The dispute

"I think you've lost your mind!"

Chu Yan's voice boomed like thunder, unmistakable anger and shock mingling in the tremendous roar.

The recorder in the distance desperately wanted to hide beneath his chair, but he couldn't. All he could do was clutch his electronic tablet and tremble.

Fei Mei stood and glanced at the recorder. "Wait outside. I'll call you if I need you."

Heaven knew how grateful Cheng Xin was. Fei Mei's words had practically saved his life. If this cold, beautiful, black-haired lady had allowed it, he would even have kissed her shoes.

After the recorder left, Chu Yan panted for breath. If the electronic table hadn't been so large, the old commander would have grabbed the bastard opposite him by the collar.

"How can you discard people once they've served your purpose? Have you forgotten who charged fearlessly into that Inverse Realm before any human had set foot there, opening the way for the fortress little by little?"

Old Wade said calmly, "I haven't forgotten. The Ascenders, of course. But Commander Chu, let me remind you of something. The world keeps moving forward. You must admit that we can now develop weapons of war capable of replacing Ascenders. And they're more cost-effective."

"To be frank, Ascenders still play an enormous role, but that only applies to those at intermediate and advanced ranks. Low-ranking Ascenders aren't much stronger than our soldiers, yet the wealth at their disposal far exceeds that of ordinary people."

"I imagine you haven't forgotten the march held in the fortress three months ago. People protested that Ascenders were consuming too many resources. They felt it was unfair."

Chu Yan roared, "Bullshit! Without us, could those ordinary people handle high-level Darkfolk? Forget the Black King. Even danger level three Darkfolk are beyond the new armaments you're so fond of!"

Old Wade said evenly, "That's why I said a slight reduction, not a complete cut. For example, couldn't we consider halving the compensation of low-ranking Ascenders? Those at intermediate and advanced ranks would naturally retain their current benefits."

Chu Yan said firmly, "No! If we do that, they'll quit. They'll leave for other fortress cities, or simply join the Gold Hunters. We'd lose some of our Ascenders for nothing."

"That would greatly weaken Skyhold's deterrent power. Don't forget, Blackstar Fortress is only five hundred kilometers away. They've had their eyes on our Klaft Gate for a long time!"

The head of the Strategic Department smiled confidently. "I've considered that, of course. If our deterrent power is insufficient, we can hire two or three high-ranking Ascenders. Their combined fees should amount to less than half the money we'd save. Commander Chu, I understand how you feel, but you must also understand that we're investing far too much in low-ranking Ascenders."

Chu Yan slapped the table hard. "Say what you like. I won't agree to this."

Old Wade snorted. "Chu Yan, stop pretending to be so virtuous. Seventeen years ago, didn't you do the same to your own..."

"Minister Wade!" Cao Gang, who had remained silent until now, abruptly snapped. "Mind your words!"

Old Wade's expression shifted slightly, and he nodded. "I did lose my composure. But I still believe there's no need to continue investing so many resources in low-ranking Ascenders."

Chu Yan rose. "No matter what happens, even if this goes before the City Lord, I'll oppose it to the bitter end!"

With that, he stormed out.

Old Wade turned to the young Storm Commander. "Fei Mei, what do you think?"

Fei Mei gently closed her eyes, her long, curled lashes trembling. "I'll reserve judgment."

Cao Gang was more direct. "I don't think it's fair to judge the value of Ascenders by a single battle. Besides, their opponents were Wanderers, the lowest tier of the Children of Darkness. That proves nothing."

"What's more, the Inverse Realms aren't unchanging. A thousand years ago, when the Klaft Gate was discovered, people could explore the Inverse Realm without protective suits. Now, ordinary people can barely move through it without one."

"Every Inverse Realm is unimaginably vast. We've explored only a small portion of them. We don't know what lies in their depths. But I do know that the power of Ascenders is indispensable in fighting the Children of Darkness, especially high-level Darkfolk."

"So I believe cutting their funding would be inappropriate. At least at this stage, it's clearly an irrational course of action."

Cao Gang stood, his voice calm. "I suggest we end today's meeting here. My apologies, but I have other matters to attend to. Please excuse me."

Fei Mei also said, "I need to visit the Arms Factory and check on the progress of mass-producing the Fifth-Generation Armament. Minister Wade, please excuse me."

The two left together.

Old Wade wasn't particularly dejected or angry. Instead, he smiled faintly. "We'll see. Even if all of you oppose it, I think the City Lord will give it serious consideration if the public insists. As for the public, they're the easiest to manipulate. All we need are a few more battles like the one we just saw, and they'll hold a few more protest marches!"

At that thought, the old man took out a pocket watch. He opened it, revealing a photograph inside the lid.

It showed a young man whose features closely resembled Old Wade's.

Click.

The old man closed the watch and left the command hall, his steps even firmer than when he had arrived.

"We have arrived at Lighthouse Outpost Base. Passengers disembarking here, please line up outside the yellow line by the carriage doors."

The announcement suddenly sounded through the carriage, waking Tianyang from his doze.

After being thoroughly shown up by the Fifth-Generation Armament yesterday, the Ascenders of Raven Squad had been somewhat disgruntled. Han Shu, however, had looked as unruffled as ever. He had even asked Chen Liu to let his Fifth-Generation Armament give a few more demonstrations if they encountered similar situations again.

Afterward, the squad had boarded the train and headed straight for Lighthouse Base. This time, they had finally reached the base without further incident.

Once they had disembarked, Han Shu called out on the platform, "Dismissed for now! Assemble near the main gate in three hours. Anyone who dares show up late, I'll kick his ass to pieces. Dismissed!"

At his command, everyone scattered. Han Shu and Old Xu discussed what to drink at the bar, while Cang Du and Ji Yu went their separate ways. The soldiers, however, remained conscientious, heading to the warehouse to tally the logistical supplies needed for their operation.

Tianyang checked his Assaulter Rifle. Its gas magazine was only half full, so he decided to visit the base's Armory and requisition two more magazines as spares.

"Isn't that Tianyang?"

The Armory's quartermaster was a greasy middle-aged man. Back when Tianyang had been in the Gathering Team, Qin Wu had saddled him with plenty of errands because he was a new recruit.

He had made several trips to the Armory and gotten along quite well with the quartermaster, who also came from the lower class.

So the quartermaster recognized him as soon as he saw him. "Well, well, you've already changed jobs! Look at that uniform. Very impressive. Huh, you're a second lieutenant? What, did you awaken, kid?"

Tianyang smiled shyly. "I got lucky and found a Star Marrow Pillar during a mission, so..."

"Then you really did hit the jackpot!" The middle-aged quartermaster looked even happier than Tianyang himself.