Chapter 154: Laplace's Box
As Celestial Being and the Earth Federation army were fighting, Cardeas Vist was watching the live broadcast from his office. It's logical that no one could broadcast such video, but that was why privileges exist for characters like him, right?
"Ribbons Almark … is he that staffer of the Corner family?" He carefully recalled the matters related to that name, "It seems that the previous hijacking was self-directed, and in any case, Scirocco has lost his investment value."
There was a sudden rattling at the door. Vist frowned, because he had said that no one could disturb him. Just as he was about to reprimand, the door to the room opened and the person who appeared in his sight was a teenager he didn't recognize.
"Who are you?" He opened the drawer secretly, and put his hand to the pistol placed in it, "If you don't leave I'll call—"
"Stand up and put your hands up, I know you're reaching for a weapon, move again and I'll shoot." The teenager leveled his pistol at Vist and said with an expressionless face, "I am a subordinate of Lord Ribbons Almark, Setsuna·F·Seiei."
"Ribbons Almark, this is really…" Vist calmly raised his hands and stood up, "The security guards outside have been taken out by you? A remarkable strength. I think I've heard the name Setsuna·F·Seiei somewhere… isn't it the same name as that knight of the round table from Britannia?"
"There's no point in condescending, I won't answer any of your questions." Setsuna always kept his poker face, and the gun was aimed at Vist's head, "Hand over the Box of Laplace, or I'll shoot."
"I haven't heard of the Box of Laplace." Vist didn't even move his eyebrows, "Believe it or not, shoot if you really don't believe it."
"It's really the same as … said, you people are full of lies." Setsuna was not moved at all, pulling out his phone from his pocket and tapping it a few times, then showed the screen to Vist, "You have five minutes, who is more important, the Box of Laplace or your family, decide for yourself."
"Despicable!" Vist, who had been calm as can be, got anxious all of a sudden, "Anna and I are divorced, she and the child have nothing to do with this whole thing!"
The picture on the phone showed a small room somewhere, a charming woman and a cute little boy who looked only seven or eight years old were tied up tightly on the ground with ropes and their mouths were taped shut. Dense piles of explosives filled the room as the two people stared with terrified eyes at the countdown on the wall.
"Four minutes and thirty seconds to go." Setsuna's voice was like a death declaration, "Considering that it also takes time to bargain, confirm the authenticity, etc., I suggest you make a decision within one and a half minutes."
"I really don't know anything about the Box of Laplace!" Vist chortled sternly, "Anna and Banaji are innocent, and there's no point in you killing them! You are also a young man, and you don't want to do such a thing, right?"
Setsuna looked at him impassively, and only after a moment did he speak, "Four minutes left."
Next, Vist tried to convince him in various ways, but Setsuna never responded, just like a robot faithfully performing its task. Time dwindled by the second, the mother and son in the picture were crying out with desperate tears.
"They should have been frightened incontinence, it's just that we can't see it from the screen. But to be able to stay with the most loved ones at the last moment of your life… it is also considered as a kind of happiness." Setsuna recited lines and gently rested his finger on a certain button, "Ten seconds left, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three …"
"I will tell you where the box is!" Vist shouted, "I surrender!"
The moment Vist opened his mouth, Setsuna pressed the pause button, and the countdown on the screen stopped.
Setsuna put the phone back in his pocket, and the gun still pointed at Vist, "Give me the box and I'll give you the coordinates of where your wife and child are."
Vist tilted his head and let out a long sigh, silently recited "Dr. Ray, I'm sorry", then walked to the wall under Setsuna's wary gaze, opened a hidden door hidden behind some decorations, opened several different layers of safes, and finally took out a very small data disk from it, "This is the Box of Laplace, take it."
"You're lying."
"The Box of Laplace is a program, and what is hidden in the box is hidden in this program." Vist tossed the data disk forward and Setsuna caught it smoothly, "No one knows the specifics, but Dr. Ray must have his intentions in doing so. I've told you everything I know, ask your chief about the rest."
Setsuna hesitated for a moment, took out his cell phone and made a call, reporting to the other end of the line. The voice was so small that Vist could not hear what was being said, and could only see that Setsuna looked very respectful. After some negotiation, Setsuna hung up, "The deal stands, I'll come back if I find that this is a fake."
However, Vist didn't look happy at all. He just lowered his head and asked painfully, "Can I have the location of my wife and child?"
Setsuna went to his side and gave him a quick tap on the back of his neck, and Vist immediately fainted. Then Setsuna fished out a small note with an address from his pocket, put it on top of the table and pressed it with something heavy, and finally checked that there was nothing else suspicious on Vist or in the safe before leaving.
When Setsuna returned to the secret base, he was greeted by Lacus who had made up a reason to come to Earth on business.
"Good work, Setsuna." Lacus took the data disk and smiled at him affectionately, "Your efforts today are very significant, and we are one step closer to a truly beautiful world."
"Thank you, Miss Lacus." Setsuna seemed to nod woodenly, but was actually a little embarrassed inside, "I didn't really do anything remarkable, it was all because of Miss Lacus's planning."
"Calling a married woman 'Miss', Setsuna, you have a sweet mouth." Lacus smiled and showed the ring in her hand, turning around to connect the data disk to the computer, "Let's see what's inside."
After a round of antivirus sweeping, Lacus opened the only program inside. A large La+ appeared on the screen, but soon the program reported an error, saying that it could not find the positioning system driver and could not confirm the current coordinates.
"Dr. Ray is a genius just like Dr. Aeolia, it's not impossible for us to crack the program he made alone. But where am I going to find the positioning system made 60 or 70 years before? Can I only ask Ade to crack it?" Lacus tapped the keyboard somewhat helplessly and casually, "But I, I don't want to lie to him…"
"Miss Lacus." Setsuna still refused to change his call to her, "The universal positioning system for humans in the solar system was invented by Dr. Ray. The application layer has been updated and replaced many times, but the underlying kernel code was written by Dr. Ray and never changed."
"Really?" Lacus's eyes instantly lit up, "Setsuna, you're too good!"
"Thank you. It's something I was taught in the old training camp." Setsuna thought and said, "Maybe we can try to put the vehicle's positioning navigation system on the MS? That way, I can complete the task independently without bothering Miss Lacus."
"That would be great if it's feasible." Lacus put away the Box of Laplace and smiled gratefully at Setsuna, "Setsuna, then please—"
A loud, rude door opening interrupted Lacus's speech, and bloodied Ribbons limped in. He looked at Setsuna, and then looked at Lacus in surprise, "What are you doing here? Forget it, explain it to me later, hurry up and arrange a doctor for me."
"Lord Ribbons?" Lacus walked to Ribbons, making a worried expression, "What's wrong with you?"
"That damned Amuro Ray! How dare a mere inferior NT to treat me…!" Ribbons spat through gritted teeth, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get the doctor here!"
According to Lacus's original script, Ribbons should be dead by now, but since he didn't die, then she had to continue acting. Just as she was about to go to the doctor, Ribbons suddenly called her back.
"Wait!" Ribbons looked at her suspiciously, "Now the outside world is suspecting that I am behind Celestial Being, and I am seriously injured and need to heal. The biggest beneficiaries of this are you and your husband, right? Thinking about it, it's possible that the undercover agent was instructed by you to reveal my identity on purpose! Your presence here again is too suspicious! Lacus, you wouldn't betray me, would you?!"
"What are you talking about?" Lacus continued to play innocent, "I can't lie to you, have you forgotten?"
Ribbons accepted her explanation, but he still felt that something was wrong, "Setsuna, take Lacus for me. After I recover, I will verify her loyalty personally."
After waiting for a while, Setsuna did not move at all.
"Setsuna·F·Seiei!" Ribbons roared, "Are you going to betray me too? Have you forgotten who saved your life?!"
"It was Miss Lacus, she was the one who gave me real life." Setsuna stopped in front of Lacus and pulled out a gun from his pocket and pointed it at Ribbons, "No one can hurt her."
Lacus helplessly shrugged at Ribbons and winked her big beautiful eyes. Of course, all this was done with her back to Setsuna and did not ruin her glorious image in Setsuna's mind.
"Lacus you play tricks to me! "Ribbons was so angry that he coughed out a mouthful of blood and reached for his gun. However, he was hit in the wrist as soon as he moved, "Filthy, vile little girl, I am a god! How dare a mere mortal do this to me! "
"There is no god in this world, the future has to be created by man himself." Setsuna narrowed his eyes, "Ribbons, I have understood, you are what Miss Lacus said, one of the twisted points of the world."
"What kind of stuff are you babbling about! Have you been brainwashed by her? I am the great being who is going to guide the evolution of mankind! A savior who will save humanity from the struggle to perish!" Ribbons said, coughing up another mouthful of blood, "Setsuna·F·Seiei, are you going to kill a god? Are you going to cut off the future of humanity with your own hands?"
"Miss Lacus is right, it's because of existences like you that the world has become this damned state, and that's the answer Rockon was looking for. Look at how ugly and twisted you are now." Setsuna put his finger firmly on the trigger, "I will cut it off your twisted life myself!"
The gun went off.
Ribbons fell to the ground in blood. His body was still twitching every now and then, his lips moving slightly as if he was cursing something, and his hateful eyes fixed on Lacus.
"Ribbons, don't you want to change the world? That's the point of innovator's existence, right? Now that I'm an innovator too, I'll do it all instead of you, in a different and right way from you." Lacus took the gun from Setsuna and walked slowly to Ribbons, "And first of all, I have to show my awareness to do so."
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
"Oops, the dress got dirty. Ade likes this dress a lot." Lacus looked at the corners of the skirt, which was stained with blood, and thought bitterly, "There is no way, I can only throw it away and buy a new one."
