"Open fire!"
As the elevator doors gradually opened, the squad leader decisively issued the command.
At his order, the narrow corridor was instantly filled with deafening gunfire.
Countless bullets poured into the elevator, creating a cacophony of metallic clangs.
"Cease fire!"
With a raised fist from the squad leader, the gunfire gradually subsided. At that moment, amidst the haze of smoke, a spider the size of a palm darted out and exploded right in the midst of the crowd.
The spider was a fragmentation grenade. Except for the squad leader's heavy armor, the armor worn by the others was insufficient to withstand the grenade's destructive power.
Casualties were heavy.
"Only bombs? Where are they?!"
The commander in the control room, having heard the report, cursed in frustration.
Yet, he maintained a semblance of calm on his face.
"They must have escaped through the elevator's ventilation shaft," the squad leader said, observing the clearly tampered ventilation opening in the wrecked elevator.
"Search all the ducts. Have someone guard the server room. If necessary, authorize the detonation of the server."
In the face of such a dire situation, the commander, unable to vent his anger, could only speak with a grim expression.
"Prepare the submarine."
After instructing the communications officer, the commander stood up and hurriedly walked out. The situation was unfavorable, and retreat was the only option.
He had hoped that the earlier missile strike would kill them, or at least prevent them from discovering this place. But he hadn't anticipated that ZAFT's actions would be even more ruthless than he had imagined.
While the commander was frantically brainstorming countermeasures, He Kui, through the Little Bird controlled by the three women, quickly sketched a temporary map of the underground base and the location of the server.
"We've found the server, but it's already guarded," Meyrin reported, peering through the Little Bird at the ventilation grate near the server.
"No problem," He Kui smiled, then swiftly crawled with an inhuman, eerie speed to the grate. Extending a small hole in his palm, he silently released a stream of knockout gas into the server room.
Soon after the gas took effect, He Kui boldly jumped down from the ventilation shaft.
With direct physical access, He Kui easily infiltrated the offline server.
Port operation records, defense arrangements, weapon information within the port, personnel management, and communication records with higher-ups—everything was as He Kui had expected.
With this data, he now had a rough idea of the Atlantic Federation's troop deployment in the Alexander Archipelago, no longer completely in the dark.
The information also included the port's security systems, network architecture, and various sensitive accounts. Combined with his Quantum Virus, he could seamlessly control several bases here before they upgraded their systems.
But had the Atlantic Federation captured someone? The communication system indicated that two Sosis had escorted an important individual through here a few days ago.
As for who this important person was, it didn't specify.
According to the records, they were likely taken to Prince Port.
"This place is useless now. I've set the server to self-destruct automatically. Let's go."
Without time to think too much, He Kui, after setting the automatic detonation, retracted the data cable he had inserted into the computer and turned to shoot the still sleeping soldier.
At this moment, he had a thorough understanding of all the information within the base.
After retrieving the Three Little Birds back into his body, he made his way through the ventilation ducts and emerged into the ocean.
Meanwhile, the commander who had just reached the port saw the submarine and hadn't even had time to breathe a sigh of relief before a violent explosion took everyone in the base away.
Although not everyone in the base was killed, this time definitely more than 80% of the people died.
Was this considered avenging South America? Watching the waves caused by the explosion behind him, He Kui sighed.
But what position did he have to avenge South America? If there was to be revenge, it should be done by themselves.
As for him, he was just doing what needed to be done.
"This operation was very successful."
Swimming back to the container while staying alert, Sulei also breathed a sigh of relief and said happily.
"Yes, thanks to you all."
He Kui smiled, but in his heart, he was still somewhat concerned about the people Sosis had captured.
After all, although the people the Atlantic Federation wanted to capture were not necessarily the ones he wanted to save, causing some trouble was more in line with his style.
After replenishing the ammunition in the container, He Kui controlled the container to sink into the deep sea and began drifting towards another small port in the archipelago.
This time he had taken out their port, so next time there would definitely be many more guards, but he also had information on the defense systems of other bases, and they hadn't noticed at all.
No wonder Creuset liked to scheme in the shadows; the feeling of having the enemy in the open was indeed exhilarating.
Thinking this, He Kui temporarily exited the control, stretched, and then continued.
"Then let's rest for now. With the automatic alarm alerts, we can take turns watching here."
Currently, it was definitely the time of the strictest defense, so there was no need to act for the moment.
Moreover, "Are you going to find Lacus~?"
Hearing He Kui's words, Sulei narrowed her eyes.
According to the schedule, Lacus was indeed supposed to arrive in April City later today.
"Yeah, want to come along?"
His Mark Knife was almost ready, so he should be able to make further progress.
"No way!"
Sulei pouted at him.
Indeed, no matter how you looked at it, that was an old customer, and it wouldn't be good for Sulei to show her face.
Thinking this, He Kui nodded, then gently kissed Sulei's lips.
Having just gone through those bloody events, He Kui's movements were much gentler.
The four of them returned to the room and spent some intimate time together. While they were preparing dinner, He Kui went to the greenhouse area.
The greenhouse area had now completely transformed, with rows of new Hydroponic Pods featuring streamlined designs, resembling enormous dinosaur eggs. One side of the pods had transparent observation windows, and complex pipes and interfaces connected to the nutrient solution of the entire greenhouse area. Inside, there were countless precise sensors intelligently monitoring the growth of each crop and automatically adjusting the nutrient solution.
The rice inside was now much more robust than the previous prototypes.
"What brings you here with so much free time?"
Seeing the visitor, He Ma said with a hint of annoyance.
"Come over to take a look, and let's grab a meal together," He Kui said with a smile.
"How's the rice doing?"
"It's great, much better than before."
Speaking of the rice, He Ma became more animated, and the slight reproach on her face for her son's hands-off approach softened a bit.
"If you keep researching like this, solving the food problem is just a matter of time," He Ma said, growing even more excited.
This was a significant achievement, and for PLANT, it was something of utmost importance.
However, it also brought with it immense pressure. He Ma was now too afraid to let anyone in, even wishing she could tape her mouth shut while sleeping.
This was also why she blamed He Kui.
"When are you planning to tell them? Your mother hasn't had a good night's sleep in ages."
"If it gets stolen or if the Atlantic Federation finds out, you'll be in big trouble."
"Soon, soon," He Kui said cheerfully.
It was almost complete now. With a bit more effort and some work on Cagalli's side, he could go find Zala.
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!