The experience of being imprisoned in the dungeon had clearly left a profound impression on the Chief of Staff. Ren Xin was utterly disillusioned with the Flynn Republic. Before Blade even spoke, the Chief of Staff unhesitatingly defected, reconfiguring the robot control systems, seizing the supreme commander's authority, and issuing a command for all robots to cease hostilities, announcing unconditional surrender.

The battle for this stronghold was decided then and there. Though some stubborn holdouts remained within the base, refusing to obey the surrender order, they seized a few sectors with a small contingent, attempting a final, desperate stand. A few remnant Pan Army officers and soldiers managed to escape into the wilderness, forming guerilla units to continue their resistance against the Royal Army in that manner.

Subsequently, the landing forces of the Trann Mercenary Corps took control of the base, rounding up the remaining insurgents as prisoners of war, disarming them, and confining them to concentration camps. This so-called "concentration camp" was, in fact, a section carved out within the rebel base, minimally refitted—surveillance systems were installed in every corner, and the prisoners were deliberately broken up and reassigned to prevent them from coordinating.

Yang Ying dispatched three divisions of Marines to manage the security and administration of the camps. In addition to standing guard and patrolling, Yang Ying instructed them to tally the numbers and ranks of the captives. Simultaneously, he deployed a Ghost Special Agent Regiment to conduct interrogations of the high-ranking officers, while covertly monitoring the general activities of the prisoners.

A stream of orders flowed from Yang Ying aboard the Jushou (Behemoth) to the landing forces. Once he finished speaking, the General Staff offered supplementary opinions, which Yang Ying readily adopted.

As for the prisoner tallies, battle results, casualties, medical treatment for the wounded, and intelligence analysis—these complex tasks mostly fell to the General Staff. Yang Ying’s role was largely limited to reviewing the summary reports compiled by the staff.

After reviewing the paperwork, a relaxed Ideni approached, smiling. "Master Yang Ying, congratulations on taking that base. The half a million soldiers and two million robots stationed there represented fully half of the rebel ground forces on Dorun Star. Resolving this means the rest of our work will be considerably smoother."

Yang Ying grunted, his expression showing no particular elation. This victory had been anticipated, although it arrived slightly quicker than expected, which hardly warranted an outburst of excitement.

"What about the Dorun Star Resistance Groups you mentioned earlier? Have you received any word from them?"

"Yes, that's precisely why I came." Ideni's mood was slightly dampened by Yang Ying's calm demeanor, losing some of her earlier enthusiasm. She spoke steadily. "Just now, the leader jointly elected by the four major resistance organizations on Dorun Star, Foxto, sent me a communication. He wishes to meet with Master Yang Ying face-to-face for a discussion."

Yang Ying stroked his chin. "Foxto? What sort of person is he?"

Ideni replied, "Foxto was originally an officer in the Royal Army, serving with the Dorun Star Defense Fleet. When the rebel army swept in and occupied Dorun Star, the Defense Fleet Commander betrayed them, steering the entire fleet into an encirclement, resulting in total annihilation. Only he and a few military colleagues managed to escape in lifeboats back to Dorun Star. Afterward, Foxto began organizing those who harbored hatred for the rebels, launching attacks on rebel units and arming his followers with captured rebel weaponry. Eventually, their numbers grew, and today, they are the largest resistance organization on Dorun Star. Oh, and Foxto himself is a Third-Level Master."

Yang Ying pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Very well, I will meet with him. What time and location?"

"Foxto said the arrangements are entirely up to you."

"Then let’s set the time for tonight. As for the location... let's use the rebel base we just captured."

"Excellent, I will send the information immediately." Ideni smiled, excused herself, and left the bridge.

As the sun began to set, the former rebel base, now the temporary headquarters for the Trann Mercenary Corps, was eerily quiet. The fires that had raged in various locations earlier seemed like a distant memory, completely extinguished. Squads of Marines were dispersed throughout the base's critical zones, standing guard or maintaining watch.

Their expressions were perpetually cold and focused; no stirring of wind or sound could escape their vigilant awareness. Combined with the high-altitude patrols of the Observers, they formed a three-dimensional alert system. They had already apprehended several rebel elements attempting to slip out or infiltrate the base under the cover of night.

Just then, a gray aerial vehicle approached from a distance, circling the base once before transmitting a signal inward. Moments later, clearance to enter was granted.

The aircraft flew straight into the base, hovering above an open expanse. Suddenly, a seam ripped open in the ground with a loud scraping noise, gradually revealing an opening—the passage to the underground hangar.

The aircraft turned halfway in the air and began a slow descent, sinking into the channel entrance.

In the underground hangar, the illumination was bright and even. The vast central area was now empty, naturally; the fighter craft that had occupied the hangar had been almost entirely lost during the day's fighting. Only a few heavily damaged support aircraft remained, sparsely parked near the hangar edges.

Once the aircraft settled in the center of the hangar, five plainly dressed Flynn individuals emerged from the hatch. The scales on the leader’s face appeared coarse, a sign of middle age among the Flynn. His eyes, however, were sharp and penetrating, indicating a resolute spirit.

Ideni and a squad of Marines were waiting for them at the hatchway.

"Welcome, leader of the Resistance, Mr. Foxto," Ideni stepped forward and said.

"Intelligence Officer Ideni, ma'am," the five Flynn completely cleared the hatch. Foxto stepped forward, greeting Ideni with the proper Flynn gesture, then immediately cut to the chase. "Please introduce me to the commander of the Trann Mercenary Corps, Master Yang Ying."

"Certainly. I will take you to him now. Please follow me." Ideni gestured.

They proceeded to a conference hall featuring a long rectangular table. Seated on one side were Yang Ying, Howard, the stout Warren Gath, and Tavi, serving as the simultaneous translator. After Ideni entered, she also took a seat on this side.

Opposite them, however, was a row of empty chairs, clearly reserved for Foxto and his party. Once Foxto and his four companions were seated, the long table formed a symmetrical five-on-five configuration. However, despite this arrangement, the balance of power between the two sides was clearly unequal, determined solely by military strength.

"Allow me to make introductions first. This is Master Yang Ying, the commander of the Trann Mercenary Corps. And this is Ideni." Ideni began by introducing Yang Ying's contingent.

Once she finished, Foxto stood up and introduced his own party. Besides himself, one of the others was his deputy, and the remaining three were representatives dispatched from the other three major resistance organizations on Dorun Star.

After introductions were complete, Yang Ying passed a telepathic message to Ideni, signaling her to begin.

Ideni stood up. "Very well, now that everyone is acquainted, allow me to explain the situation first. As we discussed during our preliminary contact, we are not here to hold territory; we are here to harass the rebel rear, fighting a guerilla war in space. Dorun Star is the rebel's backyard, a place they value greatly. Once they learn of its fall, the rebels will undoubtedly mobilize massive forces to crush us. Therefore, we will not be remaining on Dorun Star for an extended period."

Ideni produced a document and slid it across the table toward Foxto, continuing, "Before we depart, we will open the rebel armory and granaries completely, allowing you to take as much as you can carry. We will ensure you are armed to the greatest extent possible to continue surviving under the rebels' brutal rule on Dorun Star."

"Hmph, that sounds quite noble coming from you," sneered one of the resistance representatives beside Foxto. He had a pair of narrow eyes that had been fixed on Ideni's face since the meeting began. "You come here, cause mass slaughter among the rebels, and then leave us with the mess. Don't pretend you're doing us a favor. In the near future, the Pseudo-Republic will send even more troops to retaliate for the losses you inflicted, and since you won't be here, the vengeance will fall upon our heads! You make us pay the price for your actions, and yet you frame it so virtuously?"

"He speaks the truth," chimed in another corpulent representative. "Opening the rebel armory and granaries costs you nothing, and besides, you can't carry it away anyway. To use such meager offerings to smooth things over—that's quite a profitable transaction for you."

"Silence!"

Before Yang Ying could speak, Foxto roared, leaping to his feet. "Since you elected me to represent you, you should speak less. This war is fundamentally about killing and being killed. Who cares who kills the rebels?" He gestured around the room. "Look around you; you all know exactly where we are. The commander of this base was Walker! That butcher! His hands are stained with the blood of our people, and yet you all once wished you could roast him alive over a fire, but due to the base's heavy defenses, you never succeeded. Now someone has done it for us—what more is there to say?"

The portly representative coughed awkwardly and turned away, avoiding his gaze. The narrow-eyed representative shrank back slightly, his gaze darting nervously, swallowing back his rebuttal. However, the ambition and resentment flickering in his eyes were impossible to conceal from the extremely sensitive spiritual perception of Yang Ying.

Yang Ying thought inwardly, It seems there are internal divisions even within these resistance groups. Hmph, that's normal. But if anyone believes that showing them a little courtesy will lead them to climb the pole and try to seize what isn't theirs, then they shouldn't fault me for responding without courtesy.