Hearing this, the four fell silent. They understood Yang Hui's implication—their current identities were simply his good friends visiting Orb for tourism.
If... Athrun had uttered words like "spy" or "prisoner," they would have faced dire consequences. Even as sons of PLANT's Supreme Council members, being caught as spies would mean certain death.
Yang Hui was helping conceal their identities, but at the same time... he was keeping them under surveillance to prevent any reckless actions.
"Why?"
Though Yang Hui and Athrun were friends, and both Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei knew the four well, Athrun didn't believe Yang Hui would prioritize personal feelings over principles.
"Right now, you're all hot potatoes. The best outcome is sending you away safely."
It wasn't Yang Hui who answered Athrun, but Wang Liu Mei.
"What?" The four were stunned.
Seeing their confusion, Wang Liu Mei continued explaining: "If anything happens to you, your parents will come after Orb."
"..."
They fell silent again. Each had at least one parent among PLANT's twelve Supreme Council members—Athrun's father Patrick Zala and Yzak's mother Ezalia Joule were hardliners, Nicol's father Yuri Amalfi was a moderate, while Dearka's father Tad Elsmann was a neutral leaning toward moderation.
If nothing happened to the four, the status quo would remain, maintaining the balance between moderates and hardliners in PLANT. But if they were harmed, that balance would shatter—Nicol and Dearka's fathers would immediately join the hardliners.
Simultaneously, PLANT and ZAFT would launch relentless retaliation against Orb, leaving the nation only two choices: resist desperately or join the Earth Alliance.
Thus, with Athrun's group infiltrating Orb, Yang Hui had to both restrict their movements to prevent them from locating the Archangel and ensure their safety within Orb's borders.
"Hmph. All this talk just means you're scared," Yzak scoffed.
"Then do you believe this peace should be destroyed?" Yang Hui remained calm, gesturing at the tranquil scenery before them.
"...Tch!"
Yzak was prideful and detested Orb's duplicitous fence-sitting, but he couldn't deny one thing—Orb's peaceful atmosphere genuinely soothed him, and he had no desire to shatter that serenity.
"But can Orb truly remain untouched? War... will spread here eventually," Athrun pressed.
"Of course not."
"Heh, so you've given up? Just scraping by day to day?" Dearka mocked.
"Such a transparent trick to fish for intel? You underestimate me," Yang Hui shot back.
"Tch."
Dearka wasn't just taunting—it was a provocation to extract more information. The Archangel was one thing, but Orb itself was another matter entirely, being the neutral nation that made both superpowers wary.
"But your closeness with the Earth Forces is already a fact. Aren't the Duel, Buster, Blitz, Aegis, and Strike the best proof? And the Long Legs—without your help..."
"Just transactions between nations, nothing more. What closeness are you talking about?" Yang Hui directly cut off Nicol's questioning.
"Haha, you think we'd believe that?" Yzak sneered.
"Go ask your parents if you want to know." Wang Liu Mei chuckled, offering no further explanation. Though they were sons of Supreme Council members, they weren't truly at the core of PLANT's affairs. Among the four, only Athrun knew slightly more—mostly from witnessing Wang Liu Mei's dominance during the last Supreme Council hearing.
"When do you plan to let us go?" Athrun asked.
"You can leave whenever you want."
"..." The four stared blankly at Yang Hui, clearly not buying it.
Their value went far beyond mere espionage. If Yang Hui captured them and secretly contacted PLANT's Supreme Council, using them as bargaining chips could secure significant benefits.
Honestly, Yang Hui had considered it—but only briefly before dismissing the idea.
Using them as leverage in negotiations with PLANT would indeed yield benefits, but not substantial ones. ZAFT was on the verge of a major operation, and the ensuing chaos—the Alaska Base Offensive, the Panama Base Offensive—would consume over half of ZAFT's military strength, inflicting heavy losses.
While they succeeded in destroying Panama's mass driver, the Alaska Offensive left ZAFT outmaneuvered by Creuset and the Atlantic Federation, forcing them to retreat from occupied territories and consolidate their forces in key bases.
After Panama, the Atlantic Federation turned its focus to Orb, giving ZAFT a brief respite. But the Orb campaign was short-lived, and soon Earth Forces launched a large-scale recapture of Victoria Port, dealing another devastating blow to ZAFT.
Then came the massive assaults on Gibraltar Base and Carpentaria Base.
With ZAFT reeling from consecutive defeats, how much could they realistically offer Orb? Even if promises were made now, how many would actually materialize?
The gains wouldn't justify alienating PLANT. Better to extend goodwill and let Athrun and the others leave—after all, they might fight side by side in the future.
In the end, Yzak, Dearka, Nicol, and Athrun departed Orb. Their cover was blown, and their original mission was impossible. Staying for a vacation, as Yang Hui had joked, was out of the question.
Still, it wasn't a total loss. They'd toured Orb for free, scored expensive outfits, and Yzak had finally found the person he wanted to kill most in this world.
"Damn it! That bastard!" Back on the mothership, Yzak punched a locker in frustration, glaring at the clothes that now seemed unbearably irritating.
"This was quite a profitable trip—got a free set of clothes out of it. I even sneaked a peek at the price tag; this outfit costs as much as my annual salary," Dearka joked. He wasn't actually short on money but was just lightening the mood while teasing his friend. "And Yzak, you've finally found your destined rival."
"What did you say!?"
"Ahaha, don't get mad, don't get mad." Dearka quickly backed away, intimidated by Yzak's murderous expression.
"That guy… only that guy… I'll never accept him!"
"Give it up, Yzak. You can't compete," Nicol advised. He wasn't mocking Yzak but genuinely worried he might obsess over this. Based on what Yang Hui had shown so far, he truly was beyond Yzak's reach.
Moreover, Sumeragi and Yang Hui were already engaged, and from their interactions, it was clear their union wasn't just a political arrangement. The way they looked at each other could practically spark—their feelings were deep and stable. Yzak's behavior wasn't exactly honorable.
"What did you say!?"
"Yzak, you really aren't Yang Hui's match," Athrun stated calmly, neither comforting nor mocking, just stating the objective truth.
"Shut up, Athrun! This is all your fault! If you hadn't suggested infiltrating Orb, we wouldn't have suffered this humiliation!"
"He's right, Athrun. You bear full responsibility for this," Dearka chimed in. Despite his earlier lighthearted attitude, he shared Yzak's sense of deep humiliation.
Nicol remained silent, feeling the same way. Though his pride wasn't as intense as Yzak's or Dearka's, the infiltration mission had been deeply frustrating—getting caught the moment they entered Orb, then being released as if out of pity.
They'd gotten relaxation and expensive clothes, but at the cost of their dignity.
"Yang Hui saved my mother. On [Julius 7]."
"What?" The three of them froze, falling silent. The tragedy of [Julius 7] was a scar on the hearts of all PLANT citizens. No matter how angry they were, this topic demanded restraint.
But another question arose in their minds: Why had Yang Hui saved Athrun's mother? And why only his mother?
"Actually, before the tragedy, Yang Hui had secretly warned the Supreme Council through backchannels. But no one believed him at the time, so…"
"What!?" The three were stunned by this revelation.
"Yes, I only learned about it during the last hearing. He didn't just warn about the Earth Forces' attack—Orb has actually been secretly cooperating with us in many areas. The same goes for the Earth Alliance. Because of these frequent exchanges, Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei often visit PLANT. And it's precisely because of that tragedy that the Supreme Council has turned a blind eye to Orb, avoiding excessive pressure. And behind all these dealings… I suspect Yang Hui has been the one pulling the strings."
"That's impossible!" Yzak immediately protested vehemently as soon as the words were spoken. "How old is he? How could he possibly have accomplished so much?"
If Yang Hui could achieve all this, then... then what did that make him? What right did he have to compete with Yang Hui for Sumeragi's affection?
"He's the same age as me, but he's truly done it. Moreover, his status in Orb is extremely high. Intelligence suggests his influence can be seen behind all of Orb's recent development strategies, and..."
There was another speculation Athrun had been hesitant to voice. But after recent events, some things could no longer remain hidden, otherwise their four-member squad might completely fall apart.
"And what?"
"...He might very well be the pilot of that unknown mobile suit that severely damaged both me and Captain Creuset."
"What!?"
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