※ A quick note to readers: Thanks to the reader Feini Jian for pointing out a discrepancy in Chapter 12 where it was mentioned that the Phantom Fighters had been sent back to the Floating Continent before entering the factory. There are no Phantom Fighters above the factory, so there is no need to set up an automatic piloting system. Readers can assume that Yang Ying exited the large opening and summoned the Phantom Fighters directly. The author sincerely apologizes if this oversight affected the reading experience.

"They went out without any orders?" Howard asked, astonished. Deploying without approval would be an unauthorized action, a serious breach of discipline.

"That can't be right." Yang Ying had complete faith in the discipline of his subordinate soldiers. He recalled: when had the forces produced on the Floating Continent ever violated regulations? He shook his head; in his memory, never.

The Chief of Staff also shook his head at Howard. "Reporting to the Captain, their movement was authorized. The Captain of Ship Number Two approved the deployment of that Phantom Fighter squadron." Ship Number Two referred to the other of the three prestige battleships. Howard and Yang Ying had been too lazy to name the three prestige battleships, so they were simply called Ship Number One, Ship Number Two, and Ship Number Three. Howard was the captain of Ship Number One, while the captains of the other two ships were both Commodores. Although their military rank was lower than Howard’s, they possessed considerable autonomy in their missions; deploying one or two squadrons without immediate reporting was not an issue.

Howard leaned back in his chair. "As long as there was no violation, that’s fine. This is a lucky break. This Phantom Agent squadron currently appears to be the most reliable force outside of Narcissus City." "That settles it then. Tell the Phantom Fighter Captain who made the bet to meet Blade at the temporary command post in Narcissus City Central Park," Yang Ying concluded the discussion with these words.

In Narcissus City, the area outside Central Park remained packed with people, though it was significantly less crowded than when Blade first arrived. After the sixth wave of transport ships departed, most of the women and children had been evacuated to the other side. Among the crowds gathered outside Central Park now, the proportion of able-bodied men was noticeably higher, and the volatile atmosphere within the crowd became apparent as time wore on. The throng in front of Blade had caused disturbances several times. Each time, Blade had ordered the Marines to fire warning shots into the air to calm the crowd. However, this tactic wouldn't last much longer. As the pent-up emotion in the crowd grew, it was only a matter of time before warning shots lost their effect. Under these circumstances, if any more aircraft from the Ancient Legion appeared before the crowd, it would be like pouring oil on a fire. The taut string in their minds would snap instantly, and the order, already teetering on the edge of a cliff, would vanish completely.

Blade called another Major-ranked Phantom Agent from the temporary command post, handed the situation over to him, and returned to the temporary command post on the great lawn. The temporary command post covered an immense area, like twenty-plus football fields combined, filled with neat rows of white tents, each the size of a villa. In reality, this was a makeshift military camp. Blade knew these were military portable tents. When not in use, they could be compressed into a suitcase-sized unit, but when deployed, they would unfold and automatically inflate into a large structure in under a minute. These tents could withstand a Category 12 gale, a magnitude 10 earthquake, and attacks from low-power Uranium Beam weapons, and could even supply enough oxygen for ten people for three days. They were essential gear for travel, deployment, and warfare.

As Blade entered the temporary command post, he saw a Colonel-adorned officer squatting in the middle of the lawn about a hundred meters ahead. The officer slammed a fist into the turf while yelling furiously into his communicator. From the content of his shouting, Blade could tell that twenty elite Fang attack fighters were currently en route. After shouting, the Colonel switched off his communicator and roared, "These bureaucrats! They claim they didn't anticipate the Ancient Legion sending an entire fleet, leading to insufficient defense preparations. And they have the audacity to demand that I intercept the Fangs with those twenty-odd little aircraft, or face military justice! This is outrageous!" Although his voice wasn't loud, it was clear enough for Blade to hear.

The arrival of the Gangdi Fleet had indeed taken the Joint Fleet by surprise. Originally, to ensure a smooth withdrawal, the specific units deployed in the initial waves had been meticulously planned. Operations were supposed to proceed strictly according to plan to minimize time wastage. After these initial waves were deployed, adjustments could be made for subsequent waves based on the evolving situation. The military brass who formulated the plan had expected that at this point, the Ancient Legion would send at most one or two patrol fleets. Under the protection of the Joint Fleet, these ships should never have been able to enter the satellites and threaten the security of the colony cities. Therefore, the military command hadn't prioritized the colonial cities’ anti-air capabilities during this period. The limited number of aircraft in Narcissus City had been assigned to monitor ground conditions and maintain public order. However, contrary to many expectations, the Gangdi Fleet happened to arrive at the front line, bypassing the stalemate battle near the back of Jupiter, and launched an aggressive offensive against the stretched-thin Joint Fleet. This resulted in the Joint Fleet’s defensive line being unprepared, allowing a small number of Fang attack fighters to slip through. This was the reason for Narcissus City’s current predicament.

Blade waited in the temporary command post for only about a minute before a flight of twelve Phantom Fighters flew in from the east side of Central Park, heading straight for the great lawn, and landed in an open area. Blade walked forward, and at the same time, the commander of this squadron, the Captain who had made the bet, jumped out of his cockpit. "Sir!" Upon seeing Blade, he immediately snapped to attention and saluted. "You lost the bet. How does it feel?" Blade asked after returning the salute, smiling. "Reporting, Sir, it feels bad!" the Captain replied with a crisp tone, very seriously. Blade nodded, glanced toward the twelve aircraft, and said to the Captain, "I'm coming with you. I need a fighter." "Yes, Sir." The Captain immediately turned and called out, directing a Lieutenant pilot from the squadron to yield one Phantom Fighter. The pilots’ ranks were generally high; almost all were officers, the lowest being a Lieutenant. Thus, this Captain was merely the squadron leader. Blade climbed into the fighter yielded by the Lieutenant pilot, closed the hatch, and ignited the engine. Just then, a loud shout suddenly pierced the air: "Wait!" Blade looked toward the source of the sound and saw the Colonel he had seen earlier running over. His eyes were shining as he stared at the twelve Phantom Fighters. He pointed in a direction and yelled, "Your aircraft are requisitioned by the military! Head to that location to assemble; you have a mission!" The Colonel, desperate due to pressure from above, was grasping at straws.

The more than twenty existing aircraft in Narcissus City were a mixed formation of Night Owl and Dragon-model fighters. Their pilots were not particularly elite; by Tyrrell’s evaluation system, they would only equate to a C-level pilot. In fact, most military pilots hovered between B-level and C-level. A B-level pilot was already considered an elite pilot. As for A-level pilots, they represented the limit of human capability; only the elite among the elite possessed that level of skill. To send these pilots, who weren't even considered elite among humans, against Fang fighters piloted by advanced apes—it required no imagination to know the outcome. There wasn't a shred of hope for victory, not even enough to stall for time.

Blade didn't argue with the Colonel. He flew directly to the military assembly point and joined the military fighter contingent. The commander of the military aircraft was a Major pilot who appeared capable from his exterior. As soon as Blade reached the assembly point, the Major sent a comm request. When he saw the Colonel’s insignia on Blade’s shoulder on the holographic screen, he frowned slightly and said, "Colonel Blade, although your rank is higher than mine, I request that I command this air battle. We are already at a disadvantage in strength; if command is not unified, then there truly will be no hope at all." "Follow me." Blade couldn't be bothered to waste time with the Major. He immediately led the formation into the air, flying toward the location of the Fang fighters. The twenty-plus military aircraft were superior only in number; in all other aspects, they were inferior to the Phantom Fighter squadron. Moreover, they were completely ignorant of the combat capability of the Phantom Fighters and might issue disastrous orders. Seeing the Phantom Fighter squadron take off, the Major instantly ordered his force to follow. Blade's non-compliance annoyed him greatly. En route, he used every method possible to try and persuade Blade to submit to his command.

However, he didn't have much time to persuade. Just one minute after the formation flew out of Narcissus City, the radar displayed the enemy aircraft's position. Half a minute later, a row of small dots appeared flying toward them—it was the Fang fighters! Both sides were at a similar altitude, traveling at high speed thousands of meters in the sky, closing the distance rapidly. Within five seconds, they entered each other's effective engagement range. Blade seized the opportunity and fired first, sending a Uranium Beam shot straight through the cockpit of an opposing Fang fighter. The communication channel erupted in chaos, filled with exclamations from the military pilots. None of them had expected that the "unruly" Colonel Blade would instantly destroy a Fang fighter, which was an ace piloted by an advanced ape! Of course, a few individuals rationalized it as pure luck.

However, Blade immediately launched a second locking beam, blowing up another Fang mid-flight! The voices in the communication channel fell silent for a moment. There was no longer anything to debate; two consecutive hits resulting in immediate kills could not be explained by luck alone. After firing the locking beam, Blade immediately turned and executed two barrel rolls to evade the retaliatory Uranium Beams shot back from the enemy. A dozen locking beams narrowly scraped past the Phantom Fighter’s fuselage, causing viewers to instinctively hold their breath.