The Virtual Council Chamber was filled with the senior leadership of the two military fleets and the heads of the four major mercenary groups, totaling around thirty individuals. Every one of them was a person steeped in military affairs for half a lifetime, possessing considerable knowledge of various military-related technologies.

"As far as I know, our stealth technology is nowhere near ready for deployment. Yet your corporation has already developed technology to detect stealth. To suggest this is foresight," a General boomed with laughter, "is putting it mildly. It seems rather premature."

"Since your corporation has such profound mastery over stealth detection, I presume you must also have deeply researched the application of stealth technology."

At the seat of the Eleventh Fleet, a red-haired Lieutenant General was staring at Yang Ying, his eyes gleaming with an unreadable light, much like a tiger that hasn't eaten in three days spotting its prey.

The words of the red-haired Lieutenant General immediately struck the core of the matter. The eyes of every general, large and small, in the hall shifted, revealing an intense interest in this specific topic.

"General, your ability to connect the dots is perhaps too rich," Yang Ying frowned slightly and replied calmly. "Firstly, the research division of my company is not under my purview; asking me is pointless. Secondly, at this precise time and location, is this truly the discussion we should be prioritizing?"

No one sitting in that chamber was the type to blindly accept whatever was stated. Yang Ying knew that denial or admission would be equally useless; ultimately, these generals would only trust the results of their own investigations.

He fully expected that upon returning, the Military Intelligence Bureau would launch an in-depth investigation into the research direction of the Trant Corporation. Of course, such scrutiny hadn't stopped since Trant first rose to prominence; the Phantom Special Operations Unit was expertly familiar with handling such matters.

Every subordinate department of the Intelligence Division had dispatched wave after wave of informants to Trant Corp, but from the very beginning, these agents had been placed under the surveillance of the Phantom operatives. Everything the informants uncovered was information the Phantom unit intentionally released to misdirect their focus.

If the Military Intelligence Bureau were to send agents now, they would only uncover the conclusion that the Trant Corporation did not possess stealth technology.

"But..." The red-haired Lieutenant General was about to describe the monumental shifts stealth technology could bring to warfare, only to be cut off by Master Yan’s voice. "That's enough. Commander Yang Ying is correct; this is not the time to deliberate on such matters."

Although the Psychic’s position was merely that of an advisor, lacking any military rank, even the Fleet Commanders respected their counsel. The bespectacled Lieutenant General shrugged and quieted down.

Based on the compiled intelligence, before the Joint Fleet could enter the asteroid belt, the two pursuing fleets would already converge with the Gangdi Fleet. Under the combined assault of three main fleets, even mere self-preservation for the Joint Fleet would become questionable, let alone protecting ten space cities—an impossible task.

"Damn it!" A Major General roared, running his hands through his hair. "The Gangdi Fleet is stuck behind us like a stubborn piece of taffy—we can't shake them, and we can't catch them. These despicable apes are clearly exploiting the fact that we are weighed down by ten space cities, making us far less mobile than them!"

During this period, the Gangdi Fleet had perfected the essence of guerrilla warfare: retreat when the enemy advances, advance when the enemy retreats, trailing patiently far behind the Joint Fleet, waiting for them to make a mistake.

"Worrying about that now is useless," Admiral Alexander shook his head, looking utterly exhausted as he sighed. "Though I hate to say it, it seems we have no other recourse. We need a contingent to act as the rear guard, to slow the advance of the Ancient Legion."

At these words, many began to whisper amongst themselves, their faces etched with difficulty.

In the current predicament, 'acting as the rear guard' and 'being sent to certain death' were near synonyms.

"I still believe this is premature," the red-haired Lieutenant General jumped in again, offering a counterpoint. "We can commit superior force in one go to destroy the Gangdi Fleet first, and then concentrate all our power for a head-on strike against the two pursuing fleets!"

Some present felt this proposal was viable and turned their expectant gazes toward Admiral Alexander.

"It won't work!" Admiral Alexander immediately dismissed the proposal, turning to the red-haired Lieutenant General. "Do you think I haven't considered that plan? When the Gangdi Fleet retreated earlier, they abandoned every warship with propulsion failure. Now, the remaining fifty percent of their combat power consists only of ships with fully functional engines. If we swarm them with superior numbers, do you think they won't simply flee?"

The warships of the Ancient Legion and the Earth Army were not far apart in terms of propulsion capability. Once the Gangdi Fleet decided to run, it would take the Earth Army significant time, not mere moments, to catch up.

"We can pursue them farther out, drive them far away," the red-haired Lieutenant General still refused to abandon his plan.

At this, not only Admiral Alexander but many others frowned.

Yang Ying was particularly displeased. The red-haired Lieutenant General’s earlier look, as if he wanted to devour him whole, had already irritated him; it felt as if he were being treated as a lamb ready for slaughter. Even after Master Yan intervened, he kept casting peculiar glances his way. If he didn't teach him a small lesson, things might escalate badly.

Now, Yang Ying saw a perfect opportunity. He pointed directly at the red-haired Lieutenant General’s nose and cursed loudly: "Idiot! How dare you suggest such a thing! How many forces would it take to drive the Gangdi Fleet away? An entire fleet? And do we need our mercenaries to assist? If too few are sent, that ravenous, merciless scoundrel Gangdi will surely devour all our people!"

The red-haired Lieutenant General's face instantly flushed the same color as his hair. With a trembling finger, he pointed at Yang Ying and stammered, "You, you—"

"You what?" Yang Ying slammed the table and stood up, bellowing, "If you drive the Gangdi forces far away, will our own people be able to return? Since our propulsion is comparable, if our people can come back, Gangdi can follow them back too. But if our people don't return, aren't we just handing over a powerful contingent of forces to be tied up by Gangdi for free!"

The red-haired Lieutenant General's face cycled through red, green, and white like a chameleon, his body shaking as if he were about to suffer a heart attack. He glanced around, seeking support, but saw none on the faces of those around him; indeed, some were nodding slightly, clearly holding the same opinion as Yang Ying.

Admiral Alexander coughed lightly and addressed Yang Ying, "Commander Yang, please refrain from shouting in the council chamber."

Yang Ying’s anger subsided slightly. He sat down and addressed the assembly, "My apologies, everyone. It won't happen again."

Admiral Alexander nodded. "The proposal to destroy the Gangdi Fleet first is hereby concluded and should never be raised again. The current issue is: which units will be assigned the rear guard duty?"

Everyone looked at each other, sinking into silence for a moment.

"Are there any volunteers?"

Admiral Alexander repeated the question twice, but no one answered from below. He shook his head and sighed, "Since no one volunteers, I will have to designate a unit myself."

This was the grim reality of the battlefield. Although Alexander detested deciding who would live and who would die by his own decree, the brutal necessities of the situation made such agonizing choices unavoidable.

His gaze swept over the gathered officers before finally settling on the Commander of the Twelfth Fleet, General Hans.

General Hans let out a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

"Hans, the Twelfth Fleet did not engage in the artillery battle with Gangdi in the recent engagement; your formation remains the most intact. I hope you can accept this formidable responsibility," Admiral Alexander said in the most sincere tone; though it was a direct order, it sounded more like a plea.

General Hans's eyes snapped open instantly, radiating a sharp intensity that felt capable of piercing flesh, but Admiral Alexander met his gaze calmly, his own eyes conveying deep helplessness.

General Hans stood up, saluted crisply, and stated with firm resolve, "I guarantee mission completion."

"You—" Admiral Alexander returned the salute, his voice trembling slightly. "You must preserve a seed element to facilitate the future rebuilding of the Twelfth Fleet. I will assign you a squadron for your deployment."

"Understood! Thank you, General Hans," a faint glimmer appeared in the corner of Hans's eye as he sat back down.

Admiral Alexander then turned his attention back to the mercenary contingent.

"Admiral Alexander," Old Locke interjected before the Admiral could speak, "according to the agreement we signed with the Ministry of Defense, we have the right to refuse missions that are known to be suicidal. Lao Locke hasn't even finished speaking, Alexander had already rejected him."

Admiral Alexander fell silent for a few seconds before stating, "The Ministry of Defense will pay an additional commission fee for this."

Hearing this, Old Locke narrowed his eyes and stated, "No amount of money matters if there's no life left to spend it."

"While this mission is extremely perilous, it is not one hundred percent guaranteed death. The engagement will occur very close to the asteroid belt. If you can hold them off for three hours or more, you will have the freedom to retreat," Admiral Alexander said earnestly. "I believe the price the Ministry of Defense is offering will be enough to make the mercenaries under your command forget the danger to their lives."

Old Locke's expression softened slightly, as the spirit of daring and avarice was rekindled within him. The nature of mercenaries could be summed up perfectly: under sufficient reward, brave men will always emerge. Even for extremely dangerous missions, a high enough bounty can always buy men willing to risk their lives.

"Commander Locke, I hope that after this meeting, we can have a separate discussion," Admiral Alexander understood the mercenaries’ motivations well and sensed Old Locke's wavering resolve.

Old Locke grunted and closed his eyes, appearing to have fallen asleep.

Following this, Admiral Alexander looked toward St. Ladis, Lloyd, and Yang Ying. Among the four major mercenary groups, the Kowloon Mercenaries were the purest mercenary organization. However, the Geyizhi Army, the Caesar Mercenary Group, and Yang Ying's Trant Mercenary Group were not purely mercenary organizations; they would not stake their lives solely for money.