"You’ve lost," Xu Wuyi said, retracting his finger.

Wang Mo steadied himself. He looked at the scorch mark on his shoulder, fell silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "I’m thoroughly convinced."

Three spars, three losses.

And they were losses without a shadow of a doubt.

The atmosphere in the conference room grew a little heavy.

Zhang Meng, Li Wei, and Wang Mo all understood clearly that the gap in strength between them and Xu Wuyi was too vast. It wasn’t a gap that could be bridged by experience or expertise. It was a fundamental difference in level.

Hong Nianyi walked into the center of the room and looked at the three of them. "We’ve all seen your skills and specialties. Thank you for your participation."

She paused, her tone calm. "As for the candidates for this mission, we need some more time to consider. Please return for now. If there’s any news, I will contact you through the intranet."

It was a polite rejection.

All three understood.

Zhang Meng said nothing, merely nodding as his form slowly faded, exiting the virtual space.

Li Wei sighed and disappeared as well.

Wang Mo gave Xu Wuyi one last look, then turned and left.

Only Hong Nianyi and Xu Wuyi remained in the conference room.

"None of them are quite up to snuff," Hong Nianyi said directly. "Zhang Meng’s defense is decent, but his mobility is too poor. If he were to be surrounded, he’d be a sitting duck."

"Li Wei’s rune tactics require preparation time and specific environments. A behind-enemy-lines operation has too many variables for her to be effective. Wang Mo’s stealth assassination is useful for reconnaissance, but his direct combat ability is too weak. The moment he’s exposed, it’s over."

Xu Wuyi nodded in agreement.

Looking at their specializations alone, the three were quite good, but their overall combat power was indeed insufficient.

For a five-person team deep behind enemy lines, every member needed to be able to hold their own. At the very least, they had to be able to protect themselves, or even counter-attack, when faced with an unexpected situation.

"Let’s wait and see," Hong Nianyi said. "There are other applicants. Maybe..."

Before she could finish, the communication alert on her personal terminal chimed.

Hong Nianyi opened the holographic screen and froze for a moment when she saw the caller ID.

"Pan Yan?" she murmured the name and answered the call.

A stern male face appeared on the screen. He looked to be in his thirties and was wearing the dark blue uniform of the Federation Military, with a major’s insignia on his shoulder straps.

"Hong Nianyi," Pan Yan’s voice was steady. "Is it a good time to meet? We need to talk."

Hong Nianyi glanced at Xu Wuyi, who nodded.

"We can," Hong Nianyi said. "Location?"

"The usual place. I’ve sent you the virtual coordinates."

The communication cut off.

Hong Nianyi turned to Xu Wuyi. "Senior Pan Yan. He’s in the military’s intelligence department now. We worked together a few times back when he was in the corps. His reason for contacting me... is probably related to this operation."

"Go together?" Xu Wuyi asked.

"Mhm."

Hong Nianyi pulled up the coordinates, and both their figures vanished from the pure white conference room simultaneously.

...

「Virtual space shift.」

This time, what appeared before them was a quaint, traditional teahouse.

It had a wooden structure, paper-paned sliding doors, and a low table with a tea set placed in the center of the tatami mat floor. Outside the window was a virtually generated bamboo forest, the leaves rustling softly.

Pan Yan was already seated on one side of the low table, preparing tea. Seeing the two enter, he gestured to the spot opposite him. "Sit."

He nodded at Xu Wuyi. As a fellow genius who also had the potential to become a Grandmaster, Pan Yan clearly knew of Xu Wuyi and recognized him on sight.

Hong Nianyi and Xu Wuyi sat down opposite him.

Pan Yan pushed two cups of freshly brewed tea in front of them, then set down the teapot, placed his hands on his knees, and sat up straight.

"I’ll be direct," he said. "Hong Nianyi, the military has taken notice of the mission you posted on the Red Star intranet."

Hong Nianyi wasn’t surprised. "And?"

"And so, I am here to speak with you on behalf of the military," Pan Yan said, his tone still calm. "First, let’s be clear on one point: the military will not publicly support any unofficial retaliatory operations. This is a matter of principle."

Hong Nianyi raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you here to talk about?"

Pan Yan looked at her and said slowly, "But Grandmaster Yue Lianshan, and all the compatriots who were sacrificed... their loss is the military’s pain as well."

He paused, then continued, "The military cannot offer public support, but we can provide certain... accommodations."

Xu Wuyi noted that Pan Yan had used the word "accommodations," not "support."

"What kind of accommodations?" Hong Nianyi asked.

"First, logistics," Pan Yan said. "The military can provide your equipment, supplies, and intelligence. Not as a free gift, but through ’legitimate channels.’ For example, through mission commissions, material procurement, and other such means, ensuring you can get the best gear without being traced."

"Second, your departure route," Pan Yan continued. "The spatial coordinates for the Celestial Wolf Four Star Realm are classified. There are no civilian jump points that lead directly there, but the military has one. You can depart from the military’s Seventh Jump Point and enter the outer regions of the Celestial Wolf Four Star Realm directly. This will allow you to bypass the Celestial Wolf Civilization’s border defenses and reduce the risk of exposure."

"Third, intelligence support," Pan Yan said, looking at the two of them. "Structural layouts of the Celestial Wolf Four Star Realm’s interior, defensive placements, patrol routes, resource point distribution... the military can ’leak’ this classified intelligence to you."

Hong Nianyi was silent for a few seconds before asking, "And the conditions?"

There’s no such thing as a free lunch. For the military to offer so many accommodations, it was impossible that they wouldn’t ask for something in return.

Pan Yan shook his head. "There are no conditions. Or rather, the only requirement is this—you must succeed."

His expression turned grave. "Hong Nianyi, Xu Wuyi, you must understand. Although this is an act of private revenge, it also objectively serves as a blow against the Celestial Wolf Civilization. Your success will be a form of support for the front lines, and a tribute to our fallen compatriots."

"That’s why the military is willing to provide these accommodations. It’s not to control you, but because we hope you can complete the mission and return alive."

The teahouse fell quiet.

The rustling of the bamboo leaves outside the window seemed particularly clear.

Hong Nianyi picked up her teacup, took a sip, and set it down. "Alright. I accept."

"A wise choice." Pan Yan nodded, then changed the subject. "Also, there’s one more thing."

He looked at Hong Nianyi. "Your team is still short one person, correct?"

"Correct."

"There’s someone who wants to join," Pan Yan said. "He was originally an Innate Martial Artist, but he was severely wounded on the battlefield. His Life Energy Level dropped to 38, and he lost his right arm. According to regulations, the military can no longer allow him on the front lines. But his daughter... was on the list of casualties this time."

Hong Nianyi and Xu Wuyi both looked at Pan Yan at the same time.

"He wants revenge," Pan Yan’s voice grew heavier. "The military can’t stop him, nor can we publicly support him. So he wants to join your team, in a private capacity."

"What’s his name?" Hong Nianyi asked.

"You Sicheng," Pan Yan said. "Sixty-two years old. Former captain of the Federation’s Seventh Corps assault team. He participated in seventeen Star Realm campaigns and was twice awarded a first-class merit. Thirteen years ago, he was severely wounded in the Black Rock Star Campaign, causing his realm to fall and forcing him into retirement."