"Major Yang Hui is here!"
Before Yang Hui could even get close, someone spotted him and immediately hoisted him up without a second thought, bringing him over to sit with the group.
"Major, you're late! Penalty drink!"
"That's right!"
"Penalty drink! Penalty drink! Penalty drink!..."
"Alright, how do you want to penalize me?" Yang Hui asked confidently. Not to boast, but he had never been afraid of alcohol...
Thud! An oversized metal bucket was placed in front of him, filled to the brim with beer. Since the bucket was too large to handle easily, they thoughtfully provided Yang Hui with a straw.
"We prepared this for you in advance!"
Well, that was rash.
Yang Hui stared blankly at the bucket, then scanned the circle of smirking subordinates and onlookers. "You're messing with me?"
"Heh heh heh..."
"I have things to do..." The enemy's offensive was too fierce. Yang Hui decided to retreat temporarily and fight another day. But before he could even stand up, his shoulders were weighed down by an unbearable pressure—countless large hands pressed down on him, and even his legs were hugged tightly by someone crouching beside him.
At the same time, someone thoughtfully brought the straw to his lips.
"Major, will you drink it yourself, or shall we feed it to you?"
"...Bring it on!" Trapped and unable to break free, his only chance of survival was to burn his bridges and fight with his back against the river.
Yang Hui told them to let go, stood up, and threw all the straws away. "Who's so unmanly? Drinking with a straw? Watch me!"
Without hesitation, he lifted the bucket to his mouth and gulped down large mouthfuls. Perhaps he drank too hastily, spilling as much as he swallowed.
"You think you're clever? Watch me spill more than I drink... Pfft~!!!"
Yang Hui, who had been scheming, spat it out immediately. Someone had anticipated his move—several people were holding cups and basins underneath to catch the spillage, completely foiling his plan.
"You guys!" Yang Hui put down the bucket, his finger trembling as he pointed at them.
"Major, waste is shameful!" they said while thoughtfully pouring the caught beer back into the bucket.
"Brothers, show some mercy today, and we'll meet again someday!"
"We'll deal with 'someday' when it comes!"
"Stop! Yamete~!!!!"
...
"Ugh... those damn bastards." Yang Hui woke up groggily, shielding his eyes from the glaring sunlight.
His last memory of the previous night was of a large group holding him down—some prying his mouth open, others holding the beer bucket, and someone even holding a funnel... Wait, a funnel? That's just too twisted!
He had no idea how much he'd drunk, but this familiar, wretched feeling...
He glanced down and saw that his clothes were still neatly on. Well, at least that was fine.
He rolled out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom for a shower, which cleared his head considerably. After changing into clean clothes, he left his room, and then...
"Ah~!!!"
Just as he stepped out, he heard a horrifying scream not far away. Thinking something had happened, Yang Hui rushed to check it out. But when he heard the gleeful laughter, he... quickened his pace!
Sure enough, when he went over to check, Ford Romfellow was sitting on the ground with disheveled clothes, his expression numb and his eyes devoid of life. Beside him, Russ Kessel was also disheveled, lying on the ground feeling that his life had lost all meaning.
"What's this?" Yang Hui's lips curled upward—this was the scent of juicy gossip!
"Young..." The nearby soldiers immediately moved to salute upon seeing Yang Hui's arrival, but he quickly stopped them. If these two were snapped out of their daze, he might miss out on this delicious drama.
"What happened?" Yang Hui asked in a low voice.
"Pfft—hahaha..." The distraction had been fine, but once the topic returned to Ford Romfellow and Russ Kessel, everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
From their fragmented accounts, Yang Hui learned the whole story. Not long after he had passed out last night, Ford Romfellow and Russ Kessel had reached their limits too. After blacking out, they had said who-knows-what to each other, then started getting all lovey-dovey and hugging... Well, let's just say it wasn't anything inappropriate for children, but it was more than enough.
"Hmm."
With a serious expression, Yang Hui crouched in front of Ford Romfellow and solemnly patted his shoulder.
"Major, wuwuwu..."
"Ford, remember to send me a wedding invitation."
"Waaa~!!"
"Pfft—hahahaha..."
Everyone had thought Yang Hui was going to comfort Ford Romfellow, but instead of consolation, he delivered a brutal finishing blow.
"Alright, boys, jokes over!" After some amusement, Yang Hui kicked both Ford Romfellow and Russ Kessel to their feet. "Although we've won the Middle Eastern front, Zeon's offensive won't stop here. Pull yourselves together and get ready for the battles to come!"
"Understood!" XN
As the crowd dispersed, Yang Hui brought the eight members of the Astray Gundam team to the conference room. Even Ford Romfellow and Russ Kessel, who had been glaring at each other with hatred, suppressed their urges to find an opportunity to eliminate the other.
Because whenever Yang Hui called a meeting in the conference room, it was always for serious business.
"First, let me praise you all. You've done well during this period, showing the might of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division."
"Yes sir!" X8
The eight stood and saluted, sitting back down after Yang Hui waved his hand, awaiting what came next.
"Although we've won here, Odessa has fallen. Zeon's invasion of Earth won't stop, and they'll soon launch another descent operation. So we'll be very busy going forward. Last night's indulgence was a one-time thing—from now on, rein it in. I don't want to see any of you heading into battle drunk."
"Yes sir!" X8
"Rest today. Tomorrow morning we'll depart for Jaburo Base to receive commendations from General Revil and General Gopp. However, since our intelligence is classified and can't be made public yet, this will be an internal ceremony only."
"Yahoo~!"
"Haha, we should at least get a medal out of this, right?"
"Promotions and riches! Maybe even a double promotion!"
"Haha, are you still dreaming?"
"How could you get a double promotion when you haven't even died in battle?"
"You're the one who's died in battle!"
They were all well aware of the merits they had achieved on the Middle Eastern front. Not to mention each of them had over 40 confirmed kills, just their contributions of turning the tide of battle, destroying the material transfer station, and the Asbard Base were enough to earn them a medal. They might even get promoted in rank.
Of course, this was also because their current ranks weren't particularly high. The highest-ranking among them, Travis, was only a lieutenant. Even if promoted, he would only become a captain, still far from entering the core officer ranks.
But this was enough. Following Yang Hui, who would worry about lacking achievements?
"Quiet!" A sharp command silenced the excited group, though excited smiles still lingered on their faces.
"What are you all so happy about? Why so eager to celebrate?"
"..."
"Also, our unit is going to be expanded. Remember to take good care of the newcomers when the time comes."
"Hehe, don't worry, Major!" The eight of them chuckled, their smiles carrying a somewhat sinister edge. After all, how could the newcomers miss out on the growth experiences they had gone through?
"And... after the commendation ceremony, I'm giving you a few days off. You can go home to visit your families!"
"Major! I love you!"
"Hmph, I'm the man you can never have!"
"Hahaha..."
"Alright, while you can go home, be careful about safety. Zeon has already taken notice of us. Watch what you say - think carefully about what should and shouldn't be said."
"Understood!"
Seeing the sudden appearance of worried expressions on their faces, Yang Hui guessed what they were thinking: "General Revil will arrange a security team for our daily protection. Your families will also receive protection measures, both from the military and from me. Don't worry."
"Yes!" x8
After the meeting disbanded, it wasn't long before an officer brought Yang Hui the roster, along with several recommended candidates selected by Revil. Looking at them, Yang Hui felt both pleasantly surprised and somewhat frustrated.
The pleasant surprise came from recognizing all five names: Lydo Wolf, Charlulu Kissinggum, Kowloon, Heinz Bell, and Diris Hanovers - names he was very familiar with and had long coveted.
"That old fox Revil," Yang Hui shook his head with a bitter smile. This was also the source of his frustration. By sending him these five individuals' files as special recommendations, Revil had shown that he had seen through Yang Hui's intentions from the start. All that acting he had done with Revil had only made him look like a fool.
And Revil was no fool either - he could indeed identify promising, excellent soldiers from within the Federal Army.
"Since you've delivered them to me, don't blame me for being greedy. I'll take all five of these future top aces. And then..."
Yang Hui opened the roster and began selecting people he wanted. Fortunately, it was an electronic version with search functionality. Otherwise, finding a dozen people among millions would have taken who knows how much effort.
Using the search function, Yang Hui quickly selected a group of promising candidates, such as Shiro Amada, Christina Mackenzie, Jack Bayard, Adam Stingray... Anyone he remembered and had good character, he selected them all. Counting them up, there were already over a dozen people.
After counting the personnel, and including Banagher and the others who remained in Granada, everyone now had their own squad except for Ford Romfellow, who truly wasn't suitable for independent command at the moment.
With this thought, Yang Hui locked his room door, activated the portable signal jammer he carried, and took out the Quantum Communication Device brought from Prometheus Fortress to contact Murrue who was far away on the Moon.
...
Meanwhile, far away at SIDE 3, Char had been temporarily sidelined after his investigation mission failed and he lost a Zaku.
But this actually suited Char's intentions perfectly - he had genuinely feared that Dozle Zabi would continue sending him to pursue the 12th Independent Technology Division.
Having recognized those Mobile Suits and Yang Hui, and having experienced that unit's combat capabilities firsthand, Char felt that unless he was given a squad composed entirely of aces, any forces sent would just be cannon fodder.
And indeed? Not long after having this thought, he received battlefield intelligence from Earth through his own information channels. Yang Hui had turned the tide of the Middle Eastern front with nine Astray Gundams, achieving astonishing results that even shocked Char himself.
"It seems this break comes at just the right time."
"Ara, Major, your expression doesn't look like someone who wants to rest."
"Indeed, we can't rest yet, Lalah. We still have much to do. Let's go find Captain Rahl."
"Yes, Major."
(End of Chapter)