Martha Vist was dressed in a Federal Army uniform, and what's more, she bore the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. This should have been a good thing for the Vist Foundation, but the way Martha Vist had obtained it turned a good thing into a bad one.
"What have I done?" Martha Vist looked at Cardeas with a comfortable expression, a playful smile on her face. "The first woman in the history of the Federal Army to join with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. This is enough to have the Vist Foundation recorded in the annals of history."
"Don't you know how you got this position!?" Cardeas stood up and demanded sharply.
"Hehe, my dear brother, as long as the result is good, the process doesn't matter, does it?" Martha Vist said with a smile.
"So you haven't brought any honor to the Vist Foundation, and you've utterly disgraced us instead!"
"Hehe, Cardeas, you go to great lengths to protect the one who truly brings shame to the family, yet you question and berate me for getting the Vist Foundation recorded in the Federation's history once again. Are you really a qualified head of the family?" Martha Vist sneered.
"Don't take everyone for a fool, Martha." Cardeas's tone was low, his gaze icy. "Wasn't Yang Hui's scandal all your masterpiece?"
"His very existence is a stain on the Vist Foundation! It's the same even if you send him to the Federal Army to gild his reputation. What can that incompetent waste do?"
"Hehe, is that so? Then let's see who is truly staining the Vist Foundation's name now. Is it Yang Hui? Or is it you?" Cardeas sneered mockingly. He knew a little about Yang Hui's situation, but not much. He only knew that Yang Hui had also joined the Federal Army, but he had no idea which unit, what rank, or what he was doing.
He had tried to investigate and had also contacted Yang Hui, but the investigation yielded no results, and Yang Hui had told him it was a military secret and he couldn't comment.
However... that in itself was an answer. A military secret that even the Vist Foundation couldn't uncover meant that Yang Hui's position was of considerable importance.
Furthermore... connecting this to the sudden, massive leap in the Federation's MS development, which had been lagging behind Zeon's, Cardeas wouldn't be worthy of being the head of the Vist Foundation if he couldn't see the link.
So... between Yang Hui, who earned honor and status by helping the Federation gain great power through his own abilities, and Martha Vist, who entered the Federal Army by selling her body and charms, who was truly bringing glory to the Vist Foundation? And who was staining its name? The answer was obvious.
"Hmph! I'm not here to discuss that bastard with you, Cardeas," Martha Vist snorted coldly. "I am here under General Koneman's orders to inform you that Anaheim's factories and production lines are being requisitioned by the Federal Space Force. From now on, they will all be used to produce MS and warships for the Space Force..."
"Go back and tell General Koneman that I'm afraid we cannot comply." Cardeas cut Martha Vist off directly. How could he not see through this? Requisitioning the company to produce military equipment was a pretense; the real goal was to swallow the Vist Foundation whole.
"Cardeas! These are General Koneman's orders! Are you going to defy them!?" Martha Vist thought that invoking Kin Koneman's name would make Cardeas yield. Although the Vist Foundation held a special status in the Federation, it had fame but no real power. In front of the powerful Kin Koneman, it was nothing.
But she never expected Cardeas to refuse without a moment's hesitation.
"First, Anaheim is a private enterprise. We hold no military rank and are not obliged to obey General Koneman's military orders," Cardeas said confidently.
"You are dragging the Vist Foundation to its ruin!"
"Hehe, am I?" Cardeas chuckled, not taking it seriously. "Then, second point: all of Anaheim's factories and production lines are currently in use. The client for these orders... is General Gopp. If I recall correctly, General Gopp is a full General of the Federation, is he not? And General Koneman... is merely a Lieutenant General, right?"
"You! Cardeas! You know which of the two is more important!" Martha Vist reminded Cardeas that the Vist Foundation had no military background. Anaheim's relationship with Gopp was purely transactional: place an order, produce, deliver, settle the bill, and that was it. But with Martha Vist as the link, Anaheim could join the conservative faction led by Kin Koneman, gain a military backing, and no longer be a private enterprise that anyone could push around.
"Hehe, I think the one who truly doesn't know what's more important... is you, Martha."
"You..."
"Jair, see our guest out!"
"Yes, Master." Jair Zhang, who was standing by, walked up to Martha Vist. "Second Miss, if you please."
"...You will regret this, Cardeas!"
Although Martha Vist was a favorite of Kin Koneman, she held little actual power, so she didn't dare to act recklessly. She could only leave in a huff.
Watching Martha Vist's departing back, Cardeas's expression turned cold and grim, and he made a cruel decision in his heart.
"Master, they have left." Jair Zhang returned after escorting Martha Vist and her entourage out.
"Is there any news about Yang Hui?"
"Yes, Master, but the news comes from the Zeon Army."
"The Zeon Army?" Hearing this, Cardeas Vist's brow furrowed deeply. He knew Yang Hui had joined the Federal Army, and Gopp's cooperative attitude with Anaheim was undeniable proof. So... for news of Yang Hui to come from Zeon, he couldn't help but worry. "What is the news?"
"There's a rumor that the Federation's active Ace Unit is called the Twelfth Independent Technical Division, a unit directly under General Revil's command. And the commander of this unit... is the Third Young Master."
"An Ace Unit!" Cardeas was aghast and immediately sought confirmation. "The one that turned the tide on the Middle Eastern Front, caused massive losses for Zeon in the North America Theater, and even got the better of Kycilia Zabi? Are you certain?"
"This is a rumor from within the Zeon Army. It cannot be confirmed."
"Investigate! I want you to find out for sure!"
"Yes, sir."
Jair Zhang left, leaving Cardeas alone in his office. Unsure if it was excitement or worry, Cardeas slammed his fists heavily on the desk.
"That brat, he really is the type to either stay silent or shock the world! Doesn't he know how dangerous what he's doing is!?"
The Vist Foundation had its own intelligence network. When he learned of this Ace Unit's existence, he also received intelligence from the Zeon Army. From top to bottom, every single person in the Zeon Army hated them with a burning passion. Gihren Zabi had elevated all matters concerning this unit to the highest priority and placed them at the top of his must-eliminate list. He had even publicly offered rewards for members of this unit. Anyone who could provide useful information would receive an incredibly generous reward. If one could recruit or kill any member, they would immediately be made an honorary field officer in the Zeon Army. This showed the extent of Gihren Zabi's focus on this unit.
"But... hehe, it seems... I really won the bet, haha... hahahaha!"
...
Meanwhile, Martha Vist, having left Anaheim, wore a foul expression, her leg shaking with anxiety. She was thinking about how to explain this to Kin Koneman. She had obtained everything she had now not just because of her beauty; there were plenty of beautiful women in the world, she wasn't the only one.
The reason she had successfully stayed by Kin Koneman's side was because of her surname, because of the family she was born into.
And this time, Kin Koneman had sent her to Anaheim with the intention of gradually swallowing the Vist Foundation and making it his own.
The result... was a failure right out of the gate. Her first time running an errand for Kin Koneman had ended in failure. This would cause her value in Kin Koneman's eyes to plummet.
"Gopp... I hope that excuse works. Also..."
"Miss, what are your orders?"
"Go and investigate the relationship between General Gopp and Cardeas. For Gopp to dare to reuse Anaheim, the company that got Dr. Minovsky killed, it must be more than a simple partnership."
"Yes."
"Also... what has that bastard been up to lately?"
"Young Master Yang Hui has gone missing."
"Missing?"
"Yes, just two months ago, Young Master Yang Hui suddenly disappeared. We can't find him."
"Missing? Hehe, it would be best if he died on the battlefield. At least then he'd serve his only purpose..."
"Miss, a call from General Koneman. He orders you to abandon Anaheim and return immediately."
"What! What's going on? Is General Koneman giving up on Anaheim?"
"This... it might be related to the rumors from Zeon."
"What rumors? Speak clearly!"
"It's... it's... you should know about that Ace Unit, right?"
"Hehe, of course I do. General Revil's direct subordinate unit. Its secrecy level is so high that even General Koneman doesn't have sufficient clearance. What about it?"
"Just a short while ago, news came from Zeon that this unit's full name is the Twelfth Independent Technical Division. The Federation's MS Gundam Astray Series was developed by this unit, and its supreme commander... is Young Master Yang Hui."
"That's impossible!" Martha Vist couldn't believe it was true. "Him? Yang Hui? An incompetent bastard? On what grounds!?"
"I... I don't know. And this is just a rumor from within Zeon; it hasn't been confirmed."
"Hehe, that's more like it. It seems someone is dissatisfied with the Vist Foundation, using such a ridiculous rumor to attack us. How crude." Martha Vist said with a self-righteous smile.
"Then what do we do now..."
"Let's head back first and report to General Koneman. Then we'll find another opportunity to snatch Anaheim."
Why was Martha Vist's target Anaheim and not the Vist Foundation's other enterprises? Because it was wartime. As the only company under the Vist Foundation with military production capabilities, once she got her hands on it, her influence in the Federal Army would skyrocket.
"Yes."
"Remember, no matter what General Koneman asks, stick to the story that Cardeas has sided with General Gopp and there's absolutely no possibility of winning him over."
"Yes."
"Also, put all efforts into investigating the Twelfth Independent Technical Division. If you find any clues, bring them to me immediately. If I can get my hands on that unit, maybe I won't have to keep that old man company anymore."
"Yes, Miss."
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