"...No, we can't move!" Halfway through issuing the order, the thought of retreating came to an abrupt halt. Their current position was already very well-hidden. The wired cameras were located on the periphery of the Reef Starfield, a considerable distance away from them. Finding their actual location wouldn't be that simple.
However, if they moved now, they would be shifting from the shadows into the light, increasing the possibility of exposure.
"Cut off all external wired equipment, shut down all facilities, and suspend all work. The base is to enter silent mode. Everyone, head to the shelters immediately."
"Yes!"
"Also, have the successful experimental subjects board the prototype units and stand by for sortie."
"But Lady Kycilia, neither the subjects nor the prototype units are fully prepared. Even if they sortie..."
"There is no other way now. We can only hope they don't find us." Kycilia Zabi truly had no other options; it was impossible to flee now.
Not to mention that the research equipment, data, and personnel couldn't all be taken in one trip—how could the ships of the Flanagan Institute possibly escape the pursuit of a Kirin-class?
However...
"Dispatch the warships to act as decoys."
"Understood."
Knowing Kycilia Zabi's cold-blooded nature, the adjutant complied without hesitation. As long as he wasn't among those being abandoned, that was enough.
...
Boom!
A thick bolt of lightning struck without warning, tearing through time and space, cutting across the universe and shattering the silence.
"Damn! That was dangerous!" Russ Kessel grumbled. The lightning just now had almost hit them.
"Captain, are you alright?" Charlulu Kissinggum asked worriedly.
"I'm fine." Russ Kessel tapped the dashboard. The screen, which had turned into a jumbled mess, returned to a normal display. Although the lightning hadn't scored a direct hit, the powerful current had still caused interference. "How much of our assigned area is completed?"
"Eighty percent finished."
"Then let's finish up quickly. To hell with this, I don't want to stay in this godforsaken place for another second."
"Understood!" X8
"Captain! There's a discovery here!"
"On guard!"
Without any hesitation, everyone in the 4th squad formed a circle, staying alert to their surroundings as they slowly converged on the discovery site.
"Aiga, what did you find?"
"Captain, look."
Russ Kessel looked at the wired camera held in the hand of Aiga's unit. "This is it! Search formation! Follow the direction of the cables. Charlulu, you're the fastest; send the message back to the Luna and the White Base, then catch up."
"Understood!" X8
It was certainly dangerous, but the mission had to be executed. Nothing was more exciting than finding a trace of the target.
It wasn't just the 4th squad led by Russ Kessel; other squads had also made their own discoveries, finding wired cameras or other wired equipment. They all began exploring along the direction of the cables.
Eventually, they each stopped in starfields that were quite distant from one another. They had found the source of the cables, but they had all been cut.
"Colonel, what do we do now?" Amuro asked Yang Hui.
"Split into groups of three for a dispersed search. Search radius: 100 kilometers." Although the cables had been cut in advance, the source of the cables must be near the target. By turning this area upside down, they were bound to find other clues.
Just then, bright flashes of fire appeared ahead, flickering incessantly. It was clearly a sign of combat.
"Colonel, that direction should be the 10th squad. They've engaged the Zeon. Let's go support them!" Amuro said.
"No need." Yang Hui rejected Amuro's suggestion and ordered everyone to continue the search.
"This..."
"Would Kycilia Zabi let us find her so easily?" Yang Hui asked Amuro just as he was about to question the decision.
"...No."
"Continue the search."
"Yes." X8
...
Inside the Flanagan Institute, Kycilia Zabi waited tensely for the results. The decoy fleet had already been dispatched, hoping to draw away the attention of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division.
"Lady Kycilia, the observers report that the decoy fleet has engaged the Federation forces."
"What are their numbers? Is there any support?"
"One battalion-sized force, and other Federation units have been seen moving in to support them."
"Dispersed search... Hmph, they certainly are confident." Though it sounded like praise, Kycilia Zabi's expression was terrifyingly dark. Rationally, when performing a mission in the Reef Starfield—regardless of the mission type—units shouldn't spread out too far. Because of the dangerous environment, overly dispersed units could easily lose contact. They could be hit by sudden lightning, crash into debris due to carelessness, or suffer sudden electronic failure.
Rescue work after losing contact would also be extremely difficult. Because the environment of the Reef Starfield was so complex, finding someone in the chaotic electromagnetic environment and dense debris was nearly impossible. Once contact was lost, it was basically a death sentence.
Yet, to find them, the Twelfth Independent Technical Division had actually dispersed every battalion, with their mother ships trailing far behind. Weren't they afraid of losing their lives?
However... seeing that the enemy was searching in a dispersed manner, with perhaps only one battalion in a given area, Kycilia Zabi had a new plan.
"Have the experimental subjects and prototype units sortie in different directions. If they encounter an enemy battalion, kill as many as possible."
Since you have such confidence, don't blame me for exploiting it. Since you've dispersed, you've given me the chance to defeat you one by one.
Kycilia Zabi was definitely the person in the Zeon Army who best understood how strong the Twelfth Independent Technical Division was. But she saw clearly that the only person truly qualified to be called a monster was Yang Hui. As long as they avoided Yang Hui, the others were merely aces. And NTs... she believed they could exert power that surpassed that of an ace.
"Whether I escape or not, I will clip your wings!" Kycilia Zabi's face was contorted. The possibility of the decoy fleet fooling Yang Hui and the others was slim. Kycilia Zabi was now prepared for a desperate struggle. "Prepare the base's self-destruct system."
"Lady Kycilia!"
Everyone looked at Kycilia Zabi in horror. They didn't have her resolve; they all wanted to live. Even Dr. Flanagan wanted to finish his research and prove he was the greatest scientist in the world.
"Lady Kycilia, my research is almost complete! Just a little more time, I only need a little more time, then I can—"
Bang!
The answer Dr. Flanagan received was a decisive gunshot. A bullet easily pierced the center of his forehead.
"Annoying, foolish waste, immersed in his own world."
Was Dr. Flanagan a waste? Of course not, otherwise he wouldn't have been the first to discover psychic waves to prove the existence of NTs.
But was he not foolish? Kycilia Zabi wasn't entirely wrong. After discovering the existence of psychic waves and obtaining the means to detect them, his research had stagnated. He had wasted massive amounts of Zeon's resources and many experimental subjects, yet even now, he hadn't found a way to mass-produce NTs.
And at such a critical juncture, to still be thinking of his experiments, oblivious to the consequences of the Flanagan Institute falling to the Federation—if that wasn't foolish, what was?
"Go and prepare the self-destruct system immediately!"
"Lady Kycilia..."
"Hmm?"
The person questioning her immediately lost all courage when the muzzle of the gun was pointed at them. The others dared not object further and immediately went to execute Kycilia Zabi's orders.
However, the moment they turned around, expressions of hatred and malice appeared on their faces—expressions Kycilia Zabi failed to notice.
...
The decoy fleet was still struggling to hold on, but their doom was clearly inevitable. The 8th and 9th squads, being closest to the 10th squad, saw the flashes of battle and immediately went to support. But the other squads made the same choice as Yang Hui, choosing not to rush to support and instead continuing their search of the area.
Beep beep beep beep...
"Captain, look out!"
Suddenly, a beam streaked from a blind spot behind Kajima Yuu's unit. The battle-hardened Yu felt the danger warning immediately and evaded instantly, then opened fire with all weapons toward the direction of the attack.
But...
"That's not right." Kajima Yuu frowned. He didn't have the usual sensation of hitting an enemy unit.
After the smoke and explosions cleared, no enemy wreckage was found—only the shattered fragments of a warship.
Beep beep beep beep...
"Opposite direction!"
Having heightened their vigilance, everyone dodged the attack in an instant and counterattacked. But this time, there was still no sign of the enemy.
"Three-three close formation, back-to-back." Kajima Yuu made a prompt decision and issued the command. Although grouping together made them easy to wipe out in one go, it was better than being picked off one by one while dispersed.
"Captain, no sign of the enemy."
"Understood. Stay alert."
Kajima Yuu's expression was grim. He had been sniped at before, but this was the first time since Yang Hui that he had encountered an enemy whose presence he couldn't find.
"Where is it..."
The enemy's attacks weren't fierce, but they were eerie. Each attack appeared from a completely different direction. If there were more than one enemy, they certainly would have detected them. But if there was only one enemy, how could they move so far so silently in such a short time?
"There!" Kajima Yuu fired a shot at seemingly empty space.
A second later, a tiny device appeared in the path of the beam and was instantly pierced.
Boom!
"That size! Is it a new type of unmanned weapon?" The moment Kajima Yuu hit the enemy, everyone saw it clearly. The enemy was tiny; it was impossible for a person to fit inside.
"Twelve o'clock, volley fire!"
At that moment, Kajima Yuu gave the order, following his intuition. The others didn't even stop to think, executing it immediately. For a moment, bullets, beams, missiles, and shells poured out like a swarm of feathers.
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