Chapter 1937: Were you responsible for this incident?... Yes?

There were a few things that Lackey didn’t want to change, and among them was the ’The Zoo’ incident.

Even though a part of his heart wanted to forgive, he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

Not after seeing his people trapped, humiliated, and treated as if their lives meant nothing.

He had done this for them, not for his own amusement or revenge.

For his people.

That was all that mattered to him.

The news of the Zoo’s destruction spread throughout the division. The people inside had been killed ruthlessly, and even the otherworlders that had been kept in cages were found dead.

The investigation teams had yet to discover anything conclusive about the incident or identify the person responsible.

However, there was evidence suggesting that otherworlders had escaped their containment and attacked the people inside the Zoo.

As the Commander of the Beta Division, it was his duty to identify the culprit and hand them over to the Governor.

And the Commander already had his suspicions.

He knew that the slave had left the tower during the night. If anyone bothered to connect the dots, it wouldn’t take long for them to suspect that Lackey was somehow involved in the incident.

Hell, the Commander didn’t even need an investigation to reach his own conclusion. In his mind, he had already confirmed that this slave was responsible for the entire massacre.

Without wasting any more time, he grabbed Lackey by the collar and dragged him toward the Governor’s control room, where Beta was silently watching the recorded footage of the destruction.

Beta stood before the screen with her hands behind her back, her expression unreadable as the footage continued to play.

"Governor... I’ve brought the slave," the Commander announced coldly.

His grip tightened around Lackey’s arm, holding it firmly behind his back as though he were dealing with a dangerous criminal.

"Easy there..." Lackey remarked in a soft, almost casual tone. Despite being dragged into the room, he showed no sign of resistance.

For several seconds, she remained silent, staring at the visuals. Eventually, Beta turned away from the screen and looked directly at Lackey.

"Tell me, Lackey. Were you responsible for this incident?"

"Nope~"

Lackey answered without hesitation.

The Commander immediately lost his temper.

"Don’t lie, you fucking monster! You expect us to believe you had nothing to do with this—!"

"Okay."

The Commander froze mid-sentence.

The sudden response left the Commander staring at her in disbelief.

He had expected Beta to question Lackey further, perhaps even order an immediate interrogation. Instead, she had accepted his answer without demanding a single explanation.

"G-Governor?!" he stammered, struggling to comprehend her reaction. "But he’s the one who did this! He destroyed the Zoo and slaughtered innocent people! We can’t just let him walk away as if nothing happened!"

His visor shifted sharply toward Lackey, who remained perfectly relaxed despite the accusations being thrown at him.

"He’s dangerous, Governor. We need to take immediate action before he causes another incident!"

"Can you prove what you’re saying?"

Beta’s voice cut through his shouting.

The Commander blinked in confusion.

"Pardon?"

"Haha... Dumbass..." Lackey chuckled, unable to contain his amusement. "She’s asking if you have any fucking proof, you moron."

With a casual twist of his arm, he slipped free of the Commander’s grip and straightened his collar.

He even brushed a few imaginary specks of dust from his clothes.

The Commander stared at him, his jaw tightening beneath his visor.

"I... Well..."

"You don’t, do you?" Lackey asked with a crooked smirk, leaning slightly toward him. "You just decided I was guilty because you couldn’t think of anyone else who might have done it."

The Commander’s face flushed with anger.

"Then tell me where you were all night!" he demanded. "If you’re innocent, explain where you went and what you were doing!"

Lackey merely shrugged. "How many times are you going to ask me the same question? I already told you. I was strolling around the city, getting some fresh air."

"LIES!"

The Commander’s sudden outburst echoed through the control room. He stepped forward and seized Lackey by the collar once more, pulling him closer as his visor glared directly into the other man’s face.

"You lying piece of shit! You expect me to believe that pathetic excuse?!"

The Commander knew he was lying. He was absolutely certain of it.

"Without any proof, how can you say I’m lying?" Lackey asked, his wicked grin widening as he grabbed the Commander’s wrist and pushed his hand away from his collar.

The Commander’s breathing grew heavier. He looked ready to launch into another tirade, but before he could utter another word, Beta raised one hand.

"That’s enough. Commander, leave us."

The Commander turned toward her, utterly baffled.

"B-But, Governor, he’s lying! I know he is! You can’t seriously believe that he had nothing to do with this!"

Beta regarded him with an unwavering stare.

"Do you have proof?"

The Commander’s mouth opened, but no answer came.

After a long, uncomfortable silence, he lowered his head.

"No."

"Then you may leave and continue searching for the real culprit," Beta replied firmly.

The Commander’s fists tightened once more. He hated every second of this conversation, especially the fact that Lackey was standing right in front of him, wearing that infuriating smile as though he had already won.

Nevertheless, he could not defy his Governor’s direct orders.

With a low growl of frustration, he turned and stormed out of the control room.

Once the Commander had left, Beta turned her attention back to Lackey.

"Why did you do that, Lackey?" she asked quietly.

"There were innocent people in that place. People who had nothing to do with whatever happened to you or your people. They didn’t deserve to die."

Lackey’s expression turned cold and serious. "Don’t you dare blame me... Nova Kestrel. You know what kind of torture your people inflict on those Otherworlders."

Beta seemed confused by his words. "What torture? I don’t understand what you’re talking about."

Lackey scoffed. "You people treat other kinds as nothing more than filth, and you expect me to act innocent?! Remember, I didn’t come here to save any of your asses. I came here to deliver judgment. Innocent or not... everyone is the same before me!"

"..."

Beta fell silent. She genuinely didn’t understand what he was talking about, as she was unaware of the torture the workers inflicted on Otherworlders out of hatred.

After a moment, he spoke again. "If you’re worried that the President might investigate this... just blame it on the purple fairy. Say she caused all of this."

Grace, who had been quietly sitting on his shoulder, turned her head and stared at him with an expression that practically screamed, ’Why the fuck are you dragging me into your shit?!’

Lackey, of course, completely ignored her reaction. He walked toward Beta and gently patted her shoulder.

"I know you can do it... if you want to see your beloved daughter and him again."

"..."

For the first time, Beta questioned herself inwardly.

Was he really a god?

She had thought he would kill the President and restore the world to normal.

However, after seeing the aftermath footage, she could no longer suppress her doubts.

No, she began to wonder... what if he was far worse than the President?

Yet, despite her growing fear, one fact remained unchanged.

He was still the god.

Biting her trembling lips, Beta finally nodded. "Understood, God."

Lackey nodded with satisfaction. "Anyway... what about the things I asked for? Have you prepared everything?"

Beta took a moment to collect herself before answering. "Yes, I’ve prepared everything. Are you leaving now?"

Lackey nodded. "Yes."

Soon, Lackey returned to the second floor, where Torag was working. Without disturbing the man, he gathered the things he needed for the remainder of his journey, carefully checking that he hadn’t forgotten anything important.

However, just as he was about to finish packing, something caught his attention.

The blueprints of the dismantled mech-suit had finally been decrypted.

"That’s... fast," he muttered in mild surprise.

He hadn’t expected the process to finish so quickly, especially considering that he had barely managed to crack the entry-level firewall.

’Did they just build a strong front wall and leave the rest weak or something?’

With a curious expression, he scrolled through the blueprints, examining the information displayed across the screen. His eyes moved from one section to another as he studied the suit’s internal structure and technical specifications.

After a while, he hummed thoughtfully.

’I guess this should be enough for Lyirrs.’

A satisfied smile appeared on his face. Once he finished his work, he would send the blueprints to her.

However, just as he was about to leave, he noticed something unusual.

The black ring lying beside the mech-suit began to glow softly, releasing tiny blue particles that drifted around its surface.

Lackey frowned and stared at the ring for a few seconds before shifting his gaze toward the metallic device lying beside it.

He studied the two objects for a moment, considering the possibilities.

’If I take this device with me, then once the RIN awakens, will she be able to communicate with me from inside Hell’s Gate?’

He wasn’t entirely certain, but the possibility was worth considering.

After a brief hesitation, he picked up the metallic device and then carefully took the ring as well, making sure neither was damaged. He placed both objects inside his bag alongside the rest of his belongings.

With everything packed, Lackey bid farewell to Torag, telling him that he was leaving to retrieve the things he needed for the journey ahead.

Soon afterwards, Beta and Lackey arrived at the ground floor of the Beta Tower.

Lackey glanced at the car parked in front of him. He recognised it immediately. It was the same car he had stolen on the highway before killing its driver.

He stared at the vehicle for a moment before turning toward Beta.

"How much does it cost?"

Beta shook her head slightly. "Not much. Just 1,000 Aevum."

Lackey stared at her in disbelief.

’Not much?’

One thousand Aevum was fucking enormous! From what he had heard, that amount could buy an entire apartment, or even a three to four villa by the beach.

He let out a quiet sigh before nodding.

"...And what about the ring?"

Beta nodded as she handed him the ring. "I don’t get it... I already brought you a brand-new AI Ring, and yet you wanted a used one? Why?"

Lackey simply smiled as he took the ring and examined its front and back before sliding it onto his finger.

"The mech-suits are inside the container, right?" he asked, pointing toward the small cargo container attached behind the car.

He walked over to it and tapped its metallic surface a few times. Inside the container, golden particles shimmered faintly.

Beta nodded. "Yes, everything is inside."

Lackey smiled with satisfaction. However, just as he was about to get into the car, he noticed someone already sitting inside.

The Commander.

Lackey frowned and glanced at Beta, silently demanding an explanation.

Beta remained calm as she explained, "Since you’re an Otherworlder, travelling to another division could be dangerous for you. That’s why the Commander will accompany you. With him by your side, everything should go smoothly."

Lackey’s expression immediately turned annoyed.

"I thought that VIP pass you gave me would let me get there without any problems?"

Beta sighed. "It does, but... that only if you were human. Once you reach the border, you’ll lose all your privileges and be treated like any other Otherworlder. So, having the Commander accompany you should make things easier."

Lackey stared at her quietly. He understood what she was trying to do, but that didn’t make the situation any less irritating.

He needed to work alone if he wanted to get this fucking job done properly.

’Wait... I could use this to my advantage and get myself a helping hand.’

A sly smile crept onto his face as an idea formed in his mind.

"Fine!" he replied grumpily before climbing into the car.

Just as he was about to drive away, Beta leaned slightly toward the open window.

"Should I prepare anything?"

Lackey blinked and looked at her. "For what?"

"Well... you’re bringing him here, aren’t you?"

Lackey nodded. "Yeah... don’t you want to see him?"

"Hmm... I-I don’t mind, but..." Beta hesitated, briefly lowering her gaze before looking back at him.

"Just be careful, alright?"

Despite her attempt to sound composed, the slight hesitation in her voice betrayed her nervousness.

The thought of meeting Aether again seemed to make her heart beat faster, leaving her struggling to maintain her usual calm demeanour.

Lackey noticed her reaction and smiled softly.

"See you later."

He waved his hand casually before starting the car and driving away.

Beta stood there, watching as the vehicle disappeared into the underground passage. Once it was finally out of sight, she let out a quiet breath and turned away, slowly making her way back inside the tower.

Meanwhile, the Commander drove in silence.

As they left the Beta Tower behind and travelled farther away, neither of them spoke.

The silence was almost unbearable, yet neither seemed particularly interested in breaking it.

They sat beside each other like a husband and wife who had just had a massive argument and were now refusing to acknowledge each other’s existence.

Eventually, they reached the border.

Since there had been no incident involving the Governor being kidnapped, security at the border hadn’t been tightened.

They passed through without encountering any problems.

Once they emerged on the other side, Lackey collected his Origin Card and ID before settling back into his seat. His attention soon shifted to the ring on his finger.

He tapped its surface and spoke quietly.

"Rin... are you self-aware?"

^Sorry, I don’t understand. Please explain further.^

A robotic voice responded from the ring, causing Lackey to frown.

He had been certain this would work. After all, Rin had appeared around this point in time in the previous timeline. He remembered it clearly, and yet, despite everything he had done, she still wasn’t responding the way he expected.

’What am I missing here?’

His expression grew troubled as he stared at the ring, trying to figure out where things had gone wrong.

[You’re worrying over something that isn’t even alive?]

Log’s voice sounded distinctly annoyed, as though it had had enough of his shit!

Lackey offered an awkward smile.

However...

The car suddenly veered away from the highway.

Lackey’s expression immediately changed. He looked toward the Commander, who had abruptly turned the steering wheel and was now accelerating along a different road.

"Where the hell are you going? That’s not the destination I gave you."

The Commander didn’t answer. He simply kept driving, pressing harder on the accelerator as the vehicle picked up speed.

Lackey stared at him for a moment, his irritation rapidly giving way to suspicion.

"Oi, I said fucking stop!"

"HOW DARE YOU ORDER ME AROUND, YOU FILTHY MONSTER?!"

Before Lackey could react, the Commander raised a concealed weapon from his suit and aimed it directly at Lackey’s forehead.

"..."