The tone of the meeting was largely set. It had to be admitted that Yang Ying's popularity among those at the Fourth Layer of the Peak was truly terrible. Those few with whom he had decent relations, such as Randolph and Joseph, were currently confronting Wenshalie in the orbit of Uranus. And if Alexander had been present, he might have spoken a word or two in Yang Ying's defense, but Alexander and his Second Fleet were also engaged in the great battle in Uranus orbit. The remaining senior officers holding the fort at Earth Military Headquarters held no great affection for the Trant line.

"This... ladies and gentlemen, the leader of the Trant Mercenary Group, Yang Ying, is a Peak Master, and a Peak Master unconstrained by the Nian Neng Temple. Isn't opposing him extremely dangerous?"

The Director of Military Intelligence saw that the situation was starting to spin out of control. The initial shock of spatial jumping seemed to have made the senior generals forget the terror inspired by the Trant Mercenary Group, so he quickly raised his voice in warning.

"Coward! If you aren't willing to participate, then don't. There are plenty of people here who are eager to join! From now on, we will guide the development of humanity, and you won't need to be involved! You don't even dare take this small risk, yet you expect to gain control over spatial jump technology? Do you think it's some ordinary commodity that the Trant Corporation will just hand over? Hmph! You coward!" The rash general from earlier spoke with clear hostility.

"Spatial jump is the future of humanity. Whoever possesses spatial jump controls the future! Guided by this unified goal, we can unite countless people who will follow us in pressing against the Trant line. No matter how strong Yang Ying, a Peak Master, is, can he kill the masses who continuously arrive, demanding technology sharing?," another general clearly held an optimistic view.

"The will of the entire human society will not allow a private entity to control humanity's future. Don't forget that the populace is filled with jealousy. Once they learn that someone controls their future, coupled with some appropriate guidance, they will riot. Hundreds of millions of people will join our ranks. The Trant Mercenary Group can assassinate a few thousand people, but can they really assassinate hundreds of millions?" A portly general, his soybean-sized eyes wide, his jowls shaking, declared.

"Guidance? You mean incitement?" The Director of Military Intelligence wiped sweat from his brow.

"There is a saying: the law does not punish the masses. When the majority errs, even the law refrains from sanctioning them. As long as we can incite the populace and create an overwhelming trend, does the Trant Mercenary Group, a mere private armed force, truly dare to defy the will of the entire world and wage war against hundreds of millions? Contesting the future of humanity is a momentous affair; it's not a dinner party, nor is it embroidery. Reason will not work here. We must adopt decisive and ruthless measures, deliver a fatal blow, sweep up all of humanity to demand the technology, and then stomp them down so they never rise again!"

The fat general burst into loud laughter, clenching his fist in a gesture of complete assurance, as if he had already seized humanity's future from the Trant faction.

As the ancient saying goes, profit blinds judgment. The fact that Yang Ying was a Peak Master no longer seemed important to them. Capitalists would risk death for a 300% profit. Spatial jump technology was one of the most significant technologies in human history, no less critical than nuclear, aerospace, or genetic technology. It had been over five hundred years since the development of nuclear technology without such a massive temptation laid bare before humanity.

The more deeply those present understood this intense temptation, the greater its pull became. Even knowing the potential danger, even the risk of death, they would flock to it like moths to a flame, ceaselessly, paying no heed to the peril.

For some, life was secondary to their deeply held beliefs; for others, life was a small price for colossal profit. And of course, there were those who would sacrifice anything to preserve their own lives.

As they voiced their various opinions, Marshal Duncan, seated in the principal chair, watched their ugly displays and listened to the wicked schemes spilled from their mouths. A look of disdain, as if unwilling to be counted among them, flickered in his eyes. He mused to himself, "Where exactly did the ten warships of the Trant Mercenary Group go? What are their intentions? Hmph. Whatever their intentions, the mere fact that a private company possesses spatial jump technology already exceeds the weight their status can bear. They cannot be allowed to develop further, or they will turn this entire solar system upside down."

On Mand Island in the Pacific, on the terrace before the Elder Council Temple, Master Kong Li closed his eyes, no longer gazing upon the starry expanse. "Haddock's life sign has vanished."

Master Tu Xin beside him gasped in shock. "Yang Ying actually killed Haddock?" This was utterly beyond his expectation. The difference in strength between Haddock and Yang Ying was predictable, yet he still lost. Did Yang Ying possess some unknown trump card?

Master Kong Li nodded gently. "It's rare that this young man could accomplish such a feat. Thinking back now, since his survival in Titan City two years ago, so many unexpected things have happened along his path to this day. Spatial jump... if it truly is spatial jump, I fear the human world is about to descend into chaos."

"Chaos is good," Master Tu Xin clapped his hands and laughed loudly. "There is a saying: whom God wishes to destroy, he first makes mad. If not madness, how can there be destruction? Today's society is like a gravely ill patient, like one entering old age. More and more people going mad is another sign that destruction is due. If those people could restrain their madness even slightly, perhaps they could avoid the consequences of destruction. If not, it is better for destruction to come sooner; the sooner the consequences are lighter, and the process can be brought under control."

As Master Tu Xin spoke, he noticed a trace of worry cross Master Kong Li's face. He looked up at the starry sky again and couldn't help but ask, "Master Kong Li, what is the matter? Are you perhaps disappointed because Haddock's death has removed an evenly matched opponent?" Even so, disappointment and worry were clearly different emotions, and Master Tu Xin couldn't quite decipher what Master Kong Li was thinking.

"I don't know, but I still have a faint, uneasy feeling, and I cannot confirm the source of this unease," Master Kong Li said worriedly. "Let's refrain from speaking for now. Let me concentrate and try to sense things."

Master Tu Xin frowned slightly. Anything that could make Master Kong Li uneasy was no simple matter. He fell silent and also looked up at the starry sky, thinking to himself, "I hope the problem doesn't originate near Pluto..."

Meanwhile, in Pluto's orbit, the ten Behemoth-class battlecruisers had arrived outside Charon. They formed a circle above the equator and once again initiated orbital bombardment. Thousands upon thousands of nuclear explosions erupted violently on Charon, instantly sweeping away everything that existed on the surface.

Yang Ying raised his head on the Ashen Prairie, catching sight of clusters of fire blooming across Charon's surface.

"The orbital bombardment must be over. It seems successful. The Ancient Legion's Pluto base is now history. I have completed a major undertaking. Master Kong Li once predicted the time for human transformation was approaching; perhaps he meant this very moment. With external enemies defeated, resources can be shifted toward internal transformation. Half a century has passed since the Great War; many things that should have been done long ago can now be acted upon."

After his visit to Mand Island, Yang Ying decided to execute the plan to destroy the Ancient Legion and directly conquer the Pluto base, paving the way for their future entrance onto the galactic stage. Of course, in order to thoroughly eliminate all unstable factors, he deliberately used spatial jump technology in front of outsiders to draw out more people or factions intending harm to the Trant line.

As a Peak Master, Yang Ying's insight ran deep into human nature. He knew perfectly well that spatial jump technology was sufficient to serve as the flame attracting the moths, compelling those with ill intent to stake their lives and fortunes on the gamble. Yang Ying, however, was the dealer, waiting to harvest all their wagers.

Charon was engulfed in a sea of fire. Yang Ying turned his gaze away from the burning planet, looking toward the Sun. The Sun was just a small dot, larger and far brighter than other stars, but not much brighter than Earth's moon.

Yang Ying mused to himself, "The captains of those transport ships should have transmitted the intelligence back by now. How many people will bet their lives on this opportunity? It depends on whether greed or fear is stronger in their character. However, based on the personality surveys of high-ranking Earth military personnel conducted by the Ghost Agent Corps, they are highly likely to develop the mindset that the majority cannot be punished, leading at least ninety percent to walk into this trap. If that proves true, it means there are still many people with an adventurous spirit, though it is ironic that humanity is applying that adventurous spirit in this manner."

The ten battlecruisers in space began their return. Yang Ying cast a final glance at Haddock's corpse and was about to turn away when a wave of profoundly ominous sensation washed over him—a feeling of impending catastrophe, terrifyingly potent, as if a nuclear bomb were about to detonate nearby, yet subtly different, as if an extremely threatening entity were lurking close by.

Yang Ying and the other five immediately gathered, scanning above, below, left, and right, searching for the source of the dread, but found nothing.

The feeling of foreboding deepened. A strong wind suddenly swept through the surroundings, the sky instantly clouded over, lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and a gale whipped up sand and stones.

"To free my kin from their tragic fate, I return from the other side of the world. Even death cannot halt my will!"

A sound that shook the heavens boomed forth, causing the sky to change color, and then the earth began to shake violently, cracking open several deep fissures.

Millions of orbs of light materialized in the void, rapidly converging toward a center, gradually forming a colossal radiance a hundred meters tall, emanating scorching light. Upon seeing this, Yang Ying was intensely shocked—it was the Ape King Haddock, whom he had just killed!

The boundless pressure far surpassed the previous intensity, exceeding the limits of a Peak Master. The giant ape Haddock standing before Yang Ying had transcended death through sheer will, taking the final step onto the path of immortality, becoming a 'God!'