Regardless of the Heavenly Lion Battle Group's response to Alex's conditions, the Expeditionary Force, after months of lingering, was finally ready to begin its formal advance.
During this period, Mai Mai and Twilight successfully completed their reconnaissance mission and returned with the intelligence needed by the Expeditionary Force.
"Alex, you wouldn't believe it! Our journey was like something out of a movie!" Mai Mai exclaimed to Alex upon her return, describing the difficulties they faced.
For several months, they did their best to evade the Space Necrons' detection, every minute and every second like walking on a knife's edge.
Several times, they were almost caught by the Space Necrons.
Each crisis was heart-stopping, as if death itself was hot on their heels.
To escape, they had to risk various extreme measures: releasing interference signals, disguising beacons, and even temporarily entering the Warp to evade the Space Necrons' pursuit.
Each escape brought the relief of surviving a disaster, but also made them more keenly aware that the Space Necrons' threat was everywhere.
These life-or-death chases and escapes were as thrilling as a Hollywood blockbuster.
"If you really like it, copy the data for me, and I'll find someone to film it for you later," Alex said, not overly concerned.
In his view, such a thrilling experience could be adapted into an excellent movie, both to record this history and to promote the expedition.
If it were in the 40k era, Alex could definitely seek help from the Inquisition or the Imperial propaganda department.
Making a propaganda film about an Imperial hero was not difficult for him, as the expedition itself had such needs.
A Rogue Trader venturing deep into alien civilization territory for an expedition, experiencing near-death situations to bring back valuable intelligence—such a story was inherently material worth heavily promoting.
Just like Kai Xiaobao, he even had a personal movie with him as the protagonist, produced by the Department of Military Affairs itself.
This kind of propaganda could not only boost morale but also secure more resources and support for the expedition.
Furthermore, even without the Inquisition, the Mariupol Sector had Imperial Worlds with relatively advanced technology, where there was no shortage of planets with film companies.
As long as Alex was willing, he could cooperate with them to bring these thrilling experiences to the big screen.
And if it were the 3k era, Alex felt that finding someone to help make a sci-fi movie would also be no problem.
Although the subject matter might not be particularly novel, its strength lay in its authenticity. These firsthand materials were enough to make the movie full of detail and realism; as long as the director was competent, it would definitely be a striking work.
As for GW's copyright issues… Alex couldn't help but smile at the thought. Making a movie was doing them a favor; if they dared to bring up copyright, did they want a Titan to kick down their door?
"Make a movie? That could work!" Mai Mai seemed a bit interested.
However, this topic was quickly bypassed; intelligence was more important than making a movie. Alex's attention quickly returned to the core issue at hand.
"What is the situation with this Necron Dynasty exactly? Have they all awakened?" This was Alex's most pressing question, his tone carrying a hint of urgency.
"Good news, no," Mai Mai reassured Alex, her tone a bit more relaxed.
But then, her tone shifted, and her expression grew serious: "But the bad news is, the one who awakened is a Dynasty Overlord, and all the planets he controls have awakened. Currently, there are traces of Space Necrons activity on about four planets.
The military power they can muster will not be less than the number of troops you've assembled, and they are all high-quality units. We probably won't be able to handle it."
Alex frowned slightly at this, but did not show too much worry.
He calmly responded, "That's not a problem. The Imperium still has over ten million Holy War Army and three million Astra Militarum reinforcements coming.
If necessary, reporting to the Department of Internal Affairs, bringing in tens of millions of Astra Militarum is not out of the question."
Alex never worried about troop numbers.
Although the Imperium's human resources were strained, it depended on the specific situation; facing a threat like the Space Necrons, the Imperium's war machine could operate at full capacity.
Mai Mai did not refute this point; she simply asked Alex, "So what do you plan to do now? Launch an attack?"
Alex spread his hands helplessly, his tone carrying a hint of pressure: "The expedition has already begun. The past few months of troop assembly can be explained as integrating the army. Staying here without deploying troops would be considered cowardice."
His expression was somewhat complex; clearly, he was not entirely willing to deploy troops under these circumstances, but the situation demanded it.
If he were fighting alone, when to deploy troops would not be an issue.
He could flexibly choose the timing, waiting for the best opportunity.
But this time was different; this was a Holy War launched by the Ecclesiarchy and an Expeditionary Force initiated by the Star District.
If they continued to hide without deploying troops, there would not only be morale issues but also other political implications.
The fanatical followers of the Ecclesiarchy would not tolerate delays, and the nobles and bureaucrats of the Star District would also seize the opportunity to exert pressure.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Alex decided to deploy troops now.
"So how do you plan to fight?" Mai Mai placed a data pad in front of Alex, its screen displaying detailed information about the four awakened planets.
She pointed to one of the fringe worlds and said, "Currently, there are four awakened planets. The first round of attack is the easiest to fight.
With our current military strength, taking down one of this Necron Dynasty's fringe worlds is not difficult."
She paused, her tone growing serious: "But once the war begins, the enemy will inevitably gather their forces and launch a full-scale counterattack. At that point, we are very likely to enter a war of attrition, and a prolonged conflict will put us at a disadvantage. So, what are your thoughts?"
Mai Mai's gaze held a hint of inquiry; clearly, she hoped Alex would provide a clear strategic direction.
Mai Mai's suggestion was a relatively conventional approach: start with the easy targets, then gradually expand the advantage.
This steady strategy was a prudent choice in most situations, especially when facing an unknown enemy.
However, Alex's idea was completely different.
He shook his head, his gaze firm as he said, "We won't attack the fringe worlds! We'll concentrate our forces and go straight for the core world controlled by this Necron Overlord, aiming to take that planet in one go."
He further explained, "For a Necron Dynasty, the importance of the core world far surpasses that of the fringe worlds. The assembled armies and other forces will inevitably be concentrated in this core world.
Instead of attacking the fringe worlds and allowing the enemy to gather a large army for a counterattack, it's better to first occupy their core world, preventing them from assembling a large army."
Alex's strategy was clearly more aggressive, but also riskier.
He intended to tackle the hardest challenge first, directly striking at the enemy's core to disrupt their deployment and tempo.
If successful, this tactic could quickly dismantle the enemy's resistance, but if it failed, it could also lead to the collapse of the entire expedition.
Undoubtedly, risk and opportunity coexisted.
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