The engineering capabilities of civilizations beyond the current stage far surpass ordinary means, allowing them to construct structures on an almost unimaginable scale. The sheer magnificence of the city-ship's design was evident, and on Dolun Star, an industrial world, such colossal undertakings were not uncommon.

East of the Huagang currency zone lay the boundless sea. Two hundred kilometers offshore, the weather was fair, the sea surface placid. But this tranquility was suddenly shattered.

A deep, resonant rumbling ascended from the depths of the ocean, causing the sea to convulse violently. Countless waves were abruptly flung upward, one cresting higher than the next—five meters, ten, fifteen, twenty meters—piling up in succession and spreading outward.

At the center of the surging waves, a colossal shadow materialized beneath the surface, its contours becoming increasingly distinct as the waves climbed. It resembled an island, one that was steadily approaching the surface.

The first thing to breach the waves was a spire. As the spire ascended, the tips of several other structures emerged, followed by one building after another, until finally, a flat expanse of ground broke the surface.

It was an entire city! A massive metropolis was rising from the seabed!

The city’s platform continued its ascent, stopping only when it hovered nearly ten meters above the ocean, before ceasing its rise. The residual seawater cascaded toward the edges of the city, pouring back into the sea from the platform’s perimeter, forming spectacular curtains of water, a breathtaking sight.

One minute later, the water completely receded from the city, revealing the entire ground surface.

The city had finished surfacing!

Immediately following this, a fleet ascended from within the city. Nearly a thousand million-ton-class space transport ships took off from various points across the metropolis. These transports were fully laden with gifts—refined rare minerals—from the major enterprises of Dolun Star, all intended for the Kustar people.

An Observer compiled this event into an optical recording and transmitted it to Yang Ying’s fighter and the Behemoth. As Yang Ying viewed the spectacle on his cockpit screen, the Observer utilized multi-layer scanning and penetration to reveal the cargo inside the transports’ outer armor, displaying it for Yang Ying and everyone on the Behemoth's bridge.

“These traitors! To dare do such a thing!” Howard exclaimed, his voice laced with fury. “To freely give away our Flyn people’s resources to the Kustar is a crime deserving of death!”

When the anomalies on Dolun Star were first detected, Howard had summoned Idini to the bridge for consultation. Seeing the events unfold, she trembled with rage, pointing at the screen and grinding her teeth, wishing she could tear pieces from those magnates.

Many of these rare minerals were strategic resources explicitly forbidden for trade by the Flyn Kingdom’s laws; only the Kingdom’s Resource Department had the authority to dispose of them. That these capitalists had managed to acquire them only to offer them as gifts to the Kustar clearly indicated the involvement of high-ranking rebel elements.

“This is hardly unexpected,” Yang Ying commented, participating in the discussion as a holographic projection beside Idini. “We received intelligence to this effect some time ago. This is just the intelligence materializing into fact.”

“I’ve already notified the nearest Ghost fighter squadron to intercept them, just as they used that fleet to pin us down. Haha, I was wondering why the rebel fleet wouldn't fight or retreat; now I understand everything,” Howard stated.

“Is there enough time?” Yang Ying inquired.

“I don’t know. It depends on the performance of those transport ships. If they can execute spatial jumps while within the atmosphere, intercepting all of them will be very difficult,” Howard replied. “Besides, most of our Ghost fighters were deployed to the space battle. The number of fighters on Dolun Star must be small. Even if we arrive in time, we might not be able to accomplish much.”

Yang Ying fell into deep thought for a moment. “In that case, perhaps I must go again. I’ll take five thousand fighters; I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Yes, Commander,” Howard acknowledged.

“Wait a moment.” Idini hastily interrupted, her voice laced with anxiety. “While I find the actions of those capitalists despicable, since the resources have been given away, they now belong to the Kustar. Those transports are flying the Kustar flag and using their identification signals. Wouldn’t intercepting them mean deeply offending the Kustar?”

“An offense is inevitable,” Yang Ying dismissed her concern. “If we don’t touch those transports, will the Kustar stop supporting the rebels? Impossible. They will proceed as they intended regardless. These rare minerals are merely a small sweetener; what they truly desire is the entirety of the Flyn territory. Why should we show them courtesy!”

Idini was persuaded, realizing her previous thought had been overly timid. She nodded. “Alright. Good luck. You must intercept those transports; we cannot allow this resource loss.”

Yang Ying, however, countered, “Loss? That’s certain. Even if we intercept them, they become our spoils of war. They won't be returned.” Without waiting for Idini’s reaction, Yang Ying cut the communication link and sped off toward the Kustar Star with his six clones and five thousand Ghost fighters.

The Ghost fighters maintained stealth, invisible to the rebels, allowing them complete freedom of maneuver. Furthermore, since the rebel fleet had recalled all its own fighters, withdrawing the Ghosts from the engagement was effortless. Yang Ying gave the order, and five thousand detached without hesitation or delay.

“This…” Idini’s face held onto the residue of her astonishment as Yang Ying severed the link. Nearly a billion tons of rare minerals, their value incalculable, were just becoming spoils of war?

Yet, she quickly reoriented her thoughts and accepted the outcome. After witnessing many things on the battlefield, her perspective had shifted; sometimes, the bigger picture demanded precedence.

However, she still decided to report the matter to the Royal Family afterward. The value of these resources was immense; converted to currency, it would be an astronomical figure. The remainder would be handled by the Royal Family negotiating with the Teran Mercenary Group; as a mere intelligence officer, her words held little weight anyway.

The fourth-generation Ghost fighters were equipped with Inertia Control Systems and Sub-light Engines. Sub-light speed meant velocities exceeding the speed of light—a speed capable of covering ninety-nine light-seconds in one hundred seconds—representing the absolute limit below spatial jumps. In normal space, only light itself could achieve the speed of light; matter could not.

Yang Ying and his seven entities, accompanied by five thousand Ghost fighters, left the main battle zone, engaged their Sub-light drive, and returned to Dolun Star in less than a minute, setting their course directly for the city that had risen from the sea.

The plan to distract the rebel fleet had worked to some extent. Already, a quarter of the nearly one thousand transports had entered hyperspace. Just as Howard had suspected, those transports possessed the capability for spatial jumps within the atmosphere.

Approximately twenty squadrons, over two hundred fighters, arrived as reinforcements from nearby sectors. For the massive transport fleet, this force was a mere drop in the ocean. Moreover, these twenty squadrons of Ghost fighters were being tied up by enemy craft of unusual design, making it difficult for them to even approach the transport fleet, let alone prevent the ships from jumping.

To the rear-diagonal of the transport fleet, both sides’ fighters were locked in a fierce engagement. Yang Ying instantly recognized that the unusual craft belonged to the Kustar; they shared much lineage with the ancient Legion’s fighters but possessed superior performance and combat capability—they were on an entirely different level compared to the ancient forces.

Although the Ghost fighters engaged in combat had their stealth systems active, the Kustar fighters clearly possessed a method to detect them. They fought with the invisible Ghosts effectively, unlike the rebel fighters who darted around like headless flies.

Fortunately, the Ghost fighters had been upgraded to the fourth generation, representing a significant breakthrough in core performance. Had they been third-generation Ghosts, they might not have been able to match the Kustar craft in one-on-one engagements.

However, the Kustar had over five hundred fighters, double the number of Ghosts, giving them the advantage on the field, pressing the Ghosts back. Yang Ying could see debris floating on the sea surface, some of it looking familiar—clearly from destroyed Ghost fighters, meaning some had already been shot down by the enemy.

“Attack.”

Without a word, Yang Ying led his five thousand fighters into a dive. During the descent, Funnels launched outward, initiating an assault on the Kustar fighters. The thousand-plus muzzles of the seven specialized Ghost fighters spat fire; a single sweep of light beams annihilated all five hundred Kustar fighters instantly!

At that moment, an enraged telepathic voice boomed across the void: “How dare you openly attack Kustar forces! Are you tired of living?”

A deep crimson fighter suddenly materialized in the air. Dense, luminous particles shimmered around its exterior, pulsing like living, fiery red flames. A powerful mental energy radiated through these particles, establishing a formidable psychic field that made Yang Ying feel his every action was under the opponent's scrutiny.

“Ignore him. Block those transports; leave everything else to me.” After commanding the five thousand fighters, Yang Ying and his six clones broke formation and approached the deep-red fighter.

The seven specialized Ghost fighters engaged their particle generators at full capacity, producing massive amounts of Ri particles to shield against the deep-red fighter’s psychic field.

This Kustar fighter utilized the same particle type found in the Kustar Particle Cannon Yang Ying had previously seized—particles that amplify the user’s mental strength. Yang Ying’s fighters used the Ri particles, which served the same purpose. (Hopefully, everyone still remembers what Ri particles are.)

The seven Ghost fighters surrounded the deep-red craft. Yang Ying communicated telepathically: “Do not attempt to sway me with words. Our battle began long ago. Our fighters have sustained losses, and you will pay the price for all of it.”