Ten battlecruisers facing the screen were suddenly enveloped by a curtain of shimmering light. They rushed toward the center point and vanished without a trace. All thirty-plus generals and two Marshals in the conference room instantly shot to their feet in shock.

“That was a spatial jump.”

“It is a spatial jump.”

“They’ve leaped into hyperspace!”

A chorus of horrified voices erupted. The entire conference room dissolved into chaos; some overturned teacups from the tables, others flipped chairs. A few were trembling, clutching their chests as if suffering heart attacks. These senior officers, most silver-haired and aged, were likely experiencing the most fervent display of emotion they would ever permit themselves!

Spatial jumping—what an astonishingly advanced technology. Given their rank, knowledge, and education, they were certainly aware of it. Most had personally witnessed the starships of the Gēxīng race perform a spatial jump, and a few had experienced it firsthand. They all understood that spatial jumping was the hallmark technology mastered only by advanced galactic civilizations, the very foundation of the Great Cosmic Age.

This technology allowed a species’ reach to extend further, bringing resources and colonies, enabling leapfrog development. Without it, a race was confined to a single corner of the galaxy; even traveling to a neighboring star could consume hundreds of years, and resource limitations frequently became a bottleneck for their growth.

Now, a technology they believed impossible to master for another millennium had materialized right before their eyes—it was like watching a miracle unfold, a fact that fundamentally defied common sense!

The very General who had been speaking so boldly moments before was now frozen, staring blankly at the screen.

“What you said just now contained three extremely foolish errors.” The Director of Military Intelligence, having reviewed the footage several times and already shaken for a considerable period without displaying the same excitement as the others, extended three fingers toward the rash General, his tone decidedly sharp. “One! These are not mere battlecruisers; they are epoch-making warships, unprecedented in Solar System history, vessels that herald the future, equipped with super-warship-class spatial jump technology!”

He lowered one finger. “Two! The Tran Corporation clearly wasn’t hiding the technical specifications of these ships out of shame. Quite the opposite; it’s probably because the truth is too world-shattering.” He lowered another finger, leaving only the middle one extended. “Three! These ships appeared in the Saturn Campaign recently, not the Jupiter Campaign! You can’t even get that right. Has the decadence of these past few days not only drained your that thing but also hollowed out your brain?”

The General’s face cycled through colors, flushing then paling. The Director of Military Intelligence oversaw intelligence, yet he possessed knowledge of the General’s recent private life, an intrusion that felt deeply offensive.

The Director of Military Intelligence continued his assault without holding back. “You’re an old man; you should mind your health, or else—heh—we’ll have another embarrassing scene like today’s.”

The General roared. Suddenly, he lunged forward, grabbing the Director of Military Intelligence by his collar. “Are you playing a trick on me? This is clearly a science fiction movie, or some computer-generated clip! How dare you present such fake material in front of two Marshals and all these Generals? I will have you court-martialed.”

“Enough.”

The Director of Military Intelligence shoved him back, straightening his collar. “This is a meeting of military leadership; how could I possibly try to fool everyone with something like this? My subordinates have verified the footage on this screen three times, and I’ve checked it twice myself. There is absolutely no fabrication; this is real footage captured in the Asteroid Belt!”

The General, pushed back against the table, braced himself on the edge. He turned back, asserting, “But all military science advisors agree that spatial jump technology is impossible to achieve within a thousand years! Compared to the sci-fi movie on the screen, I’m more inclined to believe that you, old man, have succumbed to senility and gone mad!”

“Enough, stop arguing! Both of you hold the rank of General; such squabbling is unbecoming,” Marshal Duncan roared, slamming his hand on the table.

Both men grunted, and several surrounding Generals stepped forward to mediate until quiet was restored.

Marshal Duncan placed his pipe in his mouth, taking a slow draw, then exhaled several smoke rings. He did not speak immediately, nor did he look at anyone in the room. Instead, he frowned deeply, appearing lost in thought.

Chief of the General Staff Marshal Schmidt cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “Gentlemen, frankly, I also have doubts about this footage. What it displays is simply too sensational.”

He glanced at the Director of Military Intelligence. The Director stepped forward decisively. “It is sensational, but it is also real. There is not a shred of falsehood within it!”

“Are you willing to stake your military career on it?” Marshal Schmidt asked, his gaze sharp.

A flicker of hesitation crossed the Director of Military Intelligence’s eyes. He had verified this information repeatedly, but to wager his entire military career… what if this was intelligence planted by certain factions to deceive them?

The Intelligence Bureau had, after all, been fooled by fabricated intelligence that looked perfectly genuine before. Such occurrences were not rare; everything could seem flawless until the moment it collapsed.

However, recalling his two personal verifications, the testimonies of the transport captains and their crews, their respective backgrounds, and the technical analysis of the visuals—he had overlooked no detail. Finally, he nodded heavily toward Marshal Schmidt. “I am willing to stake my military career on the accuracy of this footage.”

“Rewind the footage and play it again,” Marshal Duncan stated suddenly.

“Yes, sir.” The Director of Military Intelligence complied.

Watching the footage again, Marshal Duncan let out a heavy sigh. “It seems the Tran Corporation truly has mastered this world-altering technology—spatial jumping…”

Once Marshal Duncan had spoken, the others naturally ceased their challenges regarding the footage’s authenticity. They immediately shifted their discussion to how humanity should confront the immense shockwave caused by the emergence of spatial jump technology.

“It is too dangerous to allow this era-defining technology to remain in private hands; it must be brought under military control!”

“Agreed. The entire Tran lineage is composed of butchers and assassins; countless lives have been taken by them. They dare to strike at high-ranking generals and government officials. Allowing them to monopolize spatial jumping will only bring danger to the human world.”

“The origins of the Tran faction are too mysterious. They possess all this advanced technology as if it appeared from thin air; their background is untraceable. To grow from an unknown small company to a superpower possessing spatial jumping and a Master of the Summit level within two years—it is highly suspicious.”

“Precisely. We must compel them to surrender the spatial jump technology so that our military, representing all of humanity, can decide how this technology should be used and developed.”

It was clear that Yang Ying’s recent series of actions targeting factions like the Caesar family, the Ten Ministries, and the Council had made many in the upper echelons feel a sense of impending doom, a shared anxiety.

Furthermore, humanity currently held the advantage against the Ancient Legion, with the front lines, led by Li Yue-Se, showing momentum toward reclaiming the Dual Star Defense Line and pushing the Ancient Legion back to their Pluto stronghold. With external threats to humanity reduced to a more manageable level, the idea of dealing with internal issues surged through the minds of these senior officers.

In the past, due to the notorious reputation of the Tran Mercenary Group, factions harboring deep hostility toward the Tran lineage dared not openly express it, fearing they might draw the fire onto themselves and suffer retribution. This resulted in their prolonged state of acting independently, a scattered collection unable to unite and challenge the Tran faction.

The majority of these factions were waiting—waiting for a catalyst, a reason that would allow them to unite and become a single, cohesive force. At this very moment, that catalyst had finally appeared, delivered right to them by the Tran lineage itself!

Since antiquity, there has been the saying, “An innocent man is not guilty of the treasure he possesses.” The spatial jump technology, capable of elevating all of humanity to a new echelon, was infinitely more valuable than a mere jade artifact like the He Shi Bi.

Using the acquisition of spatial jump technology as leverage to attract various forces into an anti-Tran alliance presented a dazzling prospect. The generals present began exchanging glances; most were already pursuing their own secret agendas, imagining how they and the factions backing them could secure a voice in the utilization of spatial jump technology.

Smack!

The sound of a heavy hand striking the table brought all the generals back to attention. They turned to see Duncan standing abruptly. Though he was past seventy, his posture remained ramrod straight, his expression severe, his eyes sharp as knives—fully embodying the fierce spirit possessed by an old Marshal forged in blood and fire.

The noise in the conference room quieted as all eyes turned to the old Marshal. Duncan swept his gaze across the room and slowly said, “Indeed… it is unacceptable for the Tran lineage to monopolize spatial jumping.”

This statement astonished everyone. Marshal Duncan had always shown distaste for such power struggles. If not for his immense seniority and a network of protégés throughout the military, he wouldn’t have reached his current status. But today, how could he also be so interested in spatial jump technology? Some generals secretly speculated: Could the allure of spatial jumping be irresistible even to the old Marshal?

Duncan then articulated his reasoning: “In my view, both the Tran Mercenary Group and Tran Corporation are destroyers of order. They act recklessly, unwilling to adhere to established conventions, choosing instead to resolve all problems with violence. This is not a faction worthy of possessing spatial jump technology. The destruction of order brings societal instability, and the Earth Military exists to protect society. Therefore, the Tran lineage can be considered our enemy!”

The assembled generals nodded one after another, thinking, As expected of the Old Marshal; even his rhetoric is so grand. He has instantly placed the Tran Mercenary Group on the pedestal of humanity’s adversary.

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