"Let's go!" Yang Ying grabbed Commander Batches' arm and yanked him back, while the Ghost Agents sprinted out of the hall with the speed of track stars. Yang Ying casually shut and locked the door behind them.

Then, with a deafening boom, dozens of grenades simultaneously exploded inside the hall. A blast of hot air rushed out from under the door, but the door itself did not collapse. This was because the port building had been constructed using the most robust design specifications; the door and walls were thick enough to absorb the full force of the grenades.

Yang Ying opened the door to see that its interior was pockmarked and embedded with dozens of fragments, yet the doorframe itself showed no warping whatsoever. The surrounding walls were similarly unaffected.

On the other side, at least half of the Bos soldiers lay sprawled in the hundred-square-meter area directly in front of the opposite door, evidently shot down while trying to flee. Several other Bos soldiers had been disarmed and were huddled against a corner of the wall.

Batches stepped forward and questioned them. Learning that these few had surrendered in a moment of mental collapse at the last second, he first let out a few cold laughs, playing with the Hammer-Shooter in his hands, which made them tremble. They immediately shouted for mercy. Batches then inquired about the port’s military strength, and these few soldiers naturally told him everything they knew and everything they didn't know, spilling all the information.

After clarifying everything, Batches ordered his subordinates to knock these men out, then sent a soldier to fetch the administrative personnel waiting outside. Once these matters were concluded, he turned to Yang Ying and said with a cordial expression, "Commander Yang, according to what these men revealed, the port garrison is running on fumes. Furthermore, the berth where our relief vessel is docked is not far ahead. I wonder if Commander Yang would be willing to travel with us for a visit to Kussen?"

"No need. My ship happens to be nearby as well. Let's part ways here. If anything comes up, we can always connect via the network." Yang Ying changed the subject. "However, this open confrontation with Bos, even capturing the port and killing so many Bos personnel—won't this affect your reputation and standing within the Mercenary Alliance?"

Such a severe clash between three mercenary groups would undoubtedly draw the attention of the Mercenary Alliance.

"If handled correctly, it won't. The catalyst for this incident was the destruction of two Bos cruisers. Bos has no concrete evidence proving we committed that act. However, their relentless pursuit of us is undeniable, witnessed by many, and we have retained a large amount of material evidence. As the host of the summit, Bos behaved so outrageously toward a delegation; it is Kussen that has grounds for censure! Besides, by escaping the stronghold of the Bos Guard Regiment, our reputation in the Mercenary Alliance will soar, while Bos’s reputation will plummet." Commander Batches showed no sign of worry at all.

"Exactly! They can chase us, but we can't escape? What kind of logic is that!" the Bald Commander burst in, accompanied by a few bodyguards, complaining indignantly.

He had been outside in the corridor with Mayor Kussen, who used skillful rhetoric to convince the Bald Commander that the current situation was inevitably a desperate act by Bos after suffering a blow—a cornered dog leaping over a wall. The Mayor had omitted any mention of the cause of the incident—how the two cruisers had exploded in the first place.

The Bald Commander had lost a large number of his men and was now only slightly better off than a mere figurehead. His hatred for Bos, consequently, flowed like an unstoppable river.

"You bald fool! While we were carving a path here, you were outside enjoying the fruits of our labor. That’s not very honorable," Batches said coolly, his expression unreadable.

"Old Batches, look at how few men I have left. Protecting myself is a feat. Now that we are allies, we must certainly help each other and leverage our strengths. We have many days of cooperation ahead of us. If I were to die here, wouldn't that adversely affect our partnership?" the Bald Commander babbled evasively.

"Cooperation for many days?" Batches’ eyes widened, suddenly sharp with the predatory gleam of an eagle spotting its prey, and he spoke with irrefutable authority: "Baldy, these few men of yours can't even pilot a battleship. Why don't you come with us for a tour of Kussen?"

The Bald Commander was startled by this. He looked left and right, seeing only figures loyal to the Kussen faction, and cold sweat immediately broke out. He was at his lowest point; most of his men had fallen to the Polson Guards, and he was utterly incapable of resisting Kussen's numerical superiority!

Batches' invitation was different from the one extended to Yang Ying. The previous one was genuine; this one was an act of kidnapping the Bald Commander to Kussen!

Yang Ying had explained the reason for the Bald Commander's sudden change of heart on the way from the hotel to the port, albeit a heavily edited version, but it was enough for Batches to grasp the general situation.

Batches had only viewed Yang Ying’s Ghost Agents as top-tier special forces, knowing that one of them had been dispatched to deliver a message to the Bald Commander, employing certain coercive methods to force his agreement.

The Bald Commander had agreed to ally with Kussen only under the threat of death. Although he wouldn't admit it openly, he surely harbored considerable resentment, perhaps no less than the hatred generated by Bos pursuing him. Now that Bos was severely weakened, the moment the Bald Commander returned to Lehai, he might develop second thoughts about the alliance with Kussen, entertaining notions of playing both sides for personal gain.

Therefore, this was the perfect opportunity to send him to Kussen for 'protective custody' and release him once things settled down.

The Bald Commander's mind raced, and he too understood the implication. A grotesque, awkward smile spread across his face. "Old Batches, I think that’s unnecessary. Bos killed so many of my men; I need to get back and arrange a counterattack."

"It’s a pity that you don’t seem to value those remaining men much. If Bos offers enough compensation, you might forget about them entirely," Batches remained unmoved, seizing the Bald Commander’s arm. "You can arrange your counterattack from Kussen. I will have someone prepare the best remote command center for you there; it will be just as good as being in Lehai. Don't refuse this kind offer."

Without waiting for the Bald Commander's protest, he called a few soldiers to escort him away. The Bald Commander shouted as he was led off, looking as if he were being marched to the execution ground.

The few remaining bodyguards of the Bald Commander exchanged glances. Knowing that any resistance would be futile, they shook their heads and followed along.

Christina approached, offering her thanks to Yang Ying for saving her father, bid him farewell, and left without saying much else.

Yang Ying watched the Kussen delegation depart, then walked to the corridor outside the waiting lounge and used a few high-explosive grenades to blow the walkway into rubble.

If the Guard Regiment pursued them, this collapsed corridor would buy them precious time.

A few minutes later, a message came through the communicator: the 'Hamburger filling' had finally been eaten, and the two main bodies of the Kussen forces had successfully converged; the path ahead was now secure.

Yang Ying, along with Brian, Brees, Katerina, and the Ghost Agents, proceeded to the fifteenth waiting lounge, two doors down, boarded the space gangway, and returned to the yacht. The port staff had long been evacuated by the Bos Guard Regiment, so no one stood in his way.

At that moment, the Polson Guards had just arrived at the blocked corridor. The Guard Captain, realizing he had been tricked, roared like a bull in the arena, goring at anything in sight, ordering his men to clear the obstruction as quickly as possible.

Colonel Kant’s main force was only just arriving at the port entrance, cursing Kussen and Lehai as they saw the ugly, gaping hole blasted into the port building by rockets.

"Let's go. Back to base," Yang Ying said after boarding the yacht.