As the vessel lifted off, Yang Ying stood by the corridor's viewport, watching Titan shrink until it was but a speck of dust in the cosmos. He felt profoundly the insignificance of humanity in the universe; Titan was merely a minor moon in the solar system. Beyond the solar system lay the Milky Way, and countless galaxies beyond that. Thinking this, a fresh surge of strength filled Yang Ying’s core.

He gazed at the stars scattered across space, murmuring to himself, "I truly wish to see the edge of the universe within my lifetime!"

At that moment, dozens of other passengers were also by the viewport, observing Titan recede. Each bore a different expression, yet few looked pleased. After all, this forced departure from home was not their choice, but a consequence driven by the impending war.

Once Titan was out of sight, Yang Ying returned to his own cabin. He had purchased a first-class, single occupancy suite, and managed to secure it at a three-tenths fare.

This discount wasn't offered by the spaceport; it was a perk bestowed upon recipients of the Solar System Medal. The government subsidized seventy percent of his travel costs. When he completed the transfer purchase for the ship ticket, the system automatically deducted thirty percent from his account, while the remaining seventy percent was drawn from a dedicated government account.

Naturally, this benefit only applied to his use of various modes of transport. Yang Ying didn't particularly care about it; he was wealthy now.

The savings accumulated by the body he currently inhabited were negligible. The bonus received upon earning the Solar System Medal amounted to one million World Dollars. For every High-Ape he eliminated, the military rewarded him with one hundred thousand; Yang Ying had eliminated four, netting him four hundred thousand. These were minor sums. The greatest influx came from the various well-wishers from the surviving remnants of Titan's Light, who had sent him gifts through online transfers in successive waves.

Yang Ying had only made a single public appearance at the awarding ceremony. Afterward, at his request, the military and the media had refrained from widely publicizing his specific details, but it was hardly a secret, and people would eventually find out.

In the period immediately following his return from the Northern Mountain Ranges, Yang Ying’s electronic mailbox had nearly overflowed with letters of gratitude. Some families had even included substantial monetary gifts along with their correspondence as tokens of thanks.

The balance in his account had increased steadily, climbing relentlessly until it now stood at nearly fifty million World Dollars—a colossal fortune, equivalent to five hundred years of salary from his previous employment!

Inside his cabin, exhilarated by his first space voyage, Yang Ying activated the holographic screen and watched a film for a while. He couldn't help but praise inwardly: technology had advanced significantly in the last five centuries. Movies had evolved from two-dimensional planes to three-dimensional holograms viewable from any angle.

The film was titled Never Peace. Its theme was the war between humanity and the Ancient Legion. It chronicled a civilian joining the army, undergoing grueling training, and reaching the battlefield. During the conflict against the Ancient Legion, all his comrades were sacrificed, leading him to single-handedly destroy an Ape base for revenge.

Inevitably, the narrative wove in a romance between the male and female leads, culminating in their union.

The entire film was saturated with the brutality of the Apes and the courage and sheer luck of the protagonist, elevating the image of the soldier to an almost mythical status. It was clearly a propaganda piece encouraging military enlistment, adhering faithfully to the style of Hollywood blockbusters.

It was the highest-viewed among dozens of films he had browsed.

Yet, after finishing it, Yang Ying shook his head, tutting repeatedly. "Movies have gone from two dimensions to three, and the visual effect is certainly much better, but the core remains the same—it’s just too exaggerated. One man wiping out an Ape base? Even a Nian Neng Master couldn't manage that. Truly, a character blessed by the protagonist's halo, using sheer luck to vanquish every enemy."

Losing the mood for more cinema, he closed his eyes and let his mind drift to the Floating Continent, picking up the lightsaber lying on the ground.

"Better practice the sword…"

After a period of research, Yang Ying discovered that the body inhabiting the Floating Continent was merely a virtual construct, as his physical self remained external while his consciousness roamed.

This virtual body acted like a projection intimately tethered to the original. All its states mirrored the source body precisely. If the physical self felt fatigued, the projection would too; if the physical self sustained injury, the projection would be wounded.

What astonished Yang Ying, however, was that the reverse was also true!

If the projection’s state changed, the physical body experienced the same effect. On several occasions while intensely refining his physique, Yang Ying encountered situations where organs suffered damage due to overload. In those moments, he only needed to close his eyes, project his consciousness to the Floating Continent, let Katarina administer an injection, and then reopen his eyes; all injuries sustained by his physical body would be instantly repaired.

This was also the principle behind storing external items on the Floating Continent.

If the physical body held an object and entered the projection state, the projection would hold that object as well. Conversely, if the projection left the item on the Floating Continent, the item held by the physical body would vanish, effectively transferring it to the Continent.

Thus, Yang Ying could lie there with his eyes closed and practice his swordsmanship, and even if someone noticed, they would merely assume he was prone to napping.

In the ensuing days, apart from eating his three meals a day in the mess hall, he rarely left his cabin.

Seven days later, the ship crossed Jupiter’s orbit and entered the Asteroid Belt—the location Yang Ying had designated for his base of operations. It was complex and obscure; radar was useless here. The asteroids ranged from dust-sized motes to colossal bodies nearly a thousand kilometers in diameter. Any vessel diving into the debris field would instantly become untraceable.

For this reason, Yang Ying temporarily suspended his cultivation and returned to the corridor viewport to observe the environment of the Asteroid Belt.

The established route had been specially cleared; no asteroids blocked the way, and the nearest ones were distant enough only to be seen in outline.

After watching for a while, two passengers walked past him, their conversation drifting into his ears.

"Did you know? This territory is ungoverned. Besides the enterprises approved by the Earth Unified Government, this is a haven for mercenaries and pirates. I heard there are dozens of space pirate fleets hidden deep within the Belt. The smallest operate with just one transport ship, while the largest command decommissioned warships. They rule here; even the military can't touch them."

"Pirates? Do you think they'll try to hijack our ship?"

"Of course not! The passenger liners' routes are regularly swept, and warships patrol constantly. Pirates wouldn't dare come here; they hide deep in the Belt, only emerging for a quick score when a lone transport vessel strays onto a minor route."

"My friend, you are indeed knowledgeable. In that case, that warship flying towards us must not belong to the pirates, right?"

"A warship… over there?"

Yang Ying also turned his gaze in the direction the passenger had indicated. Sure enough, he saw a long, slender vessel rapidly closing in on the passenger liner. A skull insignia on its hull was strikingly clear.

He heard the distinct sound of gulping. The passenger who had just claimed pirates wouldn't venture near let out a deep breath, then shouted, "Pirates are here!"

The two passengers yelled in unison and then bolted away at top speed.