Matilda continued.
"If we send troops into every tunnel we find, our forces on the surface will lose its support. We should inspect the entrances first, seal or guard those that are not immediately necessary, and only enter the ones that threaten the route or the future base."
Hans slowly nodded.
He had almost ordered his soldiers to search everything beneath several city blocks without considering where those passages might lead.
"What if we encounter a hive along those tunnels?"
Although it was almost impossible this would happen, Hans wanted to be ready just in case.
"They will mark the areas as unsafe, and collapse the route before the hive could spread nearby."
Matilda gave a not-so-perfect, but not-so-bad solution.
They still had no idea how these hives proliferated, nor how they spread so widely after a certain amount of time.
I should bring Tyrus to observe in the future, Hans narrowed his eyes. But the psychic waves may hinder him. His mind should be strengthened as well too.
However, that would be for another operation.
He had no intention of throwing Tyrus inside a tunnel just to see whether his mind could endure a hive’s scream. That would be inhuman on Hans’s part.
Hans returned his attention to Matilda.
"Assume the collapsed route does not stop it."
"Then we withdraw from the affected section and establish another defensive line farther back," Matilda answered. "We should not allow the search teams to become trapped underground."
Hans sighed.
This was the better outcome.
Killing them required knowing where their main body was.
Kimmy could definitely help, but that was just the killing part. Surviving the hive’s retaliation was another.
The closer he and his army was to the center of the city, the higher the amount of infected they would face.
Hans was not ready to face millions of infected lounging toward his base at once. Yet.
The previous operation had succeeded because his army managed to expose the hive and concentrate its firepower against it. In addition, they have enough manpower to hold the lines against its retaliation.
If both points were not addressed, it was better to ignore the hive and go someplace instead.
"Then that will be the order," Hans said. "If the Scouts discover coordinated infected activity or anything resembling a hive, they are to withdraw and report. No one enters deeper without my approval."
"Yes, Commander."
Matilda looked down at the highway report.
"For the first operation, I recommend limiting our objective to reconnaissance and route preparation."
Hans raised a brow.
"We are not securing the corridor yet?"
"We would need more manpower than what we have now, Commander."
Hans’s mouth twitched.
Meanwhile, she ignored his complaints and shifted the paper map closer to him.
"We still do not know which road is suitable for repeated vehicle movement. We also do not know where the defensive line should end, nor whether the area beyond it contains enough open ground for the forward base."
Hans looked over the paper map.
"So we send a smaller force first."
"Yes, Commander."
"How small?"
"That depends on the route."
Matilda continued before he could complain.
"The Scouts will move ahead and inspect the immediate approaches. The Engineers will follow once an area is considered safe enough for them to work. Infantry and Guardian APCs will protect both groups."
"What about the Vanguards?"
They offered better protection in terms of raw firepower, but Hans was wrong about one thing.
"Not during the initial survey, Commander," Matilda paused. "They are heavier. And they cannot respond as quickly as the Guardian APCs. If the road beneath them collapses, recovering them will be harder as well."
Hans finally nodded. "I see."
"The survey force will not occupy the area. Its purpose is to identify a route, a temporary staging point, and one or more locations suitable for the forward base."
Hans tapped his finger against the table.
"What makes a suitable staging point?"
"Enough space for the Guardian APCs to turn around. Cover for the Engineers. More than one approach in case the primary road becomes unusable. And a position that can be defended without placing soldiers inside every surrounding building."
Hans glanced toward the highway. He had only been thinking about the destination. Not what his army would need before reaching it.
"What about the route between the base and the FOB?"
Matilda looked at him.
"What about it, Commander?"
"I don’t want a weakness between both bases," Hans said. "If the infected or an annoying group of bandits cut the route, the FOB may be isolated before we can reinforce it."
Matilda nodded slowly.
"We can establish several strongpoints along the route."
"Using soldiers?"
"Soldiers and secondary structures," Matilda answered. "Walls can restrict movement through nearby streets. Garrison Posts and Pillboxes can protect important intersections. Watchtowers and Sensor Towers can monitor the surrounding areas."
Hans listened.
"And the Command Link Outposts?"
"They can maintain coordination between the main base, the defensive positions, and the FOB. Especially once the distance and surrounding buildings begin interfering with direct communication."
That sounded closer to what Hans wanted.
A corridor did not need soldiers standing beside every meter of road if the System could strengthen the important sections.
The previous arrangement would simply be too inefficient and a nightmare to his army’s logistical standpoint.
"Then should we place those structures along the entire route?"
Hans worried. The main reason he wanted to ask this is the possibility of him focusing on Branch B where he would line up Power Plants along the route just to expand his construction area.
"It would be not exactly that, Commander."
Hans raised a brow.
Matilda pointed toward the paper map.
"We should place them where losing control would affect the whole corridor. Major intersections. Narrow passages. Bridges. Areas overlooked by several buildings. And locations where underground entrances may allow hostile parties to emerge behind our forces."
"And we would have to scout where those important places are, huh?" Hans massaged his temples.
"That is the plan, Commander."
Although that would require fewer soldiers than occupying the entire area, it would still require manpower to do so.
The plan is getting more complicated by the minute, Hans leaned back.
His mind suddenly drifted to the days where he would listlessly join meetings about metric A and metric B, or some jargon nonsense the management would speak about every now and then.
Back then, he only had to listen until someone else made the final decision. Now, everyone was waiting for him to make it.
I can only give a general directive to my soldiers, he sighed.
A meeting must be held ASAP. This is more concerning that I thought it should be.
Hans looked at Matilda.
"Can you finalize all of this on your own?"
Matilda paused.
"I can prepare the general operation, Commander. But the route will require input from the Scouts, Engineers, vehicle commanders, and the officers who will hold the defensive positions."
Hans nodded.
That was what he expected.
He knew what he wanted.
A secure route.
A forward operating base.
And an army that would not be cut in half the moment a connection was disrupted.
The rest required people who actually understood how to make those things happen.
"Gather them," Hans ordered. "I want the relevant officers inside the Command Room as soon as possible."
"For the survey operation?"
"For everything," Hans replied. "The route, the staging areas, the defensive positions, and whatever structures we can use along the way."
Matilda saluted.
"Yes, Commander."
Hans glanced at the paper map again.
"And prepare the manpower estimate."
Matilda’s eyes brightened slightly.
Hans noticed.
"Do not misunderstand," he warned. "I am not giving you permission to empty my Gold reserves."
"I would never do that, Commander."
Hans stared at her.
Matilda maintained a perfectly serious expression.
He did not believe her.
"Just prepare the estimate."
"Yes, Commander."
She gathered the reports and turned toward the door.
Hans stopped her before she could leave.
"Matilda."
She looked back.
"Put those back," Hans’s brows twitched. "I haven’t read those yet."
Matilda returned the folders with a straight expression.
Hans knocked on the table twice.
"The objective remains the same. Find us a route that can support the FOB without becoming a weakness."
"Understood."
The door closed behind her.
Hans leaned back against his chair and looked toward the War Factory timer.
The structure still had more than a day before completion. That gave him time.
Not enough to solve every problem himself. But enough to gather the people who could.
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