If Lacus's bodyguards were gone, then Orb's own security forces would naturally have a legitimate reason to fill the gap.
In any case, the most important thing right now was to rescue Lacus.
As he thought this, He Kui showed no mercy and immediately controlled Little Bird to sever the tendons in the man's foot with its sharp claws, while also disabling his gun.
Meanwhile, Aegis had rushed to the vicinity of the shelter, though it was still on the outskirts of the base. For now, Aegis couldn't break through.
However, at that moment, something unexpected happened.
The signals around Aegis suddenly experienced severe interference, causing a delay in his control.
"Something's wrong..."
He Kui realized what was happening and immediately made Little Bird self-destruct.
At the same time, a capture net with signal-blocking properties was launched toward Little Bird.
Bang
A relatively small sound indicated that the self-destruction had been successful.
"Quick reaction."
At that moment, six people emerged from the ground around Aegis.
Judging by the depth of the soil, it seemed each of them was carrying a small, personal drill.
This kind of technology didn't exist before. It appeared to be a combination of the soil-softening effect of the Scale Motor.
Achieving such precision wasn't easy, and of course, the power consumption would be insufficient. If they could move freely like Earth Release, they wouldn't just be lying in wait.
They probably could only move in and out once, like the ninjas of old.
"Your target is me."
He Kui said calmly after regaining his composure.
The intimidation of Lacus was real, and the intent to kill her bodyguards was also real.
But beneath this truth lay another scheme.
"Of course. After all, that Enchantress has so many guards, and infiltrating Orb's security forces would take too long. Naturally, we had to change our target."
The masked man in front of him didn't sound like Creuset, but his words were filled with malice.
"You used anti-scanning materials and high-tech equipment to hide here for days, didn't you?"
He Kui laughed.
"I'm impressed you could endure for so long."
This was just the outskirts of the base, so hiding here was relatively simple.
Perhaps they had also calculated that he would come to protect Lacus.
Of course, this scheme was undoubtedly Creuset's doing.
After all, Creuset had always been convinced that he was He Kui.
"Hmph, capturing you will make it all worth it."
The masked man snorted coldly, clearly stung by the remark.
"Judging by your hesitation, there's a delay, isn't there?"
Hearing this, He Kui frowned slightly.
As expected, Creuset had shared his information with the clan.
He Kui had already guessed how things would unfold after his confrontation with Creuset, so he wasn't surprised.
Self-destructing would be easy, but doing so would confirm that he was indeed a machine, making it difficult to eliminate them all.
However, not self-destructing would likely result in capture.
He Kui was now caught in a dilemma.
"Your real body isn't here, so capturing you would be pointless. Why don't we cooperate?"
Of course, they would say this. He Kui had become a council member, and although it was unclear if other PLANT council members were cooperating with them, his status as both a council member and a director made him irreplaceable.
So even though he had thwarted so many of their plans, and even though he was a Coordinator, they could still cooperate.
Ultimately, they didn't care about Naturals or Coordinators.
They just wanted to achieve their own goals.
"Sorry,"
He Kui refused,
"I still have my principles."
"Then, it's a pity."
The lead masked man smiled, and the interference on-site intensified.
"By the way, I don't know why you have such a powerful electromagnetic interference system,"
"But why do you think this would be enough to capture me?"
After saying this, He Kui opened all the heat dissipation vents around Aegis. Visible waves of heat began to distort the space around Aegis.
They had underestimated the strength of the interference system and, more importantly, the strength of Aegis's AI.
"Automatic Kill Mode, activated."
As the text appeared on the screen, Aegis, now in a red-hot state, broke free from He Kui's control and charged toward the lead masked man at a speed faster than even a special forces Coordinator.
The result was inevitable. Even though they were armed with both electric shock guns and live ammunition, Aegis's AI easily dodged their shots, unaffected by the signal interference.
Watching the scene of wailing before him, He Kui wasn't particularly pleased.
This time, they had failed, but they would surely come up with other ways to target him.
It was like a game of cat and mouse.
Step by step, they would force him to reveal all his cards, and when that happened, his identity would be exposed, and Aegis would be captured.
"This Aegis can't stay here any longer."
Currently, Aegis had entered Berserk Mode, and both its metal fatigue and power levels were critical. It was essentially useless now.
Moreover, without Little Bird, Aegis would be even more dangerous. It was better to hide it.
After setting Aegis to automatically return to the remote island, He Kui's frown deepened.
This couldn't go on.
Perhaps he should take the initiative and disrupt their plans.
The best defense is a good offense, at least he would have the upper hand.
Otherwise, who knew when Creuset would strike?
If he wanted to stir things up, Panama was heavily guarded, making it difficult to act there.
But Alaska was an opportunity.
After all, Athrun and Andrew were there, making it somewhat of a home ground.
As long as he could push the front lines into the Atlantic Federation's territory, the pressure on him would lessen.
And it would also benefit the overall war situation.
"What's wrong?"
At that moment, Cagalli, who was also commanding the scene from within the base, finally had a moment to look at Xiao Liu, who had been silent for a while.
"Nothing, how's Lacus?"
"She's been moved to a safe location."
"Hmm."
"Are you really okay?"
Although she couldn't see He Kui's expression, Cagalli could sense something was wrong from the gravity in his voice.
"Is it because of the recent terrorist attack?"
"Yes, but it's under control now. Also, send someone to this sniper's location."
"This place... is it one of ours?"
"Probably not. The person has alre
ady been killed, but there are likely accomplices nearby. Be careful, and try
to intercept them."
"Got it, I'll handle it right away."
Without hesitation, Cagalli began swiftly communicating with the various officials outside.
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