All the MS pilots who had descended to Earth, including Creuset, had returned to space. This included Rena and Gerard, who were responsible for protecting Kinue Crossroad, as well as Amuro and Gai Murakumo, who were protecting Louise.
Yang Hui had said that this time, he intended to steamroll everything. He had no interest in regrouping his forces and slowly playing along with Ribbons. He would directly rendezvous with the main fleet to completely annihilate Ribbons and the Innovators hiding within the Celestial Being.
As for the turmoil in the Earth Federation, it would suffice to clear out the current lot of officials and reinstate the high-ranking officers who had been imprisoned. Maintaining the stability of the citizens' lives was even simpler; with VEDA and its unparalleled information-gathering capabilities, all they had to do was leak everything—including the exposure of the Innovators.
He didn't care about the rest; he only concerned himself with how much combat power he could add after dealing with the Innovators.
...
At this moment, within the Celestial Being, Ribbons had finished checking VEDA inside and out. After finding no issues, he finally sat back in the seat that belonged solely to him, feeling reassured.
"Do Pure Innovators possess abilities I am unaware of? No, that's impossible. A Pure Innovator is the same as I am; their Brain Quantum Waves can connect to VEDA, but they cannot usurp my authority. I hold the highest level of access. No one can take VEDA from my hands. Where exactly did the problem occur..."
"Ribbons, is it really wise for you to be so leisurely?" Just as Ribbons was struggling with his thoughts, Regene Regetta appeared once more, poking at Ribbons' wound at the exact right moment.
But it wasn't just a taunt; it was also a prompt. How long had it been since Yang Hui returned? Less than a month. The massive power they had spent a year building had been almost completely destroyed. On Earth, only scattered remnants and defeated generals remained. In space, they had lost four T.N.T. Cannons that served as deterrents, more than half of their fleet was gone, and even many of their fellow Innovators piloting the cutting-edge Gadessa units had been lost.
Conversely, they hadn't even managed to uncover the true backgrounds of Yang Hui and his group.
"Shut up, Regene Regetta. I'm not in the mood to play with you right now. Go and recall everyone."
"Is that so? I understand." Regene Regetta tucked away his sarcastic smile and expression, nodding seriously. However, the moment he turned around, a cold sneer appeared on his face.
He was completely disappointed in Ribbons. Originally, he had regarded Ribbons as a competitor to be taken seriously. While opposing Ribbons both openly and covertly, he had also been making his own arrangements to usurp control of VEDA and turn the Celestial Being Project into Regene Regetta's own plan.
But now... heh. At the first sign of something he couldn't control, Ribbons lost his composure and his spirited, confident posture. In Regene Regetta's eyes, Ribbons was no different from the Artificial Innovators he had created; he was essentially a child, showing off when things went well and becoming irritable when things went wrong.
"The funny thing is, you still haven't discovered my true identity even now," Regene Regetta thought disdainfully.
Bang!
At that moment, a sudden gunshot shattered the silence. With his back to Ribbons, Regene Regetta looked down at his abdomen in disbelief. His pristine white undershirt was stained with a crimson gore as intense pain began to consume his consciousness.
"Rib... bons..." Regene Regetta twisted his head back, staring at Ribbons, who was holding the gun.
"I've finally figured it out, Regene Regetta." Ribbons had shed his earlier agitation, regaining his self-important posture. "You were the one obstructing me all along, Regene Regetta. You, who possess Level 6 authority—second only to mine—tampered with VEDA behind my back and assisted Yang Hui and the others. Am I right?"
Thud. Regene Regetta no longer had the strength to stand and collapsed to the floor, his eyes fixed on Ribbons. He hadn't expected Ribbons to suddenly make a lethal move against him.
"Rib... bons..."
"You were somewhat useful once, but you went too far, Regene Regetta. I am not very pleased."
Bang! Bang!
Two more shots rang out, breaking Regene Regetta's legs. Regene Regetta was already in a terminal state, so Ribbons was merely venting his frustration.
"The new world I create has no need for those who betray their own kind. Without you, there will be no more problems with VEDA. And you won't live to see the new world I create. Farewe—"
"Heh... haha... hahaha..." Lying on the ground as his life ebbed away, Regene Regetta laughed with a raspy voice. He laughed happily and mockingly. "Rib... bons... you... really... don't... know... any... thing... haha... hahaha..."
"What?" Ribbons frowned slightly.
"We... will... meet... again... Ribbons..."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The feeling of unease enveloped Ribbons once more. He fired repeatedly until the magazine was empty, yet he felt no sense of relief or relaxation.
However, Ribbons eventually adjusted his state and regained his calm. Without casting a single glance back, he commanded the figures hidden in the shadows: "Go and prepare. The reformation of the world is about to begin."
"Yes, Lord Ribbons."
Four people emerged from the shadows. Three of them were old acquaintances of Yang Hui and his group: the Trinity siblings. After they were captured by the Human Reform League and the Earth Federation was established, Ribbons had fished the three of them out of imprisonment to use as his subordinates.
The last person remained silent, wearing a mask. From her form-fitting clothes, it was clear she was a woman.
"Lord Ribbons, may I ask a favor?" Nena Trinity asked in a playful, cute tone.
"What is it?" Ribbons asked with a smile.
"Can I go to Earth first and kill that bitch Wang Liu Mei?" Nena Trinity used the liveliest of tones to utter the most vicious words.
Regarding Nena Trinity's request, Johann Trinity and Michael Trinity also looked on with anticipation. Back then, they had been captured by the Human Reform League's Top Military unit because of the intel Wang Liu Mei had given them.
After being captured by the Human Reform League, they had been used as guinea pigs for various cruel experiments. The hideous scars on Johann and Michael's faces were left from that time, and Nena... was the most tragic of the three.
They hated Wang Liu Mei for betraying them, and Yang Hui, who had instructed her, to the extreme. With Ribbons' help, they had already killed everyone who had laid a hand on them. Their remaining targets for revenge were only Yang Hui and everything related to him.
"No." To the siblings' surprise, Ribbons refused directly. "This is a critical moment. We don't have time to spare for you to go to Earth."
"But Lord Ribbons..."
Slap!
Nena Trinity wanted to argue further, but Ribbons stepped forward and struck her across the face.
"Nena!"
"You..."
Both Johann and Michael were extremely protective of their sister. Seeing her struck, they instinctively prepared to flare up in anger, but a sidelong glare from Ribbons made them submissively lower their heads. Since being rescued by Ribbons, they had gradually come to realize how terrifying he was. Moreover, Ribbons held leverage over them; they dared to be angry but did not dare to speak out.
"I do not wish to say the same thing a second time. Do you understand?"
"Under... understood."
The three siblings lowered their heads and answered submissively. The masked woman remained silent throughout, showing no emotional fluctuation, as if she were a robot.
"Go, A01. I'm counting on you."
The masked woman nodded and turned to leave.
Seeing this, the Trinity siblings could only follow obediently. But looking at A01 ahead of them, who was like a robot, they were burning with scorn and planned to take it out on her.
"You robot, wait a minute!"
Nena Trinity reached out from behind to grab A01's shoulder, but the moment she touched her, A01 caught her hand with a back-hand grip, dislocated Nena's wrist, and threw her aside.
"Nena! You bas—"
Click!
A01 still didn't speak, and her emotions showed no fluctuation. She directly drew her gun and aimed it at Michael Trinity, who had pulled out a knife. From beneath the mask came a fragmented electronic voice: "Mission... interference... eliminate..."
"...Tch!" Johann Trinity pulled Nena back and then patted Michael's shoulder, signaling him to put the knife away. "Pardon us. We had no intention of interfering with your mission."
Upon hearing this, A01 holstered her gun and continued forward as if nothing had happened.
The Trinity siblings watched her leave with resentment.
"Big brother, why didn't you let me teach her a lesson!?" Michael Trinity asked indignantly.
"Exactly! She's just a robot! Why should we be afraid of her!?" Nena was equally furious.
"Now is not the time. Ribbons still has leverage over us," Johann explained to his siblings. "Regardless of who she is, if we want to stay alive, we shouldn't provoke her. Do not anger Ribbons."
"But Johann, why... why don't we just kill Ribbons?" Nena's heart had grown even more twisted; if things didn't go her way, she wanted to resort to killing.
"Yeah! He doesn't look that tough! If we kill him, we'll have our freedom!" Michael agreed.
"It's not time yet." Their suggestion was tempting, and Johann wanted to do it too. Having endured so much, he was the only one of the three who could still maintain a modicum of reason. Besides revenge, his greatest goal was freedom—to take his siblings and live freely without any constraints, no longer being anyone's tool, no longer following anyone's orders.
But precisely because of that sliver of reason, he sensed that Ribbons would not be so easily killed. Their lives were still in Ribbons' hands. For himself and for his siblings, he could not take the risk.
"Wait for an opportunity. I promise you, once there is a chance, I will kill him and take you away."
"Johann... don't forget the revenge!"
"Mhm. I won't forget, not in this lifetime." Johann pulled his siblings into an embrace. "Myer Stewart... Wang Liu Mei... and Smirnov..."
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