Rudolph owed Yang Ying a great debt from the Battle of Titan Point Well. At that time, he was the Deputy Commander of the fleet, holding the rank of Lieutenant General, but in less than half a year, he had become an Admiral leading an entire fleet—a promotion clearly tied to that favor.

"If it's him, there should be nothing to worry about. Perhaps paying him a visit to exchange some words might even lead to considerable gains," Yang Ying thought to himself.

"Commander Yang, are you well-acquainted with Admiral Rudolph?" Christina asked, curiosity coloring her tone.

"We've crossed paths; I suppose I know him," Yang Ying replied.

"Your Excellency certainly has wide-ranging connections." Christina found Yang Ying increasingly unfathomable; he even knew the newly appointed highest military commander of the Asteroid Belt.

"The story of how I came to know Rudolph is a long one. If you're interested, you can ask Katerina later; it's not exactly top-secret information." Yang Ying mentioned that he and Rudolph had been honored together at an awards ceremony, and quite a few people knew about it.

"I will," Christina said earnestly.

Afterward, the group exchanged some more casual conversation, and Christina took her leave of Yang Ying.

The bodyguard, Shiro, remained entirely unobtrusive, following closely behind Christina and silently fulfilling his duty.

Watching the two drive away, Yang Ying returned to his room. Katerina poured him another cup of tea. Yang Ying comfortably laid out a mat on the floor and settled into a cross-legged meditation posture.

Just then, Brian approached with two Ghost Agents.

"Sir, the two agents sent to test the pilot training courses have returned."

"What were the test results?" Yang Ying asked directly.

The two Ghost Agents stepped forward, came to attention before Yang Ying, snapped a salute, and reported, "Reporting, Sir. We have completed testing all of Worrell's flight courses, passing everything from the lowest difficulty Level One up to the highest, Level Ten. We unanimously agree that their training is excellent and capable of producing outstanding pilots."

Ghost Agents were versatile—they could operate aircraft, tanks, and capital ships. While they might not match genuine Ghost Fighter pilots, they wouldn't be far off if piloting a Ghost Fighter.

However, successfully completing the research test of all the pilot training courses was also thanks to this particular barracks.

At Worrell, only the lowest-level Level One pilot training courses were free. All courses above Level One required tuition fees, which increased with the rank level.

Furthermore, advanced flight courses like Level Nine and Level Ten were simply unavailable in ordinary barracks; one had to go to an advanced military camp or a specialized flight school.

The barracks where Yang Ying was currently staying ranked among the best in all of Tairiel City. It possessed a full suite of pilot courses, and all mercenaries enlisted here had already paid the full training fees upfront. Therefore, simulated training here required no repeated tuition payments and could be used freely.

This allowed the two Ghost Agents to carve a path from Level One all the way to Level Ten.

"What model aircraft did you use? Trainer jets?" Yang Ying inquired further.

"Reporting, Sir, no. We each chose two of the most popular military aircraft currently in service: the Dragon series' Dragon-10 and the Night Owl series' Night Owl-7, to experience the flight courses," the two Ghost Agents replied.

"Different models of aircraft require different piloting techniques. Achieving Level Ten proficiency in one type doesn't guarantee the same level in all others. Still, you've done well; you have surpassed ordinary people," Brian remarked from the side.

The Ghost Agents were not ordinary people; they were clones engineered from genes with the highest combat aptitude, making them top-tier combat weapons. Any weapon placed in their hands could be mastered quickly, let alone simulation courses.

If they had started directly with Level Ten courses, they might have failed due to unfamiliarity with their chosen aircraft. But starting from Level One and progressing step-by-step, by the time they reached Level Ten, the Ghost Agents were intimately familiar with their respective aircraft and cleared the courses with ease.

"Brian is right. As expected of my Ghost Agents. You may stand down now, but don't forget to write a report detailing your observations and findings. Give it to Quentin; perhaps he can discern more from it," Yang Ying said. He wasn't so arrogant as to believe that the Human Race under his command had surpassed the humans of the Solar System in every aspect.

Observing and learning from the strengths of others, and then integrating those into their own advantages—this was how the Human Race would achieve more complete development.

Before the two Ghost Agents had even exited, over a dozen mercenaries suddenly rushed toward the doorway, with a few others in pursuit, shouting:

"Don't run, halt!"

"This is the residence of important personnel! You have violated military regulations; if you don't stop, you will be eliminated!"

"Stop now, don't force us to open fire!"

Yang Ying and the others instinctively placed their hands on their waists, gripping their sidearms. They could see that the pursuers were the sentries guarding the barracks, while the dozen or so mercenaries running ahead had clearly breached their defensive line.

The sentries knew the mercenaries who were running—they were familiar faces who spent their days either looking up or down—so the pursuers kept shouting warnings rather than immediately resorting to lethal force, trying to persuade them to turn back.

"We just need to say a few words and we'll leave. We aren't carrying weapons!" the lead mercenary shouted back, addressing both the pursuers and Yang Ying's group.

"Never mind, let them come over," Yang Ying instructed.

"Let them approach!" Brian called out to the sentries behind them.

The pursuing sentries visibly relaxed, lowering the uranium rifles they had raised. After a brief discussion, one remained to observe, while the others returned to their posts.

The dozen or so mercenaries reached Yang Ying. The leader appeared somewhat agitated, gesturing animatedly as he spoke: "We are truly sorry. We were just in the pilot training center for a simulated dogfight and encountered a Dragon-10 and a Night Owl-7. Their flight skills were absolutely breathtaking, truly awe-inspiring. So, we rushed over to find those two pilots. We deeply apologize if we caused any offense, truly sorry!"

Under his lead, the other mercenaries either bowed or saluted, all murmuring apologies. They didn't know the identities of the people before them, only that they were important figures of status far above their own.

For security reasons, Yang Ying's precise identity during his stay at this barracks was kept confidential and hadn't been widely publicized. Only a handful of high-ranking personnel in the entire barracks—countable on one hand—knew who he was.

Yang Ying subtly signaled Brian.

"How did you know the pilots of those two aircraft were here?" Brian, following Yang Ying's unspoken direction, stepped forward to engage the mercenaries.

"That wasn't difficult. Pilots with that level of ability couldn't have remained obscure before. And there are only a few masters in the pilot training center here in this barracks whom I know. Therefore, they could only be newcomers. But there have been no new recruits inducted here these past few days, only new guests. That's how we deduced the pilots of those two fighters were here," the leader explained.

"And what do you intend to do once you meet them?" Brian continued probing.

The leader glanced at the mercenaries beside him, who all nodded in unison before speaking together: "We want to invite them to become our instructors."

"Trying to poach talent?" Brian frowned. In his view, these mercenaries attempting to lure the Ghost Agents away to join this barracks was a highly offensive act.

The mercenaries immediately started explaining in a noisy jumble.

"Quiet, everyone! Let me speak," the leader commanded.

The mercenaries quickly quieted down, clearly showing that the leader held significant authority among them.

"We are not trying to poach," the leader stated, his tone now calm and measured. "After witnessing the technique of those two pilots, every single one of us was filled with profound respect. Even learning a fraction of what they know would bring us immense improvement. If they are willing to be our instructors, we are prepared to go to their mercenary group for training. After all, Worrell is for training, and other places are too; it’s all the same to us. We are all freelance mercenaries; we consider the world our home and don't adhere to the strictures that those recruited by the major mercenary groups to be trained at Worrell must follow."

"Wouldn't that mean we'd be poaching from Worrell?" Brian shook his head. "We don't engage in activities that compete with Worrell for business. I believe you can receive excellent training here as well. As for those two pilots you encountered"—Brian gestured toward the two impassive Ghost Agents—"they also spoke highly of Worrell's pilot training courses, as Worrell specializes in that field. But we never offer pilot courses, nor do we have any reason to train you."

Brian’s intent aligned perfectly with Yang Ying’s. Yang Ying didn't believe the Tran Mercenary Group needed to train these freelancers, as he gained nothing in return. Even if these mercenaries paid tuition, the Tran Mercenary Group wasn't short of funds, nor did they wish to steal this line of business from Worrell.

"This..." The leader took a deep look at the two Ghost Agents, then turned back to whisper briefly with the dozen or so mercenaries behind him, reaching a consensus.

He turned back and said, "If that is the case, perhaps we can propose an alternative method. We"—he pointed to himself and the mercenaries behind him—"will commit to serving in your mercenary group for three years in exchange for this training opportunity. Keep in mind, we are all seasoned Level Eight mercenaries, stronger than ordinary Level Seven soldiers, and I myself have already qualified for the Level Nine mercenary trials—I am essentially a half-Level Nine mercenary. The value of our three years of service far exceeds any monetary measure."

If the flight skills demonstrated by the Ghost Agents had not been so utterly astonishing—so much deeper and more profound than the Level Ten instructor pilots in Tairiel—they would never have considered such a self-binding choice of three years' service.