"Brother, isn't our home in PLANT?"
Yulis, who had just left on the shuttlecraft again, asked curiously.
Although she wasn't sure how much it would cost to charter a shuttlecraft alone inside PLANT, Yulis knew it was definitely not cheap.
Moreover, there were two people behind her who seemed like bodyguards or guardians. At this moment, Yulis spoke more cautiously, lowering her voice to a level only the three of them could hear.
She had long known that her brother was wealthy, but now she was even more curious about where they were going.
"Consider it part of PLANT," He Kui said, pointing out the window at the small asteroid.
"But isn't that He Kui's home?"
"Yulis knows?"
"Yeah! Everyone on the ship was talking about this small asteroid!"
"Everyone says He Kui is amazing!"
Wealthy, powerful, and even rumored to be a strong candidate for the next representative of the city within PLANT, everyone spoke with boundless envy. "Is brother his subordinate?"
The girl's eyes sparkled with excitement; to her, just being a subordinate was already impressive.
"Not exactly."
"Brother is He Kui, you know~" Shihe revealed the answer with a laugh from the side.
"Ah!?!"
When they disembarked, the girl still wore a dazed expression.
It wasn't until she reached her room that she suddenly turned around and hugged He Kui tightly.
"Brother, I won't tell anyone!"
If she had previously been unaware of why He Kui was using a false identity, she now understood.
"Yeah, I know."
"Rest for now; I'll come see you later."
"Okay~"
Although she didn't really want to rest, facing He Kui's gaze, the girl didn't refuse.
The next day, in the micro-operation room, Shihe watched the girl's skilled movements with slight surprise.
"You're almost at A-rank, right?"
"Yeah."
He Kui wasn't too surprised; he had seen it when he picked up Yulis yesterday. The cloud above the girl's head was indeed purple.
She definitely had A-rank talent, but of course, it still required practice.
"Brother! How is it?"
Putting down the parts in her hands, the girl widened her eyes, looking at the boy in front of her.
"Mm, very good."
Saying this, He Kui patted the girl on the head.
"But don't overdo it."
"I'm not tired!"
Yulis raised her eyebrows, clearly excited.
She had never had such opportunities in Mexico before. Now that she had a home, people who cared for her, and a safe place to stay, she could never feel tired.
"You still need to rest."
He Kui smiled.
That night, after Yulis had settled in, He Kui returned home from researching the double-barreled destruction rifle. Unknowingly, more and more people had gathered in his home.
If this continued, it might not be enough space here.
Fortunately, the entire asteroid belonged to him, so it was still possible to build another house.
"Recently, a high-level delegation from the East Asian Republic has arrived in the Atlantic Federation."
He Kui squinted slightly at the news broadcast on the television.
The public opinion within PLANT could be imagined; the historical grievances between PLANT and the Earth Alliance couldn't be resolved overnight. Any diplomatic activity could be a chess game of mutual maneuvering.
It could be said that East Asia, which had been inactive and ambiguous in its stance, sparked numerous suspicions as soon as it moved.
"Could it be that matter?" Sulei asked quietly.
They had directly provided intelligence to East Asia, and judging by the situation at the Kaohsiung base, things had indeed calmed down significantly in the past few days.
The staff had also intentionally let them leave, and of course, they had still received quite a bit of money as mercenaries.
Murakumo Gai had also generously given them a little.
"I don't know."
"But it's very possible."
Although they seemed to be in the same camp, the two sides were not at peace during the Third World War.
The Atlantic Federation was so close to East Asia that it would definitely raise East Asia's vigilance.
"What's going on?"
Yulis asked curiously, her eyes wide. Meyrin, sitting next to Yulis, also looked over. "We'll talk about it when you reach A-rank."
Facing the two's curious gazes, He Kui smiled, and Shihe timely added.
"However, which side will East Asia ultimately stand on?"
Shihe's question went unanswered here.
Meanwhile, on the other side with Lacus.
"So, they are asking the Atlantic Federation to temporarily abandon the attack on Kaohsiung?" Lacus asked, her face revealing no emotion.
"Yes, perhaps they also want to avoid internal strife," the current Foreign Affairs Commissioner Canard nodded, then looked at the nearby Sigel.
"Clyne, this is our opportunity."
"For such a long time, they haven't moved against Kaohsiung. Our speculation is that they are temporarily abandoning space to strengthen their national power."
"Their strength cannot be underestimated. If we can form an alliance, even..."
Clyne's faction advocated for negotiations rather than surrender, but it was acceptable to lower the conditions a bit during negotiations.
Seeing that they had already obtained the Neutron Jammer, continuing the fight would only lead them back into endless conflict.
If they gained East Asia's support, they could immediately escape this predicament.
According to reason, East Asia was still a member of the Earth Alliance.
"Too hasty."
Sigel shook his head calmly.
"We don't know their specific national strength, nor do we know their intentions."
What if they split in half like the Eurasian Federation?
"Let's secretly send someone to make contact first. I heard they are also going to conduct military exercises soon; let's observe a bit more."
After thinking for a long time, Sigel said.
"Okay."
Upon hearing this, Sigel bowed slightly and closed the communication.
"Father, He Kui also came from there."
Seeing the room fall into silence, Lacus pondered before speaking.
"Yes, if we are to negotiate, he should be quite suitable, but we still don't know their attitudes towards each other."
"As for He Kui, he should have a very favorable impression of East Asia."
Lacus lowered her voice a bit; if Zala heard this, it would inevitably lead to more trouble.
However, as someone who had interacted with He Kui's parents, Lacus was aware of their attitude towards East Asia, and from that attitude, she could infer some of He Kui's thoughts.
"I hope so."
"If our birth rate continues to be this low, even without natural disasters, we will go extinct."
"We need to break the barriers between the two sides; there is still a long way to go."
Sigel sighed deeply as he looked at the artificial ocean in the distance.
"We will succeed eventually."
Lacus looked seriously at her father, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.
"Mm, we will succeed."
(End of Chapter)