The bay door hadn't shut, and from time to time, soldiers would mill in and out, their expressions so relaxed that it was clear they never suspected anyone would dare target this battleship.

At least a hundred soldiers were on guard around the mooring, their movements slack and lethargic, often slacking off to gossip about women and wine. They lacked the earnest intensity of the guards posted in the plaza outside by a wide margin.

After Yang Ying had admired the warship to his heart's content, he and the Ghost Agents slipped inside. It took hardly any effort to locate the vessel's ammunition depot, where they planted the bombs and set the timers. When everything was complete, Yang Ying checked the time: barely more than half an hour had passed since they infiltrated the building.

“Easier than I imagined.”

As Yang Ying emerged from the battleship, he couldn't help but cast a trace of scorn toward the Boas Guard Corps' vigilance. Though, it wasn't entirely their fault; a perfect cloaking technology like this was utterly unheard of, exceeding everyone's expectations.

From the data Kevin had gathered online in the preceding days, Yang Ying knew the Earth Federation's research departments had invested considerably in optical camouflage technology, yet the resulting products were still flawed.

Kevin had quietly breached the internal network of a core military research division and downloaded much of the Earth Federation's most advanced technological documentation. From this, Yang Ying learned that static optical camouflage had already been developed, but it was too costly for widespread use.

With current technology, concealing a one-square-meter flat surface cost over one hundred million units. Furthermore, the moment the camouflaged object moved, the disguise image lagged, making it look like a piece of moving glass, easily identifiable at a glance.

Optical camouflage that maintained invisibility even while moving remained only a theoretical possibility.

This further underscored that if the cloaking technology possessed by the Terran Mercenary Group were to leak, it would inevitably cause an earthquake in the military world. Spies sent by covetous parties would swarm like carp crossing a river, and there was even a possibility that large forces would be dispatched to seize it directly. After all, the asteroid belt was a lawless place, and both pirates and mercenaries would be highly interested in such technology.

Imagine an unseen force effortlessly passing through enemy lines, infiltrating the enemy's stronghold, achieving its tactical objective, and then withdrawing completely unscathed. Decapitating an enemy leader would be as easy as taking something from a pocket—which faction could possibly withstand such a [blank]?

According to the General Staff's analysis, the Terran Company, with its current strength, was not capable of protecting this technology.

Therefore, for a considerable period to come, Yang Ying would have to keep this secret buried in darkness.

Of course, Yang Ying had many secrets to keep; this one more wouldn't hurt.

Yang Ying and the Ghost Agents left the heavy cruiser without a sound or a trace, exiting through the passage beside the mooring without attracting any attention.

The Boas soldiers around the heavy cruiser continued their pacing, chatting, and slacking off just as before, showing no change from when Yang Ying arrived.

A communication crackled in his ear—the bomb installation on the light cruiser was also complete. Yang Ying instructed them to rendezvous at the usual spot.

Once there, Yang Ying sent them back to the Floating Continent and retraced his own steps. By this time, the rain had stopped.

Returning to the hotel, a Ghost Agent was already waiting in the room. Seeing him return, the agent immediately reported.

“Sir, Operation Shenanigans has succeeded. Lehai’s bald leader has capitulated. At 3:05, he established contact with the Kussen delegation and defected to Kussen’s faction.”

It was this very Ghost Agent who had handled the previous communication delivery, terrifying the bald leader half to death. The agent had also perfectly gauged the situation, making the leader believe he was targeted by an elusive assassin, without realizing the visitor possessed invisibility.

While the Dark Arbiter’s mental control could achieve a similar effect, mental manipulation was a highly advanced and complex spell, not something to be deployed casually. Each use consumed sixty percent of a Dark Arbiter's mental energy, and recovering that energy required at least three days.

Since sending a Ghost Agent could achieve the same result, there was no need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

After hearing the report, Yang Ying waited a while longer. Choosing his moment, he left the room again and headed upstairs. With his current level of psychic cultivation, he could go three or five days without sleep and still feel vigorous, without developing dark circles under his eyes.

Using the keen perception afforded to an Awakened one, he skillfully avoided the spies the Boas had stationed to monitor the Kussen delegation. He arrived at the floor where the Kussen party was staying—where Chetz and his daughter were holding a small meeting with Mayor Kussen.

Knock, knock, knock.

Yang Ying knocked three times.

A moment later, Christina opened the door a crack. Seeing Yang Ying, a joyful smile spread across her face: “Come in quickly!”

Christina opened the door fully to let Yang Ying in, then shut it again.

Yang Ying immediately spotted the other two individuals in the hall, and they were sizing him up in return.

“Father, Mayor, let me introduce you. This is Commander Yang Ying of the Terran Mercenary Group.” Christina introduced him with solemnity, then turned, pointing at the two men. “Commander Yang, these two are Mayor Kussen and my father. I assume you have heard of them, Commander Yang.”

“Of course. It is an honor to meet you both for the first time,” Yang Ying exchanged polite greetings with them.

“What brings you here now? Could there have been an accident in the plan to weaken the Boas?” Mayor Kussen looked at Yang Ying with an appraising gaze. He had always doubted Yang Ying’s ability to degrade the Boas fleet.

“Please trust my integrity. Since I stated I would do it, I will deliver,” Yang Ying met the Mayor’s gaze without yielding an inch, dismissing the Mayor’s suspicion with a trace of condescension. Yang Ying had no intention of currying favor with someone uninvolved who mistakenly doubted him, nor did he need to explain the details of his actions to this petty mayor.

“Hmph.” Mayor Kussen was greatly displeased by Yang Ying’s look. He snorted once and fell silent.

“Then what is your purpose here?” Commander Chetz interjected, easing the tension.

“To share the process of the Boas being weakened with you. For you all, I imagine this will be as intoxicating as fine wine.” Yang Ying finished speaking, walked to the window, and pulled back the tightly drawn curtains. “Ten seconds left.”

“What are we supposed to be watching?” Christina followed him to the window.

“You’ll see soon enough. Seven seconds left,” Yang Ying said with a smile.

Commander Chetz and Mayor Kussen exchanged a look and also moved toward the window.

BOOM! CRASH! BOOM!

A series of massive explosions erupted from the armory.

“You blew up the armory? That’s sheer madness, an infantile act! The biggest threat from the Boas is their fleet! Blowing up the armory will only make Polsen angrier, nothing more!” Mayor Kussen roared.

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