"Young friend Yang Ying, judging by your expression, you haven't forgotten about my niece, have you?" Randolph burst into hearty laughter.

"Could it be that Major Wen has also arrived in the Asteroid Belt?" Yang Ying inquired.

"Of course. My old man has arrived with the Thirteenth Fleet. Alas, this fleet is fine in every respect, except for the name—Thirteen—it’s just too inauspicious," Randolph shook his head and remarked.

A sudden confusion crossed his face, and he asked, "Where was I before?"

"You were talking about your niece, whether Major Wen had arrived in the Asteroid Belt," Yang Ying prompted.

"I knew you cared about my niece's whereabouts, just like she cares about you," Randolph seized the opportunity, tossing the notion of 'caring about his niece' right onto Yang Ying's head.

Yang Ying shook his head with a wry smile. "Uncle Randolph, you really should be more serious."

"I am perfectly serious," Randolph immediately adopted a stern expression. "Everything I say is serious. Do you think matters concerning my niece are not serious? Hmm!" As he uttered the "Hmm," Randolph widened his eyes, adopting an imposing look that, when paired with his simple round-neck shirt, appeared rather comical.

Katerina, standing nearby, smiled faintly. She covered her mouth to stifle any sound, but since she was outside the camera's view, Randolph couldn't see her.

"Serious, yes, serious enough. Forget it, say what you will," Yang Ying sighed, helpless against Randolph's thick skin, and could only offer a vague assent.

"My niece and nephew came with me this time, of course. If I left, people would move on, and those remaining might not look after them properly. And this Thirteenth Fleet has just been established; I need some loyal personnel to help me keep control, otherwise, the others might band together and sideline me—that wouldn't be good," Randolph swayed his head, continuing, "Fortunately, as a new commander, bringing a few capable subordinates along is standard procedure, so transferring here was quite easy."

"I wish you smooth command of the Thirteenth Fleet," Yang Ying offered.

"Naturally. Oh, right, you just mentioned Major Wen. She's not a Major anymore; Wen Jing has been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. You can still refer to Major Wen when talking about Wen Yang," Randolph said, his eyes gleaming.

"Oh, swift promotions," Yang Ying murmured lightly.

"What's with that attitude?" Randolph challenged. "Do you think this Admiral would use his influence to promote them?"

"That's not what I mean at all," Yang Ying explained with a smile, though inwardly he thought, It's exactly what I mean.

"I don't need psychic sensing to know you’re saying one thing and thinking another, kid," Randolph glared. "Don't underestimate the experience a normal old man gains from years of scrambling around."

Yang Ying could have hidden his inner turmoil from showing on his face, but he chose not to. Outsiders encountered in the Asteroid Belt were typically deep schemers; dealing with them required constant vigilance and masking one's true thoughts.

However, his rapport with Randolph was different. Back at Light of Titan, there was the benevolent elder Master Pang Qian, and friends like Wen Jing and Wen Yang. They weren't like the people in the Asteroid Belt, always calculating things behind the scenes.

Even though Randolph, whose face was as thick as a city wall, shamelessly claimed half of Yang Ying’s achievements, apart from that incident, he harbored no malice toward Yang Ying; he never entertained thoughts of assassination or silencing him.

Therefore, Yang Ying didn't treat Randolph with the same caution he showed to the Asteroid Belt residents; it would be too exhausting otherwise.

"Your experience is indeed formidable," Yang Ying said repeatedly, apologizing to Randolph with sincere respect in his heart. It took quite a while before the old man finally calmed down.

"Actually, even if I wanted to promote my niece, I’d have to be careful others wouldn't talk behind my back. Without a good reason, how could I pull such a thing off? Her promotion is entirely thanks to that incident involving you. If it weren't connected to those three hundred thousand lives, how could she have been fast-tracked to Lieutenant Colonel at her age?" Randolph stated proudly. "Wen Yang was promoted too, after that one mission with you and Master Pang Qian where you took out an advanced ape unit. Their promotions both happened before they came to the Thirteenth Fleet."

Yang Ying waited patiently before the communication screen until Randolph’s smug expression faded. He then asked the question that had been bothering him: "Uncle Randolph, why did you transfer to this newly formed Thirteenth Fleet?"

"Sigh!" Randolph sighed deeply. "Little friend, you don't know how fierce the fighting on the front lines has been. After you left, the front line retreated from the Binary Star Defense Line to Saturn's orbit. But the two major military bases on Uranus and Neptune hadn't fallen yet, so several counter-offensives were organized to try and reclaim the Binary Star Defense Line or evacuate the millions of soldiers stationed at those two minor military bases on Uranus and Neptune."

Randolph paused here.

"And the result?" Yang Ying asked. Earth United’s media only reported good news, heavily filtering the reality of the front lines. He had once tried to send an observer vessel to get firsthand news, but observers were never enough, and when they finally were, the opportunity would have passed.

"The result is, those people were withdrawn, but the fleet losses, plus the loss of the two bases, totaled three million soldiers, over a hundred capital ships, and hundreds of medium and small vessels. Those monkeys were just waiting for us to attack so they could surround and annihilate the reinforcements!" Randolph finished, sighing and shaking his head. "It was brutal, utterly brutal."

"And then, Uncle, you transferred to the Thirteenth Fleet?" Yang Ying inquired.

Randolph nodded. "Exactly. I realize you’re quite the lucky charm, a true bringer of fortune. I benefited from your luck back then too. But the commander of the Seventh Fleet is a person with very deep connections; even when the Saturn orbit under the Seventh Fleet’s protection was in chaos and tens of thousands died, he remained unshakably in his command position. I couldn't squeeze him out."

Randolph shook his head and clicked his tongue, continuing, "I maneuvered for a long time and finally secured a chance to become a Fleet Commander—this newly established Thirteenth Fleet. And since it’s new, it won't be sent to the front lines; just maintaining a presence here in the Asteroid Belt is enough. I brought along the children of an old friend on my way here. Otherwise, on the front lines where the mortality rate exceeds fifty percent, if they were to perish, how could I face my old friend?"

Perhaps this old man is truly here to discuss private matters, Yang Ying mused internally. Otherwise, why is he still talking about what happened after I left Titan for this long?

Randolph coughed slightly then. "I’ve finished my business, Young friend Yang Ying. Now it’s your turn. Tell me your story. What kind of experiences have you had since leaving Titan?"

"What experiences have I had, Uncle? Don't you already know?" Yang Ying smiled. "I imagine the Intelligence Department has a very thorough understanding of me. Anything I've done in the Asteroid Belt is probably no secret to them. Surely you have a file on me, Uncle?"

"This is a private conversation; why bring up the Intelligence Department!" Randolph looked displeased. "I certainly have intelligence on you, but what's written there is cold and lifeless. It’s much better to hear it from you."

Yang Ying understood perfectly. Randolph wanted to see if Yang Ying would hide anything from him. If Yang Ying revealed something not in the official reports, it would be a pleasant surprise for the Admiral.

"Since you don't wish to look at the intelligence, I will tell you then."

Yang Ying then recounted the carefully prepared narrative devised by Trant Corp for this occasion.

First, meeting Tom Trant, the chairman of Trant Company, earning his admiration, then resigning and coming to the Asteroid Belt to establish the Trant Mercenary Corps, and through a series of fierce struggles, finally securing their current territory, and so on.

Seeing that Yang Ying's account matched the intelligence he possessed, Randolph nodded inwardly, thinking, He is indeed a good young man, though judging by his actions, he seems a bit ruthless. But in a place as lawless as this, if one isn't ruthless, one would likely have been annihilated long ago.

Randolph interjected occasionally to ask for finer details while Yang Ying spoke.

Yang Ying answered everything he could, deflecting anything he couldn't by citing Trant Company's trade secrets.

After all, outside the Asteroid Belt was a society governed by law. Even if the Intelligence Department wanted to uncover the trade secrets of a small company, their options were limited to sending spies or pursuing legal channels—obtaining a search warrant through the courts and then demanding cooperation from the company.

The current situation was that the Intelligence Department owed Yang Ying a favor—a significant one, for helping them recover the list of spies compromised to the Apes.

Although the Intelligence Department was known for being ruthlessly impartial, even if they dispatched spies to Trant Company, they couldn't push things too far. They spent time monitoring Trant Company’s peripheral departments, gaining very little information.

After Yang Ying finished, Randolph picked up a few sheets of paper from the desk. "All the intelligence related to you is here. When I was just looking at it, I could hardly believe that the young man who received the Solar System Medal had become a decisive and ruthless mercenary commander, leading such a formidable unit. While I don't know how Trant Company managed to assemble this mercenary force, as the commander of the Trant Mercenary Corps, you must have a say in many matters, right?"

Yang Ying nodded. "That's correct. Generally, as long as it doesn't breach company secrets, I can make the final decision on most matters."

"That’s good then. It’s always better to deal with an acquaintance," Randolph said happily. "You are currently busy with the promotion of your large mercenary group; I won't interrupt that process. Once that's settled, we can discuss some more in-depth matters."

"Of course," Yang Ying agreed.

"Oh, right," Randolph suddenly recalled something, his expression turning odd. "Master Pang Qian has also heard about your exploits. He mentioned during a communication the day before yesterday that he wants to come see you, but he’s quite busy on the front lines lately, so it might be delayed a bit."