Starting from the Planetary Governor

When a light curtain appeared around the sea platform, blocking all aerial attacks from the fighter jets, Matins was momentarily shocked.

However, he soon realized that it was not a Void Shield.

Although somewhat similar, it was far from reaching the level of a Void Shield and seemed to be merely a simple energy barrier.

The difference between the two was significant.

A Void Shield fundamentally doesn't directly withstand attacks, but rather creates a spatial discrepancy, forming a thin film that envelops the protected target. When an attack arrives, most types of shells, missiles, or energy rays, upon contacting this film, would get displaced by the misaligned space to another dimension, leaving the protected target unscathed.

The defensive efficacy of a Void Shield was far superior to that of a conventional energy barrier. A successful defense would leave the protected target unaffected.

But there were disadvantages, too.

Void Shield Generators were bulky and couldn't be miniaturized; they consumed a lot of power; they were expensive; they couldn't recognize and displace slow-moving targets; and if they were subjected to too much firepower in a short period, causing an overload, they might let some attacks through...

However, compared to traditional energy shields, these issues weren't major, as many disadvantages were common to both.

For instance, to achieve the same protective effect, conventional energy barriers would consume even more power; they also couldn't stop slow-moving targets; in the case of an overload, instead of letting attacks through, they would be shattered entirely—rendering them useless against any further attacks, with the possibility of the Energy Shield Generator even exploding internally...

In comparison, the only advantages of energy barriers were their ability to be miniaturized and their affordability.

Matins, a veteran of countless battles and wide experience, was able to deduce further information after determining that this was not a Void Shield.

The Shield Generator seemed rather average, not high-tech. But, behind it appeared to be an enormous energy reserve. Unless they could obliterate the firepower threshold it could withstand in one go, the task of overloading it through frequent attacks would be extremely difficult.

Was there an opportunity?

Matins ordered the entire fighter squadron to execute another full-force strike, and during this process, he carefully observed the energy shield's reactions. His final judgment was:

It's no use.

The firepower required to overload the Shield Generator and to directly destroy it were two grades apart.

Even accounting for the Escort Ship in planetary orbit, they might reach the former's requirements, but not the latter's.

With the Quintet, it would definitely be no problem. Not to mention, just one blast from the "Wrath of Loyalty", an L-grade Colossal Cannon, could obliterate this Shield Generator. No matter how much energy was behind it, it would be futile.

But they didn't have it at the moment, did they?

The twenty S-grade Specification Weapons on the Escort Ship, even if fired simultaneously, wouldn't be able to completely destroy the current Shield Generator. And with a nearly infinite energy source backing it, the shield could quickly recover before the next barrage arrived.

In other words, the idea of destroying this sea platform with long-range fire was no longer realistic.

At least not until that Shield Generator was taken down.

"So, we need to launch a small-scale assault, breach the Shield Generator, retreat, and then call in long-range fire to destroy this sea platform?"

"I'm familiar with this..."

Matins smiled briefly, but then his expression turned solemn again.

He was indeed familiar, as space soldiers had performed such tasks too many times. In his two hundred years of combat experience, he had carried out similar missions countless times, and he knew the process and the key points inside out.

Now faced with a similar task, he felt a sense of familiarity and scoffed at himself.

But no matter how many times he had done this type of mission or how rich his experience was, it couldn't hide the enormous danger associated with such tasks.

The greatest danger came from the unknown intelligence.

What exactly was in that building beneath them, the strength of the enemy, the exact location of their target to destroy... they had no clue about any of these things.

Under such circumstances, they actually shouldn't go in.

Even an entire team of space warriors could potentially be overturned, as no one knew what kind of monstrosities they might encounter below.

Thinking rationally, they could opt to retreat this time and wait for more detailed intelligence later.

Matins had been granted extensive authority, and he could make a decision on this matter with a single word.

But he did not choose to do so.

His decision stemmed from three main considerations.

Firstly, he did not want to mark his first official mission as the total commander for the alliance with a failed operation.

Of course, he gave this factor less thought, just a slight consideration. Fundamentally, he was still a warrior, and political considerations weren't his primary concern.

Secondly, he was doubtful that if they retreated this time, how would they gather more intelligence later? This sea platform, whether they wanted to infiltrate or send someone inside as an inside man, conducting intelligence would be very difficult. And they didn't have much time to spend several months on intelligence gathering—who knew when the Cult's plans might come to fruition?