Reid's threat seemed to be a warning to the three major powers, which had not yet officially formed the Earth Federation. In reality, however, Alejandro and Ribbons, who were monitoring the battlefield remotely, both knew that Reid's words were definitely meant for them.
Alejandro, however, felt fine at the moment. He didn't know that Ribbons had been in contact with Kowloon. He merely planned to silently commit the name "Kowloon" to memory and deal with him after he had acquired everything from the Celestial Beings.
As for Ribbons, although he knew Reid was not yet aware that he was the one hiding Kowloon, his heart still skipped a beat. After all, he currently had no way to contend with Reid's SDP.
Fortunately, Kowloon had little value left in Ribbons's eyes. He had served his purpose of annoying Reid (to the point that Reid had issued a bounty to the three major powers on Earth), his story had been heard, and his DNA information had been collected.
Now, let's use him one last time to attract Reid's attention. Don't want Reid getting a sudden whim to come over and stop me from controlling Veda.
Thus, Ribbons silently sent an instruction to Kowloon on Earth via Veda, telling him that the Mobile Suit he had been promised was ready for him to seize.
At the same time, Ribbons also issued an order to Sachez to proceed as planned.
Reid was still unaware of Ribbons's little maneuvers. Here, among the Union and AEU Wodom Pod units and the Celestial Beings, there was no major reaction after Reid finished speaking.
This was because the organization behind SDP had already said as much in the Mollaria Republic; this was just an extra emphasis.
Therefore, after digesting the explosive information from Reid, Kati Mannequin said, "Understood, SDP Commander. I will report what you have just said to my superiors, word for word. As for what action my superiors will take, I can make no promises.
"However, if we do find this Kowloon, how do we notify you?"
Reid knew Kati Mannequin was still probing, but he was happy to indulge her. He answered directly, "Just bring Kowloon in front of a camera and have him turn around a few times. We'll know. However, if you want to claim the reward, remember to capture him alive. Once a person from another world dies, they're just like those teleported Mobile Suits—nothing will be left behind."
Kati Mannequin responded immediately, "Understood. All units, return to the ship for now."
Although the Union and AEU Wodom Pod units immediately carried out Kati Mannequin's order, the Union personnel were clearly confused.
Daryl Dodge contacted the command ship on a private channel and asked, "Colonel, are we just letting the Celestial Beings go?"
Kati Mannequin looked at Daryl Dodge and said coolly, "Since SDP has asked the Celestial Beings to help with the search, they won't allow us to destroy them now. With the justification of Otherworld Entanglement, it's not appropriate for us to force a confrontation.
"Also, Warrant Officer Dodge, our private communications are not secure. It's very likely that SDP is monitoring our conversation right now. We'll talk more when you get back."
Hearing this, Daryl Dodge could only return to the ship, no matter how unwilling he felt.
However, Daryl Dodge didn't know that Kati Mannequin had no intention of letting the Celestial Beings off so easily. The current retreat was just to buy time for the damaged Mobile Suits to replace parts (swapping out an entire arm is very fast). Once SDP left, she would launch a surprise attack.
Reid couldn't possibly know what was on Kati Mannequin's mind. And even if he did, he wouldn't come out to save the Celestial Beings a second time.
He had already helped the Celestial Beings through their most dangerous moment. It was time for them to face the fact that Veda had been seized by someone else.
Thus, seeing that the four Gundams had also retreated (Kyrios was pulling Virtue along; without Lockon's injury, Tieria was still withdrawn and depressed), Reid had Hoshino Ruri send a private message to the Ptolemy: "Please do your best from now on." Then, he led his team away from this space zone.
After returning to the Gran Chaos, Reid immediately gave his orders.
"Next, Yufang, Yulan, take your respective Mobile Suits and board the Hypersonic Transport Plane with me to Earth. (This is the model from Wing, modified for space use with an increased volume, expanded cabin, and the addition of an Obscuration Umbrella system and GN Capacitors.)
"Liuli, find Wang Liu Mei and arrange a meeting with her.
"Everyone else, stay on the Gran Chaos and keep an eye on the Ptolemy. However, unless an Otherworld Entanglement occurs, do not intervene in any wars they face.
"If Exia or an Armored Container departs from the Ptolemy alone, Belfgang, you will secretly follow in the Mystic Lightning. Subsequently, as long as Exia is not in danger of being destroyed, you only need to observe. There is no need to intervene."
No one had any objections to Reid's arrangements. Meeting with Wang Liu Mei clearly meant he was truly planning to use the Celestial Beings' channels to find Kowloon this time.
As for watching the Celestial Beings, it was natural, as the Otherworld Entanglements followed them. And since there was no telling when they might happen, the only option was to wait for them to appear.
After giving his orders, Reid immediately had the Mobile Suits transferred to the Hypersonic Transport Plane.
This operation on Earth was a covert one, so Reid was still piloting the Hermes Zero, which had stealth capabilities and was faster.
As for contacting Wang Liu Mei, Hoshino Ruri would handle it while the Hypersonic Transport Plane was en route to Earth.
After all, Hong Long's account, "Beautiful and Moving Little Lumi," had not been deleted or renamed. It was obvious Wang Liu Mei still wanted to play all sides.
Therefore, Reid planned to let Wang Liu Mei have her fill this time. He was going to disappear for four years, and it was a perfect opportunity to see just how far she would go to break free from her fate (her desire to change the distorted world was a desire to escape the fate of having to serve her family).
Hoshino Ruri's contact with Wang Liu Mei went smoothly. Right now, Wang Liu Mei didn't need to find intelligence for the Celestial Beings; she only needed to toy with the doomed Trinity siblings, so she had plenty of free time.
Soon, Reid received a message that Wang Liu Mei was waiting to meet him in a South Asian rainforest.
With the location set, Reid simply had the Hypersonic Transport Plane adjust its coordinates in space and perform an orbital drop. With the Obscuration Umbrella system, no one would be able to detect the transport plane's entry and exit from the atmosphere, even four years later.
Inside Wang Liu Mei's pink transport plane, Reid once again met Wang Liu Mei and Hong Long, who had already prepared tea and snacks.
Reid didn't stand on ceremony. After seeing the two, he sat down, took a sip of black tea, and started eating the pastries.
Seeing this, Wang Liu Mei smiled and teased, "Mr. Reid seems to have been truly busy lately, to be enjoying even my ordinary pastries so happily."
Reid just shrugged nonchalantly and bluffed, "These pastries of yours taste quite good. As for being busy, I really have been a bit busy. Speaking of which, do you know why I've been so busy?"
Of course, Wang Liu Mei didn't know why Reid was busy. She didn't have the authority to monitor the Celestial Beings' communications in real-time, and Ribbons had never trusted her, so he naturally wouldn't sync any intelligence with her.
However, Wang Liu Mei certainly couldn't admit she knew nothing. She simply smiled and sipped her tea. This time, it was Reid who had come to her, not the other way around. It wasn't her turn to be anxious.
Reid wasn't surprised by Wang Liu Mei's reaction. Aside from her physical and combat abilities, her other skills were top-tier among humans. She certainly wouldn't reveal any weaknesses so easily.
So, Reid got straight to the point. "I need your intelligence network to find someone for me. Kowloon, a terrorist. He's from another world."
He then repeated to Wang Liu Mei and Hong Long what he had said earlier to the Celestial Beings and the joint forces.
Wang Liu Mei's expression grew more and more serious as she listened, but in the end, a foxy smile appeared on her face. She then gave Hong Long a look.
Hong Long instantly understood his sister's meaning and immediately sat down at the transport's computer to work.
After Hong Long began searching for information, Wang Liu Mei smiled and asked, "Reid, may I first ask, if I find Kowloon, what can you offer me?"
Reid heard this and replied very straightforwardly, "You probably don't need money. What you want are secrets and technology. However, for those two, you'll have to tell me your needs, and then I'll consider giving you secrets and technology that match them."
Wang Liu Mei was clearly not satisfied with Reid's answer. She shook her head slightly and said bluntly, "I don't need secrets or technology. If I find Kowloon, tell me how to join the secret organization behind you. Or perhaps, just let me join."
Hearing this, Reid laughed inwardly. This girl really wants to place a bet on my side as well. He smiled and replied, "You want me to be your sponsor to enter the organization?
"Miss Wang Liu Mei, I know you want to rely on the organization behind me to change your fate. Because once you join us, your current restraints will no longer be restraints.
"However, in my opinion, doing so is just jumping from one noose into another. And this new noose is one I've woven myself."
Wang Liu Mei was no fool. She could roughly understand Reid's meaning and asked directly, "Mr. Reid, you mean that if I join the organization behind you, I will be bound to you for a certain period of time and have to obey your every command, is that right?"
Reid gave a half-true, half-false answer to this question.
"As an outsider joining, you'll be tied to me for the rest of your life. Our organization allows people with special abilities to have three wives and four concubines. Yulan and Yufang are actually both my wives.
"For the organization, only those who grew up within it have a certain degree of freedom. Myself and the people on my team are mostly in this situation.
"So, if you join now, you'll basically have to follow me around all the time. Only our children will have freedom."
As Reid said this, he used his Newtype Psychic Power to control his emotions, so Wang Liu Mei couldn't detect any flaws. She could only remark with a sigh, "What kind of old-fashioned organization do you have? Still practicing polygamy? That was phased out centuries ago. I must say, is this what one expects from an organization passed down from ancient times? There are always some dregs left behind."
To this, Reid shrugged his shoulders again and said, "Actually, this isn't a dreg. We have our own special circumstances.
"You should be able to imagine that for us to hide so well, we must have very little contact with mainstream society. So, to grow, we can only rely on having our own children.
"However, the fertility rate of people with special abilities has always been low. Naturally, the only way is to marry more wives and try different combinations. After all, only through natural birth can we ensure that abilities are passed down without strange defects appearing."
Reid's explanation made some sense to Wang Liu Mei. Special privileges for those with special abilities. If someone with a special ability were to appear in the Wang family now, the old folks in the family would definitely use him as a stud horse to see if the ability could be sustainably passed down within the family.
However, although Wang Liu Mei wanted to place a bet on Reid's side, she didn't want to bet herself. Doing so would be like going all-in. If she wasn't satisfied with the life on Reid's side, the cost of breaking away from such an ancient organization would surely be even higher.
So, Wang Liu Mei could only say with a straight face, "If that's the case, it's truly a pity. I don't want to be someone's concubine just yet."
Reid didn't mind and responded directly, "Even if you wanted to now, I couldn't accept you. Although I can have three wives and four concubines, I can't have relations with a minor. Even though you're already 17, we should wait a few more years before discussing such matters."
Reid's words effectively shut down the topic of her joining. So, Wang Liu Mei asked again, "Since I can't join your organization, I don't know what to ask for. Reid, do you have any suggestions?"
Hearing this, Reid knew Wang Liu Mei had finally gotten to the point he wanted to discuss. He answered directly, "I think I can invest in you."
Reid's words brought an interested expression to Wang Liu Mei's face. She asked directly, "Didn't you say I can't join the organization behind you? And you can't have too many connections with mainstream society. How can you invest in me?"
Hearing this, Reid revealed the smile of a hunter who has spotted his prey. He said directly, "It's true that I can't have too many connections with mainstream society, but you, Wang Liu Mei, are different. We already have many connections. If I wanted to sever these connections, the only way would be to silence you.
"As for the investment, that's my personal investment. After I invest in you and build you up into a major power, I have my own ways of reaping the returns."
Wang Liu Mei looked at Reid's expression and felt a chill run down her spine as she heard his words.
At this moment, Wang Liu Mei didn't dare to refuse the investment. Reid had just made it very clear: the connection between them had already been established, and the only way to sever it was to silence her.
Clearly, in Wang Liu Mei's eyes, Reid wouldn't bother with the reasoning that he was the one who initiated contact and she was the passive party when the time came.
At this moment, Hong Long had a breakthrough. He said directly, "I've found Kowloon. He just appeared in Greece, flying a Gouf towards the Middle East."
Wang Liu Mei heard this and asked with confusion, "Can you predict his destination? Is he heading back to the Kingdom of Azadistan?"
To this question, Hong Long answered directly, "No, this direction is towards Deur... The three Throne Angel machines seem to be hiding there. However, during my investigation just now, I discovered that the United Nations' cleanup force is also heading that way. They should arrive much faster than him."
With Hong Long's words, Reid instantly connected all the dots.
Well, I'll be damned. This Ribbons really dares to poke the 'Tiger's' butt. Hoshino Ruri has probably discovered Kowloon by now, too. This is a deliberate attempt to attract my attention. That Ribbons... if I get the chance this time, I must teach him a profound lesson.
Wang Liu Mei also thought of something at this moment. Not just anyone could know the coordinates of the three Throne Angels. If this Kowloon was really heading for the Throne Angels, then things were about to get interesting.
So, Wang Liu Mei stood up and said, "Mr. Reid, please wait a moment. I need to take care of some work first."
After saying that, Wang Liu Mei walked out into the rainforest and feigned a conversation with Johann Trinity, informing him that the joint pursuit force had arrived and that they should run immediately. But she didn't mention a word about Kowloon.
After returning, Wang Liu Mei sat down and asked, "I've found Kowloon. How does Mr. Reid plan to invest in me?"
Hearing this, Reid wasn't in a hurry to intercept Kowloon, because his coordinates would surely change. It would be better to go straight to the place where the Trinity siblings would fall and wait for him there.
So, Reid took out a data disk and exchanged for a tablet computer from the system, gesturing for Wang Liu Mei to look at it herself.
After Wang Liu Mei opened it and looked, her jaw dropped wide enough to swallow a goose egg. Finally, she exclaimed in amazement, "A resource distribution map of Mars including underground water sources, a design for a propulsion system that can make a round trip to Mars in two months, and the forbidden nuclear-powered engine... what a grand gesture."
That's right. Reid had taken out a resource map of Mars with some special metals filtered out, the Vagan's Lightwave Thruster, and the ordinary Nuclear Fission Engine from the CE Universe that could be disabled by a Neutron Jammer, all in one go.
Reid's goal was simple: to give Wang Liu Mei the opportunity to secretly develop a power base on Mars right under everyone's noses.
One had to know that in the AD Universe, even the four Lagrange points around the Earth Sphere were not well-developed. As for the development of Mars, it was practically non-existent, if not completely so.
Even without the latter two technologies, the initial Mars resource distribution map alone was a priceless treasure.
Anyone with even a little power could use this map to gain an absolute first-mover advantage in the development of Mars.
And the latter two technologies were specifically for Wang Liu Mei to develop her own secret power base.
Of course, the nuclear engine was also a trap. This thing was an absolute taboo for the Celestial Beings. Wang Liu Mei knew that if it was exposed, Ribbons would definitely kill her, even if she immediately handed this data over to him.
Because she had seen it, Ribbons would absolutely uproot the entire Wang family of the Human Reform League to prevent any chance of nuclear power making a comeback.
So, Wang Liu Mei couldn't even return the goods now. Once she did, even if Reid didn't turn on her on the spot, her leash would be held tightly in his hands. After all, he wasn't afraid of Ribbons causing trouble for him; perhaps he was even hoping for Ribbons to come looking for trouble right now.
So, Wang Liu Mei accepted the tablet and the data disk, her voice dropping a few notches as she asked, "Is this computer secure?"
Reid glanced at the World Change Fluctuation Value, which had only risen by 2% and stopped at 17.514%, and breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that as long as nuclear power wasn't reintroduced on a large scale, it wouldn't affect the world's trajectory. After all, the final outcome of this world was still humanity and the ELS achieving dialogue and developing together. The minor details in between were all just paving the way for this ultimate goal.
So, Reid answered confidently, "As long as you don't connect this computer to a public network, it is secure. Veda cannot discover it.
"Based on past experience, after I eliminate Kowloon, his influence will rapidly decline, which can be considered a temporary fix.
"That is to say, after one or two more Otherworld Entanglements, the world will return to its former state. Until the next round of large-scale Otherworld Entanglements occurs.
"At that time, I won't be as free as I am now, although I will still be watching you. But I hope that the next time we meet, you will have produced results worthy of my additional investment.
"How to avoid or deceive Veda to develop your own power is your test. You know, if you're discovered, you're dead."
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