Such killing couldn't be accomplished even if he remained in the Atlantic Federation. Even if he managed to climb to high positions there, aside from the question of how he would identify his targets, hidden factions like the Freemason New World Order Founders and Death Merchants would never let go of such a useful tool.
Want to destroy the world? Even better—they also wanted to eliminate Coordinators, so half their goals aligned. As long as they maintained control over people, that was enough. At worst, they could turn Creuset into Copies and mass-produce him endlessly.
The mere thought of mass-produced Creuset Copies appearing was enough to make Fred shudder with fear.
This was Fred's understanding of the oligarchs behind Blue Cosmos: accustomed to arrogant control from their lofty positions, always believing everything would remain within their grasp. They disregarded ethics and principles, serving only profit while ignoring how they were playing with fire all along.
However, if Fred wanted to kill, he needed to scheme and connect with higher-ups. Having no power base of his own, he could only borrow influence.
Standing before Fred, Andrew watched the young man lost in thought and shrugged. "We'll definitely be able to remove the mask," he said, his voice unusually comforting, mistaking Fred's silence for uncertainty.
"Mm, alright," Fred nodded, emerging from his thoughts.
...
They gradually came to a stop while still some distance from PLANT, not flying directly there. Being a merchant ship, it naturally couldn't dock directly at Julius. Moreover, Council Nation inspections were conducted near the port—going straight in was too risky.
"So we'll transfer to a small shuttlecraft next. The East Asian sector's inspection isn't too strict—we'll enter from there," Andrew said, standing in the hangar and giving a rare formal military salute to the four before him.
Everyone in the hangar gazed seriously at Fred. Though they didn't know if they'd meet again, this mission would likely remain an unforgettable experience throughout their lives. Naturals weren't weaker than Coordinators—hard as it was to admit, the evidence was right before their eyes.
"No need to see us off. We'll meet at Julius," Andrew smiled from the center of the surrounding crew.
"See you at Julius," Fred replied with a laugh, already wearing his mask.
Without further pleasantries, Andrew turned and left after their brief farewell, while Alec remained standing rigidly in place.
"I've applied for reassignment. Starting today, I'll serve as your guard," Alec said with lowered eyes.
"Hm?" Fred looked at the young man.
He knew Alec, though not well—the character had limited appearances in side stories. Vaguely, he remembered Alec would become the future commander of the Southeast Asian battlefield, known by both allies and enemies as "The Gentleman" for always fighting honorably and strictly adhering to war treaties that few others followed.
Such a gentle person shouldn't survive long on the battlefield, yet he somehow managed—perhaps because that particular battlefield was relatively gentle itself.
But undoubtedly, in terms of future positions, this person would likely be on equal footing with Tiger.
However, the weight of the same position varies depending on the importance of the battlefield.
"Thank you."
Fred didn't refuse, as he genuinely wanted more opportunities to spar with the other party.
Moreover, he lacked his own people here.
Building a faction here was impossible—the Zodiac Alliance wouldn't permit such actions.
But having a few close friends within a small circle wasn't a major issue.
After finishing their conversation, the group soon boarded a shuttlecraft that detached from the transport ship.
"Speaking of which, it's fortunate that East Asia didn't follow the Atlantic's actions, or the situation would have been much more troublesome."
On the shuttle with only a few people, Alec sighed.
East Asia remained independent; while the Atlantic and Eurasia might unite under Blue Cosmos' mediation, East Asia would not.
Or rather, Blue Cosmos simply couldn't infiltrate it.
"East Asia is indeed a safer and more stable place."
George chimed in with a sigh.
"My previous business trip there was quite comfortable, but my superiors here... alas."
"Mr. George, you no longer have to aid and abet wrongdoing like before here in PLANT."
Alec offered comfort.
"I should be thanking you all for that."
Not hearing more information about East Asia, Fred snapped out of the meaningless small talk between the two and gazed at the dozens of Drake-class vessels leisurely floating outside PLANT. These imposing ships were clustered around an Agamemnon-class vessel.
It was the Ming Yang, along with its escort fleet.
Dozens of Drake-class ships—the very same he would struggle to handle individually. If the Nelson-class had been completed, the scene would have been even more daunting.
These were East Asia's defense forces.
In the original storyline, East Asia received very little coverage.
Even side stories focused more on Southeast Asia, and much of this world's history had been lost after the Recombinant War.
Thus, East Asia was both the region he understood the least and yet felt most familiar with.
He had considered going there, but currently he knew nothing about that ancestral land. His father had little information, and there was no way to verify anything.
The world was different now; uncertain matters required gradual exploration and contact, allowing both sides opportunities to understand each other.
Just like when he had assisted Lenore back at Copernicus.
After all, besides maintaining PLANT's balance of power, Earth's equilibrium was equally crucial.
East Asia might be a breakthrough point. He couldn't achieve world peace alone—to prolong peaceful times, the global structure needed to return to balance and stability, preserving or even improving the existing United Nations order.
Fred had no intention of delving too deeply into these matters. Specialization was key; one person couldn't manage everything.
His role was simply to eliminate destabilizing factors as much as possible, then entrust the world to reliable people or factions.
As Fred pondered this, the small shuttle continued forward. Just as Andrew had said, their shuttle entered Januarius City smoothly with only a standard pass, without even a single inquiry.
As for why it was Januarius City? Simply because East Asia was responsible for sectors one through four.
At that moment, aboard the lead Agamemnon-class vessel, two East Asians watched as the shuttle flew farther toward PLANT territory.
"Captain Wang, they are indeed searching for that young man named Fred."
"But according to our intelligence, he should already be dead."
"Hmm..."
The burly man addressed as Captain Wang revealed no trace of his thoughts on his resolute face.
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