Qin Bei Wang nodded.
He had accepted the other party's apology.
Yang Shao spoke at the right moment, breaking the delicate silence in the conference room.
"Alright, let's let bygones be bygones. Now, let's officially confirm the battle results."
He brought up the Holographic Star Map and began to read aloud.
"The Battle of Elvira Star System lasted eight hours and forty-seven minutes. Our participating forces: all five Sub-Level Fleets of the Iron Fist Sub-Fleet and its Directly Subordinate Fleet, totaling 92 starships. The enemy: all six Sub-Level Fleets of the Ferry Empire's Wells Sub-Fleet, totaling 77 starships."
"Battle results: The Wells Sub-Fleet was completely annihilated. We destroyed 8 Imperial Battleships, 23 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 3 electronic warfare ships, and 14 reconnaissance ships. Zero Imperial officers and soldiers were captured. The entire enemy fleet fought to the death, with none surrendering."
"Our losses: one cruiser sunk, one battleship heavily damaged, four cruisers moderately damaged, and nine destroyers lightly damaged. Officers and soldiers killed in action... four hundred and eighty-nine."
After Yang Shao finished reading the last number, the conference room fell silent once more.
Four hundred and eighty-nine names.
Four hundred and eighty-nine lives.
"This was a glorious victory," Yang Shao's voice grew somber. "But it was also a tragic one. Behind every number is a real person. We must remember them, just as we remember today's victory."
He paused, his gaze turning to Qin Bei Wang.
"Lieutenant Commander Qin, in light of your outstanding performance in this battle, I will recommend in the post-battle report that you be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and awarded the Federal Medal of Valor. All officers and soldiers of the Pluto Fleet will receive a Collective Commendation."
Qin Bei Wang did not refuse, merely nodding.
"Thank you, Commander."
The meeting continued for another twenty minutes, discussing post-battle defensive arrangements, the transfer of the wounded, equipment repairs, and other matters.
When the meeting ended, Yang Shao stopped Qin Bei Wang, who was about to leave.
"Lieutenant Commander Qin!"
Yang Shao looked at him with a complex expression.
"Does your father... know what you did today?"
Qin Bei Wang was silent for a few seconds, then shook his head.
"I don't know. But I think he'll find out soon."
Yang Shao nodded. "He will. And he will be proud of you."
He paused, then added, "So am I."
Qin Bei Wang looked at Yang Shao and, for the first time, offered a genuine, unmasked smile.
"Thank you, Commander."
He turned and left the conference room.
Outside the door, Zhuang ZhiXuan was waiting.
The Deputy Commander of the Pluto Fleet looked at Qin Bei Wang, a bright light glinting in her eyes.
"Commander!" she said. "Everyone is waiting for you. They want to... hear how you did it."
Qin Bei Wang gazed out the corridor window.
Out there, the starry sky was as it always was, but after today, the meaning of this patch of sky was completely different.
"Tell them!" he said softly. "This isn't the end! It's just the beginning."
In the deep space outside the window, the Federation's starships were gathering to return home.
And behind them, that devastated battlefield, the floating wreckage, the silently burning flames, all spoke of one thing...
The war was still ongoing.
But for today, at least, victory belonged to the Federation.
It belonged to those who could still see the light in the darkness.
The Ten Stone Starfield Theater Command was located in the synchronous orbit of a terrestrial planet named "Pillar Star."
This space station, known as the "Starbase Fortress," had a diameter of over fifteen kilometers. It had a triangular prism structure, its surface covered with thick composite armor and shimmering energy shields.
It was the brain of the entire starfield.
Thousands of staff officers, intelligence officers, and logistics coordinators worked here in twenty-four-hour shifts, processing the massive amounts of battle reports sent back from thirty-seven star systems.
At this moment, before the main holographic screen in the fortress's central command hall, Theater Commander Admiral Wen Tingtao was staring at a newly refreshed battle report summary.
The fifty-seven-year-old admiral had thick, black hair, and his posture was still as straight as a pine tree. He wore a dark blue Federal Admiral uniform, with three rows of medals pinned to his left chest. The one at the very top, the "Starfield Guardian" medal, was the highest honor he had received seven years ago after leading his forces to repel the Empire's main offensive against the Ten Stone Starfield.
Right now, Wen Tingtao's expression had lost its usual composure.
His eyes were slightly wide, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the edge of the console, and his lips silently repeated several keywords from the report.
"...Pluto Fleet... annihilated the Dragon Lizard Fleet..."
"...in coordination with the Uranus Fleet, successively destroyed the flagships of five Imperial fleets in the Battle of the Seventh Jump Point..."
"...finally, in cooperation with the main force of the Iron Fist Sub-Fleet, annihilated all sixty-five starships of the Wells Sub-Fleet..."
Attached below the report were detailed combat logs, sensor data, and a tactical analysis personally written by Yang Shao.
Every piece of material supported the same fact.
The turning point of this battle, and indeed the decisive victory, was inextricably linked to one name.
Qin Bei Wang!
Wen Tingtao stared at that name, silent for a full minute.
Then he slowly sat back in his command chair, raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose, and let out a long, complex sigh.
"This kid..." he muttered to himself, his voice a mixture of disbelief, realization, and a hint of... absurd amusement.
Wen Tingtao knew Qin Bei Wang.
No, it would be more accurate to say he knew "that" Qin Bei Wang.
As a long-time comrade-in-arms and old friend of Marshal Qin Qianfan, Wen Tingtao had visited the Qin residence more times than he could count.
He had seen Qin Bei Wang as a child.
Smart, but lazy; talented, but unmotivated.
He had seen Qin Bei Wang's school report cards.
Last place in the Command Department, failed tactical simulations, and needed classmates' help to complete his star map assignments.
He even remembered a family dinner three years ago, when Qin Qianfan spoke of his son with undisguised disappointment and helplessness.
"That child... perhaps he shouldn't have taken the path of a soldier."
At the time, Wen Tingtao had comforted his old friend.
"Give the boy some time. The battlefield can change a person."
But he had never imagined the change would be so thorough, so... astonishing.
"Commander?"
Chief of Staff Major General Du Jing walked to his side, holding a more detailed post-battle analysis report.
"You've seen the report? The Iron Fist Sub-Fleet fought beautifully this time, completely annihilating the Wells Sub-Fleet. In a small-scale war, annihilating an entire sub-fleet is extremely rare!"
"The Iron Fist Sub-Fleet did indeed fight beautifully," Wen Tingtao interrupted him, his finger tapping next to Qin Bei Wang's name on the report. "But the key lies with this person!"
Du Jing looked down, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Lieutenant Commander Qin Bei Wang... He's Marshal Qin Qianfan's son, isn't he? I remember his performance at the Federal Academy..."
"Bottom of the class," Wen Tingtao finished for him, then chuckled.
It was a laugh mixed with relief and emotion.
"But the battlefield doesn't look at files, it looks at results. Take a close look at Yang Shao's tactical analysis. From luring the enemy and the ambush at Planet Agbag, to the psychological prediction and smoke screen tactic at the Seventh Jump Point, and finally the flagship decapitation... this combination strike was executed with such veteran cunning!"