Emily Thompson herself was also quite looking forward to this large-scale project, and even added thirteen of the latest model cutting-edge armed escort ships for it. But now, the only headache was the issue of selecting a commander for the escort fleet.

　　Commanding a medium-sized fleet is not as simple as it seems; it involves coordination, deployment, logistics, and all-around capabilities regarding the ships under one's command. More importantly, the candidate must possess considerable campaign command skills. Although Ethan Enterprises is large, among its nearly one hundred thousand employees, there is no professional talent in this area.

　　Counting and recounting, there were only a handful of candidates in the Yatrick Star Domain, most of whom had already been recruited by major powers. As for James Foster, she was indeed eager to recruit him. She believed that James Foster was well aware of this.

　　However, there was one thing she hadn't mentioned. In fact, her Ethan Enterprises also wanted to use James Foster's reputation to attract more interstellar merchants to join the fleet they were organizing. For nearly sixty years, James Foster had served in the Aske and Yatrick Star Domains, repeatedly defeating and driving back the Toriel Empire's raiding fleets. Perhaps even he himself hadn't realized the immense prestige he held among the public.

　　"I'm afraid I can't accept. There are still things in this military academy that I can't let go of."

　　James Foster said with a wry smile, "However, I can recommend another suitable candidate for you. What you need is someone who can command your escort fleet and win against pirates; it doesn't necessarily have to be this old man. I can guarantee that this will be a talent you've dreamed of. Maybe a bit lacking in experience, but in terms of tactical skill alone, he surpasses me."

　　"Oh? Please tell us, Principal!"

　　Emily Thompson was a little disappointed at first, but James Foster's following words piqued her interest again. She knew that when James Foster served in the Federal Army, he was always known for his strong and stubborn character. For him to admit that someone surpassed him in tactical skill was, in itself, no small matter.

　　Not only her, but Paul Turner was also a bit curious. Although he had just taken over as the company's HR director and was not yet familiar with such matters, he knew that James Foster's abilities were among the best in the entire Alec Federation. Someone with even stronger tactical skills—he wondered what kind of person that could be.

　　James Foster didn't say much more. He opened the 3D projection screen on his desk. Soon, the image of a young man was projected before the three of them. He wasn't particularly handsome, but his face was square and honest-looking, giving off a very sincere impression.

　　"It's actually him!"

　　Emily Thompson covered her mouth and let out a cry of surprise. Paul Turner's expression, on the other hand, turned extremely unpleasant.

　　"This is my most outstanding student to date, Brian Carter— Miss Thompson, do you know him?" Noticing their reactions, James Foster turned his head in some confusion.

　　……

　　"Achoo! That's strange, who could be talking about me?"

　　Rubbing his nose, Brian Carter shook his head in puzzlement, then continued to focus on the data on the large screen in front of him, as well as the images captured from various angles.

　　The scenario for this simulated battle was an encounter. He had been in the virtual space created by the simulation combat device for nearly three minutes, but so far, he hadn't found his opponent. Of course, not encountering the opponent meant he could still preserve his predictive ability.

　　"—Captain! At 0.65 light-years ahead, a large-scale asteroid belt detected. At current speed, contact in two minutes."

　　"Radar imaging complete, database image comparison complete. The asteroid belt ahead should be a branch of the Irina Stardust Belt, with a 13% difference."

　　"—Course modification calculation complete. Proceed with crossing?"

　　Brian Carter snorted, carefully examining the radar imaging on the upper right screen, but said nothing. Even if he answered no, these virtual NPCs would automatically take it as a yes. The course had actually been set at the start of the simulation. There was no other way—even in a simulated universe, space was simply too vast for humans. Without such a setup, if one side insisted on evading, the other might never find their opponent before the simulation ended.

　　If his guess was correct, the upcoming encounter would likely take place in this asteroid belt.

　　One minute and forty seconds later, the so-called Irina Stardust Belt was clearly displayed on the 3D projector in front of Brian Carter, thanks to the high-powered telescope mounted at the front of the warship.

　　"Preparing to reduce warship speed. Plasma engines three and four shutting down. Engines one and two, power reduced by 30%, preparing to enter the asteroid belt—"

　　"Wait! Reduce speed by another 70%, hold off on entering!"

　　Brian Carter's brows suddenly furrowed. There was nothing unusual ahead, but he still felt something was off. Ever since he gained his predictive ability, his intuition—or rather, his premonition—had become exceptionally accurate, with very few exceptions.

　　"Observation team, has the asteroid belt ahead been thoroughly scanned?"

　　"Chance of ambush here judged to be less than 10%, scan level C, no anomalies detected—"