Lulia laid out his analysis for all to see! "Sir, what is your intention regarding this intelligence?"

"Let me think..."

Kalia's question pulled Yang Ying from his reverie. He looked at the lines of analysis on the screen, realizing he had no immediate course of action. Kalia's assessment was, after all, just a deduction, and few would ever believe that Earth's intelligence departments would somehow allow the security codes for all fifty-three military bases in the outer solar system to be compromised.

That was as unbelievable as claiming the Ancient Legions were related to God.

"Sir, Helas could execute this plan at any moment. If you intend to notify certain relevant parties, you must act quickly. If you prefer not to share this speculation with others, keeping quiet ensures no one will ever know. Analyzing intelligence is, after all, the job of the intelligence departments, not ours, and explaining our data source is a minor issue," Kalia stated.

He had laid out the ramifications of both choices in one breath.

"I know. Are you certain about the accuracy of this intelligence?" Yang Ying asked seriously.

"I have ninety percent certainty," Kalia replied with conviction.

As a Ghost Agent with an IQ of 200, Kalia's judgment was exceptionally reliable. If he said ninety percent, it might even be a conservative estimate.

"Can Kevin directly infiltrate the military's top-secret mainframes through the net data, leaving a warning message? Tell them about the situation and suggest they immediately change the fire control codes. This way, we obscure our tracks while simultaneously demonstrating our capability. Perhaps they will believe it then."

"Pardon my directness, Sir. I have considered that method, but its operability is low," Kalia said. "If we proceed as you suggest, Kevin's actions might be dismissed as a hacking incident. Please believe me, they will not trust a clandestine source, even if that person is highly skilled and can breach the military's core systems. According to their established protocol, they will open an investigation and spend days gathering evidence. By then, it will be too late."

Yang Ying pondered for a moment, then seemed to make up his mind, stating with unquestionable tone, "Then patch me through to General Randolph."

"Yes, Sir." Kalia tapped a few times on the desktop communicator, dialing the headquarters number for the Thirteenth Fleet.

Yang Ying was, after all, an Earthling. Over a million soldiers were fighting the aliens on the front lines; he couldn't bear to ignore them while they marched toward certain doom.

After being transferred by the headquarters secretary, Randolph's fox-like eyes, surrounded by dark circles, appeared on the holographic screen. "Yang Ying? Helas was in Gray Port yesterday, causing collective insomnia at HQ. What is it? Say it quickly; I need to catch up on some sleep."

"General Randolph," Yang Ying used a very formal address, "I have an extremely urgent matter here concerning the Ape Worship Cult, and I hope you will listen."

"Go ahead," Randolph yawned, asking listlessly, his head occasionally drooping, clearly hovering between wakefulness and slumber.

"You know I have a feud with the Ape Worship Cult. Therefore, I dispatched someone to monitor their activities. What I discovered is something truly unbelievable. I hope you are prepared before I tell you," Yang Ying explained.

"Alright, I'm prepared. Hurry up and tell me; this old man is about to collapse," Randolph was already growing incoherent, letting out another yawn.

"Then listen closely. My intelligence chief at the Tran Mercenary Group believes that the fire control codes for all fifty-three military bases, stretching from the asteroid belt up to Saturn's orbital front, have been obtained by Yego, the Left Elder of the Ape Worship Cult, and have now been delivered to Helas." Yang Ying dropped this bombshell directly into Randolph's ear.

"What did you just say?" Randolph snapped wide awake, his sleepiness vanishing instantly.

"Helas has obtained all the fire control codes," Yang Ying repeated the previous statement.

"Do you know what you are implying? This is the most severe accusation against the intelligence department—alleging dereliction of duty, and this degree of dereliction has never been heard of!" Randolph exclaimed loudly.

"Until now," Yang Ying stated calmly.

Yang Ying's composure was so tranquil that it frightened Randolph.

"Are you certain? Do you have proof?" Randolph rubbed his eyes and asked. His tone softened.

"There is no definitive evidence. However, this is the most probable scenario derived from my intelligence chief's analysis of the Ape Worship Cult’s operational patterns," Yang Ying explained. This speculation was built entirely upon data analysis and summation; it was, essentially, a castle in the air. If one were to demand evidence, such a thing simply did not exist.

"I think this is the least likely scenario," Randolph muttered. "Without direct proof, no one will believe something this absurd. If your intelligence chief’s findings are merely speculative derivations from guesswork, then I suggest you cease spreading baseless rumors immediately."

"Then what results did your all-night meeting yield?" Yang Ying changed the subject.

Replacing Kalia? What a joke. A Ghost Agent like Kalia was more than a hundred times more capable than the sieve that was the intelligence department.

"We identified several possible attack targets for Helas, such as—no, wait. That's classified military information. Asking about it is illegal. Because of my niece, I won't press the issue this time, but if it happens again, watch out for the Military Police," Randolph started to reveal some meeting details, then immediately clamped down, becoming tight-lipped.

"A few targets? I don't care if your 'few' means one or nine. But Helas has staked the entire Ape Worship Cult on this gamble; he wouldn't do it for just a few targets. His first phase of planning stirred up a series of disturbances in the asteroid belt, essentially turning it into a mess, and he took the opportunity to consolidate the pirate factions—was it all just for a few meager objectives? Do you think Helas has as little courage as your staff officers?" Yang Ying said bluntly.

While trying to persuade Randolph, Yang Ying was also persuading himself. Not long ago, he hadn't believed Helas capable of such a thing, but as his own analysis progressed, he gradually felt that as a peak Master, what could Helas possibly fear doing?

Randolph's subordinates had clearly underestimated Helas's audacity.

After Yang Ying's barrage, Randolph's mind began to clear, and he spotted a flaw. "How do you know Helas has committed the entire Ape Worship Cult?"

"Pon Qian Da Bei told me," Yang Ying replied.

Randolph nodded; that sounded reasonable. Then another point struck him. "Then how do you know there are exactly fifty-three bases? Wait, let me calculate... Forty standard bases, nine secondary secret bases, and four highly secret bases. It really is fifty-three!"

Randolph was utterly aghast. That even an independent mercenary leader in the asteroid belt knew the exact deployment number of Earth's military bases meant at least one thing: there truly was dereliction of duty within the intelligence apparatus.

"How did you obtain this information?" Randolph asked, much more serious now. He was convinced Yang Ying knew something significant.

Yang Ying remained silent. Kalia had warned him that explaining the data source was a minor issue.

Kevin was the primary architect of the Human base, the controller of the Command Center. He was a supercomputer, half-man, half-machine, specializing in logistics. He could arrange all logistical matters flawlessly. Hundreds of production lines in the base operated smoothly under his management. Siphoning intelligence online was merely a side job he took at Kalia's invitation. His consciousness could roam the network effortlessly; no firewall could stop him. Even Earth's current smart programs were vastly inferior to Kevin.

"Proprietary information," Yang Ying finally settled on a classic Tran Corporation response.

"A simple 'proprietary information' will suffice? Then where does that place military secrets?" Randolph said displeased, angry that Yang Ying tried to fob him off with those four words.

"General Randolph, if I don't tell you my source, will you report me?" Yang Ying asked.

"I don't know," Randolph thought for a moment before answering. "The asteroid belt is currently rife with portents of storm. Your stability is highly necessary." He paused, then continued, "But personally, I wish you would tell me where you learned about those fifty-three bases. If I weren't a General, perhaps I could help you keep it secret." By the last sentence, Randolph's eyes narrowed into slits, revealing a slight, foxy smile.

"Personally?" Yang Ying pondered for a moment. "How about this: If it weren't to draw your attention to this matter sooner, I wouldn't have come to you directly. I would have sent this information into the military's secure mainframes via the network. Then no one would know it was us."

"I see," Randolph instantly understood that the Tran Corporation possessed the computer technology capable of breaching the military's heavily guarded systems.

"That statement was addressed to Uncle Randolph, not General Randolph," Yang Ying added.

Randolph nodded. "Of course, Uncle Randolph won't leak this. General Randolph never heard this conversation."

"What do you intend to do about the compromised fire control codes?" Yang Ying asked.

"Fire control codes are not something that leaks easily. First, have your intelligence chief prepare a formal report for me to review. Otherwise, even if I believe you, I cannot convince the rest of the military. I only control Ceres Base; I have no jurisdiction over the other fifty-two," Randolph frowned when the topic of fire control codes came up.