The battle entered its final stage. As the Baize was struck, the Dawn Gundam, Flag Gundam, and Luna Gundam were also damaged. No one cared anymore about how many enemy units or ships Yang Hui and his team had destroyed. Cheers, shouts of encouragement, and prayers all fell silent in unison as everyone fixed their eyes on the unfolding scene on the screen.
Every palm was drenched in sweat, the tension and fear palpable as they worried about what might happen in the next second.
And then…
When they saw the Dawn Gundam and Flag Gundam return to the Baize, and the Baize's thrusters erupted with a brilliant flame, pulling the Celestial Being squadron away from their pursuers, Earth erupted in celebration.
"Woo~!!"
"The Vice Admiral is safe! They've broken through!"
"Hahaha! Serves you right, VEGAN! Did you see the Vice Admiral's might?"
"The Vice Admiral is invincible! The Celestial Being squadron is invincible!"
…
Amid the cheers, all sorts of objects were thrown into the air. People embraced each other, whether they were acquaintances or strangers. It didn't matter, for this moment was worth celebrating, worth remembering.
In stark contrast to the jubilant crowds, in certain estates, those who silently watched the scene remained quiet, their faces filled with disappointment, disbelief, anger, and even despair.
"Why… why couldn't they be killed?"
"VEGAN is a bunch of useless trash! Ezelcant is trash! They let such a perfect opportunity slip away!"
"What do we do now? Will they trace this back to me? No, I need to clean up."
…
The Federal Army, too, was in a similar state, if not even more fervent. For the civilians, Yang Hui and his team were merely military stars. Though they were seen as heroes, living in a peaceful society, the battlefield was too distant for them to be overly fanatic. Their excitement would likely fade in a few days.
But for the soldiers, it was different. The Celestial Being squadron was like a faith, a totem to the Federal Army. As long as the totem stood, they would have boundless courage and unshakable conviction.
"Whew…" Seeing the Celestial Being squadron retreat safely, Argreus slumped into his chair, covering his face as he chuckled softly. "Haha… hahaha… We succeeded. As expected, the Vice Admiral never disappoints. Hahaha…"
In truth, Argreus hadn't been 100% confident in the decision to turn the tables. No one knew the emotional rollercoaster he had experienced in those short ten to twenty minutes.
But now, the weight in his heart could finally be lifted. However… it was also time to get busy.
"Silence!"
A low command instantly quieted the boisterous command center.
"Save the celebrations for later. The Vice Admiral and his team have succeeded, but we can't let their efforts go to waste. Contact all major media outlets immediately and relaunch the recruitment campaign!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Has the spy been captured?"
"Successfully apprehended. He's being held in the military police unit."
"Keep a close watch on him. He must not die! Also…" Argreus quickly pulled up a map, analyzing and calculating the Baize's breakout direction to predict the Celestial Being squadron's retreat route. "…Contact the Ninth Fleet, the one closest to the Alias Colony. Have them advance immediately according to the route map and rendezvous with the Celestial Being squadron!"
"Chief of Staff, why Alias and not Minslie? Minslie is the closest colony to the Celestial Being squadron. If they want to return to Federal territory as quickly as possible, their route should lead to Minslie," a staff officer questioned.
"We all know Minslie is the shortest route. Do you think VEGAN wouldn't expect that?"
"Well…"
"If we can figure it out, VEGAN can too. And the Vice Admiral must have thought of it as well. Based on the Celestial Being squadron's breakout direction, there are only three possible targets: Minslie, Alias, and Kabaya. Minslie is the closest but too obvious. Kabaya is the farthest. That leaves Alias as the most suitable forward target," Argreus explained.
"I see. Then, Chief of Staff, what about Minslie…"
"What's your idea? Speak up."
"Yes, sir! I suggest mobilizing the First, Second, and Third Fleets, which are currently on standby, to head to Minslie immediately. This will make VEGAN think we're planning to rendezvous with the Celestial Being squadron there, drawing their attention and buying more time for the squadron's retreat."
"Approved! Contact the First, Second, and Third Fleets at once. Their destination is Minslie! Meanwhile, have the Fourth and Fifth Fleets move toward Kabaya. If we're going to set up a diversion, let's spread the confusion far and wide!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Notify the entire army. Everyone must stay focused. Don't let the excitement disrupt our operations. The Celestial Being squadron has been fighting bravely behind enemy lines. We can't let them come back to find a mess here!"
"Yes, sir!" xN
After assigning all tasks, Argreus headed to the military police unit. He planned to personally interrogate the spy. Their plan still lacked a few critical pieces of evidence. If they could extract them from the traitor, they wouldn't need to wait any longer. The sooner they cleaned out the rot within the Federation, the less danger they'd face.
…
"Damn it, Yang Hui!" Ezelcant roared after learning that the Celestial Being squadron had successfully broken through. He smashed everything in the room that could be broken.
"Lord Ezelcant."
"Have you found them?"
"My deepest apologies, Lord Ezelcant. The Federation rats have slipped out of our detection network and have gone silent. It's likely…"
"Useless!"
"It's my incompetence. Please punish me, Lord Ezelcant."
"Punish you? What good would that do now? After such a massive effort, we couldn't even take down a single one of them! Is the VEGAN military so inept? Fifteen ships, over 500 MS, and you couldn't even capture one ship and three MS? What use are you all? Waiting to surrender as prisoners after the Federation defeats us!?"
"My deepest apologies…"
"Enough! I don't want to hear your apologies, Zanad. Find them! Even if you have to turn the entire universe upside down, you must locate them! I want them left stranded in space forever!"
"Yes, sir!"
After ending the communication, Ezelcant's anger had somewhat subsided. He slumped into his chair, gazing out at the bleak landscape of VEGAN.
"Yang Hui… Celestial Being… You truly are the greatest obstacles…"
Initially, when Ezelcant learned of Yang Hui and Graham's existence, he merely considered them exceptionally talented youths. Though brilliant, he believed they were nothing more than that. The Federation's technological level couldn't possibly match VEGAN's, which had obtained parts of the EXA-DB. With technological superiority and his brainwashing of the VEGAN military, he thought the Eden Plan couldn't be thwarted by one or two geniuses.
But then, the legendary MS—the Gundam—appeared, and Yang Hui and Graham demonstrated astonishing individual prowess, especially during the Bat Extermination Operation 25 years ago, which made Ezelcant see them as threats.
Back then, they were merely threats. No matter how exceptional these rising stars were, they were still a minority. In the grand scheme of war, they were but small ripples in the ocean, destined to subside eventually. Dealing with a few military prodigies, he had countless methods at his disposal.
But no one could have predicted that Yang Hui not only survived the dark schemes but also turned each crisis to his advantage, steadily increasing his influence and strength.
What was most terrifying… was that Yang Hui wasn't just strong individually. He was like a spark on the prairie, igniting the surrounding grass. Now, the fire had spread uncontrollably.
In this latest assassination attempt, he had let them escape, and Ezelcant was frightened. It seemed Yang Hui had an endless supply of aces up his sleeve, pulling one out to turn the tide every time he was cornered.
Moreover, this time, Ezelcant had shot himself in the foot, propelling the Celestial Being squadron's reputation to new heights, making it impossible to contain. What was once a small ripple had now become a towering wave, threatening to engulf and destroy VEGAN.
"Damn it… The Federation is full of useless fools too." With this thought, Ezelcant once again took out the secret communication device from his drawer.
…
The limit thrust system was silent. Though the engines and energy were overloaded, emergency repairs had allowed them to maintain minimal, steady speed as they silently advanced toward the Alias Colony.
"What's the situation?" Yang Hui asked Angola Zuo as he entered the bridge.
"No enemy detected. At our current speed, we'll return to Federation territory in two days and reach Alias in three," Angola Zuo reported.
"Good. Stay alert. The closer we are to success, the more cautious we must be."
"Yes, sir!"
"Beep beep beep…"
"E-Detector response! It's a VEGAN fleet! 5,000 kilometers behind us, closing in fast!"
"They've found us? Damn it! Of all times!" Angola Zuo's expression turned grim at the sound of the alarm. Just when they thought they were in the clear, almost out of danger, the enemy had caught up.
The Baize was running low on supplies, and its energy reserves could only sustain basic navigation, leaving no power for the weapons systems. The external armor was also heavily damaged, and at their current speed, there was no way to shake off the pursuing enemy.
In other words, if a large enemy force caught up to them now, the Baize would be a sitting duck!
"Stay calm! We'll sortie. Argreus should have guessed our retreat route. The reinforcements should be close. We'll buy you time…"
"Captain!"
As Yang Hui turned to leave, Angola Zuo grabbed his hand, his gaze solemn. "Captain, at our current position, the three Gundams could return to Alias individually. If… if we can't make it, please, Vice Admiral, Major General, and Colonel, retreat on your own…"
"Shut up! Enough of that nonsense!" Yang Hui shook off Angola Zuo's hand and headed out, only to be grabbed again.
"Captain! We've lived enough following you. Even if we die now, it's worth it! But you can't! You're the military's totem! You must survive…" Angola Zuo shouted.
"Bam!"
Before Angola Zuo could finish, Yang Hui punched him in the face.
"Shut up! I brought you all here, and I'll bring you all back!"
With that, Yang Hui shook off Angola Zuo and left the bridge. But at that moment…
"Beep beep beep…"
"High energy response ahead! It's ship artillery!"
"Damn it! Did they figure out our plan? They're intercepting us in advance…"
Despair spread through everyone's hearts. With just one pursuing force, Yang Hui and his team might have had a slim chance of survival. But if they were caught in a pincer attack, they'd have no choice but to follow Angola Zuo's plan.
"This beam particle… it's friendly! The reinforcements are here!"
At the CIC's
exclamation, everyone froze, looking out at the beam that had just grazed pas
t them… It was pink. It was friendly.
"Hahaha! I'm gonna live!"
"Serves you right, VEGAN! You can't kill me!"
"You followers! Come and get me! Hahaha…!"
(End of Chapter)