Chapter 353: An Ambush Anticipated

"They're deliberately destroying our command ship!"

Bargirrle felt an overwhelming urge to shoot the foolish and malicious man right then and there.

"They will soon have an ambush appear!"

Just as he finished speaking, the radar operator shouted nervously.

"Unidentified submarines have appeared behind our forces, five in total!"

Bargirrle's prediction was spot on, and the cold smile on Muruta's face faded, replaced by a gloomy expression.

At this moment, they had lost contact with the front lines, and the only way to call them back was to use the retreat signal.

But using that signal meant a full retreat for the entire army.

There was no way to control it precisely.

"Just kill them all!"

"It's just a few submarines! They don't even have MS!"

"MS inside the submarines are deploying, sixteen in total, it's Zock!"

"..."

Bargirrle glared at Muruta, who was not only foolish but also had a knack for bad luck.

Although they were ZAFT's Mobile Suits, the signal was from Orb.

It was clear what was happening.

Most likely, ZAFT had provided them with weapons.

If they insisted on claiming it was for self-defense, they wouldn't be able to pin down any significant blame on Orb.

"Retreat!"

With the light shield in place, they couldn't break through the Archangel, and now there were so many Zocks behind them.

They simply couldn't hold out.

The light shield wasn't invincible; if the shield generator was damaged up close, they would be in danger.

It would be fine if all three machines were there, but now only Forbidden was present, and it couldn't hold on.

They had fallen into a trap.

"..."

Seeing the current situation was indeed dire, Muruta's expression darkened even further.

Even though he was internally agitated, Muruta had no way out.

As the sixteen Zocks closed in, Dominion fired the retreat signal flare.

With no means of communication, seeing the flagship of the overall commander send out the retreat signal was like a beacon, prompting other battleships to follow suit.

"I'm afraid their next offensive will come soon."

He Kui, watching from underwater, remarked as he gazed in the direction of their retreat.

"At least we held them off this time."

"And their base might be gone too."

Understanding the implication in Cagalli's words, He Kui realized.

Most likely, ZAFT was attacking Al Lacus or some other location.

And this time, they might have succeeded, or even if they didn't, they could at least divert the Atlantic Federation's attention back.

The current Atlantic Federation was not the same one He Kui remembered, which had swallowed the Eurasian Federation.

Though still strong, it wasn't as formidable as He Kui recalled.

Half of the Eurasian Federation couldn't defend Al Lacus.

"Then my mission ends here."

He Kui shrugged.

"Are you leaving? Where to?"

"I don't know, probably wherever I'm needed."

He Kui sighed wearily.

"If you're really maintaining peace..."

"Then it's the same as Orb's ideals. Come join us."

Cagalli earnestly invited him.

Although the battle didn't last long, as a witness, she had seen Aegis's combat capabilities firsthand.

If someone like her could join Orb, regardless of her previous affiliations, she would be put to good use.

"I'll think about it."

He Kui had no intention of trusting others, and with the Orb clan's power structure being so intertwined, he preferred to act independently.

"Oh."

"If one day Miss Cagalli becomes queen, I could join."

"We don't have a queen."

Cagalli retorted.

"That's true."

"Also, He Kui said to meet again at DSSD next time."

"I'll try."

Though he rejected her quickly, a hint of shyness appeared on the girl's face.

Clearly, she was reminded of their last encounter.

"By the way, Flay should also be here now. The people on Archangel would probably be interested in this news."

"Then, let's leave it at that."

Controlling Rouge Strike, He Kui surged directly to the surface, and before Cagalli could ask anything, he jumped into the water.

Back in her seat, Cagalli collapsed onto the cockpit. Although the cockpit felt much more spacious without one person, it also felt empty.

Cagalli shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

What was she thinking? They were all girls, but Aegis felt somewhat familiar.

Like He Kui.

With that thought, Cagalli returned to the Archangel's interior. With the situation resolved, he no longer concealed Aegis's existence from them.

"That person is Aegis."

Murrue on the bridge was stunned.

The others were no better off.

Aegis's affiliation with Al Lacus was undoubtedly one of the most mysterious organizations currently.

The personnel composition was unclear, and specific information was lacking.

The only thing known was Aegis herself.

And even she was elusive.

"That is Aegis."

Kira had also heard this name and murmured it upon hearing.

His feelings were quite complex.

Guarding peace seemed like a very noble goal.

But he also had people he needed to protect here.

If given the chance, he really wanted to ask them many questions.

What exactly is peace, and so on.

At that moment, Kira, still in battle, felt lost.

"What about the GAT-X that exploded at the beginning?"

After the group accepted this news, Murrue continued to ask.

"That... should also be one of them."

"Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd fell silent.

"That's terrifying."

Mu broke the silence.

To self-destruct without hesitation is something ordinary people cannot do.

"Is it brainwashing?"

For some reason, Mu recalled the encounter with Jin En, who had crashed into their engine.

Although she didn't have his image back then, that fearless spirit seemed quite similar.

But ZAFT and Al Lacus seemed too far apart.

If there was another opportunity to make contact, she could ask about it.

"But why would he protect you?"

Murrue continued to inquire.

Cagalli couldn't help but recall her time on He Kui's asteroid.

Though the scenery was monotonous, without so many worries, every day was quite relaxing.

"It was just a coincidence."

At that moment, the straightforward girl concealed He Kui's existence.

The others didn't find it too strange.

Mainly because Aegis was indeed elusive.

Last time, she had stolen the Duel Gundam to help them escape.

Previously, she had appeared at Alaska to turn the tide.

Now, she had also taken the princess's vehicle, which wasn't surprising.

In this line of thought, they cleverly overlooked the princess's rare discomfort with lying.

"Also, he said

a girl named Flay is currently on the island."

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, everyone on the Archangel stood up, with the most excited being the boy with bright eyes, followed by Kira.

While they were still questioning about Flay, He Kui, having jumped into the sea, successfully concealed himself among the nearby reefs.