"Is it me you're looking for? Is there a problem?" Just as He Kui was about to continue on his way, he turned around to face the youth, noticing there were no dangerous items beside the Haro.
"Uh..."
The youth tugged at the corner of their mouth.
With the distance now closed, He Kui could clearly see their eyes.
Behind the dark lenses were strikingly large eyes, exuding a sense of androgynous beauty.
This wasn't the boy he initially thought; it was clearly a girl.
However, she was frowning as if she wanted to scold him. Ultimately, she restrained herself, rolling her eyes and walking away.
Watching her retreating figure, He Kui was surprised.
In this city of May, someone actually wanted to scold him?
This wasn't due to his narcissism; May City, as a key industrial production base, took pride in its Design Bureau, and He Kui was their pride and joy.
His popularity here was undeniable.
If he weren't concerned about assassination attempts, who knows how much praise he could gather just by walking around.
But this girl seemed to dislike him?
He Kui watched as she disappeared around the corner.
Could it be Cagalli?
Probably not.
But with Erica showing up here, Cagalli, who had once run off to join a guerilla group, visiting PLANT didn't seem so far-fetched.
The golden-haired girl had vanished, so He Kui quickly transmitted the data to the owl in his arms.
"Find that girl."
"Hoot hoot~"
With a mimicry of an owl's call, the round robot flew out.
Inside the Design Bureau was a no-fly zone, but outside wasn't, though there were height restrictions.
"Can you find her?"
He murmured to himself, then returned to his office.
Worrying about Ed wouldn't help, and since he had already sought assistance for Ed's situation, any further requests from the Zala faction might seem greedy. No, it would mean being tacitly aligned with the Zala faction.
Balancing between factions, even the Clyne faction might look down on him.
Ultimately, his own strength was his foundation, his true backing.
Otherwise, just like Ed's situation, he wouldn't get results so quickly.
And who knew if he might be the next target for kidnapping?
Thinking of this, He Kui looked at the virtual display in front of him and frowned.
Speaking of which, he had sent gifts to both Hawks, so why hadn't the other shown any response?
"Director He, you're back."
Just as He Kui was settling in, Hoss returned.
"What's up?"
"I talked to the team, and all ten of us are in!"
Some were in it for experience, others for dividends, and some simply for him.
He Kui wasn't too surprised that everyone agreed to join.
"Got it. Anything else?"
"Also... I showed the blueprints to them. It's doable, but roughly estimated to cost fifteen million."
"No problem. Consider the two million as a deposit."
The efficiency of Coordinators was impressive. In such a short time, they had reviewed the blueprints.
"Director He!"
Seeing He Kui's lack of hesitation, Hoss felt a bit embarrassed.
"It's fine; I trust you."
Jokingly, he had done his homework thoroughly, comparing numerous options.
Even the Scrap Merchants Association was consulted.
A typical quality would cost around sixteen million.
Saving a few hundred thousand was quite considerate.
As for concerns about quality, he planned to share the profits with Hoss, so whatever they earned would be shared among family.
"Director He!"
"Alright, no need to say more."
"No, I mean we're short a few basic workers."
They were all part-timers, and someone needed to oversee the site during working hours.
"Hmm."
He had momentarily forgotten about this, but it wasn't a big deal. He could easily hire...
Thinking of this, Hawk's credentials came to mind.
"I'll handle the hiring."
"Alright."
With that, Hoss left.
As He Kui pondered, his wrist buzzed with vibrations.
From the owl's perspective, the girl was now sitting at a street-side café, drinking coffee.
"Are you guys done talking?"
"Seriously, I just saw that He Kui."
"He's handsome, just like an ordinary person. Alright, I know, I wasn't exposed!"
"I'm saying the locals here are all good-looking. I didn't say I like him!"
The owl's specialized listening function amplified the girl's voice and transmitted it to He Kui's terminal.
"...exchange meeting?"
He Kui quickly recalled that Orb indeed had an exchange meeting with them recently, though it was just a few civilian exchange organizations.
Led by Mentor Malchio, Orb's Multicultural Exchange Center, and the Clyne faction's PLANT Coordinators International Exchange Association, along with other neutral countries' organizations, were having open discussions.
With Coordinators increasingly isolated by the Natural-led Earth, Orb's involvement was welcome.
But Orb also engaged in exchanges with the Alliance.
The issue was that this meeting had nothing to do with May City.
It was a conference held in the Humanities and Sciences City of October City.
As He Kui deliberated on whether she was truly Cagalli and whether he should drive over, the owl suddenly sounded an alarm.
Its attention locked onto a position not far from the girl, where someone was pulling out what appeared to be a homemade gun.
"."
Seeing this, He Kui quickly switched the owl's monitoring mode to defense mode. The owl, upon receiving the command, swooped down from the lamp post, positioning itself between the girl and the assailant's line of fire.
With a loud "bang," the owl, lacking defensive modifications, was pierced by a bullet. Though its wings fluttered obstinately, it quickly lost power, falling before Cagalli.
The unexpected appearance of the bird thwarted the attack, and the assailant was momentarily stunned. As they prepared to fire a second shot, a burly man delivered a karate chop to the back of their neck.
The incident unfolded swiftly, prompting nearby citizens to begin evacuating upon hearing gunfire.
Meanwhile, the girl was stunned, staring blankly at the mechanical pet that had fallen into her arms.
"Cagalli, our cover's blown, we need to leave now."
Without giving Cagalli time to process, Kisaka, filled with dread, grabbed her arm and began to pull her away.
If not for that robot's intervention, he might have let his guard down.
Who could have predicted that their whereabouts were already known?
He should never have agreed to Cagalli's bizarre request to visit PLANT and see if He Kui was truly a demon.
And Lord Uzumi, sending only him, was far too trusting.
"Do you know whose robot bird this is?" Kisaka asked, once they were in the car and sure there were no pursuers, glancing at Cagalli still clutching the shot bird.
"No idea..."
Kisaka fell into thought.
If Blue Cosmos wanted to kill Cagalli, it was likely to pit Orb against PLANT.
It could also have been an internal faction within the Zala camp, hoping to disrupt ZAFT and the Alliance's peace talks.
But who was protecting Cagalli?
This round robot didn't seem designed for offense but rather surveillance.
Which faction was monitoring them in PLANT?
The Clyne faction? Or the neutrals?
Either way, the waters here were too deep; the African desert seemed safer.
At least there was no water there.
"We need to leave immediately. You've seen He Kui; don't come back!"
Kisaka spoke with increased urgency.
"Okay, but this robot..."
"Take it with us."
They might at least find some clues inside.
"Alright!"
Upon hearing this, color gradually returned to Cagalli's cheeks.
Holding the owl tightly, she found the hole exposing its internal components both cute and pitiable.
However, as the car's radio broadcasted reports extolling He Kui's recent achievements, her irritation flared up again.
It was all because of that demon! The Alliance said he often killed indiscriminately. Just wait; if she didn't make him repent before her, she'd stop calling herself Athha!
Compared to him, whoever made this owl was far more endearing!
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