Recaps

Long Fei and Fadis struck each other with their final attacks, and a Mental Energy Wave pulled their souls into separate unknown spaces. As both armies fought to retrieve their motionless leaders, Taoxiang’s Freedom Gundam shielded Bull Gundam from an incoming funnel, leaving her to fear she and Long Fei would die together.

• Long Fei and Fadis poured their mental power into their right fists and struck Bull Gundam and the Crimson Emperor simultaneously, sending each other’s souls into spaces filled with opposing mental currents.
• The Mental Energy Wave gave Newtypes across the battlefield severe headaches, while Taoxiang and Grisina discovered that Long Fei and Fadis were unresponsive.
• Saint Dragon and the Crimson Princess attacked Bull Gundam, but Barbatos Lupus and Freedom Gundam intercepted them as both sides’ forces converged to protect their leaders.
• Taoxiang and the Crimson Princess withdrew with Bull Gundam and the Crimson Emperor while the Skywing Mercenary Group and Dion Army continued fighting around them.
• Dion Army units broke through the Skywing defensive line, and Emerald units sent funnels after Bull Gundam despite Taoxiang and the defenders shooting down several attackers.
• Freedom Gundam shielded Bull Gundam from the last funnel, and Taoxiang closed her eyes and said they would meet again in the next life.

Taoxiang discovered she was pregnant when the unborn child unleashed overwhelming white mental force from the Freedom Gundam, seizing control of nearby funnel weapons and turning them against the Dion Army. Julius ordered his forces to kill Taoxiang and the fetus, while the Skywing Mercenary Group fought to protect them.

• White mental currents from the Freedom Gundam seized control of nearby funnel weapons, which attacked Verdant and other Dion Army units.
• Taoxiang sensed that the white mental force came from the child in her womb and realized she was pregnant.
• Julius ordered the Dion Army to kill Taoxiang and her unborn child, prompting Saint Dragon and other units to charge the Freedom Gundam.
• The Skywing Mercenary Group intercepted the attackers as Grisina escaped with her father, and Taoxiang directed the child to distinguish friendly funnel weapons from enemy ones.
• The child controlled Dion Army funnel weapons until their energy ran out, while its mental force strengthened Skywing Newtypes and suppressed Julius and the Dion Army Newtypes.

Taoxiang used the unborn child’s mental power to predict Saint Dragon’s movements and help suppress Julius, but Lishman sacrificed himself to cover Julius’s retreat. When a Super Nuclear Explosion Missile threatened the battlefield, the child awakened Bull Gundam’s psychoframe and slowed the missile with a Mental Energy Wave before Taoxiang and the others withdrew.

• Taoxiang foresaw Saint Dragon’s evasive moves and directed Freedom Gundam and Barbatos Lupus to corner Julius’s machine.
• Grisina ordered the Dion Army to retreat as it prepared to launch a Super Nuclear Explosion Missile, while Blood Fang and its damaged Blood Demons covered Saint Dragon’s escape.
• Lishman rammed Saint Dragon out of Destiny Gundam’s plasma cannon and urged Julius to withdraw, then died fighting off the pursuing Gundams.
• Taoxiang sensed danger, learned the missile was heading toward Bull Gundam and Freedom Gundam, and obeyed the child’s request to touch Bull Gundam rather than withdraw immediately.
• The child controlled Bull Gundam and sent out a Mental Energy Wave that slowed the Super Nuclear Explosion Missile, allowing Taoxiang and the other units to retreat.
• A Neutron Interference Missile detonated within range and triggered the slowed missile, whose explosion had been weakened to the force of an ordinary tactical Nuclear Missile.

After the battle, Grisina ordered the Dion army to retreat while Long Fei and Fadis remained unconscious. Long Fei was taken to a hospital ward, and Taoxiang woke from a nightmare about losing her unborn child before preparing to handle matters for the Skywing Mercenary Group.

• Grisina accepted Julius’s recommendation and ordered the Dion army to withdraw to the Mars Sphere.
• Gao Weide’s livestream team filmed Long Fei being removed from the Bull Gundam before Sky Wing Mercenaries stopped them and confined them to a lounge.
• Doctors found Long Fei’s vital signs normal, but he remained unconscious; Taoxiang waited outside the emergency room until exhaustion forced her to rest.
• Inside a red mental space, Long Fei realized he could not break through Fadis’s mental power and sat down to meditate.
• Taoxiang dreamed that she had lost her child, then woke and confirmed that the baby was safe while Long Fei remained unconscious.
• After receiving a report, Taoxiang dressed in her Skywing Mercenary Group uniform and prepared to help manage matters while Long Fei was incapacitated.

As the generals debated whether the Skywing Mercenary Group should pursue the retreating Dion Army, Taoxiang heard both sides and favored withdrawing to preserve their strength. Salamander proposed exploiting divisions within the Dion Empire, but the chapter ended as he explained the empire’s entrenched noble factions.

• Li Xiucheng asked Salamander whether the group should press its advantage or withdraw, and Salamander argued for withdrawal because the boss was unconscious and other powers were watching for weakness.
• The generals split into opposing factions and argued until Mother Rabbit entered the command room; about an hour later, Taoxiang arrived and took her seat.
• Lieutenant General Quincy urged Taoxiang to pursue the defeated Dion Army, while Lieutenant General Aixisi explained why withdrawal would better protect the group from a costly counterattack and intervention by other nations.
• Taoxiang said she personally agreed with the withdrawal faction and asked Salamander to give his recommendation.
• Salamander endorsed withdrawal and proposed a plan to kill with a borrowed knife, explaining that Fadis had been preparing his son Yelishao De to inherit the throne despite opposition from the Dion Empire’s powerful nobles.

Salamander persuaded Taoxiang and the generals to delay releasing the Annihilation Army so Dion’s rival factions would weaken one another. After ordering a withdrawal, Taoxiang took over Long Fei’s affairs while he remained unconscious, leaving the Skywing Group’s stability under close scrutiny.

• Salamander explained that releasing the Annihilation Army at the right time could spark conflict between Yelishao De and Alexandre’s factions in the Dion Empire.
• Taoxiang ordered the troops to withdraw while leaving units behind to clear the battlefield and rescue survivors.
• Gao Weide and his team resumed their livestream, and foreign leaders watched the Skywing Mercenary Group for signs of turmoil after Long Fei fell unconscious.
• Taoxiang went to Long Fei’s office to handle the growing workload and told Long Kui that Long Fei was unconscious but would recover soon.
• Mother Rabbit brought Taoxiang reports of people taking advantage of Long Fei’s condition, and Taoxiang ordered her to remove those harming the company.

As the Annihilation Army struggled to escape the Anglo-Saxon Democratic Republic, Manius feared Yelishao De had begun eliminating Alexandre’s supporters in the Mars Sphere. Meanwhile, foreign leaders schemed to exploit Long Fei’s condition and provoke a Dion Empire civil war, leaving Manius aware of the trap but compelled to act.

• Manius and Alexandre decided the Annihilation Army’s priority was to fight its way out before Yelishao De could move against their allies in the Mars Sphere.
• After receiving new battlefield information, Manius redeployed the Annihilation Army while Dan Wenwu followed orders to obstruct it temporarily, then leave openings for its escape.
• Gao Weide’s interview at Sub-base 12 ended, and he reported that Long Fei remained unconscious and Taoxiang was handling the Skywing Group’s operations.
• Major-nation leaders considered stealing Long Fei’s designs and encouraging conflict between Yelishao De and Alexandre, then ordered their militaries to reduce pressure on the Dion Empire.
• Manius recognized that the United Army and Skywing Group were maneuvering to benefit from a Dion civil war, but feared Yelishao De had already acted against his family.

Taoxiang returned to the main base with her daughters while Long Fei remained unconscious, and Long Xuan learned that Taoxiang was four months pregnant with a Newtype child more powerful than Long Fei. When Taoxiang placed Long Fei’s hand on her belly, he began to twitch, suggesting the child’s psychic power was reaching him.

• Taoxiang reunited with Long Guo and Long Fu, who asked to see their father, and told them Long Fei was resting.
• Long Xuan learned that Taoxiang was pregnant and heard how the unborn child had protected Taoxiang and Long Fei during battle with powerful Newtype abilities.
• Long Xuan and the other women urged Taoxiang to delegate her workload, and Long Wen was sent to help her at the main base.
• After finishing their homework, Long Guo and Long Fu visited Long Fei’s private ward with Taoxiang and Long Xuan and called for him to wake.
• Taoxiang placed Long Fei’s hand on her belly, and his fingers and brow twitched as the unborn child’s psychic power seemed to draw him toward it.

Long Fei escaped Fadis’s mental space after the unborn child in Taoxiang’s belly merged its spiritual power with his, awakening him after eleven days. Reunited with his family and stronger than before, he received a briefing on international tensions and discussed the Dion Empire, the United Army, and the threat posed by satellite cannons.

• A white ball of light appeared in the red-thread mental space, merged its power with Long Fei’s spiritual currents, and helped him shatter the space and escape.
• Taoxiang, Long Guo, Long Fu, and Long Xuan welcomed Long Fei when he awoke, and Taoxiang explained how their unborn child had helped free him.
• Long Fei learned that he had been unconscious for about eleven days and told Long Xuan that Third Sister should still come to help.
• Li Jiaming briefed Long Fei on the international situation, and Long Fei praised Salamander’s strategy of letting the Annihilation Army go to divert attention toward the Dion Empire.
• Museria warned that the Dion Empire’s satellite cannon could stop the United Army, and Long Fei suspected major powers were sending spies to steal his satellite cannon technology.

Long Fei concealed his awakening while he and his allies exposed widespread corruption and foreign interference within the Skywing Group. The group prepared to act against the traitors as other nations watched for turmoil in both the Skywing Group and the Dion Empire.

• Long Fei told Anton and Li Jiaming to keep his awakening secret so they could observe the foreign powers’ moves.
• Long Fei arranged for Long Xuan to become Skywing Group vice chairwoman and for Third Sister to take over her subsidiary.
• Mother Rabbit reported that Skywing commanders and officers had sold intelligence, weapons, and materials to outside forces, prompting Long Fei to prepare a crackdown.
• Taoxiang learned that Xu Jingyun was nearly four months pregnant and told Long Fei after their call.
• On June 7, the Skywing Group announced that Taoxiang would temporarily assume Long Fei’s duties, leading foreign leaders to speculate that he was unconscious.
• Foreign think tanks judged the Dion Empire more likely to fall into internal conflict first and watched both it and the Skywing Group for signs of turmoil.

While the Skywing Mercenary Group’s boss was unconscious, the Glamour Shadow unit killed Manrohan and Colonel Colondo for secretly selling precious materials and abusing their positions. The agents left to handle the scene as they noted that an internal purge was beginning, with the Pope and Saintess aware of the group’s operations in the country.

• Manrohan asked Colonel Colondo to supply thirty percent more materials, and Colondo demanded triple payment to cover the risks and bribes.
• Two Glamour Shadow operatives revealed photographs of Manrohan’s kidnapped relatives and Colondo’s dead family, then killed Manrohan and overpowered Colondo.
• A dark-haired operative injected Colondo with poison after the blonde operative explained that the boss’s wife had authorized the execution.
• The three women warned the dancers to keep silent and handed the scene over to agents, who took the dancers away.
• Agents A, B, and C discussed the Skywing Mercenary Group’s coming internal purge and the Pope and Saintess’s tacit approval of its operations in the country.

As Long Fei remained in a coma, the Skywing Mercenary Group’s purge of alleged traitors and their families drew international outrage and speculation about Taoxiang’s control of the group. The chapter ended with the Wanluo Federation surrendering Jamus and his assets under the threat of an attack by the Skywing Mercenary Group.

• The Annihilation Army broke out of its encirclement and returned toward the Mars Sphere while Dan Wenwu arranged for its troops to return to their bases.
• Reporters uncovered deaths and disappearances among the Skywing Group’s executives and associates, and Long Kui denied that Long Fei and Taoxiang’s relationship had broken down.
• Jamus appeared on AAA News and accused the Skywing Mercenary Group of killing his father’s family after his father sold classified materials.
• The Skywing Mercenary Group confirmed that it had dealt with traitors and their associates, defending its actions as necessary to protect its mercenaries.
• The Skywing Mercenary Group demanded that the Wanluo Federation hand over Jamus and his assets, threatening to destroy its Colony Satellites with the Alpha Unit.
• The Wanluo Federation agreed to the demands, fearing the consequences of refusing.

Taoxiang punished the Skywing Mercenary Group’s traitors and reclaimed materials from countries that had bought them, while District 6 prospered as refugees arrived. Long Fei, secretly awake in the hospital, considered building a new Space Fortress in preparation for another war with Fadis.

• The Skywing Mercenary Group demanded that countries return materials bought from its traitors and refused to refund their money, though Taoxiang returned most of Xu Weiran’s country’s payment.
• Researchers in several countries studied the traitors’ processed materials, hoping to learn how the Skywing Mercenary Group made them.
• The wars launched by the Dion Army paused, and the District 6 colonies attracted investment while their governments struggled to manage incoming refugees.
• Long Fei read reports in his hospital room, which only his guards and covert medical staff knew he had awakened in.
• Long Fei weighed several Space Fortress designs and decided that he needed to begin building one before a possible future battle with Fadis.

Long Fei reviewed plans for expanding the Skywing Mercenary Group’s fleet and logistics ahead of a possible campaign into the Mars Sphere. He considered several carrier, transport, support, and battleship designs, leaving the final choice on some ships to the generals.

• Long Fei reviewed the Guanwana-class MS Carrier’s construction and argued that its high MS capacity and atmospheric operation made it valuable despite its weaker firepower and high maintenance costs.
• Long Fei proposed building ZAFT Airdrop Transport Ships and upgraded orbital drop pods to deliver ground forces onto planetary surfaces.
• Long Fei rejected the Vagan Battleship as a development priority but considered the Fa Zeos, Fa Bose, and Mobile Fortress Downs, noting their carrying capacity and training and maintenance demands.
• Long Fei decided that Rabian Roses should be modified to repair ships and supply forces with food and other necessities during an advance into the Mars Sphere.
• Long Fei considered the Dogos-Gia Class Battleship a cheaper, easier-to-maintain alternative to the Revil and left development of Zeon’s Gwadan-class for the generals to assess.

Long Fei reviewed plans for new mobile suits, MD-controlled fighters and ground vehicles, and support equipment, considering how they could be upgraded and assigned to different forces. He also recalled that Sparta Battle Suit II’s Psycho-frame could link psychically with drones and considered improvements to weapons for Newtypes.

• Long Fei reviewed plans for Scorpio, Taurus, Birgo II, and Big Viper, considering upgrades, weapons, and MD System control.
• Long Fei evaluated fighter units including Sky Dominator, Sky Overlord, Mobius Zero, Wired Pod Strike Pack, and Exus for MD control, Haro operation, and combat roles.
• Long Fei considered upgrading ground vehicles with better scanning, sonar, and anti-stealth systems, and assigning some to suppression forces.
• Long Fei assessed Miga Knight as a transport and support unit for MS and special operations teams, deciding that Haro control would suit it.
• Long Fei realized Sparta Battle Suit II’s Psycho-frame could establish psychic control links with drones and reviewed weapons designed for Newtypes.
• Long Fei noted that Sparta Battle Suit II was developing new external equipment and specialized motorcycles with automatic control systems and concealed weapons.

Long Fei reviewed Mobile Armor development files, shared plans for new units with Taoxiang, and discussed naming their unborn child Quan and building Gundams for their children in the future. While Taoxiang slept, Long Fei resolved to keep directing the group from behind the scenes and draw out dangerous internal enemies.

• Long Fei reviewed files on Mobile Armor and decided that some units should be developed for the Ferocious Hound Squad while other proposals needed the generals' evaluation.
• Taoxiang told Long Fei that their unborn child used telepathy to demand spring water, and the couple agreed that Quan could be the child's name.
• Long Fei transferred development files to Taoxiang and imagined building Unicorn, Banshee, and Phenex Gundams for Quan and their daughters; Taoxiang warned him not to send the children to battle before adulthood.
• Long Fei reflected that Taoxiang appeared to run the group while he secretly issued instructions, and he resolved to lure dangerous people inside the group out of hiding.

Taoxiang led a meeting at the main base to review new military blueprints and discuss which ships and weapons the Skywing Group should build. The commanders strongly backed several designs, especially Mobile Fortress Downs and Rabian Rose, while the Dogos-Gia Class Battleship emerged as a practical standard warship.

• Taoxiang gathered the commanders and senior officers, while Mother Rabbit attended beside her, as the organization dealt with the unexplained disappearances of corrupt and disloyal commanders.
• Taoxiang circulated blueprints for new warships, units, and weapons, prompting officers to consider whether they had come from Long Fei's technology.
• The commanders debated the Guanwana-class MS Carrier, Airdrop Transport Ship, Fa Zeos, and Fa Bose, including whether the Umbrella System could evade the Dion Army's Anti-stealth Device.
• The generals urged Taoxiang to build Mobile Fortress Downs to improve frontline production and resupply, and supported Rabian Rose ships for repairs and manufacturing.
• Taoxiang explained the Dogos-Gia Class Battleship's range, lower construction cost, and maintenance advantages, while the Gevadan Class Battleship remained under review.

Taoxiang warned company officials against corruption and leaking secrets, then Colony Sphere nations sought Skywing Group investment to stabilize their economies after the Dion Empire’s war temporarily halted. Long Xuan negotiated strict investment terms, and several nations accepted them to attract Skywing Group bases and outside capital.

• Taoxiang reviewed proposed aircraft and ground units for combat support, requested evaluation reports, and warned officials to stop skimming profits and selling company secrets.
• Taoxiang ended the meeting and left with Mother Rabbit and the commanders of the eight directly subordinate units.
• On June 22, Cosmic Year 125, the Dion Empire’s war temporarily halted without a ceasefire agreement, leaving Colony Sphere nations to rebuild amid economic hardship.
• Colony Sphere leaders sent officials to seek investment, and Long Xuan negotiated with them under Taoxiang’s authorization, with Fikes joining the delegation.
• Long Xuan required tax-free investment for ten years and other conditions, refusing to lower her terms when neighboring nations objected.
• Three nations accepted Long Xuan’s conditions, and the countries that secured Skywing Group investment publicized the news as capitalists rushed to invest.

The chapter described the Colony Sphere’s worsening pirate threat and the booming demand for the Skywing Mercenary Group’s escorts. With recruitment standards set to return to normal in August of Cosmic Year 125, mercenaries flocked to join while the Group’s forces struggled to handle a flood of commissions.

• Pirate Groups acquired powerful mobile suits through corrupt military personnel and black-market dealers, allowing them to threaten smaller mercenary groups.
• Criminal organizations feared the Skywing Mercenary Group and paid protection money after it wiped out a Pirate Group and attacked its headquarters.
• Merchants combined their fleets and pooled funds to improve their chances of hiring the Skywing Mercenary Group, whose commission mailbox crashed from the demand.
• Li Jiaming announced that recruitment standards would return to their original level in August of Cosmic Year 125, prompting small-group mercenaries to rush to join while they could endure the easier training period.
• The Skywing Mercenary Group’s regular forces, special forces, and Long Fei’s eight subordinate units took escort assignments, leaving even the Cross Vanguard to switch from pirate work to escorting cargo.

Li Xiucheng escorted a merchant convoy while reviewing how the Skywing Mercenary Group cared for and trained war orphans. After Shadow Mad Dog Squad members rescued children from an abusive pickpocket ring and uncovered organ trafficking, Song Guowei sent Li Xiucheng a report about the case.

• Li Xiucheng agreed to lead the Shadow Mad Dog Squad in escorting a merchant convoy to the Gas Empire after Base 22 asked for help.
• Merchant employees discussed why the corporations trusted the Skywing Mercenary Group to protect the convoy and wondered whether the Dion Empire would ransom its captured soldiers.
• Li Xiucheng reviewed the program that tested and trained war orphans for mercenary service or work in Skywing Group subsidiaries.
• Song Guowei and other members caught children stealing, later found them being abused, and rescued them along with other children held by their controllers.
• Song Guowei learned that the adults had beaten children to death and sold their organs, questioned the adults about the trafficking network, and sent Li Xiucheng the details.

Li Xiucheng heard how the Skywing Mercenary Group rescued abused war orphans, while Alexandre returned to the Mars Sphere and learned that Yelishao De had consolidated power during their father’s unconsciousness. Duke Mollicet warned Alexandre that the great noble faction was weakened and would have to act cautiously.

• Li Xiucheng saw that the rescued children had been given safe lives and prosthetic limbs, following Taoxiang’s orders to rescue children and destroy the criminal groups exploiting them.
• On July 22, Cosmic Year 125, Alexandre returned to the Mars Sphere with Manius, where Yelishao De and the officials welcomed them.
• Alexandre learned that his father remained unconscious, noticed Yelishao De’s people occupying important posts, and visited the emperor before leaving with Duke Mollicet.
• At Duke Mollicet’s residence, Alexandre asked about Yelishao De’s power, and his grandfather explained how Yelishao De had prepared to take control and expose corruption among the nobles.
• Duke Mollicet told Alexandre that the great noble faction was now on the defensive, with the Annihilation Army as its chief remaining leverage against Yelishao De.

Yelishao De worked to stabilize the Dion Empire, rebuild its economy, and avoid civil war while agreeing to diplomatic contact with the Oya Cross Nation. Meanwhile, the Oya delegation prepared to travel to the Mars Sphere, and Long Fei and Taoxiang discussed their company’s affairs and Taoxiang’s younger sister.

• Yelishao De ended child conscription in the Annihilation Army, returned the children to their families, and transferred forcibly conscripted young soldiers into the regular army.
• Yelishao De asked Grisina to handle government documents carefully and hoped to negotiate with the Skywing Mercenary Group for the return of captured soldiers.
• Yelishao De agreed to the Oya Cross Nation’s request for diplomatic contact, and the Oya Cross Nation prepared a delegation led by a diplomatic bishop because pregnant Saintess Aina could not travel.
• The Oya Cross Nation’s diplomatic visit became public, prompting speculation that it would seek a ceasefire with the Dion Empire.
• Taoxiang complained to Long Fei that people blamed her for harshly disciplining the company while he handled documents from his hospital room.
• Taoxiang told Long Fei that her younger sister had visited only once in the past month and had since gone on another mission.

Yelishao De sent Christoffen to negotiate with the Skywing Mercenary Group for the return of captured Dion Empire soldiers, but Li Jiaming and Salamander demanded exorbitant ransoms and compensation. Christoffen left without an agreement after realizing the mercenary group had no intention of bargaining sincerely.

• Yelishao De sent Christoffen to the Skywing Mercenary Group's main base to negotiate for the return of Dion Empire soldiers.
• Christoffen reunited with her former colleague Salamander as Li Jiaming welcomed the delegation.
• Li Jiaming gave Christoffen a list of steep ransom conditions, including payments based on soldiers' ranks and prior compensation owed to the mercenary group.
• Christoffen's delegation protested the terms, but Li Jiaming and Salamander refused to lower them.
• Salamander had Sky Wing Mercenaries enter the negotiation room, and Christoffen's delegation left without an agreement.

Long Fei refused to return the captured Dion soldiers, believing their release could help the Dion Empire resume the war. He reviewed the Skywing Mercenary Group’s booming business and expanding military production, while warning that spies had infiltrated the Skywing Group and access to sensitive information would come at a price.

• Yelishao De heard Christoffen’s report and set aside the Skywing Mercenary Group’s unaffordable ransom demands while preparing for the Oya Cross Nation delegation.
• Long Fei decided to keep the Dion prisoners rather than strengthen the Dion Empire’s depleted forces or risk their return coinciding with Fadis waking.
• Long Fei reviewed the Skywing Mercenary Group’s overcrowded ranks, expanding bases, and profits, which Li Jiaming was investing in Mobile Fortress Downs and other warships.
• Long Fei approved the increased production and upgrades, but postponed building psychoframe Gundams such as the Unicorn while his children were young.
• Long Fei warned that spies from various countries had infiltrated the Skywing Group and that sensitive information would require a price to obtain.

Long Fei reviewed nonlethal capture weapons intended to handle child soldiers if the Dion Empire went to war again, and watched a field test in which Sky Wing Mercenaries used them to capture a bandit leader and rescue a hostage. After Taoxiang remarked that Long Fei had changed since his battle with Fadis, he reflected that he wanted to spare both children and his troops the lasting harm of killing them.

• Long Fei reviewed plans for capture weapons, believing the Dion Empire might again send teenagers and children to fight on Mars.
• Long Fei watched a field-test video in which Sky Wing Mercenaries used tranquilizers, sleep smoke, and an electric baton to subdue a settlement and extract a bandit leader and hostage.
• Long Fei watched further tests showing Viscous Guns, rope-binding guns, Net Guns, and Stun Guns immobilizing their targets.
• Taoxiang joined Long Fei and asked why he had developed weapons for capturing people.
• Long Fei explained that he wanted to avoid hurting child soldiers and protect his troops from the lasting psychological harm of killing them.
• Taoxiang told Long Fei that he had changed since fighting Fadis, and Long Fei acknowledged that he least wanted to hurt children forced onto the battlefield.