When Eagle initially secured the raw materials in secret, he never anticipated having the opportunity to use nuclear weapons. Once the missile launched, the red dot’s guidance system was no longer necessary.

Yang Ying set aside his old rifle and watched the nuclear missile streak straight toward the space station. Although the station was equipped with some defensive weaponry, the warhead was coated in an anti-radar layer. Launched from such close quarters, the automatic defenses stood little chance unless they could acquire a visual confirmation to target it.

Under Yang Ying’s gaze, the nuclear bomb finally plunged into one of the station’s docking ports.

Suddenly, a miniature sun erupted from the station, competing in brilliance with the true sun visible in the opposite direction.

In an operations room aboard the station, several technicians stared blankly at the thermal imaging display. That furious patch of crimson was something they had never encountered since beginning their shifts.

“This heat… it’s a nuke!” the shift supervisor muttered blankly at the image.

Before the word finished leaving his mouth, the entire control room, and everything within it, instantly vaporized.

In a massive laboratory, over a hundred researchers were working intently before a large machine when the ground began to shake violently. Walls and ceilings crumbled inward, and amidst an explosion whose roar far surpassed a thousand thunderstorms, an infinite wave of heat washed into the lab, reducing everyone to ash.

Inside the Ghost Fighter, Yang Ying watched the small sun rapidly expand to engulf the entire space station. He instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes.

When the blinding light subsided slightly, he opened his eyes. Where the station had been, there was now only a cloud of wreckage, large and small. The station had been utterly dismembered!

Witnessing such devastating power firsthand, Yang Ying finally grasped the ultimate nature of nuclear force. That space station had been vastly larger than any super-dreadnought, yet under the nuclear strike, it instantly became history.

“Sir, some small fragments are flying toward us!” the pilot suddenly warned.

Although Yang Ying’s position was outside the immediate blast radius, the debris ejected by the explosion would not stop. Due to inertia, they would continue moving in a single direction until an external force altered their trajectory.

Yang Ying pulled his gaze away from the debris, settled back into his seat, and said with a slightly fatigued voice:

“Yes!”

The pilot pulled the fighter into a tight turn and headed back.

Yang Ying leaned against the headrest and slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, his spirit had returned to his physical body within the secret base. He glanced beside him and saw Katerina leaning near him.

Katerina nodded slightly when she saw him wake, murmuring softly, “Commander…”

“Tired?” Yang Ying asked.

Katerina shook her head.

Yang Ying patted her hand, then pressed the communications panel on the desk, summoning Kalia. “The preceding steps for Plan One are complete. Prepare to implement Phase Two.”

“Yes!” Kalia replied respectfully.

Blade, guided by the Singer attendant, arrived before Ambassador Jiayuna’s private box. Ambassador Jiayuna, after her brief guest performance, had retreated to the box to observe as an audience member.

Blade had asked the attendant why the Ambassador wished to see him, but the attendant only replied that she didn't know, merely acting on orders to summon him for a meeting.

At the box door, the attendant greeted two bodyguards, then pressed the intercom beside the panel. “Ambassador, I have brought Colonel Blade here.”

The attendant’s voice was unusually sweet, as if she had swallowed a pound of sugar, capable of making one’s bones feel soft. However, compared to Ambassador Jiayuna’s singing from earlier, it still fell short by more than a little.

“Please come in,” Ambassador Jiayuna’s ethereal voice issued from the speaker. In that instant, the atmosphere around the box entrance seemed to freeze.

Blade paused, only recovering a moment later. Hearing that voice up close was even more profoundly affecting than hearing her song across the hall.

The box door slid open silently. Ambassador Jiayuna was seated on a large, crimson sofa. Master Merlin and Randolph sat beside her on single armchairs.

Ambassador Jiayuna seemed like a statue carved from silver—exquisite and perfect, yet possessing more vibrancy than any sculpture. Her eyes shone brilliantly, brighter than the stars in the night sky.

Blade recalled seeing an image of the previous Singer Ambassador in the display hall of the Voriel Mercenary Alliance building. The current Ambassador surpassed her predecessor in outward beauty.

“Colonel Blade, hello. I am Jiayuna,” Ambassador Jiayuna introduced herself, gesturing toward herself. Then, she gestured toward the last empty armchair nearby. “Please, take a seat.”

Every syllable was like heavenly music—this was the power of her song! Ambassador Jiayuna was herself a master-level expert; her vocalization had reached a realm beyond the ordinary. Even without consciously employing her profound intent, her voice could affect listeners.

Although Blade, as an Awakened, was immune to direct coercive influence, Jiayuna’s voice, even stripped of that effect, was inherently captivating.

“Greetings, Ambassador Jiayuna,” Blade replied, taking a seat on the vacant armchair.

“Please do not use honorifics with me; you may just say ‘you,’” Jiayuna requested with a slight nod.

“Understood,” Blade agreed.

Jiayuna smiled faintly. “Please forgive my abruptness, Colonel. I overheard respected Master Merlin mentioning this withdrawal operation, which is why I asked you here. Master Merlin holds the Tran Mercenary Group in extremely high regard. Being able to paralyze the main fleets of two and a half Ancient Legions simultaneously is no small feat. Could you tell me about it from your perspective?”

As her melodious words flowed, an aura of noble dignity naturally enveloped her, seeming to stem from millennia of cultural accumulation.

Blade inwardly praised her, recognizing that she was naturally suited to diplomacy; even without her sonic powers, it would be difficult for anyone to refuse her requests.

Randolph nodded as well. “Indeed, Ambassador Jiayuna and I are both extremely curious how your mercenary group managed this. If it can be replicated, dealing with the remaining Ancient Legion fleets would become effortless, wouldn’t it?”

Master Merlin remained silent, but his posture clearly conveyed the same sentiment.

Blade nodded, aware that once they deployed the technology to attack using boron missile clusters, a situation like this was inevitable. If they were a hostile force like the Caesar Mercenary Group, they would employ every means to extract the Tran Mercenary Group’s secrets. But if they were a friendly power like the Nianneng Temple, an inquiry would be the least they would offer. It would be strange if the Temple and the military ignored such a world-shattering event performed by the Tran Group without a word.

Now, the only addition was the Singer Stone, but Blade didn't believe the Singers cared for the technology of his small Earth faction.

“Uh… Ambassador Jiayuna, you ask so directly, which puts me in a difficult position,” Blade politely demurred. “Why come to me, instead of asking our Commander, or Chairman Tom?”

Master Merlin smiled slightly and delivered an answer that deeply startled Blade: “Because it’s convenient.”

“Convenient?” Blade was floored by the answer.

“Yes. To seek out your Commander or the Chairman of the main company would be too much trouble. Since both you and I are right here, isn't it much simpler to ask face-to-face?” As Jiayuna spoke this, the noble aura she possessed instantly collapsed before Blade’s eyes.

Randolph, beside him, opened his mouth wide, clearly unaccustomed to hearing the Singer Ambassador speak so plainly.

Only Master Merlin maintained his serene composure, as if deeply familiar with Jiayuna’s mannerisms. He coughed lightly. “It is basically that simple. There’s no special reason; no need to overthink it.”

Blade mechanically nodded. “I see. However, given my clearance level, I might not be authorized to answer. Perhaps you should direct these questions to higher-ranking officials.” Blade was trying to buy time for his staff headquarters to reconsider what kind of impact the Singer involvement might have on the situation.

Jiayuna showed a look of disappointment. “You can’t say?”

Randolph interjected. “We all understand that paralyzing two and a half ape-man main fleets must have involved that specific type of attack. The crux of the matter is how you launched the iodine missiles without the Ancient Legions detecting it.”

Blade nodded. “General Randolph is indeed astute; you guessed it right away.”

“Pah,” Randolph swore under his breath. “If I can’t even figure out something that obvious, I might as well drown myself in the Pacific Ocean and give up being a fleet commander!”

Blade sighed. “In that case, you should better understand our position. If the method of launching the iodine missiles were made public, wouldn’t it cause far wider complications?”

At these words, Master Merlin and Ambassador Jiayuna’s eyes instantly brightened; they had clearly grasped Blade’s meaning.

Randolph, however, frowned, still not fully understanding. “How so?”

Jiayuna glanced at Randolph with a look of concern. “Colonel Blade must mean that if this method were spread around, someone might use it to launch nuclear warheads, which could instantly tip the balance of any battle. Is that it?” She turned her expectant gaze toward Blade.

Blade felt a momentary sense of amazement but quickly composed himself and nodded immediately. “Precisely. The iodine missiles are only weapons with paralyzing effects, not lethal ones. If someone were to use them to launch nuclear weapons, the resulting sin would be incalculable.”