After the familiar crossing process, as the code vanished, the Gran Chaos appeared above a forest. Ahead stood a cluster of standard European-style manor buildings, while in the distance, the bustling lights of a large city were visible.
Judging by the system's usual teleportation tendencies, the manor directly ahead of the Gran Chaos should be the venue for the A-Laws high-ranking officials' banquet mentioned in this assessment mission.
However, the manor was clearly not yet open for business, with no external decorations set up—hardly looking like a banquet was imminent.
Thus, Reid asked Hoshino Ruri:
"Ruri, confirm the time. Focus on searching for the most recent banquet date at the manor ahead."
Reid had Ruri directly search for the banquet time because he knew secret banquets hosted by A-Laws higher-ups would likely leave no online traces. To maintain confidentiality, such events were typically invitation-only, with no digital footprints.
But hosting a banquet at the manor would inevitably require procurement and rehearsals, which couldn't rely solely on inefficient word-of-mouth. So, once the location was confirmed, pinpointing the time became straightforward.
Ruri quickly found the results and reported:
"The most recent banquet at that manor is scheduled for the evening two days from now, though the guest list remains undisclosed."
Hearing it was two days away, Reid felt the system was being considerate—it knew he was here to unwind during this assessment mission, granting him a day off.
Of course, this was just Reid comforting himself; in reality, the system simply calculated based on when Wang Liu Mei received the invitation.
With two days to spare, Reid thought for a moment and said:
"Seems we have plenty of time. Everyone's been fighting nonstop, so take the first day to rest properly. But no going outside—just relax on the ship. Tomorrow, I'll give you all a chance to go shopping.
Ruri, set course for Wang Liu Mei's secret manor in the Former Hulingobi Desert. I need to see with my own eyes how the seeds planted four years ago in this world have grown.
Also, get me all available information on the Wang Family Mars Mining Company. I need to brush up beforehand to avoid slipping up during conversations.
Oh, and Christina and Neil, don't rush to contact the Celestial Beings. I'll arrange a meeting for you tomorrow."
After speaking, Reid left the bridge directly. Since today was for resting, he might as well enjoy himself—take a bath and have the Xia sisters give him a proper massage.
He could review the documents after the massage. According to the plot, Wang Liu Mei's invitation was delivered by the Innovator Regene Regetta, who also tasked her with notifying the Celestial Beings.
Honestly, Wang Liu Mei's performance as a double agent in the original story was quite impressive. By helping Ribbons infiltrate Anew Returner into the Celestial Beings, she proved her usefulness, preventing Ribbons from immediately disposing of her.
As for the Celestial Beings, their ability to gather resources and build new Gundams was largely funded by Wang Liu Mei. It's fair to say that her contributions were paramount to the Celestial Beings' resurgence in the second season.
Moreover, the final location of the Veda mainframe was handed over to Setsuna by Wang Liu Mei. Had she not been killed later, the state of the world after the Celestial Beings' victory might have been uncertain. After all, the changes in the world between the second season and the movie likely did not align with the transformation Wang Liu Mei envisioned.
Time slowly passed until late at night. The Gran Chaos had arrived near Wang Liu Mei's secret estate in the afternoon, but Regene Regetta did not leave until evening, so Reid did not go to find Wang Liu Mei during the day.
However, nighttime made it easier for Reid to infiltrate, which was not a bad thing. After all, he had already taken control of all the electronic systems in the estate through the Veda Unit 2 aboard the Gran Chaos that afternoon.
The firewall program designed by Hong Long was actually quite sophisticated, but faced with the combined intrusion of Hoshino Ruri and Nein, along with absolute computational superiority, the firewall was effortlessly bypassed and breached without any suspense.
Since the estate was top-secret, only a few of Wang Liu Mei's trusted subordinates—or rather, her loyalists—were inside.
With so few people and no assistance from electronic devices, Reid easily slipped into Wang Liu Mei's private quarters with the Xia sisters, leaving the sisters to guard the door outside.
Upon entering Wang Liu Mei's room, Reid heard the sound of her showering.
However, Reid's mischievous side emerged. Without turning on the lights, he sat on the sofa with his back to the moonlight, waiting for Wang Liu Mei to come out—because it felt more like a boss move.
Although Wang Liu Mei was not entirely defenseless, her combat skills were negligible in Reid's eyes. Besides, she wouldn't carry a gun around her neck while showering, right?
But what Reid didn't expect was that when Wang Liu Mei finished her shower, she wasn't wearing a gun around her neck—she wasn't wearing anything at all. She came out drying her hair with a towel.
Reid truly hadn't anticipated that a young lady from a family steeped in traditional Chinese culture like Wang Liu Mei would emerge without even a bathrobe.
Logically, even in her own room, her family wouldn't allow such unrestrained behavior.
However, while Reid was still admiring the "scenery," Wang Liu Mei was terrified. Can you imagine a young, unmarried woman stepping out of the shower at home only to find a strange man sitting in her room?
It must be said that it was partly Reid's fault for not turning on the lights, leaving Wang Liu Mei able to see only the silhouette of a man's figure.
So, the next second, an ear-piercing "Ah—!!" erupted from Wang Liu Mei's mouth, followed by her crouching down, rolling back into the bathroom, and locking the door in one swift motion.
Wang Liu Mei's commotion immediately prompted Hong Long, who lived next door, to leap through the window without a second thought.
Yes, Hong Long jumped through the window. Of course, he didn't live above Wang Liu Mei—they were on the same floor.
Hong Long chose to jump because he thought going through the door would be too slow, and if there was an intruder, they would likely be guarding the entrance. Coming through the window allowed him to flank them.
With Hong Long's physical prowess and abilities, flipping through a window unaided was trivial.
However, as he smashed through the bulletproof glass with a specialized electromagnetic pistol and kicked his way in, his gun-wielding hand was immediately seized. Pressure was applied to a nerve, numbing his hand and causing him to drop the gun, before he was swiftly thrown to the ground.
The one who took action was naturally Reid. Hong Long wanted to catch him off guard, but his hostility was too obvious. Reid instantly knew where he intended to break in.
Therefore, Reid directly moved to the corner by the window, waiting at his ease to tire the enemy, and instead caught Hong Long by surprise.
However, after knocking Hong Long down, Reid still spoke up:
"Hong Long, it's me, Reid Isaac. There was a bit of a misunderstanding earlier—I seem to have frightened your sister."
As soon as Reid spoke, Hong Long recognized his voice. At the same time, the Xia sisters guarding outside the door rushed in upon hearing the gunshot and turned on the lights.
Even after confirming it was Reid, Hong Long still launched a reverse hook kick aimed at Reid's head.
Hong Long's attitude was clear: if Reid Isaac dared to barge into his sister's room and bully her, then he was someone who needed to be driven out.
However, Hong Long's hostility once again betrayed him, and his move was naturally anticipated by Reid. Reid blocked the kick with one hand, then lifted Hong Long and threw him toward the Xia sisters.
The Xia sisters naturally understood Reid's intention—to restrain Hong Long.
So Xia Yufang stepped forward immediately and delivered a spinning kick, sending Hong Long crashing into the wall.
Hong Long reacted quickly, forcibly twisting his body mid-air and crossing his arms to block Xia Yufang's kick.
However, just like in their first encounter, there was a gap in physical ability. Unable to gain leverage in the air, Hong Long hit the wall hard, his arms going numb and his head spinning from the impact.
But Hong Long's fighting spirit remained undiminished, and he clearly intended to stand up and continue the fight.
Fortunately, Wang Liu Mei, hearing the commotion outside, clearly recognized Reid's voice. She quickly threw on a bathrobe, opened the door, and shouted:
"Stop!!"
Seeing that Wang Liu Mei had spoken, Hong Long naturally refrained from further attacks, though he remained wary, glaring at Reid.
Reid, feeling somewhat at fault, decided not to dwell on Hong Long's attack and simply said:
"Yufang, Yulan, that's enough."
At Reid's command, the Xia sisters switched from attack mode to alert mode, keeping a close watch on Hong Long to prevent any sudden moves.
Seeing the tense atmosphere and the shattered glass scattered across the floor, Wang Liu Mei took a deep breath, suppressing her urge to curse, and said through gritted teeth:
"Mr. Reid, could you give me a moment to change my clothes? Or did you come tonight specifically to play the role of a flower thief?"
Upon hearing this, Reid's mind instantly flashed back to the image of Wang Liu Mei fresh from her bath. Though Reid hadn't turned on the lights, the moonlight was bright that night, and with his sharp eyesight, he had naturally seen everything—both what was appropriate and what was not.
Reid had only one assessment of Wang Liu Mei's figure: she had ripened. The somewhat immature young girl from four years ago had fully matured.
Though his mind was reminiscing, Reid's expression remained impeccably controlled. He forced himself to stand up expressionlessly, picked up Hong Long's gun, and walked out the door.
As he passed Wang Liu Mei, Reid said calmly:
"I'll give you ten minutes."
With that, Reid left the room, but the Xia sisters stayed behind, clearly remaining to prevent Wang Liu Mei from attempting any tricks.
Seeing Reid still acting so domineering at a time like this, Wang Liu Mei could only shake her head helplessly.
Now calmer, Wang Liu Mei realized that the estate had likely already fallen under Reid's control. She had no choice but to say to Hong Long:
"Hong Long, you should go to the Medical Pod for treatment. Some people don't know their own strength when hitting others."
Wang Liu Mei's words carried a double meaning.
The Medical Pod in this manor was located near the server room controlling the manor's systems. Hong Long's injuries weren't serious enough to require the Medical Pod, so Wang Liu Mei was actually telling him to attempt to regain control of the manor systems.
Additionally, Wang Liu Mei was expressing her dissatisfaction with Reid through these words.
Hong Long understood Wang Liu Mei's meaning perfectly well, but he was uneasy about leaving her alone with Reid. He simply looked at Wang Liu Mei without moving.
Wang Liu Mei immediately understood her brother's concern and said coldly:
"Hong Long, can't you hear what I'm saying? Do you think you can actually accomplish anything by staying here?"
Hong Long could detect the displeasure in Wang Liu Mei's voice. She was clearly indicating that against Reid, neither of them had much room for resistance, so she would be fine alone. Some things simply had to be faced eventually.
Thus Hong Long left Wang Liu Mei's room. However, when he saw Reid waiting outside the door, he couldn't help but say:
"Reid Isaac, if you bully the young lady, I will never let you get away with it."
Considering that Hong Long was merely concerned about his sister, Reid still chose not to take offense at the threat, replying calmly:
"Your sister has been on the same side as me since four years ago. Don't worry, I never force women into physical intimacy. What happened earlier was truly a misunderstanding."
Hong Long was somewhat surprised that Reid would bother explaining himself to a mere bodyguard, but he said nothing more and left the floor entirely.
Wang Liu Mei changed clothes faster than Reid had expected, possibly because the Xia sisters were watching. In less than five minutes, she emerged dressed in formal attire.
Wang Liu Mei now wore her professional smile again and said politely:
"Mr. Reid, my room really isn't suitable for receiving guests at the moment. Shall we continue our conversation in another room?"
After speaking, she made a gesture inviting him to lead the way.
Reid, having just failed in his earlier attempt to appear impressive and nearly being mistaken for a womanizer, naturally had to defer to his host's arrangements.
After SDP and Otherworld Entanglement reappeared, Wang Liu Mei had anticipated that Reid would eventually come looking for her. She had prepared a room next door specifically for their discussion.
Of course, the Xia sisters remained on guard outside while Reid and Wang Liu Mei spoke privately.
The moment they entered the conference room, Wang Liu Mei turned around and began scrutinizing Reid from head to toe, as if re-recording her impression of him.
Reid felt uncomfortable under her gaze and deliberately changed the subject:
"Miss Wang Liu Mei, although I'd like to say what happened in your room earlier was a misunderstanding, that wouldn't be fair to you. So if you want to slap me twice, I'll stand here and let you hit me. This isn't compensation, just something to help you vent your anger first."
Upon hearing this, Wang Liu Mei immediately flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
However, Wang Liu Mei knew that anger and shyness wouldn't give her any advantage when dealing with this man - they would only cloud her judgment. After taking another deep breath, she said:
"Mr. Reid, if possible, I'd prefer not to discuss what just happened anymore."
Seeing Wang Liu Mei restrain her emotions once again, Reid couldn't help feeling somewhat sorry for her. If someone had to be rational about everything, their life would be terribly dull.
So Reid deliberately relaxed his demeanor and said in a languid tone:
"Alright, if you don't want to talk about it, we won't. But Miss Wang Liu Mei, you hope for change in the world because you've always been bound by your family and responsibilities, and you wish that change could set you free.
So, at least when you're with me, I suggest you take it easy. It's exhausting to approach everything with rationality all the time.
Originally, I came here today to discuss serious matters with you, but now I realize that if you keep going like this, the string of rationality will snap sooner or later.
Come, sit down and relax. Let me give you a head massage."
As he spoke, Reid pressed Wang Liu Mei into a chair and immediately started working on her head. Reid had specifically learned massage techniques—after all, with multiple wives, having this skill certainly helped in keeping them happy.
Wang Liu Mei was actually somewhat stunned at this point. She had encountered many people who didn't follow the usual script, but Reid's current actions were truly beyond her comprehension.
Moreover, Reid was very strong, and Wang Liu Mei couldn't resist at all. However, when Reid began working on her head, she unexpectedly found it quite pleasant.
Especially since Reid had always carried himself with an air of superiority during their previous interactions. Now, Wang Liu Mei felt a strange satisfaction, like a boss serving her tea. Combined with Reid's skillful technique, she found herself immersed in the moment.
(End of Chapter)