Under the azure sky, with swallows soaring and a gentle breeze caressing, everything appeared peaceful and serene.
Yang Hui lay on the lawn, gazing up at the artificial sky of the Colony, raising his hand in front of his eyes, sighing.
"Why have I shrunk again? Is this some twisted humor from Mephis? Does every world I travel to come with a size reduction?"
"Hey, Yang Hui, when are we actually leaving?"
Hearing the voice, Yang Hui sat up and saw a similarly aged blond boy rushing over.
"We're leaving tomorrow. Didn't I tell you?" Yang Hui replied, exasperated.
"Huh? Did you say that?" Graham paused, asking.
Yang Hui rolled his eyes dramatically. "A week ago, Flit called and said the Gundam was about to undergo a startup experiment and invited us to visit. Have you forgotten?"
"Uh… I guess that did happen." Graham thought for a moment, finally dredging up that memory.
"So I scheduled our departure for tomorrow, and it should take about three days to reach Nora, which should be just in time."
"Alright." Graham shrugged, ignoring Yang Hui's sarcasm, but soon his expression turned playful. "Do you think Flit would drop his jaw if he saw us piloting two Gundams that are even better than his?"
"When did you start caring about that?" Yang Hui asked, surprised.
"Because I'm bored! I'm stuck being a kid with you, and we have to go to elementary school together! Going to elementary school is one thing, but you even ditched me to skip grades, graduating from college before I even finished high school! How could you be so cruel?!"
"Ha, am I to blame for being too smart?" Yang Hui shrugged.
I must say, the identities Mephis arranged for them were quite reliable. The Yang Family of the space Colony was no less prestigious than the Asuno Family, known for their MS manufacturing. The Genoece currently used by the Federation Army was produced by Yang Corporation, but Yang Hui scoffed at it, believing he could pull a design out of his head that was far superior to the Genoece.
Ahem, back to the point. Yang Hui and Graham were the youngest generation of the Yang Family, although Graham was only adopted.
The Yang Family and the Asuno Family were among the few military-industrial enterprises and MS manufacturing families during the AG era, so their relationship was naturally very close, and they had known Flit since childhood.
However, a few years ago, the Colony Ovan, where the Asuno Family resided, was attacked and destroyed by VEGAN… now called UE. Flit was the only survivor, leading to their decline.
The Yang Family had expressed a willingness to adopt Flit, but Flit, who had always loved to argue with Yang Hui about Gundams and savior rhetoric, stubbornly rejected the Yang Family's offer and was instead adopted by Commander Hendrick Bruzar of Nora.
Now, nearly ten years had passed, and Flit had finally created the "savior" he had always dreamed of, naturally wanting to invite Yang Hui and Graham to share in his joy.
What Flit didn't know was that three years ago, Yang Hui had already used the Yang Family's secret factory to produce two Gundams, which were definitely superior in performance to the AG-1 standard model designed by Flit in the original storyline. As for the subsequent upgraded forms… that was uncertain.
However, Yang Hui had his sights set on the AGE System invented by Flit. The principle wasn't difficult; it was essentially a product of supercomputers combined with advanced 3D printing technology. The concept was simple, but Yang Hui didn't know anything about it. The 3D printing technology was fine since the Gundam OO world had been using it for a long time, whether for MS production or warship manufacturing, but he lacked the level to achieve the speed of the AGE System.
As for the supercomputer technology… Yang Hui claimed he was familiar with advanced quantum computer technology, but… the technological reserves of this world were still centuries behind! He didn't know how to reverse-engineer supercomputer technology, so…
If he couldn't create it, he might as well borrow it; if that didn't work, he could always steal the knowledge!
"By the way, Yang Hui, Flit should be the protagonist of this world, right?" Graham asked.
"Did you figure that out?" Yang Hui raised an eyebrow, countering.
It wasn't surprising for Graham to make such a statement. Everyone who came to Prometheus Fortress knew that Yang Hui was a reincarnator, and the Gundam OO world he originally came from was just an anime.
Now that they had entered a new world, it was natural to associate it with other anime or works.
"This world is called Gundam AGE, and from what I can see, the MS technology level is shockingly low. The first person to create a Gundam and have a close connection with it can't be anything but the protagonist, right?"
"So? Are you looking to challenge him? I'm not saying this to offend you, but Flit is still just a 14-year-old kid. Challenging him is more like bullying."
"Of course not!" Graham raised his hands in surrender. "I wouldn't do something so low. I just want to witness his growth and, if necessary, give him a little training. Once he has enough strength, we can spar."
Is there really a difference between those two things?
But… that's very Graham.
"Let's go check on the loading of the units. We should be leaving tomorrow."
"Does that mean there's going to be a battle soon?" Graham was a bit excited. Having lived in this world for over a decade, he hadn't experienced any real battles aside from sparring with Yang Hui. He felt like his body was rusting.
"Who knows?" Yang Hui grinned. "Anyway, since we arrived in this world, the plot has already gone off the rails."
…
Three days later, Yang Hui and Graham arrived at the space Colony Nora aboard a transport ship carrying the Dawn Gundam and Samurai Gundam.
"Welcome, Mr. Yang Hui, Mr. Graham." Commander Bruzar personally came to greet them, accompanied by the still Deputy Commander Grodek Ainoa and Commander's aide, Colonel Millais Alloy.
Although Yang Hui and Graham were still minors, they were core members of the Yang Corporation. Their reputations as geniuses had already spread throughout the Federation. When Graham was fifteen, he single-handedly defeated five elite pilots of the Federation Army in a military simulation with Genoece. Yang Hui had achieved the same feat, and he was also a genius researcher, having earned multiple doctorates by the age of fifteen, which naturally drew the Federation's attention.
If it weren't for the Yang Corporation's continuous support of the Federation's MS production, giving them a significant position within the Federation, the high-ranking officials would have long since tried to kidnap the two of them.
"Can we skip the formalities, Commander Bruzar? This isn't our first meeting." Yang Hui said.
"Hahaha, then I'll call you Xiao Hui like before. Graham, it's been a while since I last saw you. I heard the military high-ups have been trying to recruit you, but you've been hitting a wall."
"Spare me, Commander Bruzar. I have no interest in bullying that bunch of rookies; it's just not classy."
"Rookies, huh? Hahaha, only you two could say that without anyone being able to refute it." Commander Bruzar laughed. He had met Yang Hui and Graham before; they had visited Flit and exchanged a few words.
Commander Bruzar genuinely liked Yang Hui and Graham. They had achieved so much at such a young age and were born into a wealthy family, yet they remained humble and unpretentious.
"Speaking of which, Commander Bruzar, how is Flit doing?"
"Hmm, Flit is doing well, just a bit too hardworking. A few days ago, his teacher called me to complain about him being late every day."
Mentioning Flit made Commander Bruzar feel a headache.
It wasn't that he didn't like Flit; in fact, he liked him too much. Although he had once told Flit, "Taking you in is not out of pity, but because I'm interested in the Asuno Family's capabilities in MS construction and research," he only intended to inspire Flit's fighting spirit and hope for life, not to let him wallow in sadness. Commander Bruzar was a lonely old man who had raised Flit as if he were his own grandson.
But perhaps that initial statement had too strong an effect, leading Flit to obsessively research Gundams. Starting at the age of seven, in just seven years, he had created a prototype Gundam. Although his results had always been impressive, he was still late every day.
"Ahahaha, that's very much in line with that kid's style."
"Exactly, but Xiao Hui, I remember you made a promise with Flit, right? Looks like you're going to lose." Commander Bruzar chuckled.
When Yang Hui and Graham first visited Flit, Flit had promised Yang Hui that he would create a Gundam and defeat Yang Hui and Graham with it, becoming the savior.
It was very much in line with a child's nature, and Yang Hui had taken it as a joke, thinking that Flit would never be able to win against him and Graham in this lifetime.
"Well, that's not necessarily true, Commander Bruzar." Yang Hui smiled mysteriously.
"Hmm? Could it be that you also…" Commander Bruzar was taken aback. He knew the experimental data of the Gundam AGE-1 standard model created by Flit, which far exceeded the Genoece.
Glancing at the transport ship capable of carrying MS, and recalling Yang Hui's reputation as a genius, he quickly understood the implications of Yang Hui's words.
"Hahaha, then I'm looking forward to it."
"Don't worry, Commander Bruzar, I won't let you down."
Yang Hui's words were double-edged; he was not only saying that he and Graham wouldn't lose to Flit but also indicating that he would save him at a critical moment. If the biggest regret in Gundam AGE was Yurin, then the first regret was Commander Bruzar.
Whether as a kind old man or a responsible commander, he was worth saving, and… there was also the deviation!
"Let's head inside first; the cargo on the ship…" Commander Bruzar hesitated. If his suspicions were correct, it would be a hot potato that shouldn't be known by too many people.
"The cargo will be taken care of; you don't need to worry."
"Good, let's go to the Commander's office. I'll call Flit."
"Thank you, Commander Bruzar."
(End of Chapter)