Three days after Graham was shot down, in a city near the AEU Orbital Elevator.
Three young teenagers were wandering through the streets.
"It's just as we suspected... After Celestial Being attacked Taribia, all three major powers have begun preparations to form anti-Gundam units."
Walking along the sidewalk, a girl with long black hair scrolled through her communicator, observing the various national condemnations of Celestial Being displayed on the screen.
Within her eyes, faint streams of data flashed from time to time; she was clearly reading other data sources simultaneously.
"They are an organization intending to be the 'Enemy of the World,' after all... I imagine they're quite satisfied with the current situation."
Beside her, a boy with light blue hair was carrying a bag filled with various desserts.
"Besides, based on our previous deductions, those Agents will likely join the anti-Gundam units as well. After all, these teams have a legitimate cause and will receive massive resource support."
The black-haired girl watched the boy with the bag for a moment, then went silent. She turned her head toward a short-haired girl with pale blonde hair who was currently buying choco parfait at a shop.
"Nishikigi Chisato!"
The black-haired girl felt as if a nerve in her head had snapped, and her body seemed to be entering a state of "thermal red" from irritation.
"We still have to—"
"Oh! The choco parfait is ready!"
Before the black-haired girl could finish, the pale blonde girl named Chisato Nishikigi ran over and stuffed a cup of choco parfait into her hands.
"This one's yours, Takina!"
"Nagisa, this is for you."
After seeing that the black-haired girl had a firm grip on the tea, Chisato nodded with satisfaction and casually handed the final cup to the light-blue-haired boy who had been carrying the bags.
"Ah... thanks."
The boy, Nagisa, took the choco parfait and took a sip naturally.
"You two... Nagisa, stop indulging her all the time."
Looking at her teammates, the girl addressed as Takina—full name Inoue Takina—couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Inoue Takina was the leader of this special squad. She was currently leading her members, Chisato Nishikigi and Nagisa Shiota, on an operation in the AEU Orbital Elevator zone. Their mission was to infiltrate an AEU base provided by VEDA and gradually uncover the truth behind the "Agents."
Of course, the descriptions above were mostly internal snark from Chisato's mind, but their mission details were indeed correct.
Infiltrating the AEU base to gather intelligence on the "Agents"—for this goal, they had even utilized a large number of powerful cybernetic implants, nearly crossing that forbidden red line known as Cyberpsychosis.
I'm really jealous of the biological cybernetics in this world... but I'll wait until everything settles down before mentioning it to Big Brother Roz Links. Given our squad's situation, these high-end cybernetic bodies are a necessity.
Thinking this, Chisato fluidly reached into the bag Nagisa was holding, pulled out a croissant, and began munching on it.
Development around the Orbital Elevator was quite impressive; at least the commercial district here was highly advanced.
"Time is tight, we still have many—"
By now, Takina had recovered from Chisato's antics and began nagging about their current status.
"But there's no need to rush this second; projects like this need to be planned properly."
Swallowing the croissant, Chisato countered Takina's view—and then stuffed the remaining half of the croissant into Takina's mouth, blocking any further words.
"You guys really get along well..."
Watching the two start bickering again, Nagisa Shiota smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The warmth of the sun, the sweet and icy sweet taste of the choco parfait, and the feeling of the breeze... how long had it been since he had properly experienced this feeling of being "alive"?
He had once looked up what happened to his own world. After seeing the "Original SEED" timeline—which had been invaded by Agents and turned into a living hell—and seeing his own death in that timeline, he had fallen into a long period of negativity before recovering.
"When the time comes, I guess we'll have to pull off a 'Moon Mission: Impossible' just like Big Brother Roz did before."
Takina swallowed the rest of the croissant. "We can't afford to be lax!"
"Big Brother Roz didn't have the advantages we have now back then..." Chisato shrugged.
"But the enemies we face are also extremely cunning and dangerous."
Takina shook her head. "None of us know if they still have some unknown abilities!"
"We absolutely won't let them destroy this world."
At that moment, Nagisa spoke. His usually calm and gentle tone vanished, replaced by a firm, clear resolve. "We will find them, and then, without leaving a single one behind, we will expel them from here."
"We absolutely cannot let more people become like us."
Though the atmosphere hadn't outwardly changed, both Takina and Chisato understood one thing.
Nagisa Shiota was ready to kill.
-----------------------------------
Meanwhile, in the dormitory of a secret AEU base.
"Good news. The AEU is preparing to form an anti-Gundam unit. Four-Eyes has already pulled strings for us to secure slots; get ready to transfer to the dedicated base."
The Captain of this group of Agents stood in the center of the dorm, showing the transfer orders to his remaining teammates.
"The AEU will provide unlimited resources to this unit. The goal is to defeat and capture the Gundams, which aligns perfectly with ours. Moreover, this unit might eventually be equipped with machines called 'GNX.' It's all benefit and no risk."
"However, regarding the upcoming three-nation joint exercise... I expect the GAZuOOT can only last that much longer. When the time comes, it will serve as bait to lure out that Hunter, Lane Aim."
At this point, the Captain turned his head. "Ah-Bao, what's the status of the GAZuOOT's modifications?"
"Our mechanic is still working on it. The ejection cockpit must be calibrated to escape the Penelope's attack range..."
Sitting on his bed, Ah-Bao spoke somewhat distractedly.
"Speed up the progress... It must be completed before the joint exercise."
Recalling the simulated "Lane Aim" and Penelope from their training—though they had completely seen through the man's psychology and had a certain chance of victory—discarding the GAZuOOT that had fought alongside them for so long was a necessary condition for success.
He was certain that "Lane Aim," distracted by a massive swarm of AEU Hellions, would definitely show a weakness. That would be their chance.
"Locksmith, what's wrong?"
Just then, he noticed Locksmith, the one who had completed the psychological profile of "Lane Aim." At the moment, Locksmith was rubbing his temples with a strange expression.
"My early warning has been triggered. There are unknown enemies."
Feeling the warning skill he had purchased from the Lord God constantly blaring alerts, Locksmith couldn't help but grit his teeth.
But compared to the needle-prick sensation he usually felt when an enemy intended to ambush him, this current feeling was more like someone repeatedly slamming a hammer into his skull.
"Unknown enemies..."
Hearing Locksmith's words, the Agents' Captain subconsciously widened his eyes.
"Is it a Hunter?"
"Doesn't feel like it. When we encountered that Hunter before, the warning felt like someone trying to jam a gun barrel against my temple."
Locksmith shook his head.
"Anyway, the opponent is very strong."
"Do you have the confidence to beat them?"
"I didn't spend all those points and permissions for nothing. This 'Bullet Time' skill isn't just for show."
Facing the Captain's question, Locksmith curled his lip.
Despite his words, an unexplainable sense of panic washed over him, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
"Don't worry, Captain."
Considering the fragile atmosphere of the team and wanting to prevent a total collapse of morale, Locksmith gave the Captain a thumbs-up. "Even though this unknown enemy feels incredibly powerful..."
"We will win!"
...................