. There are some unusual things going on your ship's Route Three. I don't know if you've investigated that?"
Lister was only in charge of ground landing operations, didn't really sense anything special and silently shook his head.
"The number of Silver Mutual Aid Society Security personnel on your route has increased a bit too much."
"Judging from the timing, it roughly started after our two ships completed a joint mission."
"However, the reinforcements were not particularly strong overall, and no core members of the opposing organization came forward to resist them."
"Furthermore, the enemy's main warships rarely come to your line of defense; at most, they send small cruisers, and they are unlikely to engage your ships in a full-scale battle."
"According to our intelligence personnel's analysis, it seems that the enemy's main warships and core members are somewhat wary of your route."
"But the specific reason... is still unknown."
Upon hearing this, Lister remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was startled.
He instantly came to a conclusion about what the Silver Mutual Aid Society was wary of.
It's definitely because of that "Planetary Catalyst"!
He said that amphibious landing operations are becoming increasingly difficult, with the number of personnel increasing from dozens per planet at the beginning to several hundred now, which is clearly not right.
Furthermore, there were very few direct confrontations between warships; the opposing side would retreat whenever it reached a certain point.
On the contrary, the ground defense personnel fought to the very end.
Perhaps they realized the "Planetary Catalyst" was lost on Route Three, so they're trying to lure them into detonating it prematurely?
Unfortunately, a large number of troops cannot change the course of the battle; at least for Lister, quantity cannot replace quality.
With the addition of the Ship D15 later on, this kind of operation, apart from being more time-consuming, had no other significance.
"Therefore, Lieutenant Colonel Weiss plans to take the final offensive route along Line 3."
"Recently, many Central Army have entered the core section and will gradually approach our Line 3."
"Just to be on the safe side, your ship will also join our Central Army's main warships in the final offensive operation."
Because they didn't know what the other side was wary of, even though Lieutenant Colonel Weiss didn't think it was because of the A73, he decided to keep their ship as part of the general assault fleet.
To be fair, the commander and Lieutenant Colonel Weiss are quite capable.
However, this was not good news for Lister, especially for the crew of Ship A73.
Not to mention that they possess a high-energy Planetary Catalyst of unknown origin.
Once the main players truly converge on Line 3, the Silver Mutual Aid Society) will likely shift its focus back to that catalyst.
They, A73, will likely still suffer in the end.