"Knowing everything in advance?" Saint-Gilles looked slightly puzzled.
Samuel Young maintained his usual calm demeanor, unsurprised by Robert's question. He even complimented him, "It seems playing games has made you more sensitive to strategic deployment. Yes, I indeed knew all of RDA's and the enemy's movements in advance."
As he spoke, Samuel Young raised his left hand and made a sweeping gesture. The preliminary draft of the contract and numerous documents shrank and were placed in the corner of the central control console. Then, he manipulated the controls and brought up a holographic map.
Re-examining the map, which was marked with dense details, it reflected every aspect of the battlefield. Their father did not conceal anything and openly admitted it?
"Father..." This made Saint-Gilles even more puzzled. "Do you really possess some sort of foresight or the ability to predict the future?"
Robert remained silent, but Saint-Gilles had already voiced the question.
Seeing his two sons puzzled, Samuel Young could have chosen to be enigmatic or maintain an air of mystery. However, he believed that sometimes it was best to help his children resolve their doubts early to avoid potential issues, like now.
"Rather than predicting the future, it's more accurate to say it's time reversal or time reset, which allows me to make targeted battle plans." Samuel Young briefly introduced the concept of [Reset].
But he did not mention that he had already [Reset] "today" six times.
Even though he knew the plot of "Avatar 1" in advance, Samuel Young needed to understand more specific time points, such as when to minimize RDA's heavy losses and let them experience despair before introducing the ARS squads of the Atlas forces.
When Samuel Young discovered that the Zero Two Universe was the world of "Avatar," he was already considering bringing Miles Quaritch and the RDA mercenaries "under his control," making the timing particularly important.
Another point was to minimize or reduce the casualties of the ARS squads as much as possible.
Each time Samuel Young [Reset], he had to consider the time flow differences between different universes and could not use it indiscriminately. After all, the [Reset] skill only worked within a single universe.
Thus, only in the main universe, within the ruins base, the staff responsible for recording were aware that Samuel Young had completed six [Resets].
In contrast, Robert and Saint-Gilles were completely unaware of the existence of [Reset]. One reason was that they were just toddlers at that time, and another was that they had not returned to the main universe during this period, so they had not noticed it yet.
There was also a third factor: Samuel Young had deliberately downplayed his ability, which could barely be considered "predicting the future," and had forbidden the senior staff who knew the truth from discussing it.
If the soldiers about to enter battle knew their boss could [Reset] the day, even the most elite and brave soldiers might develop a fluke mentality, thinking everything could "start over."
Samuel Young wished he had the power to solve all enemies or evil gods and demons with a wave of his hand, sparing soldiers from sacrificing their lives to extend humanity's survival. But the fact was he couldn't, so he must not "gamble."
However, he could strive to avoid and reduce casualties.
Additionally, the time flow differences between universes caused by [Reset] would slowly adjust and eventually return to the same month, day, and then precisely to the hour, minute, and second.
As progenitors, though their minds were still immature, with childlike innocence, Robert and Saint-Gilles instantly deduced why their father deliberately downplayed [Reset] after hearing his brief explanation and through various details.
Saint-Gilles, no longer showing the earlier desire for credit, instead looked worried and asked, "Father... do you feel tired and weary handling all this alone?"
"Tired and weary?" Samuel Young's expression changed slightly, but it passed quickly. He fell into a brief silence before speaking his true thoughts:
"It's impossible to say I don't feel tired, but compared to the warriors fighting on the front lines, the researchers in the labs, and everyone diligently working in their positions, what is my fatigue and weariness? Moreover, if I can save more lives, I feel it's worth it.
You might find it a bit funny, but sometimes I quite enjoy my job. Watching Atlas grow stronger brings me a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment, just like..."
At this point, Samuel Young paused, glanced at his two sons, and continued, "Just like the first time I took on the role of a father, seeing you two grow stronger and more outstanding brings similar feelings."
The two progenitors were obviously hearing such words from their father for the first time and were somewhat stunned. However, Robert reacted first and, with a serious expression, said:
"Father, rest assured, it won't be long before Saint-Gilles and I can stand on our own and share your burdens, better protecting the company and humanity."
"Yes, Father," Saint-Gilles echoed seriously.
Hearing this, Samuel Young smiled slightly with a hint of relief but did not say much more. He then dismissed the holographic map, brought various files back up to the central console, and said:
"The Hunter Squad will depart for the Venture Star ship in half an hour with the technicians. You two can follow..."
But his words were cut off halfway.
Because in his mind, the cold, emotionless voice that had been silent for over a year resounded again: [A descendant... has arrived on Pandora...]
"Father, are you okay?"
Seeing Samuel Young stop mid-sentence, Robert and Saint-Gilles couldn't help but feel strange. However, Samuel Young's next words left them astonished:
"I'm fine. However, you two have gained a brother."
"Huh??"
"A brother?"
...
Shortly after.
At noon on the sunny side of Pandora, about sixty kilometers northeast of the Atlas front base, in the rainforest.
The environment here was not much different from other places, filled with various giant plants and insects, with occasional glimpses of wild animals.
A snake-like creature with scales reflecting blue-green light slithered on the moist soil. Suddenly, it seemed to sense something and sped up towards the front.
Passing through dense grass, it came to a tree pit bathed in sunlight.
There, the snake-like creature saw a golden-haired human baby lying in the pit, with no clothes or breathing mask.
The baby seemed to have adapted to Pandora's atmosphere, not crying or making noise, and stared back at the snake-like creature.
How strange.
"Hiss!"
But the snake-like creature didn't care about any of this. It only saw the baby as a delicious, protein-rich meal and immediately opened its mouth wide to strike.
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