Kinue Crossroad has always been aware that to uncover the truth, one must pay a price. If the other party is indeed a member of Celestial Being, then their ability to recruit members indicates that their status is certainly not low; if they are not...
This is a gamble, and she chooses to bet that the other party is a member of Celestial Being, and that Celestial Being's ultimate goal is not one of evil intent.
As for Saji... he has grown up and can take care of himself.
"Congratulations, Miss Kinue Crossroad, you have made a wise choice. I believe you won't regret it," Yang Hui said with a smirk, this was the choice he had hoped to see.
Kinue Crossroad is a journalist and a woman; once her curiosity is piqued, it becomes uncontrollable. If Kinue Crossroad had chosen option one, he was sure she might remain silent for a while, but given enough time, she would undoubtedly continue to investigate. By that time, even if Yang Hui felt regret, he would have no choice but to kill her.
"Now can you tell me who you really are?"
"Sure, codename Myer Stewart, Gundam Rasiel's Gundam Meister, and also the overall head of the Celestial Being project."
"What!?" Kinue Crossroad was taken aback. She had thought Yang Hui was at most a minor leader, but it turned out he was the head of the entire project! What merit did she have to attract the attention of such a big shot?
Moreover... he looked too young for this position, and he was a Gundam Meister... does that mean he is a pilot of the Gundam?
"Gundam Rasiel is?"
"It's what they commonly refer to as the Feather Machine, but I don't really like that name; it diminishes its prestige," Yang Hui said, shaking his head in frustration.
How elegant and cool his Gundam Rasiel was! Under his control, it had achieved such glorious battle results! But with just the term "Feather Machine," all that prestige was lost, which was intolerable for Yang Hui, who valued being "cool" above all else.
"You are the pilot of that Gundam!?" Kinue Crossroad certainly knew about the Feather Machine. Although it had not appeared often, each time it did, it caused significant damage. She had even heard rumors from within the military that Gundam Rasiel was referred to as a "one-man army."
"What's wrong? Doesn't it seem plausible?"
"It is indeed hard to imagine." Kinue Crossroad admitted this candidly. Seeing Yang Hui was only in his twenties, yet he was the project head and the most powerful Gundam pilot, such achievements were hard to fathom.
Wang Liu Mei stifled a laugh nearby. If Kinue Crossroad knew that Yang Hui was also a top-tier researcher and MS designer, she wondered if it would leave her speechless.
"And her? Are all members of Celestial Being this young?" Kinue Crossroad turned her gaze to Wang Liu Mei.
"Codenamed Wang Liu Mei, responsible for Celestial Being's intelligence system, and also your future superior," Yang Hui replied, scratching his nose. It seemed that among the current Celestial Being forces, only Ian and Doctor Moreno were a bit older; everyone else was indeed quite young (excluding Tieria).
As for the others... either they were too timid to be used, or like Professor Eifman and Old Wang, they were overseers, doing nothing but monitoring.
"Alright, I understand. So, I want to ask, what exactly is your goal? Please don't brush me off with excuses about ending wars."
"Alright, but I can only tell you about the first phase of the plan, after all, you just joined," Yang Hui said, shrugging. The subsequent plans were too far off, and it was indeed inappropriate for Kinue Crossroad to know them so soon. Even the true nature of the first phase plan was known only to him, Sumeragi, Wang Liu Mei, and Professor Eifman; the other members of Celestial Being were unaware.
"Okay." Kinue Crossroad understood this naturally, and as long as she stayed within Celestial Being, she would eventually learn about the contents of the plan after the first phase.
"Let me ask you a question: what do you think of the current joint military exercises?"
"Joint military exercises?" Kinue Crossroad paused for a moment, then thought it over and concluded, "On the surface, it's a joint encirclement of the solar power orbital elevator, but in reality, it's aimed at capturing Gundams, right?"
"Exactly. Under the guise of military exercises, it's yet another Gundam capture operation. The three nations have all suffered setbacks at our hands, so this time they united and mobilized a large, well-equipped force to capture Gundams. But what do you think... if this military exercise, despite such a massive investment of manpower and resources, still fails?"
"…They wouldn't just give up; they would likely tighten their connections, even unify... together... that must be your true goal!" Kinue Crossroad looked at Yang Hui in disbelief.
"That's right. And with all the hatred concentrated in Celestial Being, as the first achievement of the united military, it also serves as the key to establishing a unified regime in the world. Isn't that a poetic script?"
"What you are doing is... this..."
Now, all the fragmented clues connected together. No wonder their actions and declarations contradicted each other; no wonder they seemed to be walking down a path of self-destruction. It turned out they had known from the beginning that they would be the sacrifices.
"So you really intend to..." Kinue Crossroad never expected the truth to be like this, and moreover... she had learned that the Celestial Being forces were to be sacrifices right after joining.
"Of course not. I value my life too much. Don't forget, this is just the first phase of the plan."
"Then..."
"I will ensure everyone exits safely..."
"And then reappear when the world needs Celestial Being again?"
"You're quite the talent I've chosen; you answer quickly." Yang Hui applauded Kinue Crossroad.
"…Alright, I understand. So what do you need me to do?"
Yang Hui did not answer but looked at Wang Liu Mei. Since she was his subordinate, Yang Hui would not overstep his bounds.
Wang Liu Mei nodded and handed a file to Kinue Crossroad: "This is your task. Use your identity as a journalist to investigate this person."
Kinue Crossroad opened the file to read: "Ragnar Harvey? Why investigate him?"
"According to intelligence, there has been a significant outflow of rare materials within the organization, ultimately pointing to this person. We suspect there is a traitor within the organization, and he is the next link."
"A traitor?"
"It has been over two hundred years, and the organization has grown; it's normal to have a few traitors," Yang Hui waved his hand dismissively.
"…Alright, but if there is a traitor, won't the secrets of Celestial Being..."
"The internal hierarchy of Celestial Being is very clear. Knowing this much is already a special exception," Wang Liu Mei replied. This was indeed the case; if it weren't for Yang Hui, she wouldn't have the qualification to know so many secrets.
"…I understand. I will investigate him." Kinue Crossroad said no more and accepted her first mission.
"By the way, for your safety, a few agents will be assigned to protect you. Here are their contact details; the code words and special vehicles are all prepared for you," Wang Liu Mei handed Kinue Crossroad another document.
"Okay, thank you." Kinue Crossroad packed everything up, confirmed there was nothing else, and stood to leave.
Wang Liu Mei continued to chat with Yang Hui.
"Do you trust her?"
"If you trust me, then trust her. Besides... she is the kind of person who purely seeks the truth."
"Heh, Liu Mei, the first phase is about to end, and the second phase won't be easy. Are you afraid?"
"I'm not afraid as long as you're here."
"Sigh, I really do have a hard life."
(End of Chapter)