"After the explosion, we still couldn't stop them?" Yang Ying pulled back the curtains of the command room and gazed out the large panoramic window at the void, as if seeing the flames consuming various military bases in the distance.

"What are the casualties?" Yang Ying turned and asked Kalia.

"It's still unclear, but in the minutes before the blast, some personnel should have managed to evacuate," Kalia replied.

"I only need a rough estimate, no need for pinpoint accuracy," Yang Ying stated.

Kalia quickly did the math in his head. "Fifty-two jetties. The garrisons in the military bases ranged from a minimum of two thousand to a maximum of sixty thousand. In total, we're looking at roughly 1.5 million soldiers. The estimated casualties are around one million, assuming the military rescue operations were timely."

"The personnel losses this time are comparable to when we lost the Twin King Star Defense Line, but the impact will definitely be greater than that, as humanity has just lost all its military infrastructure in the Outer Solar System in one sweep. While the fleet remains intact, without ground base support, they will quickly run out of supplies and ammunition, forcing a retreat." Yang Ying said.

"I believe that after today, human society will experience a massive shockwave. The war will likely escalate to the point where the entire populace enters a state of total war," Kalia remarked.

"Before that, we still have a lingering historical issue that needs resolution," Yang Ying said.

"I understand, Sir. You mean the Caesar Mercenary Corps. I will have Robin expedite the negotiations to settle this matter," Kalia replied with understanding.

Yang Ying nodded. "Now that the Ancient Legion is at our doorstep, neither we nor the Caesar Mercenary Corps can remain uninvolved. The Asteroid Belt will become the next front line, and the mercenary factions will inevitably unite to collectively resist the invasion of the Ancient Legion. Against this backdrop, our conflict with the Caesar Mercenary Corps is insignificant."

"Yes, Sir." Kalia snapped a salute and exited the command room.

Yang Ying walked to his desk computer, activated the display screen, and searched online for reports regarding the destruction of the fifty-two military bases.

As expected, journalists were the most well-informed people in the world. Major news websites had already turned monochrome, with only the headlines displayed in blood-red text.

Ancient Legion Launches Surprise Attack, Frontline Bases Fall Simultaneously!

Heavy Frontline Casualties, Ground Bases Completely Destroyed!

Has Humanity Lost the Outer Solar System?

Civilians in Jupiter Orbit Colonies Fall into Panic!

Blood for Blood!

Reports like these flooded in like the raging waters of the Yellow River, growing faster and faster. It was clear this 'river' was about to breach its banks!

"Sir, you should rest for a while. What happened isn't your fault; you did everything you could, didn't you?" Katerina entered, opening the door. She gently placed a fragrant cup of green tea in front of Yang Ying.

"You always manage to calm my heart," Yang Ying said with a smile.

"Then I'll stay a while longer," Katerina murmured.

The two enjoyed a period of quiet repose.

After finishing his tea, Yang Ying pulled himself together. "Katerina, tell the other commanders to keep their spirits up and their eyes sharp during this time. Hhoras still has seven pirate fleets unaccounted for. Conditions are now ripe for him to make his move. Hhoras excels at surprise attacks; we absolutely must not let him wipe us out in one blow."

"Understood." Katerina smiled and turned to leave the command room.

Beep-beep-beep.

Yang Ying’s communicator chimed.

"This time, your prediction came true," Randolph said with a heavy tone. "I intended to contact you immediately, but high-ranking officials from the General Staff, the Ministry of Defense, and the Intelligence Department all sent inquiries. Many acquaintances also called to congratulate me that my Ceres Base survived, which delayed me."

"Does no one suspect why your base survived?" Yang Ying asked.

"What good is mere suspicion without proof? It can't harm a single hair on my head. I am not the kind of person who can be taken down by suspicion alone. I will keep this matter hidden; don't worry about me bringing you any trouble." Randolph lifted his chin, adopting a haughty posture.

"Ceres Base is now the closest base to the front line. Your workload will likely increase significantly, Uncle Randolph," Yang Ying said.

"You guessed right. The President's call just connected three seconds ago. I have to take this now." Randolph ended the communication, moving to deal with the President.

Yang Ying knew that Ceres Base would soon become the focal point of the war. If humanity managed to hold the Ancient Legion outside the Inner Solar System after this crisis, Randolph was very likely to be handed a Marshal's Baton.

Over the next few days, in the search for the seven missing pirate fleets, Yang Ying deployed all his Observers, expanding the search grid. Beyond the four Sky Cities directly under his command, he projected outward further.

Two hundred Ghost Fighter Squadrons remained on standby, ready to materialize instantly wherever Yang Ying required them upon detection of the enemy.

The peace accord between the Trant Mercenary Corps and the Caesar Mercenary Corps was finally signed the next day, pressured by both public opinion and the Ancient Legion.

The Caesar Mercenary Corps compensated the Trant Mercenary Corps one hundred billion for all losses incurred during the annihilation of the Laurel Fleet. The two sides signed a two-year non-aggression pact and hastily concluded the peace talks.

Following this, the Caesar Mercenary Corps also began full mobilization, preparing countermeasures for the retreat of the front line to the Asteroid Belt. Their remaining three Laurel Fleets immediately rushed back, while the Z-Army and Kowloon also held press conferences, announcing the return of their main forces from the front.

However, before the main forces of the three super mercenary corps could return, Hhoras’s pirates made their move.

Two of the Ten Ape Emissaries were already dead. Of the remaining eight, all except Ulysses commanded a major pirate group, igniting constant flames throughout the Asteroid Belt.

Within twenty-four hours, several key industrial cities in the Asteroid Belt were destroyed by the thunderous methods of these major pirate groups.

In the following days, the pirate fleets employed wolf-pack tactics, responding to every call, forcing many large mercenary corps to unite for self-preservation. Even so, news of cities being thoroughly sacked by pirates continued to emerge regularly.

Time wore on, and a sense of pervasive dread settled over the Asteroid Belt.

Three days after the complete annihilation of the frontline bases, Hhoras led five pirate fleets and assaulted the stronghold of the Kowloon Mercenary Corps.

The Kowloon Mercenary Corps boasted nine main Space Cities and over sixty subsidiary cities. Unlike the Z-Army and Caesar, they originated from local powers within the Asteroid Belt from the very beginning, holding the deepest roots there, possessing the largest fleet size, and the greatest number of allies.

To resist the attack of the combined pirate fleet, Kowloon's Commissioner Locke gathered dozens of allies, totaling nearly a thousand warships of various models, intending to drown the united pirate fleet with sheer numbers.

But against Hhoras, their defenses were torn apart like thin paper.

Hhoras himself charged directly through the void, past the intercepting fighters and anti-air artillery, boarded the flagship where Commissioner Locke was located, easily killed Locke, destroyed the flagship, and then rejoined the united pirate fleet.

Locke's death instantly shattered the massive fleet into pieces. A temporary acting commander was chosen, but Hhoras quickly eliminated him too.

After several such occurrences, no one dared to take the command position.

The massive fleet, without leadership, automatically collapsed. Most ships scattered and fled into space. A small minority, with steadfast crews determined to protect the cities behind them, stayed behind to engage in futile resistance with their warships.

After defeating the die-hard resistance warships one by one, Hhoras undoubtedly led the united pirate fleet to sack dozens of unprotected Space Cities, seizing nearly half of the Kowloon Mercenary Corps' wealth. He then destroyed the Space City shields and outer armor, turning the Space Cities into vacuum tombs, killing tens of millions of citizens in the attack.

Almost simultaneously, Yego led two other pirate fleets to attack Z-Army's main city, Canaan.

Canaan City was the spiritual center of the Asteroid Belt. Although the Z-Army had fewer allies than Kowloon, their allies held steadfast positions.

The few High Knights left guarding the city quickly assembled a colossal fleet, superior to Yego’s combined two pirate fleets in both numbers and quality. After all, in the Asteroid Belt, mercenary power far surpassed that of pirates; there were only ten major pirate groups, but hundreds of large mercenary corps.

To deal with the majority of enemies, the Ape Master Yego also employed a decapitation tactic. Although his strength fell far short of Hhoras’s, he was far superior to the High Knights.

However, at the crucial moment, Z-Army Commander Saint Ladis flew back to Canaan alone in a fighter jet and engaged Yego in a fierce battle aboard the fleet flagship.

The fight lasted for about an hour. Yego’s forces were limited, and he fell into a disadvantage during the fleet's artillery exchange. Yego ultimately had to disengage and lead his fleet in a retreat.

What surprised the world was what happened next: on the retreat path, Yego’s forces were suddenly ambushed by the main body of the Caribbean Pirate Group and were completely annihilated. Only Yego himself escaped the battlefield.

The details of the battle remain unknown to the world; almost no one knew about the presence of a Peak Master named Argen within the Caribbean Pirate Group.

After severely damaging the foundation of the Kowloon Mercenary Corps, Hhoras then targeted the Caesar Mercenary Corps. By then, the Caesar Mercenary Corps had virtually no main force remaining. Over fifty of their industrial Space Cities were systematically sacked, with only about twenty managing to hide under the protective range of Ceres Base.