Chapter 152: Enemy Agent
"How should I put it? That child's condition is remarkably similar to PTSD, but I can say with certainty—it's definitely not PTSD."
After a year of psychological intervention, Dr. Lenore had finally reached this conclusion.
Leaning against the wall, her tall figure showed no concern for the wrinkles forming on her white coat.
"Though I don't know the reason, aside from hating Gundams, that child has no other issues. But she's so straightforward, and with those eyes that seem to see right through people... I wonder if she can survive in this corrupt society."
Dr. Lenore made this remark.
"I see."
Their conversation was not kept from Rita.
After all, even if they had tried to hide it, Rita would have sensed it herself.
And just as Dr. Lenore had said, Rita was actually a healthy child and didn't need any special treatment.
"So, does that mean I can leave this place too?"
Noticing that the conversation had paused, Rita turned her head and looked at Eli with her clear, innocent eyes.
Keeping the children inside the base's school indefinitely was never a long-term plan. Once it was confirmed that a child had no physical or psychological issues, they would be placed with adoptive families under concealed identities, with annual inspections by military personnel.
Only those with real safety concerns would remain in the base under constant supervision.
That was why Rita asked the question.
"Yes. Do you want to leave, Rita?"
Eli crouched down, looking at Rita, who was swinging her legs on the chair. She tilted her head slightly, her gaze drifting past Eli to someone standing behind him.
It was Christina, who had just returned from handling other matters.
With her hands covering her mouth, her eyes shimmered with tears as she responded to Rita's unspoken thoughts.
Rita wanted to stay with Christina—the woman who had cared for her like a mother ever since she had been forced into a Gundam.
Was this a common trait among Newtypes? Because they could quickly grasp others' thoughts, they tended to detach from conventional interpersonal relationships, making it difficult for ordinary people to understand how to interact with them.
But those who were more accepting and understanding often earned a Newtype's trust.
And among the most accepting emotions in the world was motherly love.
"Hmph, not that I have any interest in such things!"
Thinking back on his time with Sera, Eli reassured himself that he definitely wasn't chasing after maternal affection. Absolutely not!
With his hands on his hips, he lifted Rita under her arms and held her up in front of Christina, signaling that she could give the girl a hug.
With that matter settled, Eli left the two embracing figures behind and headed toward Augusta's hangar.
The NT-1 hangar.
Right now, the NT-1 was undergoing modifications to equip new weaponry—it was a crucial upgrade phase.
Eli had primarily been acting as the test pilot for this machine recently.
However, he wasn't here for another test. Those had already concluded, and the focus had shifted to adding new armaments.
His goal was to copy his test data from NT-1's learning computer so he could apply it to the newly arrived Gundam, avoiding the need to build a data model from scratch.
Speaking of which, there was something odd Eli had noticed a few times while operating NT-1—its OS contained a version developed based on another person's data.
Needless to say, that person was Amuro.
Eli hadn't bothered to call Christina out on it—her efforts seemed like a lot of work for little gain. Trying to develop something based on data from the One Year War might reduce the workload before actual deployment, but that was about it.
Since Christina had persisted this long, Eli didn't intend to stop her. After all, she had never made a mistake during official tests.
With the data stored on his portable terminal, Eli left the Augusta Research Institute, flagged down a passing jeep, and hopped in without paying much attention to the driver, simply instructing him to head toward the Pegasus-class vessel.
He had considered letting Kou Uraki act as the Gundam's test pilot.
Unfortunately, Kou lacked both experience and skills, had no one to vouch for him, and didn't have the backing of a stunning chief engineer.
From every angle, Kou was just not suited to be a Gundam pilot right now.
"Hey, Major, I heard there's another Gundam being tested at this base?"
Eli was slightly taken aback. He looked up to examine the driver.
"A new guy today?"
"Ah, yes. I work for the Yashima Group."
"Is that so? Nice to meet you."
The man indeed had no military insignia and was dressed in work overalls.
Eli narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Sorry, I was just curious. As a fellow Gundam designer, I can't help but wonder what other Gundams are like."
It was a reasonable explanation.
If Eli didn't have the ability to analyze people.
Nick Orvill. Yashima Group Engineer. Zeon Soldier.
For someone to have both identities, there was only one possibility—
He was a Zeon engineer who had been transferred to the Yashima Group at Granada. But even so, he still saw himself as a Zeon soldier.
In other words, he was an enemy.
Eli kept his expression neutral, making no move to apprehend the man. Instead, he deliberately let slip his own identity, baiting him into asking more questions.
Thus, they chatted the whole way—about Gundams' role, significance, and the future of MS development—until Eli arrived at the White Base and prepared to get off.
"I really enjoyed our talk, Major. I hope we can chat again next time?"
"Haha, I'll look forward to it."
Holding onto his data terminal, Eli nodded at Nick.
Standing by the roadside, he watched as the man drove off toward the Albion.
The smile on Eli's face quickly faded.
"Arthur, check the movements of a man named Nick Orvill today. Also, arrange for someone to keep an eye on him."
The first thing Eli did upon returning to his room was use the encrypted communication system to contact Arthur.
"Reason?"
"Refer to the Newtype records."
"Understood."
No further words were exchanged. Arthur simply trusted Eli and began organizing the surveillance.
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