The authentication concerning the life and death of the two Ape Masters was quickly concluded by Master Hamlin on the command deck. After a brief appraisal, the ownership of the two light-sabers became clear.

The military staff officers inside the bridge watched Master Hamlin’s expression intently, holding their breath and utterly silent, awaiting the final verdict to be spoken from his lips.

Master Hamlin’s eyes grew brighter, and suddenly he burst into laughter: “Indeed, all indications point to these being the light-staves of Ape Masters Mika and Bensa!” “Oh yeah.” “It’s actually true.” The bridge instantly erupted, resembling a bustling marketplace. The military staff officers seemed to transform into housewives haggling over stalls.

In a corner of the bridge, a female staff officer cried with joy and hugged the male officer beside her. The male officer, struck by this sudden romantic fortune, became dazed, but his primal male instinct instantly awoke, and he immediately kissed her back.

“Silence.”

At this moment, Marshal Alexander’s aide-de-camp stepped forward and shouted loudly, quieting the clamor of the assembled officers. Clearly, she possessed considerable influence within this command center.

This adjutant was a striking female officer with blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a fiery physique, holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Her face maintained a perpetually severe expression, seeming utterly unmoved even when hearing the news of the Tran Mercenary Group’s miraculous victory and the subsequent cheering.

As soon as her voice fell, the junior female staff officer snapped back to reality. Realizing her state, she violently pulled away, stepped back, and instinctively swung her hand out. With a loud slap, the male officer cried out in pain, his left cheek distorted, marked by five bright red finger imprints. However, judging by his expression, he seemed utterly unremorseful, as if signaling that he would make the exact same choice if faced with such a situation again.

Marshal Alexander removed his cap, scratched his graying hair, and then settled the cap back onto his head, saying, “This truly exceeded my expectations; it nearly gave me a heart attack. Ha! But this is certainly the best news I’ve heard recently, wouldn’t you say?”

“What were the casualties?” Master Hamlin inquired.

Yang Ying inwardly praised him; truly worthy of being a Psionic Master, to still focus on casualties amidst such a glorious outcome.

“Please rest assured, Master, the casualties were negligible,” Yang Ying replied.

Because a lock-down had been applied to the entire fleet before the battle commenced, the only actual combat involved Bensa and Mika, and both engagements were handled entirely by Yang Ying’s clones. Therefore, calling the losses negligible was actually an understatement; in reality, aside from some damage to the Razorwing fighters and the loss of a few floating cannons, there were no personnel casualties at all.

Marshal Alexander’s forehead instantly darkened upon hearing this. He had spent endless energy wrestling with Wonsale, engaging in battles where he usually ended up at a disadvantage, or at best, achieving parity. The recent pincer movement on both flanks had resulted in horrific losses—a thousand enemies killed for two thousand of their own. But here was Yang Ying, casually stating the losses were negligible after completely annihilating reinforcement fleets equivalent in scale to two main enemy fleets. The contrast highlighted a world of difference.

Yet, he shook his head, suppressing the thoughts bubbling within him. The evidence was right before his eyes, and clearly, Yang Ying would not lie about something of this magnitude. Verification would be simple enough.

“Negligible?”

Master Hamlin seemed momentarily stunned by the word himself. He let out a dry chuckle twice. “I don't know how the Tran Mercenary Group defines ‘negligible,’ but from the perspective of the Earth Forces, only by deploying the entire fleet stationed at Jupiter’s orbit could we eliminate those reinforcements with such minimal attrition. You set out with only thirteen warships and achieved a result so astonishingly incredible that I am utterly amazed!”

Marshal Alexander coughed, inquiring with slightly hurried tones, “Commander Yang Ying, might you share a glimpse of your tactics? To satisfy everyone’s burning curiosity. Of course, submitting a formal report upon your return would be even better.” His tone was hurried, yet carried no hint of compulsion, sounding more like a request for discussion.

Yang Ying naturally declined, shaking his head lightly. He countered, “Your Excellency, Marshal, do you recall six months ago?”

“Of course, I remember,” Marshal Alexander’s expression shifted. “Just six months ago, during the Jupiter withdrawal operation, the Tran Mercenary Group managed to paralyze two and a half full main fleets of the pursuing Ancient Legion in an instant. That force was even more formidable than today’s lineup.”

When the surrounding staff officers heard this, they too recalled that battle. Most of them had experienced it; although they had retreated first, the rear guard transmitted the battle situation to their screens immediately, allowing them to empathize deeply with the engagement.

“At that time, you used the E-missiles to immobilize the entire pursuing fleet. But now the Ancient Legion has upgraded their warships; those missiles should be ineffective by now,” Marshal Alexander continued.

“They are ineffective, but there are others,” Yang Ying replied. “Last time, the E-missile was exposed, giving the Ancient Legion time to prepare, which is why it failed this time. If it were exposed again, and they prepared again, then it would fail next time? I worked hard to silence those Moon-Joy people; please don’t make things difficult for me.” This was, of course, just an excuse; breaking the lock-down was nowhere near as simple as deploying E-missiles.

Master Hamlin nodded. “When a spear pierces a shield, the shield develops thicker armor; when a shield blocks a spear, the spear develops a sharper tip. Spears and shields have always evolved simultaneously. The Ancient Legion’s warships developed to block the E-missiles, and the Tran Mercenary Group’s offensive weapons are also developing. This is hardly difficult to understand.”

Master Hamlin seemed reluctant to dwell on the topic further. Smiling, he said, “Alexander, this is a time for celebration. Let everyone enjoy the victory first. We can discuss the rest after we return. You are presenting such a strictly official demeanor right now, which is spoiling the joyful atmosphere here.”

Alexander looked around and saw that the surrounding officers, after their initial burst of cheering, had become somewhat restrained, frequently glancing between him and Yang Ying.

“Hahahaha!” Alexander acted as if he had just suddenly realized something, and laughed heartily. He addressed those around him: “It was my fault, entirely my fault. Now is the time to celebrate. Commander Yang Ying has brought us a miraculous victory, and the fighting is over. Don’t be so reserved, everyone; be happier!”

He then turned back to the screen: “Commander Yang Ying, thank you for bringing us such wonderful news. We will contact you again next time.”

Yang Ying also nodded: “Very well then, Your Excellency Marshal.”

After the communication ended, the low murmur of voices surrounding Alexander resumed. The staff officers regained their excited expressions, though their mannerisms still suggested a degree of restraint.

“If I remain here, it seems you won't fully relax. I, old man, will step out for a while.” Alexander stretched, and then left the bridge.

Master Hamlin chuckled twice and followed him out.

As soon as the hatch closed, the expressions and movements of the staff officers visibly relaxed.

However, Alexander’s beautiful aide-de-camp did not share the general excitement. Her brow was tightly furrowed, as if grappling with a problem she couldn't resolve. She barely noticed the rising sounds of celebration around her.

After a few seconds of thought, she suddenly stood up and bolted from the bridge, chasing after the retreating figures of Alexander and Master Hamlin.

Alexander and Master Hamlin heard the footsteps behind them and turned around simultaneously.

The adjutant caught up to the pair and saluted crisply, her movement flawlessly executed: “Marshal, Master, I have some confusion regarding your attitudes toward the Tran Mercenary Group just now.”

The two exchanged a knowing smile. This adjutant had always been rigidly principled, which was precisely why Alexander valued her highly enough to appoint her as his aide.

“Speak your mind. What concerns you?” Master Hamlin asked with a smile.

The adjutant lowered her hand from the salute and addressed Marshal Alexander: “Your Excellency Marshal, as the overall commander of the Jupiter Campaign, you have the right to know everything occurring on the battlefield. Furthermore, this miraculous battle defies common sense. I imagine you must be very curious, and the Ministry of Defense and Intelligence must also be intensely curious. As the only person on the battlefield with the authority to pursue the root cause, why did you stop pressing for details? Did you truly abandon the inquiry just because of Yang Ying’s few vague words?”

She then turned to Master Hamlin: “And Master, why did you divert the conversation just then?”

“Haha, a truly strict person,” Master Hamlin commented with a laugh, his tone full of appreciation. “But sometimes things are not as simple as you perceive them to be.”

Alexander added, “If this victory had been achieved by a fleet of the military, then naturally I could have used standard military procedure and directly ordered the submission of a report. But Yang Ying is not military personnel, and the Tran Mercenary Group is far from simple. Consider this victory; their military power already exceeds our imagination. They are not an organization that can be easily constrained by military law.”

Since the Pitril Incident, Alexander understood that the Tran Mercenary Group possessed the strength and audacity to challenge the Council directly—an organization even more decisive than the Council itself. However, the Council’s affairs were too shocking; he had never told his beautiful aide, knowing she would inevitably disagree with such matters.

Master Hamlin supplemented: “Things like military or civil law are not inherent; they are established by people. The foundation for establishing them is possessing sufficient resources for maintenance. Without enough resources to uphold them, military or civil law loses its binding power. From Yang Ying’s standing, military law no longer restrains him. Think about it: if he was absolutely determined not to reveal his tactics, could we truly drag him before a court-martial?”

“But—the soldiers of the Tran Mercenary Group are Earthlings; surely they wouldn't fire on the Earth Forces if we insisted?” the adjutant argued, still unwilling to yield.

“Can you guarantee that?” Alexander smiled. “The internal structure of the Tran Mercenary Group is too tight. The Military Intelligence Bureau has tried countless times to infiltrate them, only managing to operate in the outer periphery. We still have no clear consensus on the true intentions of their core unit. Don't take things for granted, Lieutenant. This world is not as orderly as you imagine.”

With that, the two left the deep-thinking adjutant behind and walked toward the end of the corridor.