Witnessing this scene, Alec felt the tension in his heart ease slightly.
He could only hope that this operation would proceed as smoothly as Fred had planned.
If it succeeded, he would be able to confirm that Fred truly fought for PLANT—or perhaps for the world itself.
Then, he could follow the other with complete peace of mind.
Although, perhaps Fred no longer needed his strength.
Alec smiled bitterly to himself, yet his eyes remained bright.
Regardless of whether Fred needed him or not, he would strive for the sake of his own country.
Carrying these complex thoughts, Alec followed behind Fred as they headed toward the hangar.
The transport ship was not large, and the hangar was sparsely populated. Fred's arrival successfully drew everyone's attention.
This man was the overall commander of their operation.
As for such a leader, everyone's feelings varied.
Some were curious, some were unconvinced, and others were filled with admiration.
Under the diverse gazes of the crowd, Fred strode briskly to where Haken and the others stood.
As members of the action team, Haken and his companions were dressed in civilian clothes.
Haken wore a short-sleeved shirt and trousers, appearing valiant and heroic. Even without considering anything else, his appearance alone marked him as a rare ice-cold beauty, with looks that ranked above average even among Coordinators.
However, Fred did not spare him more than a glance. In the face of this operation, the young man would not allow himself the slightest relaxation, let alone be distracted at such a time.
"You're already familiar with the remote control system, right?"
On the other side, Haken wasted no time on pleasantries, simply pointing a slender finger toward a work pod beside him.
Fred naturally knew what it was.
Inside was a remote control system capable of operating a set of powered armor from a distance.
It was prepared as one of the contingency plans.
"Yes, I'm prepared."
As the planner of the operation, Fred was well aware of what this was and had long been prepared.
However, if the plan proceeded without major surprises, remote voice control would be sufficient for him.
Everything else was merely risk management.
With this thought, Fred's gaze swept across the hangar.
Of course, there were no MS in this hangar, but there were plenty of work pods and powered armor.
In addition, there were three disguised transport ships that had followed them nearby, as well as three other heavily modified transport ships hidden behind nearby asteroids, equipped with missile launchers and beam cannons.
With this lineup and heavy weaponry, taking on Mendel would pose no difficulty.
This was the maximum force Fred could muster for this operation.
In this era without MS, it was already a configuration sufficient for a small-scale skirmish.
It was also the most personnel Fred could rally with his current influence.
Yet, Fred did not grow arrogant because of this strength. Instead, he remained focused and asked calmly,
"Has his whereabouts been confirmed?"
"Confirmed. As you predicted, the devices we placed near the research institute where Dr. Yamato works captured his presence."
As Haken spoke, a look of surprise flickered in his eyes.
This young man seemed to have a clear grasp of the other party's movements, even installing surveillance near the research institute several steps ahead, as if possessing prophetic abilities.
It was unclear how he managed it.
Though his curiosity grew stronger, Haken showed no trace of it on his face.
She was a professional soldier. Since she had chosen to follow Clyne, she would carry out orders as instructed.
The command from above was clear: as long as Fred did nothing unnecessary, they were to fully cooperate with him during this operation.
This was likely a test for Fred by Clyne and the others.
It was uncertain whether this young Natural genius was aware of it.
On the other end, Fred naturally knew that his flawless calculations would inevitably spark unnecessary speculation and curiosity.
But there was no other way. It was like the chess games Creuset and Durandal enjoyed.
He had to stay several moves ahead of Creuset to checkmate him.
Otherwise, relying solely on the current circumstances, he would never be able to outmaneuver Creuset.
"Then I'll leave it to all of you."
Creuset was active at this critical moment, and they were to use the traps set in advance by their agents here to ensnare him.
"Just following orders."
Upon hearing Fred's words, Haken and the twenty members of the special operations squad behind her saluted him in an orderly manner before proceeding toward the hatch.
"The stage is set."
Watching the departing figures, Fred took a deep breath.
The slightly stifling air in the hangar filled his chest, carrying a faint warmth.
It also quickened the beating of Fred's heart.
Success or failure hinged on this moment. If he failed, he would lose all control over the future.
But if he succeeded, he would naturally take over, becoming the masked man to guide this world toward balance.
...
While Fred and the others were methodically preparing, in the compound of the genetic research institute where Yamato had once worked, numerous white-coated researchers were descending a dimly lit emergency staircase.
The air was filled with uneasy murmurs.
"They said there's a terrorist attack. I wonder if it's true," one researcher couldn't help but mutter softly along the way.
In the already chaotic scene, the researcher's voice quickly blended into the surroundings.
"Would you dare take that risk?" a friend nearby retorted with an exasperated eye roll.
"The incident with Director Yamato's death was terrifying enough."
"That's true..."
Though years had passed, the memory of that horrifying scene still made the researcher shudder, quickening his pace down the stairs.
It felt as if something terrifying was chasing them from behind.
Those Blue Cosmos members weren't human—they were devils and mad dogs.
This held true for both Naturals and Coordinators.
As the two spoke, in one of the main research departments of the building—previously Yamato's department—Creuset, wearing a mask, scanned his surroundings with a vigilant gaze.
After confirming that no one had been around or that there were any signs of traps, he quickly installed several small surveillance devices in the corners of the surrounding walls.
He wasn't sure who had leaked the news of the attack.
The reasons for such an attack were limited: either Blue Cosmos was genuinely planning an assault, or someone had deliberately spread the rumor to seize research materials amidst the chaos.
Among the materials that would be most attractive, the Ultimate Coordinator Project was undoubtedly one of them.
Therefore, it was only natural for him to be as cautious as possible.
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