Who is Playing the Love Development Game in Gundam

Not long after, He Kui's contract was finalized.

The room provided for him was a single-occupancy suite, and his assignments were structured as missions, each compensated upon completion. For He Kui, payment wasn't a primary concern—he simply requested that he be compensated with materials instead, which was quickly approved.

As he stepped out of the office, a healthy and lively young woman stood at the National Defense Building entrance, waving at him with excitement.

"A, are you staying to fight with us?"

Elena seemed thrilled by the prospect of him staying.

"Yes."

"In that case, how about I show you around the base?"

"I'd like to see the mobile suits first."

"No problem!"

"Have you accepted any missions yet?"

"Yes, a patrol mission in Panama. I'm currently assigned to the Defense Forces Command."

The United South American Nation wasn't large, encompassing countries like Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela, and Peru. Currently, the internal conflicts were most severe in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.

He Kui guessed that the President had no intention of sending him into those territories. Instead, it seemed the President wanted him stationed in Panama, keeping him close under observation.

"Me too! I'm in the 1st Mobile Regiment!" Elena said excitedly.

"Same here."

The 1st Mobile Regiment, as the name suggested, was entirely composed of mobile suits. The routine patrols were jointly handled by the 1st and 2nd Regiments, with the 1st Regiment consisting mainly of veteran soldiers, acting as the main combat force if conflict arose.

For He Kui, this meant he wasn't expected to patrol regularly; he would only be deployed for specific missions, like defending against an Atlantic Federation attack.

As they talked, they passed through several checkpoints and arrived at the hangar.

Inside, he spotted several brand-new Dagger units stationed there.

"They're so new?"

"That's right! We captured one of the Atlantic Federation's factories near Panama."

"You built these yourselves?!"

If that were true, the South American military would soon be capable of self-sufficiency.

"Not exactly. We found these in the factory."

"They said the factory only produced the frames. The Federation still holds all the processing cores and nerve systems," Elena explained, clearly frustrated.

"I see."

He Kui had already reviewed the Dagger's core and neural drive systems, both of which ZAFT had reverse-engineered. PLANT clearly possessed these technologies.

It seemed both sides were playing a game of tug-of-war. ZAFT wasn't going to hand over these technologies so easily. PLANT might instead send technicians to assist with assembly, producing the units in a "black box" setup to keep the South American Nation dependent on their tech support.

While considering this, He Kui began inspecting a Dagger unit closely. The one before him was a standard model, lacking any specialized loadout systems. However, with the X100 frame, it had the potential for upgrades, like enhanced thrusters and potentially adapting the Strike Dagger's modular equipment.

"By the way, is Edward here?" he asked, mulling over upgrade options.

"Our hero? He's in Brazil, helping to suppress the rebellion!"

When Elena spoke of Edward, her face lit up with excitement.

"Brazil…"

So, they'd deployed one of their elite forces outside of Panama. Not surprising, given that Edward had become a symbol of South American heroism. His presence was likely to have the strongest effect there.

But if the Atlantic Federation knew Panama was without such a figure, they might seize the opportunity. Without control of Panama, they would lose access to a mass driver.

Cutting off supplies to the Federation's lunar forces would certainly create a significant issue for them.

He wondered where the Sara and Joule Teams were stationed now. They would likely be striking at strategic bases in Mexico, undermining the Atlantic Federation's efforts rather than simply defending.

Just as He Kui finished adjusting the Dagger, the alarm blared suddenly. He quickly checked the mission feed on his new wrist communicator.

"Enemy attack! Prepare for deployment!"

"Understood."

Elena, brimming with excitement, looked up at him. "A, show those Atlantic dogs no mercy!"

"Of course."

He Kui nodded solemnly.

Though he had the skills of an elite pilot, he was operating a Strike Dagger, whose performance was on par with the GINN at best, perhaps less durable.

Without the upgrades he planned for the Strike Dagger, his fighting capabilities were limited to that of a standard red-clad pilot.

If the Atlantic Federation was bold enough to launch an assault with the Odin Cannon in place, they had likely upgraded certain Dagger units with EMP resistance.

He Kui settled into the cockpit of his new Strike Dagger and, following the others, stepped out of the hangar with steady strides.

Exiting, he found himself on the coastal perimeter of Panama.

The coastline stretched before him, and across the dark, misty horizon, he could make out a number of Atlantic Federation destroyers and carriers looming in the distance.

Against this background, clusters of fighter jets and Aerial Assault Daggers fitted with aerial packs filled the night sky, while a few high-speed Strike variants possibly lurked, hidden from radar.

"Prepare for engagement, 1st Regiment."

Before the commander could finish, the sea's surface split open with a massive wave. A deep blue, crab-headed mobile suit wielding a trident emerged from the shoreline, its yellow eye sensors gleaming coldly. On either side of its oversized head were shields adorned with sharp blades, giving it a fearsome, monstrous appearance.

With no time to lose, He Kui noticed the trident's pale metal glint in the moonlight as it aimed unerringly for his Dagger's cockpit.

Reacting instantly, he activated the side thrusters and twisted the controls slightly. The weighty Dagger shifted, lightening in response to his maneuvers.

The trident's blade narrowly scraped past the cockpit, leaving a trail of sparks, and the sound of tearing metal echoed within the cabin.

A cold sweat broke out as He Kui processed the sudden, deadly attack.

Where were ZAFT's Forbidden models? How could they let an enemy unit with such distinct features approach so closely without warning?

Meanwhile, the ZAFT units underwater were locked in a desperate struggle.

A force of six Forbidden units was barely able to hold off a squadron of ten crab-like Dagger variants. In the confusion caused by a localized neutron jammer, they hadn't even had time to send up a flare before one of the fast-moving enemy units breached the beachhead.

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