After exiting the council chamber, Luo Shu glanced at the black car parked on the steps and entered without hesitation.
As soon as Luo Shu got in, an arm holding a canned Coke extended towards him.
"Here!"
Luo Shu glanced at Koko beside him before accepting the drink, popping the tab and taking a sip.
Soon after, Aya Tokoyogi and Serafall boarded the vehicle, taking seats opposite Luo Shu.
Before the car moved off, Koko, sucking on a lollipop, smirked mischievously:
"So, did my brilliant idea manage to give any Union ambassadors heart attacks?"
Hearing this playful remark, Luo Shu couldn't help but glare at her before responding with mixed amusement and exasperation:
"I can't confirm any deaths, but someone definitely fainted after I left."
"The old man from the British Union collapsed? How fragile!"
Koko remained utterly unfazed, even finding room for humour:
"Well then, choosing his deceased mother as our target turned out to be exceptionally effective!"
"You're utterly shameless."
Luo Shu could barely muster the energy to complain about someone taking pride in desecrating graves:
"Not only did you come up with this vile scheme and make me execute it, but now you're laughing about it? Is this funny to you?"
"Of course it's funny."
Koko casually removed the lollipop from her mouth and stuffed it into Luo Shu's, then said with malicious glee:
"At the very least, it proves we've achieved most of our objectives, doesn't it?"
As she spoke, Koko began counting off on her fingers:
"First, we protected Aya Tokoyogi during this meeting. Second, we delivered a stern warning to the Unions. And third, when all's said and done, we've only thoroughly offended one soon-to-be-expendable British Union ambassador. That's pretty cost-effective, no?"
At this point, Natsuki Minamiya turned from the front seat, looking over the backrest to shoot Koko a glance:
"Stop downplaying the consequences."
"While the deterrence objective was achieved, the most critical issue is that the SDS's capabilities have been almost completely exposed."
First, the space fleet; then the orbital weapons capable of biosphere-level extinction; topped off with Demigod-led decapitation-strike deterrence.
After these three consecutive moves, Natsuki Minamiya would have been surprised if the Five Great Powers hadn't conceded.
Although the Five Great Powers possess strategic-level Abyss Artefacts capable of eliminating any threat, the SDS's orbital weapons are no less formidable.
Both represent humanity-ending weapons. Even if the SDS's might be slightly inferior, at this level of destruction, such minor differences mean nothing to Union leadership.
After all, they're still just ordinary humans, aren't they?
Since they were ordinary people, they could be killed—especially by weapons of mass destruction, where activation almost guaranteed death.
Without a life-or-death conflict, who would be willing to trade one-for-one with the SDS just for the sake of Aya Tokoyogi?
At the very least, the leaders of the Five Great Powers were unwilling.
Yet, while they had forced the Union to compromise, an even bigger problem had been stirred up by Luo Shu and Koko, the two troublemakers.
Just thinking about it made Natsuki Minamiya's head throb:
"Thanks to you two, the SDS's trump cards have probably been thoroughly exposed by the Union this time. Who knows what kind of targeting we'll face next?"
"Resource blockades, economic sanctions, technology embargoes—tch, I wonder if we'll get just one or the whole set."
"Honestly, how could Lacus agree to your plan, Koko, and let you run wild like this?"
"And you, Luo Shu."
Natsuki turned her gaze to Luo Shu, eyeing him gloomily as she complained:
"I really didn't expect you to actually agree with Koko's idea—and then worry the deterrence wasn't strong enough, so you personally stepped in to execute it."
"We could've just had Koko threaten the Union ambassador, but no, you had to take the field yourself..."
"Fine, compared to Koko, your deterrence is indeed much stronger. But the real issue is—you actually agreed to Koko's plan and made me rush all the way to the British Union to dig up someone's ancestral grave..."
At this point, Natsuki couldn't help but let a bit of personal resentment seep into her tone.
Making a round trip between the British Union and Japan in half an hour to desecrate graves—Natsuki truly felt she must have been insane to help these two with such a disgraceful act.
Faced with Natsuki's accusations, Koko merely smirked smugly:
"In arms deals, any seller who doesn't bare their fangs gets devoured by the buyer!"
"I was helping Luo Shu establish his authority in the negotiations, alright?!"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "Except this wasn't an arms deal—it was an official political negotiation, wasn't it?"
"Don't get hung up on the details. It's all the same in the end..."
Koko leaned against the car window, propping her chin on one hand:
"It's just survival of the fittest, wrapped in a prettier package."
"This world isn't some gentle paradise where you can live peacefully just by hiding your fangs."
Natsuki had no rebuttal—especially when she saw Luo Shu silently smiling in tacit agreement, leaving her utterly exasperated.
Out of a teacher's sense of responsibility, she naturally wished for her students and friends to thrive in peaceful environments, to fulfil their potential, and to live their best lives.
But unfortunately, this world wasn't as peaceful as she had imagined.
In fact, compared to the world she came from, the one she now inhabited was even more dangerous.
Her original world, at most, had demons, vampires, and the remnants of the old gods lurking beneath a peace treaty, engaged in covert struggles—a postwar world of uneasy peace.
This world was harsher, with the mystic side directly challenging the order of the world, marking the transition between old and new eras.
And the most awkward part? The SDS—or rather, the Hidden Management Department—might very well be at the forefront of this upheaval.
Which only deepened Natsuki's frustration.
"After this mess, the SDS will probably become a prime surveillance target for the Five Great Powers."
"Even if our past relations were close, the American Union and the Chinese Union will likely be looking at us with strange eyes now."
"Then let them stare."
Luo Shu chuckled lightly. Though his gaze was fixed out the window, the corners of his lips curled into a faint, amused arc:
"They actually dared to demand Aya... They must have long prepared themselves to keep a death grip on us."
"I'm not their father—why should I satisfy their every demand?"
Aya Tokoyogi shot Luo Shu a glance, seemingly displeased at being portrayed as an easy target in his words.
If not for Luo Shu orchestrating four Demigods to besiege her and dragging Natsuki Minamiya into it, the Union wouldn't even have been able to locate her, let alone encounter such a situation.
Compared to Aya Tokoyogi's dissatisfaction, Natsuki Minamiya appeared to have already anticipated Luo Shu's response. After a brief sigh, she said:
"We just received word that Lacus wants to meet you."
Hearing this, Luo Shu was surprised, though he'd also been thinking about asking this pink-haired sweetheart some questions. Thus, he smiled and said:
"Then let's head back. I actually have some things I'd like to discuss with her, too!"