Chapter 186: Arasaka's "Efficiency"
The detailed combat report of the Arasaka remnants' suicide attack, along with fragmented footage captured by drones, was transmitted in real-time back to the combat command center of the flagship White Whale.
Shintaro Takayama stood before the massive holographic tactical sandbox, emotionlessly scrutinizing the red dots representing their attack units as they rapidly extinguished one by one, like cigarette butts being snuffed out.
Behind him, several senior staff officers held their breath, the air heavy with the silent shuttle of data streams, waiting for the Director's judgment.
"Is the data recording complete?" Takayama didn't turn around, his voice steady without a single ripple.
"Yes, Director. All engagement data, including enemy firing point reaction speeds and preliminary weapon effectiveness assessments, have been logged," a technical officer answered immediately, his tone respectful.
Takayama nodded slightly, his gaze remaining on the red arrow on the sandbox that represented the attack path—now completely dim.
He remained silent for a few seconds, looked around at the officers in the command center, and then spoke in a deliberately slowed tone, heavy with solemnity: "Gentlemen, let us observe thirty seconds of silence for these brave soldiers.
"Their loyalty and courage are worthy of affirmation. They dedicated their lives to Arasaka and washed away the shame of defeat."
With that, he lowered his head first.
Most people in the command center followed suit. The glow of the holographic sandbox seemed to dim slightly, creating a solemn and respectful atmosphere.
Standing slightly apart, Yorinobu Arasaka observed all this coldly.
He did not bow his head. His sharp gaze landed on Shintaro Takayama's back, which appeared grief-stricken but hadn't even changed the curve of its shoulders.
This procedural silence, this formulaic "affirmation" and "washing away of shame," sounded incredibly jarring to his ears.
He saw clearly that the moment Takayama lowered his head, his eyes swept over the tactical sandbox with a fleeting flash of dissatisfaction regarding the attack's efficiency.
To Takayama, or rather to the machine that was Arasaka, the lives of these people sent to their doom were merely the cost of a probe, a set of quantifiable data, and a calculable sum of pension payments.
This hypocritical mourning nauseated him more than direct cruelty.
Exactly thirty seconds later, Shintaro Takayama raised his head on time. The deliberately crafted heaviness on his face vanished instantly, restoring his usual cold hardness.
He turned to Yorinobu, brow furrowed, his tone revealing undisguised disappointment and dissatisfaction: "Yorinobu-sama, the results are highly unsatisfactory. We paid such a price, yet aside from confirming the enemy is indeed there and possesses considerable firepower, we gained almost nothing!
"Their defensive depth, command nodes, reserve deployments—those key pieces of information—that bunch of trash didn't have the capability to probe out! This operation was a complete failure on the tactical reconnaissance level!"
His words were decisive, forming a naked and brutal contrast to his praise of the victims' "loyalty and courage" and "washing away shame" just minutes ago. It was as if the souls he had just asked everyone to mourn had turned into incompetent "trash" in his mouth in the blink of an eye.
Yorinobu Arasaka took it all in. His face still betrayed no emotion, but his fingers hidden in his sleeves turned slightly white from the force of his grip.
Shintaro Takayama's rapid change of face, this undisguised utilitarianism and coldness, once again confirmed his judgment of this system—it was hypocritical, cruel, and rotten to the core.
In the eyes of people like Takayama, these expended lives were never anything more than numbers and tools.
"Then, Uncle Takayama, what valuable conclusions have we actually drawn from this 'probe of loyalty'?" Yorinobu asked, his tone flat, but he dragged the final syllable slightly, applying a subtle pressure demanding substantive content.
Shintaro Takayama turned fully to face Yorinobu, his brows locked tight in a deep frown.
"Frankly speaking, the results are disappointing, Yorinobu-sama." His voice was lower than before, revealing suppressed irritation. "We did confirm that the Barghest troops are deployed frontally, and that the squad code-named 'Maine' remains active and possesses firepower exceeding conventional norms.
"Furthermore, Militech has forward-deployed some power armor units; this has also been verified. However—"
He paused deliberately here, his gaze sweeping over the blank space representing the unknown area on the holographic sandbox, his dissatisfaction almost overflowing. "However, regarding the enemy's core defensive architecture, the specific configuration and density of their firing points, the echelon structure of their defensive depth, the precise location of their command center, and even the scale and potential deployment direction of their reserves... the intelligence we obtained is virtually zero.
"The opposing defense system is distinctly layered, their reaction speed extremely fast, and their counterattacks abnormally precise and ruthless.
"The reconnaissance units we sent... had limited capabilities. They failed to tear open the enemy's forward defense line, let alone force the enemy to show more of their hand."
His dissatisfaction was naked and real.
An attack investing hundreds of armed, even suicidal "daredevils" only yielded reconfirmation of known facts. In his military logic based on cost and benefit, this was a failed investment with extremely low efficiency.
Those expended lives, on his scale of value at this moment, had automatically been classified as "sunk costs."
"In other words," Yorinobu took over, summarizing with a near-indifferent calm, "aside from reconfirming that the enemy is indeed entrenched there and is difficult to deal with, we have gained almost nothing."
His tone revealed neither disappointment nor approval, but deep in his heart, a cold voice echoed: Using so many human lives just to verify a fact already on the table—this is the efficient war logic Arasaka believes in.
"That is basically the conclusion." Shintaro Takayama admitted frankly, without any embellishment. "The enemy's defense is tight and efficient. The probing force we invested failed to achieve the core reconnaissance objectives."
His gaze refocused on Yorinobu, carrying the decisiveness of a soldier. "Yorinobu-sama, the situation is clear. Small skirmishes are useless. We must apply more direct, more powerful pressure."
Yorinobu nodded, a look of solemnity and resolve befitting the current scene appearing on his face at the right moment. "Since small-scale probing cannot shake the opponent, let them witness Arasaka's true power. Order the power armor troops to prepare for a landing assault.
"Simultaneously, launch the air wing. Conduct a first-wave air strike on the Badlands manufactorum area. Destroy their surface fortifications and weaken their defensive strength."
"Understood." Shintaro Takayama turned immediately, issuing orders to the combat staff. "Execute strike plan as scheduled. White Whale Air Wing, launch immediately!"
The order was transmitted instantly to the flight deck via encrypted comms links.
Ear-piercing alarms rang throughout the carrier. Ground crew ran busily on the deck, guiding carrier-based aircraft loaded with ground-attack munitions under their bellies into catapult positions.
With the massive roar of steam catapults, fighter-attack aircraft painted with the Arasaka insignia shot off the deck like arrows from a bow, piercing into the clouds one after another. After completing formation in the air, they roared toward the direction of the Badlands manufactorum.
This tactical doctrine of relying on carrier platforms and using carrier-based aircraft as the core for long-range precision strikes originated from Saburo Arasaka's obsession with the glory of the old Imperial Japanese Navy. It was reinforced during Kei Arasaka's era, and now, in Yorinobu Arasaka's hands, it was still regarded as the standard procedure for demonstrating Arasaka's military might and technological superiority.
The massive formation swept over the sea surface, carrying a mission of destruction as they pounced toward the target.
(End of Chapter)