This was a feast at Hongmen—a feast she could not refuse.
Seeing Ren Yu sink into thought, Wadeline took the initiative to explain again:
"It's fine. Since Schicksal dared to cast the bait, they had to be prepared for us to drag both the man and the rod into the water." She snorted. "They definitely never imagined that Anti-Entropy's technology would advance so rapidly in just one year. Aside from looking much the same on the outside, the Godfather Legion's internal structure had long since been replaced."
Wadeline gave a cold snort, yet her heart was far from calm. A sharp glint flashed through her eyes—Otto, it was time to settle the score between us!
At the same time, her gaze toward Ren Yu grew even more reluctant.
Yes, reluctant!
In her eyes, Ren Yu was practically Anti-Entropy's lucky star.
Over the past year, Anti-Entropy had obtained all kinds of technology from the vast number of blueprints he had brought.
Among them, reactor miniaturization was one major breakthrough.
Although it could currently only be installed on large mechs, once they had made a start, further miniaturization was only a matter of time.
Besides, during the year they had spent together, Ren Yu's personality had made it impossible for her to dislike him.
She had once asked Ren Yu why he had sought cooperation with Anti-Entropy. With blueprints like these, wouldn't restoration have been faster if he had gone to Schicksal?
Ren Yu had then given her an unforgettable answer.
—I may not be a champion of justice, and I don't care much for heroism, but that doesn't mean I dislike them or like those who rely on their power to manipulate others from behind the scenes.
—I am an ordinary person. I ask myself whether I could sacrifice myself for the greater good, and I cannot. But I will not mock those who are braver than me.
—I can be as humble as dust, but I can never be as twisted as a maggot.
After he said those words, Wadeline had been stunned on the spot, unable to say anything for a long time.
His pulse, heartbeat, gaze, and tone all proved that Ren Yu had not been lying.
From that moment onward, Wadeline's impression of Ren Yu had changed dramatically, and she had even begun to consider bringing him into the Conservatives.
Unfortunately, Ren Yu had ultimately refused her.
Just then, a cool breeze swept by, making the Trees on both sides rustle.
Remembering the way Ren Yu had shaken his head back then, Wadeline looked at the bright, pristine full moon in the sky and murmured, "Why did you refuse me back then...?"
Ren Yu did not answer. He merely remained silent.
Walking back to the dormitory, Ren Yu considered how things would develop next.
Everything was messed up. The entire damn timeline was messed up.
Even the events themselves had changed.
The Tranquility Gem should have been taken to Singapore a few months later by Dr. Maki, who had defected from Schicksal, for a transaction with Anti-Entropy's Cocolia.
But now, Otto had actually brought it out as bait to lure Anti-Entropy in.
No.
More precisely, it was bait to lure in Anti-Entropy's Conservatives.
Ren Yu pondered this. Anti-Entropy currently had twelve Executors, with the Conservatives and Reformists each holding half, representing two different voices within the organization.
The Conservatives were the moderates led by Wadeline, Tesla, and Einstein.
They advocated, "Eliminate the Honkai without harming people themselves," and had always worked toward that goal.
The Reformists, on the other hand, were the faction led by Cocolia, who controlled a private army.
They believed that if Anti-Entropy wanted to develop, it could no longer continue under the Conservatives' outdated ideals. To contend with Schicksal, they had to do whatever it took.
Both sides stood by their own arguments. Both were right, and both were wrong.
The Conservatives' mistake was that they were simply too weak.
—They had passion and ideals, but lacked the strength and foundation needed to wrestle with the deeply entrenched Schicksal.
As for the Reformists...
Forget it. Better not to mention them.
For the sake of development, they had already turned their backs on Anti-Entropy's original founding purpose.
By any means necessary!
Development and expansion above all else!
That was their way of thinking, and it was precisely the outcome for Anti-Entropy that Schicksal most wanted to see.
Ren Yu rubbed his temples.
What a headache!
He had thought things would not develop this quickly. At the very least, nothing should have happened until he got the crystals and the Apocalypse Greatsword, then made a trip to the Sea of Quantum.
After all, this was still a time when even the Moonlight Throne reactor had not been completed.
This was 2015!
Urgent: There Was an Extra...
St. Freya Teacher Dormitory, Block C.
Ren Yu stood outside his room.
Click.
The mechanical lock turned.
He withdrew his index finger from the fingerprint scanner, pushed open the door, and walked inside.
A lot had happened today. Ren Yu was in no mood to do anything, so after taking a shower, he soaked in the bathtub without moving at all.
He simply stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.
After a while, the phone on the shelf suddenly chimed with a notification.
Before you continue