Beneath the vast and boundless expanse of stars. Yang Ying, Master Kong Li, and Jin Sailer surrounded the board.

“The Trane lineage isn't native to Earth, is it?” Master Kong Li stated. “Your technology is vastly beyond ours. If it were ahead by three to five years, perhaps. But you are ahead by two millennia, maybe more. And you even defeated the Fourth Level Hadrak. Given Earth’s developmental trajectory, for a purely indigenous force to achieve that is simply impossible.”

Master Kong Li's words were not a query, but an assertion.

Yang Ying smiled. “Do you perhaps believe I am an alien?”

Master Kong Li replied, “Alien or not, this small temple of the Solar System probably cannot hold you. You are like the owl in Zhuangzi’s tale, thinking the passing phoenix means to steal its dead mouse, failing to see the larger currents. In your eyes, Earth is likely nothing more than a source of resources.”

“Master Kong Li truly sees clearly,” Yang Ying replied with a laugh.

“I just received some unfortunate news,” Jin Sailer frowned. “On the way back, Li Yose was ambushed. There is no life threat, but he is severely wounded and currently unconscious. Command of the fleet has been handed over to Alexander.”

“Master Ji Lin’s injury gave the assassins their opportunity,” Master Kong Li remarked. “Otherwise, he would have remained close to Li Yose, never offering an opening.”

“Di Ken and his faction are already making their moves,” Yang Ying said calmly. “Securing control of the military is their first step.”

“And their second step?” Jin Sailer asked. “Can you discern their intentions?”

“Yes,” Yang Ying nodded, feeling completely prepared, though his expression remained serene, his heart like a still pool, utterly unconcerned. “In the end, their means are limited. The enemy lays siege with ten thousand layers, yet I remain immovable.”

Having witnessed a hero like Hadrak, Yang Ying regarded the malice spreading within the Earth military with considerable detachment. Compared to the will forged by half a century of suffering endured by Hadrak for his entire race, the generals within the Earth military were mere buffoons—petty, short-sighted vermin not worth mentioning, easily struck down, failing to stir even a flicker of interest in Yang Ying.

What one has seen of the vast ocean makes lesser waters seem negligible. The saying applied well here.

“Old Duncan was always ambitious but lacking in substance, and fond of splitting hairs,” Jin Sailer sighed, shaking his head. “For him to ruthlessly sacrifice over twenty generals in this move is essentially cutting off his own retreat, driving himself down a single, inescapable path.”

“That benefits us too,” Yang Ying countered. “Let him gather as many people as possible; it will help me distinguish friend from foe. Speaking of which, the opportune moment we discussed—it refers to now, doesn't it?”

“Yes,” Master Kong Li nodded. “I never expected you to strike directly at Pluto and destroy the Ancient Legion, but this confirms my earlier prediction. Your Trane Mercenary Group will be the crucial element.”

“Now that the external pressure on Earth has vanished, the internal pressure will swell exponentially,” Jin Sailer chuckled. “All the problems suppressed by the Ancient Legion are due to erupt. The time for our action is ripe.”

Not long after, news spread that the Trane Mercenary Group had mastered spatial jump technology, plunging the world’s populace into panic. When the news of the Pluto victory was first released, spatial jump technology was classified as top secret and withheld from the media. The public had assumed Li Yose’s fleet conquered Pluto, never suspecting the Trane Mercenary Group was responsible.

Moreover, the much-coveted spatial jump—something only glimpsed in simulations and films—was now in the hands of the Trane Mercenary Group.

Fueled by unseen currents, the ‘Trane Threat Theory’ was launched.

What if the Trane Mercenary Group, in a frenzy, suddenly appeared outside Earth via spatial jump and initiated orbital bombardment? An attack even the Ancient Legion could not withstand—surely Earth itself wouldn't stand a chance? Wouldn't that mean everyone on Earth would perish just like the Ancient Legion?

The elation of victory immediately morphed into a fear of annihilation. The populace loathed situations where their lives lacked security, demanding that the government take measures to eradicate the threat of planetary destruction at its root.

Due to the assassination attempt on the Ten Ministers, the Trane lineage was already infamous in political circles. Consequently, various factions were eager to kick them while they were down. Moreover, spearheaded by the military, many colossal political dynasties became interested and joined the clamor to seize control of spatial jump technology.

Soon, a sharply worded executive order was dispatched from the United Earth Government to the Trane Corporation, demanding that the technology be handed over to the military. Furthermore, all starships already utilizing spatial jump technology were required to be immediately placed under military custodianship.

Legislative work defining the proper application of spatial jump technology began in the United Council. The core debate was that a technology leading the future of a race could not remain under private control; it must be developed and researched under government guidance, specifically by the military. The outcome of these discussions would be codified into law.

The public greatly applauded the decisive actions of the government and military. However, to swiftly remove the shadow hanging over them… they spontaneously gathered at the various major branch offices of the Trane Corporation within the inner Solar System to hold protests and rallies. They waved banners, condemning the Trane Corporation for stealing humanity’s future and for allowing private entities to possess such dangerous military power.

Returning to that expanse of stars,

Yang Ying spoke slowly. “After the Ancient Legion was destroyed, the gloom lifted from the people's hearts, and their confidence soared. At such a time, they become most intolerant of any new threat emerging.”

Jin Sailer picked up his words. “The public suffers from selective amnesia. They easily forget the benefits you brought them, but they remember the drawbacks with extreme clarity. Human nature is inherently inclined towards seeking advantage and avoiding harm. Anyone who obstructs their wealth or career path, or anyone who might threaten their lives, will be hated intensely. This recent situation is quite normal, Commander Yang Ying. You likely anticipated all of this.”

“I understand all of this,” Yang Ying smiled faintly. “Let them riot. They are merely pawns being manipulated. They claim they don’t want their destiny controlled by others, yet when have they ever truly controlled their own destiny? They are just pitiful creatures. Once all the monsters and demons have surfaced, we can sweep them up in one net, and the public will naturally calm down.” He turned his head and asked, “President Jin Sailer, in your estimation, how much bloodletting is required for a successful revolution?”

Jin Sailer’s expression turned solemn. “A revolution will inevitably overturn the existing order. Therefore, we must, at minimum, overthrow the protectors of the old order—that is, the entire upper echelon of society—and construct a new upper echelon in its place.”

Yang Ying mused, “That sounds suspiciously like merely changing the furniture in the same old room.”

“Changing the remedy is hardly simple,” Jin Sailer shook his head. “In my view, to truly replace the remedy and achieve a thorough transformation, one would likely need to eliminate every human over the age of ten to lay an unshakable foundation for eternity. But we simply cannot do that. Now that humanity has encountered extraterrestrials, leaving behind only the children, I fear humanity is not far from extinction anyway.”

“Why ten years old?” Yang Ying inquired.

“Because anyone over ten has already been molded by the existing order, inheriting its flaws,” Jin Sailer replied. “Even if given a brand-new order, they will twist it according to the paradigms of the old. It is like treating tuberculosis: if the cancer has metastasized throughout the patient’s body, forming tumors everywhere, I can surgically remove them all, but as long as the malignant cells remain, new tumors will eventually grow. Even if given a Utopia, humanity would destroy it themselves. Therefore, current humanity is not yet qualified to enjoy the order of a Utopia.”

Yang Ying laughed. “So, we merely change the furniture?”

Jin Sailer shook his head. “Not that nothing changes at all. In rebuilding the new order, we can incorporate small alterations—a little change today, a little change tomorrow. Someday, we might reach Utopia. Today, I make the changes, but tomorrow’s task must be handed to those who carry the next era.”

“Will there be such people in the next era?” Yang Ying asked.

“I don’t know,” Jin Sailer smiled. “But I choose to believe so. Just as human malice is deeply rooted, so too is human goodness. When one generation falls, another will rise. Although there are countless disappointing things in the human world, there is still hope.”

“Very well, let us begin this revolution,” Yang Ying nodded. “To let these buffoons live in a world I fought for by killing Hadrak—it is an insult to Hadrak.”

Under the leadership of the military, and in pursuit of a share in the application of spatial jump technology, more and more individuals in humanity’s upper strata joined the opposition against the Trane faction. The more people joined, the more confident they became, believing they controlled the situation and that the Trane Mercenary Group could not recover.

However, just as they thought the Trane faction was nearing its end, the counterattack arrived overnight.

Above the Earth Military Headquarters on the Moon, a monstrous Battleship suddenly materialized via jump. Its main cannon charged and fired, reducing the entire complex to ruins in an instant. Marshal Duncan achieved his final wish: to die upon the battlefield!

Within a single night, the Trane Mercenary Group systematically eliminated the families of those on their pre-prepared list. Simultaneously, Master Kong Li, Jin Sailer, and their loosely gathered allies moved in unison, raising scalpels to the entirety of humanity’s upper society.

Every entity deemed a malignant tumor was excised completely. Political dynasties were almost entirely wiped out; the military lost the majority of its leadership. The business sector fared slightly better, yet over a hundred long-established major families were ruined.

Finally, when resources were reorganized, the Trane Corporation expanded its scale by a factor of twenty and was renamed the Trane Group. Its industries spanned military manufacturing, energy, finance, medicine, and production, becoming the second-largest economic entity in the inner Solar System, trailing only the G-Star and United Earth Industrial Group.

Volume Three: Solar System. This site’s new address has been changed to: [WWW.XXX.XXX]. Please bookmark it for future reading!