Chapter 149. The long game.

In a large room in sector 3 of the Eldorath Empire Military Frontlines, several admirals from across the ten bases were currently seated across a table.

They looked at a holographic screen.

They all had furious expressions on their faces.

7 of their most resourceful operatives had died.

Only four were fortunate enough to escape.

A single lightning attack. Not even the aircraft survived.

"Zoom in," one of the admirals said.

The Intelligence agent nodded. He zoomed in on the person who launched the lightning attack and killed the elite operatives of base c322.

The satellite footage managed to capture him. Through several scans, his actual identity was currently displayed.

[Name: Dominio Stele.

Affiliation: Cyrenthia Empire.

Current Position: Major of the Cyrenthia Empire Military. Sector 9, base x455.

Specialised in Black Ops operations.

Affinity: Lightning.

Rank: Expert rank 3]

"So it’s him?" Several admirals said at the same time.

They knew this guy. He was one of the key Black ops agents of the Cyrenthia Empire Military.

"They actually sent this guy to eliminate our operatives. Those bastards..."

"We were really covert this time. How the hell did they find out about zone zero?"

"You underestimate the Cyrenthia Empire’s intelligence networks. We were over confident."

"Indeed."

Murmurs and nods spread across the room.

Bzztttt...

"Any news about the surviving operatives so far?"

"No. None of them have reached out."

"Damn it. We can’t tell whether or not they are alive then. What do we do?"

"Only four of them won’t be enough to handle the situation. In fact, one of them is a legendary rank 2 warrior."

All the admirals looked at Deepsea and the other three admirals of base c322.

Why would these guys send a legendary rank 2 warrior on such a mission?

"He’s that blacklisted operative who rejected our offers to be our disciple," Deepsea said.

"Ah. So he’s that person," the admirals said.

It made sense then. Operatives who disrespected their superiors deserved to be punished. If they were not taught a lesson, they’d think the world revolved around them.

"Seriously. Its not what you are all thinking. I’m not as petty to include operative Vhorn in such an operation to punish him or get him killed. He has already been blacklisted. That should be enough punishment for him," Deepsea said with a righteous face. "However, he is known to have high stamina and extremely strong scouting abilities suited for harsh environments. I am sure you are well aware of his accomplishments before and after he came to the Frontlines?"

Everyone, except the other three amdirals of c322, who were members of the Order, bought his lies.

They all nodded. He was right.

"In fact, considering the fact that he was the first person to come out of the aircraft, he was most likely the one who alerted the other three operatives. Operative Vhorn saved their lives. This proves that my decision to include him in the operation was too notch," Deepsea added.

"Indeed."

"I suppose we didn’t look at it from the right angle."

"That’s logical."

The admirals nodded among themselves.

Deepsea and the three other admirals of c322 chuckled inwardly.

These bastards were very easy to fool.

As for the current development with the operation Frozen Canopy, they were very happy about it. Aiden Vhorn’s chances of survival were quite slim, considering the current development. However the situation developed further at zone zero, they didn’t see many alternatives of survival ahead of him.

"Anyway, back to the matter at hand, what do we do?" One of the admirals said.

"We can’t send more operatives to zone zero at the moment. We have already lost more than enough personnel."

"I don’t agree. Zone zero is a cultivation haven we can’t ignore. We need to send more elite operatives there to secure the area. It’s highly likely that the Cyrenthia Empire fuckers will send their own operatives there to claim zone zero for themselves."

"For now, I think we should wait and analyze their response before we take any further actions."

"I don’t think that’s a wise approach."

The admirals discussed among themselves.

Suddenly, one of the admirals raised his hand.

The moment he raised his hand, the other admirals became quiet. He was the chair of meetings between the admirals at sector 3.

Everyone looked at him with respect. Or at least, they pretended to.

"Everything everyone has said makes a lot of sense. However, we need to understand one thing. The Cyrenthia Empire can’t risk having a war with us right now. We can’t risk having a war with them now. We are already dealing with the threats of chaotic beasts, and gate incidents at the Frontlines," He continued. "Also, our other neighboring empires are observing each other, us included. If we do anything that weakens our military power, they will attack us."

Everyone listened to him calmly. His words made a lot of sense. He was right. They could not afford to be careless.

Silence settled in the room for a few moments before someone spoke.

"So what’s the way forward?"

The admiral everyone respected said, "We have to play the long game. I’m sure they will send operatives to zone zero covertly. Dominio Stele will most likely not follow the team they will send there. The situation has not escalated to a point where major powerhouses have to get involved. If expert and legendary rank 3 powerhouses get involved, the situation will escalate into a full scale war both empires are not prepared to pay the price for. For now, let’s trust the operatives who survived and see how the situation develops. If we don’t hear anything from them for the next two months, we can consider sending another badge of elites into zone zero. By then, if operatives from Cyrenthia Empire are in zone zero, they will already be weak. Our operatives can just swoop in and get rid of them and claim zone zero for us."

Everyone nodded. This was a more logical way forward.

"Even if some of our operatives kill elite operatives of theirs, they can’t afford to go to war with us. They can only target that operative and try to assassinate them quietly. That will be the operative’s collateral damage to handle.However, we won’t give up on zone zero. No matter how long it takes, we will play this covert game with them. They will eventually give up and let us have zone zero," The admiral added.

Nods of agreement spread through the room.

Everyone agreed with this arrangement. This was the most plausible way forward.

Deepsea and the three other admirals of c322 were very happy inwardly. Aiden Vhorn had a very small chance of returning alive. The situation had really worked in their favor.

The meeting was concluded.

****

Meanwhile...

At the Frontlines of Cyrenthia Empire Military, a similar meeting between admirals of one sector was taking place in a room..

" Our decision is final then. We will play the long game with them. A war with them is not something we are prepared for. I believe the Eldorath Empire bastards also understand this.

So, we will send operatives for as long as they keep sending operatives to zone zero. Eventually, they will give up, and zone zero will be ours. If any of their operatives kill any of our operatives, place a target on the back of that particular operative and eliminate that operative. There won’t be any need to take things too far by antagonising their military.", a female admiral chairing the meeting said.

Everyone in the room nodded

"Prepare an elite strike team and send them to zone zero effect immediately", she added.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The meeting was dismissed.