"Thank you."
He Kui bowed slightly to the boy.
"No need."
"Are they all dead?"
"No, I just stunned them, so we should leave before they wake up."
As He Kui spoke, he blocked the boy's line of sight.
In reality, they were all dead; if one looked closely, there was not even a breath left in their bodies.
But fearing it would scare the boy, He Kui chose to keep it hidden.
"Okay."
After searching through their spoils for a few usable items and that skateboard, He Kui walked alongside the boy on the street.
"They had guns, right? Why did they rush out?"
"I didn't think much about it."
Upon hearing Aegis's words, the boy shyly scratched his head.
"What's your name?"
"Shin Asuka."
Hearing this name, He Kui's lips curled slightly; it saved him the trouble of searching for him.
However, it was strange to see the other party here.
"Why haven't you gone to the shelter yet?"
"Because my dad said the fighting wouldn't involve us, and the nearby shelters are full."
Asuka shook his head.
"I see."
"What about your sister?"
Asuka asked, looking curiously at the solitary girl in front of him with a childlike gaze.
"Me? I was just shopping nearby."
"Right now?"
Asuka asked in astonishment.
"Aren't you here too?"
"I came out to look for a shelter."
Asuka turned his head a bit shyly.
"I see."
With shelters insufficient, the roads out of the city blocked, and being on a military island that was a key target, plus a father who trusted Orb too much, it was indeed quite tragic.
"Sister, do you know where there's a shelter?"
Upon hearing Asuka's question, He Kui was momentarily taken aback; he really didn't know.
But he happened to know someone.
"Wait a moment."
He Kui said as he dialed a phone number on his wristband.
"Sister~! Where are you?!"
As soon as the call connected, Lacus's voice came through.
"You're not still in Orb, are you?! The Atlantic Federation's army has surrounded Orb!"
In fact, Orb's location is closer to Capes than the Atlantic Federation; if they defended together, Orb could easily hold out. However, as long as the neutrality declaration wasn't changed, they wouldn't receive any assistance from ZAFT.
"I'm still here. Where are you now?"
He Kui quickly asked.
"We're on the military island, preparing to take the mass driver. Do you want to come with us?"
"We're going to PLANT to see Director He!"
Hearing his name suddenly from the girl, He Kui felt a bit complicated, but it was still quite pleasant.
"No, I have things to do here, but can I trouble you to take four people with you?"
"Who?"
Lacus was surprised and a bit troubled by He Kui's request.
She worried that if the people He Kui wanted to bring were too outrageous, Orb might not agree.
"Ordinary civilians."
"That's no problem! But if they're naturals, the procedures might be a bit complicated, but it's still manageable!"
Without suspicion, Lacus sighed in relief and continued to ask.
Although PLANT officially rejects the entry of most naturals, Winslet Corporation can still make exceptions, as they are technically related to Lacus.
"At least one of them is a Coordinator."
He really didn't know whether Asuka's other family members were naturals or Coordinators.
"Then that's fine."
"We're in the waiting area of 45T at Kaguya Port."
"Where are you? I'll send someone to pick you up."
Lacus asked repeatedly.
"Are they Orb soldiers?"
"They're in plain clothes~"
One could only say that a big company is impressive; even in such chaos, they still have special cars.
But if they used his name, it would probably cause a lot of trouble.
"Then Lacus, don't mention my name. I'll send you the address later."
"Okay~ But sister, are you really not coming with us?"
"Orb is really going to be attacked, you know!"
Lacus said in a low voice, but with great certainty.
"I know, but I have things to do."
"Don't worry, I won't be in any danger, and we'll see each other again soon."
He Kui reassured her.
"Really?"
"Yeah, really."
"Then it's a promise, okay?"
Lacus said seriously.
"A promise!"
After He Kui's repeated assurances, he finally hung up Lacus's call and returned to the boy.
He showed none of the violent temper he was remembered for; instead, he appeared a bit innocent and carefree. In fact, this version of him was the real Asuka.
But how many had lost loved ones in this war? Countless Coordinator children had been killed by Blue Cosmos.
Thinking of this, his heart lost much of its turmoil.
Ultimately, he had to protect them.
"I've found a ship that can take you directly to PLANT."
"Ah, but..."
Upon hearing He Kui's words, Asuka hesitated.
"I'll go talk to your father."
He Kui sighed.
He could tell that Asuka actually wanted to go.
"Is that okay...?"
Asuka looked a bit dazed, appearing quite easy to persuade.
"No problem."
"Then okay."
Seeing Asuka easily convinced, He Kui nodded.
It was easy to persuade; being easy to persuade meant he could take people away.
Before long, he was brought back to Asuka's home.
"Dad~ I'm back."
"Where did you go..."
Before the middle-aged man could finish, he saw He Kui standing behind Asuka.
"Sorry, we don't accept sales pitches."
"..."
Is this guy for real? Who would come selling things at a time like this, and who would look at a masked girl and think she was selling something?
"No, Dad, this is my sister I met outside."
Quickly, Asuka briefly explained what had just happened outside.
"Is it that dangerous outside?"
"But don't look for any shelters; I think things will return to normal in a couple of days."
"After all, Orb is a neutral country; how could the Atlantic Federation attack?"
Listening to Asuka's father's words, He Kui wanted to retort as he sat in front of the screen, but he didn't know where to start.
"About that, I happen to have a friend who knows people inside Orb."
"They can go directly to PLANT through Kaguya Spaceport."
"The war is about to start; you should leave as soon as possible."
Upon hearing He Kui's words, Mayu and Asuka's mother gradually came out of the house.
The mother showed signs of wavering, while Mayu seemed a bit at a loss, clutching her mother's hem.
As for Asuka's father, he appeared even more guarded upon hearing this.
In his view, the other party was undoubtedly a scammer.
"We have no intention of leaving, I'm sorry, but if you don't leave, I will call the police."
"..."
He Kui was astonished that the other party thought there were still police taking reports at this time.
However, He Kui didn't expect to persuade them; feeling his wris
tband vibrate, it was evidently a signal that the pickup vehicle had arrived.
He couldn't be bothered to say anything more.
Aegis quickly moved forward, covering Asuka's mouth and nose while releasing sleeping gas from behind.