A few days later, the five fleets escorting Creuset and the diplomatic team arrived safely in the Zeon Republic. Char and Creuset, the two sinister masked men from different worlds, had their first meeting.
Perhaps it was a special intuition shared by similar people, but the moment they met, both felt as if they were looking at another version of themselves.
"Interesting."
"Interesting."
The same thought, the same smile, the same stride, walking the same number of steps to reach one another. Simultaneously, they reached out and shook hands.
"Greetings. I am Rau Le Creuset, the head of the Federal Assembly delegation."
"Greetings. I am Casval Zym Deikun, the current Chairman of the Zeon Republic."
"I hope our two parties will have a pleasant discussion."
"Certainly. Please."
"Please."
The first meeting between the two sides was very friendly. This scene was broadcast to all the citizens of the Zeon Republic through the microphones of reporters and the cameras of photographers. It eased their worried hearts and made them even more resolute in their following of the Zeon Republic.
Today was merely a reception; tomorrow would be the first formal meeting. Char did not put on airs and personally escorted the delegation to their accommodations. To demonstrate the Zeon Republic's stance and to ensure the safety of the delegation, Char even had the Phantom Corps serve as guards.
Upon arriving at the arranged hotel, Char did not leave immediately. Instead, he made an appointment with Creuset for a private conversation in advance.
"Prince Casval, what advice do you have for me in private?"
"Rau Le Creuset, Yang Hui told me before he left that if I had any questions, I should find you."
Creuset knew Char was Yang Hui's partner, but he hadn't realized Yang Hui had told Char about the nature of his own relationship with Yang Hui. Creuset's smile stiffened for a split second before vanishing, immediately returning to his usual composure.
"Ask away then, Mr. Char." Since that was the case, Creuset didn't hide anything. If Yang Hui could tell Char about the relationship between them, it meant Char was no longer just a partner but a recognized comrade. Since they were comrades, there was no need for secrets.
"Char, is it... Heh, that name makes me feel much more at ease." Char smiled and went straight to the point. "Mr. Creuset, I want to know what the Federal Assembly's actual attitude toward the Zeon Republic is."
"The high-level officials are terrified of what you have in your hands. I've suppressed them for now, so they won't dare do anything on the surface. But in the shadows, I can't say."
"An expected result. You came this time first to stabilize us, and second to scout our depths, correct?"
"Yes. Furthermore, I am also..."
"A sacrificial lamb?"
"Yes. That old man, the Chairman, probably hates my guts right now. If something were to happen to me, the conflict between the Zeon Republic and the Federation would immediately escalate. The fleet that brought me here would then have a reason to open fire on you. Two birds with one stone."
"No, it should be three birds with one stone," Char added. "Once the Federal fleet breaks into combat with us, the losses will all belong to General Revil's men. Regardless of the final outcome, there will certainly be heavy casualties, which weakens General Revil's influence."
"As expected of Mr. Char," Creuset praised.
"It seems I've passed the test?"
"Naturally."
Had Creuset really not thought of the third point Char added? Of course not. He and Char were the same kind of person; in the field of strategy and guile, Creuset even surpassed Char. Whatever Char could think of, he had likely already considered.
In truth, Creuset had always been curious about Char—what kind of person was he that Yang Hui felt he had to win over as a comrade? One had to remember that Creuset himself hadn't even received that kind of treatment back then.
Cough, well, Creuset understood in his heart that the reason he wasn't considered "essential" was because his own behavior had been a bit excessive.
His test of Char was just like the one Sumeragi, Wang Liu Mei, Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria had put him through years ago. He trusted Yang Hui, but that didn't mean he trusted everyone Yang Hui valued. He needed to see with his own eyes whether they were worthy of Yang Hui's regard.
If they weren't... well, his primary job was exactly that.
Though it was only a small test, it allowed Creuset to understand Char better.
"Heh, as expected of a man Yang Hui values." This time, it was Char's turn. He also wanted to see what kind of person could become Yang Hui's comrade.
He had met and understood Murrue, Kira, and Arnold Neumann. He felt they were people who lived in the sunlight. If a team—especially one burdened with a heavy mission—only had people of the light, it would be impossible. Moreover, the trust Murrue and the others had in Yang Hui was too high, reaching the point where they would firmly believe whatever Yang Hui said to the very end.
If an entire team consisted of such people, leaving Yang Hui to shoulder all the dark aspects alone, could such a team really go far?
So, he wanted to see what kind of person could flourish within the Federal Assembly. Was he like Murrue and the others, throwing all the darkness onto Yang Hui to face?
"Aren't you the same, Mr. Char?" Since Char had spoken so plainly, Creuset understood as well. Yang Hui had told Char about Prometheus Fortress, and Char, like Creuset, was the one responsible for the dark side.
"Just call me Char, Creuset."
"Heh, honestly, having another person exactly like me in the team is a bit hard to get used to," Creuset joked.
"Don't worry, Creuset. I don't intend to steal your bread and butter."
"That won't be easy."
"Indeed, it won't."
"Haha." Char had never felt so relaxed, yet at the same time, never so burdened. Creuset, sitting across from him, was like his own shadow. Could his own thoughts, his own concerns, his own lies, hide from himself?
"So, Creuset, is there anything I need to know?"
"It might take a bit of time."
"Right now, time is the one thing we aren't lacking."
...
On the other side, Yang Hui had also rushed back to Luna II with the Twelfth Independent Technical Division.
"General Tianem, what was so urgent that you called us back?" Yang Hui asked directly as he entered Tianem's office.
"Look at this first." Tianem didn't answer but handed a piece of intelligence to Yang Hui.
Yang Hui took the intel and skimmed it, his brow furrowing slightly. "Zeon's NT research institute?"
If he remembered correctly, this institute shouldn't have been established until June of this year, and it was currently only the beginning of May...
However, Yang Hui's brow soon smoothed out. Since things like the Dom, Tiger, Zakrello, and Bigro had already appeared, there was nothing surprising about the Flanagan Institute appearing ahead of schedule.
"Correct. Ever since Zeon Zum Deikun proposed the 'Newtype Theory,' Zeon began research into NT. It's just that Gihren Zabi never paid much attention to it, focusing entirely on the war with the Federation, until..."
"Our appearance, right?"
"Exactly."
The impact the Twelfth Independent Technical Division had on the battlefield was too staggering. Especially Yang Hui; the combat power he displayed was simply not something a normal human could possess.
If he was called an ace, did Zeon not have aces? Furthermore, Zeon's aces had been piloting MS for much longer than the Federation's. Why couldn't they achieve the same results?
In Gihren Zabi's view, there was only one conclusion: NT. Yang Hui was an NT, and Yang Hui had already mastered a method to make others become NT as well!
Otherwise, why would Yang Hui possess such unreasonable combat power? Why did his subordinates undergo such earth-shattering changes after joining the Twelfth Independent Technical Division?
Therefore, Gihren Zabi began to take NT research seriously, hoping to use this method to find an NT like Yang Hui—or even one that surpassed him—in hopes of finding a way to cultivate NT and reverse the gap between the two sides.
"The Flanagan Institute... where is it located?" Yang Hui asked.
"That is your next mission. Find it, bring back all the research data, and then destroy it."
"...So that you lot can continue using it?"
"...You should understand."
"Yes, I understand perfectly." Yang Hui closed the intel report and tossed it back to Tianem, his expression turning cold. "But I know a truth even better: if you can't even behave like a human, don't talk about grand ideals."
"...There's also this letter of command. You should look at it too."
Maintaining the frost on his face, Yang Hui took the command letter handed over by Tianem. After just one look, he tore it to pieces with a cold laugh. "Do these people not have brains?"
This command was not issued by Revil, but by one of the departments within the Federation Central Research Institute. It was a department with a very high security clearance, also known as 'Nameless'—the kind of shady research institute that couldn't see the light of day.
The content of the command was for Yang Hui to report to the institute immediately to cooperate with their research work.
Research work that required Yang Hui's cooperation, conducted by a department that stayed in the shadows—without even thinking, it was definitely an NT research department.
These shady research departments actually possessed higher authority than other research departments. Because while their research could not see the light of day, it was deemed vital, giving them the authority to mobilize any resource within the Federal Army to cooperate.
Furthermore... the researchers involved in these types of projects were mostly people who would disregard everything for the sake of research and had no so-called moral compass. To obtain results, they would do anything—such as using children for human experimentation.
People like that didn't care about the outside world. They likely didn't even know that Yang Hui was part of General Revil's direct command unit or that moving him required going through Revil, nor did they care what kind of status Yang Hui held within the Federal Army.
"You can't say that. People without brains couldn't enter those departments. However, it's safe to say they're missing half of one." Tianem made a rare joke, though when he first received the command letter, he had indeed thought the same.
"I will investigate the matter of the Flanagan Institute. As for that command letter..."
"Hmm? What command letter?"
Yang Hui gave Tianem a thumbs up and left the office with the intelligence report.
After Yang Hui left, Tianem drafted a telegram and sent it to General Revil, then reflected on the words Yang Hui had just spoken.
"This fellow is actually quite decent."