Two days later, Fred welcomed Lacus at the control center of Sector One in April City.
"I heard your research is going smoothly, brother~?"
Lacus greeted him with a smile.
It was clear she already knew about his conversation with Siegel a few days earlier.
"Yes, it's going quite well."
Fred had no intention of hiding it, and continued.
"How are the trade agreement negotiations with South America going?"
"Not bad~"
Lacus blinked at his words, her expression quickly turning serious.
"But if we're discovered, it'll be troublesome. There's also quite a bit of internal resistance."
"Indeed, sorry for the trouble."
Fred sighed.
Compared to trading with South America for food, it would actually be better to grow it themselves. They now had the relevant technology, but mass-producing food on such a large scale would definitely not escape the notice of the Atlantic Federation.
And this was precisely the beginning of the original plot.
Because a secret merchant ship traveling to South America was destroyed, killing over a hundred Coordinators, they would then publicly announce the mass production of food.
Leading to further chaos in the situation.
Fred had some plans regarding this, but now wasn't the time to discuss them.
The trade agreement had just been signed, and not a single merchant ship had even set sail yet.
At the very least, they should wait until the Mendel incident passed before worrying about it.
"It's no trouble."
Lacus smiled.
The two walked along the empty corridor, their voices going back and forth. To an outsider, it would have sounded like casual conversation.
Meanwhile, Alec, listening to their dialogue, had a question mark floating above his head.
After all, although Fred's recent research hadn't hit any bottlenecks, it couldn't exactly be called smooth either.
How did it sound like the research was about to be completed in their conversation?
And what was this South America agreement?
Lacus glanced at the still-confused Alec and covered her mouth with a light chuckle.
Alec's reaction was quite similar to hers when she first heard the news.
Both were equally shocked.
She, too, hadn't expected Fred to conceal the progress.
But upon careful thought, it was understandable.
And what did this prove? It proved that Fred wasn't someone chasing fame and reputation.
He could have immediately reported it to Patrick in exchange for benefits.
Yet he chose to keep it hidden himself.
Because he was worried about the situation worsening.
And Fred's concerns were indeed very real.
If he succeeded so quickly, it would inevitably make the Zala Faction think more.
In fact, even if Fred hadn't concealed it, Lacus would have later suggested it to him.
But she hadn't expected his research to progress so rapidly.
"Then let's begin."
Lacus smiled.
Her voice stirred a slight ripple in the quiet corridor.
It also snapped Alec, who was following behind, back to reality.
"Alright."
He didn't need to participate in this operation on-site, only remotely.
The reason he wasn't doing it remotely from his own place was to minimize signal interference as much as possible.
Hearing their still-mysterious conversation, Alec widened his eyes again.
"Fred, you're not going out again, are you?"
Alec, still haunted by the last operation, asked anxiously.
"No need to go out."
Fred smiled.
"Let's talk as we walk."
As they spoke, the three of them wasted no time and headed toward the inner communication room.
Just as they reached the communication room, Fred explained the situation to Alec.
However, he still kept the research progress under wraps for now.
After all, there was no need to report such matters at the moment.
"...So, Fred is organizing the retreat?"
Alec was quite surprised upon hearing this, though it also felt somewhat expected.
After all, Fred's actions last time had left a deep impression, so it made sense they would choose this approach.
But would Fred be this enthusiastic?
Alec wasn't entirely sure.
"Yes."
Fred responded with a single word.
Alec immediately followed up.
"But what about the delay? How do you plan to handle it?"
Even in this central hub, with more powerful satellite assistance and the latest technology, there were still several minutes of delay—a significant challenge in a battlefield where every second counted.
"The plan has already been fully prepared. We're just here to oversee the entire operation."
"I trust Haken and the others can handle it."
Fred shrugged.
It was unlikely he would take the initiative to intervene.
Moreover, they were leaving ahead of time, so the situation wasn't actually too critical.
This time, aside from Siegel wanting to play it safe, it was probably also to test Fred's abilities once again.
Fred wasn't particularly bothered by this.
After all, he had received benefits, so it was only natural to give it his all.
"Then let the plan officially begin."
Fred shrugged as he spoke, simultaneously establishing a connection with the ship stationed far away at Mendel.
"Freed's signal is now online. Blue Cosmos could arrive at any moment. Begin the evacuation."
Wolf, who had already arrived inside Mendel, watched Fred's signal indicator on the Bridge, and the tension in his heart quietly eased.
It was like the reassurance of seeing a space station in the vastness of space.
Despite the significant delay and the inability to communicate in real time, after their previous collaboration with Fred, he had become a source of confidence for them.
No matter what, based on his experience from last time, Wolf fully recognized Fred's abilities.
It wasn't just Wolf as the Captain—everyone on the Bridge breathed a collective sigh of relief at this moment.
Even the tense atmosphere in the Bridge relaxed slightly.
"Understood, Captain!"
At the Captain's command, everyone quickly sprang into action.
They worked methodically—some handling communications, others preparing for departure.
This plan was similar to the previous one.
A transport ship would secretly come to pick up the researchers.
Two additional transport ships, hidden near the asteroids outside, would serve as escorts once they officially set sail.
Under their cover, they would quietly head toward L5.
Of course, their destination wasn't PLANT itself but a temporary space station within PLANT's territory.
Their previous actions had already alerted the Atlantic Federation and several other Council Nations, so this time they were being even more cautious.
Moreover, these researchers couldn't enter PLANT through official channels.
It was enough for them to conduct research in the Clyne Faction's hidden research facilities outside.
In the vast expanse of the cosmos, no one could find them.
Fred watched the screen, observing Wolf and the others executing their maneuvers with practiced ease, while monitoring the surrounding space zones. His fingers lightly tapped on the console.
"All systems online. I hope everything goes smoothly for you all."
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