The minor matter of the Yi sign's retreat was insignificant, failing to dampen the spirits of the gathered people. The massive fleet returned to the Ceres defense perimeter, heralded by the enthusiastic gossip of certain loud-mouthed mercenaries.

Before long, news had spread that the Pirate United Fleet had been routed. For the hundreds of orbital cities beyond Ceres, Helas and the Pirate United Fleet represented not just enemies, but for the vast majority, sworn adversaries.

Though less than half a month had passed since Helas launched his offensive, in that brief period, he had traversed countless light-years across the star sea, claiming millions of lives and shattering innumerable fortunes—a reality that inspired both profound hatred and utter terror. Residents of the space cities, paralyzed by fear of Helas, dared not even utter his name, terrified that speaking it might alert him, leading him directly to their doors.

Now, informed that Helas’s pirate fleet had been shattered by the Mercenary United Fleet, one could only imagine the sheer elation of these long-suffering people upon hearing the news. Of course, since most pirate warships had merely been dispersed rather than annihilated, a lingering sense of anxiety persisted among some.

Nevertheless, the general consensus favored the mercenaries, with most agreeing that the mercenaries had performed admirably. As one of the four major super mercenary groups, the Trein Mercenary Group reaped immense fame following the battle, ranking second on the list of military achievements, just behind the Caesar Mercenary Group.

However, there was a slight imperfection to this success. Some individuals questioned why the Trein Mercenary Group had only dispatched a token force, suggesting it was unbecoming of a super mercenary group's status and hinting at a perfunctory effort, thereby arguing they didn't deserve their high placement on the achievement roster.

Upon learning of this, Yang Ying immediately tasked his subordinates with resolving the matter. While he personally cared little for this small amount of reputation, he was certainly unwilling to let others smear his name.

The concept of "battle contribution" was inherently vague, making concrete quantification exceptionally difficult. Yang Ying searched his conscience and dared not claim his contribution was the highest in that battle, but he could state with absolute certainty that his contribution was the most irreplaceable!

Without the intelligence support he provided, the mercenaries surely could not have achieved the current victory. Yang Ying gave these petty skirmishes of words only minimal attention before dismissing them.

The Trein Mercenary Group had grown to its present scale; such trivial matters naturally required no personal intervention from him—even the outer organizations possessed enough talent to handle such affairs. Days turned into weeks.

The Pirate United Fleet showed no sign of regrouping. The warships tracked by the Observers remained scattered; they merely found secluded locations, waited for their supplies to dwindle, then moved to secret resupply stations to replenish their stores before hiding once more, seemingly settling into a life of complete obscurity.

As for the secret resupply stations that provisioned them, they were scattered throughout the entire asteroid belt, far smaller and far more concealed. Beyond providing supplies, these stations also offered medical care, repairs, and various other services essential for the pirates' sustained operations.

It was thanks to these stations that the pirate fleet could raid for extended periods, managing years without needing to seek out a conventional port. For security, these resupply stations were mobile; unless one was a seasoned veteran of the pirate faction, obtaining their whereabouts was impossible.

Although the pirates showed no indication of assembling, the mercenary faction, the military, and the civilians in the space cities would not let them off the hook. The victory of the Mercenary United Fleet provided a partial release for the deep-seated vengeance felt by the suffering populations against the pirates.

However, the root cause of this generational hatred remained, and as time passed, the animosity festered and spread in everyone’s heart, awaiting the moment of eruption. A week after the triumphant return of the Mercenary United Fleet, the hatred against the pirates within the asteroid belt peaked, finally ignited by a single spark.

The catalyst was a massive mission issued by the military through the Mercenary Alliance: a bounty worth eighty billion credits to eradicate all remaining pirates in the asteroid belt. As the news spread, cries for vengeance echoed through every space city surrounding Ceres.

Perhaps shamed by this official bounty, the civilian population, burning with hatred for the pirates, also poured vast sums of wealth into the mission. Soon, the total bounty exceeded one hundred billion!

Great rewards attract brave souls, and mercenaries are a profession who sell their lives for coin. Thus, this massive contract received an immediate response, with major mercenary groups dispatching fleets across the entire asteroid belt to hunt down the pirates.

They all knew that the major pirate syndicates had already been broken down into small squadrons of only a few warships—threats manageable even by ordinary large mercenary groups. Smaller mercenary groups attached themselves to the larger ones, eager to claim a share of this lucrative contract.

Leading this massive wave of vengeance were the Nine Dragons Mercenary Group and the Caesar Mercenary Group. The Caesar Mercenary Group served as the security detail for the Caesar Corporation, responsible for guarding dozens of industrial cities within the asteroid belt.

Under the assault of the Pirate United Fleet, half of these cities were ruined, and the casualties suffered were devastating; only a few survived in the fallout shelters. Due to the excellent relationship between the Caesar Corporation and the military, most Caesar mercenaries were recruited from veterans; some of their families resided in those industrial cities, while others lived on Earth, Mars, or within the myriad space cities of the inner solar system.

The Nine Dragons Mercenary Group, conversely, was a truly homegrown force. Nearly all their mercenaries were locals from the asteroid belt, their families also rooted there.

When the Pirate United Fleet razed their homelands, almost everyone in the Nine Dragons group was bound by blood feud against the pirates. They roared day and night, swearing to wipe out every pirate in the belt to soothe the spirits of their departed kin.

And Blade joined this sweeping tide, taking three flagship vessels, thirty squadrons of Phantom fighters, and two squadrons of Observers, actively searching the void for any sign of the pirates. For a time, the entire asteroid belt seemed reclaimed by the mercenaries.

The shadow cast by Helas's earlier rampage receded considerably, with news of defeated pirate forces surfacing almost daily. Worrell City, now positioned on the outskirts of Ceres, broadcasted enormous bounties daily, further incentivizing more individuals to join the hunt for the pirates.

The mercenaries knew that venturing out at this time carried the risk of encountering Helas. But humans are creatures of hopeful probability; though Helas was now regarded as something akin to a natural disaster, he was, after all, only one man.

With so many hunting the pirates, why should Helas target me? The odds seemed too low.

At night, deep within a hidden base in the asteroid belt, Yang Ying’s true body sat quietly meditating in his private chamber, engaging in shallow-level practice. He sat upon a thick mat laid directly upon the floor.

After a long while, he took a deep breath and stood up. Precisely at that moment, his chamber door opened.

Katerina entered, carrying a tray of refreshments. “The usual.

Place it on the desk, and then come sit and talk with me,” Yang Ying said in a gentle voice. Katerina nodded, placing the refreshments on the desk, where a desk-mounted communicator and a supercomputer also rested.

She then moved to Yang Ying’s side and sat down on the thick mat, smiling faintly. “Sir, you awaken from your meditative state so precisely every day.” Yang Ying lightly drew Katerina toward him, leaning back together.

They both lay down on the mat, gazing at the ceiling. Yang Ying adjusted so Katerina could rest her head on his arm.

He explained, “This is only shallow meditation, so I can control when I wake. I’ve heard that Master-level experts practicing deep meditation can lose track of time—closing their eyes and opening them means months or even years have passed.” Yang Ying waved his hand toward a control panel on the wall.

With a soft whirring sound, the once white wall gradually dimmed, growing darker and darker until it achieved absolute blackness. Yet, it wasn't entirely black.

Against this dark backdrop, the scattered points of starlight became incredibly distinct. It was the night sky!

The entire space above, below, and around him was enveloped by this starscape! The countless stars seemed eternal, steadfastly emitting their tiny lights, adorning the black canvas of the cosmos until it glittered brilliantly.

A brilliant silver river sliced across the center of the ceiling, dividing the starscape in two, the left and right sides acting like opposing banks of the galaxy, echoing one another across the vastness. “I love it here, even knowing it’s all projected by screens, I still love it,” Katerina murmured softly.

“I’ve told you many times, I can have the technical department retrofit your room with these screens, or…” Yang Ying turned his head to gaze at Katerina’s face, intently fixed on the simulated stars, “…you could simply move in here.” The floor, ceiling, and surrounding walls of Yang Ying’s room were custom-built screens. This starscape was an image captured by external lenses mounted outside the base, processed by the computer, and then projected onto the surfaces.

Katerina blushed deeply and shook her head. “No, moving into your room would be too embarrassing.

And I don’t want my room modified either…” If I can’t share the view with you, what’s the point? Katerina thought privately, but she did not voice the sentiment.

Yang Ying reached out, taking her hand, and whispered near her ear, “I was thinking, with us alone in this room, perhaps I should transform into a beast…” “Why transform into that? That’s what Blade does,” Katerina said, shifting slightly away from him.

Noticing her sudden tension, Yang Ying asked, “Are you still afraid?” “I don’t know,” Katerina replied, shaking her head gently, a hint of confusion on her face. Yang Ying tightened his grip on her hand.

“Stop thinking about it. Think of something happy…” “Mmm,” Katerina nodded, closing her eyes.

Slowly, a slight smile blossomed on her features.