Chapter 285: Deceiving Flantter

The sudden appearance of a mysterious and undetectable Exoskeleton petrified Flantter, who was observing the battle.

The very introduction that Lowengren gave was one that struck Flantter's heartstrings.

Lowengren only knew one Presider by name. Presider Pridgeon had been subjected to Lowengren's deception, and the information that the group retrieved from Pridgeon was plenty.

Because of this, Lowengren could easily adjust his lies to fit whatever scenario. If Maver served Pridgeon, he could easily introduce himself as someone who was there to help. If not, then he could easily offer a partnership to accomplish the mission and use the Lost Primordial as an excuse. There were many scenarios that Lowengren could use, and all he had to do, was wait for the Pioneer to respond and adjust his answers.

Flantter, however, was afraid. He WAS a Pioneer serving Pridgeon but had betrayed Pridgeon and sided with Presider Straviaa with hopes of rising on the ladder of power.

"How?"

"Do you think you're the only ones who have powerful techs?" Lowengren laughed.

"Since when?"

"When? You underestimate Pridgeon too much! Do you think he is the weakest Presider? Has it not occurred to you that he is bluffing? When Presiders show too much power, they will be targeted by others who lust after their power!" Lowengren laughed again.

Flantter was silent. He instantly regretted his decision to betray Pridgeon.

"So Pridgeon knew that I would betray him since the start? Or does Presider Straviaa has a spy from Presider Pridgeon?"

Lowengren shook his head.

"Presider Pridgeon was hoping that you would do this," Lowengren answered. He had already guessed what happened. His previous lies were open-ended. It could have been interpreted in many ways. But this allowed Lowengren to analyze and deduce what the scenario was and make appropriate lies.

Flantter was silent.

"Then, since you didn't kill me even if you have the tech, I assume that you have a reason for doing this?"

"The Lost Primordial has been around for a long time on this planet. Did you really think that a single Supreme Exoskeleton can fight against them? We'd need to use more techs to fight them! Even the techs I have aren't enough to win against them. Well, not in a frontal assault at least."

"…Not even our combined techs can win against them?"

"It's just a guess. I don't know how formidable that Exoskeleton is. After all, Presider Pridgeon doesn't know all of Presider Straviaa's tech! But Presider guessed that what I am seeing are the techs they can afford to reveal. If we push them any further, they will wipe this place off the map."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"I have infiltrated the base and even found a way to communicate with these Lost Primordials. They are using someone called General Vender. In fact, they seemed rather close with him. General Vender is someone that has eluded Commander Owens. I know that you and Owens have some history, but he seems rather capable and deduced a lot of truths about General Vender. Through him, I have found the identity of General Venders. You wouldn't believe me if I told you who it is. So I have a plan…" Lowengren laughed.

And there, Lowengren explained the plan to Pioneer Flantter.

"This… You thought of all this?" LennoxV2.3 had to ask.

"No. I'm just playing things by ear, honestly. I planned to make Commander Owens attack using the Gehanna Piercer and kill Flantter, but since I got you, it's better to do this instead!"

"I'm am impressed. So this is the Path you chose? You aim to be an Overcomer through Deception?"

"I know that there are a limit and extent as to how far schemes and plots reach. Before true power, I'd be dead. But if I abandon my Path and search for other means to grow stronger, then I would never become an Overcomer. Right now, I don't see any chance of being able to stand my ground against your lot. But I have to Overcome through my lies!"

"Your Path is a risky one. The Path of a Gambler isn't a secure and sure road to Overcome."

"A day may come when this Gambler will break even. But I believe. Pastor Eagle told me. We may throw the dice, but the decision belongs to the Lord."

"Hmph… Spoken like a true Believer."

"I am one. Now… help me make this work. I'm sure you can activate the Gehanna Piercer."

"Of course."

Back in the base, the soldiers kept on using their technology to scan and search for nearby enemies.

The disappearance of the WGP forces caused them to become more warry.

"Sir! The remaining waters and ice have all been eradicated. The sandstorms drought capabilities have eliminated it. Should we disable the ones in our base and only maintain the one on the coast?"

"No! Maintain all protocols! We made a careless mistake and didn't prepare our protocols against New Great Britain! And that damaged our base severely!"

"But sir, all these protocols will drain our energy reserve! We might not have anything in the next hour!"

Owens had a very complicated expression.

The Behemoth itself already consumed a lot of energy, yet it couldn't best the large blue whale.

"Sir! The third volley of attacks failed again! This time our rockets lost all power as it approached the Blue Ship, and we had to disarm the rocket since it was headed to the Behemoth!" The reports came in.

Owens frowned. He had used various means to attack the Blue Ship, but the storm was making it hard to aim and hit the ship. Weapons that could move unhindered through the storm were either zapped by lightning, met an invisible field, and now, it seemed to have lost power as it neared the blue ship.

"Identify all forms of technology that that blue ship is releasing! We need to find one tech that we can use to hit it!" Owens cursed and kept holding on to his ear to listen closely to whatever messages he might send to him.

"Co… der… Wens!" A static and garbled message was heard.

"Commander Owens! Launch an attack at my location!" More static noise happened.

"AGH!" Lowengren screamed.

"Joab Barak! You may kill me, but know that your Presider will die as well! As long as there are loyal men in this world, your precious Presider won't win!" Lowengren shouted again.

These words shocked Owens. What is this Presider that he just mentioned?

"Is he fighting Joab? He's crazy!" Owens concluded that a fight must have gone through, and this brave soldier was shouting at Joab Barak.

"Sir! A strange signature has been detected above our base!"

"Send me the coordinates!" Owens immediately ordered. He must act quickly to save this soldier.

The soldier sent the coordinates of a strange fluctuation.

Owens wasted no time and brought out a device that controlled some of the strongest rockets that the base had.

Without any explanation, he launched three Gehanna Piercers immediately.

The sudden actions of the Commander shocked everyone.

"Commander!" Maver was shocked at his actions. He saw that the rocket was aimed for the strange signal.

"Commander! That might be the General!"

"I know! That's why I launched three!" Owens had a brutal expression.

"What?"

"He betrayed us!"

"No, impossible!" Maver was shocked.

"I have my sources!"

"Have you gone mad, Sir?!"

"Who are these Presiders?" Owens asked back.

"A- What?" Maver was shocked at these words.

"So you know about them? It seems that you are a traitor, too!"

"I've-I've heard of them but-"

"Tell me what you know? And-"

BEEP!

A warning sign flashed on the screen of Owens's device.

The rocket's signal had disappeared even before the explosion occurred.

"Sir... The Rocket. It was disarmed!" The soldier reported.

Owens glared at Maver.

Maver was quaking in his boots.

Meanwhile, up in the skies, Lowengren and Flantter held on to the rocket.

"That was easy." Lowengren laughed.

Flantter was shocked at what happened. Lowengren told him that a Gehanna Piercer would be launched in an attempt to kill him. But since the signal was directed towards Lowengren, it would allow Flantter to acquire the rocket and disarm it.

Lowengren then revealed a small metal cube, and with a flip of the switch, a vast amount of lightning energy appeared.

"Absorb this! Hurry!" Lowengren ordered.

"They'll detect the signal and launch the Gehanna Piercer!"

Flantter was very hesitant but the electric energy charged through him. Upon impact, the electric energy did not harm him but somehow stayed around it.

"What the?" Flantter was shocked.

"Quick! Allow it to enter your suit and allow it to access your system! Chase after the Gehanna Piercer and touch it! It will disarm the weapon instantly!"

Several warnings flashed as the Gehanna Piercer was detected.

Seeing as how everything occurred, just as Lowengren explained, Flantter immediately flew to intercept the weapon.

And just like Lowengren said, the Gehanna Piercer was deactivated when he touched it. He even had to use his suit to carry the object with his magnetic tech.

"Oh… Don't tell your Presider that you just let that lightning in you. It would alert them since their suit got hacked. If you tell her, I will immediately kill you. You can tell them that the Africans tried to hack into your tech with some strange lightning attack." Lowengren coached.

Flantter could see that several electric energy appeared inside his suit and scared him all the more.

"Flantter… What happened? I received a notification that there was an attempt to hack into your suit and access information?" Presider Straviaa communicated.

Flantter couldn't move as he could see the electrical energy inside his Exoskeleton drawing closer.

"It's nothing. The Africans have launched a strange device that hacks into other devices by forcing an electrical signal. It seems they have been receiving some help…"

"Electric signal?"

"It's very crude. My device isn't damaged."

Suddenly, various lights flickered inside his suit as if the suit was scanning Flantter's body for something.

"No peculiarities in your body. But it's telling me that you are afraid. Why?"

"Pre-Presider… I'll send you the video feed. It's a strange ship!" Flantter forced his vision to the sea, where the Behemoth and the large blue creature fought.

"New Great Britain technology? So it seems this Lost Primordial is something that rivals the WGP. But if that's all they have, then they are nothing to worry about…" Straviaa mocked.

"But it seems your suit won't be enough. How do you plan to destroy it?"

"I have acquired a Gehanna Piercer from the base below. I plan to launch it by using the Sandstorm to sneak indirectly. The storm would get in the way, but your Stellar Traveler tech ought to make it fast enough to plant this bomb and escape before detonating it."

"Good! You seem to be a capable man. It's good you chose to serve me over that weakling, Pridgeon. I expect good things. Your battle, unless you willingly report it, maybe kept hidden from the world. Several events of interest are happening, and a Kraken is being attacked. Crostfree is already observing that battle. I won't have time for you. Contact me and send the codes once you've completed your mission. If you succeed, I will grant you another package. It seems I need to send you a suit that is immune to possible hacking and remote controlling techs. I expect a good report." The line was disconnected.

Lowengren heard this talk as LennoxV2.3 was secretly sending data to Lowengren.

"A code? It looks like we can't kill him yet…" Lowengren sighed.

"Yes. We need that code to acquire a suit. It is as I thought. These Aragarians have techs that make even my lightning immune to hijacking. So that's why the future me planned to alter the energy source rather than hijack the ships…"

"But it seems that a pie from the sky will fall soon. Since I can gift you this, I want a Kyogre with an updated patch of you!"

"How greedy. But if the techs I acquire is impressive, I'll gift you a Primal Kyogre."

"Primal…? Do you have a Rayquaza by any chance?"

"Don't get too greedy. Besides, it's still in its testing phase."

Lowengren shook his head and approached Flantter.

"I did as you suggested!" Flantter answered immediately.

"Weakling, eh?" Lowengren immediately reacted.

"You… You heard that?"

"Don't worry. It might be offensive to others, but to Presider Pridgeon, who loves his current position, it's very pleasing to the ears. Good job. I don't have to kill you!"

"I implore you to mediate with Pridgeon on my behalf! I wish to return to his service!" Flantter decisively begged.

"Of course. But we won't blow up that blue ship. Of course, you will say to Presider Straviaa that we did. But Pridgeon wants it. Trust me. There is a way to capture it!" Lowengren laughed.

"What do we do then?"

"The key is General Vender! We have to draw him out! Those Lost Primordial attacking the base also want this General Vender for some odd reason. If you succeed, Presider might feel a wee bit generous and let you live."

"Then I am yours to command!"

Secretly, within the WGP vessel, the heart of Atlantis, Alean was finally alerted.

"Your Exoskeleton is complete. I've updated several features based on an Iron Man."

"An Iron Man? You have the schematics of a Supreme Exoskeleton?"

"I just acquired it thanks to Lowengren. Consider our little grudge as paid in full."

Alean was greatly relieved. She didn't want to have someone as crazy as Lennox have a grudge on her.