Chapter 235: My Name is Yang Hui, of the Yang Family

Yang Hui parted ways with Kira and the others, and the bodyguards who had been lingering nearby immediately surrounded him.

"Young Master, let us escort you away first..."

"No, we're heading to Dawn Company," Yang Hui said.

"Dawn Company! Young Master, Dawn Company is very dangerous..."

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Before the words could even be finished, Heliopolis was struck by violent tremors, causing countless people to fall to the ground.

"...I understand... Yes." The bodyguard captain received a communication and immediately reported to Yang Hui, "Young Master, the secret port where the Union's new warships are docked has been bombed. Right now, the Union Forces and the ZAFT Forces are engaged in combat outside Heliopolis. Two MS units have already infiltrated the interior, and a special operations team has been spotted heading directly toward Dawn Company..."

"I understand. We're heading to Dawn Company. That's where our hope lies."

"But..."

"The Union and ZAFT are fighting tooth and nail outside. Even if we go to the port, do you think we'll be able to board a ship and leave?" Yang Hui questioned the bodyguards.

"...But Dawn Company is the main battlefield. Wouldn't it be better to..."

"It's pointless. Dawn Company is our only hope for safety. The existence of the G Weapon is for this very moment."

"...Understood. We will definitely ensure your safety, Young Master."

"Let's move out."

Yang Hui didn't let them leave. Even if he had ordered it, they wouldn't have obeyed. But...

The factory district was the most dangerous place. The so-called "only hope" was a lie. He simply wanted to use this opportunity to establish a connection with the Gundam and the Archangel, ensuring a smooth boarding later.

But it wouldn't be difficult for him alone. As for the large group of bodyguards... he would do his best to let them survive and leave.

...

By now, the factory district was already engulfed in chaos. The remaining technicians and guards were engaged in fierce combat with ZAFT's special operations team. Seeing this, Yang Hui immediately ordered the bodyguards to pick up the bulletproof vests and rifles scattered around and join the fight against ZAFT's team.

Yang Hui wasn't someone who would be helpless without an MS. His marksmanship was top-notch—not godlike, but certainly not bad.

"Captain Ramius!"

The striking figure in the orange technician's uniform was hard to miss. Her slightly curly brown hair fell to her shoulders, and her mature beauty was partially obscured by the dust and soot. Murrue Ramius, the legendary captain of the Archangel, crossed paths with Yang Hui at this moment.

"You are... Young Master Yang Hui! Why are you here? It's dangerous. Go take shelter!" Murrue looked at Yang Hui in disbelief. As the lead technical officer of the G Project, she naturally knew Yang Hui, but she couldn't understand why he would appear on the battlefield at this time.

"Heliopolis is Orb's territory. I can't just stand by and do nothing. By the way, is the G Weapon safe?"

"...Three units have already been transported out, but two were intercepted here..."

"I see. Those three must have been seized. Let's protect the remaining two."

"But..."

"No buts." With that, Yang Hui immediately called over the bodyguard captain. "Split into two teams. One will stay with me to assist Captain Ramius here. The other, you lead to take the high ground."

"Understood!"

"Wait..."

Yang Hui ignored Murrue's attempt to stop him and led his team to disperse, engaging in a firefight with ZAFT's special forces. Another team, under the cover of suppressive fire, ascended the stairs from the side to secure the high ground, forming a crossfire with Yang Hui's group. This effectively halted the enemy's momentum and suppressed ZAFT's advance.

"Watch your back!"

Amid the intense exchange of gunfire, Yang Hui suddenly heard a familiar voice warning him. Without hesitation, he turned and fired, taking down the enemy who had been about to ambush him from behind.

"Kira!? Why are you still here?"

"Yang Hui! You..."

"Enough talk! Don't worry about us, get to safety! You can reach Shelter 39 through the left passage..."

Before he could finish, a massive explosion erupted from the left passage Yang Hui had just mentioned. Flames shot into the sky, and the entrance to the passage collapsed completely.

"Damn it, the correction force strikes again," Yang Hui cursed under his breath. After taking down a few more enemies, he immediately shouted to Kira, "Get down from there, it's not safe up there!"

Kira didn't hesitate. He vaulted over the railing and jumped down from the height. Thanks to the superior physical abilities of a Coordinator, he landed safely. A Natural would have surely been crippled from such a fall.

"What's going on? Isn't Orb a neutral nation? Why is ZAFT attacking?" Kira quickly asked as he reached Yang Hui's side.

"Now's not the time for explanations. Why haven't you evacuated yet? Where are the others?" Yang Hui countered while continuing to fire.

"Everyone else has evacuated. That girl, Cagalli, ran off midway. I went after her and just managed to get her into the shelter, but there was no room left for me..."

"That's good, you..."

Yang Hui was about to direct Kira to another route leading to a different shelter when a scream nearby caught both his and Kira's attention.

"Ah~!"

"Captain Ramius!"

Murrue had been shot in the right arm and had run out of ammunition. On the other side, the last remaining ZAFT Redcoat charged at her with a dagger, aiming to deliver a fatal blow.

Seeing this, Yang Hui instinctively fired at the enemy, but he too was out of bullets. He had no choice but to rush forward and engage the enemy in close combat. Kira followed closely behind, not daring to stray too far from Yang Hui.

But... Yang Hui recognized who the enemy was. Kira, who had helped Murrue to her feet, also recognized him. Time seemed to freeze for the three of them amidst the ongoing explosions, creating a bizarre, static tableau.

"Athrun!"

"Athrun!"

"Yang Hui! Kira!"

The enemy Yang Hui was facing was none other than Athrun Zala, who had formed a deep friendship with Kira back in their elementary school days on the Moon. While Yang Hui had anticipated this encounter and was playing along, both Kira and Athrun were shocked to find themselves reunited under such circumstances.

"Hey, this isn't exactly the best time for a class reunion," Yang Hui said, clenching his fists as he addressed Athrun.

"Yang Hui! Move aside!"

"That's my line, Athrun! This is Heliopolis, Orb's territory!"

"!"

"You..."

Athrun didn't want to take action against Yang Hui. The more he understood Yang Hui's intentions, the less he agreed with the orders from his superiors. Orb was also a target that PLANT had been trying to win over. Attacking Heliopolis without reason would undoubtedly push Orb towards the Earth Alliance, and...

He personally didn't want to drag Orb, a neutral nation, into the war.

But he was a soldier, and he had to follow orders.

The two were at a stalemate, but Murrue suddenly moved, grabbing Kira and jumping into the cockpit of the Gundam beneath them, starting it up.

"Damn it! In such a hurry that you didn't even see I was still here?" Yang Hui cursed under his breath, immediately jumping off the Strike Gundam and leaping onto a barely functional jeep, speeding away from the chaotic hangar.

"Boom~!"

The two remaining Gundams stood up amidst the rolling flames, the fire chasing after the jeep's tail.

Feeling the heat on his back, Yang Hui didn't dare to ease off the accelerator. If he slowed down even a little, he might end up cooked.

"Can't play like this next time, it's really life-threatening!" Yang Hui cursed himself for almost messing up, only slowing down when the heat behind him gradually cooled.

Coincidentally, Kira's friends weren't in the shelter either, but were fleeing in panic right in front of Yang Hui, then turned back in shock to see the Aegis Gundam emerging from the smoke and explosions.

"What are you standing around for? Get in the car!" Yang Hui shouted as he pulled up beside the four of them.

Snapped out of their daze by Yang Hui's shout, the four didn't hesitate and quickly got into the car.

Yang Hui sped away from the scene as fast as he could—this was the combat zone between the Strike Gundam and the GINN. He didn't like to leave his life up to luck, praying that they wouldn't get caught in the crossfire.

Moreover, as a seasoned veteran, Yang Hui knew that if they stayed in this area, they would only hinder Kira in the battle. In reality, Kira was a complete novice with MS. Without the protagonist's plot armor, Yang Hui wasn't sure if Kira could protect them and defeat the GINN at the same time.

"Yang Hui, what exactly is going on? This is a neutral country. Why is ZAFT attacking Heliopolis?"

Too many things had happened that they couldn't understand, especially the fact that a battle had broken out in Heliopolis. They had become citizens of Orb precisely because they feared war, a place where Naturals and Coordinators coexisted harmoniously, a rare haven in a turbulent world.

But now, even this haven seemed unsafe.

"That MS... is it ZAFT's new model? Why are they fighting each other?" Miriallia asked in a panic as she saw the Strike Gundam engaging the GINN. In their eyes, MS were exclusive to ZAFT, and Naturals couldn't operate them, so they never guessed that this was an MS developed by the Earth Alliance.

"GAT-X105, Strike, an MS developed by the Earth Alliance, one of the five G-Weapons. The red one next to it, GAT-X303 Aegis Gundam, same deal," Yang Hui explained calmly to the four as he watched the battle.

"What? An MS developed by the Alliance!? But... but Naturals can't pilot MS, can they?"

"Just because they couldn't before doesn't mean they can't in the future."

"Wait, how do you know all this so clearly?"

"Huh?"

The four of them had reached a safe place, and after the fear subsided, they naturally began to think about the many things that didn't add up.

"Because I was the one who developed the OS for the G Weapon, assisting the Earth Alliance in the process," Yang Hui explained.

"You did it!?"

"But... you... didn't Kira say you're a Natural? How could you... how could you program the OS for an MS? And... aren't you from Orb? Why would you help the Earth Alliance? Isn't that compromising Orb's neutrality? Why would you do that?"

Facing their angry questions, Yang Hui's expression remained calm as still water.

"To ensure that Orb doesn't become a casualty in the conflict between the two major powers in the future, and to have the ability to protect people like you, and countless other citizens like you, at any time."

"You!"

"Who exactly are you!?"

"My name is Yang Hui, Yang of the Yang Family."

(End of Chapter)