The soldier was stunned by his captain’s question. "I said they’re brazen when their boats are empty, but they don’t dare chase us when they’re carrying cargo! What’s wrong? I don’t see any problem with what I said!"
"’Empty boats? Dawn Base! Fully loaded? Aircraft Carrier Base!’" the captain muttered. His eyes suddenly lit up. "I know what’s wrong!"
All the soldiers stared at their captain in surprise, wondering what he was talking about.
The captain ignored his men’s surprise and sent a message directly to Bao Mu. "Sir, I have a major discovery!"
Seeing this message, Bao Mu was taken aback for a moment. He frowned and asked, "What discovery?"
"Just now, we encountered another squadron of eight speedboats from the Aircraft Carrier Base. The moment they saw us, they immediately gave chase and even initiated an attack!" The captain first explained the recent situation.
Bao Mu was stunned again. "Didn’t you just say those eight speedboats left?"
"Another eight showed up later. It wasn’t the same squadron!" the captain said, shaking his head.
"How are you sure it wasn’t the same one?" Bao Mu asked, confused.
"Our spotter noticed the draft depths of the two squadrons’ speedboats were different!" the captain explained in a low voice. "There are no other fleets nearby. They couldn’t have just dumped their cargo, right?"
Bao Mu paused, then nodded. "Isn’t that normal? These speedboats are for transporting goods, after all. One squadron is fully loaded, the other is empty."
"But the directions are wrong! The speedboats heading to the Aircraft Carrier Base are fully loaded, while the ones heading to Dawn Base are empty!" the captain continued.
Bao Mu was stunned.
The captain was still analyzing. "In our previous encounters, the squadrons going from Dawn Base to the Aircraft Carrier Base never engaged with us. But on the return trip, they were willing to skirmish! This proves that these speedboats have been consistently transporting goods from Dawn Base to the Aircraft Carrier Base!"
Bao Mu nodded. "Are you saying the Aircraft Carrier Base needs support from Dawn Base?"
"It’s highly likely. But the support isn’t necessarily supplies. It might be the herbal medicine for this virus!" the captain replied in a low voice.
Bao Mu suddenly felt like everything made sense.
’That’s why they’re using speedboats. They’re faster than other ships, and saving lives can’t be delayed!’
’That’s why the speedboats transporting the medicine won’t engage with our squadrons!’
"Could Dawn Base have a way to grow the herbs quickly?" Bao Mu’s brow furrowed slightly.
If it were herbs from before the flood, Dawn Base wouldn’t need to send so many small batches to the Aircraft Carrier Base. They could just send a large enough supply at once, escorted by frigates. That would be simpler, more convenient, and much safer!
Using speedboat squadrons for daily deliveries meant they must have a way of producing the herbs!
"It seems we’ve underestimated Dawn Base’s potential!" Bao Mu lamented. "If we had known, we should have moved our base over to Dawn Base. As long as we held our ground, Dragon Country’s aircraft carrier wouldn’t have been able to gain any advantage!"
"Yes, but Dragon Country’s carrier probably doesn’t have enough fuel to make it to Dawn Base anyway!" the captain speculated.
Bao Mu raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting we just go and take Dawn Base?"
"It’s just an idea I had. Whether it’s feasible or not is for you to decide, Sir!" the captain replied immediately.
"We will seriously consider your proposal. For now, head back," Bao Mu surprisingly ordered them to return to base, no longer continuing surveillance of the route.
"Yes, sir!" the captain replied, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.
After ending the call, Bao Mu immediately shared this information with his staff officer.
The staff officer was also stunned for a moment. "So it’s been Dawn Base supporting the Aircraft Carrier Base all along?"
"I find it incredible too, but the facts are right in front of us. We have no choice but to believe it," Bao Mu said with some emotion. "Do you think we have a chance of taking Dawn Base if we attack now?"
The staff officer pondered for a moment, then immediately shook his head. "I’m afraid not. If we had gone with the entire fleet the moment Hailan was attacked, we might have had a chance. It’s too difficult now!"
Bao Mu sighed. He realized it now, too. That really had been the best time to strike.
Back then, the Aircraft Carrier Base’s forces had just captured Dawn Base and would have certainly been depleted. If we had thrown the full might of our fleet at them, we definitely could have taken Dawn Base, especially since it doesn’t have an aircraft carrier.
But now, Dawn Base has stabilized. According to Hailan’s previous report, the Aircraft Carrier Base deployed over thirty ships to attack Dawn Base. Facing that many ships, Bao Mu really wasn’t confident he could take them.
Everyone knew Dragon Country had an obsession with firepower. If all those ships opened fire at once, even Xi’an Base’s own aircraft carrier probably wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
On top of that, after the consumption of the last few days, Xi’an Base’s fuel reserves were running low. Given the distance to Dawn Base, they simply couldn’t support sending the entire fleet over.
Not to mention the fuel consumption would be even higher during combat!
After weighing the pros and cons, Bao Mu ultimately decided against attacking Dawn Base.
"Even if we can’t launch an attack, we can still send speedboats to monitor Dawn Base!" the staff officer suggested. "I’m very curious how Dawn Base could possibly have the technology to grow herbs so quickly. After it was conquered, I don’t recall any intel feedback about such technology!"

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