"You!"
"My apologies, Second Miss. I have always been the Third Young Master's man."
"Me too."
"And me."
...
All the people Martha Vist had brought with her turned their guns on her, making it hard for her to believe this wasn't a dream but reality.
"Martha, oh Martha, your biggest mistake was not bringing the real military police, but your own people to kill me," Yang Hui said, walking up to Martha Vist with a look of disdain.
"Impossible! How could you... How could you..." Even with the bloody truth laid bare before her, Martha Vist still couldn't believe it. Her subordinates, who usually flattered and fawned over her, had now completely changed, their expressions as cold as emotionless machines.
"Before you die, let me tell you a secret, Martha." Yang Hui leaned close to Martha Vist and whispered in her ear, "As early as ten years ago, everyone around you was already my person, including those around Cardeas, with the exception of Jair Zhang."
"You... you..."
"Take her away. Make it quick," Yang Hui waved his hand, ordering his men to take Martha Vist away and make her disappear without a trace.
"Yang Hui! You can't kill me! General Koneman won't just stand by and watch!" Martha Vist roared frantically as she was being dragged away.
"Aren't you overestimating yourself?" Yang Hui scoffed. "How do you think you got your rank of Lieutenant Colonel? Why do you think Kim Koneman keeps you by his side? What gives you the confidence to think... that Kim Koneman would cause trouble for me on your behalf?"
"You... I... Yang Hui... I... I'm your sister... you can't..."
Martha Vist wasn't a fool. She knew full well what her current status was built on. As intelligence about the Twelfth Independent Technical Division was gradually declassified and its deeds spread rapidly through the Federal Army, she had come to understand that the rumors she had once scoffed at were all true.
Yang Hui was a Major with real power—no, a Colonel now—who controlled the Federation's most powerful unit and was backed by the two titans, Revil and Gopp. Even if Kim Koneman truly wanted to stand up for her, he couldn't shake Yang Hui.
So she was truly afraid. She could feel the dense killing intent emanating from Yang Hui. He really was going to kill her. Her backer was useless, so she could only play the family card.
"Take her away," Yang Hui remained unmoved, dismissing Martha Vist's pleas with contempt.
"Yes, sir."
"Yang Hui! Yang Hui! Yang... Mmph—!!!"
For the first time in a long while, Yang Hui stood at the door and lit a cigarette, leaning against the frame and waiting quietly. He couldn't remember how many years it had been since he last smoked. It wasn't for any particular reason; he just felt like having one. If he had to give a reason... he felt his mind had been polluted by Martha Vist's stupidity and needed a cleansing.
"Young Master, it's done," the man who had taken Martha Vist away returned and reported to Yang Hui.
"Clean up everything."
"Yes, sir."
Having gotten the result, Yang Hui dropped the cigarette butt, stamped it out, and got directly into the car Martha Vist had arrived in.
"Young Master, where to?"
"The airport. I need to make a trip to Geneva."
"I'll arrange a private jet for you immediately."
"Mm."
His vacation wasn't over for a while yet. The only thing left to do was meet with Creuset. The internal problems of the Federal Army were more or less resolved. Next was the Federal Assembly. It was time to get rid of those who wouldn't listen.
...
In Geneva, Creuset now had his own residence. Although only two or three months had passed, he had already shed the title of "Nova." He was now the absolute core of the Populist Faction. At the same time, he had won over more than half of the Moderate Faction's members, possessing the power to shake the Federation.
And now his target was...
"There's been progress in the operation against the Radical Faction. The main work now is to screen them," Creuset said to Yang Hui.
The Radical Faction was only radical in its methods; not all of its members were racists. They just preferred to adopt aggressive strategies when facing problems.
Therefore, a portion of its members did not advocate for war, given that Zeon was willing to rejoin the Federation and become a part of it.
This group was the one Creuset was trying to win over.
As for the other part, the group that had been clamoring from the beginning that Zeon should be completely annihilated, they were the ones to be eliminated.
"Has there been any movement from the Aristocrat Faction recently?" Yang Hui asked.
"They've been behaving themselves since the incident with Miss Lacus. Someone probably warned them."
"Warned them? Heh, is that useful?" Yang Hui sneered.
"There's nothing to be done about it. We can't touch those people lightly, or it will cause major turmoil within the Federation. You don't want internal turmoil in the Federation right now, do you?"
"Mm. The war situation on Earth has stabilized for now. I need to take my people back to space and open up the front for the Federation there."
"What about the Zeon side?"
"Char has already gotten his hands on the item. He said Zeon is planning some major operation, and he wants to make his move then."
"A major operation, huh..." Creuset began to analyze the balance of power between the Federation and Zeon in his mind, the corners of his mouth curling into a dangerous arc. "...If this major operation fails, Zeon will have no chance of a comeback."
"That's right. Char is preparing for a single, fatal blow to break the Zabi Family's spine."
"He's a ruthless one, too."
"What about you? Don't you plan to join the fun?" Yang Hui asked Creuset. Since coming to this world, Creuset hadn't participated in a single battle, always acting as a politician and handling the dirty work in the shadows.
"Forget about joining the fun. I'm more useful here." In truth, Creuset wasn't someone who was passionate about fighting. Compared to fighting on the front lines, he preferred to hide behind the scenes as the master puppeteer, capable of turning the world upside down with a flick of his fingers.
But this didn't mean Creuset was completely shifting to a behind-the-scenes role from now on. This world's situation was unique. The political landscape was even more chaotic than the battlefield was complex.
To perfectly complete the world mission, someone had to hold the fort in the political arena.
If Creuset went to the front lines, it would only add one more powerful combatant, but the front lines were not lacking in individual combat strength right now. So, Creuset chose to remain in the political sphere.
"However, you can take Athrun and Gai with you. It's a waste of their talent to have them stay with me now," Creuset added.
Athrun and Gai Murakumo were warriors. The only place for them was the battlefield. Previously, Creuset needed them as bodyguards because he hadn't yet secured a dominant position. That was no longer necessary. Creuset had already gained control of the Federal Assembly, so Athrun and Gai Murakumo no longer needed to stay by his side.
It was time for them to be unshackled.
"Captain! I..."
"That's enough, Athrun. You don't need to worry about my safety here," Creuset raised a hand, cutting Athrun off.
"...I understand."
"No way," Yang Hui looked at Athrun's suddenly downcast expression, a little surprised. "It's been so many years. You still haven't gotten over it?"
"Er, well..." Athrun was embarrassed. He was indeed still bothered by the idea that being a warrior might be his only path.
Yang Hui was speechless. He looked at Creuset with a helpless and frustrated expression, his eyes clearly saying, "What kind of Captain are you?"
"You really can't blame me for this," Creuset spread his hands. "Athrun isn't like those youngsters under you who can be swayed with just a few words."
"Huh? Captain, have you been tricking me all this time?" Athrun had spotted the crucial point.
"Of course... not." Creuset looked at Athrun, feigning composure. His tone was gentle yet filled with sincerity. "Athrun, everyone has countless choices, but choosing the most correct one is the best path forward, isn't it? Look at me. Although my combat skills are not bad, I am better suited for my current role, where I can be most effective and bring the greatest benefit to the team."
"You are the same. You could choose to be an ordinary person and live out these years peacefully in this world, but you didn't. Because of your kindness and gentleness, you cannot stand by and watch coldly. So, you will eventually join the fight. Since that's the case, why not accept it?"
"...Captain."
"Athrun..."
"Yang Hui told me those exact same words, verbatim."
"Er..."
"Pfft—! Hahahaha..." Yang Hui, who had just been taking a sip of water, couldn't hold it in and sprayed it out, doubling over on the sofa in roaring laughter.
Creuset always maintained an air of calm and control. Seeing him flustered and embarrassed was rarer than a natural wonder.
"Ahem, stop laughing!" Creuset fought to maintain his composure despite his embarrassment and kicked irritably at Yang Hui.
"I can't... Haha... I really can't help it... It's too funny... Hahahaha... I never thought you'd have a day like this... Hahahaha..."
Creuset's eyes narrowed slightly. He stood up from the sofa and walked straight towards the door.
"Hey? You're leaving already? Don't be a sore loser! Hey! Wait, we're not done talking!"
...
In the end, Athrun and Gai Murakumo went with Yang Hui to report to the Twelfth Independent Technical Division. With Kira and Murrue holding the fort on Char's side, it was enough. It just so happened that the Twelfth Independent Technical Division was expanding again, and Yang Hui didn't have enough people he could name, so Athrun and Gai Murakumo were perfect to fill the vacancies.
Yang Hui and Creuset also formulated their subsequent plans. Besides screening the members of the Radical Faction, they could also begin to clean out those in the Aristocrat and Moderate Factions who were not on Creuset's side.
But before that, Creuset still needed to talk with Gopp again. Creuset didn't care about the position of Chairman; after all, he couldn't stay in this world forever. So, the future Chairman of the Federation was being prepared for Gopp.
"Are we going directly to the base?" Athrun asked Yang Hui on the plane.
"Yeah. The new recruits should be arriving soon. Go easy on them during the welcome ceremony and their training. Don't expose yourselves."