Chapter 305: Chapter 305: Do You Want to Go to PLANT?
He Kui discreetly transported the Liberator back to his base from the design bureau, also bringing Setona along on the way. However, due to Iron Wall's presence, he avoided the Junk Guild, instead asking Setona to wait at the port.
Iron Wall and Lica seemed unaware of Setona's true background. Her identity was carefully crafted under Matthias's abilities, making it indistinguishable from a real one.
"What did you bring back this time, He Kui?" Setona asked curiously as she eyed the sealed cargo hold.
"Just a mobile suit."
"I see." Setona's glance shifted to He Kui's two companions, assessing them briefly before turning back. She wasn't surprised—He Kui had informed her of the situation beforehand, so she merely accepted the small mechanical bird he handed her.
The gesture raised her affection level slightly, nearing a potential new skill threshold, and He Kui felt a glimmer of curiosity about what it might unlock. Satisfied, he brought Setona back to the asteroid base, and once the Liberator was fully calibrated, he received a call from South America.
"A, are you ready?" Elena's voice chirped over the line.
"Just about. Why?"
"You promised to come meet my family!" she huffed.
"I didn't forget."
"Yes, you did!"
Laughing, He Kui returned to the radar room. Elena was waiting impatiently.
"You took so long!" she complained.
"Just some technical things. How have you been eating?" She glanced worriedly at the confined space of his cockpit.
"I'm fine."
"Relying on energy packs is unhealthy!" Elena scolded, hands on her hips.
Unbothered, he reassured her as they left. Driving a military jeep through the city, they witnessed signs of disorder but also recovery efforts—the government building, police stations, and other essential facilities were operational again. Despite the preemptive evacuation notice minimizing casualties, the damage and public distress were palpable.
"If it weren't for this military jeep and our connection to the government building, we'd probably be ambushed out here," He Kui noted, familiar with the atmosphere. He remembered similar scenes when PLANT first entered the war.
Elena soon guided him to a relatively untouched area where her family lived in an employee apartment complex adjacent to an industrial zone. Surrounded by security forces, it was evident this was a critical defense zone.
"Let's go!" she said, hopping out.
"Your parents work in a munitions factory?" he asked, glancing at the factory complex.
"Didn't I tell you? They're technicians and operators, even worked on PLANT construction back in the day," she replied with a grin.
As they strolled, Elena glanced wistfully at the sky. "I still remember watching the stars when I was little, before all this pollution. It was cold back then, and the sky was covered in dust."
Her tone turned somber. "I'd hoped it would get better, but not much has changed."
He Kui hesitated. "Do you want to go to PLANT?"
"No, I just want to see the stars," she replied, then with a playful grin added, "but seeing you is good enough!"
She turned and wrapped him in a hug.
He Kui was about to respond, but his attention shifted to his display, where he noticed a man entering the underground parking lot with a device resembling explosives.
"Are they giving up and resorting to sabotage?" he murmured. Or perhaps they knew he was here.
"Wait." He Kui stopped Elena.
"Are you embarrassed, A?" she teased.
"No. There's something unusual nearby."
Following him, she held back her protest about her combat abilities, allowing him to take the lead. They moved quietly into the dimly lit underground parking garage, guided only by emergency lights.
"Elena, stay back," he whispered.
She pouted but reluctantly agreed, familiar enough with his skill to yield to his judgment.
Quickly and stealthily, they approached the man, who was installing explosives against a support pillar. The man muttered to himself with a hateful look, "Die, all of you…Coordinators."
He Kui frowned, realizing the man's blind fanaticism. Moving with inhuman speed, he grasped the man's neck and administere
d an electric shock. The intruder's body seized and fell limp in seconds.