The manner in which Char made his escape was quite dashing.
By the time the Federation Forces began locking down the base, Char had already departed at triple the usual speed.
He hot-wired a jeep, drove it straight into the colony, and abandoned the potentially traceable vehicle before turning into a narrow alleyway.
Inside the alley, Char efficiently stripped away his disguise. He unzipped his trousers to shed the specialized Federation uniform, revealing a pair of black casual pants underneath.
He discarded the Federation jacket and shirt to show a T-shirt, and with a quick tap of his feet, the tactical soles of his shoes unlocked; he kicked them into a nearby trash bin like a soccer ball.
He bundled up the discarded clothes and tossed them into the bin with a basketball-style jump shot. Reaching into a hidden corner of the alley, he opened a trash bag to reveal a stashed duffel bag.
When Char emerged from the alley again, he had transformed into a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache and slicked-back blonde hair.
Dressed in casual pants and a long-sleeved shirt with a backpack slung over his shoulder, he held a phone in his hand, looking for all the world like a man checking a shopping list.
It was a stroke of luck that the lunar colony didn't have many surveillance cameras; otherwise, in the short time while Hathaway was dining with Bright, Char would never have been able to scout such an effective escape route.
Currently, Char had three remaining escape routes planned.
'Hopefully, I won't need to use them' he thought.
Maintaining a calm demeanor, Char walked into a milk tea shop and sat down directly behind Hathaway.
"What took you so long?"
Hathaway didn't turn around, questioning the disguised Char directly. "What were you doing just now? Why the sudden change in disguise?"
Hearing Hathaway's voice, Char couldn't help but recall his conversation with Bright, nearly failing to suppress a laugh.
"Well... I just went to check on a few things and was nearly recognized by the Federation."
Char did his best to keep his voice steady so Hathaway wouldn't suspect anything. "You know my features are quite distinctive, so I went to switch to a different disguise."
"Are you alright?"
Upon hearing this, Hathaway instinctively asked, "If it's too risky, we can postpone the meeting with Anaheim until next time..."
At this moment, Hathaway couldn't understand why Char's spirit seemed so hyper-excited, as if he had just encountered something incredibly joyful.
"Don't worry, I've settled everything," Char said, his back still to Hathaway as he gave a thumbs-up with his right hand. "We can leave for Anaheim at any time."
"I'm quite curious to see what kind of mobile suit they're willing to give me on credit."
'If that's the case... then his mood must be due to the anticipation of receiving a new machine', Hathaway thought, finishing the last sip of coffee in his cup.
Lifting his head, he gazed at the brilliant blue water-planet slowly rotating above the moon's horizon.
It was such a small planet when viewed from the dimension of the universe, yet for thousands of years, the grudges and passions of humanity had revolved around her.
Truly, it was as Char had once said: whether regarding the environment or the corrupt state of the Federation, humanity had reached the point where they must leave Earth, this water-planet known as the "Cradle of Humanity."
Hathaway stood up, cutting off the reflections brought on by the sight of Earth, and looked toward the disguised Char.
"Let's go."
Hathaway let out a sigh. "I just hope these negotiations go smoothly..."
For some reason, the closer they got to this final act, the more Hathaway felt a sense of trepidation in his heart.
-----------------------------------
The two of them entered Anaheim quite smoothly. At Hathaway's strong insistence, Char had even changed into a suit.
However, in what was likely a flare-up of Char's mischievous streak—having gained a general understanding of why Hathaway had a stress response to him wearing sunglasses—he opted for a light brown suit instead.
When Hathaway saw this outfit, his hands on the steering wheel instinctively stiffened, nearly causing him to swerve into a guardrail. Fortunately, he regained control at the last second, and no accident occurred.
Upon entering the Anaheim meeting room, Hathaway and Char saw the person who had been waiting to receive them.
"Long time no see, Hathaway."
A middle-aged man with short black hair and a slight paunch, dressed in a black suit, greeted them. "This must be the companion you mentioned when you contacted us, the one who would be coming along for the inspection."
"I am Sun Xiaochuan, an accountant for Anaheim."
The Anaheim accountant named Xiaochuan handed Char a business card.
After receiving the request for negotiations from Hathaway via a private line, Anaheim assumed he simply wanted to acquire more Messer units.
They hadn't taken the meeting very seriously, and consequently, they had only dispatched an accountant who specialized in "black ops" dealings with anti-Federation organizations.
On the surface, an Anaheim accountant only needed to manage the company's various financial affairs.
In reality, they not only had to be experts at creative accounting and tax evasion, but certain accountants also had to interface with anti-Federation groups to provide them with various projects, including MS and warships.
Mafty was the "black glove" they had recently handpicked. What they needed were "localized conflicts" that would not escalate into total war.
So far, Mafty's actions had aligned perfectly with their expectations—especially after absorbing the "Mafty" from Oenbelli, which had made these localized conflicts more frequent.
The Federation's attrition forced the Federation Forces to come to Anaheim to purchase parts, ammunition, and updated units.
While these orders didn't bring in the staggering profits of past full-scale wars, the income was still quite substantial.
To ensure this "black glove" remained under control, Anaheim had placed restrictions on Mafty's MS count and overall combat power.
According to the original plan, Mafty was only permitted to possess twelve Messer units and one custom machine reserved exclusively for Hathaway.
However, due to the recent resurgence of the supposedly eradicated Zeon remnants, the Federation Bureau of Investigation has been putting Anaheim through the wringer.
The resulting losses have prompted some on the Anaheim board of directors to push for increased aid to Mafty, hoping to pressure the Federation further and squeeze those losses back out of them.
"You've arrived at just the right time, Hathaway. Your dedicated custom unit will be ready for shipment in just a few days."
As he spoke, Xiaochuan gestured toward the window.
There, upon a massive MS frame, workers were operating various machines to install components and armor plating.
"The RX-105 Xi Gundam."
Xiaochuan looked at Hathaway. "A machine perfectly suited for you, fine-tuned based on your own pilot data."
"Everyone is looking forward to seeing how it performs in your hands."
"So that Anaheim can continue to provoke the Federation, forcing the Federation Forces to keep coughing up money for MS upgrades?"
Char toyed with the business card Xiaochuan had just handed him, arching an eyebrow.
Faced with Char's sudden interruption, Xiaochuan felt a flicker of annoyance, but his professional training allowed him to maintain his smile as he explained, "At the end of the day, Anaheim has to turn a profit. Since we can't recover the cost of our aid from you, we have to get it from elsewhere. You should have realized that a long time ago."
"Millions of workers are waiting on Anaheim for their wages to put food on the table; the livelihoods of a million 'tanker-workers' depend on this."
Xiaochuan shook his head. "If you think about it, the fact that they can continue to work like this is all thanks to you. You're doing something truly great."
Faced with Xiaochuan's "righteous" explanation, Hathaway felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort, while Char merely sneered, treating Xiaochuan's words as a joke.
"Right, Hathaway, what new negotiations are you planning for this visit?"
Xiaochuan smiled, completely indifferent to the duo's attitude toward him as he continued his inquiry.
"We, Mafty, require more assistance."
Hathaway spoke bluntly, with no intention of playing word games. "Our current MS count is severely insufficient; we simply cannot contend with the Federation."
"Uh... the directors at Anaheim have held meetings to discuss the aid provided to you. If you truly need more... perhaps I could report it to my superiors?"
Xiaochuan shook his head as he spoke. In truth, Xiaochuan had no intention of reporting Hathaway's request for more aid; he wouldn't dare take such an action before the Board of Directors issued an official mandate.
"The Board meetings take some time... how about we help you modify some of the Messer units to fill the gap for now?"
Xiaochuan proposed an option that seemed like a "step back."
However, both Char and Hathaway knew that this so-called "filling the gap" could stretch on indefinitely.
After all, if the Federation truly grew ruthless and launched a full-scale suppression of Mafty, it was an open question whether they would even see tomorrow's sun.
Hathaway was about to say something, but Char reached out and pressed a hand onto his shoulder, signaling him to stay silent.
"Forget it... that is a decent option, isn't it?"
Char sensed that the attitude of Xiaochuan—or rather, Anaheim—was already quite clear. It was time for him to step in. "There is no need to make things difficult for a salaryman."
"Ah, wonderful! This gentleman is truly understanding."
Upon hearing Char's words, Xiaochuan clapped his hands. "Long live mutual understanding!"
Char, seemingly wanting a clearer look at the Messer units parked not far from the Xi Gundam, removed his sunglasses, revealing his blue eyes.
After watching for a moment, Char turned his head toward Xiaochuan.
Xiaochuan felt that Char's face looked familiar, yet he simply couldn't recall where he had seen it.
"In that case, please help me change the Messer's paint scheme to a bright red—preferably the kind that draws everyone's eyes to me—and add a horn to enhance communications," Char said with a smile, voicing his requirements with apparent nonchalance. "Finally, don't forget to set up a mode that removes the machine's performance limiters."
Char's requests were not difficult for Anaheim; one could even say they were simple enough to be done with eyes closed. Yet, inexplicably, Xiaochuan felt a creeping sense of weirdness.
"Bright red? Why use that color? Wouldn't that just make you a sitting duck on the battlefield?"
Xiaochuan lowered his head slightly, grumbling as he calculated the feasibility of the modifications. "Changing the Messer's antenna to a horn shape and removing the performance limiters isn't hard..."
Wait. A Messer. Red. A horn. Removing performance limits?
Isn't the Messer a mono-eye?
At that moment, as the words left his mouth, Xiaochuan suddenly seemed to discover something. He snapped his head up toward Char.
This face, these eyes—though they looked youthful, they were identical to Char's.
Dammit, there's no mistake. It's Char! Char is still freaking haunting Anaheim!
In an instant, Xiaochuan felt a cold sweat break out violently across his body.
....................