※Wald was clearly pleased by Yang Ying’s praise, smiling broadly. "Exactly as you surmised. From my experience commanding the Pacific-class battlecruisers a while ago, neither Earth Forces nor the ancient Legions in the Solar System possessed a warship that could withstand a single strike from the Yamato Cannon. Furthermore, the Yamato Cannon's range is even greater than the drill cannon’s, which is enough to give a Juggernaut-class ship the absolute initiative in an engagement or an ambush!"

"It’s just that charging it up is a bit cumbersome," Supervisor Bila suddenly interjected. "Activating the Yamato Cannon requires a massive amount of energy. Filling the energy pool takes twenty-five minutes, and firing one shot requires fifteen minutes of accumulation. Therefore, the second shot can only be fired after waiting five minutes, and after that, another fifteen minutes must pass before each subsequent shot."

Yang Ying nodded; a fifteen-minute reload cycle was still acceptable. This interval was extremely short. A Juggernaut-class ship eliminating one super-heavy warship every fifteen minutes—who could ask for more efficiency than that?

Moreover, as humanity continued to develop, this metric was bound to improve in the future.

He suddenly recalled something. A few days prior, Kalia had reported intelligence: the Laurel-class battlecruisers of the Caesar Group had also officially entered production. The first batch of ten had just rolled off the line a few days ago, and Earth Forces had already placed an order for a hundred of them. The Pacific-class would likely be phased out within the next few years.

However, the thought flickered only momentarily before Yang Ying cast it aside. Although the Laurel-class was superior to the Pacific-class, possessing higher firepower, thicker armor, larger dimensions, and faster main computational speed, among other advantages, it still fell far short compared to the Juggernaut-class he commanded.

The Tran Mercenary Group had engaged the Laurel-class several times. Yang Ying was certain that the Laurel-class's armor, despite being significantly thicker, still could not withstand a single shot from the Yamato Cannon.

After careful consideration, Yang Ying couldn't help but sigh: The Juggernaut was truly a warship of a bygone era!

The moment it was launched, every warship in the Solar System—those currently in service, those on the production line, and even those that existed only as concepts on paper—had been rendered obsolete!

All large and super-large warships within the Solar System, regardless of their configuration, were the same in the face of the Juggernaut-class. Whether they were called Pacific-class or Laurel-class was merely a difference in nomenclature; in reality, they were all one-shot kills!

Meanwhile, in the High Hall of the Protoss High Council, Executor Cassian and the other members of the Council were all present. Holographic footage of the Juggernaut’s test runs was playing in the center of the hall.

When they saw the Juggernaut vaporize a small mountain with one shot from the Yamato Cannon, the council members immediately began conferring. They used both voice and psychic links simultaneously, resulting in a bustling scene both within the High Hall and in the psychic realm.

Cassian could sense that they were all discussing the Juggernaut’s overwhelming destructive power.

"That Yamato Cannon is terrifyingly powerful," one Dark Executor exclaimed.

"If we were to achieve the effect of the Yamato Cannon with the Carriers that rolled off the line just last week, it would take every single interceptor firing a dozen or more rounds," stated a Zealot.

"A dozen saturation attacks would at best leave that small mountain riddled with holes, with no intact sections, but it wouldn't be enough to erase the mountain entirely," observed a Templar.

Cassian noted that this was the same Templar who had piloted the Carrier a week ago, named Gaber, a leading figure among the Templars and one of the three hundred and sixty council members.

"However," Gaber continued, "Carriers are not designed to showcase destructive power. Relatively speaking, the ability to strike targets with precision, and the capacity to control the entire battlefield, are the design goals and philosophy of the Carrier."

"That's too vague; please elaborate," requested a Luminary Executor.

"Certainly," Gaber explained. "Let me give an example: If a Carrier were to engage a Juggernaut-class battlecruiser in combat, with good control, the Carrier could manage to sink the Juggernaut without sustaining any damage itself."

"How would that be achieved?" the Luminary Executor pressed.

Gaber replied, "The Carrier itself is an interceptor factory; repairs and manufacturing are easy, and raw materials can be drawn through spatial conduits as needed, making their supply virtually limitless. But the Juggernaut's resources are finite; every ship it damages or destroys is one less, and every bit of energy expended is a depletion. Therefore, the Carrier can remain outside the Yamato Cannon's range, constantly harassing the Juggernaut with interceptors, wearing down its effective combat strength. As long as it doesn't enter the Yamato Cannon's firing arc, there will be no problem."

"That makes sense, but what if it's already within the Yamato Cannon's attack radius? How should it respond?" the Luminary Executor asked, as if looking for flaws.

"That is also highly probable," Gaber admitted, not shying away from the issue, but answering seriously. "I have participated in technical exchanges between the Human and Protoss races, and I know the energy dynamics of this Yamato Cannon. It consumes immense energy, and recharging is not a simple matter. After the first shot, there must be at least a five-minute gap before the second. As long as the Carrier’s plasma shields have sufficient energy, they can completely block the first shot. Then, relying on superior propulsion compared to the Juggernaut, it can escape the Yamato Cannon's attack radius before the second shot is fired and launch a counterattack!"

"What Gaber says seems quite sound..."

"Indeed, worthy of the first Carrier operator; his theoretical knowledge is very solid." Most council members expressed agreement.

"It seems, then, that destructive power alone is not enough for a warship to be considered excellent," stated a Dragoon, first agreeing, then shifting his tone. "However, we are discussing weapons built for slaughter, and immense destructive power remains one of the most crucial factors for a weapon. Our race's technology is far superior to that of the humans, yet our weapons’ destructive yield is inferior—this is truly..."

"Hmph," a Luminary Executor interrupted. "If we are to compare destructive power, our Protoss race has things far more destructive than the Juggernaut."

"Are you referring to the Mothership?" Upon hearing this topic, the head Luminary Executor, Borthakna, joined in, and even Executor Cassian felt a stir in his heart.

"Precisely," the Luminary Executor affirmed. "Our Protoss Mothership can unleash a beam of annihilation rain, which, at full power, is capable of eradicating all life on a planet's surface! That is countless times stronger than that petty Yamato Cannon! Moreover, the Mothership can generate a stasis field that freezes time, and black holes that cause space to collapse. The former is our race's strongest defense, while the latter can instantly wipe out a fleet!"

The mention of the Mothership immediately caused an uproar among the council members; the topic captured the attention of every legislator.

"Silence!" Cassian called out. Then he asked all the council members, "With our current capabilities, can we construct a Mothership?"

Borthakna was the first to answer: "After the completion of the Carriers, we gained a certain technical foundation. We can begin by constructing the parts that have lower technical requirements, and as our technology advances, we can tackle the more demanding components later. However, a Mothership is roughly the size of a space city. If we truly commit to building one, it will require a massive allocation of resources and a significant amount of time."

"Use whatever resources are necessary, even drawing from the reserve of Khydite ore if needed. We need the Mothership, and the sooner, the better," Cassian stated without hesitation. "If anyone has objections or suggestions regarding this, please raise them."

The council members contributed various supplementary details, refining the Mothership construction plan. Because all of this occurred within the psychic world, the efficiency was extremely high.

Soon after, the High Council approved the plan.

Effective immediately, the construction of the Mothership was placed on the agenda.

On the other side, after the Juggernaut’s initial demonstration, Yang Ying returned to the real world with his senior officers. In the command room, he opened his eyes, and his subordinates appeared before him in a flash of golden light.

"Go attend to your duties. Our operation is vast now, and we have many responsibilities. It was not easy to spare the time to witness the launch exercise of the Juggernaut," Yang Ying said with a smile.

"Yes, Commander," they responded in unison, then respectfully exited the command room to return to their respective posts.

A full six months had passed since the Battle of Jupiter, and three months since the new Earth government officially took office. Earth Forces were currently engaged in tense preparations for a new offensive, with Saturn being the next target.

During this interim, several developments had occurred.

For instance, the Ape Worship Cult. Since Huras died at Hammerfall, the news spread, and the cult instantly lost its central leadership, exposing numerous vulnerabilities. The Psionic Temple seized the opportunity to strike hard, destroying many strongholds. However, Elder Ye'ger quickly consolidated the followers and went underground, attempting to weather the storm.

At that time, Ye'ger showed no inclination to seek revenge against the Tran Mercenary Group for their leader, clearly understanding that whoever could eliminate Huras was far beyond his capabilities.

However, just as he was preparing to assume Huras’s position, he suddenly vanished without a trace, as if evaporated from the face of the earth; there was no further intelligence.

Currently, the affairs of the Ape Worship Cult were being managed by the former First Emissary of the Apes, Ulysses.

Ye'ger's disappearance was extremely discreet, and only the Tran Mercenary Group, through its pervasive intelligence network, could uncover fragmented intelligence and piece together this reality. This had been within Yang Ying's expectations; Ulysses had indicated when leaving Hammerfall that he would seize control of the cult from Ye'ger, and it appeared he had succeeded.