Chapter 412: Technology Development Bureau

Gao Wen’s lips curled slightly.

Fish.

Hooked!

“Tell me.”

“It may be used only when confronting the World Government, and must not be prioritized.”

Gao Wen froze:

“Not prioritizing nuclear weapons… you mean the Ancient Weapons?!”

“Exactly!”

Vegapunk nodded.

From the moment he saw Gao Wen freely harnessing the earth’s energy veins, he had felt a creeping unease—this feeling intensified when he learned the scale Gao Wen could control.

Nearly half of Britannias’s earth energy veins, though still vastly weaker than the Ancient Weapons, could be harnessed.

Yet even so, a single shot could easily erase a city from the map; with precision targeting, it could destroy an entire nation’s urban centers.

This level of destructive power granted a strategic deterrence nearly equal to that of the Ancient Weapons.

Moreover, the damage caused by the Red Dragon drawing upon earth energy was no less severe than the sea-level rise triggered by the Ancient Weapons.

A world turned entirely to desert would mean humanity’s living space would be crushed and confined.

Only then did Vegapunk snap back to awareness.

This entire conversation had been Gao Wen’s trap—a trap meticulously laid to exploit his nature.

But Vegapunk knew he had no choice.

Gao Wen’s group had already built the Pluton; the tide had turned, irreversible. His only option was to impose limits on its use.

At the very least…

He must ensure, to the greatest possible extent, that Knight Gao Wen would never abuse the Ancient Weapons!

“Welcome aboard.”

“Doctor.”

Vegapunk looked at the hand extended toward him and sighed:

“The young are formidable indeed.”

“Today’s youth are too cunning—I’m an old man who’s fallen behind. One misstep, and I walked straight into your trap.”

“But.”

“It may not be all bad.”

Snap—!

Two hands clasped together.

Warppan, just waking up, saw this moment and grinned foolishly:

“That’s the spirit, old man!”

“Britannias is the perfect place for you to unleash your talent!”

Vegapunk smiled helplessly:

“A fool who gets sold and still counts the coins for the seller.”

“Hehehe~~~”

Warppan didn’t mind at all.

Unlike the calculating Vegapunk, he genuinely loved this nation beneath his feet.

He loved its people, and the places that warmed the heart.

Vegapunk shook his head in resignation, glanced once more around the embassy, then followed Gao Wen away.

…

…

…

Two weeks later.

The New World.

Outside Britannias.

On a desolate island.

Dragon sat exhausted in a valley, beside him lay Sabo, drenched in blood, and Ivankov, equally battered.

Recalling the past few days, Dragon’s face darkened.

“Our intelligence was leaked. There’s a traitor in the Revolutionary Army—otherwise, the Divine Knights could never have executed such precise strikes.”

“Even those two monsters showed up themselves…”

Gack—!

As he spoke,

Dragon spat out a mouthful of blood, then turned his gaze to Sabo beside him, worried:

“We’ve temporarily escaped those monsters, but we’re not safe yet. Send this location’s intel to Crow—order them to evacuate immediately and root out the traitor.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Sabo nodded.

Ivankov pressed on:

“What’s our next move?”

“Dragon?!”

“Even though we’ve shaken off the Divine Knights’ pursuit, the situation is dire.”

Dragon fell silent.

A traitor in the Revolutionary Army meant every one of their bases was at risk of falling.

The most rational course now was to abandon Britannias and return to Revolutionary Headquarters to regain control.

But concerning the Ancient Weapons, Dragon had no reason—and could not afford—to give up.

If the Revolutionary Army held the Ancient Weapons, it could stand toe-to-toe with the World Government.

When both sides possessed the power to annihilate each other, negotiation became the only solution.

At that point, the balance would shift increasingly in favor of the Revolution!

Moreover, Vegapunk’s matter was a thorn in his heart—he couldn’t rest until he understood it.

Dragon fell silent for a long while, then looked up at Sabo:

“Sabo, return to the Revolutionary Army. Take charge of the headquarters for now.”

“Me?”

Sabo hesitated, but seeing Dragon’s serious gaze, he knew there was no turning back:

“I understand.”

“Good.”

Dragon nodded:

“You’re the successor I’ve trained. The future burden of the Revolutionary Army rests on your shoulders.”

“This time…”

“Consider it your test.”

“Ivankov, assist Sabo.”

Ivankov nodded solemnly:

“Understood.”

“Good.”

After settling Revolutionary Army affairs, Dragon rested briefly, regained his strength, then rode the gales, skimming the sea surface as he sped away.

Sabo watched Dragon’s retreating figure and murmured:

“Ivankov, what do you think Commander will feel when he sees everything in Britannias?!”

“Who can say what such a thing might be?!”

Ivankov shook his head:

“It’s probably not much different from how we feel. Forget it—we’ve more important things to do.”

Under the night sky,

Two figures sailed away in a small boat, slowly vanishing beyond the horizon.

…

Britannias.

Outside Camelot, in a vast bay, a grand circular structure stood.

With Vegapunk’s joining, Gao Wen established the Technology Development Bureau at Britannias’s headquarters.

Vegapunk became its first director; Franky took the deputy director’s post; Warppan became commander of the bureau’s combat team.