“For the purpose of selling these Ghost fighters equipped with psychic weapons to the Psi Temple for the benefit of the small human population, and I believe the Board will agree.” Yang Ying offered his counsel to Master Pang Qian.

“If that is the case, I am relieved. The Psi Temple has around four to five hundred Adepts. If all of them were equipped with these Ghost fighters, they would have a massive advantage when engaging the Viper fighters on the battlefield,” Master Pang Qian laughed heartily.

Four to five hundred Adepts might seem like a large number at first glance, but on the Jupiter front, the mobilized total personnel of the Earth Forces—fleets, marines, logistics, and all other units—had reached nearly five million. A single frontline main fleet comprised about five hundred thousand personnel; four or five hundred were insignificant.

Moreover, the Inner Solar System was vast, with Earth’s total population reaching thirty billion. At least half of the Masters and Adepts had to remain stationed in the rear to manage all manner of potential problems, such as terrorist activities by the Ape Worship Cult or crimes committed by Awakened individuals on Earth itself.

If two hundred and fifty Adepts were left behind in the rear, mathematically, each would be responsible for overseeing a population base exceeding one hundred million.

Therefore, it could be stated without exaggeration that being a Psionic practitioner was one of the most exhausting professions in the world. If Adept-level experts could be equipped with psychic weapons to enhance their combat effectiveness, it would be a boon for both the frontlines and the rear.

In reality, Psionics of even lower power levels could utilize psychic weapons, but for them, equipping such weaponry often led to the complete exhaustion of their mental energy. Furthermore, the reason the Special-type Ghost fighters were designated ‘Special’ was their difficulty in mass production. Their output was low, and equipping so many personnel would consume far too much time.

“Now that both matters are settled, I should be departing. The Seventh Fleet has just arrived, and I have matters to attend to.” Master Pang Qian finished the tea in his cup, stood up, and prepared to leave.

“I shall escort the Master,” Yang Ying also rose, moving to Master Pang Qian’s side to lead the way.

Opening the door to the reception room, they saw Katerina leaning against the wall just outside. Noticing the two emerging, she asked, “Master, are you leaving?”

Master Pang Qian nodded, smiling kindly, “Yes. The tea you brewed is excellent, little girl. You will find happiness in your future.”

Though Master Pang Qian appeared to be a short-haired middle-aged man, he was actually over eighty years old—old enough to be Yang Ying’s grandfather.

“Master, you flatter me,” Katerina glanced secretly at Yang Ying, her expression already showing great contentment.

Bidding farewell to Katerina, Yang Ying and Master Pang Qian returned the way they came, arriving at the hangar bay.

“Young friend Yang Ying, we shall meet again.”

Master Pang Qian bid his farewell, boarded his deep-blue fighter, flew out of the hangar, and gradually disappeared into the distance.

Over the next two days, the Earth Forces completed the process of integrating reinforcements into the various fleets. After a period of integration within simulation programs, the new recruits familiarized themselves with fleet procedures, and some lightly wounded personnel returned to their posts. The various fleets had generally recovered ninety percent of their combat strength.

At this time, the Ancient Legion’s next wave of reinforcements had not yet arrived. With their combat capability unevenly distributed, this presented a clear opportunity to launch an offensive against them.

Thus, a new round of attacks was imminent.

“Our next target is Callisto. This planet, like the others, has a thin atmosphere, a surface of rock and ice, and three defensive fortresses. However, unlike before, the fortresses on this world are all built within artificial environments, housing the Ancient Legion’s trademark—the Ancient Behemoths.”

In the virtual conference hall, Marshal Alexander was detailing the combat objectives. He activated a display screen, upon which pictures appeared one after another.

“These are reconnaissance photos provided by the Tran Mercenary Group, showing the three fortresses on Callisto.”

The resolution of the photos was extremely high; zooming in on any localized area made it nearly indistinguishable from viewing it up close with the naked eye.

The photos depicted rhinoceroses, standing two meters tall, covered in white fur, with prominent horns and blood-red eyes; and mammoths, even taller and bulkier, also covered in dense white fur, standing nearly twenty meters high. The cold glint reflecting off their curved tusks was clearly visible.

“White Rhinos and White Mammoths—beasts commonly used by the Ancient Legion in cryogenic zones. White Mammoths possess inexhaustible strength, thick hides, and a charge capable of crushing tanks. Their two tusks can pierce the latest one-hundred-millimeter composite armor and house uranium railgun mechanisms, posing a massive threat to infantry. Furthermore, their trunks, under standard gravity, can lift objects weighing one hundred tons; in the low-gravity environment of Callisto, our armored vehicles would simply be tossed into the air by a flick of its trunk.”

“The White Rhino is a tier below the Mammoth but should not be underestimated. Its horn has undergone mechanical enhancement, functioning as a semi-biological, semi-mechanical bio-cannon with power equivalent to a second-tier uranium pulse cannon, making it a huge threat to armored vehicles. The rhino’s hide is covered with a biofilm that scatters beam energy, significantly reducing incoming damage. If encountered, it is best to use kinetic weapons or plasma cannons against them; beam weaponry is significantly less effective against the White Rhino,” Marshal Alexander explained in detail while pointing at the photos on the screen.

“Marshal, what is our tactic for this engagement?” a Lieutenant General inquired.

“The tactic is as follows.” Marshal Alexander waved his baton, and the image shifted to a depiction of a celestial body shaped like a figure eight. “First, we must dispatch a strike team to Himalia. This planet is very small, its gravity negligible, its shape irregular, and it hosts only a single military base. However, the firepower of this base is perfectly situated to complement Callisto, offering mutual cover. To strike Callisto, we must first pin down Himalia, or at least distract their attention, thereby relieving pressure on the main force.”

After speaking, he surveyed the room and asked, “Is there anyone who volunteers to take on Himalia?” Before anyone could respond, he added, “This diversionary mission is quite dangerous. First, you must face the assault of an entire fortress, and being detached from the main force, you also risk being treated as an easy target by the Ancient Legion.”

Before the words had fully settled, a voice reached everyone’s ears: “Let us go?”

The crowd turned toward the sound and saw a figure standing up from the mercenary contingent. He was clad in a silver cassock, adorned with numerous crosses on his chest, and carried a cruciform lightsaber hilt at his waist—it was Saint Radis, leader of the Crux Legion.

“Commander Saint Radis, are you confident?” Alexander inquired.

The Crux Legion’s fleet size was only about one-third the size of a second-tier main fleet, which explained his question.

“Your Excellency the Marshal, Commander Saint Radis spoke of ‘us,’ and I, Old Locke, am here too.” Old Locke, leader of the Nine Dragons Mercenary Group, also stood up.

The others instinctively looked toward Kaiser Mercenary Group Commander Andre, who stood slightly further away, but Andre showed no reaction, clearly having no intention of joining the mission.

Is this an attempt to balance things because the Tran Mercenary Group has been too prominent lately? Pinning down a single, albeit strategically important, fortress is indeed a good choice. But for Old Locke to stick so close to the Crux Legion… The Nine Dragons Mercenary Group, since Old Locke’s grandfather’s generation, has always proclaimed they would sooner die than cooperate with the Crux Legion, who once massacred them. Truly, the older he gets, the more he regresses.

Or no, this is simply mercenary nature. Perhaps the Nine Dragons’ resentment toward the Crux Legion wasn’t about how many people the Crux Legion killed, but merely because the Crux Legion ranked first in the asteroid belt.

Andre’s face remained impassive, yet his thoughts churned. He had heard rumors before this meeting that the Crux Legion and the Nine Dragons Mercenary Group were quietly seeking an alliance, a fact also mentioned to him by his own subordinates.

However, he held no interest in it. Because the Kaiser Group and the Tran Corporation followed similar operational routes, Andre, as the leader of the Kaiser Mercenary Group, understood the potential and strength of the Tran Mercenary Group better than most. Furthermore, the purging of the Kaiser Group half a year ago had the Tran Mercenary Group as a primary suspect.

Recently, he had learned from a military contact about the incident involving Pitreel and the entire Fokina family—it was clearly a retaliatory action orchestrated by the Tran Mercenary Group, and it mirrored the earlier cleansing of the Kaiser Group far too closely. This left Andre with absolutely no courage to oppose the Tran Mercenary Group, causing him to ignore the olive branches extended by the Crux Legion and the Nine Dragons.

Alexander watched as both Saint Radis and Old Locke accepted the assignment, nodding once. “With a Paladin leading the charge, along with the size of the Nine Dragons Mercenary Group, completing this task should not be difficult.”

“Of course, Your Excellency the Marshal. If it is merely a diversion, the combined strength of the Crux Legion and the Nine Dragons Mercenary Group is sufficient,” Saint Radis stated confidently.

Yang Ying, seated a bit further back, remained indifferent to this. The Crux Legion possessed its own sense of honor, and the Nine Dragons Mercenary Group had its own way of navigating the world. As long as they weren't directly engaged in combat, some indirect competition was beneficial to the development of all parties involved.

“Very well. Himalia is entrusted to the Crux Legion and the Nine Dragons Mercenary Group for the diversion. As for the assault on Callisto, Commander Yang Ying, have your three Thunder God units been repaired?” Alexander turned his attention toward him.

Yang Ying heard his name and nodded. “They were fixed several days ago and are ready for combat at any time.”

“Excellent!” Alexander’s tone was visibly excited. “Although the White Mammoths and White Rhinos have tough hides and are difficult to handle, the firepower of the Thunder Gods should present no problem. A fifth-level uranium railgun can flatten a small hill, let alone these ancient behemoths.”

“But there is one issue,” Yang Ying continued. “During the ground combat on Ganymede, the Thunder Gods displayed formidable breakthrough power. How can we be sure the Ancient Legion hasn't prepared countermeasures? What if the Thunder Gods are immediately subjected to concentrated fire the moment they deploy?”

“I have already considered that. We will request a Psionic Master to shield the Thunder Gods during their assault operations,” Alexander stated seriously.