As Nora began her tense yet orderly evacuation procedure, Yang Hui also received a communication request from Commander Bruza.
"No problem, leave it to me. Flit will help out too." Yang Hui agreed to Commander Bruza's request without any hesitation, but it wasn't just out of kindness; he had originally planned to follow the Diva. After all, how else could he participate in the final Bat-Bat Operation?
It's important to note that the first mission in the Gundam AGE world was to follow the Diva, complete the first phase, participate in the Bat-Bat Operation, and reveal the true nature of the UE.
If it weren't for this opportunity, Yang Hui would have struggled to find a good reason to stay with the Diva. Grudick was not someone easy to fool, and if he insisted on joining later, it would inevitably raise suspicions about his motives.
"Please."
After hanging up, Yang Hui found Flit and Vargas, instructing Flit to pilot the Gundam AGE-1 to escort the AGE System to the Diva. The Gundam could be rebuilt if lost, but losing the AGE System would be a different story; after all, there was only one that had been passed down through three generations, right?
Although there were factors of pride and face among the military high-ups, the fact that they only mentioned modifications and not mass production was enough to prove its rarity.
"But the UE…" Flit wanted to fight the UE, so he planned to argue.
Yang Hui, feeling helpless, could only patiently explain to him.
"Listen, Flit, battles are never-ending. Right now, the most important thing is to protect the Diva and ensure the successful separation of the axis. Don't you want to be a savior? A savior's job is to save more people; fighting is just one way to do that."
"...I understand."
"Good. I'll have Graham bring the Samurai Gundam and some spare parts onto the Diva. Vargas, can you help receive them? I'll pilot the Dawn Gundam and take the shortest route to engage the enemy."
"Leave it to me!"
With the mission arranged, Yang Hui piloted the Dawn Gundam, following the route sent by the Commander.
"This route shouldn't be Flit's original path, should it? Should I fly ahead and intercept Yurin?" Yang Hui suddenly thought, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
"No, no, no! She's just a 15-year-old girl! How could I do something so heartless?"
"Wait, I'm only 17, just two years older."
"But my real age isn't that!"
"Isn't there the precedent of Wang Liu Mei? Just wait until she grows up!"
…
It felt like an angel and a devil were arguing in his head, leaving Yang Hui's mind in chaos.
"Slap!"
Unable to endure any longer, Yang Hui slapped his own face, driving away the angel and devil. This was not the time for such thoughts; this was the real world, not an anime world. Whether he could even reach her was still a question. What if he didn't…
"Beep beep—"
The sensor feedback made Yang Hui "slap" himself again, as Yurin was just ahead, struggling against the strong wind, clinging to the railing to avoid being blown away.
"What the hell! What does this mean? This isn't even the same road! Can't the scene change a bit?"
Despite his self-deprecation, Yang Hui couldn't just stand by and watch. After all, it was the biggest regret in this world; he had wanted to save her from the very beginning, and saving Yurin would surely lead to significant deviations.
Sure enough, Yurin was frightened by the Dawn Gundam at first and ran away in a panic. It was only after she fell that Yang Hui exited the cockpit and brought her into the cockpit.
The cockpit of the Dawn Gundam was a simplified all-around linear cockpit, so there was plenty of space. Although he was holding Yurin, it wasn't cramped.
"Sorry, the conditions are limited; I can only ask you to bear with it."
"I'm the one who… I'm really sorry for earlier…"
"It's fine; after all, most people would be scared when they see an MS approaching."
"Um, I'm Yurin. What about you?"
"Just call me Yang Hui. Yurin, where are your parents? Why are you alone?"
"My parents…" Yurin thought of her parents, who had died in a UE attack when she was very young, and her eyes filled with tears.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have pried."
"It's okay." Yurin wiped her tears and shook her head with a smile.
Yang Hui was taken aback by Yurin's smile, which was as warm as the sun and as pure as clear water. It was the first time he had seen such a smile.
"What's wrong?" Yurin tilted her head and asked.
"Nothing… nothing at all." Yang Hui blushed and averted his gaze, wanting to slap himself. After all, he had three wives; how could he be so weak-willed?
"So cute! Why not… just accept her?"
"Take her! Take her!"
This time, the angel and devil surprisingly didn't argue but instead agreed!? Could it be that he was really moved?
However, these thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a sudden explosion. The ground collapsed, and the Dawn Gundam immediately activated its backpack engine, reducing the force of the fall and landing gently.
"This is troublesome, isn't it? We must have fallen into the isolation zone." Yang Hui felt a headache coming on. Even though he could use Innovator Mode without GN Particles, it was different from NT; it didn't have the mental sensing function!
What he didn't know was that Yurin had already closed her eyes: "Just keep walking like this."
"Hmm?" Yang Hui only then realized he couldn't find the way, but Yurin could!
Yurin was one of the few natural X-Rounders in this world, possessing the strongest endurance and precognitive abilities.
Following Yurin's guidance, they moved forward until they reached a dead end. Before Yang Hui could blast through the obstruction, an explosion occurred outside, and a powerful airflow sucked the Dawn Gundam out of the isolation zone, reaching space.
"Yurin's X-Rounder ability is really impressive," Yang Hui marveled.
"X-Rounder ability?"
"Yeah, you should be able to sense some things, right? Just like how you guided me earlier."
"...Um…" Upon hearing this, Yurin lowered her head and responded softly, even shrinking her body.
She had never revealed her differences from ordinary people, not even to her parents, fearing that others would see her as a monster.
"You don't have to be afraid, Yurin. I'm not an ordinary person either," Yang Hui reassured her.
"Really?"
Yurin looked up and saw colorful lights flowing in Yang Hui's eyes, his previously gentle expression turning neutral.
However, this state lasted only a few seconds before disappearing. Without GN Particles, the Innovator's abilities were severely weakened.
"Is this also X-Rounder?" Yurin asked, her face regaining a smile as she found someone like herself; she was no longer a lonely monster.
"Not quite. I'm an Innovator. Humans evolve to adapt to life in space, and the ways of evolution vary. My ability enhances communication under specific circumstances."
"What about mine…"
"Yours is also a form of evolution, enhancing your precognitive and sensing abilities."
In fact, X-Rounders were not an evolution. Although they resembled NT, they were entirely the opposite. They awakened the long-sealed combat instincts of beasts in the brain during continuous warfare, allowing one to keenly sense crises and respond agilely, but it could only be used for combat. So, strictly speaking, it was a form of regression.
But Yang Hui certainly wouldn't tell Yurin the truth; who knew how the little girl would react?
Just then, they arrived in space and encountered enemies. Unlike the original story, three Galanff units surged forward, one of which was a Captain unit.
"Wow? This is quite the warm welcome," Yang Hui grinned at the approaching enemy units.
"Yang Hui…" Yurin sensed a clear malice from the enemies and instinctively tightened her grip on Yang Hui's clothes.
"Don't worry; they can't do anything to me. Just hold on tight, Yurin; the movements might get a bit intense."
"Okay."
Confirming that Yurin was holding on tightly, Yang Hui also maneuvered the Dawn Gundam toward the enemy units.
Perhaps the UE was more adept at combat in space; their movements and coordination were completely different from the previous enemies inside the Colony. Even their formation was much better.
"Now this looks like something, but…"
As the Dawn Gundam weaved through beams of light, it opened fire. Two pink beams directly hit the enemy unit, causing one Galanff to be shot down, while the Captain unit, being slightly stronger, dodged to the side, losing only an arm.
Immediately after, two Galanff squads attacked from behind, and a total of ten enemy units began to surround the Dawn Gundam. Perhaps they realized the strength of the Dawn Gundam, so their attacks were not as fierce as before; instead, they focused on containment, trying to trap the Dawn Gundam in place.
However… this was no challenge for Yang Hui. While dodging, he fired his dual guns, the rare pink beams standing out against the vast yellow backdrop, both cute and deadly. Every shot fired by the Dawn Gundam hit an enemy unit, either shooting it down or severing limbs.
In just a few minutes, the firepower net maintained by the ten MS units was torn apart by the Dawn Gundam, leaving four Galanff units with missing limbs slowly retreating, wanting to attack but lacking the courage.
Seeing Yang Hui resolve the crisis effortlessly without even a change in expression, Yurin looked at him with admiration: "Yang Hui, you're amazing…"
"Not bad; this level isn't anything special," Yang Hui downplayed it, indicating that it was just basic practice and not to think too much of it.
If it weren't for the limitations of the Dawn Gundam, he could have wiped out all ten Galanff units upon meeting them.
At that moment, the Dawn Gundam's communication was connected.
"Yang Hui, are you okay?" Flit asked anxiously.
"I'm fine. How's the situation on the Diva? How far along is the towing operation?"
"Three UE MS units attacked the Diva. I shot down one, and the other two retreated. The towing work has completed the docking and will soon begin the separation operation."
"Good. I'll leave the Diva and Nora to you. Tell Graham to go pick up Commander Bruza. If the Samurai Gundam isn't usable, use the Genoece instead."
"And you?"
"I still have a guest here; I might not be able to leave." Yang Hui smirked, looking at the small red dots on the radar approaching at over twice the speed of the Galanff.
"Something… is coming." Yurin's expression turned pained as the malice approaching them was stronger than the combined ten units from before.
"It's okay; trust me." Yang Hui patted Yurin's back to comfort her.
"Mm, I believe in you, Yang Hui." With Yang Hui's reassurance, Yurin revealed her pure smile again, ready to face the impending malice together with him.
(End of Chapter)