Ten years later, it had been a decade since Asemu and Romary got married. Although Asemu was often away from Romary due to his military duties, their marital bond remained strong and unaffected by such trivial matters. Romary, having also served in the military, was no ordinary woman.
Finally, the two had achieved their dream and welcomed the fruit of their love into the world.
"Wah, wah, wah…"
"There, there, don't cry, don't cry…"
Romary gently soothed the baby in her arms, and soon the adorable little one stopped crying and began to smile.
"Wow! So cute!" Unoa's eyes sparkled like stars as she gazed at the baby.
"If you like it so much, why don't you have one yourself?" Yurin teased.
"No! Aunt Yurin, I'm not even thinking about finding a boyfriend yet!" Unoa pouted.
"Of course, my little darling is too exceptional. No man is worthy of her!" Yang Hui laughed, patting Unoa's head.
"Hmph! If I ever do find someone, he'll have to be as amazing as Uncle Yang Hui!"
Hearing this, Yang Hui raised an eyebrow and turned to Emily. "Emily, it seems the Asuno family's lineage is still hanging by a thread."
"Hahaha…"
"Hey, Asemu, go hold your son. Look, he smiles just like you." Yang Hui nudged Asemu, urging him to approach the bedside.
"Really?" Asemu smiled warmly and took the baby from Romary's arms. "Hey, little guy, your name is Kio. From now on, we'll always be together."
Little Kio listened quietly in Asemu's arms, neither crying nor fussing, as if he knew Asemu was his father. Feeling utterly safe in his reliable father's embrace, he yawned, closed his tiny eyes, and fell asleep.
After returning Kio to Romary's arms, Asemu checked the time and exchanged nods with Yang Hui and Yurin.
"Ah, you're really going to leave such a cute child behind for work?" Romary pretended to complain.
"Well…" Asemu's mouth twitched, but he patiently replied, "Sorry, but this is the last mission."
Romary turned back and playfully stuck out her tongue. "Alright, I understand. Be careful."
"Don't worry, Romary. With us around, we won't let this kid lose a single part," Yang Hui assured with a smile.
"Yes, I believe in you, Uncle Yang Hui, Aunt Yurin."
After their final goodbyes, Yang Hui, Yurin, and Asemu left the hospital room, preparing to meet up with the Celestial Being unit at the Big Ring base.
"Have you made up your mind?" Yang Hui asked Asemu on the way.
"Yes, I've decided." Asemu's decision to leave the military had been carefully considered. Protecting his family didn't have to rely solely on combat. Unlike Yang Hui and Flit, he couldn't dedicate his entire life to the military and warfare. With the birth of his son, the fire in his heart had been extinguished, leaving only a deep longing for his family and a desire to be with them.
"Well, just follow your heart. It's not like your father hasn't already given up on you," Yang Hui joked.
"Well… that's really something to apologize for," Asemu's mouth twitched again.
Flit had initially envisioned Asemu as his successor as Commander-in-Chief. After his retirement, Asemu was supposed to learn from Argreus and eventually take over as the Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Army. However, due to changes in the political system, the title of Commander-in-Chief had been replaced with "Admiral."
But alas… not everyone could be like Flit, a true all-rounder. Such individuals were exceedingly rare.
Asemu's MS piloting skills had indeed improved, surpassing even his former Captain Woolf, making him a star ace in the Federal Army. He had even earned the title of "Shining Winged Angel." While many excellent pilots had graduated from the Celestial Being unit, only a handful had ever received the "Angel" title, a testament to his exceptional abilities.
However… while Asemu's piloting skills were outstanding, his military and strategic acumen left much to be desired. Even with Yang Hui personally tutoring him, he couldn't improve in this area. Not even Flit and Argreus could change that.
In the end, they had no choice but to give up.
When Asemu first announced his decision to retire, Flit had been furious. But after some persuasion from Yang Hui and others, he eventually relented. However, the reason he gave for letting go truly made Yang Hui and the others…
"My son is a lost cause. Emily and I are too old to have another child, so we'll just have to pin our hopes on our grandson!"
…want to beat him to a pulp.
Now, whenever Asemu recalled the scene of his serious and stern father being pinned to the ground and beaten by Yang Hui and Graham, only to beg for mercy in the end, he couldn't help but laugh every time he thought about it.
The journey was silent, and the three of them returned to the Big Ring base to meet up with the Celestial Being unit, where they received a new mission briefing from Argreus.
"Two days ago, a distress signal appeared in this sector. According to our database, it came from a merchant ship belonging to Earth's Ajax Company. However, the signal lasted only a minute before going silent. I dispatched a rescue team to investigate, but…" Argreus trailed off.
"…"
The room fell silent, not only because they had guessed the outcome but also to mourn their fallen comrades.
"What was the composition of the rescue team?" Yang Hui asked.
"A Teus-class ship and two Darwin-class ships, 18 MS units, and… Dix and Arion."
"What!?" Asemu shot to his feet upon hearing their names, staring at Argreus in disbelief. Dix and Arion were his fellow graduates from the Celestial Being unit. Dix, in particular, was his best comrade and rival, who had also earned the "Angel" title.
"Admiral Argreus, was it VEGAN?" Asemu pressed.
"I don't know, but I don't think so." Argreus pulled up a star map and zoomed in on the mission's target sector. "This sector is near Space Graveyard No. 1, where the magnetic fields are extremely chaotic. Electronic devices without specialized protection would inevitably fail, and even with protection, they would be severely limited. Moreover, Graveyard No. 1 is located far behind the front lines. It's impossible for VEGAN to have infiltrated this area with a large force," Argreus analyzed.
"Have you asked Ajax Company why they chose this route?" Yang Hui inquired.
"Yes. They recently explored this route, which cuts the travel time in half compared to the original one. The previous explorations had been completely safe, so they judged it to be without risk."
"But… what could have taken out Dix and Arion…" Asemu clenched his fists.
"I don't know. That's why I've assigned this mission to the Celestial Being unit. Although, under the Admiral's leadership over the past decade, we've uncovered many VEGAN agents on Earth, there are undoubtedly more. Our forces are spread thin guarding against VEGAN's activities on Earth, so we can't afford to waste any more strength in space," Argreus explained solemnly.
"Alright, I'll take this mission," Yang Hui nodded, accepting the task.
"Thank you."
Argreus deeply respected Yang Hui. At their age, even Flit had retired, yet they still remained on the front lines of battle. Moreover, Argreus had been able to secure his position as Admiral so quickly thanks to the full support of Yang Hui and the others.
Thus, even though Argreus was now the direct superior of the Celestial Being unit, unless it was a mission critical to the Federation's survival, he would always prioritize their personal wishes.
"No need to thank me, Admiral Argreus. You're our superior now. We… are soldiers."
With that, Yang Hui, Graham, and Yurin stood up and saluted Argreus.
Argreus smiled slightly and stood up to return the salute. This was what he admired most about Yang Hui and the others—they never let their achievements or seniority affect their identity as soldiers. Even his mentor, Flit, couldn't match that.
"Graham, how's the resupply?"
"Already done." Graham gave a thumbs-up. He remembered Dix and Arion—they were excellent juniors. Whatever enemy could take them down, he was eager to face.
"Good, let's move out immediately."
The mission was urgent. The merchant ship and rescue team might still have survivors. They couldn't afford to waste any time.
Of course, that was just the surface explanation. In reality, Yang Hui knew full well that the merchant ship and rescue team were likely annihilated, as they had encountered…
"Graham, Yurin, be extra careful on this mission," Yang Hui whispered to Graham and Yurin.
"Do you know what did this?" Graham asked Yang Hui.
"Yes, it's a monster. And… if things go well, we might be able to complete one of our tasks," Yang Hui replied.
"I see. We'll buy you time," Graham nodded.
…
The Baize approached the coordinates where the rescue team had gone missing. The members of the Celestial Being unit nervously scanned the area for any signals, hoping to find survivors or, at the very least, the wreckage of the merchant ship and rescue team to determine their fate.
"Beep, beep, beep…"
"Captain, the radar has detected a signal! It's the rescue team!"
"Do we have visuals?"
"Yes."
The image was enlarged and projected onto the main screen. Everyone except Yang Hui, Graham, and Yurin stood up in shock upon seeing the rescue team's tragic state.
"This…!"
"How terrible! Who could have done this!?"
"Damn it, was it VEGAN?"
"Intelligence said there's no VEGAN here, right?"
"Enough! Stay calm!" Yang Hui sternly silenced the commotion and issued orders. "First-level combat readiness! MS units, deploy! Asemu, lead the MS units to protect the Baize and advance at minimal speed. Activate all weapon systems. Graham, Yurin, you're with me. We'll scout ahead and secure the area."
"Roger!"
Following Yang Hui's orders, the MS units deployed. Under Asemu's command, they protected the Baize as it advanced at minimal speed. The Dawn Gundam, Flag Gundam, and Luna Gundam formed a tactical formation and cautiously moved forward.
Upon reaching the fleet wreckage, Yurin used the Luna Gundam's advanced sensors and X-Rounder abilities to search for survivors, while the Dawn Gundam and Flag Gundam remained vigilant.
"Yang Hui, nothing detected," Yurin reported. Neither survivors nor enemies were found.
"Could it have left? You said that thing drifts on its own," Graham asked.
"I don't know, but we can't be sure yet… Scatter!"
The three units dispersed just as dozens of black-red Destruction Beams obliterated the wreckage of the ship they had just been near, reducing it to fine cosmic debris.
(End of Chapter)