"Should I say it's nice to meet you? Or long time no see?"
"Char...!" The two syllables were practically squeezed out from between Karma Zabi's teeth. Looking at his former best friend, now his mortal enemy, Karma Zabi's heart was a complex knot of anger, hatred, confusion, and resentment.
"Char, is it? Heh, to hear that name from your mouth is truly..." Char stood up, walked over to Karma Zabi, and leaned down until his face was very close. "...ironic, isn't it, little young master of the Zabi family, Karma Zabi."
"From the very beginning... you approached me just to plot against me?" Karma Zabi asked, his teeth gritted.
"Half and half." Char sat back down in his seat and crossed his legs leisurely. "Who told you to be so naive, Garma? You were so easy... for me to use. I used you to hide my identity, used you to get close to the Zabi family, and used you to officially start the war between Zeon and the Federation."
"Char... you plotted against me!" Karma Zabi was naive, but he wasn't stupid. Hearing Char's mockery, he connected everything. From Char first approaching him, to the uprising at the Federation military academy, to everything that followed—it was all Char's plan. He had treated Char as his only true friend, but in Char's eyes, he was merely a pawn!
"Don't get so worked up." Char waved his hand, telling Karma Zabi to calm down. "You can only blame yourself for being too naive, can't you? I left so many openings back then, yet you didn't notice a single one."
"Char..." Countless curses swirled in his mind, but whenever Karma Zabi tried to speak them, they stuck in his throat. Ultimately, they turned into a sense of powerlessness and despondency. He knew he had lost, utterly and completely.
It was laughable. He had once considered Char his best friend and only worthy rival. He had put in all his effort, wanting to surpass Char, only to realize that every step he took was within the other man's designs. He had been played like a puppet from the start.
"Kill me, Char. Give me a dignified death. Let me die with the pride of the Zabi family!"
"Kill you? No, no, no, Garma. You still have value, so you cannot die yet," Char said, shaking his head.
"Don't even think about it! Char, don't think you can make me do anything for you!"
"I don't need you to do anything, Garma. You just need to stay alive. His Majesty the Sovereign misses you very much."
"You bastard!" As soon as those words were out, Karma Zabi immediately realized what Char intended. He planned to use him to blackmail Degwin Sodo Zabi. "I won't let you have your way!"
With that, Karma Zabi lunged toward the nearby wall.
Char, however, simply watched the scene calmly, his voice steady as he spoke: "Sovereign Degwin has already contacted the Federation's General Revil. He intends to surrender."
Karma Zabi, just about to hit the wall, stopped. He turned around stiffly, looking at Char with a gaze of pure disbelief. "What... did you say?"
"Sovereign Degwin has already established contact with General Revil and is preparing to surrender to the Federation," Char repeated plainly.
"Impossible! That's impossible! How could Father... how could he surrender to the Federation?! As a member of the Zabi family, his pride... how could he do something so humiliating! For the glory of Zeon..."
"Heh, is the glory you see injecting G3 poison gas into colonies? Is it dropping colony satellite bombs on Earth? Is it treating everyone else as pawns for your own ambition? Is it dragging all of humanity down with you even when you know you've lost?" Char questioned Karma with a cold sneer.
"That... that was necessary! People must be sacrificed in war! For victory, for a better future! Their sacrifices were worth it!"
"Tsk, tsk. As expected of a member of the Zabi family." Char clicked his tongue and shook his head, his expression becoming even colder. "To borrow a phrase from 'him'—why wasn't it you who was sacrificed? Why wasn't it Gihren Zabi? Why was it innocent civilians?"
"This... this... For the victory of Zeon! For the glory of the Zabi family! I was prepared to sacrifice myself!"
"Heh, so you really are still just a child who won't grow up, Garma." Char shook his head with a cold laugh. "Your eldest brother, Gihren Zabi, never thought that way. For his own ambition, he would sacrifice anyone—including his subordinates, his siblings, and even your shared father."
"Impossible! Big brother... he... he... he..."
"Can't say it, can you? Gihren Zabi has been consumed by his own ambition. Can such a madman—no, to use 'his' words, a psychopath—can such a psychopath even have glory?"
"Char! Shut up!"
"What? Did I strike a nerve? Can't accept it?"
"Stop talking! I told you to stop talking!"
The successive verbal barrages slowly demolished the resolve in Karma Zabi's heart. Once the fanaticism and determination were gone, all that remained was helplessness and confusion.
"..." Watching Karma Zabi on the verge of collapse, Char's cold laughter vanished, his disdain disappeared, and even the chill faded, leaving only a heavy silence.
"Kill me, Char. I beg of you, kill me! Let me leave this world with the Zabi family's last bit of pride, their last beautiful dream!" Just as Char was about to step out the door, Karma Zabi suddenly roared at him, causing Char to pause.
"If you are Casval Zym Deikun, then kill me! I am a Zabi! I am your enemy! Come on! Quickly! Kill me!"
"..." Char turned his head slightly and glanced at Karma Zabi. "You called me Char."
After saying that, he left the dazed Karma Zabi behind, walked out of the room, and closed the door.
"Watch him. Don't let anything happen to him."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Returning to his own room, Char sat on the sofa looking somewhat exhausted. Lalah Sune appeared by his side at the perfect moment, massaging his aching temples.
"Colonel, contact has been established with Sovereign Degwin. He is willing to come to the Zeon Republic secretly to discuss the surrender," Lalah Sune reported as she gently eased Char's fatigue.
"Is the date confirmed?" Char asked, eyes closed as he enjoyed the massage.
"Sovereign Degwin hopes to arrive in the Zeon Republic in one month."
"In one month... I see."
Upon hearing this, Lalah Sune stopped the massage and obediently stepped back a few paces. She drew all the curtains, locked the door, and activated a dedicated signal jammer.
Immediately after, Char took out a quantum communicator and contacted Yang Hui to inform him of the development.
...
"Good, I understand. I'll be there on time."
At this moment, Yang Hui had not yet left Revil's office. Both Revil and Tianem were present, and they naturally heard the content of Char's report.
"Are you going alone?" Revil asked Yang Hui.
"I won't be taking the Twelfth Independent Technical Division. Just prepare a few transport ships and an escort fleet for me," Yang Hui said.
"Fine, I'll arrange it."
"Make sure your side is ready. Once I get the confirmed word from over there, you can launch your strike."
"And the trump card?"
"Leave it to my people. In my absence, the overall command will be taken over by Natarle Badgiruel. I will also infiltrate the Principality of Zeon's territory from the other side with Char."
"Hmm... that's for the best."
The Twelfth Independent Technical Division was one thing, but Yang Hui was another. Perhaps because he knew too much, Revil felt that without Yang Hui, the Twelfth Independent Technical Division lost its aura of invincibility, which always made him worry.
However, since Yang Hui said he would infiltrate Zeon territory from another side, Revil was much more at ease. At least he would still be participating in this battle.
"I'm heading back. To ensure the success of the plan, there's one more piece of the puzzle that must be completed."
"The stuff you brought back from the Flanagan Institute?" Tianem asked.
"Yeah, that's very important to me."
"Alright. Tell me if you need anything."
"I would have done that even if you didn't say so," Yang Hui laughed and waved his hand as he left the office.
"That brat!" Revil and Tianem cursed with a laugh. Even though Revil now knew Yang Hui's true age, he still couldn't associate him with a centenarian. His appearance, personality, and style were all contrary to that.
But Revil chose to forget that while his own appearance was that of a white-haired old man, he was also a bit of a joker in private.
...
Returning to the base, Yang Hui immediately went to the R&D department to find Tim Ray.
"How is it going?"
"The Newtype suitability testing for the team members has already begun. The results should be out the day after tomorrow."
"How is the development of the Psycommu System and the corresponding armaments?"
"We've made some progress. A prototype unit can be built within a week, and then testing can begin..."
"Too slow. Let's do it together."
"This is already the fastest prediction. Because we lack an understanding of and cooperation from a Newtype, progress on the Psycommu System development definitely can't be fast."
"I will cooperate with you."
"You?" Tim Ray looked at Yang Hui in surprise, not realizing what he meant for a moment.
"I am an NT. I will cooperate with your development of the Psycommu System."
"How do you know you're an NT?" Tim Ray asked.
"Will this prove it?"
As soon as he spoke, to Tim Ray's stunned amazement, Yang Hui's eyes filled with a seven-colored flowing light. Without opening his mouth, his voice rang out directly in Tim Ray's mind.
Because Yang Hui himself didn't have a great way to manifest the traits of a Newtype—since in the lore, NTs didn't have a very specific physical manifestation, and it was impossible to emit a colored psychic wave like internal energy in an anime—he could only borrow the eyes of an Innovator.
"This... this... you really are..."
"Enough." Yang Hui waved his hand to interrupt Tim Ray's shock, signaling him not to spread the word. "Let's go. Within a month, the Newtype suitability testing, the development of the Psycommu System and its armaments, and the team members' proficiency with the Psycommu System will determine our survival probability for the next mission."
"..." Tim Ray recovered from his shock, his expression becoming extremely serious. "I understand. We will definitely complete it."