Who is Playing the Love Development Game in Gundam

The next day, He Kui arrived at the radar room as usual. Looking around at this unassuming place, he could hardly believe it was here that he had accomplished so many feats from a distance, even reshaping the direction of this world.

"I can't let this go to my head," he silently reminded himself, almost tempted to write the phrase in large characters on the radar room wall.

Taking a deep breath, He Kui donned his VR headset. Recently, he had upgraded from using a computer screen to VR, allowing for a more intuitive control of Aegis. Without any lag, this setup was by far the most efficient way to operate.

The equipment wasn't cheap. Just this upgrade had cost him another three million. If not for his million-credit-per-drone investment in the Owl drones, he wouldn't have dared to spend so lavishly.

Thankfully, those drones had covered the cost, enabling him to allocate funds toward the three-million development of Aegis and supporting equipment.

Seventy million credits—a considerable chunk of his funds—had already been spent.

But this was no time to feel regret. In times of chaos, money was meant to be spent. It would be a waste if he hoarded it all only to die with it unused.

Awakening on the deserted island in VR, He Kui glanced up at the simulated sky. Aegis, controlled remotely, followed his gaze with a slight delay.

Despite his best efforts to upgrade, the radar was still limited, requiring a complete parts overhaul to eliminate latency—a job that would cost at least ten million credits. If only Matthias wanted to buy more drones…

But Matthias was wealthy, not foolish.

Should he just marry into money?

He Kui laughed at the thought. He had Shi He and the others, after all, and marrying into wealth was no easy feat—let alone finding someone willing.

Best to keep his feet on the ground and earn money.

The security project was close to launch.

Thinking of all this, He Kui climbed into Aegis's cockpit. While the jets would have allowed him to stylishly propel himself in, conserving energy was crucial.

After so long, Aegis's power was still only at 70%.

"Power's still the same."

But since Serpent's Tail had Gundams, they'd likely have a charging setup.

Reassured, he completed a systems check and launched Aegis. The operational delay, much worse than at DSSD, only made him more eager for a radar upgrade.

He piloted Aegis smoothly to the designated rendezvous point over a remote patch of the Pacific Ocean.

The endless blue of the sky and sea merged together, perfectly camouflaging Aegis's blue flight form against the horizon.

Soon, the quiet was broken by the rumbling of an approaching Orb-class aircraft carrier. After signaling, a transmission from the carrier connected to He Kui's cockpit.

"Are you the one sent by our employer?"

"Yes. You can call me A."

"Understood, A. Do you want to dock?"

"Yes."

With a brief exchange, He Kui skillfully piloted Aegis into the carrier's hangar.

This was someone else's ship, so he couldn't stay in his mobile suit.

Stepping out of the cockpit, he found Gai Murakumo, a man with dark sunglasses, already waiting.

Inside the hangar were Gai's Blue Astray, an old GINN model, and three of the compact MS He Kui had developed. He couldn't help but wonder how they had gotten hold of them.

"Good to meet you, Mr. Gai Murakumo."

"Likewise."

"Could my MS recharge here?"

"Of course."

Given permission, He Kui swiftly connected his suit's charging port. Although swapping batteries was an option, they likely didn't have compatible replacements.

Meanwhile, Gai, watching He Kui tinker with his unfamiliar MS, was intrigued. While it looked like a typical Earth Alliance model, its unique features suggested it was either an experimental or custom unit. But why did they have such a new model?

Suppressing his curiosity, Gai took note of He Kui's masked and hooded appearance, wondering why her responses seemed delayed, as if there was always a slight lag.

With the charging setup arranged, He Kui followed Gai to the bridge.

Besides Gai, the crew consisted of two men and two women: Elijah, a Coordinator with only minor genetic modifications, the young girl Feng Hua, her mother Lolita—a former United South American Federation special forces soldier, and Reid, an intelligence officer and former Atlantic Federation officer.

A small but complete team.

"What's the plan?" Gai asked after introducing everyone.

"I'll explain," said Reid, the brown-bearded intelligence officer, stepping forward.

"We have a clearance code from ZAFT."

"However, this clearance designates us as external security."

The code was likely obtained through Matthias, who had the connections within ZAFT to issue a formal contract. Although they could act as external security, direct access to the president's inner circle was out of the question.

"At present, the president's plan is to covertly reach the resistance base in Mitú," Reid continued, bringing up a 3D map that displayed the Amazon city on the northern edge of the rainforest, separated from Panama by Colombia.

"The president's aiming to connect with resistance forces in the Amazon?" He Kui asked.

"Yes, but since they're currently based in the Amazon, they'll need to mobilize troops in Mitú before pushing through Colombia."

"I heard ZAFT plans to airdrop seized Dagger units and atmospheric combat aircraft in Mitú."

"Is the timing for ZAFT's Panama offensive confirmed?"

"Not yet, but it will likely start after all resources are in place in Mitú."

"It looks like ZAFT intends to launch from Carpentaria, crossing the Pacific to reach Panama directly," Reid explained, his professionalism evident despite his slightly intoxicated demeanor.

"I see."

As he studied the map, He Kui mentally confirmed his assumptions.

"ZAFT really plans to go after Panama," he mused. "But even if they take it, can they hold it?"

"It's so close to the Atlantic Federation's home base," Feng Hua added, crossing her arms in a mature manner.

Indeed, Panama was dangerously close to the Atlantic Federation's stronghold in North America. Beyond Panama lay the smaller countries like Guatemala, then Mexico, and finally the Federation's homeland. Securing Panama with the Federation's MS forces nearby would be a difficult task.

Of course, they likely didn't know about the Odin's Spear—a weapon practically designed to counter the mass-produced Dagger units.

"We have about ten hours before reaching the island off Ecuador, then we'll fly the MS units from there. Miss A, you can rest in the meantime."

"Thank you."

He Kui

didn't refuse. The living quarters likely had a charging port as well, and he'd make the most of the time to charge up.

--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there 

patreon.com/LegendaryTL

Thanks!