Although Alex urgently wanted to return to the 3k era immediately to test the effects of the Rejuvenation Potion, his rationality told him that this matter must be considered in the long term and could not be rushed.
First, Ovilia's preparation of the Rejuvenation Potion requires a certain period of time.
This precise and complex biological preparation needs to undergo strict cultivation, purification, and stabilization, which cannot be completed in a short time.
Even with Ovilia's technical level, it will take some time to deliver qualified finished products.
More importantly, the social impact brought by the Rejuvenation Potion was too significant, which led Alex into deep thought.
This miraculous potion, capable of extending human life by decades, was tantamount to opening Pandora's Box for humanity in the 3k era.
It is foreseeable that once the news spreads, the global rich and powerful will spare no expense to scramble for it, even willing to pay astronomical sums of wealth in exchange for the opportunity to live for decades longer.
But at the same time, huge profits are bound to be accompanied by huge risks.
Those who cannot obtain the potion through legitimate channels are likely to take extreme measures to seize it.
Even more terrifying, some powerful figures may develop the idea of monopolizing this life-extending technology, only allowing themselves and a few others to enjoy it, even at the cost of using state machinery.
Alex had to consider the worst-case scenario: once the existence of the Rejuvenation Potion was confirmed, governments, intelligence agencies, underground organizations, and even multinational corporations around the world might turn their attention to him.
At that time, not only would he personally face great danger, but even his family and friends might become targets for blackmail.
This invisible threat was like a Sword of Damocles, constantly hanging over his head.
Despite his current status and position, which should afford him a considerable degree of protection, Alex deeply understood the greed and darkness of human nature.
He did not want to gamble the safety of his closest ones on the moral bottom line of those powerful figures, nor did he want to live the rest of his life in a heavily guarded 'sterile box,' losing the most basic freedom of an ordinary person.
This predicament plunged Alex into deep thought.
Perhaps the Rejuvenation Potion should be diluted to reduce its life-extending effect?
This would satisfy his family's needs without causing too much sensation.
But on second thought, even a diluted potion would still be valuable enough for some people to resort to unscrupulous means.
Another more radical idea emerged in his mind: simply ask Ovilia for a simplified formula to create a 'low-end' Rejuvenation Potion that only extends life by ten or eight years, and then directly make it public to the whole world.
This would benefit the general public and avoid making him a target.
However, the ensuing social unrest and ethical issues made him hesitate.
Alex rubbed his temples with a bitter smile.
He clearly knew that he was neither a strategist who could plan everything nor a wise man who could foresee every move.
Although he could come up with various countermeasures, each plan had obvious flaws and hidden dangers, and this realization kept him in a dilemma.
While he was tossing and turning over this matter, the Kharkov battle had already begun.
As the supreme Commander of the Expeditionary Force, he had to temporarily put this trouble aside and devote all his energy to this battle, which concerned the lives and deaths of tens of millions of people.
—
According to the latest front-line battle reports received by Alex, the first wave of strike forces led by Ventanus had successfully broken through the enemy's defenses and established a stable landing zone on the surface of the Kharkov planet.
This vanguard force, composed of elite Astartes Warriors, completed orbital insertion with lightning speed, opening up a crucial strategic foothold for subsequent forces.
At the same time, the main fleet of the Imperial Navy seized the opportunity to break into the Kharkov Star System and engaged in fierce combat with the Necrons' defensive fleet.
Although they failed to completely defeat the enemy fleet, they successfully suppressed the activity space of the Necron Fleet, providing crucial orbital cover for the continuous deployment of ground forces.
The officers and soldiers of the Imperial Navy compensated for their technical and equipment disadvantages with tenacious fighting will, clearing obstacles from space for the ground forces with dense artillery fire.
Currently, Ventanus's vanguard forces have constructed a complete system of defensive fortifications on the planet's surface.
The warriors are reinforcing their positions while awaiting the arrival of the second wave of landing forces.
The situation in orbit is even more intertwined.
The Imperial Navy fleet and the Space Marine's strike cruiser formed a joint formation, engaging in a thrilling space naval battle with the Space Necron Fleet, and the fighting remains deadlocked.
However, although the Imperial warships were slightly inferior in maneuverability and fire projection range, they consistently maintained a stable front line by virtue of their numerical superiority and skilled tactical coordination.
From a strategic perspective, the Imperial side clearly holds the initiative.
The second wave of attacks led by Sigismund and Loken has completed their warp jump and is advancing at full speed towards the battle zone.
And the third batch of reinforcements, composed of the main force of the Astra Militarum, is also ready to go.
If the Space Necrons cannot promptly mobilize reinforcements or employ other tactical means, it will only be a matter of time before the Imperial Army gradually expands its gains and ultimately wins this war.
However, Alex also clearly realized that the Imperial Navy was under immense pressure.
After all, there is a performance gap between the Imperial Navy's warships and the Space Necrons' warships.
It's almost like the Imperial cruisers can fight the Necrons' light cruisers, but they can't catch them.
If the Space Necrons were not forced to hold the Kharkov orbit and engage the Imperial fleet head-on, their superior mobility for guerrilla tactics alone would be enough to put the Imperial Navy in a tough fight.
Therefore, Sigismund and Loken's second wave of attack forces, at the moment Alex received the battle report, had already entered the battle, seizing that precious opportunity.
The timely addition of these two fresh forces not only consolidated the initial gains but also created valuable strategic opportunities for the Imperial Army to expand its advantage.
However, the smooth advance of the ground forces cannot conceal a grim fact—if the Imperial Navy consistently fails to gain a decisive advantage in the orbital battlefield, this campaign will still face enormous strategic risks.
He clearly knew that the outcome of the space battle would directly determine the direction of the entire campaign.
Even if the ground forces achieved continuous victories, once the Imperial Navy fleet lost in the orbital struggle, all ground forces would be isolated and desperate.
Conversely, even if ground operations suffered temporary setbacks, as long as the Imperial Navy could control space, new airborne operations could be organized at any time to provide fire support for ground forces.
After careful consideration, Alex made two important decisions: First, he immediately sent an urgent request for assistance to the Star Sector Capital, demanding that more warships be transferred to reinforce the Kharkov front line.
This encrypted battle report was urgently transmitted via a Astropath, specifically emphasizing the strategic need to "prioritize securing orbital control."
At the same time, he ordered the general staff to immediately begin assembling all available warships from the Kherson defense zone, and even several armed transport ships originally responsible for logistics escort were incorporated into a temporary task force.
Although this makeshift fleet was limited in size, it could at least provide much-needed support for the front-line Imperial Navy.
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