The current situation is varied: the Ancient Legion has established two to three extremely fortified military strongholds on all four of Ganymede's primary satellites, and one each on several other Jovian moons such as Callisto, Io, and Europa. Each stronghold is equipped with hundreds of fortress cannons, all of which are Tier Six particle beam weapons. These pose a significant threat to warships outside planetary spheres.

In the virtual conference room, Marshal Alexander was briefing all senior officers on the combat mission. They had already reached Jupiter's orbit, only twelve hours away from the planet. The latest intelligence on Jupiter had just reached Marshal Alexander, and he was now making final adjustments to the tactics based on this data.

Yang Ying looked up at the ceiling of the virtual conference room. A perfectly rendered holographic image displayed the four key satellite strongholds around Jupiter, with the dozen or so military bases mentioned by Alexander specifically highlighted in red. The effective range of those fortress cannons was also marked out in red.

These glaring colors enveloped a vast expanse of space, overlapping in some areas, appearing blood-red and immediately instilling a sense of alarm.

"Now, the main fleet of the Far-Jupiter Legion has retreated into these red-marked sectors to be stationed, enjoying the cover of the fortress cannons, preparing to fight us a war of attrition. If we engage them in these sectors, it is easy to imagine the devastating losses we will suffer."

Marshal Alexander waved the baton signifying his rank, speaking in a solemn tone.

Since ancient times, attacking well-manned fortresses has always required the attackers to sustain immense casualties. It has only been half a year, and the military bases established by the Ancient Legion across Jupiter's moons are not yet perfectly tight. Attacking now still offers a significant chance of reclaiming them. Once the Ancient Legion seamlessly covers the surrounding space with the fortress cannons, the losses required to take those positions will multiply several times over.

The original Sphere Army had established such a tight three-dimensional defense system across Jupiter's moons, but with a mere flick of Horas's finger, all military bases erupted into firestorms, and the entire defense system instantly collapsed.

"Their defense system is not yet complete, so there are still flaws. We must strike at these flaws." Marshal Alexander pointed his baton, and the three-dimensional map of Jupiter began to move, the satellites rotating and revolving, while the red areas shifted simultaneously.

After a moment, the movement stopped, and the entire map displayed a different configuration.

"This is calculated based on astronomical data to show the state of their defense system when we arrive at Jupiter. Although their defense system is still imperfect, the gaps remaining are few but already enough to pose a threat to us. Therefore, to seize Jupiter's orbit, we must first crack their defense system!"

Alexander pointed with his baton, and a green line approached the planet from a distance, threading its way through the gap between two red zones and landing on a moon—Ganymede, according to the adjacent marker.

"A single fortress can theoretically defend a hemisphere, but in practice, that is impossible. Ganymede only has these two military strongholds in total, leaving a substantial defensive gap. Once both fortresses are taken down, the immediate vicinity of Ganymede will be secure. Using Ganymede as cover, we can gradually dismantle the Ancient Legion's fortress cannon defense perimeter."

Alexander clearly had the blueprint prepared before the meeting, delivering his speech smoothly without any pauses.

"Directly bombarding fortress cannons with warships is the most foolish course of action. We need to deploy ground forces to capture the fortresses. Everyone can see this green line; this will be our infiltration route. As Ganymede rotates, the fortresses will shift, exposing this interstice. Meanwhile, Io, Europa, and Ganymede II will all be obscured by Jupiter, unable to provide support to Ganymede IV. Crossing this gap will allow us to dispatch landing troops directly from Jupiter's orbit onto Ganymede. At that time, the Ancient Legion's warships might try to interfere, so our fleet will cover the landing operation."

A Major General raised his hand and asked, "Marshal, will the fleet's covering fire be continuous?"

"Regrettably, no."

Alexander shook his head and pointed his Marshal's baton. The 3D map started moving again. Ganymede II rotated out from the other side of Jupiter, and the red zone extending from a military fortress on Ganymede II encroached upon the gap. The gap visibly shrank until it was entirely filled by the red zone.

"This gap exists for only six hours. Then, the rotation of Ganymede and the revolution of Ganymede II will allow the Ancient Legion's fortress cannons to seal this interstice. Therefore, the fleet can only cover the landing forces for six hours. The mission for the landing forces is to capture the primary and secondary military fortresses on Ganymede within these six hours—at the very least, we must take one down to create a safe zone for the fleet, one not under fire from the fortress cannons."

Alexander paused, then continued, "If that proves impossible, the landing troops will be abandoned, and we wait for the next opportunity to attack."

As the words fell, the conference hall erupted in murmurs. Yang Ying noticed some high-ranking officers with general stars on their shoulders whispering among themselves. The order to abandon the landing forces if a fortress couldn't be taken within six hours clearly displeased some, but they had no alternative. If they didn't abandon the troops, the fleet would face even heavier losses. If the fleet was destroyed, not only would the landing forces perish, but the chance to regroup and try again would also vanish.

Alexander called for silence, drawing back the attention of those who were conferring. He then added, "If anyone has a better suggestion, please voice it. If you believe this plan can be improved, propose changes. If not, please return to your posts, organize your troops, and prepare for battle. I will directly transmit the terrain maps from the landing zone to the two fortresses to the information terminals of the landing units. The fleet will provide intelligence support. The specifics of tactical deployment will be left to the frontline commanders. Familiarize yourselves with the terrain quickly and prepare for combat!"

"Yes, sir!"

A resounding affirmation echoed from a corner of the conference hall, where the high command of the ground forces was seated.

After the operations meeting concluded, Yang Ying disconnected from the virtual conference room. The surrounding holographic scene vanished, replaced by the appearance of an office.

Arriving on the bridge, Yang Ying handed the meeting notes to Howard. Howard quickly scanned them and remarked, "Now the Thors will finally have a chance to shine."

Yang Ying nodded and returned to his seat. "The pilots for the three Thors are my clones. I hope this battle turns out to be spectacular."

Howard suddenly smiled, "Should we notify certain personnel? We wouldn't want the Thors mistaken for enemy targets."

Yang Ying considered it. "Good point. The existence of the Thors is quite terrifying; the initial shock upon seeing them can pose a certain risk. Let's send a notification."

Half a day later, around midnight, the Joint Fleet arrived near Jupiter and cut into the designated interstice according to the operational route.

Shortly after entering the gap, the Ancient Legion fleet reacted, clearly understanding that the Joint Fleet intended a landing operation. They immediately dispatched a considerable fleet to intercept the Joint Fleet.

The Joint Fleet sent two frontline main fleets to the edge of the interstice to block the enemy, while the remaining fleet continued to secure the landing forces.

Although warships are not as susceptible to planetary gravity as space cities, they cannot approach a planet with high gravity too closely. Outside the gravitational sphere of Ganymede, the landing forces detached from the protection of the warships and began their descent toward the moon.

Blade, piloting his Ghost fighter, descended alongside the landing forces. Beside him were one hundred squadrons of Ghost fighters, ten squadrons of medical transports, and ten large transport vessels. Three of these were specifically tasked with carrying the three Thors.

Ganymede's atmosphere was nearly negligible, so the landing process was smooth, setting down safely onto the surface.

The surface of Ganymede was a composite of rock and ice, riddled with impact craters ranging from one hundred meters to one hundred kilometers in diameter. The landing forces found flat areas to set down, and squads of soldiers and armored vehicles rolled out from the landing ships.

Blade led his contingent to a flat plain within a large impact crater. Ground troops disembarked from the transports. This contingent comprised mixed armored forces, with tanks and massive mechs as the core. The ten squadrons of medical transports carried mixed infantry—mostly Marines, with a good contingent of Reapers, Marauders, and Ghosts—essentially a mixed bag.

Of course, the most conspicuous elements were the Thor heavy assault mechs, standing twenty stories tall. Their massive silhouettes were visible from kilometers away, making a group of Marines standing at the Thor's feet look insignificant, like ants.

Once the forces were assembled, the frontline commander announced the rally point. Blade tapped twice on his wrist, activating the autopilot system for his Ghost fighter, which ascended into the air, beginning to patrol the vicinity while awaiting recall orders.

When he brought his troops to the assembly point, some Earth Army soldiers stared upward blankly, seeing the Thor's twenty-story-high frame, gleaming with cold metallic luster, immediately causing an uproar.

Some officers, well-informed, had already heard that the Tyrant Mercenary Group was bringing "surprises," but they hadn't expected the surprise to be something that defied common sense.

The leading officers' eyes shone brightly. A weapon of such immense size—if its firepower wasn't equally impressive, no one would believe it. Even relying solely on its sheer mass to roll forward could crush many Ape armies.