The Ghost Agent on the other side flipped the switch, and the passenger vessel was illuminated once more.

"Thank you all for your hard work," Yang Ying nodded. "For the next phase, I only need four of you. Please send my regards to the others when you return."

"Yes, Sir!" the assembled group replied.

Yang Ying kept four behind, sending the rest back to the Floating Continent. He then continued, "There are two Ghosts on that pirate vessel, plus you four—that's half a squad. Your orders, starting now, are to take control of that pirate ship. And this man..." Yang Ying gestured toward Half-Life, "...you will bring him back aboard the pirate vessel. Make him take you on a lap around the Asteroid Belt. Remember to extract everything he knows about supply ports, flight paths, and all the factions within the Belt. This is critically important for Phase Three of our Trant Project."

"What do we do with him after we're done?" one agent asked.

"Use him if he’s useful, kill him if he’s not," Yang Ying made a slicing gesture.

The four saluted: "Understood, Sir."

Phase Two of the Trant Project was nearing completion. The Trant Corporation's request to establish a factory in the Asteroid Belt had been approved and was underway, scheduled for completion within six months.

As previously noted, the Asteroid Belt was a den of vipers—a paradise for pirates and mercenaries. Pirates like Half-Life were considered minor players; the warships of the true major pirate fleets rivaled the main battle cruisers of the military itself.

Some pirate groups operated under the guise of mercenary organizations, functioning as mercenaries during peacetime, but instantly transforming into pirates when they encountered a lone vessel.

Governing this region was exceptionally difficult. The thickness of the Asteroid Belt was 1.5 times the distance from the Sun to Earth—over two hundred million kilometers—the space riddled with countless asteroids. In such a vast and complex environment, erasing evidence was trivially easy; any perpetrator who wasn't caught in the act could escape accountability indefinitely.

For Earth humans, new to space travel, navigation technology remained underdeveloped. While sailing within the Sol system was manageable, leaving it required starships purchased at exorbitant prices from alien sources, as human shipbuilding capabilities were insufficient.

The immaturity of space technology, coupled with the complexity of the terrain, resulted in the Asteroid Belt existing in a state of near-anarchy, carved up by major powers represented by mercenary and pirate syndicates.

The Ninth Fleet, garrisoned there by the military, held an advantage over any single faction, but if just one-fifth of the Belt’s forces united, their combined strength would eclipse the Ninth Fleet.

This chaotic situation was largely permitted by the Unified Government, as the major clans, possessing immense economic and political leverage, maintained private armies within the Belt—though these forces typically flew the flags of mercenary or pirate groups.

Driven by these very same clans, the Asteroid Belt had become the solar system’s largest and most secure receptacle for filth. The Unified Government stationed the Ninth Fleet here merely to protect essential government facilities and established civilian routes.

This was precisely why Yang Ying had chosen the Asteroid Belt; concealing matters there was exceptionally easy.

The conditions for executing Phase Three of the Trant Project were now ripe. To thrive here, immense martial power was necessary, thus the objective of Phase Three was the establishment of a Mercenary Guild!

Although hundreds of mercenary groups already operated in the Belt, founding a new one was anything but simple. Mercenary organizations were inherently militarized, subject to extremely stringent vetting procedures by the government. Common individuals could not simply submit an application and expect a favorable reply; a legitimate pretext was indispensable.

The Trant Corporation’s establishment of a corporate security detail to ensure its safety in the Belt provided exactly that—a legitimate reason. Without this cover, they would likely have to create the "Trant Pirate Group," significantly limiting their maneuvering room and forcing them to sever all beneficial ties with the military, the Intelligence Division, and the Psionic Temple.

Every step of the Trant Project adhered meticulously to the existing rules of this world. Apart from the initial intrusion into the City Hall data archives, everything else was accomplished through outwardly legitimate and natural means.

Yang Ying himself had resigned from his previous post and joined the Trant Corporation; of course, the superficial processes of recruitment and application were still mandatory. Because he carried the burden of four ape lives and was a newly awakened psychic, the new Chairman, Tom, appointed him Security Director, responsible for recruiting security personnel. Naturally, the guards he would eventually hire would be drawn from StarSphere in the Palm.

In a chaotic place like the Asteroid Belt, identification documents, resumes, and background checks were essentially worthless paper. Introducing several tens of thousands of extra people would barely ripple the surface.

Everyone there possessed a new identity. Even someone who had committed murder, arson, or deployed bombs and toxic gas on Earth—someone sought by every global authority—could arrive in the Asteroid Belt and become a respected figure, starting life anew.

Once the Trant Security detail was established, the Trant Project would be essentially complete. The benefit of this structure was reduced hassle; Yang Ying could transition naturally into the role of a mercenary. Initially, few would pay close attention—perhaps a few sensationalist tabloids might run a story about the hero of the Titan’s Light joining the military, but such news would quickly fade. In a society of thirty billion, countless news items surfaced daily; this minor affair was insignificant.

Yang Ying himself was proof of this phenomenon. When the Titan’s Light campaign concluded just over a month ago, his fame was immense, generating a blizzard of correspondence from every corner of the solar system—letters of commendation, adoration, worship, and even bitter accusations of self-aggrandizement. But as time passed, his prominence had waned to mere recognition; only those he had directly aided still recalled his deeds.

Even if a perceptive individual noticed the Trant Corporation, they would be unable to extrapolate from these scattered facts that Yang Ying was the entity operating behind the scenes.

Under the banner of a mercenary guild, Yang Ying could enter various battlefields, seeking suitable opponents to hone his own power, unbound by any individual or faction.

However, hearsay was just that—hearsay. Specific intelligence required on-site investigation. This pirate leader, nicknamed Half-Life, likely still possessed some residual value that could be exploited.

Currently, the pirate vessel held the pilot and navigator alive, totaling three individuals including Half-Life. They were all local operators, possessing an intrinsic understanding of the Asteroid Belt. Yang Ying intended for them to guide his subordinates in familiarizing themselves with the region’s conditions. This would be far more effective than studying data files, serving as a potent supplement to Phase Three of the Trant Project—a step that hadn't originally been planned, but which was now being implemented because Half-Life had so eagerly delivered himself to their doorstep.

The Ghost Agents possessed inherently vast professional knowledge. This information was imprinted upon their minds, becoming instinctual, while their bodies were being cultivated in the specialized tanks back at the barracks. They would squeeze every ounce of utility from Half-Life; no deception could possibly escape their scrutiny. As for whether the short man chose to cooperate, that was entirely irrelevant; the Ghosts possessed countless means to ensure his compliance.