Looking at the muttering and spacey Setsuna, Saji Crossroad was truly worried and couldn't help but ask, "How about I accompany you to the infirmary? I'll ask Dr. Moreno to take a look at you."
Hearing this, Setsuna shook his head. "No need."
"But..."
"I'm fine."
"...Alright then."
Saji Crossroad didn't give up there. Unable to persuade Setsuna, he went to find Dr. Moreno himself and told him about Setsuna's condition.
"Setsuna, huh... I know about his situation. There's nothing I can do."
"How can that be..." Saji Crossroad was very surprised. The Qilin-class warships were equipped with the best medical equipment—advanced medical pods produced by Prometheus Fortress. As long as a person wasn't dead, even if only their head remained, they could be saved. They could even treat psychological illnesses to an extent.
Furthermore, Dr. Moreno was a highly skilled physician. How could he be helpless regarding Setsuna?
"Setsuna isn't sick; he's evolving."
"Evolving?"
"That's right. He is evolving toward becoming a Pure Innovator."
The others weren't blind; they all knew about Setsuna's situation. However, they understood clearly that he wasn't ill, but rather in the process of evolving from a Quasi-Innovator to a Pure Innovator. Only by completing his own awakening and becoming a true Pure Innovator could this be resolved.
"Pure Innovator? What's that?" Saji Crossroad was completely confused. He had never heard the term before. It felt like something out of a novel about people with superpowers. Was this sci-fi? Or fantasy?
"Oh right, you didn't know yet." Dr. Moreno slapped his forehead. He had subconsciously treated Saji Crossroad as a comrade of Celestial Being, momentarily forgetting that he was just a traveler temporarily taking refuge on the Rainbow Ship. He had accidentally leaked a secret.
"Uh... is this... something I should know?" Saji Crossroad asked weakly.
"Of course not!"
"Uh, okay, I understand." Being a high-achieving graduate from a top university, he had that much intelligence. He didn't ask further and obediently shut his mouth to leave the infirmary. He was only helping out to repay the debt of saving his life; he had no intention of joining Celestial Being. It was better to know as little as possible about Celestial Being's secrets.
"Yo, kid."
"Mr. Lyle?"
The Dylandy Brothers were twins; if one wasn't familiar with them, it was hard to tell them apart. Saji Crossroad wasn't sure either, but seeing that the woman clinging to his arm wasn't Feldt but the purple-haired Anew Returner, Saji could distinguish who was Neil and who was Lyle.
"What's wrong? Feeling unwell?" Lyle asked Saji Crossroad.
"No, no, it's just..."
"Hmm? It seems you have something on your mind." Unlike Dr. Moreno, Lyle was well aware that Saji Crossroad was not a member of Celestial Being and wouldn't become their comrade. He was prepared to leave with his companion.
But Saji Crossroad asked Lyle, "Mr. Lyle, do you know... about Innovators?"
"Hmm?" Lyle's brow furrowed, but it soon relaxed. "Did Dr. Moreno tell you?"
"Um... that! Please don't blame Dr. Moreno; he just let it slip by accident..." Saji Crossroad hurried to explain. After all, a secret organization like Celestial Being must have strict confidentiality protocols. Although he wasn't a member, he had seen enough movies, TV shows, novels, and manga to know that when secrets were leaked, the consequences were usually dire.
"Haha, don't be so nervous, kid. I'm not planning to do anything," Lyle teased. He truly had no such intentions. On this ship, Saji Crossroad was the only outsider, but because he had been helping the Maintenance Squad during this time, many people subconsciously treated him as a comrade.
Besides, Innovators weren't a top-tier secret anymore; they just hadn't been made public to ordinary people yet. It didn't matter if he knew.
"Is... is that so?"
"Of course. But... why are you asking about Innovators?"
"It's like this..." Saji Crossroad then told Lyle about Setsuna's condition, hoping he could help.
"Setsuna, huh... no way around it." Lyle shrugged. "Only he can complete the evolution process; none of us can help him."
"Alright, I understand."
"Haha, I didn't realize you cared so much about Setsuna. I heard you two were neighbors before?" Lyle asked.
"Yes."
"Well, that's understandable. In a strange and hostile environment, having someone you know provides a bit more of a sense of security."
"Yes."
"Alright, I have to go get busy. Let's chat next time." The Rainbow Ship was still a day's voyage away from the T.N.T. Cannon. The members of the MS units were currently on rest time. How could Lyle be busy?
He was busy with his date, of course!
"Okay, thank you, Mr. Lyle."
After Saji Crossroad left, Lyle continued his date with Anew Returner, but...
"Anew, what's wrong?"
"Lyle... do you really not mind my identity?" Anew Returner asked fearfully.
"Of course I don't mind. So what if you're an Artificial Innovator? On this ship, you're not as special as you think."
Anew Returner, an Artificial Innovator, was a spy Ribbons had sent to Celestial Being. Considering that Celestial Being already had Tieria, an Artificial Innovator, and Yang Hui, whose awakening was unconfirmed, Ribbons had used the nanomachines in Anew Returner's body to shut down her Brain Quantum Waves. He also made her forget all memories related to being an Artificial Innovator, replacing them with memories of being an ordinary member of Celestial Being.
But could this be hidden from Yang Hui?
The moment Yang Hui returned to Celestial Palace City and saw Anew Returner, he recognized her at a glance.
A discovered spy usually faced only two outcomes: being disposed of immediately, or being used in a counter-intelligence scheme before being disposed of.
However, Yang Hui thought of the relationship and tragedy between Lyle and Anew Returner in the original history. With that in mind, Yang Hui had no intention of eliminating Anew Returner. After capturing her, he worked with Aeolia Schenberg to restart Anew Returner's memories and reopen her Brain Quantum Waves.
Because it happened earlier, Anew Returner, who hadn't fallen in love with Lyle yet, didn't have such deep feelings for Celestial Being. But to Yang Hui's surprise, Anew Returner was different from the other Artificial Innovators. She didn't consider herself a god, and she completely disagreed with the methods of Ribbons and the other Artificial Innovators. Precisely because of this, she had been treated as a disposable pawn by Ribbons and thrown into Celestial Being as a spy.
As for lying... Yang Hui had communicated with Anew Returner while in Innovator Mode. Even Ribbons couldn't deceive Yang Hui's perception, let alone Anew Returner.
Once Anew's sincerity was confirmed, Yang Hui didn't make things difficult for her. Instead, he teamed up with Aeolia Schenberg to block the link between the nanomachines in her body and VEDA. Ribbons could no longer control Anew Returner through VEDA, nor could he obtain information from her.
Then, Yang Hui introduced Anew Returner to everyone.
Initially, a few people headed by Tieria suspected Anew Returner was lying, but after learning that Yang Hui had interrogated her in Innovator Mode, all suspicions were dropped.
Of course, this didn't mean they accepted Anew Returner as a comrade yet. True acceptance would need to be earned in the upcoming missions.
Yang Hui likely also had the intention of letting Lyle fill his past regrets, so he arranged for Anew Returner to be on the Rainbow Ship. As for whether Lyle and Anew Returner would fall in love again, that was up to fate.
Looking at it now, Yang Hui's goal had been achieved.
"Mm..."
"Don't worry, Anew." Seeing that Anew still looked concerned, Lyle tightly grasped her hands and looked into her eyes with deep affection. "I don't care if you're an Innovator or whatever you are. You are Anew, my Anew. If anyone tries to take you away from me, I'll put my life on the line to bring you back."
"Mm..."
Just as Anew Returner was feeling moved, a single sentence from Lyle made her laugh again: "Besides, this ship is full of monsters. X-Rounders, Newtypes, Super Coordinators, Super Soldiers—there are plenty of them. What does an Innovator matter?"
"Pfft~ Lyle, speaking ill of people behind their backs isn't good, you know?"
"How am I speaking ill of them? I'm just telling the truth!"
"So... what if the monsters don't want to see your date succeed?"
"I'll drive them all away! So what if they're monsters? They're all just—" Wait, the voice was wrong. It wasn't Anew Returner speaking; it was a man's voice, and a very familiar one. Anew Returner was also smiling mischievously.
Turning his head bit by bit, Lyle forced a stiff, awkward smile. "Yo... Yo! Tieria, Kira, Athrun, Asemu, Eiji, what a coincidence."
"Yes, quite a coincidence."
"Um... that... guys, I just now..."
"Right, we're all monsters. So, how do you plan to drive us monsters away? Mortal?" Asemu asked Lyle with a playful look on his face.
"Guys, for the sake of your sister-in-law, spare your brother..."
"Who are you calling 'brother'!?" they all shouted in unison.
"Eek~!!!! Big brothers, please forgive your little brother's rudeness!"
...
On Earth, at a remote, deserted island, over a dozen Gundams stood up, their eyes flashing with a ghostly green light in the dark night.
"The ones above are about to start. Prepare to move out. We have only two objectives: rescue Professor Eifman and Old Wang. You must ensure their safety."
"Understood."
"Liumei, are the imprisoned high-ranking officials, as well as Billy and Andrei, ready?"
"They're ready. Once Sister Sumeragi's operation begins, our people will act immediately."
"Excellent. It is now 11:55 Greenwich Mean Time. In five minutes, the operation begins."
"Understood!"
Five minutes passed quickly. Looking up, besides the brilliant starry sky, there was a crisscrossing battlefield. The war in space had already begun; now it was their turn to take the stage.
"Operation start."
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