Grudick and Flit gritted their teeth, and after a complex psychological struggle, they ultimately chose to heed Yang Hui's advice and lower their weapons.
They both understood Yang Hui's intention; so far, the "Bat Extermination Operation" had been successful, but the war against VEGAN was just beginning. There would be many opportunities for revenge, and rather than killing out of anger here, it was better to achieve victory in the war, which would be the greatest form of retribution.
Moreover... Grudick knew that Yang Hui's words were primarily directed at him. If he insisted on shooting Ark Dorell and the VEGAN personnel present, Flit would absolutely not back down. Then...
Flit, at the age of 14, became a butcher consumed by hatred.
At the same time, Grudick understood that Yang Hui had done all this for his own good. If he were to kill Ark Dorell and all the VEGANs on Ambat in a fit of rage, what he would bring back would merely be unsubstantiated records. However, if they captured so many live prisoners, he would have more leverage to help himself reduce his sentence when he was tried in a military court.
He still wanted to take revenge on VEGAN and defeat them in the war; he couldn't let the second half of his life be spent in prison.
"Graham, can you hear me?" Yang Hui connected to Graham's communication.
"Received, please speak."
"I'm going to open the power system's gate now and sabotage the power system."
"Understood... Wait! This is serious!"
Under Yang Hui's control, the power system's gate opened, but on the other end of the communication, Graham's voice came through, sounding somewhat helpless and anxious.
"What's wrong? Report the situation," Yang Hui asked, frowning.
"These guys planned to take everything down from the start. They connected the entire fortress's power system to a large number of plasma bombs. Once the power system stops operating, it will detonate."
"What!?"
Yang Hui quickly operated the panel, looking for a way to sever the connection between the plasma submersible missiles and the power system, in order to save Ambat Fortress.
But as he worked, Yang Hui's expression grew increasingly grim.
"Damn it! You lunatics!"
"Is it impossible to disable?" Grudick asked.
"Yeah, it's the most primitive physical connection method; it can't be severed in a short time. The fortress can't be saved," Yang Hui replied. If they didn't shut down the power system, they couldn't take the fortress, and the anti-aircraft fire would keep coming. They were fine inside the fortress, but what about the joint fleet outside? With just the few of them, they couldn't completely occupy Ambat Fortress.
"...Then let's retreat. With these live prisoners and the data you've copied, our operation has already succeeded," Grudick said.
"Okay, can the three of you escort them back to Diva?" Yang Hui asked with concern. Originally, there were many Marines, but due to casualties along the way, only Grudick, Mireille, and Adams remained. Yang Hui and Flit still needed to return to Dawn Gundam and Gundam AGE-1 and couldn't assist them in escorting the prisoners.
"No problem," Grudick said. This was space; if it was inconvenient to guard them, they could just knock them all out and drag them away. They only needed to keep them alive.
The group worked together to knock out everyone present, including Ark Dorell's son, and performed simple first aid on Ark Dorell. Then they tied everyone together with ropes, like dragging a string of balloons, and returned to Diva.
Yang Hui and Flit also returned to their respective machines, set a timer on the power system, and quickly evacuated.
Once everyone had safely retreated from Ambat Fortress, the timer they set reached its end, and Ambat Fortress ultimately exploded in a brilliant display of fireworks amidst the cheers of the crowd.
This was a symbol of the victory of the "Bat Extermination Operation," proof that everyone had survived, and the clarion call for Earth to launch a counterattack against VEGAN.
However, not everyone was cheering. The bridge of Diva was surrounded by a suppressed atmosphere.
"Ultimately, it comes down to the mutual slaughter among humans," Mireille lamented.
"The true face of UE has been revealed, but..."
"The war has just begun; we... cannot let our guard down."
At that moment, Grudick arrived at the bridge, glanced around at everyone, removed his hat, and bowed to all.
"Everyone... thank you."
"Captain..."
"Don't wear that expression as if you look down on life and death, Captain Grudick," Yang Hui said, seeing Grudick step down from his position as captain but still addressing him as such. "We hold so much leverage in our hands; your charges will definitely be reduced. We are waiting for you to come back and continue fighting alongside us."
Yang Hui's words lightened the heavy atmosphere, and in an instant, smiles appeared on everyone's faces.
"That's right! Without your plan, Captain, we wouldn't have this victory!"
"The Federal Army will take some time to arrive, right? Let's take this opportunity to celebrate properly."
"Exactly! Captain, don't show such an expression!"
...
"Everyone... thank you so much."
At that moment, Grudick felt warmth. Although he had lost his family and everything, he suddenly realized that everyone here had given him the warmth of family. He seemed to see his wife and daughter standing beside him, nodding at him with expressions of comfort.
"Is that so? You... want me to look forward too?" Grudick thought, tears unable to hold back from welling in his eyes.
"Then! As the last order of the captain! All ships, triumphant return, destination Minslie!"
"Oh~!"
...
Although they were unable to gather together on their respective warships, the joint fleet was filled with laughter and joy on the way back to Minslie.
They were excited to have survived the "Bat Extermination Operation" and thrilled to be part of the heroic fleet.
Whether it was Zalam, Auba, Diva, or everyone from Madonna Workshop, they were like brothers. They would never forget this short yet perilous and joyful journey, nor the bonds they shared.
However, joy was ultimately fleeting. After the joint fleet arrived at Minslie, they would have to part ways. The fleets of Zalam and Auba would return to Fading, and Diva would be taken over by the Eighth Fleet stationed in Minslie.
Although the Eighth Fleet paid tribute to everyone in the joint fleet upon learning that they had truly defeated VEGAN and brought back a wealth of intelligence and achievements, they were soldiers and had to follow orders.
No matter how many merits Grudick had, he could not escape the charge of hijacking Diva and defecting, so his arrest was inevitable.
Others were not immediately arrested, but they remained under the control of the Eighth Fleet, waiting for orders from the higher-ups in the military.
It is worth mentioning that the local tyrant of Minslie, Alzak Mingos, was indeed a collaborator with VEGAN. The intelligence that the joint fleet gathered in Minslie was leaked by him, and with just his actions leading to Yurin being taken by VEGAN, Yang Hui would not let him off easily.
"Captain Grudick... he won't be in trouble, will he?" Emily asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, he will be fine," Yang Hui replied with a grin, fully confident that Grudick would not face serious charges.
"Looking at your expression, you must have done something, right?" Woolf said, looking at Yang Hui's confident smile, shivering involuntarily. There was no way; the shadows of the past were just too severe.
"Eh? Yang Hui, did you do something?" Yurin and the others looked at Yang Hui in surprise. After all, they had been together during this time, and including Yang Hui, everyone had been under communication restrictions and couldn't send messages outside.
"Of course, the Mars immigration plan is a major scandal for the Federation and cannot be casually exposed. So, just relying on Miss Mireille's battle report and our testimonies wouldn't be enough; we must expose this matter before Captain Grudick's trial. As long as the public outcry is high enough, the Federation cannot ignore public opinion," Yang Hui said.
"But... how do we do that..."
"The Eighth Fleet has done us quite a few favors this time," Yang Hui explained.
"Eh?"
"I get it! The Minslie encounter!" Mireille, who was destined to become the captain of Diva in the future, quickly grasped the key point.
"Exactly, three warships and a large number of MS wrecks were sent to them. In light of this achievement, asking them to help relay a message is not a problem."
"I see, so you asked the Commander of the Eighth Fleet to pass the message to Yang Corporation, which would then trigger public opinion first. This way, Earth will definitely stir up a storm. Once public opinion rises, whether it's protests against the Federation or support for us, the Federation cannot turn a blind eye! With the voice of the people, even if Captain Grudick takes all the blame, he cannot be sentenced too severely!" Mireille pieced together Yang Hui's plan, which essentially involved using the momentum of public opinion to bind the Federation's hands.
"Is that so!" Everyone was astonished, realizing that it seemed like a simple operation, but Yang Hui had arranged everything before departing from Minslie, which was quite impressive.
"There will definitely be plenty of accolades for us, but the biggest fame will surely go to the Federation," Yang Hui said.
"A trade... perhaps?"
The people present were not fools. Although public sentiment would constrain them, manipulating public opinion was not omnipotent, and the Federation could also control public opinion. They could concede a little benefit, such as having the Federation's Commander declare that this operation was secretly planned by them, placing the fame on the Federation.
This way, they could maintain the Federation's face while also giving the Federation a way out, allowing them to smoothly reduce Grudick's sentence.
"Alright, enough of that. Let's wait for good news. Not to mention, everyone present will definitely be promoted and receive a medal."
"Hahahaha..."
The crowd dispersed amidst laughter. Watching Flit being pulled away by Emily, Yang Hui felt a sense of his younger brother finally growing up. However... it seemed there was another blockhead that needed a reminder; he had been quite unsettled when watching anime back then.
"Woolf, what are you going to the Hangar for again?"
"What for... Of course, to be with my girlfriend!"
"Smack~!"
"Pfft~!"
Yang Hui didn't hesitate to punch Woolf, glancing back.
"I really don't know how you, this lecherous scoundrel, earned that title. Don't let down the lady's affection," he said, and without waiting for Woolf to react, he took Yurin's hand and left.
Woolf looked up, not seeing Yang Hui, who was about to get angry, but saw Mireille looking at him shyly, wanting to say something but hesitating. His anger was also suppressed, and he understood Yang Hui's meaning.
"This brat, is he really just a kid?" Woolf smiled wryly and shook his head, giving up on going to the Hangar and walking towards Mireille.
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