"What kind of nonsense is this? Do you think stealth technology is like common cabbage by the roadside that you can just research it if you want to?" Yang Ying slapped the table, his expression one of being utterly wronged.

"I figured as much."

Randolph nodded repeatedly, seeing Yang Ying grow a little sheepish after slamming the table. After all, the military’s top research institutes had been working on stealth technology for ages; even after a century, there were still insurmountable hurdles, with some experts concluding that humanity would need at least another hundred years before stealth technology matured enough for widespread battlefield application.

And to use stealth technology to ambush two entire half-fleets at once—that wasn't merely "widespread application"; that was a miracle of technological advancement!

Yet, the mere existence of this feat was a miracle in itself. When that storm of electromagnetic pulses suddenly erupted outside the Bu Asteroid Belt, paralyzing the ancient legions' warships, countless people witnessed the scene. Initially, the vast majority refused to believe it; some starship captains even thought their reconnaissance systems had malfunctioned and sent repair crews over, leading to quite a few embarrassments.

Therefore, whatever unbelievable means the Teran Mercenary Corps might have employed in that battle was understandable to many, which led to this speculation about stealth.

Randolph himself believed this speculation to about eighty percent, yet there was no concrete evidence. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but vehemently criticize the efficiency of the intelligence department in his mind; so many intelligence agents investigated the Teran Corporation from every angle, yet not a single reliable piece of news was uncovered.

If the Teran Corporation didn't possess its current standing, the military brass might resort to underhanded tactics to acquire such information. However, the Teran Corporation was no longer something they could casually manipulate. If the military employed any dishonorable methods and the Teran Corporation or the Teran Mercenary Corps managed to catch and expose them, the ones who would suffer the consequences would be the military's superiors.

Randolph understood that using legitimate means, the military would find it hard to pry answers from the Teran Mercenary Corps, because the employment contract between the military and the mercenaries stipulated their respective rights and obligations, and it did not include a clause requiring the Corps to disclose the process of their missions. On the contrary, it stipulated that the mercenaries had the right to keep their mission procedures confidential from the military.

This was because the military often had tasks they preferred not to handle but were forced to undertake, such as sneak attacks, assassinations, and kidnappings, though the military tried to avoid these actions whenever possible. But sometimes, circumstances dictated that no other option remained.

Generally, the targets of such operations were spies from ape-like races, anti-government militias, and terrorists, but sometimes innocent people were mistakenly identified as such. If such an incident were exposed to the public, it would bring extremely negative repercussions to the military's reputation.

To reduce risk, these types of missions were usually outsourced to mercenaries. Since the missions themselves were conducted in darkness, it was inevitable that the mercenaries might commit acts of inhumanity during their execution. The military was unwilling to take the fall for the mercenaries' misdeeds, which is why the clause allowing mercenaries to keep mission details confidential from the military was established, ensuring the military could plead ignorance should any vile acts committed by the mercenaries ever come to light.

"I truly don't know what everyone back at your headquarters is thinking. The military certainly doesn't have the authority to force you to speak, but opposing the higher-ups like this isn't a viable path," Randolph said earnestly. "If the higher-ups get a bad impression of you, it could easily lead to them making things difficult for you if an opportunity arises."

"Tell them company secrets just to give them a good impression? Absolutely not. The very act of inquiring about this matter was unreasonable on their part."

Yang Ying shook his head. "Regarding how we launched the Iodine Missiles, we will declassify it ourselves when the time is right, but that time is not now. The specific schedule is controlled by the headquarters. Selling the Ghost Fighters should be enough to satisfy them for now, General Randolph, please proceed."

The method for launching the Boron Missiles was to summon them from the Floating Continent, but Yang Ying would absolutely never reveal the existence of the Floating Continent. Stealth technology was indeed a convenient excuse, but if the military high command learned of stealth technology at this juncture, there was a high probability they would not allow the Teran Corporation to monopolize it.

For the military superiors, allowing a private corporation to control such strategic-level military technology was a huge test of character. The Teran Corporation had not yet grown to a point where the entire Earth Military felt compelled to tread lightly. Exposing the stealth technology now would bring far more trouble than keeping it absolutely secret.

Yes, trouble. Yang Ying wasn't afraid of the Earth Military's power; he simply wanted to avoid unnecessary complications.

However, the General Staff believed that the power of stealth should not remain perpetually hidden; it needed to be used openly someday, or it would restrict their own tactical options. In future battles, the conditions for secrecy wouldn't be present every time, and forcing secrecy where it wasn't appropriate could negatively impact the battle.

After meticulous research and analysis, the General Staff decided to reveal the existence of stealth technology only after the appearance of the battlecruisers. By then, the Teran Corporation and the Teran Mercenary Corps would possess sufficient strength to maintain the monopoly on stealth technology. Before the battlecruisers arrived, Yang Ying needed to ensure...

...that the secret of stealth did not leak out as much as possible.

Randolph pondered with his head bowed. "Forget it. Since you are so insistent, I won't play the bad guy anymore."

He paused, suddenly stripping off his outer uniform to reveal a neat white dress shirt underneath, and his stern expression relaxed. He announced, "General Randolph is gone now. What remains is Uncle Randolph."

Yang Ying knew the matter had reached a temporary close and smiled in relief. "Very well, Uncle Randolph."

Randolph chuckled, then suddenly glared, slapping the table and pointing a finger at Yang Ying's nose. "You are failing in your duty as the 'Dawn of Hope.' What have you decided regarding my niece? You haven't initiated a single communication with her for so long—are you planning to abandon her after trifling with her affections?"

Yang Ying leaned back slightly. "Abandoning her after trifling with her affections"—that was a very severe accusation. He coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment, but he knew this reckoning, linked to his title 'Dawn of Hope,' was inevitable sooner or later; it was only a matter of time.

"Regarding that, I sincerely apologize for taking so long to address it," Yang Ying shook his head. "I have a girlfriend."

"What!" Randolph’s eyes immediately bulged like brass bells, looking as if they were about to spew fire. He pointed at Yang Ying and questioned loudly. After shouting a few times, he remembered it was still working hours and lowered his voice.

Yang Ying wasn't sure if his situation warranted guilt, but he had carried the title 'Dawn of Hope' for quite some time without fulfilling the implied promise, so he supposed he was somewhat in the wrong.

He pressed the communicator and called out, "Katarina." A few seconds later, the door to the command center opened, and Katarina walked in gracefully.

Yang Ying motioned for Katarina to sit beside him, then looked at the wide-eyed Randolph. "She is my girlfriend, Katarina." He then pointed to Randolph for Katarina. "This is General Randolph."

Katarina called out sweetly, "Uncle Randolph." Randolph's brows furrowed, but he eventually eased his expression. "What a celestial figure. No wonder, no wonder."

He turned to Yang Ying, his face now calm. "You haven't contacted my niece in so long; I should have known. Calling you 'Dawn of Hope' in the past—it seems that was my own wishful thinking. Goodbye."

With that, he cut the communication without even waiting for Yang Ying's explanation.

"It seems I've angered him quite a bit this time," Yang Ying sighed, speaking as if resigned to fate.

"I'm sorry, sir. It's all because of me."

Katarina apologetically held onto Yang Ying's arm, rested her head on his shoulder, and said softly, "I am so happy. Officer, for telling General Randolph that I am your girlfriend, I am truly so happy."

Yang Ying gave a mysterious smile, wrapped an arm around her waist, and whispered close to her ear, "If you're so happy, you should show it with some tangible action. Sleep in my quarters tonight. I haven't slept properly in days; I'm getting tired."

"Ah!" Katarina instantly flushed crimson, struggling to stand up, yet unable to escape.

"Give me an answer, or you’re not allowed to leave," Yang Ying blew lightly near her ear, causing her body to tremble and soften.

Katarina was filled with panic, desperate to escape the embarrassing scene, yet a sweet sensation bloomed deep inside. After struggling weakly for a moment, she finally nodded.

Yang Ying smiled slightly and released his hold.

When Katarina stood up, her legs were still weak, and she almost stumbled. Yang Ying steadied her again, his intense gaze causing her to shyly lower her head.

Katarina, her face flushed, whispered, her voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz, "Officer, that’s fine, but the little white-haired girl... her vision, hearing, and language abilities are showing signs of recovery. Would you like to go see her?"

These past few days, Katarina had devoted nearly all her time to the little girl. Under the advanced medical treatment at the base, she was finally showing signs of recovery.

"Good." Yang Ying also remembered the little girl who used telepathy. He hadn't expected such good news in just over two days.

Ceres Base, Thirteenth Fleet Command Office: Randolph’s expression remained stormy even after cutting the communication. He got up and paced back and forth in his office twice, not even hearing his secretary call his name.

The office door suddenly opened. Randolph frowned and snapped toward the doorway, "Eve, why no announcement?"

Two people stood side-by-side outside the door: his secretary, Eve, and Wen Jing.

"But General, Lieutenant Colonel Wen wanted to see you. I called you twice, and you didn't respond," Eve said with an air of innocence.

"Forget it, you can go," Randolph waved Eve out.

"Uncle Randolph, what happened?" Wen Jing saw Randolph pacing in his shirt, realizing that something must have upset him.