What ya doing, Yun?

Are we on the verge of character growth?

The only way to beat an inspection is to beat an inspection. We're against five wanzers and two autocannons. The cannons only reacted when I got close, so don't worry about them. Do try to avoid that corner, though. Our team is split up and joined by a guest on each side. The guests are snipers, but they're pretty good. Better than Hatti and friends. Probably better than Dennis... They're just as good at taking fire from us, too. The wanzers use shotguns, so stay further than three squares away. I didn't have too many problems, but I lost an ally when he went after a cannon from a downed position.

We're told the rig is safe, but there'll be more problems going forward. This is further proof this was the dumbest course of action. Back at the Hua Leon base, Chang believes we're on his side, and Huang agrees to help us find Alisa. But there's another condition: we're working for them until we have a lead. We trust these people to not screw us over with this deal and get to work in a moment. For now, though, we can visit Guangzhou. I spent a lot of time upgrading my wanzers and making sure Yun could use the new shotguns. This worked out well, and she's tankier now. Ryoji also has weird legs now, thanks to the Imaginary Number units, but he's better, too. There's a new computer here, so enjoy that sixth pellet. There are also two special comps, but I'll accept the middle ground between them. Still need new backpacks...

Head to the bar and save a girl from two drinks. Ryoji is hella creepy, so he'll hit on her right back. Marcus calls him out for it, which is good. This is Ling, a fellow rebel. We'll meet her back at the base, so let's do just that. Lua, Huang's second, will get a call. Their transport was attacked and is in dire need of backup. Ling's brother was assigned to that group, so she's worried. Finding a kindred spirit in Ling, Kazuki offers to go and save them. Ling joins us.

All we see is wreckage. Kazuki assures Ling her brother is fine. It falls on dead ears as she's already found her brother's mech. There's no time to mourn because the attackers are still around.

Two tanks, four people, and two grenade APCs. Take out the grenade guys first at all costs. Their attacks are too random to be allowed to live. At the very least, don't group your guys. Destroying three not-people will bring in two reinforcements. The leader, Xiao, condemns the Changli army's incompetence, but they did more than these two nerds did. With the unfortunate news, we return to the base.

After Ling excuses herself, Kazuki tries to console her, even though Huang didn't want him to. Ling and her brother had a terrible father. He was more interested in the DHZ army and abandoned his kids even after their mom died. This created a feeling of resentment between the two parties, which is why Ling is a rebel. Now that her brother is gone, she's alone. It's similar to Kazuki's relationship with his father and sister, so I think some cogs are turning in his head. Ling promises to remain strong.

Kazuki heads back to the group and notices Yun is gone. Ryoji says that's normal, but they want to find her anyway. We cut to Yun sitting in the bar ordering monkey brains. This is why Covid exists, China! She's upset that Kazuki hasn't paid her, and Yun needs money. She heads online and visits the DHZ site we got in the last battle. There's a post about illegal aliens and a reward for them. Yun assumes we're those aliens, and she calls the number to turn us in and get the reward. Kazuki and Ryoji show up and drag her back to HQ, so I'll see what this turns into...

...tomorrow!

We're halfway through the game now, so I hope we get some character side stuff. But, at the same time, it's starting to run long...