After confirming the situation of Professor Eifman and Old Wang, Yang Hui quietly established contact with Aeolia Schenberg, asking him to prepare to cut off Ribbons' control over the nanomachines inside the two elders. At the very moment Ribbons was prepared to act, Aeolia Schenberg would strike first and sever the connection.
Professor Eifman and Old Wang both fainted, and Yang Hui hurried forward to support them.
"Come in!"
Marines filed into the room, searching the surroundings and guarding against threats.
"Take the two elders and leave this place."
"Understood!" X N
With Professor Eifman and Old Wang being quickly evacuated, Yang Hui re-boarded the Dawn Gundam. The Marines also brought the two elderly men back into the large backpack, leaving this chaotic area along with the MS units.
At the same time, the A-Laws Far East Base, like many other bases, had fallen into chaos. While everyone was fleeing in all directions, Billy Katagiri and Andrei Smirnov were hiding in a warehouse under the guidance of several agents.
"Shouldn't we be escaping the base? Why are we hiding here?" Billy Katagiri asked.
"It's a mess out there right now; running out makes it easy to get hit by stray fire!" Unlike Billy Katagiri, who was technical personnel and lacked combat knowledge, Andrei Smirnov knew very well that the entire base was in total disarray. The pre-planned evacuation routes had also been affected by the fighting. If they went outside, not to mention the people monitoring them who might hunt them down, a single stray shot could cost them their lives.
"I have already contacted Mr. Creuset. After clearing out the surrounding enemies, he will rendezvous with us," the Celestial Being agent said.
"Mr. Creuset? Who is that?" Billy Katagiri asked instinctively. During the year Yang Hui and the others were away, he had seen the cold reality of the world. Especially during the period when he was used as a hostage to threaten Professor Eifman and Old Wang, he had become someone who trusted no one and dared not believe anyone easily.
He had never heard the name Creuset before. He didn't know where the Gundams outside came from, but he wouldn't blindly trust a stranger he had never met just because of the existence of Gundams and GN Drives.
"He is the new head of intelligence, who returned along with Miss Wang Liu Mei to rebuild the intelligence network. His identity credentials have been verified."
"...What about Professor Eifman and Old Wang?" Billy Katagiri asked. He, Professor Eifman, and Old Wang were essentially being used to threaten each other. Ribbons used Billy Katagiri to threaten Professor Eifman and Old Wang, while simultaneously using them to threaten Billy. Therefore, he was very concerned about their safety.
"The Professor and the Academician are being personally handled by Mr. Yang Hui. By the way, Mr. Yang Hui is Mr. Myer Stewart. Mr. Yang Hui was worried you might be suspicious, so he asked me to tell you: the second stage of the plan can be declared over, and the confidentiality regulations are void." The Celestial Being agent saw Billy Katagiri's distrust and took the initiative to explain.
"...I understand." Billy Katagiri didn't fully trust the agent in front of him, but he had no other choice at this moment. Even if he and Andrei Smirnov dealt with the few agents here, there were still several Gundams outside. They couldn't escape at all. It was better to wait patiently to meet Creuset and see exactly who the other party was.
Before long, the sounds of battle outside the warehouse gradually died down. They knew the fighting outside was nearly over, and they would soon be leaving this hellhole.
"Let's go. It's safe outside for now."
"...Yeah."
Billy Katagiri and Andrei Smirnov followed the Celestial Being agents out of the warehouse. Facing them, they saw several Gundams surrounding the building—no, it would be more accurate to say they were guarding it. From their positioning and orientation, one could tell at a glance that the Gundams were indeed protecting them.
"Mr. Billy Katagiri and Andrei Smirnov?" Rau Le Creuset did not leave the Providence Gundam, instead asking them via the external broadcast.
Billy Katagiri and Andrei Smirnov nodded.
"Targets confirmed safe. Begin withdrawal... though there shouldn't be any pursuers anyway."
Travis Kirkland, Johnny Ridden, and others respectively picked up Billy Katagiri, Andrei Smirnov, and the Celestial Being agents, then took off to leave the area.
"So tragic!"
Looking down from the sky, the Far East Base—one of A-Laws' largest bases in Asia—had become a ruin. The ground was littered with craters, wreckage, and corpses. Fires burned fiercely, and thick smoke billowed, swaying as it rose into the sky. Just as Creuset had said, it was impossible for there to be any pursuers.
Only after returning to a safe location did Billy Katagiri and Andrei Smirnov meet Creuset, but they still didn't see his real face because Creuset had put his half-mask back on.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Billy Katagiri, Andrei Smirnov. I am Rau Le Creuset."
Looking at the hand extended toward them, neither Billy Katagiri nor Andrei Smirnov took it. Instead, they stared intently at Creuset. "Who exactly are you? What is your purpose in bringing us here?"
"Heh, it seems you two still doubt my identity." Creuset retracted his hand with a chuckle, though he understood. After all, he was someone who had appeared out of nowhere, and given their complicated experiences over the past year, having a high degree of wariness was normal. "Rest assured, I haven't lied about my identity. Yang Hui should be back soon... Look, he's back."
"Yang Hui/Second Uncle is back?" The two looked up to see several more Gundams they had never seen before returning to this deserted island. As they looked around, they noticed people returning here from different directions in the distance.
"To ensure the success of the rescue operation, we sent many people to attack A-Laws bases all over the world," Creuset said, leading the two toward where the Dawn Gundam was landing.
"This is..." Billy Katagiri's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he looked at the brand-new Gundam.
"The Dawn Gundam, Yang Hui's custom machine."
"I see..."
Billy Katagiri and Andrei Smirnov watched as the Dawn Gundam's cockpit door opened. The pilot slowly descended and removed his helmet. Upon seeing Yang Hui's face clearly, they finally let out a sigh of relief, the heavy stone in their hearts finally dropping.
"Yang Hui, you're finally back." Billy Katagiri gave Yang Hui a hug, speaking with joy.
"It's only been a year. Why make it sound like I've been gone for decades or a century?" Yang Hui teased.
"Get lost! You certainly had it easy! Do you have any idea how we lived this past year?"
"I don't." Yang Hui shrugged quite provocatively, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Good, very good, excellent. You're still just as punchable as ever!" Billy Katagiri's finger trembled as he pointed at Yang Hui. He wanted to curse him out but didn't dare, since he couldn't win a fight or an argument (Cowardly.jpg).
"Andrei, you've grown up." Looking at the Andrei Smirnov before him, he had grown taller and sturdier. The soft edges of youth had been smoothed out, replaced by a bright and tough demeanor.
He remembered the last time he saw Andrei Smirnov was that picnic before joining Celestial Being. He hadn't seen him since, not even after Phase One ended. Andrei had joined the military directly after graduating from the academy.
"Second Uncle, long time no see." Reuniting with Yang Hui after a long absence, Andrei was certainly excited, but it was mostly a complex mix of emotions. As a soldier, he naturally took protecting civilians and safeguarding peace as his duty.
But his most admired Second Uncle since childhood turned out to be one of the culprits who caused global turmoil years ago. And now they had appeared again, once again throwing the world into chaos. Even if he detested A-Laws' methods, he couldn't approve of Celestial Being's actions either.
"Alright, Andrei, we can talk more later. Now, we need to return to space."
"Return to space?" Billy Katagiri and Andrei Smirnov were surprised.
"Now that you've all been rescued, we no longer have anything holding us back. It's time to clean up the distortion points of this world."
"Wait, what about Professor Eifman and Old Wang?" Billy Katagiri asked. He hadn't seen Professor Eifman or Old Wang appear yet, and a bad premonition suddenly arose in his heart.
"There was a slight accident. They are currently unconscious, but their health vitals are normal. They should wake up before long."
"Phew~ That's good then."
"Creuset, contact Liumei and arrange our return to space. Order the fleet on standby at Celestial Palace City to head for the Moon," Yang Hui commanded.
"Understood."
As Creuset went to contact Wang Liu Mei, Yang Hui took Billy Katagiri and Andrei Smirnov to visit Professor Eifman and Old Wang. At the same time, he informed them of the two elders' situation, as well as the situation of the Smirnovs.
"Father and Mother are both members of Celestial Being!?" Hearing the truth, Andrei Smirnov felt his worldview collapsing. It turned out the whole family were moles, and only he wasn't? Then who exactly was the problem here?
"Your old man is an Overseer and was also a collaborator for the Phase One plan. Your sister-in-law isn't; she was just an informed party."
"Is there a difference?"
"Of course there is. Your mother didn't participate in the Celestial Being Project."
"...I mean, in the whole family, I'm the only one who didn't know. Is there a difference?"
"Er, then no."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Andrei Smirnov questioned.
"...During Phase One, you hadn't even graduated. By the time you graduated and joined the military, Phase One was over. What would be the point of telling you then?"
"Er, it seems there wouldn't have been a point..."
"Then there you go."
"But you couldn't just keep me in the dark forever! The whole family kept it from me alone. It makes me very sad, Second Uncle!"
"..." Yang Hui narrowed his eyes and patted Andrei Smirnov's shoulder, giving the "Little Bear" the sincere counsel of an elder. "Little Bear, welcome to adult society."
"...Second Uncle."
"Don't be sad, Little Bear. A man's growth always comes with a price."
"No, Second Uncle, I wanted to say—can you stop calling me Little Bear?"
"Your grandfather is the Old Bear, your father is the Big Bear, so aren't you the Little Bear?"
"...Since when did our family have such a strange heritage!? Also, Second Uncle, wouldn't that make you the Second Bear?"
"No, I am not."
"Why?"
"Because I'm adopted, hehe!"
(End of chapter)