With Reid's retreat, the battlefield of the Mollaria Republic returned to its original state, leaving only the severely battered Mollaria Republic soldiers and the Innovators.
Thus, Lockon asked over the comms,
"What do we do now?"
Hana reacted quickly and replied directly,
"Skip all plans before Phase Five and proceed directly to Phase Six (the so-called Phase Six involves charging straight into the military headquarters to force the Mollaria Republic government to surrender). The Mollaria Republic is already severely weakened; we must end this quickly."
After Hana proposed the plan, none of the four Gundam pilots objected. In the previous battle, the Mollaria Republic's various Gouf units had suffered heavy losses (mostly destroyed by the Hell King and Behemoth equipped with the Lambda Driver), leaving less than thirty percent remaining. Moreover, they had lost their will to fight and were only remaining vigilant because the Innovators hadn't withdrawn yet.
Therefore, Hana planned to execute a sudden reversal, having the four Innovator Gundams feign retreat while actually moving into the ravine leading directly to the military headquarters. If they could successfully strike at the heart of the enemy, Veda's mission would be accomplished.
Seeing the Innovators' Gundam pilots return to their normal mission procedures, Wang Liu Mei sighed in relief and remarked,
"Phew, there have been too many surprises. Spatiotemporal entanglement... organizations hidden in history... fascinating, truly fascinating.
Hong Long, that Tem Ray mentioned they're called the Onmyoji, right? That's the Onmyoji from the pre-Qin era, during the Hundred Schools of Thought period."
The Hong Long Wang Liu Mei referred to was her elder brother. Lacking talent in household management and strategy, he now served as her personal bodyguard and butler, while also being a member of the Innovators.
However, Hong Long's lack of strategic acumen didn't mean he was unintelligent—he was an expert in Chinese martial arts, information investigation, and computer hacking.
Thus, in response to his sister's seemingly inquisitive but actually teasing remark, Hong Long directly replied,
"Records of the Onmyoji primarily appear in ancient historical texts like 'Records of the Grand Historian' and 'Book of Han.' Compared to the Brotherhood of Assassins, Witch Cult, Ouroboros, and Clock Tower, it's an organization with clear historical documentation.
The earliest recorded representative of the Onmyoji was Zou Yan from the Warring States period, but there are no records of him participating in any so-called secret organizations. His main contributions were proposing the Five Elements, the Theory of the Five Virtues, and the Great Nine Provinces Theory. From my perspective, given the productivity and communication capabilities of that era, it would have been impossible for an organization capable of connecting civilizations across the world to exist."
As soon as Hong Long finished speaking, before Wang Liu Mei could respond, a male voice suddenly came from above,
"From an ordinary person's perspective, you're absolutely correct."
The voice startled everyone present, and the five Innovator members all looked up toward the source.
The newcomer was, naturally, Reid, still wearing his pilot suit.
Reid could predict that Hana would inform Wang Liu Mei about his contact after this incident.
However, whether Wang Liu Mei would relay his warning to Alejandro Corner and Ribbons Almark was something Reid couldn't estimate.
Because Wang Liu Mei's thought process was quite peculiar, and Reid found it difficult to grasp.
Therefore, Reid had to come here to demonstrate his capabilities, ensuring Wang Liu Mei wouldn't dare harbor too many schemes and would relay his warning to Alejandro Corner and Ribbons Almark. This was to prevent them from orchestrating covert maneuvers behind the scenes, which could hinder his future movements in the AD Universe.
Thus, Reid returned to the Granshaow, confirmed that Veda had failed to locate the Granshaow via the network, and flew toward the villa he had previously scouted.
To ensure communication, the villa arranged by Wang Liu Mei was located near the Mollaria Republic. So, Reid and the others arrived while they were still discussing whether to proceed with Veda's follow-up plans.
What followed was straightforward: Hoshino Ruri infiltrated the villa's security system, directly resulting in Reid and his team incapacitating the security personnel outside without anyone inside being aware.
By the time Reid entered this temporary command room of Celestial Being, the entire building, aside from Reid's people, had only five individuals still conscious downstairs.
At that moment, noticing everyone's gaze fixed on him, Reid casually jumped down from the second floor, then opened his helmet visor to reveal his face.
Subsequently, Ange and the Xia sisters also jumped down together, though they did not open their helmets, making it discernible only from their pilot suits that they were female.
Noin, along with Salia and Hilda, stood guard inside and outside the room, while the Black Tri-Stars piloted their Mobile Suits to provide external protection.
Such an act of jumping from the second floor clearly couldn't sway Wang Liu Mei's judgment. She was still able to smile and say,
"Sir, this is a private residence. Trespassing is illegal, you know. Did my retainers outside not stop you?"
Reid looked at this cunning young girl, sensing the inexplicable curiosity in her heart, and replied,
"If the outside world would acknowledge the residence of Celestial Being as private property, I wouldn't mind debating it with you in court.
As for the people outside, I thought they were working too hard, so I let them take a nap. Though their sleeping posture isn't great—they'll likely wake up with stiff necks and sore muscles. It'd be best to let them rest for a couple of days."
Upon hearing this, Wang Liu Mei understood that the security personnel outside were all alive. Since the other party hadn't resorted to lethal force against them, she needn't worry about her own safety.
Thus, Wang Liu Mei smiled even more brightly and said again,
"Is that so? Then, sir, won't you introduce yourself first? I can't keep calling you 'sir' all the time."
Hearing this, Reid deliberately glanced at Hana and said in a teasing tone,
"How impolite of me. I had already communicated with Miss Hana earlier, asking her to relay a message to Miss Wang Liu Mei. It seems Miss Hana did not deliver my words."
At Reid's remark, the other four members of Celestial Being looked at Hana in astonishment, their expressions incredulous. Hong Long, who had been partially shielding Wang Liu Mei from Reid, even took a few steps toward Hana, clearly no longer trusting her.
Hana was rendered speechless under the gaze of her companions, momentarily unsure how to explain herself.
Fortunately, Reid came to her rescue at that moment, stepping slowly toward Hong Long and saying,
"But it doesn't matter. It seems Miss Hana didn't believe what I said, which is why she didn't inform Miss Wang Liu Mei. After all, we only met for the first time yesterday, so I'll speak for myself from now on."
"Miss Wang Liu Mei, my name is Reid Isaac. My current superior just concluded a global broadcast, which I assume you've watched in its entirety."
Even if Reid hadn't stated it, Hong Long already knew this man before them belonged to that mysterious organization, and was likely a minor leader.
As Reid approached, Hong Long tensed up and warned:
"Stop right there! Don't come any closer."
Normally, Hong Long would have drawn his weapon by now, but he knew countless guns were likely trained on their position. Drawing his weapon would not only guarantee his death but might also implicate his younger sister, Wang Liu Mei.
It must be said that Hong Long was a good elder brother. In the original storyline, Wang Liu Mei somewhat looked down on and disrespected him, yet he diligently fulfilled his duty of protecting his sister, even dying while shielding her from gunfire.
Unfortunately, Reid also had protection. Seeing Hong Long's aggressive intent, Xia Yufang instantly lunged forward, aiming a whip kick at his head.
However, since Reid had previously instructed to avoid killing if possible, Xia Yufang merely intended to knock Hong Long unconscious like the others, recognizing him as just a high-level bodyguard with no decision-making authority.
Though Hong Long reacted in time and dodged by ducking, Xia Yufang was too fast—before he could counterattack, she used her spinning momentum to launch a second kick.
Hong Long could no longer evade this time, because dodging would leave Wang Liu Mei behind him exposed to the kick. Given his sister's physique, a direct hit could easily prove fatal.
Thus, Hong Long had no choice but to cross his arms and firmly block the kick, deliberately refusing to retreat to dissipate the force.
Reid admired Hong Long's determination. Without retreating to absorb the impact, Yufang's kick would have surely fractured his arms, yet he still managed to block and throw a punch to force her back.
But Hong Long was clearly struggling. However much he endured, the pain and injuries remained real—the fine sweat on his face was evidence.
Simultaneously, Reid and Wang Liu Mei both commanded:
"Yufang, stand down." "Hong Long, step back."
Xia Yufang obeyed Reid's order without hesitation, slowly retreating behind him.
Hong Long, however, continued staring intently at Reid, ignoring Wang Liu Mei's command to withdraw.
Wang Liu Mei wasn't angry, understanding Hong Long only sought to protect her. Still, she feigned sternness:
"Hong Long, I said step back! If Mr. Reid meant us harm, we'd already be lying on the ground."
With Wang Liu Mei insisting, Hong Long had no choice but to retreat, allowing Reid to approach her.
Since Wang Liu Mei was only seventeen at this time—and a late bloomer (referring not to figure but height; by the second season she'd only be half a head shorter than Hong Long, whereas now she only reached his shoulder)—Reid looked at her as if seeing a child.
Wang Liu Mei discerned something from Reid's gaze and immediately placed her hands on her hips, declaring:
"Mr. Reid, you seem to be thinking something quite rude. Did you come here just to mock me?"
Naturally, Reid didn't voice his thoughts, merely shaking his head:
"I was just thinking you're too scheming for such a young girl. Hedging your bets too much can easily backfire. The transformation Aeolia Schenberg spoke of will only plunge human history into another cycle. I advise you not to cling too stubbornly to it."
Reid wasn't speaking recklessly - having read the script, he knew Wang Liu Mei had long been suffocated by her family responsibilities. She wanted to rely on so-called reforms to change her family's model and liberate her own life.
But this gave Wang Liu Mei the feeling of being seen through. However, some matters couldn't be known by outsiders, so she revealed a threatening expression and said:
"Mr. Reid, what do you mean by this?"
Reid indicated that today he had come precisely to show off. Based on some information provided by Ruri and his own perception, he directly addressed Christina and Feldt in front of the console:
"Miss Christina Sierra has secretly opened communications with the Gundam pilots since I appeared. So while she appears calm on the surface, she's exceptionally nervous inside.
And this Miss Feldt Grace has been secretly sending distress signals externally. However, she's very skilled at controlling her emotions, remaining completely calm inside. It's just that her methods aren't as sophisticated as Miss Christina Sierra's - all her distress signals have been intercepted."
After speaking, Reid turned to Hana and said with a smile:
"As for Miss Hana, she's currently cursing me wildly in her heart for putting her in this situation. The resentment is almost visible to the naked eye."
Finally, Reid turned his gaze back to Wang Liu Mei and said:
"As for you, Miss Wang Liu Mei, your curiosity is off the charts right now. I'm not the Innate Innovator that Aeolia Schenberg mentioned. The Innovators he spoke of have abilities similar to mine, but they're actually not the same thing. After all, he only had partial understanding of this aspect."
After Reid's round of revelations, unless Wang Liu Mei was foolish, she could guess that the man before her had mind-reading-like abilities. But to get a definite answer, she still asked:
"Mr. Reid, can you read minds?"
Reid still shook his head at this, directly skipping the topic:
"You guess whether I can or not. Alright, let's get to business. I know you're acquainted with Alejandro Corner and Ribbons Almark.
Tell them not to think about using the Otherworld Entanglement incident for anything. Additionally, if information about me and my team members' appearances gets leaked, regardless of who does it, I will expose all supporters of the Innovators.
Your so-called observers, quasi-Innovators, Gundam pilots, Celestial Being bases - all information, including personal identities, will be made public by me.
Moreover, as the captain of the execution team, I will find ways to eliminate anyone who obstructs our resolution of the otherworldly entities. Those who aren't afraid to die can try."
Just as Reid finished speaking, Gaia suddenly said in the squad comms (the helmet had communication functions):
"Boss, the Archangel is approaching, but it's just that single unit."
Hearing this, Reid directly said:
"Intercept it, but watch out for Kyrios' sniping. The Innovators' Gundam pilots aren't stupid - they should know that a single unit charging at us has no chance of winning."
Reid didn't bother hiding this from the people present.
However, Reid also knew it was time to withdraw. The system judged that this phase of the incident would end when all four Celestial Being Gundams had withdrawn from the Mollaria Republic.
Regardless of whether the Innovators ultimately suppressed the Mollaria Republic military, as long as all four Gundams withdrew beyond the national border, the mission should be completed.
So, the fastest Gundam, Dynames, has already appeared. Assuming all four Gundams are coming to support this location, the other three should also be close to crossing the border.
After finishing his conversation with Gaia, Reid turned to Wang Liu Mei and the others and continued.
"As I said before, as long as you don't actually interfere with us, we won't involve ourselves in your activities in the surface world. So, fighting against your Innovators' Gundams is completely meaningless. I've said all I wanted to say. Let's end it here for today."
After speaking, Reid turned around and prepared to leave.
At that moment, Hana, wanting to probe Reid further, spoke up.
"Mr. Reid, you said you don't like the codename ET. So what would you prefer us to call you?"
Reid deliberately acted as if he disagreed with the persona he had previously portrayed as Tem Ray and replied directly.
"To be honest, I'm not really satisfied with the names Dr. Tem Ray suggested. I originally wanted to call my organization the Time-Space Administration Bureau, but those old-timers insisted that we don't actually manage anything, so they rejected that name.
So, I came up with a new one. How about the codename: SDP? It stands for the initials of Secure, Destroy, Protect.
After all, my current responsibilities are to control the frequency of Otherworld Entanglement, destroy all otherworldly beings, and protect the existing world."
Just as Reid finished speaking, all four Gundams had completely left the Mollaria Republic.
From the perspectives of Hana, Wang Liu Mei, Hong Long, Christina, and Feldt—since they couldn't see the red code—Reid and the others suddenly vanished.
The five of them were completely stunned, until Alleluia's voice came through the comms.
"Report, the enemies above the villa have suddenly disappeared. Miss Hana, what's the situation on your end?"
At that moment, the five of them snapped out of their daze. Wang Liu Mei's expression twisted unusually, as if she had slightly lost her composure, and she said.
"This is troublesome. They really do have spatial teleportation technology. Although I don't know what the limitations are, I'm really curious. I want to strip this man bare and see what secrets he's hiding."
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!