The Data Cache recorded the entirety of that conversation, meaning both Randolph and Master Lundao were aware that David had used Mind Control on Yang Ying.

Yet, neither of them worried about Yang Ying, as the situation was clear: Yang Ying sharing the data disc and the information with them was an act of complete transparency.

If the Mind Control technique had truly succeeded, Yang Ying would have become a member of the Ape Worship Cult and would never have notified them of Jatu’s arrival or exposed the Cult’s plans.

After telling Yang Ying to prioritize his own safety, Randolph abruptly terminated the communication. He needed to prepare for potential future battles.

The intelligence contained within the data disc was vast. Horace had mentioned that after subjugating the Seven Great Pirate Fleets, his plan was entering its second phase: he would take personal action.

Randolph suspected this meant Horace intended to lead the Seven Great Pirate Fleets in an assault on certain targets. He wanted to immediately notify the Fleet's general staff to discuss countermeasures.

Horace was a master of offensive warfare, particularly excelling at surprise attacks. His capacity for swift, unexpected strikes was legendary throughout the solar system.

He had once raided the primary school for young disciples of the Psionic Temple, abducting a large number of newly awakened individuals, which formed the very foundation of the Ape Worship Cult.

He had also attacked numerous major cities on Earth, orchestrating a series of terrorist incidents. According to intelligence estimates, the number of Earthlings killed, directly or indirectly, by his hand exceeded thirty-five thousand!

No one could feel entirely confident when facing an offensive launched by Horace.

After the communication ended, Yang Ying contacted Kalia. “Inform David; his cover is blown. Tell him to evacuate the Psionic Temple immediately.”

“Yes, Commander,” Kalia replied.

The reason Yang Ying had revealed the data disc to Randolph and Master Garcia, knowing it would expose David, was because he understood perfectly that this matter could not be kept secret for long.

Paper could not wrap up fire. Unless he genuinely behaved like a devoted member of the Ape Worship Cult and contributed to the Ape people, this façade would eventually be torn down.

Now that Horace and Jatu were suspicious of him, it was clear the truth could no longer be concealed. If Jatu confirmed he hadn't been brainwashed, David would inevitably become the next target of suspicion.

Therefore, no matter what, David’s time as an undercover agent within the Psionic Temple had reached its end.

Recalling David now would allow the Psionic Temple to assume the Ape Worship Cult had withdrawn him, while the Cult would believe the Temple had eliminated him. Since the Temple and the Cult would not exchange intelligence, the chance of exposure would be minimal.

“The next issue is how to hold out under Jatu’s pressure until Master Garcia arrives,” Yang Ying murmured.

“I have an idea regarding that. Jatu’s objective is to find the Commander. Because the exact location of our base has always been kept confidential, Jatu came to Gray Port. His goal is to find someone who knows the base’s coordinates,” Kalia explained.

“According to the data disc records, Jatu’s ship is a fast vessel; he can reach the base in just three hours. Furthermore, the base is farther from Ceres, meaning Master Garcia will need at least twenty-six hours to get here. We still need to resist for about nine hours,” Yang Ying calculated.

“Who says the battle must happen at the base, or in Gray Port?” Kalia chuckled. “I know of an excellent battlefield.”

Kalia slowly recounted his plan in detail.

Meanwhile, in the penthouse office of the Gray Port administrative building, Yang Ying’s Clone smiled faintly. He unclipped the light saber hanging at his waist and handed it to a Phantom Agent, instructing him to find a hidden place to store it.

As Yang Ying’s clone, Blade, though lacking the ‘’ character marking, could neither enter the Floating Continent nor use summoning magic, he was still an Awakened, possessing psionic abilities. Moreover, he could borrow almost the entirety of Yang Ying’s power through mental resonance. Thus, the clone could exert the full strength of the original body.

This was the original reason Yang Ying decided to send Blade out to spearhead assaults and temper his abilities.

Due to the law of conservation of energy, when the clone borrowed all the power from Yang Ying’s main body, the main body became no different from an ordinary person, and vice versa. When the clone returned all the power to the main body, he too became ordinary.

Kalia’s plan was built upon this very foundation.

Fourteen hours later.

A towering figure, easily over two meters tall, appeared suddenly in Blade’s office, enveloped in a black robe that made one feel a deep, instinctive dread just by looking at him.

The Ape Master, Jatu, had arrived!

“You are the highest-ranking commander of the Trant Mercenary Group in Gray Port?” Jatu’s voice was icy to the bone.

“Yes,” Yang Ying looked up.

“Tell your subordinates you’ll be gone for a few hours, then take me to Yang Ying!” Jatu didn’t want to waste time, so he immediately employed the Charm spell in that single command.

In his eyes, Blade was nothing more than an ordinary person, similar to everyone else in this building—perhaps just a bit more physically robust, but still within the range of a normal human.

Jatu’s gaze was not refined enough to perceive things at the genetic level; thus, he could not see that the person before him was not an ordinary man, but the Emperor Blade!

Structurally and organ-wise, the Emperor Blade’s body was identical to Yang Ying’s—it was only when he activated his transformation, covering his body with the exoskeleton, that the true difference would become apparent.

When manufacturing Blade, Yang Ying used the fifty-hour Phantom Agent body cultivation mode. This resulted in a body that, while strong, was far weaker than the main body’s physique, which had been forged multiple times through the Psionic Body Sculpting Method.

It was fortunate that Blade had never utilized the Psionic Body Sculpting Method; otherwise, he would never have fooled Jatu’s senses.

“Good,” Yang Ying stood up and walked straight out of the office, appearing completely compliant as if under the spell’s influence.

He went outside, informed everyone he would be absent for several hours, and then stepped into the elevator.

Jatu materialized mysteriously inside the elevator, grabbed Yang Ying’s arm, and vanished with him without a trace. The elevator, in his view, was too slow.

With a few blinks, Jatu brought Yang Ying to the port and boarded a black-and-gold vessel of perfect streamlining.

In the cockpit, Jatu commanded, “Lead the way!”

Yang Ying pointed in a direction, and the ship immediately departed the port, speeding away toward that vector at an incredible rate.

Back at the base, Yang Ying informed Kalia, “They have departed. Everything is proceeding according to your plan. They can reach the target zone in five hours.”

“The notification to Master Garcia and the others has also been delivered. Master Garcia, accompanied by three Quasi-Master level Psions, is en route to the target area. They only need four hours of travel time. The fast ship requires five hours to reach the asteroid mining zone. The reason this zone was chosen is that it lies directly on the line between Gray Port and Ceres, allowing Master Garcia and his team to arrive there sooner.”

This mining zone had been acquired by the Trant Corporation not long ago. A docking platform for transport ships floated at the edge of the zone. The workers who had been stationed there had already evacuated; only some automated equipment remained operational.

A little over four hours later, Yang Ying brought Jatu close to the destination.

A Phantom fighter jet approached from a distance, simultaneously issuing a warning: “You have entered private territory. Please return immediately!”

This patrol unit had been set up to gain Jatu’s trust. Otherwise, how could Jatu believe that the location of the esteemed commander of the Trant Mercenary Group lacked even basic protective measures?

Seeing the fighter jet, Jatu was convinced. He told Yang Ying, “It seems we are close. That jet can keep pace with this ship’s speed; it must be quite capable. Trick that jet into leaving.”

Blade opened the communicator and spoke to the Phantom fighter: “This is Colonel Blade. The Commander sent me here to meet him.”

The Phantom fighter replied, “Ah, Colonel Blade. Understood.” The fighter banked once and flew back.

A few moments later, the platform gradually came into view.

“This is your base? It seems rather spartan,” Jatu remarked. He knew it was just a standard docking platform; a base could hardly be just a platform.

If he hadn't been so confident in his Charm spell, he might have suspected Yang Ying was deceiving him.

“This is a mining area. The Commander is here for an inspection today,” Yang Ying told Jatu.

Suddenly, the alarm blared inside the cockpit.

“We’ve been locked on?” Jatu stood up instantly.

At the same time, a voice came over the communicator: “Colonel Blade, the Commander did not request your presence. You are approaching the Commander in a suspicious vessel, which is not permitted. Halt immediately for inspection.”

On the radar, dozens of Phantom fighters had swarmed them.

“Ignore them,” Jatu commanded coldly. The more aggressive the display, the more certain he was that Yang Ying was on that platform.

The Phantom fighter group issued another warning, which went unheeded, and then fired several guided missiles toward the vessel!

“Hmph!” Jatu vanished in an instant. Then, the dorsal bay of the ship opened, and a hyper-speed fighter shot out, moving twice as fast as the main vessel!

Jatu was seated in the cockpit of this smaller fighter. Having convinced himself Yang Ying was on the platform ahead, he deemed Blade useless and abandoned him on the ship.

The missiles struck the vessel, but by then, Jatu was already a thousand kilometers away. He failed to notice Blade instantly transform, covering his body with the exoskeleton, having already escaped the ship before the explosion.

Utilizing the insectoid bio-armor, Blade held his breath, capable of resisting the internal pressure and surviving the vacuum of space for a short period.

A few seconds later, a Phantom fighter flew over to him and opened its cockpit, allowing him to board.

Jatu’s fighter, however, sliced through the Phantom defense line in a matter of moments, arriving directly at the platform.

Upon entering the platform, he walked down the corridor, frowning. “Why is no one here? Are they hiding?”

Suddenly, a door in front of him swung open. Master Garcia and the three Quasi-Masters stood waiting behind it.

“Welcome!”

Master Garcia said.