In the Astralis Empire—Military Headquarters. The conference room fell silent for a moment. Finally, Tony, who was presiding over the meeting at the head of the table, spoke up. "The Lycan King has made it clear that we must expedite the partnership between the Astralis Empire and the Ciphers as soon as possible. Otherwise, we'll be giving other empires an opening to exploit, which will pose a threat to Astralis." "Grand Marshal Lawson, why can't we partner with a different arms supplier? Why must we tie ourselves to the Ciphers?" a lieutenant general asked. "This isn't just about the partnership itself. If we pass up this opportunity, we'll be handing it to someone else on a silver platter. For Astralis, that would be a major threat." Hugo's voice was grave.Lonnie glanced at Hugo and spoke coldly. "General Stanton, why don't we hand this matter over to Wolffang?" The moment Lonnie's words left his mouth, everyone's eyes turned toward Hugo. Lonnie's tone was caustic. "Wolffang Unit has been established for what, almost half a year now? All we've seen are funds constantly flowing out, but what has Wolffang actually done? We haven't seen any results yet. General Stanton, our empire doesn't spend top dollar to support freeloaders!" Lonnie's words made Hugo's expression darken instantly. The three marshals at the head of the table exchanged glances. In truth, even they had no authority to inquire about Wolffang Unit. Because they knew this unit reported directly to the Lycan King and was under Hugo's command. However, Lonnie had a point. Spending the empire's highest budget while apparently doing nothing would naturally breed resentment, even if people didn't voice it outright. Lonnie had been dissatisfied since the day Wolffang was established and had issues with Hugo, which was why he spoke so bluntly. Hugo replied coldly. "General Bell, I said this half a year ago. Wolffang operates outside the system and is independent of military command, not subject to military oversight. All operations are classified at the 4S level. So what they do and where they are doesn't need to be reported to you or to military command." The smile on Lonnie's face immediately vanished. "I know General Bell has resented me since Wolffang's establishment. However, since you're aware that Wolffang's security clearance exceeds any other unit, I suggest you watch what you say." What Hugo meant was clear. Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Even if you did ask, someone of your rank wouldn't be authorized to know.Lonnie's face flushed with anger. "As long as Wolffang completes this mission perfectly, I guarantee I'll never bring this up again!" "Enough! What's all this arguing about?" Tony's sharp rebuke finally tamped down the tension in the room. Hugo, every inch the hot-blooded soldier, stood up. "Please rest assured, Grand Marshal Lawson. I will have Wolffang execute this mission. And I guarantee its completion!" With that, Hugo delivered a sharp salute. The three marshals nodded and said a few more words before Hugo left. In truth, Hugo had already received orders from the Lycan King. So regardless of whether Lonnie had brought it up, this mission was always meant for Wolffang. Because this wasn't just the Lycan King testing Wolffang, but the empire testing them as well.Over the past half year, he'd never interfered with Thora and her team's operations, but he knew that the infamous Ashwolf unit was them. And the physical performance reports that came back periodically shocked him every single time. Wolffang's growth was far faster than he'd anticipated. ... In the Morandell Empire. Thora, dressed in a white suit, and Shirley, carrying a backpack stuffed full of cash, had just exited a casino when Hugo's call came through. "Mr. Stanton." Thora answered the phone with casual indifference. "Thora, what are you ... doing right now?" Thora glanced back at the casino with its flashing neon lights. "Gambling." Silence fell on the other end of the line before he spoke. "Are you short on funds?"Thora replied flatly. "If I remember correctly, Wolffang hasn't had any funding since two months after we left base." Hugo let out an awkward laugh. "Well ... that's because you've been bouncing all over the world, and we couldn't track you down. Besides, we paid Skybound Group a hefty sum for that training system. And large overseas transfers tend to raise suspicions ... " In reality, the budget Hugo had secured from the council wasn't exactly generous, but for training a unit, it was actually quite substantial. That was why Lonnie had been so critical. He just hadn't expected Wolffang to burn through money so fast. But later, when Thora never asked him for more, he'd assumed they still had enough and hadn't sent additional funds. "Just tell me what you need." Thora cut off Hugo's explanation. Only then did Hugo get down to business. "There's a mission that requires your team ... "After learning the mission details, Thora responded, "Got it," then hung up. She immediately strode toward their temporary base, tapping the micro-communicator in her ear as she walked. "Prepare to assemble. We have a mission." "Roger." Almost instantly, eight voices responded in perfect unison through the communicator.