Chapter 391:
Off to the side, Nicol looked at the image that had already stopped playing and felt that what he had seen was far less than what Tolle had actually shown. But Tolle had told him earlier that Kira and Athrun both needed to grow on their own.
So he did not mind it and helped keep quiet about the existence of the other future scenes.
Lacus, on the other hand, felt that she held a uniquely special place with Tolle. Since he had chosen to conceal it, she saw no need to expose anything either.
So the two of them stood silently to the side.
At this moment, however, Kira recalled the scene of the Aegis Gundam's self-destruction, as well as the explosion he had personally experienced. Fear surged through him, and cold sweat poured from his body.
With a serious expression, he questioned Tolle, "Tolle, isn't your plan way too dangerous? You didn't even give any advance notice. With such a huge explosion, weren't you afraid something might go wrong?"
Tolle was caught completely off guard by this sudden accusation. This wasn't how the script was supposed to go. Weren't they supposed to reconcile together?
How did it suddenly turn into being held accountable? I really misjudged you—Kira, you stingy, thick-browed guy.
With no choice, he could only pat Kira on the shoulder with a straight face and shamelessly continue bluffing. "Relax. Even a nuclear explosion wouldn't be able to kill the two of you.
"You saw the defensive force field on the battleship just now, right? I had already installed nanomachines in both of your bodies as well. They can generate the same kind of miniature defensive field and also have healing capabilities."
Then Tolle glanced at Andrew and Aisha and continued in a more professional tone, "Kira, I tested this in advance on Andrew and Miss Aisha.
"Otherwise, Miss Aisha would have died in that explosion. As for Andrew, although he survived, he still lost an eye, an arm, and a leg."
As he spoke, Tolle reconstructed the image of Andrew lying in a hospital bed with one eye missing and severed limbs, as well as the scene of Aisha's burial.
Seeing this, Kira looked at the two of them with guilt and apologized, "I'm sorry, Miss Clyne, Mr. Waltfeld."
Andrew waved it off casually. "It's fine, it's all in the past. Besides, aren't Aisha and I both perfectly fine now?"
Aisha, however, was clearly shocked by this revelation. Still, she thanked Tolle before Andrew could speak. "Yes, we really have to thank Tolle. Otherwise, Andy and I would have been separated by life and death."
"Thank you, Tolle." After expressing his gratitude, Andrew joked as well, "But… since there was that defensive field, why did you still leave so many scars on my handsome face?"
Tolle continued to look at him with that husky, kingly look of disdain and answered loudly, "That was such a huge explosion—how could you possibly come out without a single injury? Even Aisha has tiny puncture wounds on her back. Giving you some facial scars helps show that the blast came from one direction.
"That way it looks convincing. Otherwise, how could you two have ended up unconscious and sent to PLANT for treatment? And how could you have boarded the Eternal afterward?
"Or do you want Aisha's face to be injured too? I really misjudged you!"
Aisha shot Andrew a glare and said, "Andy, Tolle already calls me his sister, and he's our lifesaver. What you just said really wasn't appropriate.
"Besides, you're the one who refused to get rid of those scars yourself. It's not like they can't be removed. You kept saying it was a man's badge of honor—caring too much about pride and making yourself suffer for it."
"Hahaha, alright, Aisha. I was just helping clear up their doubts, that's all. I didn't mean anything else."
Then Andrew awkwardly apologized to Tolle. "Sorry about that, Tolle. Don't take it to heart. I was just joking, hahaha."
"It's fine, I didn't mean anything by it either. But I've decided to acknowledge Aisha as my sister. I'll reluctantly accept you as my brother-in-law too."
"Brother-in-law?" Andrew's eye twitched for some reason. He glanced at Aisha, then shrugged and replied, "Alright then, we'll accept you as our little brother."
Aisha stepped forward, took Tolle's hands, blinked, and smiled warmly. "Then it's settled, my dear little brother."
With Lacus standing beside him, Tolle only lightly felt the softness of Aisha's hands before withdrawing them. He then shyly leaned closer to Lacus and said, "Okay, Sister Aisha."
Then he looked at Lacus and asked her, "Should we have more people join us in the future?"
Lacus nodded with a gentle, slightly dazed smile. "That would be wonderful. If there are more people, it'll be livelier from now on."
"Okay, I'll go with what you say." Tolle then looked around at everyone on the bridge and said with a mischievous grin, "So, would you mind if I gave you all a small physical modification?
"Of course, there definitely won't be any negative side effects.
"But if you insist on calling something a side effect, then it would be that you might live until you're sick of living—several thousand years—and still look the same age when you finally die.
"Of course, if anyone doesn't want it, you can say so. I can skip those who don't want to be modified."
The bridge immediately fell into complete silence. Everyone looked at Tolle with the kind of gaze one reserves for someone mentally unwell.
At this moment, Lacus smiled and added, "I've already been modified. I don't know whether I can really live for thousands of years, but my physical abilities and healing speed really have improved a lot. Even if I get a deep cut from a blade, it heals right away."
After Lacus said this, everyone began whispering and discussing among themselves.
Aisha pulled Andrew along and was the first to step forward, smiling as she said, "Little brother, your sister and your brother-in-law will be the first to sign up. Even if we can't live that long, at least we won't die so easily."
Andrew added awkwardly, "Ah, yes. We'll be the first to sign up."
"Alright, no problem. Then sister and brother-in-law, you'll go first."
Tolle raised his left hand and released some neo DG cells from his storage space. As he began modifying them, he also implanted into their subconscious the command of eternal loyalty to Lacus.
Although they were currently standing on Lacus's side, human nature was inherently dark. There was no guarantee that one day, due to conflicts or other reasons, they wouldn't betray her—willingly or unwillingly.
So brainwashing them all was the safest approach.
Granting longevity was merely a bonus.
If one wanted to live comfortably and peacefully for a very long time, who wouldn't want a large group of absolutely loyal subordinates who would never betray them, who would always serve them and help resolve their troubles?
Surely it was better than having just a handful of people constantly hiding, sometimes pretending to be elders, sometimes juniors, and muddling through an unremarkable life until the end.