"That is good. My time is short; I must leave now." Master Pang Qian set down the scroll and moved to depart.

"I have one more request, Master, if you would grant it," Yang Ying urged quickly.

"Oh? What is it?" Master Pang Qian paused.

"I wish for you to keep my cultivation level a secret," Yang Yang said, bowing deeply.

"I understand. You fear the sharp blade that sticks out above the forest. Very well, I grant you this." Master Pang Qian nodded.

"Thank you, Master," Yang Ying said, pleased.

"However, paper cannot wrap fire. Your power is evident on you; any true expert who sees it will know. If you encounter those who don't care, it's one thing, but certain factions, like the Ancient Legion or the Ape Worship Cult, if they discover your exceptional talent, it could bring you harm," Master Pang Qian warned.

"Thank you for the reminder, Master. I will try to minimize exposure opportunities from now on," Yang Ying replied.

The reach of the Ancient Legion might not extend to the Asteroid Belt, and in the Ape Worship Cult, he still had David as a shield, so for now, he felt relatively safe from those two powers.

"If you feel danger, you may call upon the Nian Neng Temple for aid at any time. Even if I do not come, others will respond to you," Master Pang Qian concluded his advice. "Remember, the doors of the Nian Neng Temple are always open to you."

With that, Master Pang Qian stepped forward and vanished instantly without a trace.

Only a voice remained: "I am gone; no need to see me off."

"Farewell, Master!" Yang Ying spoke to the empty air.

He picked up the scroll from the table. He saw that the characters for "Forged in a Hundred Fires" were rendered with a sharp brush, a flying dragon and coiling serpent in the strokes. The sheer momentum was extraordinary, as if containing an immeasurable, steadfast will—unyielding, unshakable.

After studying it for a moment, a smile touched Yang Ying's face. "Let's head back to the base, too."

"Yes, Commander!" Katerina was also happy for Yang Ying. Though she knew nothing of the Way of Nian, she could tell the scroll the Master left behind was no ordinary object.

Perhaps not a single item in the entire Gray Harbor City was worth more than that piece of calligraphy.

Yang Ying and Katerina did not linger in Gray Harbor. After instructing the hotel staff to carefully pack the scroll, they left the hotel and headed directly for the port.

Back at the base, Yang Ying immediately hung the scroll in the command center, intending to gaze upon it often. The writing seemed to be the condensed essence of time and wisdom; merely looking at it felt like the soul was undergoing a baptism.

Yang Ying sat facing the scroll in the command center for a solid hour, reaching a state of total absorption where he forgot to eat or sleep!

Kalia had something she needed to discuss with Yang Ying and tried to enter the command center, only to be stopped at the door by Katerina.

"I have an urgent matter!" Kalia told Katerina, who stood blocking the way.

"If it's urgent, you can tell me. The Commander is currently in a state of shallow meditation, striving to fully comprehend the scroll left by Master Pang Qian. Do not disturb him," Katerina showed no sign of moving aside.

"Can't it wait until later?" Kalia asked, puzzled.

"No," Katerina shook her head. "The Commander told me that the first impression is vital at a time like this. Now that he has just received the scroll, while the novelty hasn't faded, it's the best opportunity to absorb it. Once he grows accustomed to the writing, that initial feeling will be gone."

"I understand," Kalia nodded. "As for the urgent matter, Robin from Gray Harbor just sent me a communication. He says the Caesar Mercenary Group might have ill intentions toward us."

"The Caesar Mercenary Group?" Katerina frowned slightly. "Is the source of this information reliable?"

"Robin says it’s about seventy-five percent reliable. He got the intelligence from the Captain of the Mercenary Alliance Investigation Team."

Kalia then detailed the character 'Alva the Thousand Faces' to Katerina.

"The Caesar Mercenary Group sent a veteran Tier-One mercenary to infiltrate the investigation team. They truly take us seriously," Katerina remarked, nodding.

Just then, a soft click sounded behind her, and the door opened.

"They do take us seriously. After all, with a reputation as strong as ours, no matter how much they might underestimate us, they won't genuinely mistake us for an easy target," Yang Ying stepped out.

Katerina immediately turned around. "Commander, has your contemplation of the scroll concluded?"

"Yes. While the gains have been significant, after an hour, there won't be much more to gain."

Kalia stepped forward. "Commander, you've emerged at the perfect time. Regarding the news Harry gave us—"

"I heard it all," Yang Ying interrupted. "It must be that Harry saw me with Master Pang Qian. The potential deterrence of a Nian Neng Master is worth more than the prestige of being the number one large mercenary group."

"No wonder Harry confessed to Robin as soon as we returned," Katerina soothed.

Kalia handed a file to Yang Ying. "Commander, here is the plan developed by the General Staff based on the potential threat from the Caesar Mercenary Group. Please review it."

Yang Ying opened the file, glanced at it, and committed it entirely to memory. He nodded, handing the file back to Kalia. "This is just a strategy for dealing with the Caesar Mercenary Group; it's quite good. However, I also need a plan for dealing with the Caesar Conglomerate."

The Caesar family's influence extends beyond the Asteroid Belt. The Caesar Mercenary Group is merely a vassal of the Caesar Conglomerate. If they are to be confronted, the threat from the Conglomerate must be considered.

"The Caesar Conglomerate is the number one military-industrial enterprise in the Solar System. They arm nearly a third of human forces and hold profoundly deep influence across politics, economics, and military matters. They are on an entirely different level from these miscellaneous forces in the Asteroid Belt. Even the Caesar Mercenary Group itself is just the tip of the iceberg for the Caesar Conglomerate," Kalia recalled intelligence on the Conglomerate.

"So we must be wary of the Caesar Conglomerate making a move against the Trant Corporation. If that behemoth even shifts slightly, it will be like Mount Tai crushing down on us," Yang Ying cautioned.

"I understand. I'll have the General Staff prepare the plans immediately." Kalia tucked the file under her arm and started to leave.

"Oh, one more thing," Yang Ying suddenly remembered. "Tom has been the Chairman of the Trant Corporation for a long time. Go call him back. We'll assign a Ghost Agent instead. Tom is better suited as an engineer; pulling him into the vortex of battle is not appropriate."

Kalia replied, "As you command," and turned to leave.

Two days later, Tom returned to the base from the Trant Corporation headquarters on Earth.

Meanwhile, in the barracks, a newly created Ghost Agent was specially subjected to cosmetic surgery to look exactly like Tom. While he was still growing in the cultivation pod, a vast amount of operational data for the Trant Corporation was inputted into his mind.

This Ghost Agent would replace Tom in his position. Tom's original fingerprints and access credentials also needed updating, but under Kalia's meticulous control, everything proceeded smoothly.

Kalia brought Tom into the base and into Yang Ying's command center.

The moment Tom saw Yang Ying, he became visibly agitated, snapped to attention, and saluted sharply. "Report, Commander! Tom has returned!"

"Good," Yang Ying rose and smiled. "It's been a while. You’ve worked hard during this time."

"Report, Commander, it has not been difficult!" Tom shouted.

Yang Ying examined Tom closely and noticed he had changed considerably compared to before. If he was an engineer previously, now he looked more like a seasoned businessman.

"The Trant Corporation is a place that forges people. You look much more astute now." Yang Ying was very pleased to see Tom again. Recalling the perilous situation when he first arrived in this world, he couldn't help but sigh in relief, pointing to a nearby sofa. "Quick, take a seat. Let's talk properly."

"Thank you, Commander." Tom sat on the sofa and recounted the events that had transpired at the Trant Corporation during this period.

During this time, Tom had to fight tooth and nail to establish a firm foothold for the Trant Corporation, carving out a bloody path through intense competition. If it weren't for the advanced technology in hand, supported by the base's supercomputer Kevin, and intelligence provided by the Ghost Agent corps, developing the Trant Corporation wouldn't have been so easy.

"I made quite a few blunders at the start. If not for everyone's help, the Trant Corporation would probably have been ruined by my hands," Tom said, feeling somewhat crestfallen as he recounted the early days.

Yang Ying nodded. Tom was the first individual he had summoned. If manpower hadn't been so scarce initially, he wouldn't have placed him in the role of Trant Corporation Chairman.

Now, the Trant Corporation had become a company of considerable influence, registering hundreds of key patents within half a year, touching upon mechanical manufacturing, electronics, material science, and biomedicine. Within six months, it had generated billions in revenue purely from technology licensing, and this figure was still rising.

Some senior appraisal agencies on Earth predicted the Trant Corporation's profits could reach fifty billion within three years, and possibly five hundred billion within ten.

However, even this massive growth was overshadowed by the profits Yang Ying had reaped from his expansion in the Asteroid Belt. Just from Herman's villa, they had confiscated over thirty billion in cash and physical assets, not to mention the assets from the other four major groups and three other space cities!

It could be said that the spoils from the Gray Harbor Battle alone were comparable to what the Trant Corporation might earn in ten years.

Yang Ying had originally created the company merely as a cover for the mercenary group and to secure a more convenient channel for procuring various materials; making money from the company wasn't the primary objective.

Still, the current profitability was a pleasant surprise.