Among the pirate fleet—dubbed Target Two by the mercenaries—was a Tai Ping Lie-class battlecruiser, and both Helas and Ulysses were aboard that warship.

“The half of the Somali main fleet taken by Messenger Two of the Apes has been out of contact for a long time; I fear they are already doomed,” Helas said, seated high in the command chair, his expression placid, as if the life or death of an Ape Messenger meant nothing to him.

“What are your orders, sir?” Ulysses stood motionless at the foot of the steps, asking with utmost deference.

Helas closed his eyes in contemplation. He could feel the surveillance nodes on him had decreased significantly since the force had split into six groups. This realization made him understand that whatever equipment was monitoring them had its limits.

“Give the order: the remaining five fleets are to scatter completely immediately. The finer the dispersal, the better. Each is to find a place to hide and await further instructions,” Helas commanded.

Ulysses first looked up, shooting Helas a surprised glance.

Dispersal? This was a dissolution.

Once this order was issued, the entire Pirate Coalition Fleet would exist in name only.

Though greatly surprised inwardly, Ulysses still bowed and replied, “As you command.”

He immediately turned to the control console and transmitted this new order to all pirate fleets.

“Come with me now; we’re changing ships.” Helas rose, leading Ulysses away from the Tai Ping Lie-class battlecruiser.

Meanwhile, the dissolution order sent by Ulysses was intercepted by the Observers and then forwarded to Yang Ying.

Yang Ying looked at the message displayed on his screen. After a moment of deep thought, he shook his head and said to an aide, “Connect me to the Laurel, and find Master Merlin and Royd.”

At that very moment, dispersal was already underway from Target Two to Target Six. Each target was splitting into ten or even more smaller units—the number of Observers was now severely insufficient!

A holoscreen materialized before Yang Ying, and the images of Master Merlin and Royd appeared upon it.

“Colonel Blade, any new intelligence for us?” Royd, having just secured a major victory, was in much better spirits, sporting a touch of confidence on his face and a markedly better demeanor.

“We’ve just intercepted a transmission, sent from Target Two,” Yang Ying reported.

“What is it? Can this transmission confirm Helas’s location?” Royd instantly became alert, sitting up straight. He immediately linked the communication to Helas.

“This…” Yang Ying paused in thought, then nodded, “Yes, it certainly can. The transmission was an order sent to all five remaining fleets, making it highly probable that Helas was the one who issued it.”

Royd was about to show a flicker of delight.

“However,” Yang Ying continued, “this order directs all five fleets to continue fragmenting. It states clearly that the smaller the dispersal, the better. According to the radar imagery we have, the five fleets began breaking up the moment they received the command, scattering in all directions. Our tracking ability will likely end here; they are simply too scattered…”

“From what you’re saying, it sounds like the Pirate Coalition Fleet has dissolved?” Royd frowned, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening, as he was, after all, a man in his fifties.

Yang Ying considered this, nodding. “Indeed. At this current trend, in a very short while—perhaps just minutes—they won’t even be called a fleet anymore. They will be incredibly dispersed, with each unit comprising only a few warships.”

“Let them listen in as well,” Master Merlin instructed an aide.

“Yes, Master.” The aide clearly knew who the ‘them’ referred to. He tapped a few keys on the console, and Saint Ladis, Old Locke, and William appeared on the screen.

“More developments?” Saint Ladis inquired.

“Yes. Listen to what Colonel Blade has to say,” Master Merlin nodded to Yang Ying.

So, Yang Ying repeated the situation regarding the fragmentation of the Pirate Coalition Fleet.

Old Locke slammed a fist onto the control console, roaring, “Has Helas gone mad? With rabble like the pirates, if they disperse like this, regrouping will be nearly impossible! How could he make such a foolish choice?”

Royd’s expression darkened.

He felt intensely frustrated. Such a perfect opportunity lay right before him. If he could lead the Mercenary Coalition Fleet to annihilate Helas’s Pirate Coalition Fleet, his own prestige would soar to incredible heights. The earlier failures involving the loss of two Laurel fleets could be completely negated by this singular, monumental achievement, with gains to spare.

“I suspect Helas foresaw that failure to disperse meant total annihilation,” Master Merlin stated in a low voice. “Our elimination of Target One already put him on guard. Coupled with his certainty that he is being monitored, this choice becomes less incomprehensible.”

William asked, “Master Merlin, we have been extremely cautious during our advance. During the skirmish with the bandits, we had interference broadcast against Target One’s communications. Even now, we left a single dedicated jamming vessel behind. Although its jamming capability isn't as strong as the Laurel’s, it should be sufficient to handle the communications of average warships or fighters. These measures were all taken to ensure no message could escape. Does Helas, without fully understanding us, dare risk his forces scattering to the point of being unable to reassemble?”

“Without understanding us?” Master Merlin shook his head. “That’s not entirely accurate. Helas already understands us sufficiently. After all, some things are quite obvious; he likely already knows of my presence.”

“But you are both Peak Masters; you shouldn’t be able to sense each other. How could Helas know you exist?” Old Locke, tormented by his hatred, seemed to forget that the wise old man before him was a figure no less capable than Helas. He posed his question with unconcealed aggression.

William’s eyes widened as he stared at Locke, then coughed twice. “Captain Locke, please mind your tone.”

“It’s fine, Captain Locke is clearly under immense emotional strain,” Master Merlin waved a hand.

Old Locke then realized his impropriety and quietly offered an apology.

“It’s not Master Merlin’s fault,” Saint Ladis told Old Locke. “The fact that we launched a silent surprise attack on Target One was enough information for Helas. He cannot detect a fleet anchored by a Peak Master, and conversely, when encountering a fleet he cannot detect, he naturally surmises that another Peak Master must be present.”

“That’s correct,” Master Merlin nodded. “Furthermore, Helas’s only advantage in the Asteroid Belt has always been his speed and elusiveness. Once he realizes his whereabouts can no longer remain secret, no matter how large the fleet he commands, he will not feel safe. After all, the mercenaries far outnumber the pirates. We can always muster a superior fleet. Helas knows well that pirates are a ragtag bunch; effective when winning, but they immediately disintegrate when on the defensive.”

At this point, everyone understood Helas’s decision to dissolve the Pirate Coalition Fleet much better. Old Locke wore a grimacing, teeth-grinding expression, while Royd sighed, seemingly accepting the situation.

Finally, Master Merlin concluded, as if summarizing everything: “The moment we took down Target One, Helas must have foreseen the total destruction of the Pirate Coalition Fleet, leading him to choose complete dispersal to evade surveillance and regain the initiative. I doubt even the Tram Mercenary Group’s reconnaissance capabilities can cover the entire Asteroid Belt.”

As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward Yang Ying.

Yang Ying, inhabiting the body of Blade, mostly remained silent during this meeting, preferring to listen rather than speak, but since Master Merlin was looking at him, he immediately replied, “Of course not. Our reconnaissance assets are also limited.”

“Achieving this much is already quite commendable,” Master Merlin chuckled. “After all, we have successfully forced Helas to dissolve the Pirate Coalition Fleet. This addresses the immediate crisis, and on a grander scale, it buys time for the front lines. Before he can reassemble this force, the damage he can inflict with just a few Peak Masters will be quite limited.”

“Exactly!” Royd realized as well. Forcing Helas to disband the fleet was itself a major victory. Combined with the minor win of eliminating Target One and amplified by the propaganda campaign from the Caesar Group, this was enough to ensure Royd’s own glory would shine brightly.

“If it’s convenient, could you tell us if your reconnaissance assets are still trailing the pirates?” Saint Ladis asked.

“They are following, but because they’ve scattered so widely, we can only keep pace with the larger targets. For instance, we are shadowing the Tai Ping Lie command cruiser from Target Two,” Yang Ying replied.

“Good!” Old Locke shouted loudly. “Let’s go take out that Tai Ping Lie first! Helas is almost certainly on board!”

“No,” Master Merlin shook his head. “Given Helas’s nature, he wouldn't wait for us to attack him; that would be far too passive. He will only attack others. I believe immediately after issuing the dispersal order, he would have transferred to a new location until he no longer felt the presence of a watcher.” Master Merlin turned to Yang Ying and instructed, “Continue tracking them. That way, when Helas manages to reassemble the Pirate Coalition Fleet, we will be notified instantly.”

“Understood,” Yang Ying affirmed.

Master Merlin nodded, then turned to the others. “Since matters have reached this point, our mission is essentially complete. Let us return.”

During the return journey, word came from the cleanup crews that one enemy fighter had slipped through the heavy interception cordon and escaped. Intelligence analysis concluded that the pilot in that fighter was the second Ape Messenger.