Fred's arrogance was a common mistake often made by young upstarts.
Yet this was also his opportunity to prove himself.
Appearing not to notice the shock on everyone's faces, Fred left immediately after speaking.
Though the others wanted to talk with Fred further to determine which family's Elite Coordinator he belonged to, he had vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving them with no chance to pursue him.
"Celui, looks like you've missed your chance."
Holding the design blueprint and work list, someone soon teased the bearded man with a joking laugh.
"Tch... I didn't say anything..."
Facing the crowd, the man named Celui averted his gaze as he spoke.
The masked man's performance had been too terrifying, leaving Celui somewhat helpless.
However, this didn't mean there was no chance to turn things around.
As long as he could complete his work faster than the other party, that would still count as an achievement.
As for seizing Fred's position, that thought had already vanished from his mind.
Since this opportunity was lost, there would be others in the future.
The important thing was to accumulate as much practical achievement as possible to catch the attention of May City's representative.
On the contrary, offending this young man whom even Yuri, such an influential figure, supported would likely mean no future opportunities at all.
This much was clear to him.
"Do your work well."
Having said that, Celui also left, finding the situation rather dull.
"Still so fond of putting on airs."
"Isn't it great? It's rare to see him taken down a peg."
Amid their banter, the group quickly moved past Celui's earlier attitude.
"But what do you think Freed's background is? He doesn't seem like any of the Elite Coordinators I know."
"Who knows? Maybe he's from one of those prominent families. In any case, he's not someone to provoke."
"And if he can really pilot a Work Vessel, that makes it even more so."
The difference between an all-rounder and a specialist was significant.
Hearing this, the others grew more serious.
"Let's just focus on doing our jobs properly."
"Of course I know that."
With these words, they all left to attend to their duties.
...
Not long after, in outer space, the Hub was indeed surrounded by high-quality new fabric, just as Yuri had described.
Those outside couldn't see inside, and naturally, those inside couldn't see outside either.
"But won't this make the Atlantic Federation suspicious?"
After inspecting the entire Hub from the cabin, Fred spoke calmly.
He was fully prepared for Blue Cosmos's probing, though it seemed unnecessary for now.
Alec remained close behind him.
"We've rehearsed this countless times over the past year, and they've conducted numerous surprise inspections already."
"Moreover, from a practical standpoint, this Screening Fabric effectively defends against various cosmic rays, providing safer conditions for maintaining high-precision equipment."
"It's one of our Coordinators' recent proud achievements."
Yuri explained proudly over the communication channel.
"I see..."
It seemed they had indeed planned this carefully.
However, that didn't mean they wouldn't conduct surprise inspections.
"Wait..."
Thinking back to the recent attack, Fred suddenly understood something.
The truth behind that terrorist attack still hadn't been clarified, and it was unlikely the Council Nations would choose to conduct surprise inspections at this time.
If they were to suddenly impose a blockade, they might disregard public opinion. However, given their previous diversion tactics and the current turbulent public opinion within PLANT, the Atlantic Federation probably wouldn't act recklessly.
But... if this were true, who could be behind the attack?
While pondering this, Fred's hands never stopped moving.
"Valves two and four closed, power in sector D45 shut down. I'm beginning work now."
"Other sector supervisors may also commence."
Nominally, as long as Yuri didn't assume command, Fred was in charge here.
"Understood."
"Received."
Listening to the responses from several people, Fred didn't continue speaking, instead feeling somewhat surreal about the situation.
This was his first time directing so many researchers. Remembering his former strict boss, Fred felt complex emotions swirling within him.
He never expected his first taste of authority would come here. Yet the youth who thought he'd never command others surprisingly felt little discomfort with the role.
Nor did he feel any thrill of petty ambition. As his abilities grew stronger, directing others would become increasingly common.
As the saying goes: with great power comes great responsibility. Though he didn't plan to shoulder these responsibilities indefinitely, while in position he would fulfill his duties conscientiously.
There was no question of abusing his authority - after all, Yuri was still overseeing everything.
Thus, Fred adapted to command without any difficulty, quickly settling into his role.
Soon, Fred opened the heat dissipation panel at the hub before him, skillfully manipulating three long mechanical arms to begin work.
Before long, in the control room, Yuri stared at the surveillance feeds and the camera from Fred's work pod, stunned by what he saw through Fred's first-person perspective.
"So fast?"
From Fred's viewpoint, three mechanical arms moved with fluid precision. The miniature cutter in hand worked with remarkable accuracy and speed, resembling an experienced technician.
"Has Fred operated work pods before?" Yuri wondered, marveling at proficiency rivaling their own Aces.
"No, he shouldn't have." Recalling Fred's intelligence files, Yuri grew increasingly astonished.
Come to think of it, Fred frequently piloted that Mistral back in Copernicus. Though his current skills still fell short of their Aces, considering Fred's age made his performance extraordinary.
Given time - no, perhaps soon - Fred could develop Ace-level capabilities. Combined with his understanding of structural mechanics...
Could he pilot an MS?
Watching the youth on screen, Yuri felt uncertain. While they currently had no Mobile Suits, they possessed MS prototypes - full-body powered suits resembling smaller versions of MS, external powered exoskeleton armor.
Conventional wisdom said only Naturals could operate this armor, but as both senior officer and professional researcher...
He still knew some inside information.
Probably not possible... But if Fred actually succeeded... it would likely surprise quite a few people.
However, now wasn't the time to make such decisions.
He needed to continue observing.
Thinking this, Yuri reined in his wandering thoughts.
And once again turned his evaluative gaze toward Fred's footage on the screen.
-
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