"So, as long as we destroy those three charging nodes, we can stop the wormhole from expanding?" someone asked excitedly.
Losing one battle was no big deal. What mattered was that the defeat had to mean something!
Beckman smiled and shook his head. "No. To be precise, destroying any one of those nodes will break the charging apparatus's stable triangular structure, preventing the wormhole from expanding any further!
"In fact, according to the Academy of Sciences' estimates, once it loses its continuous energy supply, the wormhole may well gradually shrink back to its original size."
A stir ran through the room. Delight shone in everyone's eyes. If they really could find a way to curb the wormhole's expansion, the enemy would lose most of its strategic advantage, putting both sides back on equal footing.
At the very least, they could check the enemy offensive and buy more time to muster their own forces.
"Then did our task force succeed in the end?" someone quickly asked.
"Unfortunately, those three charging nodes are hidden within the enemy's defensive lines. Although we located them, the enemy had also stationed heavy forces there.
"In fact, most of the Mecha Forces the enemy secretly assembled were hidden near those three nodes. They were heavily guarded, to say the least. Before our task force could even get close, it was driven back by the enemy mecha pouring out," Beckman said.
Disappointment fell over the room, but Beckman smiled. "Although we failed to destroy a node this time, we obtained the most valuable intelligence of all. Destroying something is far easier than protecting it, and we have three targets to choose from!"
"Exactly! Now that we know the nodes' coordinates, it'll be much easier next time if we concentrate our forces on breaking through to one of