He wanted to offer a few justifications, but the words died on his lips; every explanation seemed too pale.

His intention in sending Chen Yin to interact with Ziye was purely to lend Ziye a hand.

The construction of the Xilian Galaxy had captured the world's attention, with infrastructure completed in just three months.

However, true personnel and technology would take several years to fully establish.

Chen Yin had grown up around the ore veins, managing their development independently since she was sixteen; she possessed far more than mere experience.

If she could assist Ziye, at least Ziye wouldn't have to worry about metals.

Still, it was complicated.

In the eyes of his legion, he was sacrificing one of his own to curry favor with the girl he adored. Those in Wolf's Den might even suspect he had sent someone to spy and learn their secrets.

In short, for anything big or small, bringing up his identity as the Legion Commander made it sound like a conspiracy.

After all the turmoil, he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

An Junlie promptly gave up on trying to explain. "I didn't scheme against her. However, I truly hope she can understand me."

Lan Li sighed soundlessly.

Falling in love across different legions was proving to be quite a difficult matter.

He couldn't help but think of Hong Fa. If he had shown Hong Fa kindness through calculated means like An Junlie, Hong Fa might have just killed him, thinking he was a spy. But if he didn't treat Hong Fa well, given her fierce temperament, she might just end up filling her room with dozens of B-series pretty boys...

Feelings, truly, were always so tangled.

It wasn't summer break yet.

An Junlie didn't immediately tell Ziye about his plans. Instead, he had Chen Yin prepare for the visit, while he separately selected the elite team of ammunition experts he owed her as compensation, dealing directly with Old Dog, and explicitly requesting Ziye.

Even if he hadn't said anything, Old Dog could likely guess his intentions.

Old Dog had adopted a position of neither supporting nor opposing the matter between An Junlie and Ziye.

Affection was not something outsiders could easily interfere with.

After An Junlie left Kaga, Ziye's latter half of the semester was extremely fulfilling.

Her short-term goal was to design three battleships before graduation, and after graduating, to hold a Wolf's Den warship exhibition in the Xilian Galaxy.

This was a major issue concerning Wolf's Den's future military strength; not a single detail could be handled carelessly.

Karu's Overlord Legion was already making preparations, but Wolf's Den had dragged its feet for year after year; if they didn't start now, they wouldn't be able to justify it.

Furthermore, during the post-war conference, Wolf's Den declared that robotics, mecha, and military systems would be the cornerstones of its future industries. As the strategic weapons department, the pressure was immense.

Mengya Group had once hosted a robotics exhibition, but it was obstructed halfway by Bai Lanxue, causing the core message to be entirely lost and yielding no satisfactory results. Thus, a robotics show was absolutely necessary.

The mecha situation was even worse than robotics. Although Yun Lan had been recruited into Jiuya Group, everything about Jiuya Group was still in the phase of searching and exploration, which gave Ziye a headache just thinking about it.

Wolf's Den had originally intended to make battleships their pillar industry. But in the battleship sector, there was already the insurmountable Tang Clan. Wolf's Den lacked the Tang Clan’s deep foundation and powerful legacy; surpassing them in battleships would take at least several decades.

Besides, the legion's high command now knew Ziye was Tang Wen’s sister, and everyone understood that this identity would eventually be revealed.

If Wolf's Den competed with the Tang Clan in the battleship market, winning or losing was one thing, but accidentally suffering mutual destruction and benefiting other legions would be disastrous.

Relatively speaking, the systems Ziye had recently sold had made many legions intensely envious, so they simply pivoted the focus from battleships to military systems.

Ziye was troubled.

The military systems were essentially the work of one little sprout of an AI core.

What was she supposed to do?

After dinner, Ziye habitually sat on the sofa on the third-floor balcony, watching the warships passing overhead while contemplating the warship exhibition.

Tang Wan came over with a plate of after-dinner fruit and sat beside Ziye. "Thinking about An Junlie?"

Ziye casually opened a light screen. "Thinking about the warship exhibition."

Tang Wan leaned closer. "Got any good ideas?"

Ziye pushed the light screen toward her. "I'm thinking, should we hold one massive exhibition, staggering the displays for robotics, mecha, battleships, and military equipment? One category per week, totaling a month."

Tang Wan rested her chin on her hand. "That’s a good idea. It saves time, effort, and money. It could create a stunning, sudden impact. But do we have the manpower and resources right now to prepare all the necessary exhibits in such a short time?"

Ziye replied, "Mengya Group can handle the robotics; that's definitely not a problem. I can prepare the battleships, but I’m not sure if Jiuya Group can rise to prominence within six months."

Tang Wan imagined the Tang Clan battleship exhibition she had visited once and immediately felt a significant increase in pressure. "What about the military equipment?"

Ziye stiffened her scalp and nodded. "The military equipment should also be manageable."

—The systems could only rely on Little Sprout.

Ziye gently nudged Little Sprout, who was idling next to a vase. There was no other way; even if she recruited a batch of capable and skilled IT elites right now, they might not immediately grasp the complexity of such a large-scale military system.

Little Sprout lazily lifted its eyes, let out a soft "Meow," and settled back down.

Tang Wan looked at Ziye with utter admiration, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "Xiao Yezi, you're so amazing! I think after we graduate, we’ll definitely put on an exhibition so grand it’ll blind everyone’s eyes!"

Ziye patted her head. "Dear, when I graduate, you still have quite a long way to go."

After thinking it over, Ziye instructed Tang Wan to draft an exhibition schedule, upload it to the strategic department's shared drive, and summon the entire strategic weapons department for a video conference. The content of the meeting was singular: complete the items on the schedule.

The members of the strategic weapons department were stunned when they saw the schedule.

The difficulty listed on this schedule was beyond what most people could bear.

Ziye made her position perfectly clear: "If you can't do it, you can leave the department now."

Everyone understood that those who couldn't meet the requirements wouldn't be staying in the strategic weapons department anyway.

Consequently, everyone pushed themselves to their absolute limits.

Ninety percent of the department staff were newcomers. Hali was fully in charge of the contingent in the Xilian Galaxy, while Tang Wan managed everyone remaining in Kaga. Ziye once again immersed herself in her dedicated research.

The results of her focused study were gratifying.

She skipped classes, but the knowledge she integrated through research surpassed anything she could learn just by attending lectures. She hadn't reviewed at all, yet her exam scores were far superior to those who attended class diligently and studied hard every day.

Coupled with the guidance from Bronan and Little Sprout, her professional skills advanced by leaps and bounds, progressing thousands of miles in a single day.

After the exams, she instructed Tang Wan to lead the team back to the Xilian Galaxy, while she casually pulled Xiao Lü along and headed for the Tama Galaxy.

Before leaving, she dialed Hong Fa’s number. "Hey, beautiful, I'm coming over!"