Chapter 332: Transforming the Manor Base

"I'm glad to see that Ms. Aegis and Elena are safe."

As soon as He Kui entered, the President stood up and greeted them warmly.

"Thank you for your concern."

He Kui bowed slightly in response, while Elena, standing behind him, snapped into a formal salute.

"We completed the mission, but the mobile suit we promised you was lost."

"However, if you provide the materials, I can rebuild it from scratch."

"That would be ideal."

The President did not hesitate. The diplomatic way He Kui handled things only made his smile grow wider.

"The estate is ready for you. Someone will take you there shortly. Do you need any staff?"

His tone was polite and accommodating.

"No need. Also, I'd like to bring my mobile suit with me."

He Kui stated his request outright.

"Not a problem."

"We will also have your requested materials delivered there."

The President reassured him, displaying his keen attentiveness.

"I appreciate it."

He Kui didn't stand on ceremony. After a brief bow, he made way for Luo and the others to take over discussions while he prepared to leave with Elena.

But just as he took a few steps, the President called out again.

"If it's convenient, Ms. Aegis, please stay and listen as well."

"Alright."

He Kui turned back with a neutral expression.

The conversation between the President and Luo was straightforward:

They needed as many mobile suits repaired as possible and sought to restore factory production capabilities.

These tasks fell well within the domain of scrap merchants and engineers.

"And one more thing—about the Dagger series. We'd like you both to help enhance them."

"Enhance the Daggers?"

Both He Kui and Luo asked simultaneously.

"Yes. The Dagger series comes with a backpack system, correct? We want to develop jungle-adapted and desert-adapted variants."

He Kui understood the reasoning immediately.

South America would never get directly involved in a war between superpowers, so their best move was to strengthen local forces.

If they could make their enemies feel the pain, they would gain leverage for future negotiations.

Clearly, the President was aware of the Red Astray project—hence Luo's presence. That wasn't a coincidence.

As for He Kui, his earlier technological displays must have caught the President's attention, leading to his inclusion.

"This… is a large-scale project," Luo mused. After all, designing new modular backpack systems was essentially developing new equipment from scratch.

He had only planned to stay for a short contract. The professor was still waiting for him in space.

"I understand. Compensation will be generous."

The President's words made both Luo and He Kui's hearts skip a beat.

South America wasn't rich, but as a region constantly under threat, they were willing to spend.

"We can give it a try."

After exchanging a glance, both Luo and He Kui nodded in agreement.

"I look forward to your results."

The President smiled, clearly pleased.

"However, we'll need to assess the project's feasibility before committing fully."

Luo clarified. He wasn't about to make empty promises.

"Of course."

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Jules—where will you be staying?"

"I'll stay at Ms. Aegis's residence."

"…?"

He Kui blinked, caught off guard. Meanwhile, Elena tensed up, instinctively stepping in front of He Kui as if to shield him.

"It's also your new home, right? I'm sure I can be useful there."

Luo's response was pragmatic.

With his luck and technical expertise, having him around meant no worries about security breaches. Plus, he could reinforce the estate's defenses.

It was an excellent deal—He Kui couldn't think of a reason to refuse.

"Fine by me."

With that, the three of them bid farewell to the President and headed toward the estate.

A Dangerous Discussion

As they departed, the President's communicator buzzed.

"Mr. President, are you sure about entrusting this mission to Aegis?"

"You saw her abilities. And that new mobile suit."

The President's amiable demeanor disappeared, replaced by the aura of a true leader.

"Half of that mobile suit's design is ours, isn't it?"

The Defense Minister's voice carried unmistakable greed.

That machine—it was already powerful enough to be a regional deterrent.

Two quick assault runs had wiped out dozens of enemy units.

As long as they had energy and support units, their defense burden would be significantly reduced.

"But can we control it?"

The President sighed, rubbing his temples.

"What about Elena? Or Edward?"

"We still need to test them. And what if he left a backdoor in the machine? What if his organization retaliates?"

"…Then we hand her over."

Just as the President had said, they couldn't afford to provoke another secret faction.

But they could still hand her over to ZAFT or the Atlantic Federation.

"I've told you before—he is not alone."

"This discussion ends here. No more."

The President's tone turned sharp, his authority unquestionable.

With that, he ended the call.

Keeping South America intact was already hard enough…

Arriving at the Manor

Meanwhile, He Kui piloted his mobile suit alongside Luo and Elena toward his new estate on the outskirts of Panama City.

Technically, his true home was in an asteroid, but compared to that, this manor estate was a whole different level.

This was his first real asset on Earth.

Back in the day, no amount of hard work could have earned him a place like this.

Yet here he was—gifted an entire estate by South America.

"This place is massive."

Luo muttered as he landed the Red Astray in the open-air hangar, which had been converted from a tennis court.

He was slightly surprised but quickly composed himself.

After all, he had salvaged things worth far more than this estate before.

And in wartime, land was one of the least valuable assets.

At its core, international investors didn't trust South America.

If they failed to defend Panama, any investments made here would be worthless.

That was why no one dared to interfere.

Those who did invest focused on Brazil or Chile, not Panama.

"Well then, I'll be counting on you."

He Kui was genuinely pleased.

He had free labor, and now a secret base.

"How do you plan to modify it?" Luo asked.

"There's a large underground space. I want to expand it into a secret hangar and install manufacturing equipment inside."

The manor was luxurious, but security and functionality were his priorities.

"Makes sense. I'll help when I can, but we've got other work to do too."

"Since we're making jungle-based equipment, I think we should also develop a shallow-water amphibious pack."

The memory of Forbidden Gundam's Amazon ambush was still fresh in He Kui's mind.

The Amazon's river networks were vast, and most weren't deep enough for standard aquatic mobile suits.

"That's a solid idea. Ano

ther option is to develop a camouflaged mobile suit pack with a multi-nozzle booster system for better maneuverability in tight spaces."

Once Luo started discussing mobile suit upgrades, he wouldn't stop.