With the interrogation concluded, Yang Ying took a cup of tea from Katerina and drank, quenching his thirst. "I must say, the Giant Mercenary Group's interrogation methods are executed flawlessly; they've managed to clear up every single point of suspicion. I am truly impressed." "Not at all, Commander Yang.

The evidence you presented was so meticulous; your regiment's investigative capability is what astonishes me!" Isaac replied with a tone of genuine admiration. "Since Commander Isaac is also a victim in this, I will drop the matter concerning the alloy shelters. However, as you mentioned, I will send someone to discuss compensation with your assistant." Yang Ying casually tossed the teacup down, it hitting the table with a solid thud.

"I await them eagerly." Isaac’s lips curled upward momentarily before quickly flattening again, his expression returning to one of stern seriousness. The communication ended. Kalia let out a cold, dismissive chuckle.

"That old fox is getting a bit too carried away." "That confession was indeed well-crafted," Yang Ying replied flatly, leaning back in his chair. "And dealing with the traitor was timely enough. Let him enjoy his moment of hubris; it’s ultimately harmless." No matter how eloquently Isaac might speak, Yang Ying would never believe he was entirely disconnected from the affair.

Without his authorization, it would have been impossible for the factory to rush production of those shelters overnight. "Then I shall proceed to arrange the selection of negotiators," Kalia stated, saluting Yang Ying before taking his leave. "Good.

Remember to tear a sizeable chunk of flesh from the Giants," Yang Ying said, clenching his fist; the joints popped audibly. "As you command." Kalia assented and stepped back. Once he was gone, Yang Ying picked up the teacup from the table and took another sip, as if speaking to himself.

"Truthfully, I don't want to let Isaac off so easily. But the authorization of the alloy shelter sale isn't a major offense. Even with conclusive evidence proving his instruction, he wouldn't care much; he could simply dismiss it as a routine business transaction.

There's little I can do about it other than tarnish his reputation through dealings with pirates, which isn't sufficient grounds for war, nor is war necessary. The Rubelen Industrial Group is, after all, a commercial entity. Customers pay, and they sell; it's their inherent right, even if the buyer is a pirate.

In the asteroid belt, morality is fluid, and friends and enemies are often hard to distinguish." "Sir," Katerina approached Yang Ying, smiling softly. "Sir, you don't need to explain anything to me. I don't participate in strategic planning, nor will I interfere." "But you have thoughts brewing that you're keeping silent," Yang Ying stated, having long understood Katerina's nature.

She was sharp and capable of grasping complex situations, but unlike Kalia, she sometimes got caught on minor details—and when she did, she would remain silent rather than voice her reservations and cause him difficulty. "It's easy for me to deal with Kalia. I know what he's thinking, and he knows what I'm thinking; many things don't need explicit articulation.

But it's different with you. I need you to feel comfortable voicing anything you don't understand. That way, you learn my mind, and I learn yours—communication flows smoothly," Yang Ying said earnestly.

"Then I will ask, Sir," Katerina said, emboldened by the encouragement. "Isaac giving those alloy shelters to Herman nearly caused our Marines to lose in the arena. That could have a massive impact on our Gray Port strategy.

Won't letting him merely pay compensation make him think we are easily bullied, encouraging him to oppose us further?" "Resolve? Don't use that word. Isaac has never formed a 'resolve' to oppose us.

He is merely probing. His faction differs from Herman's; they won't cooperate without significant vested interest. Eliminating us offers Isaac little benefit.

He merely used Herman's move against Robin as an opportunity to test us while sitting back to watch the conflict unfold." Yang Ying patiently explained. "Oh?" Katerina blinked, waiting for him to continue. "We have the reputation of defeating a Triceratops; Isaac has to think twice before making a move against us.

This probing action is a way to test the waters—to gauge our strength and reaction. If he concludes we are strong in appearance but weak in reality, he will find a way to annex us. In the asteroid belt, it’s very common for the big fish to eat the small ones." "Annex us?" Katerina repeated the word carefully.

"Yes, annex. In fact, never mind Isaac; even Kalia has never given up the idea of absorbing the Giant Mercenary Group and bringing Rubelen under our control. The issue is that the Giant Mercenary Group's three heavy cruisers are formidable opponents.

If anything untoward were to happen to those three heavy cruisers, Kalia would certainly be the first to suggest I consume the Giant Mercenary Group. The reverse is also true. Since Isaac has initiated a probe, it means he is interested in us.

If we show even the slightest vulnerability, the Giant Mercenary Group will immediately charge in and devour us. This is the way of survival for the major powers in the asteroid belt." "As long as we don't show any weakness, he won't make a move against us?" "Exactly. Look at how Isaac proactively offered to compensate for our losses just now.

That means he wants to settle things peacefully. He was likely quite unnerved after witnessing the duel—the power of the Psionic Storm and the Gauss Rifles deterred him. He quickly tried to appease us, offering wealth to avert disaster.

That's why I instructed Kalia to squeeze him hard." Yang Ying smiled. "Kalia saw that too?" "Yes," Yang Ying nodded. "Since you both knew, why did you slam the teacup onto the table, making that loud bang, Sir?

When I saw it, I thought you were genuinely furious." Katerina asked with renewed curiosity. Yang Ying laughed. "That was an act for Isaac to witness.

He probably already views us as monsters, terrified we might be plotting his destruction, keeping his nerves taut. I put on a display to make him think I am young and prone to losing control of my temper, thereby lessening his wariness of us. If he becomes too wary, he might start plotting against us himself.

We, however, require a stable environment for development because the military strength of Palmtop Galaxy is constantly rising, evolving daily. Every day, the gap between us and others widens. Once we complete the nuclear weapons and battlecruisers, we might even subdue adversaries without a fight!" After delivering this lengthy discourse, Yang Ying drained the remaining tea in one gulp, then relaxed his hands, using his telekinesis to float the cup gently back onto the table.

"My psionic power has advanced these past few days; I’m equivalent to an Intermediate Psi Apprentice. How could I possibly lose control of my emotions over such a minor issue?" "I see now, Sir. I understand your intentions." Katerina's face brightened into a pleased smile.

She walked over gracefully, picked up the empty cup, and left. "All today's documents have been signed, Sir. Please continue your training; strive to become a High Psi Apprentice soon.

Hehe." More than ten days had passed since David departed. During this time, Yang Ying had spent most of his surplus time floating upon the continent, practicing combat drills with the Zealots within the Protoss territory, integrating David's teachings with what he already knew, and continuing to study Psionic Storm and Illusions from the Templar. He only summoned structures from Palmtop Galaxy when activating the third and fourth layers, or when acting as a simple pen, signing off on various administrative matters.

Of course, one must eat bite by bite, and practice spells one by one. Yang Ying focused his training efforts, with mastering the Psionic Storm being his primary goal for the current phase. Unlike the Templar who were naturally gifted with the Psionic Storm, Yang Ying had to acquire it through diligent study.

Furthermore, he wasn't a genius; his aptitude was merely average—neither good nor bad—so his learning progress was also unremarkable. Yang Ying had begun studying the Psionic Storm relatively early, around the time he first left Earth for the base, but he never had a practical opportunity to use it because the power he could muster was too weak to be valuable in actual combat. It only produced a few faint electrical sparks in the air, spanning an area of about one square meter.

By rights, given his inherent aptitude, he shouldn't have achieved much progress in this short time. However, with the influx of psychic energy gifted by the Zerg, the situation changed dramatically. Over the past dozen days, through his own cultivation and the Zerg tribute, Yang Ying's psychic strength reached a level of three thousand.

The second layer of the Spire now had its third lamp lit, and the land area of the floating continent expanded to three thousand square kilometers, increasing the number of mineral nodes accordingly. As his psionic power grew, the power and range of the Psionic Storm significantly increased. The electrical sparks were now dazzling, and the area of effect expanded to a five-meter radius.

It felt like a natural progression; areas that previously felt difficult now seemed easy. Although this Psionic Storm still couldn't match that of a Templar, it had gained practical combat utility. The Illusion spell was another he had started learning long ago.

As his psionic power increased, the Illusion spell still only manifested a single phantom, but its fidelity was exceptionally high. Lacking offensive power, it was nearly indistinguishable from reality; only someone with a Master-level Supernal Sense could discern the truth after an attack was made. However, while training the Protoss spells, Yang Ying discovered a fundamental issue.

Protoss spells shared a characteristic: immense power. A potent spell like the Psionic Storm was equivalent to an attack launched by a Mid-tier Psi Adept whose psychic strength exceeded ten thousand. Yet, a Templar's psychic strength was only two thousand, classifying them as a beginner apprentice barely approaching the intermediate level within the Psionic Temple.

The Dark Archon, despite having a psychic strength of only ten thousand—equivalent to a Lower-to-Mid Psi Adept—could unleash Master-level attacks, a fact attested to by David, who had direct experience. The trade-off for this immense power was high consumption. Both the Templar and the Dark Archon could exhaust their entire pool of psychic energy after casting only two or three spells.

This reality dictated that Yang Ying’s Protoss spells could only be reserved for the most critical moments.