Great, we're doomed now!

This was part of his strategy to establish his prestige:

Being a leader doesn't mean that sitting in that position allows you to issue orders to anyone and have them accept them without question—even the "emperor," being the highest symbol of power, still cannot achieve this.

Ye Shou gained a large following in the army through a major battle, but after all, people are not machines, and this excitement cannot last forever.

He needs to achieve success in other areas as well to break free from the constraints of being a "general" and develop into the image of a "monarch".

This is the only way forward, because no matter how strong [Bayeri] is, it is impossible for one machine to overthrow the entire M·A camp!

The Calamity War was a war that squeezed out the potential of the entire civilization and integrated it into one. The Gundam was powerful, but it also required a lot of logistics, maintenance, and supplies, as well as support units like the Valkyrie, and transport ships responsible for deployment.

To truly form a combat force, each Gundam needs to be equipped with a small legion!

Ye Shou didn't have time to build his own trusted army from scratch, so he could only recruit elites from other forces.

Maintaining an entire army requires more than just personal charisma.

The three major military strategy terms can basically solve the problem of command ability, but in addition, we also need to mark them with some kind of "brand" to strengthen their sense of belonging and make them completely independent from their "home".

Uniform clothing, slogans, language, and even tattoos can enhance a sense of belonging. Those who are more particular will use beliefs and discipline.

Ye Shou's choice was more direct—

【Alaya Consciousness】!

If it's just about enhancing the pilots' combat capabilities, Ye Shou only needs to help solve the technical difficulties of prosthetic body transplantation—ultimately, it's just a neural interface issue, a basic technology in the cyber world.

Don't even mention that nanomechanical fixation won't work; in Night City, they'd just dismantle your entire spine!

There's not even a need for him; Lucy has been a volunteer at the Main World Medical Center for so long, she's quite skilled in that area.

However, Ye Shou did not do that. He only improved the completion of the Alaya consciousness, but did not reduce the transplantation risk.

However, he "happened" to be an excellent prosthetic surgeon, so as long as he performed the surgery, the success rate was almost 100%, and even if it failed, there would be no aftereffects.

Several volunteers who had previously undergone unsuccessful surgeries were able to stand up again thanks to his treatment!

So naturally, everyone chosen as a Gundam pilot will be reborn in his hands!

The Holy Grail Mark of the [Prosperous Country] makes them naturally more inclined to be close to Ye Shou.

Ye Shou did not deny that he did this in order to strengthen his control over the Gundam Legion!

Once his position is secure, the risks of the surgery will naturally be addressed, but not yet!

...But at the time, he didn't expect that his decision would bring about such a subtle "chemical reaction".

The Alaya-vijnana system differs from ordinary brain-computer interfaces. This thing can stimulate the brain, enabling it to generate spatial sensing capabilities, while also further developing mental power—perhaps it's an inherent style of the Gundam worldview, always related to mental power.

Unfortunately, whether during the Calamity War or in the original story, once a pilot gets behind the Gundam, they face intense battles. Everyone is risking their lives, and there is no time or environment for them to grow naturally.

Otherwise, in the end, they might even develop some kind of telepathic ability.

Ye Shou's intervention caused the pilots' Alaya consciousness to undergo an unexpected evolution:

Whether it's the Holy Grail Mark or the effect of the [Demon God Chief], all those who underwent transplantation under Ye Shou's care showed obvious signs of awakening spiritual power.

The main characteristic is that they can sense when they encounter "the same kind". Even if they cannot see them, they can know that they are nearby. When fighting together, they only need minimal verbal communication to complete many complex tactical operations.

And they could all sense Ye Shou's presence!

—Even though Ye Shou himself did not implant the Alaya consciousness.

According to Agnucca's description, general anesthesia is similar to the experience of death; you simply close your eyes and nothing happens, not even dreams.

However, during his coma after the surgery, he clearly regained self-awareness and saw a golden light that made people want to move closer.

Despite having no evidence, he was certain that it was Ye Shou!

It's worth mentioning that Ye Shou was somewhat suspicious about this matter; he was the kind of person who didn't like unexpected changes.

Agunica, however, remained very calm and quickly accepted this feeling, even taking a sense of pride in it.

...It's not that it's incomprehensible.

The specific effects of this mental connection are not yet clear, but what is known is that when they fight under Ye Shou's command, their mental strength is greatly enhanced, their synchronization rate with the Gundam is greatly improved, and the burden on their bodies is reduced.

In other words, Ye Shou's existence compensated for the deficiencies in Alaya consciousness, turning them into perfect warriors!

"Lord Kuze, the Speaker invites you to tomorrow's military meeting to discuss how to ensure that important facilities are not destroyed during the upcoming Second Battle of Sydney."

"As usual, let Agnica go in my place."

Ye Shouke didn't have time to chat with a group of mediocre people; his attention was always focused on the documents in front of him.

His subordinates' reaction was entirely expected; they nodded and left the office.

Kuze Yoshimori, the ace pilot who shone brightly in the Battle of Sydney, possesses unparalleled combat skills, but is a naive child when it comes to politics and social interaction—that's how the higher-ups see him.

From his first public appearance at the award ceremony, Ye Shou's interactions with officials, from his words and actions to his attitude, revealed him to be a "passionate but naive" young man.

They'll occasionally throw out phrases like "For the sake of a clean and blue world," "Human glory will live on forever," "Does M·A want to start another war?" and "People can understand each other"—phrases that are often unclear.

He speaks without considering the occasion, often embarrassing people, so many officials don't like him... but that's also why they trust him so much.

In order to recognize his military achievements, he was elevated to the throne of heroism, which also tacitly acknowledged the independence of him and his subordinates.

Now, Ye Shou is the rightful commander of the Gundam unit, and Agunica is his deputy.

The higher-ups were even more wary of Agnica than of Ye Shou, seemingly believing that placing a passionate young man like Ye Shou in charge would make Agnica more restrained in his actions.

Even if Agnica wanted to instigate collusion among the Gundam pilots, the higher-ups could easily frame him and then use Ye Shou's prestige and status to suppress him.

A perfect art of checks and balances!

Sydney's top officials could hardly contain their admiration for their ingenuity!

After all, he was just a young man under twenty years old. No matter how superb his driving skills were, he was still too inexperienced and could only become a knife in our hands!

—Therefore, Ye Shou often doesn't show his face, creating a persona of a war maniac who is not interested in politics and only likes to take on missions and go out to fight M·A.

But from his assistants to the Gundam pilots below him, everyone who actually worked under Ye Shou knew what kind of person their superior (the monarch) was.

He does enjoy launching attacks, but he never does it randomly. Every time, it's to rescue his brother units. Kahu Falk was one of them, and he later joined Ye Shou's command.

It's true that he dislikes politics, because he never saw the so-called parliament as an obstacle in his path and disdained to use conventional means of vying for power.

His daily routine consisted of constantly meeting with or seeking out qualified subordinates, processing progress reports from the MS factory at night, and spending his free time cultivating relationships with [Bayeri] in the hangar, while also practicing on the simulator with new mobile phone pilots.

He's busier now than he was in the main world!

After all, without a mature capital enterprise like the Jiushi Group to provide human resources, and with a severe shortage of government-related talent, despite its efforts to expand, it is still essentially a makeshift operation.

—It's just that this makeshift team possesses the most advanced military force in human history.

Thanks to Liuli for creating many living beings with her substitutes, she secretly simplified a lot of the work. One person was equivalent to an entire secretariat, which prevented Ye Shou from being overwhelmed by endless meetings and paperwork.

After processing a batch of documents, Ye Shou rubbed the bridge of his nose, looked up, and gave Falk, who was sitting at the table, an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"will not."

Falk, now dressed in his Allied uniform again, sat down and saluted: "Lord Kuze is truly very busy and doesn't need to set aside his precious time to receive me."

“That won’t do. It would be too disrespectful to treat a hero who leads a lone army in battle while still protecting the people with just a piece of paper.”

Ye Shouwen said, "Agunica and the others all have very important work to do. I'm just signing documents and looking at reports. I should also share some of the work appropriately."

"I am truly flattered..."

"You've just returned, so you might not be fully aware of the situation yet," Ye Shou asked with concern. "Have your subordinates and those refugees been settled?"

Falk was taken aback, then deeply moved, and quickly replied, "I've already moved into the dormitory."

"It's been less than two months since the first battle, and a lot of repair work is underway. The conditions are a bit poor, so please bear with us for now, and we'll gradually improve them later."

Ye Shouzheng said seriously, "I know you've just experienced a major change and may not be used to the current situation yet, but time waits for no one. You must immediately throw yourself into your work. Is there a problem?"

"No! Mission accomplished!"

"Your only task now is to go to the Gundam frame manufacturing plant, cooperate with the engineers in physical fitness and simulation tests, adjust the frame structure and various performance aspects, and then put forward your modification suggestions."

"This...is a private machine?" Falk exclaimed in surprise. "I've only just returned and I already have such an honor?"

Ye Shou raised his voice slightly: "Each Gundam is a unique machine! One of a kind!"

"it turns out……"

"How else can we fight against M·A?"

“I see… indeed!” Falk nodded in understanding.

Unlike other Gundam universes, the Iron-Blooded series doesn't have a "mass-produced Gundam" concept. Each mobile suit is named after one of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods and has its own unique design, external armaments, and characteristics.

This isn't to say they dislike mass production, but rather that the dire situation forces them to do so:

First, there is a shortage of resources. The Gundam frame requires many rare minerals, and even materials from the moon and Mars. However, Earth has been isolated for a long time and relies solely on depleting existing resources to survive.

Secondly, there were also production capacity issues. Gundam isn't a mass-produced item; key parts require meticulous adjustments from many skilled engineers and time for refinement... In fact, the very last few of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods were produced after the Calamity War was almost over.

Finally, the enemy was too "cunning".

M·A is a self-evolving killing AI. A major reason why humans cannot defeat them is that all weapons and equipment are currently in M·A's database. They have already analyzed them and made various preparations before launching a war.

If we use the limited resources to mass-produce Gundam, then if even one mobile suit is figured out by M·A, the deterrent power of the entire series will be greatly reduced!

Why not take the elite force route?

Dedicated personnel and dedicated aircraft – that's the spirit of craftsmanship we're after!

"Including my [Bayeli], there are now five Gundams ready for battle. In addition, twelve more frames have been completed and are currently being trained with the pilots—you will be one of them."

Ye Shou looked at Falk with great expectation: "If you finish earlier, you might be able to make it in time for the second Battle of Sydney."

“The second time…” Falk’s gaze darkened, as if deep in thought.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. After receiving Ye Shou's permission, he quickly walked in. It was a handsome young man with medium-length purple hair.

"Lord Kuse, this is my latest achievement. Please take a look!"

"Oh, Birdwin," Ye Shou was also pleased to see this person. "Is the skeleton of [Simone] finished?"

Birdwin was originally a promising young talent in the Allied Forces, but he followed Ye Shou to kill several M·A aircraft in the Battle of Sydney, and then joined the army without hesitation when he was invited to do so.

He was a somewhat chuunibyou (delusional) to the point of being superstitious. Even though the Seventy-Two Demon Gods were just a gimmick and it was uncertain whether seventy-two would actually be produced, he took it very seriously and specially chose his favorite one, "Simonli," as the name of his vehicle.

Therefore, although Simmons ranks 66th among the demon gods, he was released relatively early.