Reboot: Mechanic

As Shi Tian muttered about his description of Theobold, his voice was laced with a mixture of admiration for Theobold's cunning and wariness of his intentions.

The weight of this discovery hung in the air, casting a shadow over the trio. They now had a crucial piece of information, but it raised more questions than answers. 

What was the nature of this connection, and how had Theobold managed to deceive them all?

Vanessa's mind raced as she tried to make sense of the situation. She felt like a pawn in a game of chess, moved about at the whims of unseen players. Her emotions remained a turbulent sea, torn between her past trust in Theobold and the unsettling reality that had been revealed.

Mary, on the other hand, had her eyes locked on Shi Tian. She was somewhat curious about his secret, being able to solve something that her computer failed to do.

It wasn't that she wanted to brag, but her computer was a supercomputer, built with the latest technology possible. 

Meanwhile, Shi Tian took a few more seconds to compress the newfound information he had received from the integrated chip. 

As Shi Tian finally looked up from the badge, his eyes meeting theirs. 

"We have the information we need, but it's imperative that we proceed with caution. Commander Theobold may be more dangerous than we ever imagined." He said calmly. 

Mary nodded her head. 

"Indeed, rumors really can't be trusted and even the surface appearance could be beyond deceiving." She shook her head and chuckled in disbelief. 

"But we don't have any concrete evidence that it was really Commander Theobold. What if it was planted by someone to cause a rift in our relationship?" Vanessa suddenly enquired. 

It wasn't that she was trying to defend Theobold, but she was trying to look at things from another perspective. 

After all, it could also be a ploy done by another person hidden deep in the shadows, attempting to soil their relationship. 

If this was truly the case, then wouldn't that mean they had fallen into an enemy's trap, resulting in them losing a valuable ally such as Theobold. 

Shi Tian nodded his head slightly, agreeing that it was a possibility. However, he had pondered over the situation and the possibility of such a thing being true was close to zero percent.

"The badge was given to Vanessa by Theobold, so it's already a concrete fact that Theobold is the culprit," Shi Tian stated calmly, cementing the gravity of the situation. 

The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, but the bigger picture was still obscured.

And he continued, "Not to mention, Mary informed me that she had gone to Theobold's command center to help him figure out the dense area. Hence, only Theobold, other than the three of us, knew about the dense area and the strange energy before the leak occurred."

The evidence pointed squarely at Theobold, and their trust in him had been irrevocably shattered.

With that explanation and context revealed. Vanessa realized that the possibility of another enemy attempting to cause a rift between them was very minimal.

Shi Tian had practically made a process of elimination with the information they knew, and the conclusion only resulted in one point. Theobold was not the honorable and principled military commander they knew. 

The trio shared a collective understanding that their mission had taken a dangerous turn. They were no longer just combating the monstrous threat from the Gilaso variants; they were facing a cunning adversary from within.

Vanessa, her initial shock beginning to transform into determination, 

clenched her fists. She wouldn't allow herself to be manipulated any longer, not especially when she had received a stark betrayal from her Uncle, Martin. 

"There's still something fishy here though." Mary rubbed her chin and said. "Just why would Commander Theobold do such a thing?" 

"It's quite simple, Mary." Shi Tian held a solemn expression as he explained, "For power." 

"Power?" 

"Yes, the power that one could grasp in hand once they are helmed as the savior of Gearits City." 

Vanessa raised an eyebrow in confusion at that claim. "Commander Theobold is already a powerful man in Gearits City. His reputation is the best, and not even the five families could contest his fame and military power." 

Mary agreed with Vanessa on this point. "Commander Theobold's reputation had long been cemented in Gearits City. It is not necessary for him to further than that." 

"That's because the two of you are women and don't understand a man's standpoint." Shi Tian smiled softly and said. 

And before the two of them could continue, Shi Tian asked them a question.

"Have the two of you ever heard of Commander Theobold having a woman by his side?" 

The question was somewhat off-topic, prompting Vanessa and Mary to be speechless.

How did this question relate to the current topic they were discussing?

"Just answer me and don't think too much." Shi Tian exclaimed, turning his attention to Mary. 

"Mary, you're the longest person that had resided in Gearits City out of the three of us. So have you ever heard of Commander Theobold having a woman?" 

If this kind of question was given to her by another person, then Mary would truly want to smack them for being so insensitive.

However, since it was Shi Tian, she believed he must have his reason for asking such nonsensical questions.

"No, Commander Theobold was hailed as the most principled and honorable man. He never even touched a woman in his life and was always focused on battle." Mary answered.

"Then was Commander Theobold ever injured in a battle?" 

"Of course, he has been injured, Nathan. Even the most powerful person would be injured when it involves a battle that contains much uncertainty." Mary rolled her eyes and said, almost as if it wasn't obvious.

However, speaking of that, Mary suddenly recalled something and informed Shi Tian.

"I recalled Commander Theobold suffering a grave injury one time and everyone was concerned about it. Though he made a recovery soon after. So people had gradually forgotten about it and only knew his prestige."