Facing the evening breeze, Setsuna stared blankly at the silent desert, his mind constantly flashing back to painful memories from his childhood.
"Hey, what's wrong? You look like you've lost your soul," Yang Hui said, patting Setsuna on the shoulder as they enjoyed the refreshing evening air side by side.
"Myer..." Setsuna's eyes regained focus as he glanced at Myer, then lowered his head again, "I..."
Setsuna hesitated, and Yang Hui did not urge him. He knew Setsuna was feeling very down, as if a long-held belief had been shattered.
After a long while, Setsuna finally spoke: "I... can't become Gundam."
"Pfft~ Hahaha..." Although Yang Hui had always known about Setsuna's belief, hearing him say it out loud still made him unable to hold back his laughter.
"What's so funny?" Setsuna looked at Myer in confusion.
"Isn't it funny? How could a person become Gundam?" Yang Hui retorted.
Setsuna was stunned. Myer's words struck like a heavy hammer on his crumbling faith, opening up a huge gap once again.
To put it bluntly, right now, Setsuna's heart prioritized Gundam Exia first, and Myer second. It was easy to imagine how much Myer's denial impacted Setsuna.
"Humans are humans, and Gundam is Gundam, just like you and me. You can't become me, and I can't become you. You are Setsuna F Seiei, a unique existence in this world. How could you possibly become Gundam? Gundam is a mechanical creation; you can treat it as your tool or your fighting partner, but you can never become it." Yang Hui gazed at the night sky and said leisurely.
"I... am me... a unique existence..."
"Of course, existence is truth. Every existence in this world has its meaning. Air is for breathing, water and food are for survival, Gundam is our weapon for military intervention, and you... are Gundam Meisters. Since you are Gundam Meisters, why do you still want to become Gundam?"
Setsuna was left speechless. His previous belief had begun to collapse, but after the collapse, the pure essence hidden beneath the false belief began to emerge little by little.
"I am... a unique existence... I am Gundam Meisters... I am Gundam Meisters!"
As Setsuna's confusion gradually faded, a smile appeared on Yang Hui's face.
Although he might not have fully transformed yet, and although he did not completely understand the identity of Gundam Meisters, the seed had already been planted. Sachez's influence on him had gradually been swept into the trash, and what remained... depended on Marina.
"Once you've figured it out, go rest for a while. You have an important task to complete later."
"Understood."
...
During this time, Sumeragi also sent over the final mission to intervene in Azadistan.
"Hey, hey, hey, are you kidding? Is Ms. Huang serious about this?" The Dylandy Brothers looked at the final mission in shock.
"If we make one wrong move, Gundam Exia could be in danger," Wang Liu Mei also couldn't understand why Sumeragi would devise such a high-risk plan.
Resolving the internal strife in Azadistan was simple; just send Masoud Rachmadi back. But Sumeragi actually wanted Gundam Exia to disarm completely and personally escort Masoud Rachmadi to the royal palace in Azadistan. It should be noted that the UNION's army was currently in Azadistan, and Gundam Exia going there could very well mean it would not return.
"What's wrong? Has Sumeragi's plan arrived? Let me see... Hmm, as expected of Sumeragi, this plan is simply incisive."
"Myer-San?"
"Do you agree with this plan?"
The Dylandy Brothers and Wang Liu Mei looked at Yang Hui in confusion.
"Of course, this is an open scheme. There will be a lot of media present for this news; the UNION cannot afford to act against Gundam Exia without facing severe backlash. Otherwise, the UNION's reputation worldwide will be tarnished, and at the same time, we can showcase the vision of Celestial Being to solidify our reputation and positioning. It's a two-for-one deal; why not?"
After hearing Yang Hui's explanation, the three suddenly felt that this plan was indeed quite brilliant.
"Also, even if the UNION really loses their shame, we are still here, right? We can just lie in wait near the capital and support Gundam Exia."
"Ah~ In that case, there really is no danger, and we can give the UNION a good slap in the face."
"I'm really looking forward to their expressions at that time; it must be spectacular."
With this, the biggest threat was eliminated. Indeed, having a stabilizing force present was great; all problems were easily resolved.
Even...
"However, Sumeragi is still not ruthless enough; she should add a little more spice," Yang Hui said with a mischievous smile.
"Do you have anything to add?" Wang Liu Mei asked, and the Dylandy Brothers looked at him in surprise, even shivering involuntarily, because whenever Yang Hui wore that kind of mischievous smile, someone was bound to be in trouble.
"Isn't AEU secretly sending troops into Azadistan this time? What would happen if we leaked this news?"
"That... but they are here to deal with Celestial Being, so it shouldn't have too much impact, right?" Wang Liu Mei asked.
"The premise is that they are 'only' here to deal with Celestial Being," Yang Hui reminded.
"I see! Hehe, AEU is going to be in a real mess now." The three, understanding Yang Hui's meaning, exchanged knowing smiles. AEU's troops were indeed here to deal with Celestial Being, but they were not just here for that. After all, the kidnapping of Masoud Rachmadi was the root of Azadistan's internal strife, and the ones who kidnapped him... were precisely the PMCs incorporated by AEU.
If the hat of deliberately inciting internal strife in Azadistan were to be placed on them, AEU's reputation would be even worse than if UNION acted against Gundam Exia in front of the media tomorrow morning.
"But what if they deny it?" Wang Liu Mei pressed.
"It doesn't matter whether they admit it or not; it only matters if Masoud Rachmadi admits it."
"Will he help us?" Would Masoud Rachmadi risk offending AEU to assist them?
"He will, if he is smart enough."
This matter didn't even need to be discussed with Masoud Rachmadi; Yang Hui could basically confirm that he would admit it was AEU's PMC that had kidnapped him.
First, Azadistan had already received UNION's assistance and protection, and with AEU exposed and unable to take care of themselves, they couldn't possibly retaliate against Azadistan. Second, Celestial Being saved him this time; if he could repay the favor, he would naturally do so. Missing this opportunity might mean he wouldn't be able to repay it in the future. Third, if Masoud Rachmadi admitted he was kidnapped by AEU's people and then something happened to him, what would the world think?
Thus, AEU not only couldn't retaliate against him, but they also had to protect him well.
"But what if AEU pushes the foreign mercenaries out to take the blame? That's their usual tactic," Neil asked.
"That would be even better. Those PMCs were just incorporated not long ago, and now they are being pushed out to take the blame. What will the remaining people think?"
Upon hearing this, the three were stunned and couldn't help but give Yang Hui a thumbs up. This was truly insidious; not only would it ruin AEU's reputation, but it would also sow discord within their ranks. With this addition to the already brilliant plan, it was directly a four-for-one deal.
So ruthless!
But we like it! o(￣▽￣)ｄ
(End of Chapter)