Following the strike by Ulises, Hulas produced a communicator and issued a short command. Six figures in black robes appeared on the holographic screen, bowing slightly. "Master Hulas, what has occurred?"

"Master Yegok, I have bad news. Master Gato has sacrificed himself," Hulas stated in a low voice.

"What! Master Gato has been sacrificed! Who killed him?" The ape-man Master Yegok immediately flew into a rage, shouting excitedly.

"I have dispatched Ulises to investigate. However, with Master Gato gone, my plan has a flaw. I need you to come to the Asteroid Belt as soon as possible to take his place," Hulas commanded with an unmistakable tone.

"Very well. As the Left Elder of the Ape Worship Cult, I cannot refuse my duty for the success of the plan," Yegok replied readily, though resentment still clouded his expression.

"That is settled. I will give you half a day to handle affairs within the Cult. Once you arrive, I will initiate the second phase of the plan." Hulas ended the communication and stood by the window, silently observing the vista of the Sin City. A sensation akin to flowing magma returned to his body.

Kilometers away, a thirty-story skyscraper instantly erupted in bright flames, spreading with terrifying speed until the entire structure became a colossal torch!

The intense heat shattered the windows, and countless fiery figures leaped out, screaming as they plummeted to the ground, becoming charred remains. Many of them wore gold-inlaid, gem-studded masks, indicating they were, at the very least, billionaires!

The speed at which the building caught fire was so swift that hardly anyone inside could escape unscathed.

By the time the city's fire department arrived, almost everything flammable had already been consumed. The rebar within the walls had melted, and the burning structure collapsed with a roar, crushing several firefighters beneath the rubble.

"That serves as the interest," Hulas remarked impassively, gazing down at the terrified crowds below the inferno.

Blade piloted the Ghost Fighter back to Grayport as if nothing untoward had happened, returning directly to the administrative office building.

The next day, the military issued an official communiqué, acknowledging the demise of an Acolyte Master from the Psi-Mantra Temple in the Asteroid Belt, assisted by a certain mercenary group, resulting in the death of the Ape-Man Master Gato.

Gato, the notorious Right Elder of the Ape Worship Cult, had committed countless atrocities across the major colonies of the Solar System, with his body count exceeding a million. Countless families had prayed day and night for his death.

Now that Gato was dead, major media outlets broadcast the news incessantly, using the most flowery language to praise the heroes who had slain him. They pressed the military repeatedly for the identities of the "Certain Master" and the "Certain Mercenary Group" mentioned in the report.

The combat report deliberately omitted the names of Garcia and the Tran Mercenary Group, a specific request made by Master Garcia and Yang Ying himself.

Master Garcia did not desire fame. For someone like him who constantly traveled outside the established territories, excessive notoriety could prove detrimental; moreover, for a Psi-Mantra Master, fame served little practical purpose.

As for Yang Ying, he was relatively indifferent to fame. He had no need to attract a massive influx of recruits; the Tran Mercenary Group was still nascent, and spreading its operations too thinly could be disadvantageous.

Given their current sphere of influence, the Tran Mercenary Group's reputation was sufficient. Greater fame would offer little benefit and only invite jealousy, making it an unfavorable trade-off.

Therefore, when he learned that Master Garcia requested anonymity in the official report, Yang Ying put forth the same demand.

Having witnessed a confrontation between Masters, Yang Ying had gained significant insight and spent the following period entirely immersed in his cultivation.

To rapidly accumulate Psi-Energy, he had shifted resource priority away from the Terrans and toward the Zerg, leaving only the necessary resources for constructing Battlecruisers and Ghost Fighters for the human contingent.

By defeating the Caesar Mercenary Group, the Tran Mercenary Group had secured one of the Super Mercenary territories. Negotiations with the Caesar Mercenary Group had already begun, ensuring at least a prolonged period of truce between the two factions.

Relationships with the 'One Character' Army and the Nine Dragons, the other two Super Mercenary Groups, were also established. The rapport was neither particularly good nor bad; the 'One Character' Army leaned slightly friendlier, while the Nine Dragons adopted an attitude of strict non-interference—essentially neutral. This, however, was significantly preferable to the aggressively hostile stance previously maintained by the Caesar Mercenary Group.

According to staff projections, the likelihood of open conflict with these two Super Mercenary Groups was low. Barring major unforeseen events, this relationship should hold until the Leviathan-class Battlecruisers rolled off the production lines.

As for the remaining large mercenary groups, none dared easily provoke the ascendant Tran Mercenary Group. Even when minor disputes arose, they were usually settled with apologies and reparations.

Consider the prior situation where Roland of the Kussen office deliberately provoked the major mercenary groups surrounding Kussen, inciting them to launch an attack. His plan was to support the Kussen forces in defeating them, thereby expanding their territory. He had even calculated the precise future distribution of spoils with the Kussen group.

However, to his surprise, those large mercenary groups that typically lorded over the Kussen forces all suddenly turned compliant.

When the tension between the Caesar Mercenary Group and the Tran Mercenary Group was at its peak, these groups had shown tentative signs of movement.

The high command of several large mercenary groups had secretly coordinated, formulating a plan to attack Kussen, contingent upon the Caesar Mercenary Group successfully defeating the Tran Mercenary Group.

"Five—be careful!" They were utterly shocked when the Caesar Mercenary Group's two Crown Fleet formations were utterly routed, looking like mere paper tigers against the might of the Tran Mercenary Group, forcing them to sue for peace.

Alarmed, the high command of those coordinated large mercenary groups staged an immediate betrayal. Almost the day the news was confirmed, they collectively exposed the plan to attack Kussen to the Kussen forces and the Kussen office. They then began frantically blaming one another, insisting the plan had been drafted by others, and that their participation was due to incitement, not their own volition.

To prove their innocence, they voluntarily handed over the leaders who had supposedly instigated the aggression against Kussen, naming them the primary culprits.

Roland found no justifiable reason to annex them entirely and could only settle for extracting a substantial sum of money.

Based on this incident, the staff concluded that, with their current military strength, self-preservation within the Asteroid Belt was now more than assured.

The most critical issue now concerned Yang Ying’s personal level of strength.

Yang Ying had drawn the ire of the Ape Worship Cult, and the entanglement was deepening; now, even a Master-level expert had died because of him!

To the Terran side, Yang Ying was undeniably a hero. But to the Ape-Men, Yang Ying was a thorn that absolutely had to be removed.

Having witnessed a battle between Masters firsthand, Yang Ying felt a profound sense of vulnerability. His strength as a Lower-Tier Psi-Adept was far too weak; even observing from the sidelines carried the risk of death. If a Quasi-Master or a Master were sent to assassinate him, wouldn't he perish instantly upon contact?

Feeling his life threatened, Yang Ying immediately entered a dedicated cultivation state, which consequently provided the Zerg—the source of his Psi-Energy—an opportunity to expand.

Ever since Blade witnessed the great battle, over a dozen Hatcheries began development daily on the Floating Continent, while the existing hundred-plus Hatcheries accelerated production of various units.

Over ten waves of Zerg worker swarms were hatched every day, joining the mining legions and bringing in more Silicon Ore.

Furthermore, the Zerg could assimilate external organic matter to conserve Silicon Ore consumption. Consequently, Yang Ying directed the Tran Corporation to purchase vast quantities of raw timber, which was then delivered to the Zerg to be converted into fungal nutrient beds.

However, Yang Ying forbade the Zerg from consuming the natural forests and animals native to the Floating Continent; he had no desire to see the landscape reduced to a monotonous palette of purple and red.

With rapid technological advancement and space cities drifting across the solar system, acquiring timber was not difficult.

Super timber, modified through genetic engineering, could reach the girth of a large embrace in just one year, provided it received adequate light and fertilizer.

While Earth's illumination was insufficient, the space cities could venture as far as the orbit of Venus, even Mercury, where sunlight was fierce enough to rapidly mature these massive trees. As for fertilizer, this posed no challenge for Earth, with its advanced chemical industry.

The Tran Corporation acquired sufficient timber at an extremely low price. Every day, thousands of tons were shuttled through the Stargate to the Floating Continent, then distributed to the various Zerg Hatcheries for stockpiling.

Over the course of half a month, the daily timber consumption escalated from several thousand tons to ten thousand tons, and the number of Hatcheries surged to four hundred. Finally, Yang Ying's Psi-Energy illuminated the last node on the second layer, officially breaking past the nine-thousand mark and reaching the absolute apex of a Lower-Tier Psi-Adept!

Yang Ying returned from the Floating Continent to the Command Center. As he opened his eyes, Katerina was at his side, presenting him with a comforting cup of tea.

Yang Ying took the cup, lifted the lid, blew lightly across the surface, and took a small sip.

"Sir, David needs to speak with you. He is waiting at the entrance," Katerina said with a gentle smile.

"Let him in," Yang Ying instructed.

Upon receiving Yang Ying's notification, David had immediately fled the Psi-Mantra Temple. After several days of clandestine travel, he finally arrived at Grayport through secret channels the day before yesterday. Blade had met with him briefly before directing him to the base.

The door to the Command Center opened, and a visibly energized David walked in, holding a holographic projector.

"Sir, we have a problem," David stated gravely.

Originally, David had addressed Yang Ying as 'Leader' as the Protoss did. However, Yang Ying found it quite unnatural for a human to call him 'Leader,' so he instructed David to adopt the same designation used by others in the base: 'Sir.'

"What kind of problem warrants concern even from you, a Higher-Tier Psi-Adept?" Yang Ying inquired.

David placed the holographic projector on the table and activated it. "This is surveillance footage from the Grayport docks from a few days ago."

On the screen appeared three figures dressed in black, all wearing cold, emotionless expressions, walking past the camera's view.

"These three are all Emissaries of the Ape, and they rank above me. The one leading them, whose eyes are different colors, is named Ulises. He is the First Emissary of the Ape. His swordsmanship is superb, far surpassing mine. Following him are the Third and Tenth Emissaries—a Quasi-Master and a Higher-Tier Psi-Adept, respectively."

After identifying them, David paused before continuing, "I fear they are here concerning the demise of the Right Elder."