In the Academy of the People's Revolutionary Federation, Mearin Yang, or Yang Hui, our protagonist, walked out of the main doors, looking exhausted and escorted by several staff members.
"Sigh, these old geezers can't let me rest for a moment, can they? Finally got a holiday, and now I'm dragged back to the lab again," Yang Hui muttered, driving his car.
He was the youngest recipient of the People's Revolutionary Federation's Honorary Science Award and the most outstanding MS researcher in the Federation. Previously, he had gone to the International Federation University for further studies, under the guidance of the world-renowned scientist, Professor Ralph Efman. His knowledge and research had made great strides during his time there.
And... heh heh heh.
"Beep, beep..."
The PDA's ringtone sounded, and Yang Hui picked it up. It was the person he had been missing—his beloved. Without hesitation, he answered the call.
"Lisa, what's up?"
"Can't I call you if nothing's wrong? I haven't heard from you in days!"
"Ahahaha, well, you know how it is. Those old men said there were just a few minor issues to resolve, but... you know how it turned out."
"Enough, Ah Hui, there's no need to tell me about this confidential stuff. Although I'm thinking of changing my nationality, I'm still an AEU member for now."
"Alright, but Lisa, hasn't Professor Efman let you go yet?"
"Nope, the professor's research has reached a critical point. Billy's been called back, and the professor said I could leave, but with one condition."
"Condition? Just tell me! I'll do anything, even if it means going through fire or over mountains!"
"The professor said I can leave, but you have to come back."
"I'm sorry, darling, I didn't say anything."
What a joke! After struggling for so long to get less than half a month of vacation, these old heads in the lab wasted half of it, and now they're dragging him back! How can he accept that?
Besides, caring about Lisa's vacation wasn't just about being considerate... It was more about their... well... their romantic, carefree time together!
Given Professor Efman's personality, if he went back, there was no chance he'd ever leave the lab again!
As for Lisa... she'd have to bear with it for the sake of her future husband. Anyway, her vacation was much longer than his.
"I knew it. Forget it, when do you plan on coming back?" Lisa asked, though she didn't have a vacation. She was a battlefield forecaster and wouldn't stay in the lab for long. She could still keep herself company while waiting for her fiancé to return.
"In a couple of days, I promised to visit Sergei this time. If I break my word again, I'll probably be too ashamed to go out."
"Alright, I'll wait for you."
"Mm, make sure to be all clean and wait for me, Mua~"
"Pervert! Who's going to wait for you all cleaned up?!"
Click
Ending the call, Yang Hui dropped his PDA with a sly grin, laughed loudly, and drove toward his destination.
...
"Nine-tailed, were you talking to Mearin again?" a slightly shy, brown-haired man asked from the side. His long hair was tied in a high ponytail, and he wore glasses with a white lab coat, giving off an air of scholarly elegance, though he was somewhat bashful around women.
"Yeah, we finally got in touch today." The woman smiled slightly, as though the sunlight had grown brighter, and a sweet, romantic air seemed to fill the space.
This woman's name was Lisa Kyūjō, Yang Hui's fiancée. The two had promised to marry after graduation, and they were both students of Professor Ralph Efman.
The man, named Billy Katagiri, was also a student of Efman and had been referred to as "the future scientific twin star" alongside Yang Hui.
Yet, amidst this sweet atmosphere, Billy Katagiri felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow because...
He had fallen in love with Lisa Kyūjō the moment he laid eyes on her, only for his best friend and rival, Mearin, to snatch her away.
Not only that, but now he had to endure this "dog food" scenario. It was just... too much!
"Kyūjō, you're here too?"
"Professor Efman, is the experiment over?"
"Mm... the first stage is over, but the second stage needs Mearin to participate. Kyūjō, quickly call him back! Use whatever it takes—flirting, trickery, anything—to get him back here!"
"Uh..." Hearing this, Lisa Kyūjō couldn't help but feel a black line run down her face. The world-renowned scientist, the esteemed Professor Ralph Efman, had sunk to such a low point? Was this what madness looked like in scientists?
"Cough, cough, Professor, I'm off. I'm having lunch with Katy!"
"Eh? Wait..."
Before Efman could stop her, Lisa Kyūjō had already run off, leaving Billy Katagiri alone, feeling abandoned.
"Professor..."
"Hmm? You're still here?"
Should I leave?
Billy Katagiri felt like crying. Not only had he just received a painful "sweet" blow, but now his most respected teacher was ignoring him. He just wanted to weep! (T﹏T)
"Forget it, let's get to work. Billy, help me recheck the data. Once Mearin's little brat comes back, we'll start the second stage."
Billy Katagiri's heart was crumbling. Not only had he been dumped, but he had barely escaped the hell of three days and nights in the lab and now he was being dragged back?
He wanted to run, but he couldn't escape. And he didn't know where Professor Efman, who was over fifty years old, got the strength to grab Billy by the collar and drag him back into the lab.
...
Yang Hui drove his car to a lake, the agreed meeting point with Sergei. Seeing Sergei hadn't arrived yet, Yang Hui fell into deep thought.
"It's 2303 now, four years until the story begins. I wonder if Celestial Being will come looking for me. After all, I'm a top pilot and genius scientist in the People's Revolutionary Federation. There's no reason they'd overlook me."
Yang Hui wasn't a native of this world. He was a transmigrator from Blue Star.
Originally, he had been assembling a newly modified OO Gundam at home, planning to show off online to impress his friends. But something happened, and suddenly, the night was lit up by a blinding white light, and then...
Nothing.
When he woke up, he found himself in the world of Gundam 00, and even worse... as a baby.
A standard protagonist setup—parents died, and he was adopted by the battle comrade of his parents, Sergei Smirnov.
Yes, you read that right—it was Uncle Bear's family, Sergei Smirnov's house, where he became his younger brother, sixteen years younger than Sergei.
Lisa Kyūjō, the future battlefield forecaster of Celestial Being, became his fiancée, Professor Ralph Efman was his teacher, Billy Katagiri was his friend, and Katy Manekin was Lisa's close friend, whom he also knew well.
Looking at it like this, besides Celestial Being, half of the key characters in the Gundam 00 storyline were his acquaintances. What a dreamlike start!
Of course, as is typical for a transmigrator—he also had a system, but...
Aside from a basic attribute panel, there was just the mission board.
His newbie gift pack was surprisingly generous, giving him a strength-enhancing drug that brought all his physical stats to the human limit, along with a C-rank MS piloting skill, allowing him to start off as an elite pilot in the Gundam 00 world. Through continuous effort, he'd now reached B-rank and could even hold his own against Sergei, gaining some advantage.
And most importantly (let me say this three times!), he had the skill of MS design mastery.
This made Yang Hui happy. Having a named Gundam was nice, but how could it compare to designing his own machines!?
Though he was only a master at designing, building a third-generation Gundam in the OO world was well within his reach. If he reached the master level, he could design the quantum OO with all blades right now, and with enough technical knowledge, he could even design a super-advanced godlike machine.
Now, Yang Hui's mission was clear: join Celestial Being.
The mission reward was still vague—"Build opportunity"...
What build opportunity? Where do I build something? This made no sense at all! At least give me an explanation!
Cough, back to the main topic. The initial task left him at a loss. He couldn't just walk around shouting, "I want to join Celestial Being!" Could he?
If he did that, not only would Celestial Being's secret forces execute him, but he'd also be locked up in a mental hospital before they even got the chance.
"Well, I'll just take it one step at a time. I'm Lisa's fiancé now, and the tragic accident that would have killed her boyfriend this year shouldn't happen. But... will Celestial Being still come to invite her?"
Thinking about it, he didn't want to dwell on it. With his involvement, the original Gundam 00 storyline had already gone off track. Who knew what the future held?
With that thought, Yang Hui called up the system panel.
"Name: Yang Hui
Exclusive Mobile Suit: None
Exclusive Territory: None
Skills: MS Piloting (B), MS Design (Mastery), Spatial Awareness (A)"
Looking at his simple attribute panel, Yang Hui didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But simpler wasn't necessarily worse. As for the attribute values, Yang Hui had always wondered when reading novels or playing games: do those numbers really matter? On the battlefield, too many factors affect combat that numbers can't capture. For example, a random soldier could suddenly break out and kill an ace pilot. It happens all the time.
So, not having the numbers wouldn't make him misjudge his real strength.
"Yo, what are you thinking so deeply about?"
Suddenly, a big hand landed on Yang Hui's shoulder, interrupting his thoughts.
"Sergei? When did you arrive?" Yang Hui waved to his sister-in-law, Heli, and the 15-year-old little bear—Andrei Smirnov, and asked.
"I've been here for a while. Didn't you see the camp set up behind me?" Sergei pointed behind him toward the tents with some exasperation.
"Uh... so you just let me stand here in a daze without saying anything?"
"Heh, I saw you deep in thought. If I interrupted, it might ruin your train of thought, right? The genius scien
tist Yang Hui, comrade."
"Get lost!" Yang Hui rolled his eyes, shoved Sergei aside, and went to join Heli and Andrei.
Sergei shrugged and joined the family gathering.