It was not long after Wen Yang departed that the first Barracks was completed, and the manufacturing of the Marines immediately commenced. Then, Yang Ying, without pausing, ordered the construction of a Vespene Refinery, an Engineering Bay for upgrading firepower and armor, and a Research Lab for advancing various infantry technologies.

Another day passed, bringing dusk.

Yang Ying re-entered the Floating Continent and approached the newly built Barracks, which was glowing with a yellow light, clearly in use.

Yang Ying activated Murphy's display screen and inquired, "How much longer until the training for the Marines is complete?"

Murphy bellowed back, "Two minutes remaining, Sir!"

"Excellent. Then let us witness this historic moment together," Yang Ying chuckled, opening the display screens for both Baal and Odin simultaneously.

Baal immediately cried out, "Great Master! Your humble servant is overjoyed to the point of tears to witness this historic moment by your side! Your achievements are as innumerable as the stars in the heavens! To speak nothing of saving three hundred thousand lives—even creating three hundred thousand lives would be child's play for you!"

Yang Ying snapped, "Less flattery, more work!"

"A sharp rebuke, so fitting! So true!" Baal shouted. "Every word spoken by the Master is an embodiment of truth. This lesson you have bestowed upon your humble servant, Baal, I shall engrave deeply in my heart, and I will follow you through fire and water without hesitation. Rest assured, Master!"

As it happened, the second Zerg Overlord had been born a few days prior. Yang Ying had spoken with it briefly and found it to be a character even more overbearing than Baal. Consequently, he opted to continue with the more familiar Baal as the leader of the Zerg forces, a decision that had kept Baal in grateful tears for a long time.

Odin, meanwhile, remained as taciturn as ever.

Just then, a door beneath the Barracks opened, revealing a soldier clad in thick, red armor, clutching a machine gun, his expression resolute.

He ran forward and snapped a salute to Yang Ying, reporting, "Marine Randall, reporting to the commanding officer!"

His voice was sharp and strong!

Yang Ying returned the salute. "Randall, we will soon take to the battlefield. You must become a model for the Marines. Are you mentally prepared for the dangers you are about to face?"

Randall responded with a booming affirmative: "Yes, Sir!"

"Good!" Yang Ying smiled. "Then let's test your capabilities first."

"Sir!" Randall acknowledged.

The Floating Continent boasted diverse terrain—rivers, jungles, rocks, grasslands. Although there was vegetation everywhere, there were no animals; the only living creatures were the Human, Divine, and Zerg races residing beneath the Tower.

Arriving at a rocky area, Yang Ying found a relatively large boulder. He unclipped the lightsaber from his waist, hissed as the blade ignited, and then traced circles on the rock surface with the tip, creating five concentric targets. The outermost circle spanned half a meter in diameter, while the innermost was only ten centimeters across.

Yang Ying turned to Randall and said, "Come, let's stand further back and test your marksmanship accuracy first."

"Yes, Sir!"

The two moved twenty meters away. Randall raised his machine gun and loosed a rapid burst of over a dozen rounds toward the target, sending chips of stone flying.

After firing, Yang Ying stepped forward to examine the results. He noted that while almost every shot had struck the target area, only two rounds had hit the bullseye.

However, this performance was already excellent for a Marine.

A Marine is a Marine; they cannot be treated as snipers. What the Marine Corps requires is scale effect—a barrage! This level of accuracy surpassed Yang Ying's expectations, an unexpected bonus.

Next came a forced march, requiring Randall to run to the main base and immediately return, a round trip of about five kilometers.

Randall's return time was significantly sooner than Yang Ying had anticipated. Yang Ying checked his stopwatch and saw that only fifteen minutes had elapsed.

He opened Murphy’s screen and asked, "Did Randall actually make it to the main base and back?"

Murphy testified, "Report, Sir! I can confirm that Randall ran to the base, touched the exterior wall, and then returned! Report complete, Sir!"

"Excellent!" Yang Ying praised. "That achievement is remarkable; even unencumbered, most people would struggle to match that speed."

Upon questioning Randall, Yang Ying learned that the Marine armor served as a highly efficient combat suit that did not hinder speed during a forced march; rather, it accelerated stamina recovery.

Following this series of tests, Yang Ying gained a preliminary understanding of the Marine unit's combat capabilities. Randall, being a clone with innate combat talent, wielded the machine gun with mastery—much like the same basketball felt entirely different in Jordan's hands versus someone else's.

"Right, one more thing," Yang Ying asked Murphy. "Are all Marines identical in appearance to Randall? If so, presenting them in the real world will be difficult."

This was because, even in the 26th century, the ban on cloning remained in effect, though Yang Ying had no idea if it was being secretly violated.

Murphy replied, "Sir, please rest assured. The Barracks includes safe and harmless cosmetic alteration procedures that can influence the development of facial features and musculature without surgery. Although every Marine possesses the same countenance at birth, their faces develop distinct differences as their bodies mature."

"That settles my concerns, then," Yang Ying said, relieved.

Noticing the late hour, Yang Ying addressed Randall. "I have no immediate tasks for you. Remain on standby at the base, ready to be summoned at any time."

"Yes, Sir!" Randall snapped to attention and saluted.

Returning to the real world, Yang Ying casually brought along a bottle of champagne to celebrate the birth of the Marines. This bottle had been taken from Undine’s home; he hadn't opened it then, and it was fitting to share it now.

Regarding news of Undine's family, Yang Ying had made inquiries. He heard that her parents were safe and had since returned home for a family reunion.

The issue of the wine was minor; he surmised that survivors of such trauma wouldn't dwell on minor losses.

However, drinking alone was dull. Yang Ying sent a communication request to Wen Yang. "Are you free? Come join me for a drink."

Wen Yang sounded curious. "What's the occasion today? You’re inviting me for drinks?"

"Nothing much," Yang Ying laughed. "Consider it finding a sliver of joy amidst the hardship. The city is so subdued; we need to find something happy to do, or we'll go mad."

"You have a point. Wait there, I’m coming immediately." Wen Yang abruptly ended the communication.

Although Yang Ying’s words were just an excuse, they were also the truth. Too many people had died in the Titan's Light during the catastrophe, and the military was still struggling to process all the bodies. While the streets had been cleared, few pedestrians appeared; aside from supply distributions, almost no one ventured out, and a pervasive atmosphere of gloom hung over the entire city.

Yang Ying glanced back at the champagne bottle, suddenly feeling that such celebratory liquor was wholly inappropriate for the current environment.

Therefore, by the time Wen Yang arrived at his residence, the bottle on the table had been swapped for Maotai. After all, the celebration was merely a formality; the specific beverage didn't matter much.