Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 296 The Battle of Kharkiv, Part Three

Although Chen Xi was eager to return to the 3K era immediately to test the effects of the rejuvenation potion, reason told him that this matter had to be considered carefully and could not be rushed.

First, Olivia needs a certain amount of time to prepare the rejuvenating potion.

Such sophisticated biological agents require rigorous cultivation, purification, and stabilization processes, which cannot be completed in a short period of time.

Even with Olivia's technical skill level, it would take some time to deliver a qualified finished product.

More importantly, the social impact of the rejuvenating potion was far too significant, which made Chen Xi think deeply.

This miraculous drug, capable of extending human lifespan by decades, was nothing short of opening Pandora's box for humanity in the 3K era.

It is foreseeable that once the news breaks, the world's rich and powerful will spare no expense to compete for it, and may even be willing to pay astronomical sums of money in exchange for the chance to live for decades longer.

However, huge profits inevitably come with huge risks.

Those who cannot obtain the medicine through legitimate channels may resort to desperate measures and extreme methods to seize it.

Even more frightening is that some powerful figures may have the idea of ​​monopolizing this life-extending technology, attempting to enjoy it only for themselves and a few others, and even going so far as to use the state apparatus for it.

Chen Xi had to consider the worst-case scenario: once the existence of the rejuvenation potion was confirmed, governments, intelligence agencies, underground organizations, and even transnational corporations might all turn their attention to him.

At that time, not only will he personally face great danger, but his family and friends may also become targets of blackmail.

This invisible threat was like a sword of Damocles, constantly hanging over his head.

Although he should be able to receive a considerable degree of protection given his current status and position, Chen Xi is well aware of the greed and darkness in human nature.

He didn't want to gamble the safety of his loved ones on the moral bottom line of those powerful people, and he was even less willing to spend the rest of his life in a heavily guarded "sterile box," losing the most basic freedom of an ordinary person.

This predicament led Chen Xi into deep thought.

Perhaps the rejuvenating serum should be diluted to reduce its life-extending effect?
This way, the family's needs can be met without causing too much of a stir.

But then I thought, even the diluted medicine is still valuable enough to make some people resort to any means necessary.

Another, more radical idea popped into his mind: why not ask Olivia for a simplified version of the formula, create a "low-end" rejuvenation potion that could only extend lifespan by ten or eight years, and then release it directly to the world?

This way, we can benefit the public while avoiding becoming the target of public criticism.

But the ensuing social unrest and ethical issues made him hesitate.

Chen Xi rubbed his temples with a wry smile.

He knew perfectly well that he was neither a strategist who could devise plans from scratch, nor a wise man who could calculate without error.

Although he could come up with various solutions, each solution had obvious loopholes and hidden dangers, which left him in a dilemma.

Just as he was tossing and turning over this matter, the Battle of Kharkiv had already begun.

As the supreme commander of the expeditionary force, he had to temporarily set aside this problem and devote all his energy to this battle that concerned the lives of millions.
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According to the latest battle report received by Chen Xi, the first wave of strike forces led by Ventanus has successfully broken through the enemy's defenses and established a stable landing site on the surface of the planet Kharkov.

This vanguard force, composed of elite Astartes warriors, completed its orbital drop with lightning speed, opening up a crucial strategic foothold for subsequent troops.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Navy's main fleet seized the opportunity to penetrate the Kharkov system, engaging in fierce combat with the Necromancer's defensive fleet. Although they failed to completely defeat the enemy fleet, they successfully suppressed the Necromancer fleet's operational space, providing crucial orbital cover for the continued deployment of ground troops.

The naval officers and soldiers made up for their technological and equipment disadvantages with their tenacious fighting spirit, and cleared the obstacles from space for the ground troops with concentrated artillery fire.

Currently, Ventanus's vanguard has constructed a comprehensive defensive fortification system on the planet's surface.

The soldiers are reinforcing their positions while awaiting the arrival of the second wave of landing troops.

The battle on the tracks was even more intense.

The Imperial Navy fleet, along with Space Marine strike cruisers, formed a joint task force to engage in a thrilling space naval battle against the Necromancer fleet. The battle remains deadlocked.

However, despite being slightly inferior in maneuverability and firepower range, the Imperial warships maintained a stable front line thanks to their numerical superiority and skillful tactical coordination.

From a strategic perspective, the Empire clearly holds the initiative.

The second wave of attacks, led by Sigismund and Locken, has completed its jump and is advancing at full speed toward the war zone.

Meanwhile, the third batch of reinforcements, composed of the main force of the Star Guardians, is ready to go.

If the Necromancers are unable to mobilize reinforcements or employ other tactical means in time, it will only be a matter of time before the Imperial army gradually expands its gains and ultimately wins the war.

However, Chen Xi was also keenly aware that the Imperial Navy was under tremendous pressure.

After all, there is a performance gap between the Imperial Navy's warships and the space necromancers' warships.

It's roughly the same as how Imperial cruisers can fight against Necromancer light cruisers, but can't catch up.

If the Necromancers hadn't been forced to stay in Kharkov orbit and engage the Imperial fleet in direct combat, their superior maneuverability alone would have been enough to put the Imperial Navy in a difficult position by employing guerrilla tactics.

Therefore, Sigismund and Locken's second wave of attack troops had already entered the battle the moment Chen Xi received the battle report, seizing that precious opportunity.

The timely addition of these two new forces not only consolidated the initial gains but also created a valuable opportunity for the Imperial Army to expand its advantage.

However, the smooth advance of the ground forces cannot mask a grim fact—if the Imperial Navy fails to gain a decisive advantage on the orbital battlefield, the campaign will still face enormous strategic risks.

He knew perfectly well that the outcome of the space battle would directly determine the course of the entire campaign.

Even if the ground forces achieve successive victories, once the naval fleet loses in the battle for orbit, all ground forces will be left isolated and helpless.

Conversely, even if ground operations are temporarily thwarted, as long as the Imperial Navy can maintain control of space, it can organize new airborne operations at any time to provide fire support for ground troops.

After careful consideration, Chen Xi made two important decisions: First, he immediately sent an urgent request for assistance to the capital of the star sector, requesting that more warships be dispatched to reinforce the front line in Kharkiv.

This encrypted battle report was urgently transmitted via the Star Speaker, emphasizing the strategic need to "prioritize securing orbital control."

At the same time, he ordered the General Staff to immediately begin assembling all available warships in the Kherson defense zone, and even several armed transport ships originally responsible for logistical escort were incorporated into the temporary task force.

Although this hastily assembled fleet is limited in size, it can at least provide much-needed support to the frontline navy.

(End of this chapter)