Within three or four hours of sending the plans over, Tang Wen initiated an inter-link call, wanting to fully understand her design philosophy.

Tang Wen had an uncanny knack for extracting information without appearing overtly demanding.

He didn't directly question Ziye about complex battleship specifications, instead starting from the most elementary concepts and gradually probing deeper based on her responses.

Ziye managed to answer fluently at first, but as the conversation progressed, she became increasingly strained. Designs she had previously considered airtight suddenly revealed countless gaping flaws.

Though her heart ached, Ziye’s hand never stopped moving, capturing every fleeting spark of insight and committing it to paper.

The moment the call ended, she plunged immediately into intense revision work.

An Junlie sat beside her in silence for a while, but eventually decided it was better for him to go assist others.

There was nothing he could do to help Ziye with her current struggles.

The second semester of the senior year was dedicated entirely to internships, with no classes required.

After the semester began, Ziye didn't return to school. Instead, she instructed Lingyin to recruit capable seniors who were nearing their internship period to come and intern at the Wolf's Den. Even if they didn't intend to stay permanently afterward, their assistance during the internship period would be invaluable.

Lingyin had already coordinated with the Mengya Group and was preparing to intern there. Being pulled back by Ziye, she reluctantly returned to school to launch a massive recruitment drive. Utilizing all her connections, Ziye’s connections, and the connections of several friends, she managed to bring in over a hundred interns and dumped them onto Xilian before dusting off her hands and heading off to her own internship.

Within minutes of arriving at the Mengya Group headquarters, Black Beard sent out a mass email assigning some personnel to establish a branch in the Xilian Galaxy—Lingyin was among them.

Lingyin traveled from the Xilian Galaxy to Karga, then to the Mengya Group headquarters, only to loop back to the Xilian Galaxy—a massive detour—to perform the exact same tasks as every other intern…

During this period of intense activity, Old Dog became the highest priority.

Since all legions were preoccupied with integrating the galaxies forcibly acquired from Fiya and managing post-war reconstruction, the time dedicated to diplomacy had drastically decreased.

Old Dog released the dozens of large hounds accompanying him, fed them all well, hunted several fierce beasts on an affiliated planet of the Wolf's Den, cleaned them up, and brought them to Ziye.

Upon arrival in the Xilian Galaxy, he was startled by the frantic, relentless work ethic he witnessed. To his delight, the Xilian Galaxy exuded an aura of vibrant prosperity, appearing even more flourishing than the headquarters galaxy.

He disembarked from the airship, stood on the main thoroughfare, and couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh. "Ziye, you've truly done excellently."

The hounds responded to his voice with a chorus of barks, drawing the attention of passersby.

Just then, a young, childlike voice suddenly rang out: "Those who make loud noises, please maintain some decorum, mwah."

Old Dog jumped, looking up, but saw only a street lamp overhead.

"..."

Who was responsible for this bizarre invention?

Old Dog proceeded directly to Ziye's office with his pack.

Ziye was busy, Little Bean Sprout was busy, Douzai was busy—well, busy pooping.

When Old Dog arrived, it rubbed its rear against a cloth held by a service robot, let out a sharp "Jee!" sound as a greeting, and looked at Old Dog.

Old Dog narrowed his eyes. "You all look too busy."

Ziye didn't look up. "It's all your fault, Commander. You didn't assign enough personnel here. How could we not be busy?"

Old Dog broke into a sweat.

The person responsible for signing off on personnel allocation charts was Big Head.

However, the development of the Xilian Galaxy was proceeding far too quickly; if personnel numbers didn't keep pace, engineering would lag, dragging down the schedule.

He stepped away a couple of paces and initiated an inter-link with Big Head. "What's the deal with the severe staff shortage in the Xilian Galaxy?"

Big Head wailed over the link, "Don't ask me! I checked the allocation sheet; Xilian has double the personnel of any other galaxy."

Old Dog asked, "Can you divert more?"

Big Head replied, "If I divert any more, things will become critically strained everywhere else. The recruiters at Wolf's Den are spinning like tops. I’ve authorized Finance to allocate funds for recruitment efforts; tell them to push harder."

Old Dog nodded, terminated the inter-link with Big Head, and turned to Ziye. "Big Head and I discussed it. It will take time for the increased funding to attract new personnel. For now, you'll have to rely on the robots."

Ziye gave a noncommittal look.

Indeed, the higher-ups were unreliable.

Since he couldn't provide manpower, and she couldn't hold a knife to his throat to force him, building up the Xilian Galaxy would have to be an exercise in self-reliance.

Seeing Ziye purse her lips, Old Dog felt a surge of guilt and steered the conversation elsewhere. "How is the progress on the battleship exhibition? Will it open on time? Big Head mentioned the publicity team can arrive in the next few days."

Ziye looked up and smiled. "No problem, it will definitely be ready."

Old Dog had intended to catch up with her, but seeing how busy she was, he felt awkward about lingering. He led his hounds out of the office to wander around outside.

As he stepped out, he saw An Junlie walking in from the exterior entrance.

Both men showed surprise upon seeing each other, then simultaneously sighed and walked in the same direction. They were both commanders, yet they seemed to be the only idlers while everyone else was busting their backs—they surely deserved to be beaten into pig-faces if this got out.

A semester passed quickly.

Soon, it was time for the graduation ceremony.

Lingyin finally escaped the terror of her Mengya Group internship and, dragging Ziye and Shaxinnie along, they returned to school. "Keep track of the time; the graduation ceremony is in three days."

The graduation ceremony was one of Lingsi University’s traditions.

On this day, everyone would come to see off the graduates—junior students, family, and friends—making it just as lively as the freshman welcoming ceremony.

As Ziye put on her graduation gown, her mind was still consumed by battleship production.

The designs for all three battleships were finally complete and had entered production just before they returned to campus. If they were to roll off the line and be test-run within a month, the schedule for the battleship exhibition would be incredibly tight.

Lingyin shook her arm. "Hey, what are you thinking about?"

Ziye snapped back to attention. "Oh, nothing."

Lingyin asked, "By the way, will our Wolf's Den commander be coming for this?"

Ziye looked surprised. "Him? Coming here to walk dogs?"

Lingyin sputtered, "...We are the first batch of graduates from Wolf's Den, okay?"

She kept referring to "our Wolf's Den," having completely integrated herself into the legion and becoming one of its members.

Ziye shrugged. "They don't seem to value academic credentials much."

Lingyin pressed, "Well, did you invite anyone to attend the ceremony?"

After a long silence, Lingyin turned to look at Ziye, only to find her soul had wandered off to some other world again.

Frustrated, Lingyin pinched her arm. "Heh heh, I invited everyone from Mengya Group—Jiunian, Black Beard, the Marketing Manager, and that person, the head of the Mengya branch in the Xilian Galaxy. I heard those ten good-for-nothings named the 'Invincible Flamboyant Handsome Youths' and Big Black will be coming to the office too..."

The Lingsi University grounds were incomparably lively.

Shuttles and airships zipped through the sky; maglev vehicles bustled on the ground; everywhere was filled with cheerful people and bouquets of flowers. The two weaved through the crowds, and after expending enormous effort, finally reached the graduation hall.

Unexpectedly, the hall was unnervingly quiet.

The group of university leaders all wore extremely serious expressions, as if they were receiving important foreign dignitaries.

Lingyin was about to say something, but turned and saw the four transparent sides of the hall filled with people!

Kalu, the newly appointed commander of the Tyrant Legion—was he actually attending Bobo's graduation ceremony?

Lingyin was momentarily surprised.

Knowing Ziye wasn't interested in such matters, she said nothing. Then, she spotted Old Dog, who hadn't brought his hounds, standing side-by-side with An Junlie, both wearing hats and smiling—it was terrifying!

Behind them, all the reclusive high-ranking executives of the Wolf's Den had arrived!!

Big Head, Red Hair, Black Beard, Pervert, Iron Hand, Leg-Wobble Bro, Ah Can... Lingyin cupped her face, thinking gleefully, This is prestige!

Big Black, Little Black, and the Flamboyant Handsome Youths were utterly insignificant in comparison.

She glanced to the side and accidentally spotted Tang Wen and Bulan, surrounded by a cluster of reporters.

Tang Wen instantly overshadowed everyone else.

Lingyin couldn't help but stare for a moment longer, which led her to notice the Sect Master standing not far from Tang Wen—Tang Wen's father. Sect Master Tang was also very low-key this time, standing with a group of relatives, appearing gentle and courteous.

Stas seemed to be there too?

The Unified Department always stood out like a sore thumb wherever they went, their presence eclipsing even Du Shuangyu’s grandfather, the head of the Karga army stationed nearby.

No wonder the Karga leadership looked so tense...

The parents of the students and others looked formidable.

Lingyin searched the crowd three times but couldn't find her own parents. She sighed slightly in her heart. No doubt they were obscured by this group of people whose names, if spoken, could strike terror into anyone.

Still, she was incredibly happy.

While she might not have the parental lineage of many classmates, when it came to military legions, she was immensely honored!

After the Principal's address, it transitioned into a festive period for parents, graduates, and junior students. Lingyin burst forth like a freed bird, found Ziye, and dragged her toward Old Dog's location.

Ziye allowed herself to be pulled along, but as they rushed out the door, she suddenly felt a gaze fixed upon her. She looked up and saw a person with a resemblance to Tang Wen, holding a large bouquet of flowers.

Ziye paused, and then Tang Wan’s clear voice rang out, "Xiao Yèzi, over here!"

Before Ziye could fully process it, Lingyin had charged over and pulled her along. "You're just in time! Our legion members are over there; let's go together."

With one hand holding Tang Wan and the other pulling Ziye, Lingyin moved forward full of energy.

"Uh? I..." Tang Wan wanted to explain a few things, but glancing back at Sect Master Tang and the assembled relatives, she didn't know what to say, so she was forcefully dragged away by Lingyin.

Tang Wan looked at Ziye, desperately wanting to tell her that Sect Master Tang's entire family had come to see her, but seeing the calm, unreadable expression on Ziye's face, she decided against it.

"Ziye, congratulations on your graduation."

Tang Wen stepped forward, handing the bouquet he held to Ziye, a gentle and captivating smile on his face.

Ziye looked up and accepted the flowers. "Thank you, Big Brother."

Tang Wen reached out and gently ruffled her hair, when suddenly, someone popped up from the side and thrust a bouquet of fresh flowers at her as well. "Me too."

Ziye looked at him in surprise. "Hi, Stas."

Stas grumbled, "Call me Big Brother."

-RS