Of the four great houses, only the Tang Sect and Fia were close allies of the Interstellar Federation; the Moko Legion was slightly further away, falling outside Tang Wen's combined sphere of influence.

The Hope Legion was aligned with them, but Tang Wen held that small legion in contempt.

He also looked down on Wolf's Den. His reason for uniting with Wolf's Den was entirely down to Ziye.

Having concluded his necessary tasks, Tang Wen turned back and gave Bran a bright smile. “Bran, let’s go dominate space.”

The battle director nearby couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his eye.

Young Master, are you sure about saying that out loud?

Bran replied with rigid formality, “I will scout ahead for you.”

Battle Director: ……

Tang Wen stood up, clapped the battle director on the shoulder, “Keep up the good work,” and strode out of the command room, with Bran following close behind.

The battle director watched their retreating figures, stroking his thick beard thoughtfully. Dominate space? That actually didn't sound too bad.

He activated the internal communication system. “Brothers, get your weapons ready and move out! We might actually get a chance to see some action!”

When the appointed time arrived, the Angel Domain’s battleship docked punctually at the space station’s shipyard. Two precise lines of imposing soldiers disembarked, snapping into perfect formation. Then, Lan Li, dressed in his most formal attire, personally descended to welcome Tang Wen.

Both men were strikingly handsome individuals.

However, their auras were completely different.

Lan Li possessed an androgynous beauty, his clothing subtly downplaying his gender. He wasn't particularly tall, and coupled with his warm smile, one might momentarily think, Vice Commander Lan Li is such a kind person! (A massive misunderstanding.)

Tang Wen was undeniably beautiful.

Yet, no one would ever mistake Tang Wen for a woman. Because no matter how beautiful he was, he was saturated with a potent, masculine energy that held a woman's gaze captive.

Their powerful presences now met head-on...

Tang Wen ignored Lan Li, instead scanning the faces of the surrounding soldiers. “Trained at the Silver Rune Star training base?”

Lan Li smiled faintly. “Keen eye. Please, this way.”

Tang Wen gave a slight nod and walked toward the battleship.

Bran, trailing behind him, approached one of the soldiers. The soldier was highly trained, his eyebrows utterly still. Bran suddenly flashed a strange, unsettling smile, his hand moving with lightning speed to grip the soldier’s shoulder while his other hand snaked toward the man’s waist, applying pressure.

The soldier reacted with extreme quickness, using Bran’s force to execute a mid-air flip over his shoulder, landing successfully.

Bran’s shoulder throw had failed.

Bran’s attack had been beautiful, but his evasion was even more so.

Before any cheers could erupt, Bran spun halfway around, sweeping a leg low toward the soldier’s stance. Caught off guard by the sudden sweep, the soldier couldn't stabilize his footing and pitched forward. He quickly braced himself with both hands on the ground, raising his legs vertically, barely managing to evade the attack.

This time, the evasion looked slightly disheveled.

If Bran had followed up with another kick, the soldier would have been humiliated.

However, Bran did not press the advantage. He halted his footwork, raised his hand, and gave a crisp salute. The soldier immediately kicked off the ground, springing upright, and snapped back into position, returning the salute.

Bran acted as if nothing had happened and silently followed Tang Wen.

Lan Li stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Tang Wen, unable to see the brief skirmish behind them, but he heard it perfectly clearly. He didn't turn around until Tang Wen had boarded the battleship and entered the largest conference room onboard, at which point he finally focused on Bran.

He smiled toward Tang Wen. “I heard you have an excellent assistant. Having met him today, the rumors are clearly true.”

Tang Wen replied coolly, “Nothing much. Your twins are quite capable as well.”

Lan Li secretly gave a thumbs-up to the twins. “They recently took a leave of absence to get real combat experience on the front lines. When they have time, I’ll call them over to get some pointers from your assistant.”

—He absolutely would not mention that the twins had actually run off to find Ziye!

Tang Wen leaned back in his chair, glancing up at Bran. “Bran, interested? If not, let Ziye keep them occupied.”

Lan Li: …… Using the future mistress of the Legion Commander to spar with the future core personnel of the Legion? Tang Wen, what are you plotting?

Lan Li had to admit that Tang Wen’s familiar way of addressing Ziye irritated him greatly. He genuinely hadn't wanted Ziye to become the Legion Commander’s wife before, but now that she was officially An Junlie’s girlfriend—the future First Lady of Angel Domain—he naturally had to support her. He certainly couldn't tolerate another Legion treating her as one of their own!

If not for the alliance they were preparing to forge, Lan Li would have gladly flipped the table and started a fight.

Bran kept his gaze steady, focusing only on what was in front of him. “Young Master, her fate is still unknown.”

Tang Wen sighed. “I heard your commander went looking for her?”

Lan Li snapped out of his urge to overturn furniture. “Yes, he’s been searching for days. Nothing I did could stop him.”

It was dangerous for the Commander to abandon the Legion after a war to hunt for someone.

He had promised to use maximum manpower and resources to search, provided he remained at the command post to lead the battle.

An Junlie had agreed at the time.

But he only stayed one day; before dawn broke the next day, he had vanished and still hadn’t returned.

Ziye was just too good at stirring up trouble and had no self-defense capabilities. He truly couldn't understand why the usually astute Commander was so foolish when it came to matters of the heart.

Why did he have to fall for Ziye!

Thinking of this, Lan Li was filled with simmering frustration again.

But just then, he felt a terrifying wave of killing intent.

He jerked his head up and realized, with a start, that the source of the hostility was Tang Wen.

Tang Wen’s phoenix eyes were like the most beautiful ice crystals. For a split second, Lan Li felt as if an ice blade was piercing him, and he blurted out, “Your laser cannons must be spectacular!”

As the words left his mouth, Tang Wen retracted all his killing intent. “Set course. We proceed to Space Station Kela 15, Shipyard Two, to retrieve Ms. Zihong.”

Lan Li raised an eyebrow but said nothing, instructing the captain to depart.

Strictly speaking, this was Lan Li’s first real interaction with Tang Wen.

Before coming to pick him up, Lan Li had done extensive background research. Discovering information about Tang Wen was not hard; he was a celebrity throughout the stars due to his talent, his defiant arrogance, and his frequent appearance in headlines over the past two years.

However, after meeting him, Lan Li regretfully realized that all the superficial research was useless.

He simply could not grasp what Tang Wen was truly thinking.

Because Tang Wen was somewhat mercurial.

What surprised and oddly reassured Lan Li was that Tang Wen had also invited Hongfa.

Regardless of Tang Wen’s underlying motives, daring to bring an assistant onto his battleship—and inviting the woman who was his good friend’s associate along—meant the encounter was unlikely to devolve into bloodshed.

Or perhaps, Tang Wen’s fundamental goal was finding Ziye.

Lan Li’s mind raced, but his exterior remained calm. They traveled to Kela, took the opportunity to conduct a quick ship maintenance, picked up Hongfa, found a neutral stretch of space away from any conflict, and finally sat down to discuss serious matters.

Lan Li was a smiling tiger; even with internal tempests raging, his surface remained deceptively placid.

Tang Wen maintained a near-expressionless face, offering a slight smile when he intended to show emotion, or posing as an impassive statue when he didn't.

These two, frankly, were both slow to act.

But Hongfa was impatient!

Watching the two of them sip tea with studied nonchalance, she slammed her hand on the table and stood up. “Damn it, say what you mean and stop beating around the bush! I’ve got business battles to fight, and wrecks to salvage for bodies!”

Lan Li coughed dryly. “Don't rush, have some tea to soothe your throat.”

Hongfa shot him a sidelong glance. “Soothe my butt! You two drink if you want, but I’m leaving.”

Just as Lan Li was about to speak, Tang Wen cut in first. “How many deployable captains and pilots does Wolf’s Den have?”

Hongfa finally got to the main point and stopped fidgeting, sitting back down, leaning against the chair back. “How many do you need?”

Tang Wen stated, “Fifty thousand.”

Hongfa’s eyebrows didn't move. “No problem.”

Tang Wen was slightly surprised. Had Wolf’s Den truly reached a strength of fifty thousand captains?

Not just Tang Wen, but even Lan Li found this incredible.

He ventured, “Are you planning to use automatons as captains?”

The robots from the Sprout Group were superb in performance and maneuverability—piloting warships was certainly within their capabilities—but they were ultimately not human and couldn't adapt with the flexibility of an experienced captain.

Unless the Sprout Group’s robotics technology had advanced further!

But with Ziye missing, who was responsible for that development?

Hongfa burst into laughter. “Oh, right! We can use robots too. Including the robots, putting forth two hundred thousand won’t be an issue.”

Lan Li couldn't help asking, “Wolf’s Den has that many people?”

Hongfa winked at him flirtatiously. “Wolf’s Den will provide ten thousand. I have a hundred thousand pirates under me on Tamma—which one of them isn't a battle-hardened captain?”

Lan Li: ……

Tang Wen gave an approving nod. “Good. That puts my mind at ease.”

Lan Li looked from Tang Wen to Hongfa, suddenly unable to decipher what they were discussing. Had Tang Wen and Hongfa secretly conspired?

Lan Li’s capacity for overthinking was highly developed, and he instantly veered off track again.

He stared intently at Hongfa, waiting for her to offer some explanation.

However, Hongfa remained silent. “I can supply personnel; what can you supply?”

Tang Wen smiled faintly. “I can supply warships.”

Hongfa’s eyes instantly lit up.

This was exactly what she lacked most right now!

“How many can you provide?”

Tang Wen tapped his fingers lightly. “One thousand Dreadnoughts and one thousand Marauders each; three hundred Behemoths, standard freighters, and salvage vessels each; one hundred Super Freighters and fifty Small Carriers each; fifty Large Carriers; Interceptors, Assault Ships, Logistics Vessels, Stealth Bombers, and Frigates—all replaced upon loss.”

Hongfa nearly felt the urge to wag her tail.

This was, without a doubt, the wealthiest person she had ever encountered.

Clinging to Tang Wen’s leg was absolutely the right move!

If Ziye were present, Hongfa would instantly want to give her a few chest bumps—it must be because she and Tang Wen were close that he was willing to offer this deal!

She was almost tempted to suspect that Tang Wen was currently hiding Ziye somewhere.

Hongfa made no attempt to conceal her excitement. “What are your terms?”

Tang Wen replied, “Recently, some parties have attempted to infringe upon Tang Sect territory. They’ve been rampaging in space long enough; go help me beat them down.”

Hongfa agreed with immediate eagerness. “As long as I get the warships, everything is negotiable. We can discuss the specifics later.”

Lan Li watched, filled with bitter frustration, as the two people who had instantly reached an accord completely ignored him...

-RS