Chapter 13: This is Just the Beginning

The Human Revolutionary Federation's orbital elevator—The Pillar—had its defense forces trigger the shield alarm once again. Most people assumed it was due to debris, as such things happened every day. However, a keen observer noticed that the mass of the debris this time was unusually large. The commanding officer, being cautious, realized the importance of this incident, especially considering that the anniversary celebration of solar-powered grid integration was underway, with many international ambassadors and military officials present. A careless approach was out of the question.

Thanks to the vigilance of these two individuals, they discovered the terrorists blending in with the debris.

"Requesting third-party guard units to launch an emergency attack! We must take them down!"

The orbital space station's alarms blared, and red warning lights flashed. MS pilots immediately boarded their mobile suits and prepared for action.

Sergey, who was stationed nearby, hurried to the command center. Despite being familiar with the plans, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. If this celebration were attacked, not only would it become an international embarrassment, but the Human Revolutionary Federation would fall into chaos.

"**Brutal Type**? AEU is really making things difficult for themselves, huh? In this distorted world, reform is definitely needed." Sergey thought to himself.

...

A squad of three Iron Men with space enhancements was dispatched urgently. Due to the rushed nature of the mission, they hadn't had time to switch out their equipment.

While Yang Hui's Iron Man reinforcement plan had already made them more mobile than the **Brutal Type**, they were still late to respond. The **Brutal Type** units had used the solar power facility as cover, making it difficult for the Iron Men to open fire without risking hitting the infrastructure.

"The enemy's entering firing position!"

"The enemy's missiles have been launched! They will hit directly! No time to intercept!"

Two quick reports came, filling everyone with despair. They could only watch helplessly as the missiles closed in, awaiting the inevitable.

Three beams of pink light shot through the dark cosmos like meteors, striking the missiles and causing them to explode.

"What happened?!"

As everyone stood confused, the Virtue Gundam flew past the Iron Men with unimaginable speed, heading straight for the terrorists.

"Miss Leesa's predictions are still as sharp as ever! Virtue, begin pursuit!" Allelujah exclaimed, while the cockpit's display locked onto the two remaining **Brutal Type** units.

Another burst of beams erupted from Virtue's abdomen, obliterating the two **Brutal Type** units in a dazzling explosion of light. The last **Brutal Type**, however, was getting closer to The Pillar's command center.

"Suicide attack? These terrorists are unbelievable," Allelujah muttered. Even Virtue's speed couldn't prevent the last **Brutal Type** from reaching the command center. If he fired, the beam wouldn't just penetrate the **Brutal Type** but also tear through the entire command center.

But he wasn't without options. He wasn't fighting alone.

"Tiera!"

With a shout, the heavy Dynamis Gundam descended from below the command center, and high concentrations of GN particles immediately interfered with all nearby radar systems.

"Dynamis, destroy the target."

The two GN Cannons on Dynamis' chest converged, releasing a powerful burst that completely covered the **Brutal Type**, leaving no remnants behind.

"Phase three, complete."

"Maybe you overdid it, Tiera," Allelujah teased.

"Miss Leesa's instructions were clear: The first appearance of **Celestial Being**, make our presence known grandly. I agree." Tiera said, his face devoid of expression. To others, it might sound like a joke, but for Tiera, it was simply a statement of fact.

"Geez, you two, one talks big, the other does it," Allelujah chuckled. After all, the **Brutal Type** had been destroyed with just the GN rapid-fire cannons—Tiera went all out and used the big guns. Talk about making a grand entrance!

The mission was completed, and the two didn't linger. They left the battlefield at full speed and headed back to the **Trellis**, awaiting the next mission.

Against the speed of the Gundams, the Iron Men were left trailing behind, with their shadows quickly fading away.

"Captain!"

"What was that?!"

"Unknown." The captain, equally confused, responded tersely. "Save the footage and send it to the intelligence department for analysis."

"Understood!"

Sergey also arrived at the command center. After the radar system was restored, he received the recorded data from the Iron Men. He couldn't help but marvel at the performance of the Gundams. "As expected, no MS can match the Gundams right now, not even **Back Siege**. Yang Hui, you've really created some monsters."

...

On Earth, at Leesa's private island, due to Yang Hui's presence, Leesa had stayed behind rather than attending the anniversary celebration at The Pillar. Together, they watched the first mission unfold via remote communication.

"As expected from the Gundam pilots, they completed the first mission perfectly," Leesa praised without hesitation. This was the kind of power she had always hoped for—the power to change the world.

"This is just the beginning." Yang Hui remained unperturbed.

"Defeating AEU's new MS with ease, exposing AEU's hidden army in the orbital elevator and wiping it out, preventing a terrorist attack on The Pillar, and saving all the distinguished guests. Isn't that worth praise?" Leesa questioned.

"Two hundred years ahead of the world's technology, the culmination of everything Celestial Being has accumulated, and the Gundams I personally modified. If we can't handle missions of this level perfectly, we might as well disband the whole operation." Yang Hui replied.

"Oh? You think the upcoming missions will be obstructed?" Leesa asked, a slight frown forming on her brow.

"Isn't it obvious? No matter how excellent the Gundams are, there are only a few of them. Once the three major nations start taking things seriously, it'll become problematic." Yang Hui said.

"Considering how calm you are, Yang Hui, I assume you've already come up with a foolproof plan?" Leesa asked with a smile.

"I wouldn't call it foolproof. There's always something to be arranged, but on the battlefield, there's no such thing as a foolproof plan. Life and death often hang by a thread." Yang Hui answered.

"I see."

"Well, don't worry too much. At least the first three plans have no danger. If things do get risky, I'll step in personally to ensure safety."

"Heh, I look forward to your performance."

Yang Hui waved and left, knowing there was no need to dwell on things further. He still had plenty of work ahead of him.

"By the way, Yang Hui."

As Yang Hui turned to leave, Leesa called after him.

"Hm?" Yang Hui paused and looked back at Leesa, surprised she called him by his real name instead of his code name.

"May I call you by your real name?"

Yang Hui paused for a moment and then rolled his eyes. Annoyed, he replied, "You've already done it. What's the point of asking for my permission?"

"Then I'll take it as you've agreed."

Yang Hui helplessly accepted it, waving his hand as he left.

"Finally, a little progress, huh? Hehe, now for what's next..." Leesa smiled the most genuine smile she had shown in a while, not the usual polite one.

...

Outside the AEU military test site, Billy Katagiri was cornered by Graham in the car, and they found a quiet spot to lock the car doors.

"Graham, can you calm down first?"

"Don't worry, I'm calm now, Billy. I just want to know... Do you know something?"

"Gulp~"

Calm? Does he even know what calm means? His eyes were burning with fire, his smile wide and excited, his hands shaking with anticipation, and his voice full of threatening words like, "If you don't speak, something's gonna happen."

Billy Katagiri felt a chill run down his spine.

"What? You don't trust me?" Graham's intense gaze fixed on Billy.

"Uh… it's not about trust…" Billy started to explain, but he was cut off by Graham.

"Mm, I see."

Billy was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but it didn't last long, as Graham quietly pulled out a PAD and retrieved a very familiar number.

"Wait a minute!"

"What? Changed your mind?" Graham grinned mischievously.

"You're not really going to report me, are you?"

"Guess?"

"Guess your face!" Billy thought to himself.

Just like Graham understood Billy, Billy understood Graham just as well. He could tell from Graham's expression that he was fascinated by the Gundam, not just for its high performance, but also for the excellent opponents and the mystery surrounding their actions.

One part of the mission had been to break through AEU's display MS, exposing their hidden forces within the orbital elevator and defeating them all, while the other part had been to prevent a terrorist attack on The Pillar.

The action was full of contradictions, not the typical behavior of any of the three major nations. It didn't match the style of armed insurgents either. Their goals, their organization—everything about them was shrouded in mystery, and that's what fueled Graham's excitement.

"Sigh... Just wait, you'll find out soon enough." Billy Katagiri finally relented. He knew Graham would stop at nothing once he knew about **Celestial Being's** plans, and he would not leak a thing—even if he was the last to clean up.

"Interesting. Since you say so, I'll wait," Graham agreed, clearly intrigued.

"Wait a second, Graham. I remember your PAD doesn't have communication functions." Billy suddenly realized.

"Yeah."

"Then how…"

"This? It's just a notepad. You know I'm terrible with remembering numbers, so I always jot down important ones, whether it's for communications or storage."

Billy Katagiri could only glare at Graham's smug face, wishing he could punch it off, but... he knew he couldn't win!

Suddenly, every TV, LED advertisement screen, PAD, and computer across the world buzzed with static and switched to the same broadcast—a stern-looking elderly man sat in front of an audience.

"It's starting."

(End of Chapter)