Who is Playing the Love Development Game in Gundam

The battlefield was soon cleared. Aside from some combatants who managed to escape, the entire camp was wiped out by their surprise attack. Notably, White Whale returned from her skirmish with Edward, her mech visibly damaged, and both of them breathing heavily as they rejoined the group.

"Ignore that one over there; he's a Sosith. He's not a major threat to us but could be quite dangerous to you Coordinators," White Whale advised, looking at the small squad of Coordinator-operated Ginn units. "Maybe we should turn him over to the United States of South America."

"I understand; don't worry," He Kui replied, shrugging nonchalantly as he approached the downed Longsword unit, which still lay there, hatch closed, feigning inactivity.

Though Sosith units were genetically programmed to be unable to harm Naturals—a mandate embedded as deeply as human instinct for fear of snakes or spiders—He Kui was confident this could be worked around. If a person closed their eyes and shut out awareness of snakes or spiders, could they still feel fear? Genetic instincts weren't universal laws, after all.

He Kui adeptly opened the cockpit hatch. Remarkably, the emergency release for the hatch hadn't changed since the Strike Gundam series.

With the sound of hydraulics releasing pressure, the hatch finally opened.

"Hello, Sosith."

"Number 20."

Sosith No. 20 responded with an indifferent tone, betraying no sign of surprise at being captured.

"Number 20, how about coming out for a talk?" He Kui offered.

"Alright," he replied, stepping out and surveying his surroundings, even showing no reaction to seeing White Whale, an ally just moments ago, standing alongside their foes.

"Why did you save me?" Sosith No. 20 asked flatly.

"Because I wanted to," He Kui answered simply.

"..." Sosith No. 20 stared at him silently, seemingly at a loss for words, his dust-covered face expressionless, though a glint of curiosity flickered in his eyes whenever he looked at He Kui.

"Are you a Natural or a Coordinator?" The Sosith's voice was raspy, as if scratched by sand and wind.

"Neither."

"You mentioned something about finding answers. What must I do to find them?"

"Follow me, and you'll find them in time."

Hearing He Kui's confident answer, No. 20 gazed at the girl in front of him, her eyes sharp and voice clear.

"I can't attack Naturals."

"But you don't necessarily need to attack Coordinators either," He Kui responded.

It was only logical. Otherwise, the Sosith program would have self-destructed from internal strife. While Earth Alliance's genetic manipulation of the Sosith was crude, there were limits, and the program could only allow for binary classifications, without shades of gray. This might have been one reason the Alliance abandoned the project. They despised Coordinators, and the Alliance's gene-manipulation research faced significant challenges, limiting their resources. Hence, they turned to enhanced humans.

"Your purpose is to protect Naturals, right? So, if someone were to harm those you are meant to protect, wouldn't they be an enemy—even if they were Naturals?" He Kui continued, pushing his logic to its limits.

Sosith's expression remained blank, but he paused, as if his brain was trying to process this logic glitch.

"So, if I told you that the Atlantic Federation is the true danger to Naturals, then shouldn't they be your enemy, regardless of their status as Naturals?" He Kui's words made Sosith hesitate again before he coldly responded.

"Yet I am still unable to harm any Natural."

"That's alright," He Kui replied with a shrug.

Unless the Atlantic Federation could find a way to control Sosith directly, this limitation was acceptable. A single red-suited combatant—Sosith's battle designation—would be a valuable asset. Even though He Kui was an elite red-suited combatant himself, red-suit units remained rare worldwide.

"Calling you No. 20 seems a bit impersonal. How about Hercules Sosith?"

"Fine." Sosith accepted the name with indifference, not particularly caring about it.

"Let's go, then, Hercules," He Kui said, patting Hercules on the shoulder before guiding him over to Edward and White Whale.

"Hercules will be with me from now on."

"..." Edward frowned slightly. By rights, any captured Sosith should have been turned over to the government for questioning, especially as the higher-ups were intrigued by the potential value of the Sosith program. But He Kui had claimed Hercules for himself.

Edward knew He Kui wasn't one to yield. Although Sosith units could not harm Naturals, He Kui's enemies were not limited to Naturals alone. Having a Sosith under his command would bolster He Kui's influence. Additionally, the presence of a Sosith could assist in He Kui's genetic research.

If He Kui could find a loophole in the Natural-restriction programming, Hercules would be even more valuable.

"This is also my informant," He Kui added smoothly.

"Your informant?" Edward glanced at He Kui, recalling how He Kui had pinpointed the enemy's location shortly after arriving. He was skeptical but acknowledged the possibility that He Kui could have other, more powerful connections.

After all, He Kui's combat skills were impressive, and if this Sosith was indeed a trusted agent of He Kui's, they had no reason to interfere. Still, Edward couldn't shake the suspicion—was A actually a Natural? But could a Natural be this skilled?

Unaware of Edward's inner turmoil, He Kui calmly took Hercules into Edward's ranks.

"Who is he?" Elina asked, appearing at He Kui's side, brows knitted as she gripped his arm.

"A Coordinator clone," He Kui explained, recounting Sosith's origin.

"A Coordinator who can't harm Naturals…" Elina's eyes softened with pity upon hearing his backstory.

"You all dislike Coordinators, don't you?" He Kui asked gently.

"To dislike someone just because they're different?" Elina replied confidently. "That doesn't make sense to me."

He Kui chuckled at her straightforward response.

"Once we're ready, let's head back," he said, glancing up at the blazing sun.

He Kui's return to Orb was right on schedule for the banquet he needed to attend.

"Alright!"

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