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If he inspected the crash site later and discovered that Asad and Qorvass had just been killed because one of those damn marshals was too stupid to realize their own ally was inside the robot, then Morgunov was going to be a lot more than just annoyed.

He was going to be angry. And that was something he hadn't felt in an even longer time.

There wasn't much left in this world that could set him off, anymore. He'd learned long ago how to take things in stride, to just enjoy life. But one thing that he'd never quite been able get past was that special Vanguardian blend of hypocritical moralizing combined with utter incompetence. There was just something so keenly unbearable about that habit of theirs.

So if that mixture ended up being responsible for the premature conclusion of an experiment that he had very much been looking forward to, then Morgunov could already tell that he was gonna have to do something quite mean-spirited to the Vanguard before he would feel better.

For now, though, it was just irritation. If Asad was still alive, then everything would be fine. And with any luck, the Mk. III would keep possession of him.

In the meantime, he would have to deal with these challengers.

Yes. Multiple.

He could sense them now, in the distance. They were arriving in even larger numbers than he expected, and thanks to Bool's memory, most of their souls were familiar.

And it was quite a party. He recognized Lieutenant Generals Wes, Kehl, Harisson, and Vernon. From the rank of General, he noticed Lawrence, Min, Edward, Fremont, and Calvin. And from the Captain Generals, he spotted Jules, Eckard, Malinda, and Meris. Combined with Parson Miles, that was a sizable chunk of the Vanguard's top brass taking part in this operation.

They must've known who they were dealing with.

But of course, it wasn't the generals that he needed to worry about. Sure, they could become a problem if he let them, but it was those two at the front he needed to take seriously.

Lamont and Jackson. Together.