The trio didn't linger in Ethan Rayden's office. After exchanging information and sharing a brief, tender moment, they left. Lacus still needed to prepare for her concert, and Yang Hui and Natarle couldn't stay out of sight for too long. After all, the wild young men and women of their unit had followed them to the general headquarters.
"This is truly insane..." Yang Hui remarked with a wry smile, looking at the soldiers swarming in lines for autographs.
"Are you still unaware of just how much charm she possesses?" Natarle asked teasingly.
"Yes, no matter which world it is, her voice is a treasure to the world." Yang Hui said this with great confidence. Even if a hundred years, a thousand years, or even longer were to pass, he would never forget the gentle song that had once resounded just for him in a garden, washing away all the restlessness, cruelty, brutality... all the negativity in his heart.
"Then why did you call her a monster?"
"Er... can we not bring that up?" Yang Hui said awkwardly. His romantic history was extensive enough to be compiled into an encyclopedia of love. He started as a complete novice, then was pursued, experienced a calm and natural relationship, played the part of a scumbag, and even acted as a domineering CEO... It was a very rich history, but it was also one of the few dark spots on his record.
"Major, Captain Badgiruel, there you are!" Ford Romfellow and Amuro appeared at just the right moment, breaking Yang Hui's awkwardness.
"Did you get your autographs?" Yang Hui asked, looking at the signature boards in their hands.
"Of course! Hehe!" Ford Romfellow and Amuro showed off their signed boards, grinning foolishly like children.
Soon, he saw the members of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division walking over one by one, all holding Lacus's autograph boards with satisfied looks.
"You all got one?" Yang Hui asked with a smile.
"Yeah! Major, Miss Lacus has even heard of us!"
"That's right, Miss Lacus asked us right away if we were from the Twelfth Independent Technical Division. When she found out, she even asked the others to let us go first!"
"And there's more! Miss Lacus had originally prepared pre-signed boards, but when she learned we were from the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, she signed them all for us by hand!"
This was to be expected. After all, Lacus wasn't an idol who relied on her fans for a living; she no longer needed to prove her status by doting on them. So, after confirming she would hold a concert in the East Asia Theater and knowing she would encounter many fans, she had prepared numerous autographs in advance, only a small portion of which she had personally signed.
But she made an exception for the Twelfth Independent Technical Division. Every single board, every stroke of the signature on them, was freshly written by her own hand. Publicly, she stated, "This is a reward for heroes."
In reality... wasn't it all thanks to Yang Hui?
If they weren't Yang Hui's direct subordinates, Lacus would never have given them such special treatment.
So, looking at everyone's foolish grins, the demon in Yang Hui's heart began to break its seal. The horns on his forehead seemed to grow longer and sharper.
"Are you happy?"
"Happy!" came the chorus of voices.
"Are you pleased?"
"Pleased!" they chorused again.
"Excellent! Since you're all so happy and pleased, then..."
"Major, I need to pee..."
"Uh, Old Liu asked me to help in the mess hall!"
"They're short-staffed over by the stage..."
The crowd, lost in their joy, suddenly felt a cold wave wash over them. The source of the frost, Yang Hui's demonic form, was gradually awakening. Everyone scattered in an instant, making up all sorts of excuses to flee the scene.
"Heh heh, you think you can escape?" Yang Hui sneered sinisterly. You can run, but you can't hide. Having Lacus personally sign so many autographs for them had made his heart ache. How could he live up to his nickname as the Great Demon King if he didn't train them properly for this?
The members of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division dispersed, but many more Federal Army soldiers hoped to get Lacus's autograph, even a pre-signed one.
Although they were envious of the preferential treatment the Twelfth Independent Technical Division received from Lacus, very few were jealous. After all, the unit's recent combat record was simply too astonishing. The feat of capturing Kycilia Zabi alone surpassed all their previous accomplishments.
The news had spread throughout the entire East Asia Theater. Aside from a few incompetent officers who were jealous of the talented, no one disputed the achievements of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division.
"Excuse me... are you Major Yang Hui?"
Just then, Lacus walked over and took the initiative to greet Yang Hui.
"It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Miss Clyne." Yang Hui and Lacus's relationship had not been revealed to the public, so they still had to put on an act.
"Major Yang Hui, thank you for your contributions to the Federation. As a citizen of the Federation, I am proud to have a hero like you."
"You're too kind, Miss Clyne. Every soldier of the Federation is a hero. Heroes shouldn't be judged by their merits, but by their determination and actions."
"That's a very noble sentiment, Major Yang Hui. With you and the ace unit you lead, I believe we can end this war sooner and welcome the arrival of peace."
"As soldiers of the Federation, our duty is to protect its people. Peace is our shared prayer."
"It was a pleasure speaking with you, Major Yang Hui. I need to go prepare for the concert now. I hope we can meet again."
"If fate allows."
With that, their simple conversation ended. Lacus gave a slight curtsy and departed. She still had to prepare for the concert, and although she didn't need to rehearse, it was a good excuse to escape the endless stream of Federal Army soldiers coming for autographs.
Just as Lacus turned to leave, Yang Hui noticed some murderous gazes mixed in with the crowd. This killing intent wasn't the kind directed at him out of jealousy because an idol had spoken to him; it was a casual, matter-of-fact killing intent aimed at Lacus.
"Yang Hui." As a seasoned veteran, Natarle naturally noticed the killing intent as well and reminded him in a low voice.
"There are too many of them. We can't watch them all individually." Yang Hui shook his head slightly. Though not a huge number, there were over a dozen of them. The crowd was too large and diverse, making it impossible to know which units they belonged to. They couldn't be tracked for investigation, so the only option was to strengthen security measures.
"I'll call Fort and the others back."
"Order the 2nd and 3rd Squads to return to the garrison immediately and bring their MS over. Tell them it's to enhance the stage effects for Lacus's concert. At the same time, have the 4th and 6th Squads inspect the stage to see if there are any problems."
"Got it."
...
"What? Enhance the stage effects? But... the stage is almost ready. Isn't it too rushed to change it now?" Lacus's manager in this world wiped his sweat as he politely declined Yang Hui's suggestion.
The concert was set to begin in the afternoon, so it was indeed too late to alter the stage. But Yang Hui's status in the Federal Army was too high. The manager had also heard about the achievements of Yang Hui and the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, and he believed the Federation would heavily publicize this accomplishment. When that happened, Yang Hui would not only be a hero of the Federal Army but a hero of the entire Federation. He didn't dare to refuse him.
"I agree," Lacus said, walking over and accepting the proposal.
"Miss Lacus? But the time..."
"It's alright, I have a good idea," Lacus said. "We can move the audience seating back a bit to clear some space for two MS. I can sing on the hand of an MS then."
"Sing on the hand of an MS? No! That's too dangerous! Miss Lacus..."
"It's fine." Lacus shook her head and smiled at Yang Hui. "I trust that the soldiers of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division won't let any harm come to me. Right, Major Yang Hui?"
"Of course." Yang Hui nodded. He had personally trained them, after all. If they couldn't even handle a small task like this, they might as well commit seppuku to avoid further embarrassment.
"Major Yang Hui, I have a request. I hope you'll agree to it."
"Please, go ahead, Miss Clyne."
"I'd like to ask your unit's soldiers to maintain security for the concert. Is that possible?"
As expected of Lacus, she and Yang Hui were perfectly in sync. The moment Yang Hui suggested using MS to embellish the concert, she knew he had discovered something and wanted to arrange for his own unit to protect her. So, Lacus went along with it and readily agreed.
"Of course. They will be more than happy to."
"Then I'll be counting on you, Major Yang Hui."
The manager watched from the side. Seeing that Lacus had already made up her mind, he had no way to object. He could only follow her wishes, rearrange the stage, and have the 4th and 6th Squads of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division re-inspect the entire stage. The 2nd and 3rd Squads also immediately returned to the garrison, piloted their mobile suits to the vicinity of the stage, and equipped them with Aerial Combat Packs.
If the situation got out of control, the squad members would immediately get Lacus into a cockpit and escort her away from the scene.
The others inspected the surroundings and stood guard around the stage to prevent any suspicious individuals from approaching.
"Major, we found something." After a thorough inspection, Giorgio Miguel came over and whispered in Yang Hui's ear.
"I found something on my end too."
"Me too."
Travis Kalan and Blog Karl had also discovered problems at the same time.
"The material of the stage supports has been tampered with. It would have collapsed midway through Miss Lacus's performance. We also found micro-bombs at the four corners of the stage, and the smoke machines were laced with a toxic substance."
"A bomb was found in audience section B."
"A bomb was also found in section C."
"Heh, they certainly have a lot of tricks. Clean all of this up. Don't let anyone else know."
"Understood."
"Blog, Fred, Travis, during the concert, keep a close watch on the audience. Take note of anyone with a strange expression, but don't alert them."
"Understood." The three replied in unison.
"Jung, Yu." Yang Hui took out his communicator and contacted Jung and Kajima Yuu, who were on standby in their cockpits. "If chaos breaks out, Miss Clyne's safety is the top priority. You don't need to worry about anything else."
"Understood," they both replied.
"Natarle, report this situation to Ethan Rayden. Tell only him."
"I know what to do."
After arranging everything, Yang Hui scanned the concert venue, his eyes filled with a coldness that could freeze souls.