Chapitre 57: Chapter 57: Extreme Testing
**Orbital strike?** Hearing their father's words, the expressions of the three Primarchs grew more serious.
Since the opening of the space gate leading to Universe 02, more than a year had passed, and Saint Gilles, Robert (Guilliman), and Leon had undergone significant changes.
Saint Gilles and Robert were no longer the "youths" they had been last year, having grown into true "young men." Both now stood at around 1.93 to 1.94 meters tall, matching their father's height. If you included Saint Gilles's wings, his height would be at least 2.3 meters. Despite their impressive stature, both Primarchs had perfectly proportioned physiques. Even with Saint Gilles's white wings, there was little sense of incongruity.
Both were dressed in black suits, with red "Λ" metal cufflinks at their sleeves and collars. However, while Saint Gilles preferred a casually disheveled hairstyle, Robert sported a neat, close-cropped haircut.
In contrast, the youngest "Lion King," Leon, was not as tall or robust as his brothers and father, standing "only" at 1.4 meters. His face still bore the marks of youth, with golden long hair that appeared meticulously groomed, unlike Saint Gilles's more carefree style.
As they entered the elevator, and the doors closed, taking the four of them upward, Samuel Young continued, "According to reports from our infiltrators within WOT International, the opposition's upper echelons are planning to launch a series of attacks.
Although we've made some concessions in the military sector, the successes we've achieved in other areas have become a significant threat to them. They intend to send their mutated puppets to secretly sabotage and destroy the company's overseas assets and then use the media to amplify the negative news."
As he spoke, the elevator came to a stop, and the doors reopened.
Samuel Young was the first to step out into another underground corridor, glancing at his sons out of the corner of his eye as he continued in a slightly more serious tone, "When I taught you, I emphasized the importance of enduring humiliation and not acting impulsively. But what your opponents see as patience can gradually be perceived as weakness and retreat.
Although WOT isn't just targeting us at Atlas—our investigators have reported that other military companies like Lockheed Martin and Boeing are also facing covert sabotage of their overseas assets by these mutated puppets—it's clear that they're using this to strengthen their bargaining position. But children, remember something else I've told you…
If someone is insulting you to your face and is about to slap you, and you're still waiting, still hoping for a peaceful resolution, then you're not enduring with dignity—you've become a true coward, a real fool."
"Father…" Robert, whose voice had already deepened after passing through puberty, was the first to respond, "You mentioned an orbital strike earlier. Are you planning to preemptively carry out a physical attack on WOT?"
"The best defense is a good offense," Saint Gilles chimed in agreement.
The youngest, Leon, remained silent, not offering any opinion.
By this time, the four had left the corridor and entered an office with a window overlooking a different scene—not the simulated town used for experiments, but a vast underground production base.
Countless automated robotic arms worked tirelessly in perfect order. Some of the large robotic arms even employed a form of 3D printing technology, "scanning" to construct large vehicle metal frameworks.
Between the assembly lines, orange-painted robots resembling large spiders moved back and forth, either assisting with production or constantly expanding the production base's scale.
Of course, many human employees were still responsible for critical parts of the production line to prevent errors. These employees were equipped with mechanical exoskeletons resembling stilts.
There were also numerous AMP-like mechs, but with the black and orange paint scheme of the engineering department, responsible for heavy lifting and construction tasks.
Standing by the observation window, Samuel Young clasped his hands behind his back, looking out at the construction base as he explained to his sons, "A physical strike is inevitable, but it must be well planned and executed.
Our investigators couldn't determine WOT's specific targets for sabotage, so we can't leave our fate to the enemy's choices, nor can we hold onto any hope of leniency. Therefore, I plan to 'seize' WOT's high-value assets.
Outside the USA, we can arrange for the ARS regiment to disguise and infiltrate, but inside the USA, the ARS regiment will face many challenges, such as avoiding detection by the mutated puppets and silently stealing samples and data. After all, we're not the only company with military satellites.
However, our Enyo is positioned in a space orbit higher than military satellites, and since the attackers will be bio-weapons like the Tyrants, capable of executing suicidal missions, what do you think the enemy will make of this?"
The office fell silent for a moment.
But the usually quiet Leon, sensing that his older brothers were deliberately holding back to give him a chance to speak, immediately said:
"They'll be confused because a fictional space invasion from a comic book is becoming a reality. We can even use WOT's paint scheme to create a diversion and shift the blame onto them."
"Indeed."
"Exactly."
Saint Gilles and Robert both nodded.
"Heh." Sensing the emotional undercurrents in the three brothers, Samuel Young smiled but didn't delve further, instead offering an explanation: "As you've deduced, the reason I'm sending Saint Gilles on board the Enyo is twofold: first, to guard against any unforeseen circumstances, and second, to consider the possibility that the assault may fail if intercepted by the Supers.
The target for this raid is within 300 kilometers of New York. While we have ways to counter America's interception systems, the Supers have their own consciousness and won't be fooled by deception. They could destroy the drop pods, preventing the Tyrants from engaging in direct combat with them.
If WOT dispatches the Supers, it will be a rare window of opportunity to test their limits. As for who will carry out this task… that will be your responsibility, Saint Gilles." Samuel Young looked directly at Saint Gilles, his tone softening as he asked:
"My child, this is the first time we're having this conversation, but you have the right to refuse. I can cancel the confrontation test, forgo collecting data on the Supers, and instead use [Reset] to return to yesterday and redeploy the airstrike plan. The choice is entirely yours."
"I do not fear pain or death, Father." Saint Gilles smiled instead, "Besides, I've been itching to teach that tight-suit-wearing clown a lesson!"
Seeing this, Samuel Young said nothing further, only raising his left hand to pat his son's shoulder.
He then walked to his desk, operating it briefly to project a holographic model of a slightly scaled-down Earth at the center of the office.
The model of Earth was marked with green, yellow, and red areas. Surprisingly, the yellow and red areas covered about 60% of each continent, with only a few regions marked as safe in green.
Looking at the holographic model, Samuel Young continued, "The situation on Earth Zero-One (Edge of Tomorrow) is becoming increasingly chaotic, with constant civil wars. I believe it's time for the company to intervene officially."
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