The player is playing like a god, and has already advanced to Space Marine level at the start.

Fortress Calonsis III World.

This planet was completely sealed off by thick steel.

The orbital defense platforms, as dense as a spider web, form the first line of defense against all threats.

Tens of thousands of automated turrets reflected the pale light of the stars.

Further in, energy barriers fit snugly against the planet's surface.

This thickness is enough to crush any derailed asteroid.

The mountains and rivers have long since disappeared from the earth's surface.

As far as the eye can see, there are endless clusters of fortresses, anti-aircraft matrices, and bottomless bunkers.

This is the toughest nut to crack in the Calonsis star system.

It is also the last gateway to the alien homeworld.

The Imperial fleet held its ground three million kilometers from the defense zone.

The engine stalled.

The giant ship hovered.

The steel mountains looked down upon their prey.

The holographic projection peeled away the layers of the fortress's defenses, revealing a dense array of red firing points that filled the entire field of vision.

Lu Xiao stood on the high platform, arms crossed over her chest.

"A tough nut to crack."

The previous battles were open field battles, and they were crushing victories.

The Imperial fleet, with its overwhelming armor and firepower, was able to sweep through the enemy lines.

But fortress warfare on a planetary scale is a different matter altogether.

"Commander."

Xu Tianlong's fingertips flew across the control panel, countless fluctuating data flashing behind his glasses.

"The analysis results are in."

"The firepower density here is more than ten times that of the previous Fortress No. 1."

"If we just ram them, the fleet will be bombarded by railguns before it even gets close."

Lu Xiao didn't turn around, his voice low:

"Can we win?"

"able."

Xu Tianlong answered very decisively.

"Void Shield withstands the attack, Macro Cannons exchange fire."

"Using corpses at any cost, we can break through this tortoise shell in three days."

He paused, glancing at Lu Xiao's cold, hard profile out of the corner of his eye.

"But the casualties are too bad to look at."

"We Space Marines can hold on, we're mostly fine, but those Astraklan mortals are basically just there to fill the gaps."

Lu Xiao's mind raced through battles from before his transmigration, as well as the slaughtering instincts of the battle corps commander.

War is not only a business of killing, but also a business of settling accounts.

Achieve maximum results with minimal losses.

"A direct assault is not worthwhile."

Lu Xiao turned around and glanced at the faces of the company commanders.

"Don't just stand there, tell us what you're saying."

"How do we fight this battle?"

"What I want is efficiency, to make this planet kneel at the feet of the Empire, not to send my soldiers into the meat grinder."

Everyone looked at each other.

Li Erniu scratched his helmet with his thick fingers and spoke in a gruff voice:

"Commander, how about I lead the assault team in an airdrop pod and force our way into the crater?"

"Once they get inside the fortress, my flamethrower will show them what it means to be burned."

He Chenguang shook his head directly.

"No, Erniu."

"The air defense fire net has no blind spots."

"The airdrop capsule would turn into a fireball in space before it even landed."

"That's suicide."

Li Erniu's face turned red, and he shut his mouth.

Lei Zhan took a step forward.

Boom!

The heavy footsteps drowned out the hushed chatter.

He removed his white commander's helmet, revealing a weathered face with a cunning glint in his eyes, typical of a special forces commander.

"Commander."

He pointed to the communication node on the holographic star map.

"Why should we bother with those iron pipes?"

Lu Xiao raised an eyebrow.

"Go on."

Lei Zhan sneered.

"The planet's defenses are very strong, with each fortress having overlapping firepower, so a small change in one area can have far-reaching consequences."

"If we attack point A, the artillery fire from points B and C will immediately follow."

"This defense is intricately linked."

He suddenly clenched his fists and then traced them across the star map.

"But what if this network breaks?"

"What if they become blind or deaf?"

"If point A is completely destroyed, and point B is completely silent, what would that be like?"

Lu Xiao's pupils contracted slightly.

"Electronic warfare."

"That's right."

Lei Zhan nodded.

"The alien's technology may look fancy, but compared to the treasures of the Great Sage Caul, it's just a primitive man's wooden stick."

"The Thinker array of Skyblade VII has more than enough power to overwhelm them."

He clenched his fists.

"Cut off communications, burn down radar, and cripple their command chain."

"Let them each fight their own battles."

"At that time, this planet will not be a solid block, but ten thousand isolated and helpless grave mounds."

"We can eat whichever piece we want."

Lei Zhan lowered his voice, which carried a cruel undertone.

"They can even forge orders to make their own people fight each other."

A suppressed gasp echoed through the hall.

That's a cunning and ruthless move.

Xu Tianlong quickly simulated and deduced the scenario on the panel.

"feasible!"

"With the main array running at full power, combined with the Mechanicus's useless code virus, we can instantly break down their firewall."

"These aliens' encryption methods are still quite rudimentary."

"In front of us, they are running around naked."

Simple and direct, that suits his taste perfectly.

"Okay, let's do it this way."

He waved his hand, and his cloak fluttered behind him.

"Lei Zhan, you're in charge of implementing the plan you proposed."

"Xu Tianlong, mobilize all mechanical priests and technical soldiers to cooperate with Lei Zhan."

"Turn Tianren-7 into the largest signal transmission tower in this star system."

"I'll make sure these aliens can't transmit even a single byte!"

"Commander, let's give this operation a name."

Lu Xiao walked to the porthole and gazed at the planet that seemed ready for battle.

My thoughts drifted back to an era before I traveled through time.

That was the first time humanity had demonstrated the classic example of information-based dimensional reduction warfare.

Paralyze command, blind radar, and then a steel torrent sweeps everything away.

History always repeats itself.

Lu Xiao turned around, her eyes flashing red.

"Just call it"

"Desert Storm"

……

Fortress No. 3, Central Command Tower.

Five thousand meters underground.

Several meters thick armor plates and rock layers fiercely protect the brain of this planet.

The command center was as spacious as a football field, with thousands of operators staring intently at their screens, and a pungent smell of anxiety permeating the air.

Commander Baal was an elderly Calonsis.

His ashen skin drooped loosely, but his eyes were as sinister as a venomous snake.

He stared intently at the big screen.

Three million kilometers away, the imperial fleet stood motionless like a group of stone statues.

Three whole days.

There was no attack, no retreat, not even a radio response.

This deathly silence is more agonizing than the sound of gunfire.

"What are they waiting for?"

Baal's fingertips trembled wildly on the armrest, the rhythm completely shattered.

"Are you really scared?"

The adjutant wiped away a cold sweat, bowed, and smiled apologetically:

"Commander, I think it's probably true."

"They destroyed the first two fleets, but they must have also suffered heavy losses themselves."

"That kind of ramming tactic is suicidal; their ship must be under repair."

He pointed to the defensive perimeter.

"Given this situation, anyone would have to think twice."

"They are made of flesh and blood, not iron."

As Baal listened, his brow relaxed slightly.

Humans, this short-lived species, may be savage as they may be, but they also know how to seek advantage and avoid harm.

Faced with this iron hedgehog, who would dare to bite it easily?

But the unease in my heart kept nagging at me.

These lunatics are willing to use corner ramming, why would they care about this little bit of defense?

What kind of bad scheme are they plotting?

Barr stood up and paced anxiously on the control panel.

"Don't let your guard down."

"These monkeys are cunning."

He stopped, his voice high-pitched and shrill:

"Defense level raised by another level!"

"Backup power is all connected to the grid, and radar power is running at its maximum!"

"Even if a fly flies in, I need to know whether it's male or female!"

"Send a message to the home planet, telling the governor that the enemy is being held back, but I need reinforcements to stabilize the situation."

The adjutant nodded repeatedly.

"I understand, you have great foresight."

"By the way, aren't the soldiers on the front lines a bit too tense...?"

"Keep them on edge!"

Barr interrupted sharply.

"Anyone who dares to slack off will be executed on the spot!"

"To defend this planet, these human expeditionary forces will have to fight to the last drop of blood."

He stared intently at the screen, a fierce glint in his eyes.

"Let's see who can outlast whom."

"My supplies are enough to last me ten years. What about yours?"

"Would you drink the northwest wind in a vacuum?"

He thought this was a siege battle where everyone had to rely on their own resources.

He thought that as long as he stayed in his shell and didn't make any mistakes, he would be invincible.

……

Skyblade No. 7, Mechanical Temple.

This is the data heart of the entire ship, and also the trigger point for Desert Storm.

A hundred priests in red robes sat in a circle.

Thick cables were attached to their bodies, and their prosthetic eyes emitted an eerie red glow.

The air was thick with a bittersweet aroma of oils that soothed the soul of the machine.

In the center of the hall, a massive array of Thinkers was operating wildly.

This is a masterpiece personally tuned by Kaul, with enough computational power to simulate a subspace storm.

Xu Tianlong pressed on the control panel.

Behind the lens, the data stream rushes by like a waterfall.

"Data chain lock-in".

"The code-breaking virus is ready to be injected."

"Wide-area jamming array, 100% charged."

He took a deep breath and turned to look at Lei Zhan.

Lei Zhan remained expressionless as he slashed downwards with his right hand.

"implement."

"Give them a lesson."

Xu Tianlong pressed the bright red start button.

"Praise be to the god of all machines."

"Desert Storm, rise!"

A wave, barely perceptible to the naked eye, swept out from Skyblade No. 7.

That wasn't a cannonball; it was an information tsunami that was far more deadly than a cannonball.

The massive data junk folders, numbering in the hundreds of billions, swept away at the speed of light in the vacuum.

In an instant, Fortress No. 3 was submerged.

……

Inside the command center.

Barr had just picked up his glass of wine, ready to moisten his throat.

Sizzle—!!!

A piercing shriek exploded without warning.

That was the scream of an audio device momentarily overloaded.

"Oh! My ears!"

Countless operators rolled on the ground, clutching their heads, blood seeping from between their fingers.

Followed by.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

The screens in the lobby shattered one after another.

Sparks flew everywhere, and shards of glass were scattered all over the ground.

The surveillance footage instantly turned into static, and then went completely dark.

"What's going on?!"

The cup in Barr's hand shattered into pieces.

"Report...Report! The radar is lost!"

"All communications are down! We can't contact ground troops!"

"Fire control system crashed! The turret won't rotate!"

Bad news followed one after another.

The entire command center was in complete chaos.

The instrument started smoking, the red lights flashed wildly, and then one by one they went out.

"Where's the backup system?! Switch it now!"

Barr grabbed his adjutant by the collar and roared, spitting all over his face.

"I can't cut it... I can't cut it!"

The adjutant, his face covered in blood, cried out in despair:

"It's all gibberish! The motherboard burns out as soon as I turn it on!"

"Our network... has been forcibly taken over!"

Barr was stunned.

He released his grip, and the adjutant collapsed to the ground like a limp rag.

Baal felt as if he had fallen into an abyss, surrounded by unseen dangers.

"It's over..."

Barr's lips trembled.

He finally understood why the fleet had stopped moving.

They were waiting for this moment.

"Quickly! Send a messenger!"

He realized what was happening and roared hysterically:

"Run on foot! To the artillery position! To the barracks!"

Tell them to hold their ground!

"The enemy is coming!"

However, it was too late.