Yang Ying first flipped the ape-man’s body over, discovering that the machine gun bullets had not pierced through it, but remained lodged inside the ape-man’s flesh.

This situation was not entirely bad; penetrating power wasn't always the best quality for bullets. Bullets left inside the body could cause more extensive internal damage through tumbling as the creature moved.

There was one spot on the ape-man’s chest that was incredibly hard, feeling nothing like skin. Yang Ying pulled back the ape-man's combat suit and found a palm-sized alloy case tucked into an inner pocket on the chest.

This small case was completely unscathed by the storm of bullets; not even a hairline scratch marred its surface, only some now-frozen bloodstains clinging to the exterior. One end of the case featured a combination lock, clearly marking it as some sort of safe or coded box.

Holding the case, Yang Ying’s mind raced. This dead ape-man had remained near the Ape Commander throughout the fight, and the Commander’s insistence on engaging Master Pang Qian must have been to protect something. This little box certainly held a secret.

During the cleanup, Yang Ying pulverized the ape-man's corpse, extracted every bullet, and ordered the machine gunners to return to the Floating Continent with all the recovered ammunition and casings. He then dumped the remaining fragments over the cliff edge. Afterward, he used his light saber to slice away all the blood-soaked earth from the ground and tossed that away too—a truly thorough disposal of evidence.

He did this because Yang Ying had heard that experienced individuals could reconstruct the sequence of a fight by observing the patterns of blood spatter. As for the minor traces of blood splattered on his uniform, there was no need to clean those off; they were proof of his hard-won battle, and why erase that? No one would investigate the cause of death of an ape-man whose remains were entirely gone just to examine his clothing.

Then Yang Ying mounted his motorcycle, taking the Ape Commander’s bike, which had been set to follow him, and headed back.

At the entrance to the ice cave, Master Pang Qian stood tall and straight, like a pine tree rooted in the earth, with the Ape Commander lying at his feet, missing one hand and one leg, its fate uncertain.

“Master!” Yang Ying brought his motorcycle to a halt before Master Pang Qian.

Master Pang Qian noticed the bloodstains covering Yang Ying’s gear and remarked, “It seems you went through a bloody fight. I sensed no injury on you, so I presume the victory was straightforward.”

“That is largely thanks to the Master injuring that ape-man first. Otherwise, a rookie like me on the battlefield would surely have been finished off,” Yang Ying replied humbly.

“Don’t belittle yourself. You once killed an ape-man solo during the Titan’s Light incident; I wasn't there to assist you then,” Master Pang Qian shook his head, lifting the Ape Commander with one hand and placing it onto the motorcycle.

Yang Ying glanced over his shoulder. “Master, this Ape Commander?”

“Not dead yet,” Master Pang Qian said as he started the engine. “It still has a use while alive. You needn’t worry about it suddenly attacking; I guarantee it won’t wake up for twelve hours.”

Yang Ying also started his bike, following close behind Master Pang Qian. “You intend to extract intelligence from its mouth?”

Apes were not incapable of speech; their language simply differed from human tongues, incomprehensible to the average person without specialized translation expertise.

“No. Ape Commanders usually have exceptionally strong wills, making them difficult to interrogate. We are keeping it for a prisoner exchange,” Master Pang Qian explained. “The front lines are perilous, and many Psionics are captured every year. Having one more bargaining chip allows us to bring one more of ours back.”

“I see.” Yang Ying maneuvered his motorcycle alongside Master Pang Qian’s and carefully examined the Ape Commander’s wounds. Even if this maimed creature were returned, it would be incapable of fulfilling combat duties, making it perfectly suitable for an exchange.

Although current prosthetic technology is incredibly advanced, nearly indistinguishable from natural limbs, prosthetics still cannot match true organic limbs. For someone frequently operating on the battlefield, replacing limbs would severely degrade their combat effectiveness.

“Master, I found something on the ape-man that I think is rather interesting. Could you take a look?” Yang Ying pulled the combination box from his pocket.

Master Pang Qian saw it and extended a hand; the case flew as if guided by an invisible force into his grip.

“Good heavens, you actually found it!”

The tone of his voice clearly indicated that the contents of the case were of significant importance.

“Mission accomplished beyond expectations. Young man, you are very lucky.” Master Pang Qian turned back to him. “Ask me whatever you wish. The recovery of this case is a major achievement; the military surely won’t mind if I slip you some inside information.”

“What is in this box?” Yang Ying asked.

“A data drive containing classified documents, logging the names of spies developed within the Ancient Legion over the last half-century.” Master Pang Qian turned the case over and examined it thoroughly a few times, confirming its authenticity before securing it. “The military suspects this data drive was the main objective behind the ape-men’s attack on Titan’s Light.”

“Why would this data drive be on Titan Prime?” Yang Ying asked, puzzled. Such confidential files should have been kept in the most secure location imaginable.

“A spy dispatched by the ape-men managed to steal it from the Intelligence Department. It was intercepted and retrieved by the Intelligence Department during the Titan’s Light operation. Then the ape-men launched the Titan’s Light campaign, and after the battle, the location of this data drive became unknown.”

“Could it be that the military and the Psionic Monastery teaming up to wipe out the ape-man remnants was also to recover this data drive?” Yang Ying inquired further.

“Precisely.” Master Pang Qian smiled and nodded. “The Intelligence Department commissioning the military and the Psionic Monastery to search for this data drive was indeed one of our goals for eliminating the ape-men.”

“One of them? What was the other objective?” Since the floodgates of conversation were open, Yang Ying decided to press until he understood everything.

The two traveled in tandem, retracing their path, the surrounding scenery rapidly receding behind them.

“The frontline where we are currently stalemated with the ape-men lies between the orbits of Uranus and Neptune, also known as the Dual King Defense Line,” Master Pang Qian recounted slowly. “The military always believed the Dual King Defense Line was impregnable, that the Ancient Legion could neither pass through it nor bypass it to attack the inner Solar System. But this time, fifty ape-men managed to slip past the line without detection. From this, we must deduce that the Ancient Legion has discovered a secret passage.”

“The universe is vast; you can travel in any direction—up, down, north, south. How can there possibly be a defense line without a flaw?” Yang Ying was unconvinced by the military’s assessment.

“No, it’s not that simple.” Master Pang Qian shook his head slightly. “There might have been flaws in the past, but after nearly half a century of conflict, the entire Dual King Defense Line is saturated with unmanned radar stations, providing all-around surveillance. The departure of ships, large or small, cannot escape the notice of these stations. Therefore, the Dual King Defense Line theoretically possesses no blind spots.”

Yang Ying interjected, “But one exists in reality.”

“Regrettably, yes.” Master Pang Qian paused. “I don’t believe the Ancient Legion would ignore this secret passage. Fifty came this time; the next wave could number five thousand. You sense the cloud of war hanging over Titan Prime; you should understand my concern.”

“I understand,” Yang Ying confirmed with a nod.

“Therefore, leaving these ape-men in the mountains for any longer would become extremely dangerous. To prevent them from coordinating with the main Ancient Legion forces, coupled with the request from the Intelligence Department, is why this punitive expedition was formed,” Master Pang Qian concluded, raising a single finger to summarize. “You have fulfilled the Intelligence Department’s commission. I will ensure you receive credit upon our return. Though you are not formally part of the military, there will be ways to compensate you.”