"It's clearly an issue between the two of us," Tang Wan retorted, "why must we escalate it to a legion-level problem?"

Zi Ye sighed, waving a hand dismissively. "I wish it were just a two-person matter, but alas—even if it were, I couldn't ask Brother Tang Wen to just hand over a set."

Tang Wan fixed her with a look that suggested she wouldn't let the matter rest until the kettle boiled dry. "Why not?"

Zi Ye simply smiled, offering no answer. "You'll know when you see it."

With that, she caught the little sprout fluttering and circling overhead, clipped it to her waist, scooped up Dou Zai, and said, "Let's go."

Outside the door, Hale stood guard, as imposing as a gate deity.

Tang Wan walked ahead, and upon suddenly seeing his human wall, instinctively stepped back a pace. Once she focused, she let out a sharp gasp. "Wow, he's so dark! You scared me half to death."

Hale, his face grim, took a step back to stand beside Zi Ye.

Zi Ye chuckled. "Bran is like this too, yet you weren't scared then."

Tang Wan pointed at Hale. "That's completely different! Bran is so gentle! Most importantly, Bran isn't nearly as dark as him!"

Zi Ye glanced helplessly at Hale.

Hale felt an urge to deck someone.

Remembering they hadn't been formally introduced, Zi Ye stepped in. "This is my assistant, Hale, the chief of the Silver Leopard Squad in the Wolf's Lair Legion. He's quite capable."

Tang Wan scanned Hale from head to toe, then snorted and turned her face away. "Hale? 'Big Black' would suit him better."

Seeing Hale's face darken further, Zi Ye lit a silent candle for him in her heart. "This is Tang Wan. She's here to help me build the space station."

Hale, being tall, possessed a significant physical advantage.

He looked down at Tang Wan with a superior air, his tone laced with undeniable contempt. "She can build a space station? She must be here for a holiday."

Tang Wan instantly flared up. "If I can't, can you? I—" She couldn't finish the sentence because Zi Ye had jammed the little sprout into her mouth.

Tang Wan blinked, and the little sprout blinked back.

Her attention immediately diverted. "Little Yezi, this doll blinks!"

Tang Wan was a plushie fanatic, and she immediately started nuzzling the sprout's soft fur, happily declaring, "So cute."

The little sprout, delighted to have found a girl who appreciated its beauty, whirled around her in a happy dance, its newly bought little flowery skirt fluttering with the movement.

Dou Zai, clutching his teething stick, kept his eyes fixed on the spinning little sprout, silently letting a string of drool fall.

Zi Ye shook her head, looked up, and found Hale glaring at her, hastily suppressing her smile. She thrust Dou Zai into his arms. "Go to Kailai."

Hale nodded. "To see the production equipment?"

Zi Ye gave him a thumbs-up. "Yes, the production and assembly equipment for the battleships."

Hale acknowledged this, boarded the battleship, and Zi Ye summoned a professional piloting robot from the warehouse to take the helm, allowing both Hale and Tang Wan to rest.

Tang Wan clicked her tongue. "Little Yezi, your robots are incredible!"

Zi Ye smiled, retrieved a little girl unit from the G65770 series from the warehouse, updated its system to the latest version, and presented it. "This is for you. Input your commands. It will follow your orders from now on."

Tang Wan puffed out her cheeks. "But I already have two robots; that's enough. Big Brother said things should be sufficient; there's no need to waste."

The G65770 little girl pouted, looking at Tang Wan with large, watery eyes. Five seconds later, she wailed, sat on the floor, and began to cry torrentially—a heartbreaking, gut-wrenching display that stunned Hale into silence.

Tang Wan was nearly paralyzed with shock. "Little Yezi, what do I do? She's crying!"

Zi Ye remained perfectly calm. "If you accept it, she'll stop crying."

Tang Wan's hands trembled. "How do I accept it?"

Zi Ye instructed, "Open the light screen, verify your fingerprint and retina, and complete the ownership transfer."

Tang Wan nervously completed the verification. As soon as the G65770 recognized its new master, it stopped crying instantly, wiped its tears, and burst into giggles.

Zi Ye explained, "You can link it to your 'Super Comms.' It can handle small matters for you from now on."

Having settled everything, Tang Wan noticed Hale sitting stiffly like a wooden statue and couldn't resist needling him. "Hahahaha, this is great! Little Yezi gave me a robot, and you didn't get one!"

Hale remained expressionless. "I have one, the F431."

Tang Wan's smug look vanished before it even reached her face. Frustrated, she turned to Zi Ye. "Is a larger number better, or a smaller number?"

Zi Ye replied, "A larger number indicates a later production date."

Tang Wan immediately brightened up again. "Hahahaha, yours is an antique!"

Hale's face went from dark to darker.

Zi Ye spread her hands. "That one is just borrowed. I'll assign you a new one."

Tang Wan quickly grabbed Zi Ye's arm. "No! Let him keep using the antique, humph."

The little sprout flew out of her embrace, flapping its wings. "Hahahaha, you silly girl, Zi Ye is losing out! F431 is my big brother, the most successful model in the F-series!"

Hearing this, Tang Wan immediately withdrew her hand. "Get him a new one! Giving him something so good is such a waste!"

Zi Ye poked her head gently. "You."

Nevertheless, she pulled a new F59427 from the warehouse, installed the system, and handed it to Hale. "When we return, you'll give the F431 back to me."

Hale paused for a second in silence. "Mm."

Zi Ye continued, "I'll integrate it into the Wolf's Lair robot management system. You can treat it like your secretary—reminding you of your daily schedule and handling internal Wolf's Lair affairs. The space station in the Xilian Galaxy needs investors; you can try having it arrange for the investment promotion office to follow up on your behalf."

Tang Wan asked, "What about my robot? Is it in the Wolf's Lair management system too?"

Zi Ye explained, "The Wolf's Lair robot management system only manages robots within the Wolf's Lair. Robots within the system can directly exchange information and communicate with each other. For instance, if I need to reach Hale but he's unavailable for a direct call, his robot can receive the message through my robot and relay it to him."

Tang Wan's eyes lit up.

This was an absolute breakthrough!

Why didn't the Tang Sect have such an advanced robot management system? Her eyes shone brightly as she gripped Zi Ye's arm. "Then you must build a robot management system for me!"

Zi Ye smiled. "Your robot also has a system. It's the Wolf's Lair external sales robot management system. Every robot sold is recorded within it. If a robot ages, sustains damage, or loses a specific capability due to deliberate action, the system receives an alert. When the buyer returns for repairs, service can be based on the existing records or replacement can be suggested."

Tang Wan excitedly slammed the table and stood up. "I don't want the external sales management system. How much is your internal management system?"

Zi Ye replied, "That system isn't fully constructed yet. What's wrong?"

Tang Wan turned agitated, opening her Super Comms and dialing a number. "Wait one minute for me."

Zi Ye was slightly puzzled by her excitement.

However, the mention of the robot system also triggered some deep thoughts in her mind.

—She planned to establish separate management systems for mechas and battleships in the future, aiming to make them even more intelligent. If her development went well, transferring the high-level intelligence of the robots into mechas and battleships would allow for autonomous combat. At that point, even with fewer personnel in the Wolf's Lair, they would never fall behind!

Zi Ye grew more excited the more she thought about it, poking the little sprout with her finger and thinking in her mind, Doudou, help me review the current status of the robot system. Prepare for mecha system development.

The little sprout instantly straightened the tiny sprout on its head. "Finally, I have something important to do!"

Zi Ye rubbed the fluff on its head and chuckled.

The initial prototype of the robot management system had been created by the little sprout, primarily for after-sales service, but it had undergone numerous improvements due to evolving needs. She hadn't looked at it in a long time and had almost forgotten about it.

It was fortunate Tang Wan brought it up, or she wouldn't have thought of applying it to mechas and battleships.

The little sprout was action-oriented; it flew over and stationed itself near Dou Zai, quietly beginning a remote inspection of the robot management system at the Wolf's Lair headquarters.

Zi Ye was equally swift, opening her light-brain to begin conceptualizing the battleship management system.

The battleship system would be far more complex than the mecha system. She thought excitedly: once the battleship system was perfected, simplifying it would yield the mecha management system. Oh yeah!

Hale immediately opened his light-brain.

His light-brain was standard military issue—average performance but extremely high security. Zi Ye glanced at it. "You need to get a top-tier configuration when you have time; this one is too poor."

Hale: "..."

He felt thoroughly looked down upon.

Just then, Tang Wan turned, her face alight with excitement. "Little Yezi, my Big Brother wants to communicate with you."

Huh?

Zi Ye showed a moment of surprise. "What does he want with me?"

Tang Wan initiated a video call. On the screen, Tang Wan's older brother was clearly visible—a man in his early thirties, the epitome of the pleasantly plump type, looking like a ball of dough with fair skin and a round face. Even when not smiling, he exuded an air of gentle warmth.

Zi Ye offered a casual greeting. "Hi, I'm Zi Ye."

The portly man introduced himself. "I am Tang Rui, Tang Wan's elder brother. I heard you have a very advanced robot management system, and I wanted to ask if you possess a battleship management system as well?"

Zi Ye answered without hesitation: "Yes!"—though it was still gestating, ready to be born.

Tang Rui pressed, "What are the specific components? Is it available for purchase?"

Zi Ye blinked. "That's a bit tricky to say. If you're interested, we can chat about it when you have time?"

Tang Rui readily agreed, immediately hanging up his Super Comms and dialing Tang Wen's number to report on the matter.

—The Tang Sect had abundant construction talent; engineers could be found everywhere, and they had plenty of battleship designers, but they lacked specialized IT personnel like this.

The Tang Sect's battleship system had been under development for decades; it was barely functional and constantly plagued by issues that drove everyone to distraction.

He had vaguely heard of Zi Ye's reputation as the founder of the Mengya Group.

The Mengya Group's robots held two unparalleled advantages that had secured their position as the industry leader since their launch, leaving the second-place competitor leagues behind. Those two advantages were their human appearance, which was indistinguishable from the real thing, and their incredibly powerful, hyper-intelligent systems.

Having the creator of that intelligent system develop their battleship system might yield unexpectedly excellent results.