"Sir, ever since the Blood Skull Pirate Gang was decimated by the joint fleet of Somapa and Sha Polang, Old Barrow has been aggressively recruiting to restore his strength. This batch of Neng Zhi Tu is crucial to them. I suspect if Old Barrow learns they have fallen into our hands, he might take action against us," Robin reported.

"No need to worry. The General Staff has a plan for that," Yang Ying said with a mysterious smile.

Time ticked by. As the Tran Mercenary Corps forces swiftly carved up every faction within Gray Harbor, Yang Ying successfully brought the entire space city under his command—at least nominally.

Yang Ying appointed Robin as the Commandant of Gray Harbor Camp, tasking him with integrating the Gray Harbor forces, purging the dross, eliminating dissenters, and maximizing unity under the leadership of the Tran Mercenary Corps.

Meanwhile, under the pressure of guns and cannons, the people of Gray Harbor gradually understood that the rise of a new, dominant power in the city was now unstoppable.

In the evening, Yang Ying received the statistics of the day's combat results. The "Immortals" had completed their assigned mission, eradicating all overt opposition forces in Gray Harbor, successfully bringing all key facilities under control, with minimal casualties.

At this point, Gray Harbor entered a state of martial law and curfew. No one was allowed out after dark. This order was a painful shackle for the pleasure-loving residents of Gray Harbor, but most cautiously chose to comply. Armed soldiers patrolled the streets. Anyone caught violating the curfew would be taken to a temporary military tribunal for punishment, and if resistance was attempted, the soldiers were authorized to shoot them dead!

Seeing that the situation was settled, Yang Ying decided to convene a video conference, inviting the figureheads of Gray Harbor’s four major syndicates. He chose to remain behind the scenes, letting Robin handle these local Gray Harbor powers.

In the meeting, Robin publicly announced the renovation plan for Gray Harbor.

The heads of the four major syndicates rarely showed their faces in Gray Harbor. Although they controlled considerable resources and manpower, they were inherently low-profile, a stark contrast to Herman's flamboyance.

The outcome of the meeting was somewhat unexpected for Yang Ying. He had anticipated fierce opposition from the four syndicates regarding the change of allegiance. As neutrals, they maintained varying degrees of connection with the pirates, and Gray Harbor's alignment with the mercenaries would deliver a devastating blow to these ties, causing significant losses for the syndicates.

However, the syndicates neither agreed nor objected to switching allegiance.

During the meeting, they proposed retaining their existing private security forces, limited strictly to guarding the four syndicates, and promised to uphold the Tran Mercenary Corps’ rule in Gray Harbor moving forward.

Robin immediately accepted, as he held private militia forces in low regard; three machine gunners could defeat their entire contingent.

They then presented several cooperation proposals. Yang Ying delegated these minutiae to Robin, who, as the future direct controller of Gray Harbor, engaged in detailed discussions with the syndicate leaders.

Finally, the meeting concluded successfully in a relaxed and amicable atmosphere.

Afterward, Yang Ying discussed the abnormal attitude of the four syndicates with Robin. Robin laughed, "Sir, I actually find this quite normal. Gray Harbor is not the only neutral city in the asteroid belt. They can easily transfer their pirate business to other neutral ports. While this might cause some losses, our previous slaughter has terrified them into silence; they dare not demand compensation from us. The asteroid belt worships strength, and their strength is far inferior to ours, so of course, they choose to compromise."

"I see," Yang Ying said, bringing his fist down hard onto his other palm. "But this compromise is not stable. The moment they see a sliver of opportunity, they will instantly turn against us."

At eight in the evening, Yang Ying ordered the lifting of Gray Harbor’s communication jamming and had Robin issue a statement across the city, announcing that Gray Harbor had been occupied by the Tran Mercenary Corps, the pirate group led by Herman had been eliminated, and pirates would no longer be welcome in the city.

The news immediately caused a sensation!

In the mercenary district, every household was filled with joyful sounds. If not for the curfew, large crowds would have taken to the streets to celebrate the pirates' permanent departure from Gray Harbor.

Yang Ying emerged from the Gray Harbor Administrative Building and rode through the streets in his mag-vehicle. Passing a residential area, he saw a window suddenly fly open, and an excited young man yelled out toward the street, "That scum Herman is dead! Oh yeah!" He then quickly shut the window before the patrolling unit noticed, acting as if nothing happened.

Robin, inside the vehicle, smiled slightly and asked, "Sir, are you leaving already? Not staying a couple more days in Gray Harbor?"

Yang Ying chuckled, "What else is there to stay for? The major issues here are settled. What remains are clean-up tasks—a perfect opportunity for you to establish your authority. Let the people of Gray Harbor witness the capability of Robin, Lieutenant Colonel Commander of the Ghost Operative Unit. I am leaving all the ground troops I brought with me for you. Once the situation is completely stabilized, recall them to the fleet. I need to return to the base..."

"Robin will surely live up to your expectations," Robin replied, bowing deeply to Yang Ying.

"Although Gray Harbor is not large, it has all the necessary organs, and the relationships here are quite complex; untangling the threads won't be easy," Yang Ying remarked, gazing out the window. This place had now become his city, possessing a distinct flavor.

"There are quite a few people who hold grudges against the pirates. Gray Harbor has always been sordid, with fighting occurring at a frequency topping the charts for space cities in the asteroid belt. The existence of the pirate district is one of the main factors," Robin also looked outside, occasionally catching sight of smiling faces through the windows.

"I wonder what the people of the pirate district will think now that Gray Harbor has no pirates. Many of them likely harbor resentment," Yang Ying suddenly changed the topic, sighing. "Not everyone in Gray Harbor hated the pirates. A large contingent once allied with them; these people likely won't accept our rule."

Robin exclaimed in surprise, "Sir, you are truly benevolent, still considering these people? If they refuse to comply, are we supposed to persuade them with logic?"

Yang Ying smiled, "Yes, trying to reason with these people is futile; they must be suppressed with fists." As he spoke, he clenched his fist tightly, squeezing the air until it popped. Then, recalling something, he added, "Right, I have a perfect candidate to recommend to you."

"Oh? Who are you referring to, Sir?" Robin asked curiously.

Yang Ying chuckled, "The pirate leader who robbed me back then—Half Life. Actually, calling him a pirate leader is flattering him; he only had one small warship and fewer than a hundred subordinates. Small pirate groups like that are everywhere in the asteroid belt."

Robin quickly recalled the identity of Half Life. "That's fine; the short pirate under mental control. I know him."

"After I had Grimorren control him, I had Kalia try training him using the Ghost Operative methods. This Half Life has the tenacity of a cockroach; he can endure any training. Moreover, under mental control, every word I utter is gospel to him. Even if I ordered him to train twenty hours a day and sleep only four, he would desperately strive to achieve it."

As Yang Ying spoke, the image of Half Life training desperately back at the base flashed in his mind. That zealous fervor made him feel ashamed in comparison.

"Even someone with poor aptitude can achieve great things with such effort," Robin added with praise.

Yang Ying nodded. "Indeed. And now he has achieved preliminary results. I didn't just subject him to Ghost Operative training; I also stuffed him with various methods for on-the-fly adaptation and the art of strategy and deceit. This opportunity is perfect to let him work for you. Having been a low-level pirate, he deeply understands their mindset, which should be helpful to you."

"Well, we'll see if he's a horse or a mule when we put him to the test. I will judge for you, Sir," Robin declared, thumping his chest in guarantee.

The mag-vehicle sped along the empty street. The scenery rapidly retreated as they approached the port.

After a period of silence, Robin spoke again, "Sir, when you return, you will have no less work than I do here. Bringing the fleet back—is that in preparation against the Giant Mercenary Corps or the Pirate Federation?"

"Both," Yang Ying smiled. "But don't worry about the base. The two largest factions in the Pirate Federation are still locked in infighting and cannot dispatch large forces. Among the dozen or so possibilities listed by the General Staff, the highest probability is that remnants of the Blood Skull Pirate Gang will come to Gray Harbor to challenge me. After all, the crucial batch of Neng Zhi Suo is still in my hands; Old Barrow will not give up. To reclaim these Neng Zhi Suo, Old Barrow will certainly volunteer to march on Gray Harbor and attack us."

With Robin's intelligence, he naturally wouldn't suggest the absurd idea of returning the Neng Zhi Tu in exchange for the Blood Skull Pirates withdrawing. Not only was what they had already consumed impossible to spit out, but even if they did, the Blood Skull Pirates would perceive Yang Ying as easy to bully and would attack anyway, considering the immense wealth Yang Ying confiscated from Herman—riches that even a large pirate group couldn't ignore.

Furthermore, the moment the Tran Mercenary Corps showed any sign of weakness, all surrounding factions, big and small, would swarm like sharks smelling blood, attacking the Tran Mercenary Corps to seize the benefits of Gray Harbor. The position of Gray Harbor's master was immensely tempting.

The asteroid belt was such a lawless place, entirely governed by the law of the jungle, where only brute force held sway!

However, contrary to Robin’s expectation, Yang Ying’s face held a mysterious smile. "When Old Barrow arrives, we will release the news that we are returning the Neng Zhi Suo to him, and then..."

"Sir, we've reached the port," the driver's announcement interrupted their conversation.