The surface of Tan Star was blanketed in landmines. Twenty-four Thors strode across the field. The net surged forward; almost every footfall detonated one, sometimes several, mines, causing brilliant flowers of flame to erupt, appearing from a distance like the legendary Buddha, manifesting a lotus with every step.

The Thors’ armor was of Battlecruiser grade, capable of withstanding hits from Level Six cannons. Mere explosions were trivial fare. Of course, nuclear mines were off-limits; the Observers had already flagged these extremely hazardous devices, cautioning the Thor pilots.

Several lines of Thors trotted forward, carving a safe passage through the mountains.

Titan's Light City, where Yang Ying had arrived, was now nothing more than ruins. This colony city was long gone, and Fortress Number One, established by the Ancient Legion, lay in the northern mountain range, north of the original Titan's Light.

Along the way, the Thors encountered only negligible resistance, allowing for extremely rapid progress. Half an hour later, they arrived before Fortress Number One. It was a massive complex built between two mountains, featuring thick walls and hundreds of firing ports.

Several defensive beams, around Level Two or Three, lashed out, scattering into motes of light upon striking the Thors. One Thor launched several missiles from its shoulder. With resounding booms, the remaining few defensive turrets were blown skyward.

Silence then descended upon the mountains.

All twenty-four Thors raised their arms. The dual Level Five heavy cannons mounted on their hands and the dual-linked Level Four heavy cannon turrets on their shoulders all locked onto the fortress gates and opened fire in unison!

Over a hundred bright columns of light slammed into the main gate, which immediately began to melt at a visible rate, burning through within a second. The Thors maintained their fire, widening the massive breach in the gate, then kicked it open and charged inside.

A short while later, the signal confirming the fortress's capture was relayed.

Some mercenaries with keen instincts had already sensed the problem: the Ancient Legion's defenses seemed utterly nonexistent! They immediately dispatched ground forces to land at the other three fortresses on Titan Star.

Yang Ying also withdrew: fourteen Thors, divided into three squads of eight each, launched assaults on the other three fortresses on Titan Star.

Thirty minutes later, those three fortresses were also subdued, meeting extremely low resistance. Aside from the landmines leading up to the fortress entrances, everything else was remarkably easy.

However, one squad from another mercenary contingent proved to be the unlucky one, triggering a nuclear mine. The squad was instantly vaporized into molecular dust. The planet’s surface first flashed with an intense glare, followed by the emergence of a massive fireball, culminating in a dark, hazy cloud slowly ascending, condensing momentarily before drifting apart.

The tens of thousands of troops surrounding that squad were also wiped out in the nuclear blast, and countless other mercenaries suffered radiation damage as a result.

While the mercenary forces were assaulting Titan Star, the space battle had also reached its conclusion, and even sooner than the complete capture of Titan Star. The fleets of Weng Sha-lie and Li Joseph exchanged several rounds of attacks, each losing dozens of warships. Then, Weng Sha-lie began a withdrawal toward the orbit of Uranus.

Li Joseph pursued briefly, downing another hundred or so of Weng Sha-lie's warships, but in the end, they retreated.

After the fighting ended, confusion reigned among the United Fleet personnel. The Saturn campaign, prepared for half a year, had barely begun and concluded in less than half a day?

No, not even half a day—the Ape-men seemed to have been made of clay. And the supposedly impenetrable Saturn defense line rumored to be impregnable was nothing more than an empty shell!

After a brief moment of disorientation, the entire fleet erupted in cheers. Li Joseph dispatched ground troops belonging to the Regular Army to secure the fortresses left by the Ancient Legion. At this very moment, the news of Titan Star’s complete liberation had just reached Command Headquarters.

Securing the other fortresses was not an instantaneous affair. Small teams of special forces were first sent to scout the major fortresses, conduct various assessments, and only then were the main bodies of ground troops allowed to follow and secure them one by one.

After all, the minefields covering the planet’s surface posed the greatest challenge to immediately occupying the satellites. Current counter-mine and mine-disarming capabilities were highly advanced, and mine-sweeping robots often missed a few mines or accidentally triggered them. Clearing the mines was arduous and highly dangerous work. If not for the robots handling the task, clearing the entire planet's surface would likely have cost over ten thousand soldiers.

The Saturn Campaign thus drew to a close.

News reaching the Inner Solar System sparked a fervent wave of jubilation. The vast majority of the populace heralded Marshal Li Joseph, the supremely victorious military genius and God of War, Supreme Commander of the Earth Army Space Fleet, for easily repelling Weng Sha-lie in the Battle of Saturn, once again defeating the Ancient Legion, reclaiming long-lost territory, and suffering minimal losses himself.

Li Joseph’s prestige soared to unprecedented heights. People began clamoring to take advantage of the momentum to retake the Twin Star defense line, restoring conditions from two years prior. Some extremists even demanded that the Earth Army strike directly at the heart—the Ancient Legion's Pluto base—to end the war that had spanned half a century.

The people had been suppressed for too long. Since the loss of the Twin Star defense line two years ago, they had then lost the entire Outer Solar System. One wave of grim news followed another. A hard-fought victory at Jupiter six months prior had barely stabilized their anxieties, but now, Saturn, which was expected to be far tougher, was taken back with such casual ease. This massive victory swept away the gloom in people’s hearts.

Yang Ying’s Teran Mercenary Group, as the liberators of Titan Star—the most crucial moon in the Saturnian system—also shared in the accolades. Because the battle concluded so quickly, there were no grand, heroic tactical narratives for the Earth Army to claim.

Yet, in the process of capturing Titan Star, although the Teran Mercenary Group fired hardly any shots or shells, they stood out conspicuously compared to others who contributed less.

After the battle, Yang Ying received a list from Li Joseph, detailing officers of Colonel rank or higher who had been involved in that imbecilic conspiracy. Battles were always unpredictable, and schemes devised by rear-echelon politicians dissolved at the slightest unforeseen event. It was no surprise they dragged so many people into it; they truly deserved the moniker of imbeciles.

Yang Ying forwarded this list to Kalia, instructing him to cross-reference it with the list held by the Ghost Special Forces, marking those who harbored ill will toward the Teran Mercenary Group.

As for how they would be dealt with, Yang Ying didn't need to expend any mental energy. The Ghost Special Forces had several methods perfected to ensure these individuals would cause no further trouble.

On the holographic battlefield marked with a five-pointed star etched onto the ground, Weng Sha-lie appeared atop a pillar in one corner. Figures materialized on two of the other four pillars: they were Hadak, the Legion Commander of the Ancient Legion, and Balomon, the Apex Master of the Ape-men.

“I have been waiting for you for a long time,” Hadak’s body remained shrouded in a luminous glow, and though his voice was unhurried, it still carried an irresistible pressure.

“Commander, I have withdrawn as planned. Saturn has fallen back into the hands of the Terrans,” Weng Sha-lie bowed.

“You have labored well,” Hadak said. “The reason I ordered you to contract the defensive line and fall back to the Twin Star orbit is because I have decided to enter seclusion. We need to consolidate our strength.”

“Seclusion?”

Not just Weng Sha-lie; Balomon, standing beside him, was clearly hearing this for the first time, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.

“Yes, seclusion.” Hadak glanced at the two empty pillars. “You must have noticed the unusual changes among the Terrans. For our race, this is a very unfavorable sign. Their military technology and high-end combat power are advancing by leaps and bounds, having now surpassed us.”

Weng Sha-lie understood internally that the military technology Hadak referred to clearly meant the Ghost Fighters. Even when piloted by ordinary Earth Army fliers, the Ghost Fighters already posed a significant threat. But in the last few months, Master-grade Ghost Fighters equipped with psychic power gear had appeared. Though piloted by near-Masters, they displayed extremely potent combat effectiveness.

Only four or five Master-grade Ghost Fighters were needed to equal the combat power of one true Master-grade fighter. Weng Sha-lie, having been on the front lines, understood the threat posed by these Master-grade Ghost Fighters quite clearly in the six months following the Battle of Jupiter.

As for high-end combat power, this obviously referred to the imbalance created when Yang Ying killed Hulas and subsequently ascended to Apex Master, tipping the scales in the count of Apex Masters.

Weng Sha-lie sighed inwardly. The Legion was lagging behind in both its conventional forces and its Apex Master contingent.

“I have a premonition; a massive crisis is surging toward us. I have never felt such a strong sensation, as if mishandling it could lead to the extinction of our race,” Hadak stated gravely.

Weng Sha-lie startled. In the Solar System, Hadak and Kong Li, the Grand Elder of the Psionic Monastery, were spoken of in the same breath, both considered beings closest to divinity. If Hadak felt this way, he could not be wrong.

“I sent Balomon to planet Kusta to seek assistance, but because we previously concealed resources there, the matter has been exposed. The Kustan people are displeased with our subterfuge and have therefore refused aid at this critical time. We must rely on our own strength to endure.” Hadak explained.

“How should we respond to this crisis?”

“My intuition tells me that only by mastering the Fourth Level of power can we survive this crisis. That is why I have decided to enter seclusion now, to comprehend the path to elevating the soul to the Fourth Level.”

“The Fourth Level! That is the realm of the gods! Commander, have you perhaps seen the path to the Fourth Level in the ethereal beyond?” Balomon asked, his eyes shining with fervor.

Hadak slowly shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Then this seclusion is entirely without guarantee?” Balomon’s excitement dimmed.

“There are no guarantees, but it must succeed, and it will succeed!” Hadak’s tone was exceptionally firm. “Because this seclusion concerns the fate of the entire species; there is no path that allows for failure!”