The last remaining vines around the core visibly withered and crumbled into dust floating in the air.
Zhou Tianming looked back at the satellite, now completely in ruins.
"Is this the inertia of history..." Tianming murmured, "Unchangeable, unavoidable..."
"Tianming!"
Natarle's voice rang out, accompanied by cheers.
"We won!"
"Hahaha!"
"So this robot is called a Gundam? So cool!"
"Tianming!"
"Tianming!"
Amidst the celebratory shouts ringing in his ears, Zhou Tianming smiled.
The Gundam Frame raised its right fist high like a victor.
"Wooo!!!"
On the bridge of the Black Tortoise, everyone raised their right fists in unison.
Shortly after, Zhou Tianming piloted the Gundam Frame back into the Black Tortoise.
No sooner had he stabilized the Gundam Frame than Li Chuang and others came running in spacesuits, carrying large black canisters on their backs.
"Tianming! Don't come out yet. The radiation levels on the satellite are too high. The Gundam Frame might be contaminated. Wait for us to decontaminate before leaving."
"Understood."
He hadn't considered this issue—his oversight. He should have stayed outside the Black Tortoise. Now even the hangar would need decontamination. Through the cockpit, Tianming watched as Li Chuang's team sprayed a thick black liquid from hoses connected to their canisters all over the Gundam Frame. In moments, the liquid foamed up, expanding and covering the entire machine.
The external cameras were blocked, leaving the cockpit screen completely dark. Tianming switched to the Black Tortoise's internal cameras to observe.
The Gundam Frame looked almost comical, completely covered in black foam as if taking a bath.
"How long will the decontamination take?"
"If radiation levels aren't too high, about half an hour. The neutralizing agent will harden and fall off on its own when done."
No wonder they weren't afraid of radiation despite rampant nuclear weapon use later—they had stuff like this.
With a sigh, Tianming settled in to wait.
About ten minutes later, Natarle contacted him: "Tianming, East Asia's reinforcements are here. Should we..."
After a moment's thought, Tianming replied, "Tell them the truth. The Gundam Frame isn't some secret, and soon Mobile Suits won't be confidential anyway."
Tianming didn't elaborate, sending Natarle off to liaise with the East Asian forces.
It was good to let East Asia know about MS capabilities in advance, so they wouldn't be caught off guard.
In cosmic space, an Agamemnon-class battleship parked beside the Black Tortoise.
In comparison, the Black Tortoise looked tiny, less than half its size.
The commanding officer of the reinforcement ship was Li Wei, an old friend of Zhao Qi's, who immediately started mocking Zhao Qi until the latter couldn't lift his head.
Not one to take it lying down, Zhao Qi took his team aboard the Agamemnon for some good old-fashioned fisticuffs.
Amidst this camaraderie, another Atlantic Federation fleet approached.
Having been briefed by Zhao Qi, the experienced Li Wei immediately understood their intentions.
East Asia didn't care much about claiming credit here, and with no conflict of interest, both sides soon engaged in friendly talks.
Once the Gundam Frame was decontaminated, Zhou Tianming donned his chainmail armor again and opened the cockpit hatch.
The moment he emerged, Natarle, leaning on her crutch, pounced and pushed him back inside.
They locked eyes for a second before their lips met.
After a while, Natarle pushed Tianming away, blushing angrily. "Enough already!"
Licking his lips, Tianming leaned in again. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder~"
"Stop!" Natarle turned her head away. "Ray is here."
Tilting his head to look past Natarle, Tianming saw little Ray peeking into the cockpit, half his golden head visible.
Tianming put on an exaggerated scary face.
Natarle pinched his cheek. "Don't frighten him."
Bracing against Tianming's chest with one hand, Natarle slowly climbed out of the cockpit.
Tianming followed, supporting her waist to help her keep balance.
Ray immediately handed Natarle her crutch when they emerged.
Securing the crutch under her arm, Natarle patted Ray's head and pointed at Tianming. "This is Brother Zhou Tianming."
"Brother."
His voice was soft and sweet.
Looking at the obedient Ray, Tianming wasn't sure how to handle him.
The issue of clones' short lifespans hung over Ray like a ticking time bomb.
Who knew what devastation it would wreak on him.
Glancing at Natarle, Tianming wondered how she'd managed to rescue Ray in the first place.
Approaching Ray, Tianming reached out to pat his small head.
Instead of dodging, Ray stood on tiptoe to nuzzle against Tianming's hand.
Truly, the fiercer things grew, the cuter they were as youngsters.
Stroking Ray's soft golden hair, Tianming sighed inwardly.
Taking Ray to the mess hall, Tianming poured himself a glass of water and gulped it down before pouring another and sitting.
Natarle asked, "What are your plans now?"
Tianming pointed at his heavy chainmail. "Keep optimizing this. It's still too cumbersome. As for treatment, with Mom here, hopefully we'll find something useful in the recovered data."
Natarle grasped Tianming's hand. "Don't give up."
Smiling, Tianming lifted her hand and kissed its back. "I promise."
They shared a smile.
A day later, the Atlantic Federation ships left with satisfactory gains.
Aboard the East Asian Agamemnon, Qin Feng grumbled, "It irks me that they get credit for this. And Eurasia—they got exactly what they wanted."
Zhao Qi said, "Nothing we can do. These matters are beyond our pay grade. Just focus on our duties."
"I know, but it still pisses me off."
Then Captain Li Wei suddenly said, "I know a way to mess with them."
Qin Feng's eyes lit up. "How?"
Li Wei smiled. "Depends on whether Zhou Tianming has the appetite and guts for it."
On the Black Tortoise's bridge, Zhou Tianming dug at his ear incredulously at the screen. "You want me to take over Mendel?"
"Exactly." Li Wei nodded. "You know the situation. This was a complete victory for Eurasia. Even knowing it was them, we can't expose it." The thought of the truth made Tianming slightly sick, like accidentally swallowing a fly—it soured most of his joy from their gains.
"But there's an angle we can exploit—we know Eurasia's objective."
Frowning, Tianming asked, "Captain Li thinks they'll come back for it?"
"Why wouldn't they? We cleaned up all the loose ends for them."
Great, now it was even more disgusting.
But...
Following Li Wei's reasoning, Tianming understood why he should take Mendel—to deny Eurasia complete victory. He also thought of an even more spiteful approach.
Moreover, he wasn't without interest in Mendel himself.
The satellite housed not just vast amounts of data but also cutting-edge medical equipment.
Zhou Hanxiang could definitely make use of those.
Since in the original timeline nobody wanted this satellite anyway, he might as well legitimately claim it after working so hard to clear it.
"No problem. I'll take Mendel."
Clap clap clap
Applause sounded as Li Wei smiled approvingly. "The rumors don't do you justice, Zhou Tianming. Your future is boundless."
"Thank you for the praise, Captain Li."
"Have you thought about how to handle them?"
"I'll call in some favors."
Tianming already had some ideas.
After ending communications with Li Wei, Tianming began making arrangements.
First, he summoned Junk Dealers with radiation neutralizers to clean the satellite.
When they heard their guild leader had conquered another satellite, their hearts nearly stopped, making them wonder if they were a Junk Guild or a Pirate Guild.
But their bodies moved honestly enough as they eagerly rushed over with the equipment.