Yang Hui and Lyle wandered aimlessly through the desert like searching for a needle in a haystack, trying to track down Cagalli.
"Seriously, Yang Hui? We're just going to look like this?"
"What else can we do? That old bastard Uzumi only told me she's somewhere in the North African desert. Nothing else."
"Don't we have our own intelligence network?"
"Ugh…" Mentioning their intelligence network only gave Yang Hui a headache. "…Our network isn't fully established yet. We're short on manpower, so we can only focus on key targets. Cagalli… wasn't one of them."
"You're joking, right?" Lyle raised an eyebrow.
Cagalli was Uzumi's daughter, the most prominent young princess of Orb in the public eye. And you're telling me she wasn't important enough?
"Who knew this girl never learns her lesson?" Yang Hui rubbed his face in frustration.
He had thought that after all the scolding and discipline he'd given Cagalli growing up, she would have turned out more obedient. At the time, they were indeed short on personnel, and considering Uzumi would surely assign bodyguards to watch over her, they had removed her from the surveillance list. After all, intelligence on the Earth Forces and PLANT was far more critical than keeping tabs on a troublemaker like Cagalli.
Originally, their intelligence network had coverage in both South and North Africa. But a few days ago, the ZAFT Forces seized Victoria Port, growing increasingly aggressive and pushing the Earth Forces stationed in South Africa into retreat. All allied forces had withdrawn, leaving only the South African Union and local resistance groups to hold out stubbornly—even the high-ranking officials of the South African Union had already fled their own territory.
As a result, their intelligence network in the region had collapsed overnight, cutting off all communication.
This was supposed to be Wang Liu Mei's next problem to solve. But before she could even address it… Yang Hui and Lyle had already arrived in North Africa.
"So, what do we do now? We can't just keep searching blindly like this. We'll never have enough time," Lyle complained.
"…Let's head to the nearest town. We need to restock on food and water anyway, and maybe we can find some of our people there," Yang Hui said helplessly. For now, finding a populated area was their best bet for gathering intel.
"Guess that's our only option." Lyle sighed. He had thought tagging along with Yang Hui on a mission—whether it required brains or brawn—would be easier with him around. But now…
Ugh. Poor planning.
Following satellite navigation, Yang Hui and Lyle arrived at the nearest settlement—a village nestled in a canyon called Tassil. Despite the harsh conditions, the people here wore genuine smiles, clearly a community of simple, honest villagers. Except… they seemed a bit hostile to outsiders.
"Who are you?" Before they could even enter the village, they found themselves staring down the barrels of guns. Yang Hui and Lyle were speechless—especially Yang Hui, who cursed Cagalli inwardly. Nothing good ever came from being involved with her!
"We're just travelers passing through, looking to restock on food and water in town," Yang Hui explained as calmly as possible.
"Travelers? In a place like this?" The villagers exchanged skeptical glances but didn't lower their weapons. "Who do you think you're fooling? This area's already been taken over by ZAFT, and our village is in the middle of nowhere. No travelers would come through here. You're ZAFT spies, aren't you?"
"We're not spies from ZAFT, we really were just passing through..." Yang Hui tried to remain calm, but after being forced into this errand, baked by the desert sun all afternoon, and now having guns pointed at them, it was hard not to feel frustrated.
"Nonsense! You must be ZAFT spies! Get out!"
"Yeah, get out! Leave our village!"
"Alright, fine, we'll leave." Yang Hui didn't want to escalate things. Checking the map earlier, he'd seen another town wasn't far—just a two-hour drive—so they chose to depart.
Just as Yang Hui and Lyle were about to board their vehicle, an elderly voice called out, "Wait, please!"
"Huh?"
"The elder?"
"The elder's here!"
"Elder, we found ZAFT spies—"
"Silence! Put those guns away! You nearly harmed our most honored guests!" the elder scolded.
"Eh?"
Not only the armed young men but even Yang Hui and Lyle were stunned. They didn't recall any prior interaction with this elder, nor did they think a village elder would know their identities.
"You are...?" Yang Hui asked.
"Are you Mr. Yang Hui, the fiancé of Miss Wang Liumei?"
"You know Liumei?" Yang Hui asked in surprise.
"Hohoho, so it is you. It seems these old eyes can still recognize people. Please, come into the village with me."
"..." Yang Hui and Lyle exchanged glances but didn't follow. Everything was too strange. With just the two of them, no backup, and no mobile suits, they couldn't afford to take risks.
Noticing their caution, the elder said to Yang Hui, "Celestial Being."
At those words, their expressions shifted briefly before returning to normal. All wariness gone, they followed the elder into the village.
They arrived at the elder's home—a simple adobe dwelling. After scanning the room and confirming no hidden threats, they relaxed enough to voice their confusion.
"You are...?"
"Mr. Yang Hui, this old man is Celestial Being's representative in North Africa."
"Wha—!?" Both Yang Hui and Lyle froze.
"Please wait a moment."
The elder went into an inner room. After sounds of rummaging, he returned holding a specially crafted metal emblem.
"This is proof."
The circular emblem had three layers: a copper-brown outer ring, a silver inner section, and at its center, a golden symbol of Celestial Being—two white wings overlapping beneath it.
"Yes, this is indeed Celestial Being's identification. But you... how...?"
Assured of his identity, they relaxed further, but their expressions grew even more perplexed.
"Actually, it's not just me. The entire village are members of Celestial Being. I'm merely the representative. Three years ago, this village wasn't here—it was deeper in the desert. That year, sandstorms were frequent, and the rains never came. We reached our limits with both water and food. If not for Miss Wang's timely arrival, we all would have perished."
At that time, Miss Wang not only procured ample food and water for us at high prices from nearby towns but also assisted the entire village in relocating. This was a life-saving grace for us, so we wanted to repay Miss Wang, yet we had nothing to offer, which filled us with deep shame.
Then, Humay's child accidentally overheard Miss Wang recruiting people to develop an intelligence network. The child came and told me, so I sought out Miss Wang and became the head of the North Africa region."
"This..." Yang Hui and Lyle found it rather absurd. They had met several members of the intelligence network before—though not necessarily professionals, they were all young and robust men. What was Wang Liu Mei thinking? How could she appoint an elderly man as the regional intelligence head for North Africa? And... she even roped in the entire village!
"Hohoho, Lord Yang Hui, are you wondering why Miss Wang chose me as the head?"
"...Yes." Just this one question alleviated some of Yang Hui's doubts. Someone who could read his thoughts was no ordinary person.
"You may see me as old, but I still hold some influence in this region of North Africa. Unlike big cities, the desert villages are interconnected. We rely on each other to survive in this harsh environment, so my connections span this entire desert area. Moreover, the young people in the village respect this old man. On top of that, I never personally go out to gather intelligence, and my age serves as the perfect cover. That's why Miss Wang chose me as the head."
"...I understand. Thank you for your assistance."
These reasons were flawless, but Yang Hui silently added two more in his mind: meticulous thinking and precise judgment.
"Then I'll get straight to the point, Elder. First question—why couldn't we contact you?"
"The ZAFT Forces' commander in North Africa is Andrew Waltfeld, known as the 'Desert Tiger.' He is an extremely cautious man. From the moment North Africa was occupied, he deployed powerful jammers across the desert to cut off all electronic signals. Originally, our location near the edge of the occupied zone wasn't heavily affected. But as you likely already know, something happened a few days ago."
"The fall of Victoria Port."
"Correct. With Victoria Port's collapse, the 'Desert Tiger' used this momentum to launch an offensive into the territory of the South African Union, expanding the occupied zone and repeating the same measures. That's why communications were severed."
"I see. Understood. In that case, on behalf of Wang Liu Mei, I hereby issue new orders: after executing the final mission, the North African intelligence network is to cease all activities and remain on standby."
"But..."
"I've studied Andrew Waltfeld's profile carefully. He is not a man to be underestimated. If you continue operations, discovery is inevitable. Moreover, North Africa is no longer our primary focus, so there's no need to put you at risk."
"...This old man understands. It's just... the debt we owe Miss Wang... sigh."
"Elder, please don't misunderstand Liumei. She helped you not to put you in danger by demanding repayment of favors."
"...Understood."
"Now for the second question, which is also the final mission." As he spoke, Yang Hui took out a photograph from his pocket and placed it before the elder. "Find this person."
"Hmm?" The elder's expression turned peculiar upon seeing the photo.
"What? Have you seen her before?"
"I have indeed seen her... May I ask why you're looking for her?"
"So you do know her."
"Yes, she's a warm-hearted and kind girl who has provided us with considerable assistance."
"What's her name? Where is she now?"
"Her name is Cagalli Yula. As for her current whereabouts... she should be at the Desert Dawn base."
"Desert Dawn? That armed resistance group? Was it established by your people?" Yang Hui paused in surprise.
"Y-yes..." The elder broke into a cold sweat, remembering how he'd agreed to Yang Hui's earlier order to remain silent and inactive. Now this revelation about armed resistance clearly violat
ed those instructions.
Smack!
Yang Hui slapped his own forehead in frustration, while Lyle rolled his eyes in exasperation, inwardly cursing: "That foolish girl~!!!"
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/TLGod
Thanks!