For? Intelligence mastery. Gray Harbor City A already had an observer floating high in the sky, meticulously monitoring the city like a spider spinning its web, with all information converging into Robin’s hands.

The subtle movements of the Four Great Conglomerates did not escape Robin’s notice in the slightest. The intelligence had leaked the moment their private forces began to muster. As soon as they set out, their target—Port Kowloon Plaza—was laid bare before Robin.

This allowed Robin to arrive at Port Kowloon Plaza ahead of them, setting up defenses, laying down Spider Mines, and concealing tanks, ready to unleash a thunderous offensive the moment they arrived, stunning them into momentary confusion.

It was at this juncture that the consequences of the communication blackout became glaringly apparent.

The Four Great Conglomerates fought as isolated entities; orders could neither be uploaded nor transmitted. Some commanders of the private forces desperately shouted for their troops to charge forward, to blast through this death zone swiftly. Others frantically yelled for a retreat, aiming to regroup where the rear-echelon tank fire couldn't reach.

Over a hundred private soldiers followed the commanders who demanded the charge. The result was that a few barrages landed squarely in the middle of their formation, instantly erasing them from existence.

Amidst the roar of the heavy artillery, the voices of the commanders were utterly insignificant. The soldiers who witnessed the fate of the chargers panicked, unable to focus their minds, further muddled by the conflicting orders that intermittently pierced the chaos.

This was not the end of it. A shadow descended upon them. The private soldiers looked up to see twenty-four Ghost Fighters soaring in from behind them, their muzzles already locked on, unleashing streams of deadly ionizing radiation that systematically shredded the heavy weaponry remaining in their ranks, followed by sustained strafing runs across the formation.

This proved to be the final, crushing straw. The private soldiers’ morale shattered; they tossed aside their equipment and scattered in a rout.

The ensuing stampede was chaotic, the casualties from trampling countless!

After all, these were not troops forged in the fires of defending hearth and home; they were merely private militias.

They had once been mercenaries or pirates, later absorbed by the Four Great Conglomerates due to notable performance. They engaged in brawls often enough in their daily lives, but the true grit required for genuine combat was far less frequent than when they were mercenaries or pirates.

Over time, the comfort of stable life had eroded their will. Although their training had never ceased, and their combat skills surpassed those of ordinary mercenaries and pirates, their ferocity and bravery had significantly waned. Upon learning that the enemy’s firepower vastly exceeded their own, and seeing their heavy armaments destroyed in the first instant, they had no thought other than flight.

The Ghost Fighters, maintaining a visible profile, shadowed them, relentlessly driving them forward with bursts of uranium fire, sowing even greater confusion among the private soldiers.

Machine gunners, pre-positioned on the rooftops lining both sides of the streets, continuously swept the avenue. For every few paces a soldier managed to run, one would fall.

Finally, as they neared utter despair, a line of colossal mechs appeared at the intersection ahead, their massive cannons aimed squarely at them.

It was then that they naturally raised their hands in surrender.

Following this, Robin dispatched the main body of forces to seize the strongholds of the Four Great Conglomerates. The final four stones holding up Gray Harbor City were finally removed. The upper echelons of the Conglomerates had their assets seized and their offices sealed. These individuals were branded as "Renegades" and placed under soft house arrest in their own manors, forbidden from stepping outside.

The subsequent work involved auditing every employee under the banner of the Four Great Conglomerates, purging the direct loyalists of the Renegades, and promoting a new cohort willing to switch allegiance. Naturally, several core positions would be filled by personnel dispatched from the Ghost Special Operations Unit.

This approach was intended to maximize the utilization of existing resources—to completely absorb the supply channels and connections the Four Great Conglomerates had painstakingly built up over time with money and effort, thereby avoiding the waste of redundant construction. These resources were often more valuable than wealth itself.

The Tran Mercenary Corps’ foundation was currently too thin. Without utilizing the existing shells of the Four Great Conglomerates, merely maintaining the daily operations of Gray Harbor would exhaust the resources in Yang Ying’s hands, perhaps not even enough.

Since these tasks were tedious, Robin reported back to the flagship before proceeding further, updating Yang Ying on the phased achievements and requesting an extension of the communications jamming for another six hours.

“Robin, I can extend the jamming. Tell me your plans for the next few days first,” Yang Ying stated.

“Yes, Commander!” Robin nodded. He quickly composed his thoughts and replied, “As I mentioned, we need these six hours to completely clear out the direct loyalists of the Renegades, to prevent them from coordinating any new incidents that could turn the already chaotic Gray Harbor into something far worse. Six hours is sufficient to root them out. Once communications are restored, I will immediately declare the cleansing of Gray Harbor complete, allowing the city to settle.”

Robin paused, then continued, “Gray Harbor is a transportation hub; its developed traffic fuels its thriving commerce. Beyond the Four Great Conglomerates, there are countless merchants here whose only concern is profit, caring little for who controls Gray Harbor. Merchants are inherently well-informed individuals. Our annexation of the Four Great Conglomerates is not something that can be hidden from them, and this naturally causes widespread anxiety. In less than a single standard week, Gray Harbor has endured one battle after another. First, the Helian family fell, and now the Four Great Conglomerates—the entire leadership of Gray Harbor’s prime movers—have been eliminated by us. This situation will scare the merchants, making them fear that we covet their assets.”

Robin finished his outburst, taking a breath. “If these merchants flee as a result, the Gray Harbor we acquire will become a ghost port, worthless! Gray Harbor is not an industrial city; it produces nothing. Its revenue is inextricably linked to commercial prosperity. Therefore, we must retain these cash-cow merchants. We must convince them that we will not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.”

“Makes sense. Continue; how do you plan to retain these anxious merchants?” Yang Ying inquired.

“We have already demonstrated our might to them. Two of the Ten Great Pirate Fleets are diminished because of us. The nearest most powerful force, the Ruberen Giants Mercenary Corps, was utterly annihilated under our assault. Coupled with the swift collapse of the forces of the Five Great Conglomerates of Gray Harbor, nothing proclaims our martial power more effectively than undeniable battle results.”

At this point, Robin’s tone shifted. “However, since ancient times, one must offer a sweet date after delivering a slap. The carrot and the stick are most effective when wielded together. Relying only on the stick breeds dissent, while offering only the carrot encourages them to push their luck.”

Robin continued, “I will personally visit the reputable and influential merchants in the city. I will promise a stable commercial environment, reduce garrison forces, and cut the commercial tax rate for Gray Harbor by half for the next two years. If we provide these two years as a buffer, allowing these merchants to realize that Gray Harbor will remain prosperous, and furthermore, more stable under our rule, then after two years, even if we drive them out, they won’t leave.”

“Among those merchants, some must have deep ties to the Four Great Conglomerates. How do you plan to deal with them? Six hours might not be enough to apprehend them all, though handling the personnel within the Four Great Conglomerates themselves should be feasible,” Yang Ying commented.

“I believe those individuals are susceptible to bribery. They are like branches; the trunk and roots have already been severed by us. If they cannot quickly graft themselves onto a larger tree, they will likely wither soon. Merchants rarely possess deep loyalty, especially those who thrive in the Asteroid Belt. I believe they will proactively seek us out soon enough to sever their ties with the Four Great Conglomerates,” Robin asserted.

“Those who can be bought by us can also be bought by others, depending only on who offers the higher price,” Yang Ying stated, clearly disliking such fickle individuals.

“Commander, although they are weathervanes, shifting wherever the wind blows, they are the easiest faction to control. As long as we dictate the direction of the wind, we need not worry about them turning against us. Our objective is to maintain an image of overwhelming strength—Gray Harbor is currently at its zenith—and appropriately feed them minor gains. These weathervanes will then be constantly vigilant, daring not to confront us,” Robin reasoned.

“Maintaining overwhelming strength, I am indeed adept at that,” Yang Ying mused. “You are correct. I should possess a broader perspective. These weathervanes do not deserve death. Proceed as you have outlined.”

“Yes, Commander!” After Robin confirmed, Yang Ying closed the communication link.

Subsequently, Yang Ying left a few observers in place to maintain the silent status of Gray Harbor. He himself returned to the base with the captured spoils.

The large-scale warship repair facility at the base was not yet complete, but dedicated docking ports for massive vessels were operational.

Although the battlecruisers were not finished construction, the necessary infrastructure for any large warship to berth was fully equipped in the port.

The port was situated directly above the base, connected by a colossal pillar fifty meters in diameter and two hundred meters long, extending from the base surface to attach to a massive structure one thousand meters long and wide, and thirty meters high.

The giant pillar housed over a dozen large elevators. The exterior walls, including those of the port structure, were entirely forged from alloys thick enough to resist penetration by Gauss cannon rounds. Their surfaces were polished to a reflective sheen, and their sharp, defined lines projected an aura of solemn might.

The exterior walls were dotted with dozens of gun emplacements. These took the form of hemispherical housings, from which two barrels extended—dual-linked Level Three Uranium Cannons with immense range. Ordinary smaller warships could not survive a single hit.

Dozens of missile launch bays were also neatly arrayed across the port structure’s roof, their tops constantly rotating. These were capable of automatically acquiring enemy targets and launching tracking missiles—classic Human defensive installations.

Dozens of mooring arms extended from the port, pointed in all directions, utilizing every available space around the perimeter.

Two squadrons of Valkyrie ships towed three heavy cruisers to the port. They dispersed, pulling the heavy cruisers from various vectors, meticulously adjusting their positions until they were perfectly aligned with the mooring arms.

Once aligned, several massive mechanical arms extended from the arms and secured the three heavy cruisers in place.

More than a dozen squadrons of drones, already waiting within the port, rushed forward the moment the heavy cruisers were stabilized, commencing the arduous repair process.