"Ah!" Caterina covered her mouth in surprise. "I'll certainly pay attention next time."

By now, she was quite accustomed to addressing Yang Ying as "you," but every now and then, the formal "Sir" would slip out. Each time, Yang Ying would gently correct her.

Beep beep

The communicator on the desk began to ring.

Yang Ying moved over and took a look, then turned back and said, "It's Randolph. He pressed the answer key."

"Nephew-in-law, how have you been keeping? Have the Pirate United Fleet been troubling you? I received a report that your Trant Mercenary Group's four space cities have arrived near Ceres. Is there anything I can help you with?" Randolph's face, instantly recognizable as that of an old fox, reappeared on the screen.

"Uncle Randolph, how many times have I told you, stop calling me nephew-in-law," Yang Ying interrupted quickly before Randolph could say more. "And stop calling me Dawn, or any other strange names that might cause misunderstanding."

Randolph waved his hand dismissively. "Why be so harsh about titles? A name is just a handle, and a title is a title within a title. There's no point in dwelling on it."

Yang Ying didn't argue. He had experienced Randolph's thick skin many times and knew further debate was pointless. He went straight to the point: "Uncle, why are you looking for me this time? Surely it's not just to offer help proactively?"

Randolph pretended to clear his throat twice, sat up straighter, adjusted his attire, and said, "If you were in trouble, I would certainly help. But I did come to you with something. Look, with so many private military forces around Ceres, wouldn't it be a waste to keep them idle?"

"You want the mercenaries to put in more effort?" Yang Ying understood Randolph's hidden meaning. "Then you should talk to the Mercenary Alliance in Worrell. Mercenaries are professionals who work for pay. As long as the military can afford it, every mercenary around Ceres can be hired."

At this moment, the Warrior City of Worrell was also under the protection of Ceres. Although Worrell possessed vast numbers of troops, their fleet was small, consisting only of some aging training warships. Against the aggressively posturing Pirate United Fleet, they were insufficient. After some consideration, the Mercenary Alliance had gathered at the Ceres base, intending to confront this catastrophe in the Asteroid Belt alongside the military.

Of course, the Mercenary Alliance's considerations were truly the considerations of the three Super Mercenary Groups.

Among the three Super Mercenary Groups, the Imperial Legion alone could not handle the Pirate United Fleet and needed strong allies. The Caesar Mercenary Group had always maintained good relations with the military, so seeking military protection in a time of crisis was perfectly normal. The Kowloon Mercenary Group's foundation had been badly shaken—severely so. If they didn't attach themselves to a major power soon, their future survival would be in question.

Therefore, this time, the three Super Mercenary Groups had reached a rare consensus, unanimously agreeing to join the Ceres defense perimeter. Any dissenting opinions within the Mercenary Alliance were naturally suppressed.

As for the Trant Mercenary Group, although they were now generally recognized as being among the Super Mercenary Groups, their foundation was still somewhat unstable, giving them less voice in the Alliance than the other three major groups.

However, Yang Ying had no objection to this. Concentrating their strength to deal with the threat of Helas was the most important thing; everything else could wait.

That was why he had also incorporated his four space cities into the Ceres defense perimeter.

"You know, the Mercenary Alliance listens to the Super Mercenary Groups. That's why I came to you," Randolph said with a thick-skinned grin. "If all four Super Mercenary Groups agree, then the Mercenary Alliance will agree. So, before approaching the Alliance, I wanted to brief you first and exchange views."

Yang Ying pondered for a moment and asked, "Have you already approached the other three Super Mercenary Groups, Uncle Randolph?"

Randolph's mouth curved into a smile. "Well, I'm just getting ready to bring you all together for a video conference now. How about it, are you free? I'll notify you now—besides me, the attendees will be the Rotating Chairman of the Mercenary Alliance Committee and the commanders of the three Super Mercenary Groups."

"Now?" Yang Ying asked.

Randolph shook his head, looked at a pocket watch, and said, "In a little less than half an hour, which is exactly 2:00 PM. How does that sound?"

"Fine," Yang Ying nodded in agreement, then inquired, "What is the meeting about?"

"Isn't it about how to deal with Helas, and the formation of a Mercenary Joint Fleet?" Randolph sighed heavily. "That Ape Master is too formidable, appearing and disappearing at will. His pirates are all natives of the Asteroid Belt, and they have mastered the hit-and-run tactic to perfection. It’s really a difficult situation to handle. However..."

Randolph suddenly seemed to remember something and stared at Yang Ying with a strange look for a long moment.

"What is it?" Yang Ying looked down at himself, checking for any ketchup stains, and asked, "Is there something on my face?"

"No," Randolph shook his head. "I was just thinking about how your Trant Mercenary Group operates—also vanishing and reappearing. Oh wait, you are even better than that. No one has ever seen what your main fleet looks like. Whereas with Helas, at least we have some general intelligence on the size and number of warships in the Pirate United Fleet. In a way, you are even more elusive than Helas. Do you have some secret to that?"

"I cannot answer that question," Yang Ying shook his head, refusing.

"I know you have trade secrets to protect, but..." Randolph flashed a mysterious smile. "For my niece's sake, is there anything you can tell me that doesn't involve trade secrets? Otherwise, I might start thinking all your warships are cloaked."

"All warships cloaked? Don't joke. Humanity has been developing that technology for years, and it's still just a prototype," Yang Ying replied calmly, deflecting carefully.

"That's true," Randolph mused, having only said it in passing without dwelling on it. "Then I'll see you this afternoon."

"See you this afternoon." A thought sparked in Yang Ying's mind. He pressed the (thought power) onto the button, and the communicator shut down.

"Sir, should we join the Mercenary Joint Fleet?" Caterina asked softly.

"Join? Who would we take orders from?" Yang Ying turned back to Caterina and smiled. "The Mercenary Joint Fleet? Heh heh. Mercenary groups are private armed organizations. Among those iron-willed commanders, who would willingly surrender command authority?"

"Then we won't join?" Caterina asked again.

"No," Yang Ying shook his head. "Our four cities are guests here after all. We must give Randolph some face. He contacted me personally to get my help and support his decision in the meeting. Given our good relationship, I can't just ignore him."

"Neither option works? Then which one do we choose?" Caterina tilted her head, looking slightly confused.

"Neither option works?" Yang Ying shook his head. "I never said that. I said there would be command structure issues if we joined the Joint Fleet, but I never said we couldn't join."

"So, the command issue?" Caterina inquired.

"We solve it and then we leave. Hehe," Yang Ying laughed irresponsibly.

Time quickly passed until 2:00 PM. Yang Ying opened his communicator in the command room, connecting with Randolph. Immediately, the holographic screen expanded, and four other holographic figures appeared before him.

Including Yang Ying himself, there were six people in total, seated in a hexagonal arrangement.

"Allow me to introduce everyone. This is Commander Yang Ying of the Trant Mercenary Group," Randolph pointed at Yang Ying.

"Hello everyone," Yang Ying nodded to the other four, observing them as they observed him in return.

"This is Commander Saint Radis of the Imperial Legion," Randolph pointed to a middle-aged man with blond hair. The man had long hair cascading over his shoulders, a ring of beard around his mouth, and grave, steady blue-grey eyes.

He nodded once to Yang Ying.

"This is Commander Royd of the Caesar Mercenary Group," Randolph introduced the short-haired middle-aged man next.

Yang Ying turned his gaze to the Caesar Mercenary Group commander, wondering what reaction he would have upon meeting the person who had destroyed two Crown Fleets.

Royd offered a slight smile and said, "A mistake has been made; it should not be allowed to persist. Hello, Commander Yang Ying. I've heard a great deal about you."

Yang Ying couldn't sense Royd's thoughts from the holographic image, but judging purely by his facial expression, Royd was virtually flawless—anyone would perceive him as a friendly individual.

"Commander Royd, I have never held any ill will toward the Caesar Mercenary Group. Moreover, our peace treaty has been signed. Naturally, we should seek mutual prosperity henceforth," Yang Ying stated.

"This is Old Locke, Commander of the Kowloon Mercenary Group," Randolph continued, pointing toward a deeply wrinkled old man.

Yang Ying recalled that the profile stated Old Locke was the father of Committee Member Locke. He said, "I deeply regret the sacrifice of your son."

Old Locke nodded without speaking, yet the sorrow hidden in his eyes was conveyed through the hologram.

Yang Ying knew that this time, it wasn't just him; most mercenaries in the Kowloon Mercenary Group had family members killed by the Pirate United Fleet, making them extremely incensed and eager for revenge. If any of the three major mercenary groups desperately wanted Helas dead, the Kowloon Mercenary Group ranked first!

"And this is Mr. William, the Rotating Chairman of the Mercenary Alliance Committee," Randolph finally indicated a large, bearded old man whose beard and hair were completely white.

"Hello," William said with a smile. "I've been hearing your name constantly lately, Commander Yang Ying. The Mercenary Alliance needs newcomers like you, and it needs new blood like the Trant Mercenary Group."

"Alright, now that everyone is acquainted, let's start the meeting," Randolph said, clapping his hands.