Chapter 241: If You Lose, You Can Come With Me

Alongside the Odin's Spear improvements, He Kui was also working on developing a new type of owl drone.

Each one was a significant project for him, requiring at least three to four days to complete in his spare moments.

Fortunately, Matthias was well-funded and operated on a straightforward pay-as-you-go basis.

The intelligence fee of thirty million credits was to be settled at the end, meaning that He Kui was effectively earning ten million every three to four days.

Moving such a large amount through official channels posed a challenge.

However, as part of a global organization, He Kui successfully obtained an unregistered card.

Of course, it couldn't be used in formal establishments.

But it worked perfectly with the junk merchants.

The day of He Kui's official recruitment finally arrived.

A lot of people showed up. Even after initial screening, 124 candidates came for interviews.

"The Defense Committee provided this list; they're all elite pilots with clear backgrounds who have undergone security checks."

Hors, who He Kui hadn't seen in a while, explained beside him.

"Alright, let's get started."

The recruitment process might sound complex, but He Kui was only looking for pilots.

Most of the selection could be done based on records.

The reason He Kui wanted to attend was to see if any notable characters showed up—he could use his foreknowledge to recruit them.

However, after reviewing candidate after candidate, He Kui was disappointed. Most of the applicants had average skills and no special attributes.

But as the day neared its end, He Kui finally met someone who genuinely surprised him.

"Miss Gibraltar, you're here to be a red-uniform candidate, right?"

He Kui looked helplessly at the short-haired girl with pink hair in front of him.

She was wearing a dress, looking gentle and charming.

If he remembered correctly, she was still in the military academy, a classmate of Lunamaria's, and the daughter of a high-ranking official on the Defense Committee.

However, this official was only of the same rank as He Kui's director position.

He Kui, on the other hand, reported directly to members of the Defense Committee, so he wasn't intimidated in the least.

"I know~"

The girl stood proudly, her gaze filled with a fierce determination.

"But I haven't graduated yet. If Director He doesn't mind, I could downgrade myself to green-uniform status."

"Uh…"

He Kui looked at her seriously for the first time.

She wasn't saying this out of admiration.

There was no respect in her words, either.

So, was it a desire for conquest?

He Kui didn't really understand, but he didn't plan to accept her offer.

It would be like openly bending the rules, and he didn't want to offend others or leave any vulnerabilities.

"Regrettably, we don't have work here that could fully utilize Miss Gibraltar's talents. I hope Miss Gibraltar can contribute to PLANT and ZAFT in greater ways."

"You…"

Facing the girl's disappointed expression, He Kui's smile didn't falter.

"Hmph."

The girl huffed arrogantly and turned to leave.

"What a strange situation," Hors said, watching her walk away.

"You're one to talk!"

He Kui grumbled, smacking Hors on the head with the file in his hand.

"How did you handle the initial screening?"

"She probably used a different name, even registered as a classmate."

"Forget it; just finalize those three candidates."

"Sure, but when do we start the assignments?"

"Soon."

Since Joule had agreed, He Kui knew they wouldn't be left without work.

The nature of his company made them not mercenaries, but rather a security contractor working with ZAFT.

They would still be fighting against the Atlantic Federation, but with greater autonomy.

They had the freedom to choose their missions.

Of course, prime assignments were rare; most were challenging and difficult.

However, with He Kui's connections, he'd likely secure some manageable tasks.

After handling things with Hors, He Kui didn't return home from the asteroid base. Instead, he brought a meal to Setona's room.

"Setona, are you settling in?"

Although he was used to it by now, he still felt a moment of surprise looking at the girl who bore such a striking resemblance to Lacus.

Could genetics be this simple?

If it was only a physical resemblance, that was one thing. But every time he spent time with her, he felt a warmth that mirrored the feeling of being with Lacus.

Perhaps he should attempt to take a genetic sample.

But with such limited material, a full analysis wouldn't be possible with just a strand of hair or a bit of saliva.

He would have to take things slowly.

"Thank you~ What's on the menu today?"

"Braised pork."

The girl probably hadn't had much good food on Mars—mostly synthetic meat and a few cultivated vegetables. Mars's resource scarcity made each person's diet restricted by their assigned tasks.

But oddly enough, even as Matthias's companion, she seemed unfamiliar with fine food.

After all, Matthias didn't seem like the stingy type.

"Matthias does have good food, but no dishes like this—it's mostly Western cuisine~"

"I see."

There it was again—this strange, almost telepathic ability.

Lacus had a similar intuition, almost like reading people's thoughts.

Fortunately, their ability didn't seem consciously activated; it appeared to be more instinctual.

Otherwise, it would have been directly mentioned in the original storyline.

"What has Director He been busy with lately~?"

Setona asked softly after taking an elegant bite.

Apart from her appearance, her table manners were also remarkably similar to Lacus's.

"Developing a new weapon."

"…Why do Coordinators and Naturals always have to fight?"

"It's probably about securing space for each other to survive."

"Oh, but Coordinators… it's hard for them to win, isn't it?"

"Yes."

They had been fighting for so long, and although their casualties weren't as high as the Alliance's, the losses were still substantial.

Every life lost was a significant blow to their already sparse population.

After all, Coordinators tended to have long lifespans. If they didn't die prematurely, they could work productively until they were seventy or eighty.

Consider this: one person, engaged in high-yield work for sixty years, could generate substantial value for the state—that was what PLANT was losing.

For the Atlantic Federation, any able-bodied person could fill the ranks, as long as they were healthy.

And after all this time, despite frequent scandals, the Atlantic Federation's recruitment offices showed no signs of faltering. Earth's population was simply too vast.

To the Federation's leaders, human live

s were essentially expendable.

"If you lose, you could come with me."

The girl's words were serious, and He Kui couldn't help but smile.

"Then I'll rely on you, Setona."

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