The individuals named by Yang Hui had been confirmed as Zeon spies through irrefutable evidence - first from the documents Revil provided, then verified through his own intelligence network.
This was hardly surprising. Spies were ubiquitous, infiltrating both the Federation and Zeon in large numbers. For a project as crucial to the Federation's survival as the [V Project], the absence of Zeon spies would have been truly remarkable.
Without these spies, Zeon wouldn't have detected the top-secret [V Project] in advance, and Dozle wouldn't have dispatched Char to investigate...
Wait. Char!
Yang Hui froze momentarily, having completely forgotten about this detail. If Char was the one investigating the [V Project], and he had now taken over the project... didn't that mean Char would be coming after him?
"What a twisted fate," Yang Hui muttered with a bitter smile and shake of his head.
"Major, is there something wrong with my proposal?" Tim Ray asked, confused by Yang Hui's sudden reaction and wondering if his suggestion contained some flaw.
"My apologies, I was distracted. Please continue, Director Ray."
After offering his apology, Yang Hui resumed discussing the MS development plan with Tim Ray.
A week had passed since the meeting disbanded. With the spies eliminated and only elite personnel remaining, task execution efficiency had been steadily improving through tacit cooperation. Within this single week, three prototype units had been completed, begun practical testing, and were undergoing continuous improvements based on test results.
The five selected test pilots initially showed little respect for Jung and Kajima Yuu. However, after being thoroughly defeated over a dozen times during simulation training, they quickly fell in line.
Though they had only trained for a week and lacked substantial combat capability, they were sufficient for assisting the research team with testing.
Initially intimidated by Yang Hui's imposing presence and ruthless efficiency in eliminating spies, the team gradually discovered through increased interaction that while he remained serious and uncompromising during work, he was actually quite approachable in private - amiable, easygoing, elegant, and with a touch of cunning humor.
"Hmm... I personally recommend removing the head-mounted Vulcan Cannon. The limited space in the head should be used for electronic equipment instead. I suggest relocating the Vulcan Cannon design to the chest or wrist areas."
"Understood." Though his proposal was rejected, Tim Ray felt no disappointment. Through their days of collaboration, he had discovered that Yang Hui possessed unique insights into MS development, insights that had significantly aided their research efforts. This made Yang Hui appear more mysterious in Tim Ray's eyes, yet also more trustworthy.
"Any other issues?"
"Well..." Tim Ray suddenly looked somewhat embarrassed. "The design blueprints you provided are quite comprehensive. After debugging the prototypes, the MS development is essentially complete. It's just that..."
"The costs are too high?"
"Yes..."
By this point, the development of the M1 Astray was complete. However, as a prototype unit, it had been manufactured to the highest specifications, causing its cost to far exceed the budget set by upper management. Moreover... while they were considering designs for a mass-produced version, they encountered a serious problem: they were reluctant to remove or scale back any of its features.
"Send me the data."
"Understood. So, what do we do next?" With the V Project successfully completed, their work had stalled. Tim Ray inquired about their next assignment.
"Contact the factory at Luna II and have them produce six more units. We can also begin designing the Armed Backpack."
"Roger..." Tim Ray understood. While the prototype was expensive, its performance was exceptional. If deployed in the military, it would be reserved for elite aces. Yang Hui had specifically brought in six test pilots and brought two of his own, so it made sense to prepare one unit for each of them.
But then, Tim Ray noticed something odd: "...Wait, why six units? Who's the extra one for?"
Yang Hui smiled faintly without answering, leading Tim Ray to a bold guess: "For you, Major?"
Yang Hui nodded in confirmation.
"But you... you plan to go to the front lines? That's too dangerous!"
"A commander leading from the front to boost morale—isn't that appropriate?"
"It is... but that's not the point! You've never piloted an MS before, have you?" Tim Ray was deeply concerned for Yang Hui's safety. After their time working together, the cohesion within the 12th Independent Technical Corps had grown strong, with Yang Hui at its core. If anything happened to him, the unit could easily fall apart.
"How do you know I haven't?" Yang Hui replied with an enigmatic smile before turning to leave.
"But, Major, you—"
Tim Ray followed him, persistently trying to persuade him. He knew Yang Hui was a man of his word, but this matter was too critical to ignore. Despite his efforts, Yang Hui paid him no mind as they walked. Eventually, they arrived at the simulation training room. The test pilots were diligent; even before receiving their own "big toys," they were pushing themselves to improve, and all of them were training in the simulators.
Without disturbing them, Yang Hui—under Tim Ray's watchful gaze—found an empty simulation pod and climbed inside.
Ten seconds later, Tim Ray was stunned. Then, the hatch of Simulator Pod 3 burst open, and Ford Romfellow jumped out, fuming with rage, shouting, "Which bastard was that!? Show yourself!"
"What's going on?"
The commotion drew the attention of the others, who paused their training out of curiosity.
"Who the hell was it!? Took me out in ten seconds!? Jung! Yuu! Was it you!?" Ford Romfellow immediately ruled out the others. They had all started training together and often sparred, with skills roughly on par. The only ones capable of effortlessly defeating him in ten seconds were Jung and Yuu, who had previously dominated him in matches.
"Not me." x2
Jung and Kajima Yuu shook their heads in confusion. They knew they were only moderately skilled themselves—able to best these newcomers, but defeating someone in ten seconds was beyond their capabilities.
"It definitely wasn't Jung; he was sparring with me just now," Giorgio Miguel vouched for Jung.
"He was fighting me," Russ Kessel vouched for Kajima Yuu.
"Who is that!? A rookie? So arrogant?" Ford Romfellow asked furiously. Losing was normal, but being instantly defeated by someone he didn't even know was utterly humiliating.
"Is there a problem with me being a little arrogant?"
At that moment, a familiar voice rang out, and a familiar figure emerged from the simulation pod. The entire room fell silent, and the air seemed to grow colder.
"M-M-M-Major!???" The most shocked Ford Romfellow jumped in fright and instinctively hid behind Russ Kessel.
"What? Do you have a problem with me?" Yang Hui asked teasingly.
"No!"
"Convinced?"
"Convinced!"
"Hmm, good."
"Wait, was that really you?" Even Jung and Kajima Yuu were astonished. They had been following Yang Hui the longest, but they never knew he could pilot an MS, let alone instantly defeat Ford Romfellow?
"Who else would it be? A ghost?" Yang Hui crossed his arms and said mockingly.
"It's... it's really the Major," Tim Ray stammered, pushing up his slipping glasses.
"Hmm? Director Ray, you're here too?"
"Yes, it's like this..."
Tim Ray then explained everything that had just happened to everyone. The air suddenly grew still, and their stunned expressions formed a synchronized tableau.
"Major, you're this skilled?" Travis Kirkland asked.
"Well, you never asked me," Yang Hui shrugged.
"Uh... that does seem to be the case." Upon reflection, they realized it was true. Although Yang Hui hadn't mentioned it, they had never asked either, instinctively placing him in the role of a commander who stays in the rear.
"I'm curious, between you and Kira... who's better?" Kajima Yuu suddenly asked.
"Wait, who's Kira?"
"The one who taught us how to pilot MSs. He easily defeated all of us."
"There's someone like that?"
"So... who's better?"
"Half of Kira's piloting skills were taught by me. What do you think?"
"..." Jung and Kajima Yuu silently gave thumbs up, praising Yang Hui for hiding his abilities so well, though they weren't too surprised—or rather, they were already used to it.
"So who exactly is this Kira?" Ford Romfellow, being the youngest and most straightforward, spoke his mind without much filter.
But Russ Kessel beside him tugged at Ford Romfellow's sleeve, signaling him to keep quiet. Yang Hui was now their superior officer, and prying into a superior's affairs was taboo.
Moreover, they couldn't forget that Yang Hui was also the third young master of the Vist Foundation. People from major families surely had their own secrets, and probing into those secrets was dangerous.
This was also why they didn't delve too deeply into Jung and Kajima Yuu's identities and capabilities.
"You'll find out in due time."
Right now, including him, they only had nine combatants, but that number would surely increase in the future.
The 12th Independent Technical Unit had just been established. Nominally a technical unit focused on research and development, although Revil had granted Yang Hui considerable authority, he wouldn't abuse it recklessly. Before achieving some tangible results, he needed to maintain a low profile and avoid being too conspicuous. He couldn't bring all his subordinates into this unit either.
This approach also served to reassure Revil and Gopp—he had no intention of creating a "state within a state."
Once this unit's achievements grew, and more battlefields required their participation, when expansion opportunities arose, he would recall those left behind in Granada. Additionally, he planned to transfer a batch of elite aces from the Federal Army. Only then would the unit be considered complete.
"Beep beep beep..."
"It's me." Seeing it was Natarle Badgiruel's communication, Yang Hui answered without hesitation.
"Tianem is here. He wants to see you."
"I'll be right there."
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "TLGod" on Patreon!"
Thanks!