The initial transfer, besides eleven structures, included ten squadrons of Ghost Fighters, five squadrons of Carriers, one thousand five hundred infantry units of various types, four Valkyries, two Tech Spheres, and a number of transport ships and other assorted combat vehicles. They nearly filled the entire first level of the base and would be crucial for bolstering its defenses.

The Carriers were busy constructing Supply Depots to sustain the base’s sudden surge in population.

Led by Kalia, Yang Ying arrived at the Command Center.

This was a room spanning a thousand square meters, more than spacious enough for an office. The decor was divided into two distinct styles, separating the working area from the recreational lounge.

“Sir, allow me to walk you through the layout of the Command Center,” Kalia proposed.

“Very well, proceed,” Yang Ying replied, taking in the room.

Kalia walked over to an elliptical desk in the office section, covered in buttons, and pressed a switch.

The center of the desk slid open to both sides, revealing a holographic projector which cast a star map into the air. A single dot rested at the map's center, orbited by several smaller dots moving back and forth on patrol routes.

Yang Ying stepped closer to examine it, pointing at the central dot. “Is this our base?”

“Yes,” Kalia confirmed, gesturing at the entire desk. “Sir, this is a holographic radar, monitoring the space within ten light-seconds around the base. Once the Terran Command Center’s auxiliary structure—the Radar Station—is built, it will link with this, allowing us to see much farther.”

Yang Ying then pointed to the moving smaller dots. “Are these our deployed patrol units?”

“Affirmative.” Kalia pressed a button on the desk. Instantly, the airspace surrounding the base was washed in red, and as he pressed another, markings appeared next to the small dots.

“The red area represents our theoretical sphere of influence, a radius of one light-second,” Kalia illustrated with his hand. “As you can see, some of our patrol units are extending beyond this range.”

Yang Ying observed that several dots marked as Ghost Fighters lay outside the red zone, a few reaching a distance of two light-seconds.

“I think this is excellent,” Yang Ying approved. “Now that our forces are more numerous, we should extend the patrol range beyond five light-seconds. We cannot afford to wait for incursions into our airspace before reacting passively. That outer region of space is unclaimed territory; we should use it.”

“That was our very thought,” Kalia said, a noble smile gracing his lips. “Speaking of which, there is a matter I would appreciate your counsel on, Sir.”

“Speak,” Yang Ying invited.

Kalia continued, “I previously informed you about external parties breaching our airspace. They quieted down after being eliminated by the Ghost Fighters, but they have recently reappeared, visiting every two to three days on average. However, they only linger just outside our territorial boundary, never venturing deeper. Even when we cloak the Ghost Fighters to remain unseen, they refuse to enter. Since we cannot legally eliminate them for trespassing, we seek your final decision on how to handle them.”

Yang Ying’s expression darkened. “What is your recommendation?”

Kalia replied, “We believe they are probing us, testing how far we dare to strike them, which will dictate their future attitude toward us. Due to our insufficient force levels previously, we maintained a defensive posture and did not send Ghost Fighters to pursue them. However, our estimation is that they are a pirate faction, meaning an attack would likely carry minimal repercussions.”

“Then attack them!” Yang Ying declared decisively. “From now on, any similar provocations will not be tolerated. If we ignore them, they will assume we are easy targets.”

There were no laws or regulations in the asteroid belt; only the fundamental law of the jungle remained. Therefore, projecting strength was paramount, lest other factions take advantage and press their luck.

“As you command.”

Kalia shut down the radar and moved to the lounge area. He first ushered Yang Ying to a sofa, then retrieved a remote control from the coffee table and pressed a button on the wall.

The wall immediately slid open sideways, revealing a full-length screen.

Kalia handed the remote to Yang Ying. “This television screen can connect to the communicator to serve as a visual display, or it can tune into most television channels in the solar system. Just scrolling through these channels from start to finish would take over an hour.”

“Impressive,” Yang Ying murmured. He pressed the remote, causing the wall panels to close. “Now, tell me about the other factions in the vicinity.”

“Certainly.” Kalia began his briefing. “The base is situated within the territory of the Mercenary Alliance. There is only one large mercenary group close to us, named the Giant Mercenary Group. They command twenty thousand soldiers, three large-class warships, five medium-class warships, and several dozen fighters—all military surplus, but still possessing considerable combat capability. The Giant Mercenary Group’s stronghold is a space station, and they are also responsible for its defense.”

“What is the purpose of their space station?” Yang Ying inquired.

Kalia answered without hesitation, “It’s an industrial city called Rubelen, with a population of six hundred and forty thousand.”

It appeared Kalia had done considerable intelligence work on that city.

“Continue,” Yang Ying directed.

Kalia went on, “The pirates generally have no fixed strongholds; wherever they are, that is their location. Their tactic is invariably guerrilla warfare: strike and retreat far away. Based on publicly available data in the asteroid belt, the Pirate Federation maintains a ranking system that lists the Top Ten Pirate Fleets, none of which is weaker than the Giant Mercenary Group.”

“They need a base to conduct guerrilla warfare. How do the pirates manage supplies?” Yang Ying asked.

“The territory governed by the Pirate Federation includes twelve space stations openly supporting the pirates, plus nearly ten neutral cities that provide them with provisions and fencing stolen goods,” Kalia shrugged. “After all, pirates are people who cannot hide their wealth, and servicing them is a highly profitable venture; someone will always be tempted to take the risk.”

As he spoke, Kalia produced a data chip from his pocket. “Sir, this contains the intelligence we have gathered on the various powers in the asteroid belt. Many specific details are hard to convey verbally. You may review it when you have time.”

“Good,” Yang Ying took the chip.

“Oh, yes,” Kalia said, as if suddenly remembering something. “Speaking of data collection, Sir, do you recall Half-Life?”

Yang Ying thought for a moment. “The short pirate leader we encountered on the way to Earth. I remember.”

Kalia continued, “We have him imprisoned. He has contributed significantly to the data collection in this chip, offering unique insights into the feuds between the various pirate factions. We believe he still has potential value.”

“I understand,” Yang Ying said, knowing what Kalia was implying. “Let’s go visit the prison.”