Chapter 227: Chapter 227: The Final Twenty-Four Hours
The next morning, He Kui woke up, leaving the two women sleeping soundly together while he went to prepare breakfast.
Progress on the main affection bar was slow, though he had noticed a "shared affection" meter. He wasn't exactly sure how it increased. Judging by the label, maybe it involved fostering their relationship with each other? It seemed logical enough. But how was he supposed to encourage that?
For now, he decided to go with the flow—either seek out Cagalli or work on building the bond between Shi He and Su Lei.
With his plans set, he finished preparing a simple breakfast of porridge with fried dough sticks. Though unassuming, it was a rare treat in PLANT. There was a time He Kui couldn't afford such a meal.
"Breakfast is ready," he called.
"Mm." By now, the clothes from last night had vanished, replaced with simple home wear. Su Lei looked a bit shy as she turned away to get dressed.
"Oh, feel free to explore the base," he offered.
"What's there to see?" Su Lei grumbled, slipping into a tank top.
"There's the simulation area, observation deck…"
"I don't even know how to pilot an MS. Besides, the view here is just of a space colony," she replied, unimpressed.
The asteroid was still stationed near November City, and the mining MSs had relocated to an external company facility to ensure security.
"You could always have Shi He teach you," He Kui suggested. "It'll pass the time."
"Mm…"
"Consider it anytime~" Shi He, understanding his intention, reached out, holding Su Lei's hand with a gentle smile.
"Alright, fine." Su Lei sighed, giving in.
"Then, I'll head to the radar room," He Kui said, entrusting Shi He with the rest of the morning.
"Have you completed the Gundam's frame?" Shi He asked.
"Almost," he replied.
With the combined strength of the Crab's design and the computational power from Little Eight, the frame was progressing well. Although he no longer had Little Eight, the AI at the base, consuming most of its computational power, was managing to operate at about one-tenth of Little Eight's speed—a feat considering Little Eight was a mere suitcase-sized device powered by an integrated energy source. By contrast, the base's central computer was hooked up to a nuclear generator.
Opening the radar system, He Kui's signal bounced from Boaz to Tassil, eventually reaching the waters near Orb.
"Latency is a bit high," he muttered, feeling like he was playing an online game with serious lag.
"AI assistance engaged, calculating lead time," he instructed, adjusting for the lag by preemptively predicting moves based on AI data.
In a simple environment like this, with straightforward tasks like walking, the AI could anticipate and offset the delay. However, in complex battle scenarios, this predictive model would only hinder accuracy—similar to how his Haro-assist targeting had failed against elite pilots.
But this was not a complex scenario. Here, it sufficed to make the experience smoother.
"It's still limited to the abilities of an average red-uniformed pilot. Good thing I applied the Mirage Colloid…"
Timing his approach, he noted, "Ro should be arriving soon."
After retracting Aegis's solar panels, cloaking it with a cape, He Kui steered the unit from a deserted island and into the water. The solar panels had barely charged up to 20% after an extended period, combined with an existing 36% charge. It was enough to traverse the short distance underwater to the rendezvous point.
Aegis resembled a small jet-powered boat, and soon, a scrappy Orb-styled destroyer bearing the Junk Guild logo appeared in the distance. As was typical for the Junk Guild, the ship was stripped of weaponry, with only a few mechanical arms on its sides.
He Kui observed as Ro's crew dropped a cargo container into the water as agreed, watching the Junk Guild ship sail away in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, on the ship, Shuri glanced back at the drifting container.
"Ro, is this really okay? If this is part of a ZAFT operation…"
They were still outside Orb's economic zone but close enough to worry. The container matched the size of an MS unit; it could potentially be used for an attack on Orb.
"It's fine; He Kui isn't that kind of person," Ro assured her, laughing.
"Besides, why would he bother attacking Orb?"
"True… though…" Shuri trailed off.
Professor Morena chuckled, a knowing glint in her eye. "Word is, ZAFT's Strengthening Operation has begun."
"Even if that's the case, it's just a single unit. If it were anything critical, they wouldn't trust it to us," Ro replied confidently as the ship sailed off.
Once they were out of sight, He Kui emerged from the water and climbed onto the floating cargo container. Its sophisticated quantum firewall could be bypassed by Little Eight, but He Kui trusted Ro and his team.
Opening a compartment on the container, he found the black GINN he'd modified, lying silently inside alongside a GU Flyer. Although he hadn't applied Mirage Colloid to the flyer, it would suffice for a one-way trip to Alaska. After reaching Alaska, he'd discard the GU Flyer.
Once inside the container, he swapped Aegis's power supply for an enhanced battery, entered the cockpit, and took stock of the situation. He estimated there were seventy-two hours until the mission's target deadline.
"Two days left. Time to lay low."
Using the container's small propulsion system, he drifted back to the deserted island near Orb. It was a quiet, secluded spot—perfect for hiding.
After securing the container under a seaside cliff, He Kui set a timer for twenty-four hours, then exited the control system.
"Only twenty-four hours left."
Watching the
countdown on his screen, He Kui clenched his fists, determination flickering in his gaze.
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