Watching the footage on the screen, Grudick struggled to maintain a serious expression, but Yang Hui had already buried his face in his hands, feeling frustrated. He had hoped that after the training he and Graham provided, Flit would be a bit more mature than in the original storyline, but unexpectedly, he was still dragged into this mess. Is this what they call the power of correction?
"What? Is that your MS?" Don Boyaji asked.
"That's my brother..." Yang Hui pointed at the screen and said. Although it was uncomfortable to be cornered by the other party, Flit's identity could be easily verified with a little investigation. There was no point in trying to hide it; it was better to just tell the truth.
"Uh? Graham Aker?"
"No, it's another one, a distant relative." Yang Hui replied, wishing at that moment that he didn't have Flit as a brother.
"Is that so?" Don Boyaji smirked, realizing he now had another bargaining chip to negotiate with Yang Hui.
"Uh? Something's off. Why are they running away?" From the current surveillance footage, the Gundam hadn't done anything yet, but the MS from Zalam and Auba were actually in retreat, which was very unusual.
But in the next second, Yang Hui and Grudick understood the reason.
"That's it!"
"What's wrong? Do you like watching battles that much?" Don Boyaji was still smug, as it wasn't easy to gain an advantage over Yang Hui. He really wanted to thank Yang Hui's unseen distant brother.
However, Grudick's response made Don Boyaji's expression change drastically.
"No, it's UE!"
"What!?" Don Boyaji turned sharply to look, and sure enough, another MS he had never seen before appeared. Just from its appearance, it was vastly different from all the MS he had encountered.
It still had a dinosaur-like shape, painted in light green, with a body more robust than Galanff, thicker limbs and tail, and five orange crystals embedded in its chest, shining with a terrifying cold light.
"And it's a new model, with a body, armor, and armament... it's a power type! The Gundam is going to be at a disadvantage!" Yang Hui, being a professional, immediately recognized what type of MS the newly appeared Bacta-type was.
"I'll contact Diva and have Graham go for support."
"Wait." Yang Hui stopped Grudick because in the surveillance footage, the Bacta-type had only made brief contact with the Gundam before leaving, as if it was just testing the strength of both sides, and the Gundam was clearly being suppressed.
After the Bacta-type disappeared, the Gundam was surrounded by Zalam's Gilla-type. They had not been seen before, but now they all suddenly appeared.
"Uncle Dong, please bring my brother over."
"Is that so? But this fee... heh heh..."
"That's negotiable."
"Then I won't be polite. Hey, have them bring this young man over, and remember to be courteous." Don Boyaji instructed.
"Yes!"
Once his subordinates left, only Don Boyaji, Yang Hui, and Grudick remained in the room. Don Boyaji also put away his previous scheming demeanor and wore a serious expression.
"Is that really UE?"
"Yes." Yang Hui connected his PAD to the screen and pulled up an image of Galanff. "Doesn't it look very similar?"
"Damn it!" After confirming it was UE, Don Boyaji slammed the table, his face twisted with rage. "Why is UE appearing in Fardin? Are the Federation troops just sitting around doing nothing? Or is it Auba and their people..."
"That's impossible." Yang Hui directly dismissed this speculation.
"How do you know?" Don Boyaji asked.
"Before arriving in Fardin, I reviewed the intelligence on Zalam and Auba. Although they are both involved in headhunting, they would never collude with UE. As their old rival, you should know this best." Yang Hui said.
Don Boyaji fell silent. Yang Hui's words were undeniable. Although Zalam and Auba had been at odds for over a hundred years, wishing for each other's demise, they would never ally with the enemy of humanity, UE.
When it came to valuing the honor of their ancestors, Auba was even more committed than Zalam.
Moreover, Fardin was their contested territory and beloved homeland. If UE sought to destroy Fardin, they would set aside their mutual hatred and temporarily unite against the external threat.
The three of them waited quietly, and soon Gundam and Flit were brought to Zalam's residence.
"Yang Hui! Mr. Grudick! What are you doing here... uh!"
Flit, who was brought into the room, was still surprised to see Yang Hui and Grudick, when Yang Hui suddenly pinched his face.
"Can you explain why the Gundam is in the city, Flit-kun?"
"Woo woo woo!" Faced with the (nuclear) amiable (cancerous) Yang Hui, Flit trembled, his brain working faster than when he was creating the Gundam and AGE System. If he didn't provide Yang Hui with a satisfactory answer, his savior aspirations might be dashed.
"Right! I went because UE appeared..."
"Smack~!" Yang Hui slapped Flit on the back of the head in annoyance.
"Did you think we didn't see? Also... using the Dodds Rifle inside Fardin, are you trying to accelerate Fardin's destruction with UE's attack?"
"Woo woo woo..." Flit teared up but had no words to refute.
"Okay, you stay over there for now. Once I finish my business, I'll take you back to Diva."
"Mm mm." Yang Hui didn't pursue the matter further, and Flit felt like he had just escaped with his life, so he obediently stood aside.
"Alright, Uncle Dong, I won't beat around the bush with you. What are you thinking? If it's not feasible, we'll leave first."
"Well, hold on. I want to raise the price a bit more. What do you think?" Don Boyaji said.
"Sure, the deal is on. Once the test is successful, I'll have someone deliver it to you." Yang Hui stood up, ready to leave, but Don Boyaji was unwilling to let him go just like that.
"How about adding another condition?"
"Uncle Dong, the deal is already concluded. This is a separate transaction." Yang Hui turned his head, speaking in a very calm tone.
"You can consider it another transaction. The condition is that you don't sell the same goods to Auba."
"That's a tough one. I was just planning to make another trip to Auba."
"I knew it!" Don Boyaji's expression darkened as he confirmed his suspicions. He was willing to pay for four warships and fully equipped MS units to obtain the Vargas rifle, precisely to widen the gap with Auba.
But if Yang Hui sold to Auba as well, what would this transaction mean for him?
"So you had this plan from the start, kid." Don Boyaji asked Yang Hui with a grim expression.
"Of course. Since there are potential customers, why not promote my goods?" Yang Hui shrugged, asking, isn't this what a businessman should do? Especially an arms dealer, promoting weapons to both sides in a conflict to ensure greater profits is basic practice.
Flit was dumbfounded, having never seen Yang Hui act like a scheming businessman. Even Grudick found it hard to believe. In battle, Yang Hui was powerful and calm; in research, he was wise; but in negotiations, he was cunning and treacherous. Which side of him was the real one?
"Don't mess with me!" Don Boyaji shouted, "You don't really intend to trade with Zalam, do you!?"
"How could that be? Four warships and fully equipped MS units for a batch of the latest beam weapons, isn't that a fair trade? And you agreed to it yourself, or are you planning to breach the contract? Zalam's Don Boyaji."
"You..."
Yang Hui's suddenly cold expression put immense pressure on Don Boyaji. He didn't dare to say "yes," as that would ruin the previously reached agreement and completely tarnish Zalam's reputation.
It was a fact that Yang Hui would be in contact with Auba, which he couldn't change. But if he destroyed the previous deal and Auba reached an agreement with Yang Hui, then Zalam would be plunged into a crisis of destruction.
"I'll say this." Yang Hui saw that the timing was right and finally spoke his mind, no longer dragging things out with Don Boyaji. "If you really want to uphold the honor of your ancestors, then go fight UE. Infighting is no real skill!"
After saying that, Yang Hui and Grudick took Flit and left. The Gundam was too conspicuous staying here; they needed to send it back to Diva quickly. Perhaps they could return early to swap for new equipment and avoid being beaten by UE's new model.
After Yang Hui and the others left, Don Boyaji slammed his fist on the table, gritting his teeth.
"A mere kid, how could he understand our honor and dignity!"
"Yes! The boss is right!"
"Ugh~ UE, huh?" Don Boyaji looked at the Bacta-type on the screen, lost in thought.
...
"Are we going to Auba now?" Grudick asked Yang Hui, who was now in front of him. He prided himself on not having Yang Hui's negotiation skills; as long as he could achieve the desired effect, he didn't mind taking Yang Hui as the lead.
"Mm..." Yang Hui was about to nod when his PAD rang. It was Graham's communication. "It's me."
"Yang Hui, if you have time, please return to Diva for a bit."
"What's up?"
"The new equipment for Dawn Gundam and Samurai Gundam has been completed. Vargas is not here, and I can't reach him, so I can only call you back to debug it."
"Okay, I understand."
After hanging up, Yang Hui helplessly looked at Grudick. "I have to postpone it. I need to return to Diva now."
"Mm, no problem."
On the way back, they ran into Emily and Vargas, who were preparing to "rescue" Flit.
"Emily? Vargas? What are you doing here? And..." Yang Hui shifted his gaze to the children in the vehicle. "...what's going on?"
"Yang Hui? Mr. Grudick? What are you doing here? And... is Flit okay?" Emily asked, looking at the Gundam beside her.
"..." Yang Hui was speechless. Fortunately, they encountered Emily and the others who were ready to cause trouble on their return trip; otherwise, they would have fallen into danger...
"We need to return to Diva immediately!" Yang Hui said.
"What's going on?" Everyone was confused.
"Don't ask so much. We need to go back right away. Vargas, the new equipment for Dawn Gundam and Samurai Gundam has been completed. Come debug it with me, and the new equipment for Gundam AGE-1 has also been manufactured."
"...Okay."
But the next second, an explosion occurred in front of Zalam's residence, and five purple MS were visibly heading towards Zalam's residence.
"Is it too late? Flit, you go stop the infighting between both sides. We need to return to Diva immediately!"
"I understand."
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