If the two of them had not been certain before whether Xiao Ran had returned, then A-LAWS's utterly unreasonable actions had completely confirmed it.
A-LAWS had been established after the original three nations formed the Earth Federation, born from their helplessness in dealing with Celestial Being. It was a powerful military force created specifically to oppose Celestial Being, an independent unit with extraordinarily high authority and resources. It had the right to command local garrisons and to act independently without reporting to anyone.
This force possessed enormous authority and independence unmatched by any other military unit. It had its own logistics organization, funding sources, independent research institutes, logistics departments, and recruitment channels. It could even transfer any Federation soldier into its ranks.
Back then, Xiao Ran, as the first commander of this force, had been given great importance by the Federation. He had not disappointed those who placed their trust in him, successfully leading the unit in resolving the threat Celestial Being posed to the Federation. He had stabilized Earth's environment and turned the Federation into the sole dominant power. Yet after achieving such great merit, Xiao Ran had chosen to retire and rest. At the time, many had found that utterly incomprehensible. Given Xiao Ran's status, accomplishments, and the special nature of A-LAWS, he would not have needed long to become the Federation's foremost military figure.
Yet even under those circumstances, Xiao Ran had handed over all his authority and chosen to leave. Whether he truly wanted to rest, needed to recover from the psychological trauma of war, or had chosen to withdraw at the height of his career, the Federation had not forgotten his contributions. And for certain reasons—specifically because of Ribbons, the true power behind A-LAWS and the Federation—even after Xiao Ran had vanished for several years,