"Hmm... We only just found out about your arrival today, so we're not sure. But with your abilities, it would be unthinkable not to have a dedicated unit for you. However..."
Saying this, Ian pulled up the newly sorted battle data for Yang Hui and compared it with the data from the three Gundam pilots and the four Gundams, including the Exia.
"None of the current four Gundams are suitable for you, especially based on your later battle data. You must be skilled in multi-directional fire assaults while moving at ultra-high speeds, right?" Ian analyzed the data, asking.
"As expected of you, Ian," Yang Hui gave a thumbs up. After just a few simulated battles, Ian had already guessed his fighting style, even though Yang Hui was still able to hide some of it. Ian was impressive.
"So, this is a tricky situation. Although there's a Gundam that suits you, it has many issues. The unit doesn't have an available solar furnace right now, and even after being picked up, it's still under maintenance. I don't even know if VEDA will approve its reactivation," Ian scratched his head in frustration.
"Can I see the data and specs first?" Yang Hui asked, though he had a pretty good guess in his mind, he still couldn't confirm if it was the Gundam he was thinking of.
"Sure," Ian tapped a few buttons on the screen and pulled up a file.
"It's exactly as I thought!"
Yang Hui's eyes gleamed as he looked at the information.
GN-XXX Secret Angel Gundam, a unit that only appeared in the side story manga, and also the first Gundam in Gundam OO to feature flying bits—well, technically GN Bits.
Yang Hui had always been fond of flying bits and GN Bits as versatile wireless weapons, so the moment he saw the Secret Angel Gundam, he immediately liked it.
But if he wasn't mistaken, this unit should be floating somewhere in space, right? Why would it be here?
"So, what do you think?" Ian asked.
"If I want to pilot it, do I need to apply to VEDA?" Yang Hui asked.
"Not just that, the most critical issue is the lack of a solar furnace," Ian said, clearly frustrated. He knew that Yang Hui liked the Secret Angel Gundam, but currently, there were only five solar furnaces in the Celestial Being fleet, and the one not belonging to them wasn't easy to allocate. There simply weren't any extras.
"Hmm... Can't it be made?"
The moment Yang Hui asked, he regretted it. He suddenly remembered that solar furnaces weren't something that could just be created easily. The primordial particle "Cosmic Egg" had to be produced in high gravity conditions, at the moment the material underwent a phase change.
And the GN particles were essentially a subspecies of the primordial particles "Cosmic Eggs." These particles had to be sealed and equipped with particle control functions to create a solar furnace.
Seeing Ian's deadpan expression, Yang Hui immediately apologized. "My bad, Ian. How about this—take a look at the data and the previous improvement suggestions. See if there's anything else that can be improved. I'll go check the files on the theory behind GN particles. Once I understand that, we can discuss it more in detail."
"Alright," Ian said, realizing that Yang Hui hadn't completely given up on his previous idea. However, he was unsure... Sigh. It looked like he and his wife would be working hard again.
But seeing how much Yang Hui liked the Secret Angel Gundam, Ian didn't regret his decision to push for it all those years ago when it was retrieved against all odds.
...
A month passed, with Yang Hui balancing his time between training the three Gundam pilots for half a day and studying GN particle theory for the other half. He also found time to meet with Ian and his wife to discuss Gundam improvements, leaving him with little time to spend with his future wife.
At the same time, he and Ian were continuing to refine the plan.
Leesa Kyujo, as a battlefield forecaster, naturally had access to VEDA. However, after reviewing VEDA's calculations and the subsequent plans, Leesa grew increasingly suspicious about the whole scheme.
It felt like a maddening game—one that drove both the enemy and their side crazy.
Through her analysis, she discovered that the world, engulfed in war, could be likened to a dark night. Celestial Being was the only light in that night, drawing all attention to itself, while simultaneously attracting all the hatred, ultimately leading to its downfall.
When the three major countries of Earth learned of the existence of Gundams—MS far beyond the technological level of their world—they would undoubtedly stop at nothing to capture them. If one country couldn't do it, they would unite, and then... In their frenzy, the conflict would erupt, extinguishing their internal strife and uniting them as one.
In this way, the wars on Earth would end, and Celestial Being's goal would be achieved, but they... would be the sacrifices to reach that goal.
After realizing this truth, Leesa immediately found Yang Hui and shared her findings with him. She was terrified—while she was willing to fight for the eradication of war, she didn't want to die.
Yang Hui, too, couldn't help but wonder: Was this the butterfly effect he had caused?
Unlike Leesa, who joined Celestial Being out of guilt after her fiancé's death, now that these tragedies hadn't happened, Leesa's analysis skills were still at their peak, and she quickly saw through the essence of the plan.
Reluctantly, Yang Hui took Leesa to see Ian and informed him of the truth. Upon learning that their role in the plan was to withdraw behind the scenes and not be sacrificed, Leesa was finally relieved. However, when she learned of Yang Hui's true authority and the subsequent second and third phase of the plan, she was deeply shocked.
In order to make the plan more complete and ensure Celestial Being's safety, Yang Hui, Leesa, and Ian began working together to improve the original plan.
However, Yang Hui discovered an unexpected twist.
"I told you, old man, there's a traitor in the organization," Yang Hui said.
"A traitor? Who?" Leesa asked anxiously. A traitor in such a secretive organization would be devastating; once the secrecy was lost, the organization would be at the mercy of others.
"I don't know yet, but take a look at this..." Yang Hui sent Leesa a file containing the logistics records. "There's a batch of rare supplies with an unknown destination. Based on the amount of material, without a solar furnace, we could make ten or twenty second-generation Gundams without a problem."
"This! We need to find out where these supplies went. If we don't, we could suffer a fatal blow during the plan," Leesa said, biting her fingernails in frustration.
"No need."
"Huh?" Both Yang Hui and Leesa looked at Ian in confusion.
"A traitor in the organization was always part of my plan. To bring the Earth to unity, we need something big to stir things up. Only then will all the hatred and conflict focus on us..."
"...And the traitor's existence acts as an amplifier, speeding up the process and warping the world, right?" Yang Hui thought, realizing that it was indeed the case.
In the original plot, without the Trinity team, all four Gundams would have been captured, and the three major countries wouldn't have felt enough pressure. Once they knew that the enemy had seven Gundams, they started to realize the challenge and gradually began to unite.
"But... Isn't that too dangerous? Can't we slow down the plan?" Leesa asked worriedly.
"We don't have that much time. The alien counterpart might already be on its way," Ian said.
Yang Hui internally complained: "It's not on its way; it's already here! It's hiding in Jupiter! And the most important solar furnace production base is also on Jupiter. They're so reckless!"
But even though he thought it, he couldn't say it aloud—otherwise, things would really go south.
"If that's the case, old man, even with me, Celestial Being's power isn't enough. I don't know about UNION and AEU, but the Human Reform League... there's really no need to be afraid."
"Huh?" This time, Ian looked at Yang Hui.
"Take a look. I roughly recalled some of the design plans and schematics I left behind. It's not complete, but it's enough."
When they looked, they almost sent Ian flying out of his cryo-chamber.
"What did you leave behind!?" Leesa cried in exasperation.
Ian, too, looked black enough to spill ink.
"I didn't know I was joining Celestial Being..." Yang Hui shrugged.
Although Yang Hui's mission was to join Celestial Being, and there was no punishment for failure, Celestial Being hadn't come after him. What else could he do?
He didn't like entrusting his life to others, so he just developed things as if he hadn't joined Celestial Being.
Who knew...
Sigh, what a hole he dug for himself.
"Your countermeasure?" Ian didn't blame Yang Hui. Since these events had already occurred, scolding wouldn't help. It was more important to come up with countermeasures.
"I have a few ideas. First, I want to recruit some people to join Celestial Being, to act as new monitors to supervise its actions. Additionally, they can serve as insiders in the three major countries, and in case of emergency, we can have more escape routes. Of course, only a very few people should know about this, and the original monitors and family members must remain unaware, creating a completely independent monitoring system."
"Second, I want to recruit another Gundam pilot. With me, we should be able to ensure self-defense at the very least, even in the end."
"Is that all?" Ian eyed Yang Hui suspiciously.
"Ahem... Actually... I have a small request," Yang Hui said, holding up two fingers to indicate a small gap, grinning.
"What do you want?" Ian immediately became alert. Seeing the look on Yang Hui's face, he knew it wasn't anything good, and Leesa instinctively took a step back.
"Heh, well, could we make a few more solar furnaces? You see, the new Gundam pilot's exclusive unit and my Secret Angel don't have solar furnaces, and the four other solar furnaces aren't standardized. If we could make six or seven more solar furnaces to the same specifications... Hey, hey, hey! Don't walk away! I'm not finished yet!"
When Ian heard "make solar furnaces," his virtual image's forehead twitched. When he heard "six or seven," his face turned black enough to spill ink. Finally, when he heard "standardized specifications," Ian cut off the communication.
He feared that even as a consciousness entity, he might vomit blood from listening to it.
Although the scientists who studied solar furnaces had all been silenced, the relevant technologies were still preserved in VEDA. But... you know how many resources it takes to make a trip to Jupiter?
"This old man... How can he not let me finish talking? Really rude," Yang Hui muttered.
Leesa covered her face, not wanting to admit that this shameless person was her fiancé. She grabbed his ear and dragged him out of the communications room.
PS: in the later chapters Secret Angel Gundam will be Seraphim