The Mech Touch (Web Novel)
chapter-6466

Ice ran through Veronica's veins.

In the past few years, she had noticed that her mother had become increasingly more distracted.

When she was not spending her time on meditation, the Oblivion Empress conferred with her minions and made other preparations in secret.

Veronica had tried to poke around and discover what her mother was up to, but none of her attempts yielded any useful information.

The incarnation eventually gave up. The disparity in knowledge and power was far too great. Veronica had no chance of prying her mother's secrets. This caused her to give up her search and simply trust that Cynthia Larkinson would not do anything to imperil everyone.

She had completely misjudged her mother!

Coming back alive was not enough for the Oblivion Empress!

Ascending to the rank of True God and taking over the Nyxian Gap did not sate her ambitions!

In order to pursue greater power, Cynthia not only colluded with the Evolution Witch and the Beast of Fear, but also plotted to unleash a storm that could break the Big Two!

The unprecedented turmoil that would erupt as a result of her devious scheme could truly cause every human state to descend into chaos!

As Veronica listened to the outline given by her mother, the Cyborg Cat grew more and more fearful of what she had gotten into. She never imaged that the invention of Carmine mechs could lead to such catastrophic consequences. How could the incarnation ever expect that she would revive such a monstrous woman?!

The Cyborg Cat's artificial eyes flitted back and forth between Cynthia and the Beast of Fear.

Neither of the two displayed any hint of reluctance or guilt towards the Oblivion Plan. They truly believed that they could achieve all of their goals, even the more unrealistic ones, by provoking the CFA into a civil war against the MTA!

Veronica glanced to the side and stared at Master Willix.

What did she think about this radical plot?

Did the Survivalist truly support this insane plan to break the Big Two?

Or was the Master just like Veronica, an innocent helper who became an unwitting accomplice to a conspiracy that may very well lead to mass slaughter and genocide

on a scale unseen since the Age of Conquest?

Whatever her thoughts and feelings about the issue, Master Willix did a good job at trying to blend into the background,

When two True Gods were speaking, a mortal like herself needed to tread carefully. No matter her importance to the Oblivion Gate Project, it was not wise for a mech designer without any significant combat power to contradict highly emotional and irrational True Gods that were clearly fixated on their obsessions.

This was especially the case when they were posturing or needed to show their faces in front of their allies or enemies!

High-ranking mech designers like Master Willix more often than not had a lot of practice with dealing with stubborn, mule-headed expert pilots or ace pilots. It was often impossible to persuade these powerful and strong-willed individuals with sound arguments, so mech designers simply learned not to bother anymore.

If they truly felt that changes needed to happen, then mech designers learned that it was better if they did so out of sight of the powerful mech pilots they ostensibly served.

Not that Veronica believed that Master Willix had much room for maneuver. The Oblivion Empress would never tolerate any missteps from the lead researcher and developer of the Oblivion Gate Project.

Veronica needed to have a good talk with Master Willix.

Even if there was no way for them to hold a private conversation when they were both under constant monitoring by the Oblivion Empress, the two still needed to hold a good reunion talk.

Although Master Willix did not say or make any gesture that she acknowledged Veronica's silent request, her complete lack of reaction was already a form of communication in itself.

The two were both mech designers who were familiar with each other. They already formed an implicit understanding with each other without resorting to any redundant signals.

Veronica liked working with smart and thoughtful people.

In any case, Master Willix may be content to bow her head and stay mum, but the Cyborg Cat was different!

She was still too shocked and outraged by the plan unveiled by her mother, and there was no way for her to hide her earnest reactions.

Since that was the case, Veronica may as well challenge the two True Gods, even if there was virtually no realistic chance for them to change their minds.

If that was not possible, then Veronica at least wanted to extract more information out of the two crazies!

"This Oblivion Plan... relies on too many requirements to produce the desired outcomes." The Cyborg Cat suppressed her anger and tried to adopt a more rational approach even as she continued to get petted by her mother. "The fleeters are not stupid. They know that if they want to preserve the current order, it is best to remove any variables that threaten it. How can you possibly defend against an overwhelming preemptive strike against the Nyxian Gap? Will you rely solely on the hazardous environment to keep away the CFA battleships? I don't think that will work. I am not too sure about this, but I bet that they can just stay outside and rely on advanced technology and overwhelming brute force to collapse the Nyxian Gap."

The Beast of Fear's monstrous visage actually nodded in acknowledgement at the arguments put forward by Veronica.

"No plan is perfect, and no enemy will obediently follow your arrangements. It is good that you remain critical. We are well aware of how much our Oblivion Plan relies on specific events falling into place, but do not underestimate us either. If one solution does not work, then we can resort to another solution, even if it is inferior. A single setback will not necessarily mean that our plan is doomed to fail. We can still proceed with destabilizing the Milky Way without your Carmine mechs, but it would be vastly more preferable if you can present them to the public in the short term."

It was too naive for Veronica to think that their Oblivion Plan was so easy to unravel. Still, there should be a huge difference between working under optimal and suboptimal conditions.

"Look, I don't know if you have forgotten about this, but I am a mech designer." The silvery cat stated. "I design mechs for the purpose of serving mech pilots as well as the rest of our society. My works are meant to improve people's lives and help them attain better futures for themselves. Unleashing Carmine mechs in a society that does not need it clearly goes against my purpose and mission. I cannot answer your demand to design a Milky Way-adapted Carmine mech for you guys. Your Oblivion Plan... is too

monstrous"

Veronica took a huge risk by expressing her objections to the powerful True Gods, but she figured that they already predicted her reactions. It was only natural for her to

speak her mind.

Fortunately, neither of the two became violent. Instead, Cynthia and the Beast of Fear continued to look at him as if he was an ignorant child.

"Refusal is not an option. You will design the necessary Carmine mechs for us." Cynthia spoke in a slightly firmer and more authoritative voice. Her fingers also started to press against Veronica's back with greater force. "You are my child, and it is your duty to serve your mother over that of strangers. While we may have prepared alternatives, your contribution is almost guaranteed to spread chaos and conflict in the Milky Way and trigger an irreconcilable contradiction between the MTA and the CFA. Unless the Big Two are sufficiently distracted and unable to act on their hostility towards us, we will never be safe. I will die. Your sister Helena will die. Your father Ryncol will die. Your cat incarnation will die. Are you truly willing to let all of us perish because of a sense of duty to a people that does not appreciate your work?"

"I am a mech designer!" Veronica exclaimed!

The Oblivion Empress smirked in an ominous fashion. "You are a mech designer of red humanity. As the chief councilor of the Red Association and the leader of a growing clan of Larkinsons, your responsibility lies with the humans of the Red Ocean. The original humans of the Milky Way are not your people anymore. Their leaders are hostile and pose a threat against our family. You have no obligation to serve them to the best of their ability. Tell me, if you can save red humanity by helping us destroy the current order in the Milky Way, will you agree to do so, or will you cling to your misguided principles and let the Big Two deprive us of our lives?"

The mention of family was a low blow. Veronica's expression grew ugly as she struggled to figure out the right response.

She could not deny the assumption that the Big Two would try to kill them all if they understood how much of a threat they posed.

Since MTA and the CFA were bound to become hostile, why should she stick up for them? She still cared about original humanity, but she cared about red humanity

more.

She had a family of her own in the Red Ocean! If Veronica failed to do her best to help

red humanity win the ongoing war, then Gloriana, Aurelia, Andraste and Marvaine may die!

This was an unforgivable outcome as far as she was concerned!

The Oblivion Empress was right. Family mattered before everything. "I'll see what I can do." Veronica offered a weak but ultimately compromising response. "However, there are still too many dubious parts about the Oblivion Plan. How certain are you that the release of Carmine mechs will lead to widespread breakdowns in the current order? The Big Two are pretty strong. Even if the mechers are mainly responsible for maintaining internal stability, their first-class multipurpose mechs are so strong that they can pacify any uprising or conflict."

"It will not work for long." Cynthia shook her head. "One of the reasons why the MTA is able to maintain its rule is because it has developed a benevolent reputation. The mechers are often seen as the 'good guys! What do you think will happen if their first-class multipurpose mechs indiscriminately cracks down on all of the battles between Carmine mechs? The mechers will turn from saviors into oppressors. Combined with imposing heavy restrictions and prohibitions against the use of Carmine mechs, the population will soon regard the MTA as a tyrannical organization that unfairly takes away people's right to pilot mechs."

That actually sounded very realistic, but there was an obvious loophole to this

argument.

"The mechers should be smart enough to realize this as well. They won't fall for this trap so easily." Veronica said.

"Ah, but that is the beauty of this plan. We do not intend to give the MTA another

choice. You see, it is not only the general population that will destabilize the current order. There are many other like-minded groups that share a common goal with us. Even if we do not formally meet with each other, it is certain that they will tacitly cooperate with us. They will eagerly fan the flames and exacerbate the problems within human civilization."

The Oblivion Empress and the Beast of Fear alone could never topple the Big Two by themselves, but if they could gather enough powerful allies, then their chances became a lot more realistic!

"Who will you cooperate with, mother?"

"We have already formed an extensive list of potential allies. The MTA and CFA have

made too many enemies. As long as they show weakness, their adversaries will not be able to resist the temptation to strike. Currently, we are planning to reach out to sympathizers within the MTA, the Greater Terran United Confederation, the New Rubarth Empire, many other first-rate states, the Cosmopolitan Movement and the Five Scrolls Compact. Forming this unholy alliance is one of the most helpful conditions to successfully tear down the Big Two and allow us to grow strong enough to defend our right to live!"