Time passed quickly, and before anyone realized it, a week had gone by. Orb was undergoing reconstruction, and with everyone working together, the nation was transforming almost daily. Ordinary citizens had returned to normal lives within just two or three days, with bustling commercial streets and lively central parks regaining their former prosperity.
What brought Yang Hui great relief was that after resuming their normal lives, many returning citizens voluntarily joined the reconstruction efforts. Even women, children, and the elderly who couldn't handle heavy labor participated—bringing food and water from home to reward the hardworking laborers or taking on lighter tasks like message delivery and record-keeping.
Most gratifying of all was seeing Coordinators and Naturals—two groups completely segregated outside Orb—now blending together seamlessly in this effort.
"Seeing this makes all our sacrifices worthwhile," Yang Hui remarked with a smile as he and the others stood on a hillside overlooking the busy crowd below.
"Isn't this exactly our goal?" Sumeragi said. "Orb's rebirth isn't just about restoring territory, expanding borders, or increasing military strength—it's about unity and shared purpose."
"But we can't relax yet. The distortion hasn't disappeared," Setsuna reminded them. While the united spirit of Orb's people was heartwarming, it was limited to Orb—a mere speck in the larger world.
As Setsuna pointed out, the distortion remained. True peace hadn't yet been achieved—only a temporary lull. The stubborn remnants of Blue Cosmos, the scattered Zala Faction lurking in the shadows, the arms dealers of LOGOS manipulating the world from behind the scenes, and the unfathomable masterminds hidden deeper still—all posed ongoing threats.
"You're not wrong, but did you have to ruin the mood right now?" Yang Hui groaned, rubbing his face. Everyone had been enjoying this rare moment of relief after a week of exhausting work—only for Setsuna to shatter the atmosphere.
"I still haven't learned how to joke," Setsuna admitted suddenly, hanging his head in disappointment. The others stared at him in stunned silence.
"Pfft—HAHAHA!"
They couldn't hold back. After a brief moment of shock, uproarious laughter followed. This version of Setsuna was simply too amusing—actually getting dejected over not knowing how to tell jokes.
"What's wrong?" Setsuna asked blankly, looking around at everyone. Had he said something incorrect again? The thought made him slump further. Shoulders hunched, he turned to leave—better not risk disrupting the mood further.
"Wait, where are you going?" Lyle grabbed his arm, confused.
"Leaving. Don't want to ruin the atmosphere again."
"...Pfft—BAHAHAHA!"
"I never realized Setsuna could be this adorably clueless!"
"This is hilarious, hahaha!"
"Stay, it's fun having you around."
"Yeah, if anyone should leave, it's Tieria. That stone face couldn't crack a smile if his life depended on it."
"You—!" Tieria's lips had been twitching with suppressed laughter until Lyle suddenly redirected the teasing at him. His fists clenched instantly.
One chased while the other ran. Yang Hui and the others stood by watching the spectacle without intervening until both were exhausted. Yang Hui clapped his hands. "Alright, break's over. Time to get back to work."
They had merely stolen a brief respite from their busy schedules. Each of them had pressing responsibilities—Wang Liu Mei juggled domestic and foreign affairs, Sumeragi oversaw all military and defense matters, while even Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria had their own missions. Only by coincidence had the three completed their tasks simultaneously today, allowing this rare moment of shared leisure.
Beep beep beep—
Yang Hui's PAD chimed. Checking it, his expression turned grave—it wasn't a message or call, but a preset alert notifying him that Creuset's treatment was complete.
"Yang Hui..." The group, about to disperse, reconvened. Given Creuset's significance, they needed to meet him face-to-face. Unconditional trust in Yang Hui didn't eliminate their wariness.
Yang Hui nodded, instructing them to postpone their respective duties for half an hour before leading them to Creuset.
Their path through the secret dockyard twisted endlessly, descending to unfathomable depths. After fingerprint scans, retinal checks, biometric verification, and gait analysis, the door finally slid open. Inside, they found Creuset lounging beside the treatment pod, sipping a drink with the ease of someone in his own home.
"You're here." Creuset raised his beverage in greeting.
"How do you feel?" Yang Hui asked.
"Never been better." Creuset's voice vibrated with exhilaration. Where medication had once dulled but never erased the constant ache of his deteriorating genes, now he felt nothing—only wholeness. The cure was complete.
"Good. Shall we talk?"
"By all means."
Creuset's gaze flickered over the assembled group behind Yang Hui before settling back. They did need to talk. His life was secured now; though vengeance had failed, he bore no regrets. For the first time, he contemplated a future he'd never expected to have... and the lingering question in his heart.
"What will you have me do next?" Creuset cut straight to the point, bypassing sentimental queries about motives or recruitment. The wager was settled—Yang Hui had cured his genetic curse, and his life was forfeit.
"Take over Orb's intelligence network. And its underworld operations."
"I thought so." Creuset's lips curled. He'd anticipated this answer. Since Yang Hui's team emerged, he'd studied them meticulously. They favored overt strategies, resorting to shadows only when absolutely necessary.
Sumeragi's command, Wang Liu Mei's political acumen, Setsuna's trio's combat prowess—though Yang Hui might not necessarily be inferior to them, the team had clear divisions of labor. Overlapping with their roles would be inappropriate, so... only the dirty work in the shadows remained his place.
"Take two days off, then Liumei will handle the handover with you."
As soon as the words were spoken, Creuset watched Yang Hui rise to leave and asked, "No restrictions on me? Your comrades don't seem too fond of me."
"How do you know I haven't already?"
"To think you trust me so much—I'm truly flattered."
"Then prove my choice right with your actions."
"Yang Hui!" Just as Yang Hui and the others reached the door, Creuset called out again, voicing the question lingering in his mind. "You... aren't from this world, are you?"
Click—
"Stand down!"
The moment Creuset spoke, the expressions of Yang Hui and the others darkened. Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria simultaneously drew their guns, cocking and aiming at Creuset. If not for Yang Hui's swift intervention, three bloody holes would have already been added to Creuset's body.
"Hahahaha, as I thought! I wasn't wrong! You really aren't from this world!" No answer was needed—Creuset had already deduced the truth from their reactions. The doubt in his heart had finally been resolved.
"How did you figure it out?" Yang Hui asked coldly.
"Your ages, your abilities, your Mobile Suits."
"I see."
Indeed, Creuset had pieced it together from these three points. They were far too young, yet their skills, maturity, and methods far exceeded what their ages should allow. Even calling them precocious would be an understatement. As Naturals, their capabilities surpassed even Coordinators—how could that make sense? Was genetic adjustment technology just a joke?
Then there were their Mobile Suits. Though they were also Gundams, the gap between them and all existing series was far too vast. That could be chalked up to differences in design and aesthetics, but Yang Hui's Dawn Gundam—its X Generator—stood out to Creuset as something utterly alien to this world.
The deeper Creuset studied Yang Hui and the others, the more certain he became of his suspicions. Hence, this question.
It had to be said—Creuset's intellect had truly startled them. They hadn't simply appeared in this world out of nowhere; they had complete records of their upbringing. Even if others noticed these inconsistencies like Creuset had, they'd merely dismiss them as prodigies, never entertaining the fantastical notion that they weren't from this world.
Yet Creuset not only considered it—his tone when asking made it clear he was utterly convinced he was right.
"So... can you travel to other worlds?" Creuset pressed.
"...You're not qualified to know that yet," Yang Hui replied.
"Looks like I'll have to work harder, then—earn your trust sooner." Creuset shrugged, but his eyes gleamed with excitement. He didn't care what Yang Hui and the others were after. He'd already done the most insane things—what was there left to fear?
What concerned him was whether Yang Hui and the others truly possessed the ability to travel to other worlds. If so... how extraordinary would his future become? How many displays of humanity's brilliance or depravity might he witness?
"I hope so."
This time, their departure wasn't interrupted again. Moreover, Setsuna, Lyle, and Tieria all wore expressions of "reluctance to part."
"I told you, he's dangerous. We can't keep him!" Tieria brought up the old argument once more, and this time his proposal gained support from both Setsuna and Lyle.
"No. Right now... I actually think he might become a powerful ally for us," Sumeragi said after some consideration.
"Why?" Tieria asked.
"He's clever enough to deduce we're not from this world and realized we don't trust him. Yet we still entrusted him with intelligence and assassination tasks despite that distrust. Do you think he'd believe we have no safeguards in place?" Wang Liu Mei countered.
"Well..."
"You're right, Tieria. He is indeed a dangerous man," Yang Hui added. "But if he proves trustworthy and sincerely joins us... then that danger won't be directed at us, but at our enemies instead."
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