Tieria's breathing seemed to stop. Xiao Ran's words left him stunned, his eyes vacant and his breathing rapid. Before long, he began shaking his head slightly and said in disbelief, "That's impossible. Why didn't VEDA tell me?"
Aside from Tieria, everyone else present wore various expressions—disbelief, shock, or confusion.
Amid their differing reactions, Xiao Ran replied calmly, "It's simple. First, your authorization level isn't high enough. Second, someone with higher authority didn't want you to know, so it's perfectly normal that you didn't. There are four people like you under my command: the pilots of those three red Gundams, and someone designated 874. I think you know who that is."
"Her?" Tieria's mouth fell open as he murmured, "How is that possible?"
The corner of Xiao Ran's mouth lifted. "There's nothing impossible about it. VEDA can't determine whether someone has modified the Quantum Computer, but it can't hide it from one person. As long as that person gives the order and instructions, nothing is impossible."
Tieria seemed to understand something. He stared blankly at Xiao Ran for a long while without saying a word. The person Xiao Ran had mentioned also made everyone present frown, unable for the moment to guess who that person could be.
Seeing the flicker of realization in Tieria's eyes, Xiao Ran spoke again. "Now you should understand why Celestial Being exists, right? But if you want to know more about Celestial Being, I suggest you personally visit Celestial Being's base."
Tieria's lips moved as he muttered, "Under that person's command... carry out the plan absolutely... eliminate every threat... including internal threats..."
"I understand." Tieria drew a deep breath, regaining his composure. He nodded and said, "If possible, I hope to go to Celestial Being's base as soon as possible."
"I'm going too." Setsuna suddenly spoke