"Yurin, I have to leave."
After a day of play, Yang Hui said goodbye to Yurin.
As expected, her happy smile vanished, and she sobbed with her head down, "Can't… can't you stay?"
"Yes, I have things I must do," Yang Hui replied. Unlike Yurin, Sumeragi, Wang Liu Mei, and Kati, Yurin was still a child who didn't understand many profound truths. Moreover, Yurin had lost her biological parents and brother, and had always found it hard to open her heart to others, even with Alzack Bamingos' immense pampering.
Only Yang Hui could make her feel at ease, make her feel she had someone to rely on. So, she was reluctant to see Yang Hui leave, and even more so to let her face danger.
"Then… will we never see each other again?" Yurin asked.
"Of course not. Don't forget, the amulet you gave me is still with you. I will definitely come back for it," Yang Hui said.
"Really?"
"Mm, I promise, I will come back to find you."
"Okay! I'll wait for you to come back!"
In the end, Yurin hugged Yang Hui and watched her leave with reluctance.
...
Yang Hui and the others regrouped and boarded the ship back to the spaceport, but they were intercepted by uninvited guests.
Two Genoece blocked the riverbank, and the Commander of the Eighth Fleet stood in the middle of the river.
"Found you! Defector, Grodek Ainoa! Surrender immediately!"
"It's the Federal Army!"
"How could this happen? We were finally about to start, and now…"
Everyone showed expressions of unwillingness. It was precisely because Minslie was a neutral Colony, with no Federal Army stationed there, that they chose it as their meeting point. They never expected the Federal Army to chase them down.
As everyone anxiously wondered what to do, Yang Hui smiled calmly and walked to the bow of the ship. "Can you move aside?"
"Are you Yang Hui, the young master of the Yang Corporation? Are you planning to assist the defector? If you step aside voluntarily, I can pretend I didn't see anything," the Commander said, feeling quite troubled. Given the Yang Corporation's status in the Federation, and Yang Hui's importance to it, if he mishandled the situation, the Yang Corporation wouldn't dare retaliate against the Federation, but his own position would be at risk.
In the current situation, Yang Hui and the others were like fish in a barrel, with no chance of escape. He just hoped Yang Hui could see the situation clearly and retreat, otherwise, it would be detrimental for both sides.
"That won't do. We still have things we must do, and we can't be stopped by you here," Yang Hui said.
"If that's the case, then I have no choice but to offend you. I am a soldier and must obey orders."
"Try me if you dare?"
Yang Hui's lips curled into a strange and dangerous smile.
"Bang—"
The gunshot from the dense forest startled the birds, and the megaphone in the Commander's hand shattered, leaving only a handle still in his grip.
"Sniper! Quickly search…"
"I advise you not to move, or I can't guarantee there won't be any accidental discharges," Yang Hui said playfully.
"Damn it, how could you pull this on me?" The Commander cursed himself for being careless, thinking that having MS would make him invulnerable, only to find that the other side had long anticipated this and set up a backup plan.
"You discovered us long ago?"
"The deployment of MS units isn't a small matter. Is it hard to notice?"
"...Even if you pass through here, you won't be able to leave Minslie. The outside is already surrounded by my fleet; you can't escape."
"Try me if you dare?" Yang Hui repeated the same question, twice the same, seemingly a question but actually a certainty, a certainty that the other side wouldn't dare to move against her.
"Do you… do you know what the consequences of doing this are?" the Commander angrily asked Yang Hui.
"Of course I do. But once our operation succeeds, the Federation won't dare to hold me accountable, and they might even elevate me. As for you… that's hard to say. Want to make a bet? Am I telling the truth?" Yang Hui leaned closer to the Commander's face and asked.
"You…"
"Woolf, Lagan, just in case, tie them up first. We'll head back to Diva."
"Okay." The two didn't hesitate and followed Yang Hui's instructions to tie up everyone on the ship. The MS units, not receiving orders from the Commander, didn't dare to act recklessly, fearing that their actions might cost the Commander his head.
"Damn defectors, what do you want to do?" Before Yang Hui and the others could leave, the Commander loudly questioned them. He absolutely did not believe that everything Yang Hui was doing was simply to help the defector.
Although Diva was the Federation's latest warship, with the means of the Yang Corporation, acquiring the technology was still possible. Therefore, their goal could not simply be Diva. Given the current status of the Yang Corporation, replacing the Federation was impossible and unnecessary. Moreover, Yang Hui had just mentioned the word "operation," so… Yang Hui and the others must have deeper intentions.
"To defeat UE and expose its true nature."
"What? How is that possible…"
"Still the same question, want to make a bet?"
"…" The Commander fell silent. What Yang Hui said sounded like a fairy tale. The Federation had been bullied by UE for over a decade and couldn't turn the tide. How could a group of defectors achieve that?
But… his intuition and experience told him that Yang Hui was not just talking nonsense.
Seeing the Commander unwilling to bet, Yang Hui smiled and quickly left with the others, leaving behind a Federal Army that was shocked and deep in thought.
"Commander, do you think… what he said could be true?"
"You ask me, who should I ask?" The Commander rolled his eyes in frustration, then ordered the MS, "Quickly untie us!"
"Commander, what do we do now?"
"...Return to the fleet, intercept Diva, and arrest Grodek Ainoa."
"But…"
"No buts. We are soldiers, we execute orders!"
"Yes!"
At this moment, the Commander wished he could throw his deputy into the river to drown, cursing himself for choosing such a blockhead as his deputy.
After all, he was the Commander of the Eighth Fleet, swaggering into Minslie to capture defectors. If the higher-ups found out that he failed to capture them and was instead tied up by the other side, and even let them pass, his position as Commander would likely come to an end. He might even end up in a military court!
Yang Hui was right; he didn't dare to move against her now, and once back on the warship, he would be even less likely to act against her. If the other side chose to fight to the death, and really died at his hands, no excuse would save him.
So at least he had to put on a show of capturing them, to let the higher-ups know he was still doing his duty. As for excuses for failure… he could come up with as many as needed.
And…
The Commander also thought that if what Yang Hui said was true, then he had no reason to stop them. After all, he had wanted to defeat UE for a long time. If it could really be done… even if he lost his position as Commander, he would still support them.
...
"Yang Hui, you're amazing! You subdued the Federal Army with just a few words," Flit celebrated.
"Don't get too excited, Flit. The crisis isn't over yet," Yang Hui said, pressing down on the overly enthusiastic Flit.
"Did you know they were coming?" Grudick asked Yang Hui.
"Mm, no matter which route, the appearance of MS inside the Colony would be noticed."
"Why didn't you tell us in advance?"
"No need. The Federal Army is just a minor issue that can be resolved easily. The upcoming operation is what we need to focus on," Yang Hui said nonchalantly.
"Uh…"
Mireille, Woolf, and Lagan twitched their lips. Although they were also members of Diva and considered themselves part of the defectors, they had never forgotten that they were part of the Federal Army. Yang Hui's words made them feel included.
"What about the fleet?" Grudick asked.
"Eh? Didn't they let us go?" Flit asked.
"I mean… can you use your brain a little, Flit?" Yang Hui said, giving Flit a light smack on the head. He noticed that after his education, Flit had become… even more adorably foolish? No, it should be called stupidly cute, right?
"They didn't let us go; they were countered by us, which is why they gave way. Moreover, they received orders from the Federal Army and can't just let us go like this. Otherwise, the higher-ups in the military wouldn't let them off the hook. So even if it's just for show, they will continue to try to arrest us," Yang Hui explained.
"Can't they fight alongside us? After all, UE is our enemy…" Flit said dejectedly, wishing that everyone he encountered could become allies against UE.
"Because they are soldiers and must obey military orders."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent, as most of those present were soldiers. Except for Grudick, who had already made up his mind, they didn't see themselves as defectors.
"Alright, don't think too much. Our current target is UE. If we succeed, everyone will be safe. If we fail… there's no option for that," Yang Hui said firmly.
"Mm!" Everyone nodded seriously.
"So what about the Eighth Fleet? Do we really have to fight them?" Lagan asked Yang Hui.
"The Eighth Fleet is no longer a threat," Yang Hui said.
"Eh?" Everyone was stunned. The Eighth Fleet was also an official fleet of the Federation, not something a ship like Diva or a ragtag group like Zalam and Auba could compare to.
Yang Hui didn't answer but shook the PAD he had picked up at some point, which displayed Graham's name.
"When did this happen!?"
Everyone was surprised, but the PAD had already received Graham's report.
"Yang Hui, the Eighth Fleet has been completely suppressed."
"Were there any casualties?" Yang Hui asked. Suppressing or annihilating the Eighth Fleet was easy, but there couldn't be any deaths. If any Federal Army personnel died at their hands, their identity as defectors would be solidified, and no merit could cover that up. The Yang Corporation wouldn't be able to protect him.
"No, the MS units have been disarmed, and the fleet is silent. You should trust me a little more," Graham complained.
"Understood, thank you for your hard work. When the Commander of the E
ighth Fleet allows him to board, we'll be ready to set off," Yang Hui said.
"Understood."
After hanging up, Yang Hui ignored the strange expressions of everyone and smiled brightly.
"Don't think you can get away with this! You bastard!"
(End of Chapter)