After finishing his meal, Yang Ying hopped on his motorcycle and headed home. Master Pang Qian had gifted him several e-books—memoirs written by Psionic Masters—perfect for passing the time.

Due to the dramatic upheaval in Titan's Light City, in addition to the 300,000 survivors, at least another 300,000 people had perished from the extreme cold, while tens of thousands more died from direct attacks.

During those silent twelve hours, tens of thousands of families were utterly erased, and tens of thousands more were left to endure the agony of loss.

Under these circumstances, no one considered going to work, and no company or factory could possibly resume operations.

Thus, it could be stated with certainty that Titan's Light had fallen into a state of severe paralysis. Yang Ying’s job as a mechanical technician would likely be suspended for a very long time.

Twelve hours after the battle commenced, the fighting in the Anade Gorge to the north finally concluded. The Titan Star Garrison forces had successfully broken through the obstacles set up by the Ape-Men in the Anade Gorge and reached Titan's Light.

On the surface, this localized conflict appeared to be drawing to a close.

As people gradually woke up, they spontaneously took to the streets, some crying, some laughing, the clamor continuing through the night until the military-dispatched Military Police persuaded them to disperse.

Yang Ying didn't wish to venture out. At home, he devoted himself entirely to studying those memoirs. The text contained veritable treasures, at least to him.

Several of the books dedicated significant portions to recounting the wars these Masters had fought against the Ape-Men, documenting numerous classic engagements. From these battle scenes, Yang Ying witnessed master-level applications of psychic power and the entire array of tactics derived from it.

For a Psionic, deflecting a laser beam with a lightsaber was one of the fundamentals—it was the primary means of survival on the battlefield. A Psionic Master, however, could reflect the beam back at the attacker.

This was because ordinary people required about a few tenths of a second for their bodies to react after an external event occurred. Special forces soldiers could achieve this in under 0.1 seconds through rigorous training. But the senses of Psionic Masters were exquisitely sharp; they could even glimpse a sliver of the future's trajectory, allowing them to react before an event even took place.

What impressed Yang Ying the most was a passage written by one Psionic Master: "Our most potent weapon is not the lightsaber or the laser gun, nor any other instrument of killing; it is our perception! Guided by the mind, we can sense the presence of traps and opportunities, enabling more people to secure victory. This is our true worth on the battlefield."

It was far easier for a Psionic Master to become a tactical master than it was for an ordinary person. Their insight was potent, rendering common tactical deception invisible to them; only a far stronger Psionic Master could screen their perception.

When reading became tiring, Yang Ying would go to the Floating Continent to chat with Murphy, Baal, and Odin, deepening his understanding of the three races.

Yang Ying spent three days living this routine, watching firsthand as the barracks grew from nothing, gradually rising and taking shape, nearing completion and readiness for use.

The miners' efficiency also differed from what he remembered in games: they gathered one unit of Crystal Ore every hour. Thus, each of the three bases received over two hundred units of Crystal Ore income daily. On this foundation, the commanders of all three bases chose to increase their worker numbers. Currently, both the Human and Protoss bases had eight workers each, while the Zerg base boasted ten—an advantage stemming from their initial possession of three Larvae.

More workers brought more Crystal Ore, and before the first barracks was finished, construction had already begun on the second.

During this period, Yang Ying demarcated territories for the three races: the Humans would focus their expansion northward, the Protoss toward the southeast, and the Zerg toward the southwest, taking a 120-degree fan-shaped space centered around the central spire of the continent.

In the afternoon, Wen Yang arrived at Yang Ying's residence.

Yang Ying invited him into the living room and asked, "What wind blew you in this time?"

"The corpses of the Ape-Men and the Centipedes have finished their analysis, so they sent me to deliver you a certificate verifying that you single-handedly killed one High-Grade Ape-Man and one Ancient Behemoth," Wen Yang said, producing a rolled parchment held together by a red silk ribbon.

Yang Ying took it and unfurled it. The paper felt substantial in his hand; it was edged with gold foil. His achievements were described on it in both Chinese characters and English, with the seals of the Seventh Fleet and the Titan Star Military Base affixed below.

Seeing Yang Ying examine the document, Wen Yang added, "Lately, the citizens of Titan's Light City have been immersed in grief, so the higher-ups have decided to organize some large events to revitalize the atmosphere."

Yang Ying nodded. "That's appropriate. And then?"

"The higher-ups have decided to host a grand decoration ceremony, four days from now, to honor the soldiers and civilians who displayed valor during this localized battle." Wen Yang presented a large, bright red invitation. "And since you are the hero who saved three hundred thousand people, the entire ceremony cannot proceed without you, so please accept this invitation."

Yang Ying opened the invitation and read it. "Who else is receiving decorations with me?"

Wen Yang replied, "While everyone contributed to the recovery of Titan's Light, not many qualify for decoration. It’s mostly personnel from the Titan Star Garrison—about ten of them. They fought a fierce battle against the Ape-Men, suffering dozens of casualties themselves, just to eliminate nearly fifty Ancient Behemoths. Besides them, it's just you, my sister from the Seventh Fleet, and Lieutenant General Rudolph—three others."

"Rudolph? I figured," Yang Ying chuckled. "But if the Titan Star Garrison eliminated fifty Ancient Behemoths, what about the Ape-Men?"

Wen Yang leaned in closer. "This part is a bit awkward. I'm telling you this in confidence, so don't let it spread."

Yang Ying nodded.

Wen Yang continued, "Actually, the Ape-Men in the Anade Valley left the Ancient Behemoths behind as rear guard; the rest retreated. Except for the dozen or so who died directly in combat, the remaining thirty-odd all fled into the mountains to the north."

"Not a single one was captured?" Yang Ying frowned.

"Correct." Wen Yang sounded equally dejected.

"Forget it, don't dwell on it," Yang Ying consoled him. "After all, they all possess psychic power, and if they're set on fleeing, they can escape easily. These past few days, I've truly understood how powerful psionics are. The northern mountains are vast; finding thirty-odd hidden Ape-Men would be nearly impossible for those without psychic ability. If too many people go, they'll scatter; if too few go, they'll be eliminated. It's better to wait for the Psionic specialists to handle it."

"That's exactly what the higher-ups think," Wen Yang instantly shook off his gloom. "So, regarding this decoration ceremony?"

Yang Ying tucked the invitation away. "Alright, I will attend."